jonereh

[jonereh]

Asteroid Postmortem

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.

The development of this multidirectional shooter game was enjoyable, I feel like with the previous experience with the platformer it allowed me to be more creative with the process. I incorporated different scenes for this prototype demonstrating how each scene is connected to the main aspect of the game. I utilized variables more into this prototype giving value to sprites and having a whole draft play-through made from start to end game.

If I had to redevelop the prototype, I would focus on improving the player experience by introducing clearer and more intuitive instructions. One playtester didn’t realize they could shoot by pressing the left mouse button, which significantly impacted gameplay and I didn't include it in the instruction. To fix this, I would change my instruction scene to not only have the story based instructions but clear visual simple instructions. I’d also clarify the goal, emphasizing that the player is meant to gain protein, not calories as my playtester was very confused. Additionally, I’d address bugs like the idle animation glitch and refine the enemy/food spawn rate for better pacing and balance such as more eggs and less food.

If I had to change the design of the prototype, I would simplify the gameplay visuals by reducing the food types to two instead of three, making it easier for players to navigate around the screen. I’d also reduce the number of simultaneous sprite animations on screen to prevent the player from feeling overwhelmed about what they're looking at. The cursor sprite, which was noted as distracting and visually unappealing, would be replaced with a more simple sprite with no animation. In Chapter 4 of Fullerton's Game Design Workshop (p. 103) 'play can be thought of as freedom or movement within a more rigid structure.' These changes aim to create a player-friendly experience mainly visually and prevents bugs to allow the player to have a comfortable and positive emotional state when playing my prototype.

Overall, this genre of game was fun to experiment with, we were taught new aspects of Gdevelop and it's a lot more engaging once you have a playable game to work with.

[jonereh]

Elevator Pitch

Title of Game: Roadkill Clean-up!

Genre: Racer

Pitch: You're not just racing for upgrades - you’re cleaning up roadkills! Dodge speeding traffic while swerving to clean up all the roadkill littering the highway made by all the truckies. The cleaner your run, the faster you get towards that much wanted upgrade. Can you become the best roadkill cleaner?

Game Controls: Left arrow button - Turn vehicle left Right arrow button - Turn vehicle right

3 Unique Selling Points:

Unlike traditional racers, the goal isn't only to see how far you can go without crashing but to also clean up the roads from roadkill for a safe driving environment .

At each checkpoint an automatic upgrade will be applied that MAY help clean up easier

The more roadkill you clean up the higher your reputation will be which will slowly increase your speed

Image Sources:

Raccoon Road Car

[jonereh]

Week 6 Workshop Notes

Changes made to game in class:

Utilized rotation towards angles (allow sprite to change direction based on key pressed as well as allow it to return to it original 

Created scene groups

Utilised force to move objects 

Added sound to animation 

After workshop plans:

Add kilometres as the 'score' 

Change all vehicle direction to facing downwards so it appears you're coming into oncoming traffic 

Goal is to get as many kilometres as possible 

Story: You stole from a tcg store and now the police are coming for you but you made the wrong turn trying to get away and you ended up in a one way 4 lane motorway

[jonereh]

Week 5 Workshop Notes

TASK 1 - Work on game

Changes made to game in class:

Made variables global

Changed variable names for clarity

Made protein and calories variables trigger when player is equal to or greater than the number as it was set to greater than. (The player did not trigger winning/losing scene at the amount it was supposed to, I initially set it to equal to, but it didn't trigger it as it had to be the exact number)

Updated scene variables to be global

Changed the strings of the conditions/actions to global variables.

Player can now pause the game by pressing the escape key however, the mechanic is buggy, it doesn't pause at times, the player can still shoot one steak, the player character still moves to the direction of the players mouse.

TASK 2 - Feedback

Player didn't know she could shoot

Instructions are not so clear as she had to re-read the instructions and she started trying to eat the food instead - thinks she has to reach the calorie limit verses trying to get the most protein

Not enough eggs

Too many things on the screen

She likes the art style and mechanics of the game

The character bugs out when player is idle

[jonereh]

Calorie Blaster! Game Progress

Changed the background and text size

Changed the asteroid sprites to Burgers, French fries Chocolate cake and Cheese puffs

Changed the bullet to a steak…

Resized the sprites to make them 100x100 as they were in 32x32, included additional animation sprite set to 80x80 for some visual diversity

Each food is given a protein and caloric value.

