This presentation is about establishing design pillars early to help with the vision of your game. 2 games are used as examples of unfocused designs at the start and how design pillars turned them into successes. This small talk was created for the GLS 2013 Conference.

1. HURRY UP AND FAIL!
GETTING PAST FAILURES
AND FOCUSING ON CORE
GAME DESIGN
Brian Pelletier - Creative Director, Games Learning Society

2. My Background
20 years Developing games
&
&

3. 16 + Shipped Retail Games

4. Why hurry up and fail?
Design is an evolutionary process

5. Why hurry up and fail?
What game design evolution really looks
like

6. Prototype for success!
Don’t get lost in iterations
Move on quickly
Create proof of concepts
Solidify good ideas

7. Use Game Design Pillars
Foundation for future ideas
Key design statements
Used to answer design questions

8. Example of Failed Design
 Started as a
fighting game
 Spent 1st year on
melee combos

9. Establishing Pillars
Mutants with Super Powers!
RPG Elements
Epic Storyline
Marvel Universe

10. Applying the Pillars
Changed Development focus to
Action Role Playing game
Super Powered FX
Character Building, leveling up
Large cast of Marvel characters

11. Example of Failed Design
 Started as arena
brawler
 Locked camera
 Limited abilities

12. Establishing Pillars
Unstoppable / Unkillable!
Lunge ability
Over the top!
Marvel Universe

13. Applying the Pillars
Change to 3rd Person Action Brawler
Intense action
Array of abilities
More comic book than movie

14. Using Pillars to guide
gameplay decisions
How should Wolverine deal with
attacking Helicopter?
1- Unstoppable: wolverine attacks the
helicopter head on.

15. 2- Uses Lunge ability to jump on the
helicopter

16. 3- Over the top actions: Wolverine pulls
the pilot out of helicopter…

17. Lessons Learned
Define game design Pillars ASAP
Don’t devolve your vision
Proof of concepts – quick prototypes
Hurry up and fail, then move on

18. THANK YOU
Brian Pelletier
Creative Director, Games Learning Society