Game Elements
Upon reading:
Formal Abstract Design Tools.
I have compiled notes on what i read and what i found interesting,
firstly,
what is a modern computer game made of: a modern computer game is made of technical disciplines which craft a players experience such as Design, Art, Audio, Levels, Code etc..
Games are always evolving but the most important thing for us as designers is to view other games as an experience to learn what works and to improve on what doesn't.
when critiquing or reviewing others work it is not enough to just write "oh that was fun" or "oh this part was not fun".
in this article we learn about FADT (Formal Abstract Design Tools) which is an attempt to create a framework from which we can speak and describe games
in the post the writers says "Examining the phrase, we have: "formal," implying precise definition and the ability to explain it to someone else; "abstract," to emphasize the focus on underlying ideas, not specific genre constructs; "design," as in, well, we're designers; and "tools," since they'll form the common vocabulary we want to create."
Design and Tools are self explanatory but abstract and formal not so much.
Formality, To just say an element of a game is "cool" is in a sense inappropriate as we all have a different understanding of what something cool is, an example used may help clarify the instead of just cool we could use "rewarding to the player".
Abstract: a +4 armor piece in a RPG is not abstract but the mechanic that created the sword is, a mechanic which improves a players ability is abstract.
Why do we enjoy games ?
in some games such a Mario 64, we enjoy the game because the mechanics make us feel in control,
the distance for a sprint jump always has the same outcome, if i run and jump straight i will go x distance to Y distance every time so with this knowledge i know how big of a gap i can jump, keeping the game simple, understandable and predictable mechanically speaking is always a good basis for player enjoyment.
Players learn the mechanics quickly and because its so well implemented players don't get mad if they cant, carve out a cave, cook fish and eat it. The player is happy with what mechanics are in the game and wont be distraught if they cant do something, on this basis Mario 64 is completely explore-able there is no area you cannot reach with your abilities.
On our first trip in Mario 64 we are placed on a linear track showing us where to go but the game intentionally shows you, Quote on Quote hidden rewards, (Coins or Stars) which intrigue us into exploring over and over again.
The simplicity of the worlds of Mario 64 make a player feel connected or responsible for their actions. for example if a player is to try something and it goes wrong. the player can learn and understand why it went wrong, this a tool that Mario implements constantly into all games
Consequence
Consequence plays a major roll in video games.
PERCEIVABLE CONSEQUENCE: A clear reaction from the game world to the action of the player.'
all games have consequences be it RPG,SPORTS etc...
RPG's use consequence to tell their story if a player choices x he might lose x or gain x.
SPORTS if a player misses a shot he may Lose/Win or if the player says this he may gain fans or lose fans.
But sometimes consequence can lose a players interest, if the consequence is forced on them, such as a player is told (Go to the shop) a objective that is not able to be skipped, and upon doing so the player is told because you went to the shop you lose 50 health points for little to no reason.
Here is a list to rewards you receive for being nice to fans in NBA 2K19
STORY: The narrative thread, whether designer-driven or player-driven, that binds events together and drives the player forward toward completion of the game.
Story based games are different Players know their paths, they know they will have to collect items to continue throughout the story.
Upon reading:
Formal Abstract Design Tools.
I have compiled notes on what i read and what i found interesting,
firstly,
what is a modern computer game made of: a modern computer game is made of technical disciplines which craft a players experience such as Design, Art, Audio, Levels, Code etc..
Games are always evolving but the most important thing for us as designers is to view other games as an experience to learn what works and to improve on what doesn't.
when critiquing or reviewing others work it is not enough to just write "oh that was fun" or "oh this part was not fun".
in this article we learn about FADT (Formal Abstract Design Tools) which is an attempt to create a framework from which we can speak and describe games
in the post the writers says "Examining the phrase, we have: "formal," implying precise definition and the ability to explain it to someone else; "abstract," to emphasize the focus on underlying ideas, not specific genre constructs; "design," as in, well, we're designers; and "tools," since they'll form the common vocabulary we want to create."
Design and Tools are self explanatory but abstract and formal not so much.
Formality, To just say an element of a game is "cool" is in a sense inappropriate as we all have a different understanding of what something cool is, an example used may help clarify the instead of just cool we could use "rewarding to the player".
Abstract: a +4 armor piece in a RPG is not abstract but the mechanic that created the sword is, a mechanic which improves a players ability is abstract.
Why do we enjoy games ?
in some games such a Mario 64, we enjoy the game because the mechanics make us feel in control,
the distance for a sprint jump always has the same outcome, if i run and jump straight i will go x distance to Y distance every time so with this knowledge i know how big of a gap i can jump, keeping the game simple, understandable and predictable mechanically speaking is always a good basis for player enjoyment.
Players learn the mechanics quickly and because its so well implemented players don't get mad if they cant, carve out a cave, cook fish and eat it. The player is happy with what mechanics are in the game and wont be distraught if they cant do something, on this basis Mario 64 is completely explore-able there is no area you cannot reach with your abilities.
On our first trip in Mario 64 we are placed on a linear track showing us where to go but the game intentionally shows you, Quote on Quote hidden rewards, (Coins or Stars) which intrigue us into exploring over and over again.
The simplicity of the worlds of Mario 64 make a player feel connected or responsible for their actions. for example if a player is to try something and it goes wrong. the player can learn and understand why it went wrong, this a tool that Mario implements constantly into all games
Consequence
Consequence plays a major roll in video games.
PERCEIVABLE CONSEQUENCE: A clear reaction from the game world to the action of the player.'
all games have consequences be it RPG,SPORTS etc...
RPG's use consequence to tell their story if a player choices x he might lose x or gain x.
SPORTS if a player misses a shot he may Lose/Win or if the player says this he may gain fans or lose fans.
Nba press conference (in game you have a choice to say
"i did it for my fans"
"i did it for myself"
Here is a list to rewards you receive for being nice to fans in NBA 2K19
STORY: The narrative thread, whether designer-driven or player-driven, that binds events together and drives the player forward toward completion of the game.
Story based games are different Players know their paths, they know they will have to collect items to continue throughout the story.
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