Made it so the 'bad' food sprites are deleted when the player collides with it - this avoids the player from instantly dying

Changed a few of the game rules: once the player reached 2,000 calories the player loses, once the player reaches 130g of protein they win

The egg! - It's worth 10grams of protein if collided with the player itself but if the player shoots it, they lose 10grams

Created an introduction scene - includes buttons for instructions and start button

Created an instruction scene - includes home and play now button

Created a game over scene - includes buttons for instructions and play again

Created a win scene - includes play again button

Game Resource Credit!

Background Source: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/gingham-fabric-check-seamless-7236120/ Food Asset Source: https://ghostpixxells.itch.io/pixelfood Gymbro Asset Source: https://shuffle8.itch.io/gymi-assets-package

Home and Instruction Scene

Gameplay - Game Over

Gameplay - Win

[jonereh]

Blog Directory

To help with navigating around my blog I have an assortment of links based on tagged content. The posts are sorted in chronological order showcasing my notes and works starting from Week One.

Game Genre:

Platformer - The time I got struck and reincarnated in a platformer game but now I’m a voiceless idol.

Multidirectional Shooter - Calorie Blaster!

Racer - Roadkill Clean-up!

Assessment 1 Blog Requirements

Elevator Pitch

Development Log

Postmortem

Personal Notes for this unit

Weekly Learning Content Notes

Weekly Workshop Content Notes

Recommended Readings

[jonereh]

Platformer Postmortem

Further reading: I have gone into depth on how my platformer came in to fruition under 'How I came up with my platformer game concept'.

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.

Initially the process of developing a platformer game was a bit of a learning curve, we've only just been introduced to the Gdevelop application and personally I've just been overwhelmed as a whole due to the university environment itself but also external factors. However, through my on-going exposure to the concept I've slowly became more confident with it (as with anything regarding trying something new). I had the impression that we had to make a game through our workshop from start to finish which added extra unnecessary pressure due to my lack of understanding but once I clarified it with my tutor, it provided me with a sense of relief with the unit itself and regained my confidence with my ability to be competent in this unit.

The majority of the time I spent on this prototype, was developing the story and concept art. If I spent my time wisely I would have had optimal time to redevelop the prototype and focus on making each basic mechanism work. For example, the enemy sprites could have done damage or killed the player and there could have been a mock ending to simulate how the game plays out - giving the play tester more materials to provide feedback. In Chapter 2 of Fullerton's Game Design Workshop (p.39), the importance of challenge and conflict was described as being essential as to provide tension and keeps players invested, however, as my prototype didn't contain any sort of challenge other than basic jumps the prototype is dull. There's multiple aspect of this prototype that I would re-do, the following are some changes I would make: add a border around the stage to stop the character from freefalling. I would add more jump challenges, I would make sure each enemy sprites functioned as intended and I would ensure the key (end trigger) resulted in the game completion.

If I had to change the design of the prototype I would definitely add a few features that I forgot to include such as: a home screen, a instruction screen, a story screen and end scene, a health bar, a completion bar and sounds. The sounds would help immerse the player, the completion bar will visually show how far the player is into the level and the health bar allows the player to know how much life they have whereas all the scenes are to help with introducing the player to the game and it's objective.

Although the prototype was incomplete, the amount of work I completed was solid and I'm proud of myself for doing something. I definitely need to work on my time management and understanding tasks better, learning how to use Gdevelop is fun.

[jonereh]

Week 5 Workshop Notes

Task 2

Please see "Calorie Blaster!" Elevator Pitch post

Task 3

In Class Tutorial Game Progress Most aspects were transferable from the previous game we made.

Added objects

Added scenes - created a game over menu

Made the player object follow the angle and direction of the player's mouse

Utilised timers and values

Used 'Random' to spawn asteroids in different locations on the scene

Introduced 'endpoint' to change the location of where the bullets are 'fired' from

Introduced counters for 'lives'

Post-Workshop changes

Made the asteroids delete once in collision with the bullet

Created a 'Start-over' button as I had problems with the scene timer working, but also it's more intuitive to have it as a button rather than a timer.

[jonereh]

Elevator Pitch

Title of Game: Calorie Blaster!

