Chapter 10

Game Engines and Game Design:Principles, Concepts and Vocabulary

Game engines (or individual parts of game engines) can be considered a kind of Middleware because they provide a “service” that is not available through the Operating System “out of the box”.

This service being: a comprehensive toolset (software framework) that can be used to develop a game.

Middleware

Game Engines are software tools that help programmers build computer games.

They do this by assisting in the creation and management of:

Assets used in the game

User-input and Interactivity

Levels/Scenes and level/scene transitions

Objects within the game world and their interaction

Time Management for slices of time inside the World

Game Engines

Game Engines usually also provide an Integrated Development Environment (IDE).

The IDE is what allows the software developer to actually utilize the functionality of a Game Engine.

Think about IDEs as the “user-facing” part of a Game Engine, which aggregate all the individual tools of a Game Engine into one useable interface.

Game Engines and IDEs

Commercially used Game Engines: Gamebryo

Game Engines

Game EnginesCommercially used Game Engines: RenderWare

Game EnginesCommercially used Game Engines: Unreal

Game EnginesCommercially used Game Engines: Unity

Game EnginesCommercially used Game Engines: RPG Maker

The core functionality provided by a game engine (usually) includes Platform abstraction and API Visual rendering (2D and/or 3D) and Sound Input management A physics engine for modeling object interaction Scene/Level management Scripting Animation and rigging artificial intelligence, networking, GUI creation…

Game Engines

While the entire purpose of a Game Engine is to make developing games easier, they also often complicate matters due to inherent constraints and limitation.

What are some constraints of Greenfoot as a Game Engine?

Game Engines

Games (like most art-forms) are often categorized according to their “Genre”.

The idea of “Genres” revolves around common themes and comparable experiences.

Genres are fundamentally based on the question “What is similar about game x and game

y?” For each of the following categories, do two things:

a) Think of a game that exemplifies the Genre

b) Consider what makes games of this Genre “enjoyable”?

Types of Games (Game Genres)

Action Games (e.g., arcade, first-person shooter) usually involve fast and dynamic interactions and offer “physical” challenges that involve acting and reacting quickly.

Strategy Games (e.g., tower defense, real-time tactics) usually involve slow or even turn-based interactions with more “intellectual” challenges that involve planning and organization.

Simulation Games (e.g., city construction, flight sim) usually try to create by a high degree of verisimilitude by modeling some subset of reality as close as possible.

Types of Games (Game Genres)

Adventure Games (e.g., point-and-click, puzzle game) usually revolve around providing short-term puzzle-based challenges. These challenges often revolve around deduction and general problem-solving skills.

Role-Playing Games (e.g., sandbox rpg, online RPGs) are usually focused on long-term story-led or character-centric challenges/gameplay.

Types of Games (Game Genres)

What is potentially problematic about approaching games and especially game-design from a Genre-focused

angle?

Point of discussion:

Game Engagement ConceptsGame Engagement Concepts are like the abstracted subtext of a story rather than the story itself. We can use them to talk about what individual aspects of a game make that game effective at engaging the player.

Unlike Genres, Game Engagement Concepts are closely related to actual issues of Game Design and can thus be used productively.

Game Engagement ConceptsWe will discuss the following Game Engagement Concepts:

Use of Randomness Effective/Easy-to-understand

Controls Game Balance Hard Fun and Easy Fun Positive and Negative Feedback Focus on a Core Game Play

Mechanic A Circle of Expertise

Game Engagement Concepts Use of Randomness

We can use Randomness to make a game less predictable and more challenging.

Randomness can also result in long-term Player Engagement, due to increased Replay Value and time-to-master.

What are common points of Randomness in games?

When/For what purpose have we used Randomness so far?

Game Engagement Concepts Use of Randomness

Game Engagement Concepts Use of Randomness

Game Engagement Concepts Effective/Easy-to-understand Controls

The main point of interaction between player and game is always the control-scheme.

Effective controls should allow a player to smoothly translate intentions into actions.

Creating a control-scheme that does not require excessive additional mental effort should be considered one of the most important aspects of game design.

Game Engagement Concepts Effective/Easy-to-understand Controls

What button should be linked to the action “go right” here?

What would happen if it is a different button?

Game Engagement Concepts Game Balance

A well balanced game provides appropriate challenges throughout the entire gameplay and an overall “flat” hierarchy of challenge/utility.

No individual challenge is far more difficult/far more trivial than any other challenge.

No individual tool is far more useful/far less useful than any other tool.

Game Engagement Concepts Game Balance

Game Engagement Concepts Hard Fun and Easy Fun

Different levels of difficulty can provide different kinds of enjoyment.

A very difficult level can create a sense of accomplishment once beaten.

An easy or only mildly challenging level can create a feeling of competence and empowerment.

Game Engagement Concepts Hard Fun and Easy Fun

Game Engagement Concepts Positive and Negative Feedback

How a player interprets gameplay and his relative success in utilizing the tools at his disposal, is at least partially dependent on what kind of feedback he receives.

Effectively communicating feedback is necessary to get the specific emotional engagement and “mood” we want.

Game Engagement Concepts Positive and Negative Feedback

Game Engagement Concepts Positive and Negative Feedback

Game Engagement Concepts Focus on A Core Game Play Mechanic

It is usually (especially when starting from scratch) preferable to focus on a single Game Play Mechanic, as opposed to a complex set of mechanics.

Complex mechanics potentially require explanation, tutorializing and more involved controls.

If the mechanic is strong enough, it can facilitate complex gameplay with relatively simple means (“emergent” gameplay).

Game Engagement Concepts Focus on A Core Game Play Mechanic

Game Engagement Concepts A Circle of Expertise

Learning is part of playing. And “getting better at something” is considered inherently enjoyable.

A game that offers no possibility of improvement will not be able to keep a player engaged for more than 1 or 2 sessions.

By providing clear goals, increasing challenges and specific feedback, a player can be simultaneously guided towards gaining greater competence and allowed to demonstrate said competence.

Game Engagement Concepts A Circle of Expertise

Meta-Game Engagement Goals (Very) roughly speaking, we use Game

Engagement Concepts to facilitate a relatively small set of “Meta”-Game Engagement Goals:

Incite Emotional Investment

Encourage Mastery

Create “Flow”

Meta-Game Engagement Goals Creating “Flow”

“Flow” generally refers to a state of intense immersion and concentration on a specific goal or activity.

Creating “Flow” requires putting as few barriers between game and player as possible, and to provide an appropriate balance of challenge and reward.

How can a game promote getting into a “Flow”?

Game Design is a multidisciplinary effort involving

Software Engineering

Graphic design

Sound design and music composition

Script writing

…

The Game Aesthetic

What purpose do the “aesthetic” elements of a game serve?

Point of discussion:

Provide emotional feedback

Give hints as to how the game works

Provide orientation in the game space

Complement the controls

Signify progress in the game

…

Using Aesthetic Elements:

The Game AestheticDue to the nature of Greenfoot, we only have to make a relative small number of aesthetic choices during game creation:

Choose/Create Your Background Images Choose/Create Your Sounds Choose/Create Your Actor Images Choose/Create Sequences of Images to

create animation (if applicable)

The Game AestheticWhen creating your game, always take the “Look and Feel” (i.e. your Game Aesthetic) into account:

What special thought went into choosing your: Background Images? Background Sounds? Actors/Characters/Sprites?

For each aesthetic element of your game, consider this question: How does using this image/sound/etc. enhance

and serve a purpose within the context of my game?