Wagenheimer's Game Development Blog
Casual Gaming Programming, News and Tutorials.
The Game Design Canvas: An Introduction
Jan 12th
The “Game Design Canvas” is a series of great tutorials from The Game Prodigy that attempts to show us step by step the answer for the biggest question “How to develop a successful game?”.
This is the first part of five and will make an introdution on this series of articles.
- Part 1 – An Introduction
- Part 2 - Base Mechanics
- Part 3 - Punishment and Reward Systems
- Part 4 - Long Term Incentive
- Part 5 - Aesthetic Layout
The Game Design Canvas: An Introduction
Do astronomically successful games happen by chance, or can their approach be systematized? Are the games that make us laugh, gasp, and enrich our lives results of the developers getting lucky, or careful decision making? Is there a way to analyze successful games to understand where their strengths and weaknesses lie, and then apply them to your own games?
I believe that the answer to these questions is yes: a game’s design and development can be mapped out, studied, and perfected in a reliable fashion. Successful companies like Nintendo, Valve, Zynga, and Blizzard would agree. Legendary game designers like Shigeru Miyamoto, Will Wright, and Peter Molyneux would likely agree as well. These companies and developers have found ways of looking at games that lets them consistently crank out hits year after year after year. By the time you get to the third and fourth blockbuster, it is no accident. More >
New year, New games
Jan 2nd
New Year, new Games
The New Year arrived , and this year I have many goals in mind for my life! To not lose the habit, I decided to make a list of resolutions for 2010!
- In the first quarter, finish and release, my new Match 3 game (which is already into development), reaching the major casual games portals, starting my new era of development of casual games.
- Finish at least 2 more games until the end of the year, one being a Hidden Objects Game that is already in development, and a new title yet to be defined.
- Make the PC and MAC OS port of all the above games.
Tips for game designers
Dec 28th
Another great tips by Jordan Mechner (Prince of Persia Creator).
Tips for game designers
Rereading the advice, I think it stands up well and is more relevant to today’s industry than the 1996 list of tips for designing story-based games I posted last month.
- Prototype and test key game elements as early as possible.
- Build the game in incremental steps – Don’t make big design documents.
- As you go, continue to strengthen what’s strong, and cut what’s weak.
- Be open to the unexpected – Make the most of emergent properties.
- Be prepared to sell your project at every stage along the way.
- It’s harder to sell an original idea than a sequel.
- Bigger teams and budgets mean bigger pressure to stay on schedule.
- Don’t invest in an overly grandiose development system.
- Make sure the player always has a goal (and knows what it is).
- Give the player clear and constant feedback as to whether he is getting closer to his goal or further away from it.
- The story should support the game play, not overwhelm it.
Designing story-based games
Dec 28th
List of game design tips for narrative games by Jordan Mechner (Prince of Persia Creator).
Tips for game designers
Eons ago, in 1996, Next Generation magazine asked me for a list of game design tips for narrative games. Here’s what I gave them.
Reading it today, some of it feels dated (like the way I refer to the player throughout as “he”), but a lot is as relevant as ever. I especially like #8 and #9.
- The story is what the player does, not what he watches.
- List the actions the player actually performs in the game and take a cold hard look at it. Does it sound like fun? (Resist the temptation to embellish. If a cinematic shows the player’s character sneak into a compound, clobber a guard and put on his uniform, the player’s action is “Watch cinematic.” Letting the player click to clobber the guard isn’t much better.)
- The only significant actions are those that affect the player’s ability to perform future actions. Everything else is bells and whistles.
- Design a clear and simple interface. The primary task of the interface is to present the player with a choice of the available actions at each moment and to provide instant feedback when the player makes a choice.
- The player needs a goal at all times, even if it’s a mistaken one. If there’s nothing specific he wishes to accomplish, he will soon get bored, even if the game is rich with graphics and sound. More >
Why “Casual” Doesn’t Mean “Easy”
Dec 9th
Why “Casual” Doesn’t Mean “Easy”
“Casual” games have been all the rage in the games industry over the past few years. From the explosive growth of online games to the major First-Party support of the Wii, the “casual gamer” and the entire supposed market space has become a great buzzword and mainstay in game development. Entire divisions of large companies have cropped up solely around the idea of casual, and smaller companies and developers striking it rich in this wild west of an audience.
But seriously. What does “casual” really mean?
Of course anyone can point out games that are casual versus hardcore. Wii Sports and Farmville are casual games, sure. Call of Duty and World of Warcraft are not. But what does that actually signify? And if you’re going to base independent or corporate projects and future sales figures on these genres, doesn’t it make sense to understand what they are and how they work?
By using the Game Design Canvas, we can break down both casual and hardcore games and find out what really makes them tick. When we contrast them as you’ll see in a moment, there aren’t as many differences as one would assume. However, one major difference betrays a casual game as a casual game, and that one difference influences the game’s audience, the viable platforms, sales methods, everything. It is the difference that sets it apart from the hardcore titles and gives it its soul.
Scott Kim takes apart the art of puzzles
Dec 8th
Scott Kim takes apart the art of puzzles
At the 2008 EG conference, famed puzzle designer Scott Kim takes us inside the puzzle-maker’s frame of mind. Sampling his career’s work, he introduces a few of the most popular types, and shares the fascinations that inspired some of his best.
Imperial City: The Crown of the King
Nov 25th
The Brazilian company PlayArms, Recently entered the Casual Games Market with style with the launch of its first game : Imperial City – The Crown of the King.
All set in Petrópolis – RJ, with photo-realistic scenarios, challenges with increasing difficulty, is a great option for fun, to learn about the history and culture of this great Brazilian city, and to know large and important historical monuments, magnificent landscapes and much more than this city has to offer. After playing this game, you surely will also be eager to know this beautiful city.
Game Design Tutorial: Making Your Game by Breaking Your Game
Nov 20th
Game Design Tutorial: Making Your Game by Breaking Your Game
Another great tutorial from The Game Prodigy.
The Minds Behind Some of the Most Addictive Games Around
Nov 14th
James Turner from O’Relly Radar made this great interview with Jason Kapalka, the creative mind behind many of PopCap’s success games.
The Minds Behind Some of the Most Addictive Games Around
If you’ve wasted half your life playing Peggle, Bejeweled, Zuma or Plants vs. Zombies, blame these guys!
The gaming industry tends to focus on the high end products, first person shooters that crank out a bazillion polygons a seconds and RPGs which spend more time developing the plot in cut scenes than in actual gameplay. But for every person playing Borderlands, there are scores playing casual games like Bejeweled and Zuma.PopCap Games has been at the forefront of casual game development, with a catalog that includes bestselling titles like Peggle and Plants vs Zombies, in addition to the two previously mentioned. I recently had a chance to talk to Jason Kapalka, one of the founders and the creative director of PopCap. We discussed the evolution of PopCap, how the casual gaming industry differs from mainstream gaming, and the challenges of creating games that can be engaging, without being frustrating.
Game Design Lessons: From Seconds to Hours of Gameplay
Nov 4th
Game Design Lessons: From Seconds to Hours of Gameplay
Excelent tutorial from The Game Prodigy! It worths a look!
Game Design Lessons: From Seconds to Hours of Gameplay