Genre: Multidirectional shooter

Pitch: In Calorie Blaster, you're not dodging asteroids or aliens—you're fighting for your gains against an endless onslaught of high-calorie junk food! Every shot you land shreds through unhealthy snacks, boosting your protein intake and keeping you in peak gymbro form. But take a hit, and your calorie count skyrockets while your hard-earned protein dwindles, slowing you down. Can you outmaneuver the cosmic cheat meal and stay shredded in the ultimate space showdown?

Game Controls: Mouse pointer - aims and changes your location Mouse left click - shoot protein bar bullets

3 Unique Selling Points

Aesthetically catered towards those fighting for their health goals. The struggles of keeping away from temptation is a tough battle!

Calorie based scoring and gameplay - Every shot increases your protein, but getting hit stacks on calories, slowing your movement and shooting rate.

Boosters - Random spawning of protein shakes increases speed temporarily but if you take a thickshake instead you'll be slowed drastically!

[jonereh]

Platformer Development

This post will be the conclusion of this platformer game. I clarified with my tutor about the game and he explained that we cycle through each game genre during the workshop, we're not assessed on the game creation and completion itself. (I had the impression we were supposed to finish our game as a whole... oops!)

Game Update:

Game background - I made a mistake regarding how I made my background, I did the proper procedure this time using the layers instead of adding each sprite to create the background.

Yao - I replaced the previous sprite design to one resembling my story, updated the run, idle and jump animation. I've also added a 'run' and 'death' animation but no attributes yet.

Foe - I replaced the previous sprite design with a female ninja… it was supposed to be a group of people but I couldn't find a free resource for it. I have updated the code to flip the orientation of the sprite.

Memory - I removed the sparkle sprite and incorporated it into the key sprite by animation, I made the key too small so I'll need to change it. I managed to learn how to use the inbuilt pixel editor (Piskel).

Game Feedback Questionaire

Platformer Feedback based on the questionaire I compiled in Week 4 Workshop. This questionaire will be used for my postmortem for this game.

What is your first impression?

The little characters are cute and I loved the background imagary.

How did the controls feel?

The controls were a bit rough, the screen moves slightly when walking which was a bit distracting.

Was there a moment that you felt confused on what to do?

Yes, the female ninjas didn't do anything to me, nor did the helicopter and the key as well...

What do you think the goal of the game is?

I think it's to collect the keys but it didn't work.

What stands out to you? (Negative and/or Positive)

Positively - the characters are cute, I can see visually what she's trying to do but it's just that there's nothing to the game yet.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind that needs to be improved on?

First thing is to have the enemy working properly, there's no ending to the game at the moment other than falling endlessly.

What do you enjoy about playing a game?

It's cute.

[jonereh]

How I came up with my platformer game concept

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC. I've already made some posts about my ideas and concepts but I haven't elaborated on how it came to fruition which this what this post will be about.

To be completely honest, when we were told we had to make a platformer game, I had no idea what sort of game I wanted to make. I had so many ideas in my mind but somehow at the same time there was nothing at all… I've always enjoyed my IT units during my primary and secondary schooling and I definitely remember how fun making games were but it's been almost a decade and I haven't explored anything too creative since. So, I went back to the basics. (The basics being to note down anything and everything in my head)

I started with my experience with platformer games. It began with playing Mario and Sonic games on the gameboy, then Fireboy and Watergirl on the classic website coolmathsgames.com and in recent years I've played chained together and It takes two. Platformers sure have remained the same but also developed a lot over the years, it seems to have lost popularity as well. I took some time to just browse coolmathsgames, to just sit in nostalgia and well I let my mind wonder (I may or may not have been in a discord call where the topics were everywhere which may have influenced some decisions). In the end I just combined what I had in my brain at the time - Anime (Zombie Land Saga, The Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime and Oshi no ko) and Webtoons (Isekai genres). Essentially I just got little inspiration here and there to make up a story which fuelled my creativity on how I can make it into a game concept.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has perfectly described the creative process of how I concocted my game idea, in his Stages of Creativity going over preparation, incubation, insight, evaluation and elaboration in chapter 6 pages 169-170 in Fullerton(2018). Going through each stage definitely help with generating ideas and building upon them.

Fullerton (2018) chapter 2 outlined the common structural elements of games being: players, objectives, procedures, rules, resources, conflict, boundaries, outcome. I've thought of most of them at this point but I needed to improve upon defining the rules of the game and solidifying my game's overall moment-to-moment tasks. I also had to take into consideration that the game must engage the player, taking to account the: challenge, play, premise, character and story. Each one of these aspects play an role in creating a successful game as explain thoroughly in chapter 4 page 98-114.

