Design Principles

I recently presented a game pitch that received some very positive feedback. The comment that I was proud of the most was when my overall presentation was described as polished. So I thought I would write some advice and tips on how to replicate the success of mine.

 Know your audience

If you know who you are pitching to or more specifically know their discipline this will be a great advantage. It means you can tailor information around the needs of your audience resulting in more receptive feedback.

For example if you are pitching to a group of designers the information that they will be interested in will be in some ways different to the type of information programmers or artists will need and care about. A pitch should be generalised and give abroad overview of the whole picture but little details that people can pick up on and relate to will be well received.

Get their attention………..Quick!

In order to gain a receptive audience you need to get their attention and fast. In order to do this you will need to explain what is going to make your game stand out above all the rest. In other words what is the game or feature’s USP?  I would suggest getting this information out as early as possible as a well-executed and presented USP will capture the interest of the audience and is a good foundation to build the rest of the pitch around.

You need more than just slides

A power point presentation may be the most common way of displaying your information and that’s all well and good but for a pitch to stand out you need to go the extra mile. Additional material such as a demonstration video or better yet a prototype will be the best way to explain your USP or ground-breaking game mechanic. There’s no better way to see if people are as enthusiastic about your idea as you are then observing their responses as they play through your content.

If videos or playable content are not possible then I would suggest at least try and provide examples of game art and reference material that may be useful to give a clearer understanding to the audience of the direction you are heading.

Rehearse, rehearse and rehearse some more

So once the pitch has been created with all the necessary material it is now time to rehearse. Everyone has their own rehearsal techniques but for me, practising the pitch over and over in a number of situations works best for me.

When I had all my content (slides and demonstration video), I wrote a brief script for each slide. The script then turned into cue cards that contained important words of sentences that worked as prompts and helped me remember the flow of the pitch.

I rehearsed my pitch from start to finish and then assessed what went right and wrong then started all over again and repeating the evaluation process until I had nailed down a pitch I was happy with.

To then build on this I would present the pitch out loud as it is a lot different to going over it in your head. You can take this further by doing the presentation in front of friends and family to gain confidence presenting in front of an audience. Confidence is an important aspect of a pitch. The audience can especially pick up on confidence and I have found that if they are listening to a confident and well-presented pitch then they will be engaged in you as a presenter.

Know your environment

Before the presentation takes place it will be also in your best interest to try and get some information on the room or venue that you are pitching in. Getting a heads up on what type of equipment you have at your disposal is a crucial part of your planning and will avoid any embarrassing moments. For example you should not expect that the venue will have a PC. It may be expected of you to bring your own resources in. In this case always ring ahead to see what the protocol will be. In my case I did my presentation at my place of work but I had not used the equipment in the conference room before so I made a conscious effort to get myself acquainted with it all before the presentation.

Plan for questions

This is a section that presenters often do not plan for. You often ask if anyone has any questions after your pitch but how often do people then show specific slides that are tailored to a certain question? This does not have to mean that you have to be a mind reader but some preparation can be done. For example if you have stated that your playtests were a roaring success and that players loved your prototype, back this type of thing up. An additional slide could be made that gives quotes from players which may not have been appropriate to use in the pitch itself but perfect for a Q&A session. By doing this you will certainly impress the audience and it will demonstrate that you have thought about risks or contingencies.

To conclude

If you follow the above guidelines I am sure you can create and deliver a successful pitch. Preparation is key, as is a well-rehearsed pitch as it will give you a mount of confidence that will come across when communicating your ideas.

During the pitch don’t be afraid to take a second for a breather and look at your cue cards, that’s what they are there for and it is better than constantly looking at your slides as this has an impact on engagement with the audience.

It also goes without saying that you should also make copies of your pitch. On the day take at least two copies with you just in case one decides not to work. It is also a good idea to test any links that you have provided in your slides and make sure that if you have a video that sound is available.

Whilst creating my next environment for my current UDK project Roguebots I decided to build a quick prototype for a game idea I had using part of the level.

In this blog edition I will cover the positives of creating such a prototype, and explain why you should try and prototype your designs wherever possible.

As you’re probably aware, a lot of people say they have an idea for a game but how many of those ideas actually explain what mechanics are involved? Or what the main game pillars are?

I use prototypes to determine exactly that, as a prototype is a great way of finding out what works and what doesn’t or in other words what is fun and what turns out to be not quite right.

Another reason why I like to prototype is because it’s a means of getting people to play and view the game in its early stages. This is important as you can get extremely helpful feedback and information. It could also give you an indication on whether or not to actually keep pursuing developing the game itself. This would be especially useful for larger projects that you may be investing a lot of time and money into.

Feedback has been especially useful to me as people that have had an input have all given their opinions on how the game could be improved in terms of not only gameplay but also how the game should look. For example I will be creating a more complete and larger version of the proto type and due to the feedback I now know to include larger more versatile game environments, increase player feedback in my UI, and also improve the underwater visuals.

There is so much to gain from a well-rounded proto type. If the early playtests don’t result in any major radical changes to your game design you will most likely find that the majority of code or in my case script can be used in the full version of the game. This is going to save considerable amounts of time and means you can now concentrate on nailing the main design and game pillars.

