Designing Games by Sylvester, Tynan -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Designing Games Preface

A Note on the Text We’d Like to Hear from You Safari® Books Online

One. Engines of Experience

1. Engines of Experience

Mechanics and Events The Primacy of Emotion Emotional Triggers Emotion and Change

The Emotional Black Box The Bridge Emotional Misattribution

The Basic Emotional Triggers

Emotion Through Learning Emotion Through Character Arcs Emotion Through Challenge Emotion Through Social Interaction Emotion Through Acquisition Emotion Through Music Emotion Through Spectacle Emotion Through Beauty Emotion Through Environment Emotion Through Newfangled Technology Emotion Through Primal Threats Emotion Through Sexual Signals

The Fiction Layer

Fiction Versus Mechanics

Constructing Experiences

Pure Emotion Juxtaposition Antagonistic Emotions Atmosphere Emotional Variation Flow Immersion

Engines of Experience

Two. Game Crafting

2. Elegance

Elegance from Emergence I Love the Smell of Elegance in the Morning Elegance Case Study: Predator versus Hellion

3. Skill

Depth Accessibility Skill Range

Skill Without Explicit Goals

Stretching Skill Range

Reinvention Elastic Challenges Training Emotional Life Support Difficulty Modification

Handling Failure

Failure Traps

4. Narrative

Narrative Tools Scripted Story

Soft Scripting

World Narrative

World Narrative Methods World Narrative and Interactivity World Coherence

Emergent Story

Apophenia Labeling Abstraction Recordkeeping Sportscaster Systems

Story Ordering

Story Structures

Agency Problems

Player–Character Motivation Alignment The Human Interaction Problem

Case Study: Fallout 3

My Story Breakdown The Goofy Undertone Content Ordering Pacing Setting

5. Decisions

Feeling the Future

Predictability Predictability and Predefined Decisions Predictability and AI

Information Balance

Information Starvation Information Glut Ways to Hide Information Information Balance Case Study: Poker

Problematic Information Sources

Fictional Ambiguity Metagame Information

Decisions and Flow

Decision Scope Avoiding Flow Gaps Avoiding Overflow Turn-Based Decision Pacing Decision Variation

Decisions Case Study: Counter-Strike

6. Balance

Goals of Balance

Balancing for Fairness Balancing for Depth Balancing for Other Reasons

Degenerate Strategies

The Viable Strategy-Counting Fallacy

Balance and Skill

Who to Balance for Whether to Balance

Balance Challenges and Solutions

Balancing Methods

7. Multiplayer

Game Theory

Games and Strategy Interactions Nash Equilibria Rock-Paper-Scissors and Matching Pennies Mixed Strategies

Yomi

Yomi Case Study: Modern Warfare 2

Destructive Player Behavior

Divergent Goals Skill Differentials

8. Motivation and Fulfillment

Dopamine Pleasure Dopamine Motivation Rewards Anticipation Reinforcement Schedules

Fixed Ratio Variable Ratio Other Reinforcement Schedules Superimposed Reinforcement Schedules Emergent Reinforcement Schedules

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation

Rewards Alignment

Player’s Remorse

9. Interface

Metaphor

Metaphor Sources Metaphor Vocabulary

Signal and Noise

Noise and Art Complexity Visual Hierarchy

Redundancy Indirect Control

Nudging Priming Social Imitation

Input

Control Arrangement Control Feel Input Assistance Control Latency Designing Input

10. The Market

Design Purpose The Tournament Market

The Matthew Effect The Innovator’s Dilemma

Market Segments

Underserved Market Segments Value Curves Value Focus

Nobody Knows Anything! Confirmation Bias

Setting Expectations

Three. Process

11. Planning and Iteration

The Overplanner The Underplanner Underplanning and Overplanning

The Costs of Underplanning The Costs of Overplanning

Iteration

Iteration Example

Planning Horizon Why We Overplan

Cultural Habit Inborn Overconfidence Therapeutic Planning Group Planning Bias Hindsight Bias

Test Protocol

Self-Testing Over-The-Shoulder Playtesting Choosing Playtesters Sample Size Questioning Technique

Grayboxing

What Not to Graybox Premature Production Graybox Evaluation Skill The Screenplay Metaphor

The Paradox of Quality The Fallacy of Vision Serendipity Believing in Iteration

12. Knowledge Creation

Knowledge Creation Methods

Rumination Research Artistic Methods Brainstorming Written Analysis Debate Testing Metrics Invented Methods

The Organic Process

13. Dependencies

The Dependency Stack

Cascading Uncertainty The Design Backlog Core Gameplay Small-Scale Dependency Stacks Dependencies and External Design Needs

14. Authority

The Banality of Evil Taylorism

The Distributed Mind Distributed Authority Arrogation and Trust Communicating Intent

15. Motivation

Extrinsic Rewards

Meaningful Work

Climate

Fear and Love

Social Motivation

Playtests-Driven Motivation Expectations-Driven Motivation Chicken Motivators

The Progress Principle

16. Complex Decisions

Decision Effects Decision Effects Case Study

17. Values

Openness Candor Humility Hunger

A. Endgame B. Recommended Books C. Quiz Answers D. Sources

Chapter 1: Engines of Experience Chapter 5: Decisions Chapter 6: Balance Chapter 7: Multiplayer Chapter 8: Motivation and Fulfillment Chapter 9: Interface Chapter 10: The Market Chapter 11: Planning and Iteration Chapter 12: Knowledge Creation Chapter 14: Authority Chapter 17: Values

Index About the Author Copyright

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