"iteration" simply means that you design, test, and evaluate the results over and over again throughout the development of your game, each time improving upon the gameplay or features, until the player experience meets your criteria.

Fullerton (2018) Chapter 1 Page 16

Now that I have a general idea of different aspect of my game I've decided to continue the iteration process by create a visual prototype, a concept art (Fullerton, 2018, page 204-205). I created my first concept art on procreate to physically visualise what I had concocted in my mind to reality as close as I could. As stated in the chapter, prototyping the idea definitely encouraged my creativity. I'm a visual and hands-on learner so seeing my textual idea come to life was exciting.

As of the time I'm writing this, I just have a rough idea on what I would like to happen, but to put it in practice is another issue itself - if I can achieve my objective of the game in time of the deadline.

[jonereh]

Game Update

This week I've just been playing catch up as my personal life has started to go back to normal. I've gathered free resources online for my game, and all I can say is that It's hard to get the aesthetic you want which is a huge bummer. I had this visual image of what I wanted and the results so far is just not anywhere close to what I envisioned… you got to do what you can given the limited resources… (I'm not paying for assets in this economy) I realised creating the background has been a hassle, right now it's just pixel by pixel and it's not a fun time - I'm sure there's an easier way to do this so I'll leave it for now and work on it again soon.

Changes I've made in game since the last update:

I've created a helicopter sprite to fly across the screen, it does nothing yet but I'm hoping for it to drop some 'microphones' or an object related to it to be spawned periodically throughout the game.

I've added a new key object and a sparkle object to 'gather' the protagonist's memories. It's cute with the sparkles but it's currently 2 objects, I wonder if I can merge it.

I added the background and as stated before hopefully, I can find an easier method.

I changed the platform visual, it's close enough visually.

I added the 'foe' which is now just a female ninja… sigh.

There's so much to do but I'm happy with the progress I made with the little time I've had to catch up.

[jonereh]

Design Notes

Horizontal runner Level based, collect the one musical notes in each level to progress 

Each musical note increases ‘special’ attack bar which indicates game progress 

Yao has a ‘spirit’ level which is her health level that drains if she’s attacked by her foes or in the stalker’s vicinity for too long

Yao is a runner, not a fighter - running to find her memories so she can go back home

Enemies

Assassin: those in power have hired a helicopter to drop microphones resulting in an instant kill when hit

Foes: a mob sprite that periodically appear and follows the character for a few seconds before disappearing - resulting in some damage to the player, it will get faster once the game progresses

Stalker: a shadow sprite that’s idle but will ‘almost teleport’ to you when you’re within its vicinity and will slow the player and drains ‘spirit’ - drain increase once game progresses

Audio

One song where each level her voice becomes clearer 

The musical notes has a cute audio when taken

The foe attack has its own audio 

The assassin attack has a warning audio and another one when successfully dead

The stalker has its own audio and another sound when spirit is being drained

Background Imagery

All the same purple forest type background except the last level where it’s black with stage spotlight. The camera will follow the character, not fixed. The border of the game will be given a cloud like appearance to subtly hint that the character is either in a dream-like/fantasy situation.

Levels

For the purpose and time limit of this assignment I'll focus on 3 levels and 3 events/scenes.

Introduction - Introducing all the enemies, the mechanics and the story.

Medium level - Not too easy of a level for the playtester to understand the concept and goal of the game.

Hard level - Not too hard, but will require some time to complete for the playtester to experience how the game progresses

Introduction scene - Introducing the character and her story.

Dialogue scenes when aquiring 'spirits'

Death scene - To be 'reincarnated' like a loop when killed.

Concept Art, Changes and Yapping

This is to visually aid how I envision my game to appear. I've changed some aspects of the enemies from my initial brainstorming. I've changed the jealous novice idols into foes, a group of haters essentially - just wanted to shorten the name in all honesty. It's now not a musical game - I initially wanted to make a DDR rhythm game concept and successfully completing the combo allows the player to avoid attacks, jump - almost like temple run but instead of swiping left, right, up and down the player is doing insane keyboard combos. I kept building upon the idea and it got too overwhelming to attempt to make and I knew I would be disappointed with the outcome due to time restraint and being a perfectionist. I would enjoy creating it and would genuinely play it just because of my love for rhythm games - timezone used to have a chokehold on my bank account when I was really into it... don't recommend- unless it's double dollar day! This idea would be something I can build towards as a passion project down the line. The right button is now the 'd' key... must have misclicked 's' in my elevator pitch 'a'+'s' is uncomfortable...

