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Core Mechanics
This document provides information on core mechanics for game design. It defines core mechanics as the data and algorithms that describe game rules and operations. Core mechanics activate challenges, track player actions, and determine success/failure. The document discusses defining resources, objects and their behaviors, relationships between objects, events/processes related to objects, and conditions for objects/events. It provides examples of core mechanics for a WW2 Paris game, including objects, relationships, and conditions. The document concludes by outlining guidelines for designing core mechanics, emphasizing simplicity, generalization, and achieving an appropriate level of detail.
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Core Mechanics
- 1. Core Mechanics Design ofComputer Games Martin Sillaots Aug 6 2019 #6
- 2. Elements of GameProduction * • Gameplay • Core mechanics • Game World • Characters • Story • Levels • UI
- 3. Content • Definition ofcore mechanics • Role of core mechanics • Design of core mechanics • Elements of core mechanics
- 4. Definition of CoreMechanics • Data and algorithms that describe game rules and internal operations • Complete description of rules
- 5. Format of Rules •Paper – algorithms in design document – spreadsheet algorithms and data – paper prototype • Code
- 6. Role of CoreMechanics • Activate challenges • Track player actions • Detect success or failure • Operate NPC's • Switch modes • Proceed with the story • Operate the internal economy
- 7. Design of CoreMechanics • Structure your game • Describe resources • List objects and describe their behavior • Define relationships between objects • Define events and processes related with objects • Define conditions to objects and events • Global mechanics - operate through entire game
- 8. Game Structure • Whatis the player going to do? * • Flowboard of the game structure • List of gameplay modes • General outline of the story • List characters • General plans for each level • Progression of the levels • Victory or loss conditions • Non-gameplay actions *
- 9. e.g. Structure ofTime Mesh WW2 Paris Scene
- 10. Resources • Object types •Materials and quantities • Changes during the game • e.g. gold, ammunition, water, popularity, … • Rules, how they will be: – created – used – traded – destroyed
- 11. Internal Economy ofthe Game • Source - give birth to resources • Drain - define consumption of resources • Converter – turn one resource to another • Trader - trading goods between player and game • Producers - for making resources • Tangible Resource - e.g. ammunition • Intangible Resource - e.g. money (in business simulation)
- 12. Objects • Instance ofresource • State of an object - attribute (on / off) • Simple objects - specified by single value • Composite objects - combination of values • Unique object - only one object per type • Numeric objects - initial quantity and range of possible values • Symbolic objects - initial state and list of possible states
- 13. Object Examples • Windspeed and direction • Factory • Characters • Vehicle • Inventory
- 14. Type Name Description BackgroundEiffel Square 1400x350 Background Top of Eiffel 750x350 Background Street Right 750x350 Background Street Left 750x350 Gold color Background Cafe 750x350 Cest la vie Background Cafe Basement 750x350 Character Rex Spy, French, Red herring (location seller) Character Gruber Soldier, German, careless (Eiffel square) Character Geering Soldier, German, careless (Eiffel square) Character Strohm Colonel, German, greedy (Right street) animation Character Rene cafe owner, French, food, radio, food ticket, (Cafe) Character Alfonse ex-banker, French, starving, watch (Eiffel square) Character LeClerc French, connected with Rex, riddle1, Cross (Top of Eiffel) Character Michelle resistance, French (Right street) animation Character Jannet no roll, French (Top of Eiffel) Character Pierre no roll, French (Top of Eiffel) Character Francois no roll, French (Cafe) Character Gustave painter, French (Left Street) Painting animation Object Motorcycle sidecar, German army 1940, (Location of Radio) (Eiffel square) Object Golden watch belongs to Alfonse (Eiffel square) Object Radio in motorcycle sidecar (Eiffel square) Object Chicken leg from Rene (Cafe) Object Bucket of golden color left street (Left Street) Object Croix de Lorraine LeClerc (Top of Eiffel) Object Newspaper no function (Cafe) Object Cafe tables inside and outside (Cafe) e.g. Time Mesh WW2 Paris Game Objects
- 15. Relationships • Relationships amongobjects • Value of one object depends on value of other object • Numeric relationships - arithmetic operations • Symbolic relationships - states and relations • e.g. Level goes up when XP's are collected
- 16. Events and Processes •Event - specific change triggered by condition • Process - sequence of events
- 17. Conditions • What affectobject? – Events – Processes – Relationships • What events are affected by the object? – What causes an event? – What starts (finish) an process? • What the object can do by itself (AI)? • What can player do with the object?
