MIT3643 Computer Games Development

1
MIT3643 Computer Games Development

• Lecture 4 Game Proposal

2
Lecture Outline

• Game Design Ideas
• Design Proposal
• Key Design Decisions

3
Part 1 Game Design Ideas

• Most games companies have a constant demand for
  new game designs.
• But only the best designs will be selected for
  development.
• Design ideas come from various sources
• Reusing existing game ideas
• Brainstorming
• Input from the publisher market-led ideas
• The design will evolve from a one page pitch
  (proposal) to a full specification, which can
  reach several hundred pages.

4
Reusing Game Ideas

• Existing games are the primary source for new
  game ideas.
• Almost every game is a remake of an existing
  game
• with extra features from brainstorming or market
  response.
• Thus, new games evolve, rather than appear.
• Consider is it possible to make a completely
  original game?

5
Other Sources for Ideas

• A brainstorming session is a very free
  discussion to reach new game ideas.
• There is no leader everyone is equal.
• Ideas are raised very quickly, to get maximum
  creativity.
• One problem can be remembering what was talked
  about. Worth taking notes.

• Publishers may suggest game ideas to trusted
  developers.
• These ideas will be those derived from market
  research.

6
Part 2 Design Proposal

• A one-page proposal is the most basic form of
  game design.
• Rarely more than a single page.
• It is used to gain publisher interest.
• A development company will usually maintain a
  portfolio of game proposals.

7
Proposal Content

• Take the Bullet
• Jack Travis, a bodyguard of unflinching
  dedication, is hired by a presidential candidate
  known as Kincaide, to guard against a terrorist
  group The Children of Gabriel. But Jacks
  loyalties will be tested to the limit as he
  realises the truth behind the terrorists, and the
  ambitions of his boss

• Game Title
• Memorable and preferably short.
• Story / Context
• A few lines to set the scene.
• Should engage the readers interest.
• Game Art
• Style or concept art.
• Game mock-up or logo.
• We will cover artwork in more detail later -
  using a simple logo here

8
Proposal Content (cont)

• Game-play description
• Simple, one sentence only.
• Comparing to other games is useful.
• By now, the reader should be eager to play the
  game.
• Platform
• What computers or consoles is the game intended
  for.
• Mention any multiplayer support and other unique
  hardware features.

• First person shooter with a retro-cool 70s feel
  and a conspiracy theme GoldenEye meets the CIA
  in a sharp-cut suit.
• Dreamcast. Uses light-gun for aiming and movement
• Split-screen and multi-link multiplayer support.

9
Proposal Content (cont)

• Target Market
• Briefly identify who will buy your game.
• Demonstrate that your game makes business sense.
• Can separately list USPs (Unique Selling Points)
• Competitors
• What similar games have been or will be released.
• Research carefully.
• One line each, identifying differences to your
  game.

• FPS and light gun game players, age 10. Geared
  for US and Europe. Genre (FPS) and theme
  (conspiracy) are widely popular.
• Few FPS titles on Dreamcast.
• Unique use of gun interface.
• Topical interest for the US.
• Unreal Tournament on Dreamcast, multiplayer only,
  no story or single player mode.
• Metal Gear Solid on the PS1 has conspiracy / spy
  theme, but uses third person and has less
  character and style.

10
Part 3 Key Design Decisions

• There are three key decisions to be made in the
  very early stages of creating a game design
• Core game-play style
• Point of view
• Control method
• These decisions together with a basic story are
  enough to create proposals and mock-ups for a
  game.
• These choices can be difficult to change once
  game development has begun. They should be tested
  by prototyping if possible.

11
Core Game-play Style

• This is effectively the same as genre.
• It is the decision about the basic actions you
  perform in the game, e.g.
• Real-time resource management and unit-based
  battle (RTS games like Dawn of War).
• Real-time movement around environments shooting
  enemies (FPS games like Doom 3).
• This is the most fundamental aspect of a game, if
  you change this, then you are probably making a
  different game.
• Make sure you are very clear about this before
  you start writing any game design.

12
Point of View

• This is the choice of camera view in a game.
• Some possibilities are
• First person - you see the scene through a
  characters eyes, e.g. Doom 3 (Note FPS First
  Person Shooter)
• Third person the camera focuses on a main
  character in the environment, e.g. Splinter Cell.
• God-view the camera looks down on a scene from
  far away, e.g. Rome Total War
• Many genres have a standard point of view .
• Ensure you have a good reason to use a
  non-standard point of view.

13
Control Method

• This decision has two parts
• What hardware will be used to control the game,
  e.g. mouse, mouse keyboard, joypad, joystick,
  lightgun, etc.
• Will the user control a character actions
  directly? Or will they use menus, buttons or
  commands to direct the game actions? Or a
  combination of both?
• The first decision is often simpler.
• Both decisions are important and should be made
  early.