I tried... okay. Don't judge too much TT-TT I also included it to my Elevator Pitch.

[jonereh]

Week Five Overview

The information in this post has been gathered from IGB120 Week Five Lecture provided by Queensland University of Technology for the purpose of education. I, Jonereh Santos don't take credit for any information other than individual activities during class. These notes are for my personal use for my education.

Topics:

Understanding the possibilities and limitations of GDevelop.

Tips & Tricks for using GDevelop to its fullest potential!

Melee Combat Discussion.

What we expect from you this semester.

What is GDevelop good for?

New to game dev and want a fun environment to practice in.

Strong focus on Indie dev.

Quick & simple prototyping.

What isn’t GDevelop for: Open-ended Role-Playing, MMORPG Battle Arena, high-fidelity FPS Arena Shooter. Limitations:

Advanced data structures

Complicated object properties

Complex player or weapon mechanics

Advanced Enemy AI

Art and Level Design (Isometric)

2D vs 3D Level Design - Gdevelop mostly runs on 2Dimensions using sprites, so 2D is a safe option. However, you can achieve Faux (i.e. fake) 3D for Isometric games

Technique - Using invisible colliders to ‘block’ off parts of your level. Multiple sprites for directions characters are facing.

Parallax scrolling effects could be used for 2.5D like effects - Scroll background imagery slower than main/foreground elements. Have foreground elements that move past the camera quickly

Understanding Variables

Variables Types in GDevelop:

Object – Used for each instance of an object. Helpful for tracking health, direction, effects, identifiers, etc

Scene – Used for the current scene only. Load a different number or type of enemies for different levels.

Global – For the entirety of the game. Used for overall score which can be accessed in every scene

Arrays are container for variables (Same data type and sequence are typically important due to index reference). It's great for linking events to variables that may change on the fly with events rather than magic numbers (i.e. increase game difficulty).

External Events and Objects Some event logic you want to exist/change in multiple scenes (e.g. player lives, score) It creates a global External Event which can be included in multiple scene event logic. Certain GameObjects should persist between scenes (e.g. player with movement, repeating enemies)

Class Activity What are examples of objects, events or systems that should be ‘externalised’ or made global in your games? Game State Manager - tracks player progress and stats across different levels Input Manager - provides a unified system for handling user inputs Audio Manager - ensures that background music and sound effects remain consistent Event System - handles key game-wide triggers such as level completion or achievements. UI Manager - for persistent interface elements like health bars and score displays Object Pooling System - optimize memory usage for frequently spawned objects Save/Load System - managing player progress Networking System - handling multiplayer interactions What are some of the advantages of having global objects and events? In game design, certain objects, events, and systems SHOULD BE externalized or made global to ensure efficiency, consistency, and ease of management, reducing complexity while enhancing over-all gameplay experience. Don't need to keep re-creating things if everything is globalized. Examples: Improved performance by reducing redundant object creation, maintaining game state consistency across scenes, and making game architecture more scalable. Simplify event handling, improve debugging by centralizing key functions, and allow different components to interact more seamlessly.

Physics 2.0 Behaviours GDevelop comes with an (experimental) physics model, Physics 2.0 Primary considerations:

Body types – Dynamic, Static and Kinematic

Bullet – for fast moving projectiles

Density – body mass. High = immovable

Friction – slow down on contact. Low = slippery

Restitution – bounciness. Low = bouncy

Damping – slow down or drag

Gravity Scale – Low = gravity has no effect

Melee Combat Discussion

Melee combat games make extensive use of hitboxes. Additionally use other forms of hitboxes and mechanics to make combat feel and flow better.

Mechanics:

Hitboxes – box around character that detects damage

Hurtboxes – box projected by character to deal damage

Hitstun – delay in control after taking damage

Startup/Recovery – frames before and after damage component

Pushback – separation of characters based on move strength

Input Buffering – buffer to collect untimely input to best-match to normal/special moves

Unit expectations

We value developing an understanding the concepts in this unit, and applying them when experimenting with Gdevelop. What we want to see by order of importance:

Understanding the fundamentals of design from lecture & textbook content, then creating interesting and innovative design concepts.

Your application of the iterative process of design, playtesting & reflection as a critical pillar of effective game dev.