- 18. e.g. Time MeshWW2 Paris Relations and Conditions C Eiffel Square Top of Eiffel Right Street Left Street Cafe Cafe Basement C
- 19. e.g. Time MeshWW2 Paris Relations and Conditions C Painter Spy Soldiers Officer Barman Prisoner Ex Banker Member of Resistance C C
- 20. Global Mechanics • Pause,save, ... • Loss conditions - same for all levels
- 21. Core Mechanics andGameplay • Passive Challenges – don’t need special rules • Active Challenges - objects and rules are needed • Player actions trigger mechanics • Actions attached by data
- 22. Example Design of CoreMechanics for EcoHous game tinyurl.com/ecohousegame
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- 25. Possible Targets • Averagenew building – 120 000 • Low energy building – 80 000 • Passive house standard – 15 000
- 26.
- 27. Rules =Data!D$20+Data!D$29+Data!D$35+Data!D$41+Data!D$47-400 Energy loss through: Windows- 0 Walls - 3000 Floor - 3000 Ceiling - 3000 Ventilation - 0
- 28. Guidelines of CoreMechanics Design • Simplicity • Generalize • Not everything perfect on paper • Suitable level of detail
- 29. Mission # 6 CoreMechanics
- 30. Core Mechanics MissionDetails • Design your game core mechanics: – List of game resources (if relevant) – List of game objects and attributes – Relationships between objects – Events and processes – Conditions to events and procedures – Internal economy of the game (if relevant) • ALL teams have a chance to present their core mechanics
Editor's Notes
- #2 How game operates? What are rules? How player interact with rules? How specify rules?
- #3 Sound and animation can be part of the game world, characters, …
- #5 algorithms … when … if … so precise that programmers can start coding them e.g. written rules of board came is not enough for turning it to computer game
- #6 Head executed by game engine
- #7 Active challenges - related with rules, not passive ones Track player actions - implement effect on game world Detect success or failure - apply consequences Operate NPC's Switch modes Proceed with the story - send triggers to the storytelling engine Operate the internal economy - how the player create, distribute and use goods
- #9 Flowboard – flowchart + storyboard 1. - player role and challenges 9. - camera mode, save, …
- #11 numeric entities games that don’t deal in numeric quantities don’t have resources (only symbolic entities) internal economy - System where resources or entities are produced, consumed and exchanged Rules: Created Source - spawn points E.g.: eggs, interest payment Production Mechanism - Buildings, characters, devices that gather resources (Command & Conquer) E.g. Harvester Used - Converter - E.g. Windmill converts grain to flour one-to-one, bags per minute (Settlers) Trader - Change of ownership. Making profit. Bargaining feature Destroyed - Drain - E.g.: Shooting a gun drains ammunition E.g.: breakdown of facilities (if not repaired)
- #12 System where resources or entities are produced, consumed and exchanged AI rules are not part of internal economy Rules: Source - spawn points E.g.: eggs, interest payment Drain - E.g.: Shooting a gun drains ammunition E.g.: breakdown of facilities (if not repaired) Converter - E.g. Windmill converts grain to flour one-to-one, bags per minute (Settlers Trader - Change of ownership. Making profit. Bargaining feature Production Mechanism - Buildings, characters, devices that gather resources (Command & Conquer) E.g. Harvester
- #13 Entities (üksused) e.g. character, building, animal, pile of gold, … Unique object - e.g.: most adventure game entities (objects) - e.g.: Avatar
- #14 ? Wind speed and direction - numeric or symbolic values? ? Factory = production, capacity, stock, … ? Characters = Name, Race, Money, Health,
- #16 mathematic equation or watching levels from the table Numeric relationships e.g.: 50 breads = 1 sack of flour + 1 bucket of water the heart of internal economy Symbolic relationships Define states for symbols Relations among states (without equations) Mostly Binary state - flag e.g.: avatar has entered to the room Can be related with numeric values e.g.: Wind directions (still no equations)
- #17 Something happens Something changes Order of actions Event e.g. Picking up the key will open the door
- #18 What conditions apply to events, …? What conditions apply to object? Player – actions and rules IF [condition] then [event] else [ ]
- #22 Implementing challenges Implementing player actions Passive Challenges e.g.: Wall - obstacle as challenge - no need for an object (wall) - no need for rules for challenge (climbing) - need to design event after challenge - avatar location attribute is changing Active Challenges e.g.: Puzzle for unlocking the door - objects and rules for puzzle e.g.: Enemy, combat - rules (core mechanics) define characteristics of AI - same NPC can be used several times Player actions trigger mechanics Rules (mechanics) that implement each action - initiate event - start / stop process Actions accompanied by data Object stores additional data from UI ???
- #29 Simplicity smaller number of rules simple games are easier to play variety of content (not rules, same rules) E.g.: Monopoly - same rule - transfer money. Variety - different reasons Generalize find similar patterns in rules Not everything perfect on paper not possible to get everything perfect on paper iteration Draft prototype change mechanics that don't work as expected on prototype Right level of detail balance between design and developing time spent for planning and execution less familiar mechanics should be described in more details