Decoding the Challenges of Game Design Decisions

Decoding the Challenges of Game Design Decisions

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. The Original Idea: A Magnetic Platformer
  3. The Shift in Game Mechanics
  4. Discovering a Puzzle Game Potential
  5. Challenges and Considerations of Puzzle Game Design
  6. Drawing Puzzle Ideas
  7. Remaking the Prototype as a Puzzle Game
  8. Building Game Mechanics for Puzzles
  9. Creating a Demo and Gathering Feedback
  10. Indecisiveness and Analysis Paralysis
  11. Seeking Help and Making Decisions
  12. Setting a Deadline and Minimum viable Product
  13. The Journey Ahead

Article

Introduction

In the world of game development, ideas can change and evolve as prototypes are created and tested. Mark, a game developer, shares his journey of creating a video game about magnets and the challenges he faces along the way. Initially envisioning a platformer game with a magnetic character, Mark discovers a new and more intriguing idea: the ability to pick up and throw giant horseshoe magnets. However, this shift in game mechanics also leads to a question of genre and challenges Mark to redefine his game's direction.

The Original Idea: A Magnetic Platformer

Mark's original idea for his video game was to Create a platformer inspired by popular titles such as Mario, Super Meat Boy, Celeste, and N++. He wanted to incorporate elements of speed running, mid-air maneuvers, button combos, and precision input. The main mechanic of the game was to feature a character with magnetic properties, allowing them to attract and repel objects as they navigate through levels.

The Shift in Game Mechanics

As Mark started prototyping the game and separating the character from the magnet, he noticed a significant change in the game's mechanics. The need to babysit the magnet and carry it around slowed down the character's progression. To address this, Mark explored the idea of Instantly recalling the magnet from anywhere in the world. However, he worried about the visual oddity of a magnet ignoring magnetic fields in a 2D game.

Discovering a Puzzle Game Potential

With the separation of the character and the magnet, Mark's game started to veer away from being a platformer and took on the qualities of a puzzle game. The unique interaction between the character and the magnet presented interesting problem-solving opportunities. Mark realized that the game should embrace its puzzle elements, although he had reservations about the complexity and time-consuming nature of puzzle game design.

Challenges and Considerations of Puzzle Game Design

Mark acknowledges the difficulties associated with puzzle game design. While platformers can reuse setups with slight variations, puzzle games require HAND-crafted and unique challenges. Once players know the solution to a puzzle, it loses its appeal. Mark feels unsure about his abilities as a novice game designer to create engaging and original puzzles.

Drawing Puzzle Ideas

To overcome his doubts, Mark starts generating puzzle ideas in his notebook. Using GRID paper, he sketches puzzles with various elements such as conveyor belts, pistons, and spinning saw blades. However, he realizes that the abundance of abilities in his prototype, including magnet pickup, polarity change, and recall, makes puzzle design challenging. Puzzles are often about constraining players within walls, but the excessive abilities create difficulty in designing adequate constraints.

Remaking the Prototype as a Puzzle Game

To Align the game with puzzle game conventions, Mark decides to re-create the prototype in a new Unity project. He adjusts the game's camera, character movement, and level design to suit the puzzle genre. Implementing Unity's tile map system, Mark organizes the game elements on a grid, creating single-screen levels. This allows players to see all the elements at once, inspired by the convenience of using a notebook to sketch puzzles.

Building Game Mechanics for Puzzles

Mark introduces new game mechanics and level elements to recreate the puzzles he designed. These include a movable magnetic block, a button for platform positioning, a tractor Beam for elevation, a weight and pulley system for doors and platforms, and a one-way platform. Each new element presents unforeseen interactions and micro-decisions for Mark to make, adding depth and complexity to the game's puzzle mechanics.

Creating a Demo and Gathering Feedback

With a collection of small, single-room puzzles, Mark assembles a demo of his game to Gather feedback. He adds essential features such as pausing the game, mouse control, title screens, scene management, and bug fixes. However, upon reviewing the demo, Mark realizes that the puzzles are uninteresting and the levels feel small and claustrophobic. The game has strayed far from its original vision of speed, precision, and fluidity.

Indecisiveness and Analysis Paralysis

Mark acknowledges his struggle with decisiveness throughout the game's development. He constantly questions and experiments with different mechanics and ideas, unable to commit to a specific direction. Analysis paralysis prevents him from moving forward as he overthinks and worries about blocking himself from exploring other potentially amazing ideas.

Seeking Help and Making Decisions

To overcome his indecisiveness, Mark seeks guidance from Oliver Granlund, a game designer with experience in magnet mechanics. Oliver advises Mark to adopt a game Jam mindset and set an arbitrary time limit to focus on essential mechanics and create a minimum viable product. By setting a deadline, Mark will be forced to make decisions and push the game's development forward.

Setting a Deadline and Minimum Viable Product

Based on Oliver's advice, Mark sets a 30-day deadline to create five levels using the game's Core mechanics. This deadline serves as a catalyst to combat his analysis paralysis and commit to a specific direction. Mark recognizes the importance of shipping a playable version of the game, even if it is a smaller Scale than initially envisioned.

The Journey Ahead

Mark's journey of game development is far from over. As he embarks on the challenge of meeting his self-imposed deadline, he plans to explore the potential of puzzle platformer genres, incorporating both platforming and puzzle elements. By embracing the game's dominant puzzle mechanics, Mark hopes to create a unique and engaging experience for players.

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