A general understanding & degree of comfort with Gdevelop.

Unit Goals To become thoughtful, innovative designers who are:

Effectively learn from & iterate on their concepts.

Willing to attack any challenge thrown at them.

Able to think like a designer, and not a player.

Recommendation for this Semester Focus on smaller games with contained stories.

If you have an idea for a bigger game, focus on only showing part of it (e.g. a single level)

Find a simple scope that’s easy to iterate on

Focus on creating single-player experiences

Less balancing necessary

Less considerations for local/network play

Identify what lies at the heart of your game & lean into it, this could look like:

Focusing on a specific mechanic or feature.

Repurposing or re-inventing your work in new ways: Tweak the colour, scale, & stats of enemies to create variants. Add unpredictability by randomising values of object variables. Design with intent! Your quirky character may be the star but the mechanics should facilitate the narrative & feel relevant!

[jonereh]

Week Four Workshop Notes

I was unable to attend this workshop so I wasn't able to playtest during class time. Key Notes

Good design is about solving problem. Think of thematic or rules/systems based problems you’re encountering and use new features as tools to solves them.

Game developers can’t simply make games that are only accessible to people like themselves if they want to make a game that the majority of gamers can understand and enjoy.

Identify what are the most important and unimportant aspects that need to be fixed. Order it in this way and see if there’s anything you can fix quickly and what will take longer.

The responses from your questionaires can be used for your postmortem journal entry

Example playtesting questions

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop: a playcentric approach to creating innovative games. AK Peters/CRC Press. pp. 271-304

Game Feedback Questionaire Examples

What was a frustrating part of the game?

What was your favourite part of the game?

Was it what you wanted or would you like something else from this game?

How would you describe this game?

Are there points where they struggle or triumph in the game?

What parts of the game do they find interesting or fulfilling?

My Chosen Questionaire:

What is your first impression?

How did the controls feel?

Was there a moment that you felt confused on what to do?

What do you think the goal of the game is?

What stands out to you? (Negative and/or Positive)

What's the first thing that comes to mind that needs to be improved on?

What do you enjoy about playing a game?

[jonereh]

Chapter 5 Summary

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playercentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.

The information in this post has been gathered from the above citation as part of IGB120 Week Four reading materials provided by Queensland University of Technology for the purpose of education. I, Jonereh Santos don't take credit for any information. These notes are for my personal use for my education.

Introduction to System Dynamics (Page 129-130)

Games function as dynamic systems composed of interacting elements.

System theory (Ludwig von Bertalanffy, 1940s) helps analyze how game elements interact and evolve over time.

Understanding system dynamics is crucial for game balance and engagement.

Games as Systems (Page 130-132)

Games, like other systems, consist of objects, properties, behaviors, and relationships.

Systems range from simple (like Tic-Tac-Toe) to complex (like Chess).

The predictability of a system depends on the number of interactions and possible outcomes.

Basic Elements of Systems (Page 132-136)

Objects: Fundamental building blocks (e.g., Chess pieces, Monopoly money, characters in RPGs).

Properties: Attributes defining objects (e.g., health, color, value).

Behaviors: Actions objects can perform (e.g., a Bishop moving diagonally in Chess).

Relationships: How objects interact with each other (e.g., adjacency, hierarchy, dependencies).

System Dynamics & Balance (Page 136-140) System elements must interact in a meaningful way; removing a key element can break the system. Examples:

Tic-Tac-Toe has simple relationships and predictable outcomes.

Chess has complex relationships and emergent strategies.

Predictability vs. Complexity Highly structured games like Mastermind emphasize logic. Games like Clue introduce chance, making them accessible to more players.

Game Economies (Page 140-146) Economy Types in Games:

Simple Bartering (Pit – fixed values, no inflation).

Complex Bartering (Settlers of Catan – fluctuating values based on supply and demand).

Market Economy (Monopoly – fixed prices but player-driven transactions).

Persistent Economies (Ultima Online, EverQuest – ongoing markets beyond individual sessions).

Metaeconomy (Magic: The Gathering – player-driven economy through collectible card trading).

"Free-to-play" Model: Games like Clash of Clans monetize gameplay through in-game purchases.

Emergent Systems (Page 146-148) Emergence are simple rules that create complex, unpredictable outcomes (e.g., The Game of Life by John Conway). Examples in Games:

Halo NPCs react based on perception, world state, and emotions.

