Game Design for Game Developers by Iain Lobb

@iainlobb

Meta4orce

Stackopolis

Pop Pirates

Owl Spin

Dull Dude Games

Super Gun Kids

Addic>ng Game Design

Addic>ve Game Design

I hope I’m right!

Without good game design you are guaranteed to fail.

Tailor your game to the market.

Play test your game on people other than your friends.

Don’t ignore feedback.

Don’t clone.

Recombine popular game mechanics.

Nobody reads.

Make learning the rules into part of the game.

Games should get easier as they go, not harder.

Flight (Armor Games)

Humans are hunter-‐gatherers. Let the player collect coins, power-‐ups and keys.

Items and upgrades turn a skill game into a strategy game.

Whatever you do, put a shop in your game!

Deep game play is based on decision making, not manual dexterity.

Let the player know what they can get if they keep playing.

Randomise rewards.

Saving the player’s progress increases their investment in your game.

The new genera>on of gamers have never played games that don’t save their progress.

Don’t make players repeat large sec>ons of game play.

Auto-‐save all the >me.

Build your own achievements system.

Tell the story with voice ac>ng and game play.

Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure (Untold Entertainment) Meta4orce

2.5 dimensions is enough for anybody.

Create living worlds to explore, not empty voids.

Take the player on a journey.

Li[le Wheel (One Click Dog)

Puzzles should make the player feel clever, not stupid.

The wrong theme will kill your game before you’ve even started.

Cute characters, animals and friendly monsters have broader appeal than space marines.

...but consider your audience.

Remember what you liked when you were 8 years old.

Keep the guns but lose the gore.

Good characters are recognisable from their silhoue[es.

Good characters are recognisable from their colour scheme.

It’s easier to iden>fy with a simple character.

To iden>fy with a character, we need to see their face.

Even viewed from the side, characters should face the camera.

Characters with big heads are more expressive.

Use a Zelda-‐like perspec>ve rather than a true top-‐down view.

The same idea can be a hit or a ﬂop depending on how well you implement it.

Don’t invent your own control scheme.

Polish like crazy!

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Game Design for Game Developers by Iain Lobb

by mochimedia on Sep 14, 2011

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Game Design for Game Developers by Iain Lobb — Presentation Transcript