The Sims uses object interactions to drive character decisions dynamically.

Player Interaction with Systems (Page 148-150) Information Structure:

Open (Chess, Go) – Players have full knowledge of the game state.

Hidden (Poker, Clue) – Players lack certain information, encouraging deception.

Mixed (Blackjack, 7-card stud Poker) – Some information is revealed, some remains hidden.

Dynamic (Warcraft’s "Fog of War") – Information changes as players explore.

Control Types:

Direct Control (e.g., FPS games where players control movement and attacks).

Indirect Control (SimCity, RollerCoaster Tycoon – influencing the system rather than controlling individual characters).

Conclusion (Page 150-152)

Games are complex systems, requiring balance between predictability and emergence.

Game economies, player interaction, and control structures shape the player experience.

Successful game design requires rigorous testing to ensure balanced and engaging system dynamics.

[jonereh]

Chapter 4 Summary

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playercentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.

The information in this post has been gathered from the above citation as part of IGB120 Week Four reading materials provided by Queensland University of Technology for the purpose of education. I, Jonereh Santos don't take credit for any information. These notes are for my personal use for my education.

Introduction to Dramatic Elements (Page 97-98)

Dramatic elements engage players emotionally and integrate formal game mechanics into meaningful experiences.

Basic dramatic elements (like challenge and play) exist in all games, while more complex elements (like premise, character, and story) enhance emotional investment.

Challenge (Page 98-101)

Challenge is a key factor in player engagement, providing a satisfying balance between difficulty and achievement.

Flow Theory (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi): Enjoyment comes from balancing skill and challenge, preventing frustration or boredom.

Key Factors for Flow:

Tasks must be achievable.

Clear goals and immediate feedback.

Deep concentration and sense of control.

Loss of self-consciousness and altered perception of time.

Play (Page 102-104) Play is the freedom to act within the structure of a game’s rules. Types of Play (Roger Caillois):

Competitive (Agôn) – Strategy-based, rule-driven (e.g., Chess).

Chance-based (Alea) – Random outcomes (e.g., Roulette).

Make-believe (Mimicry) – Role-playing (e.g., Dungeons & Dragons).

Vertigo (Ilinx) – Sensory thrill (e.g., extreme sports).

Different player types (Competitor, Explorer, Achiever, Storyteller, etc.) engage with games in unique ways.

Premise (Page 105-108) Premise gives meaning to gameplay by providing setting, characters, and objectives. Strong premises help integrate formal and dramatic elements, enhancing player engagement.

Examples: Simple premise – Space Invaders (defend Earth from aliens). Complex premise – Myst (solving a mysterious puzzle on an island).

Character (Page 108-112) Characters drive the emotional connection between the player and the game world.

Key Character Aspects:

Psychological (desires, fears, and growth).

Symbolic (representing larger themes).

Historic (based on real-world figures).

Protagonist & Antagonist: The protagonist’s journey and challenges create engagement. The antagonist creates conflict that drives the game forward.

Game-Specific Considerations:

Player-controlled avatars (e.g., The Sims)

Pre-defined characters (e.g., Kratos in God of War)

Artificial intelligence (e.g., NPC behavior in Halo)

Story (Page 112-114) Successful game stories integrate narrative and gameplay (e.g., The Last of Us). Different narrative structures examples:

Backstory-driven (StarCraft – story unfolds between levels).

Branching narratives (Heavy Rain – player choices shape outcomes).

Emergent storytelling (The Sims – players create their own stories).

Directing Games for Emotion (Page 114-116)

Ian Dallas (What Remains of Edith Finch) describes designing games around emotions instead of mechanics.

Emotional storytelling uses visual, auditory, and environmental cues to guide players into a mood.

Playtesting is crucial to refine emotional impact.

World Building (Page 117)

Deep fictional worlds enhance immersion (e.g., Middle-earth, World of Warcraft).

Henry Jenkins: Modern storytelling expands beyond a single medium, encouraging fan involvement.

The Dramatic Arc (Page 118-121) Classic story structure:

Exposition → Rising Action → Climax → Falling Action → Resolution.

Applied to games:

Donkey Kong (Mario climbs to rescue Pauline, increasing tension).

Journey follows a Hero’s Journey arc, balancing emotions with gameplay mechanics.

Conclusion (Page 122)

Understanding dramatic elements helps create more engaging, emotionally compelling games.

Future games can push narrative depth and emotional resonance further.