A proto type can be helpful even without receiving any player input. This is because you will find and learn things about the game that you may not have considered if a prototype had not have been created. Creating a game flow and endless pages of diagrams and level design blueprints is useful up until a point but a prototype is the only real way to see if the flow actually meets expectations.

So how long do you need to spend creating a prototype? I would suggest that this purely depends on what it is you’re trying to showcase. For example the aim for my build was to give the player and viewer of Over your head an overview of the main mechanic in the game plus demonstrate a win and lose scenario. However you may have already have half a game but want to pitch a new ability. In this instance you should test your new feature in the best possible environment that shows it off in the best light but also fits in the already existing game world that you have created. This then goes back to what I was saying earlier as you may find that the feature you thought was going to be a cool addition actually hinders the player experience. If this does occur you shouldn’t be disheartened as it turns out that the prototype has been very productive in deed and beneficial to your project.

To conclude, a prototype is a very worthwhile exercise that you should try and schedule some time for. It may even actually save you time in the long run and can answer so many of your “But what if we did this?” questions. You will also find that people respond more to your ideas if you have a physical piece of work to show them or better still, have them play.

PART 2

PART 1 My new project!!!

Its been a while but I have been working on quite an extensive project.

I recently made my first Trials Evolution track so thought it would be a good time to explain my design choices throughout the project.

Having a USP

The first thing that I had to determine was the theme and concept of the level. The importance of this is actually important as creating a track that stands out will have an impact on how many downloads the track will get. It’s similar to developing a game with a unique selling point. For my theme I picked a prehistoric landscape.

Design Decisions

After doing some research into the most popular tracks it seemed that users were impressed with creators that had manipulated the landscape in such a way that the original game world was unrecognisable

In order for me to capture the correct feel I set out to create a newly discovered land filled with vegetation and the reminder of life that lived there. Some design decisions had to be made in order to keep in line with this. First of all, I had to think carefully about the type of equipment and objects the player would come into contact with.

This is because using things such as oil drums and train carriages would look very out of place in a world that is set in the prehistoric era. By adding something as simple as a door that replicated the entrance to Jurassic Park (from the film of the same name), this reduces a lot of the barriers that would affect player immersion. I now had room for a small margin of interference from man but still couldn’t go overboard. So with this is mind I used equipment that wouldn’t look out of place at an archaeological dig site in addition to primitive looking equipment such as wooden platforms and supports.

Difficulty Spikes

Players are familiar with the concept of a level that increases in difficulty the longer it is played. The level I have created follows this principal and I wanted to create an experience that got gradually more challenging. In order for the player not to feel overwhelmed, the rate at which the build-up to the next obstacle grew in difficulty was at a more comfortable rate.

Just before a player reaches the next checkpoint, they will have had to complete an obstacle that up to that current point is the most challenging. Then after a checkpoint has been reached, it was intended that the build-up of difficulty would be lower than the previous obstacle, but eventually overtakes that last challenge so I achieve the gradual increase in difficulty. This is illustrated in the graph below.

One more thing regarding the graph shown, you will notice that the build-up drops just before the final checkpoint and challenge. This is to simulate a ‘calm before the storm’ effect and give the player an adequate amount of time to get control of the bike,as well as build up the necessary speed in order to be able to land the perfect launch off the ramp.

Signs and Feedback

In the early stages of the creation of the level I realised that the checkpoints were not as prominent as I would have liked. I thought it was unclear as to when you were approaching a checkpoint and felt that this needed changing. So I redesigned them in order to be more visible to the player, both on approach and when reached. The best way I could do this was to put the checkpoint on higher ground than that of the player. Another trick I used was to add a fire torch to make the location stand out.

A trick I used to help the player navigate the track was to highlight a specific part of the track. The ground lights up after the player lands on a pterodactyl, to show them where to go next. If I had not introduced this it may have resulted in the player not being able to identify the golden path of the track.

Level Polish

There are a couple of tricks I have used to immerse the player further into the environment I have created. To emphasise the fact that the player has mistimed a jump, and narrowly escaped a restart through drowing I have added big water splashes. Splashes have also been added to lava falls as it hits the ground. It is important to include details such as this as it makes the game environment more believable. If not included then this may have a negaitive impact on the player as unrealistic effects or limited detail may detract the players attention from the actual gameplay and concentrate on picking up on minor discrepancies.

Improvements

After evaluating my track, I have found a design flaw which I would change. When approaching the second jump (on to the pterodactyl) the player cannot actually see the landing they are aiming for and don’t really know how to judge the jump. Originally the feedback I gave the player to emphasise that there was a jump coming up was by adding a pterodactyl that flew off the cliff  face as the player approached it. Upon reflection the edge could have also included a dip so that objective to land on was more apparent early on.

Apart from the odd hang glider trip I am quite happy to navigate the island on foot. In addition to the multiple outposts I find myself drawn to trekking towards the next Radio Tower. In addition to adding an extra game element, from a level design perspective it has many usages which I will highlight in this blog. In the beginning of the game a player will find the majority of the map is not unlocked. However the map still includes the radio tower locations. It is intended that the player will use these as focal points and places of interest when heading into unmapped territory.

Level Design: Taking the High Ground

The locations in which the towers are situated have been taken into careful consideration. They have not just been placed at random 3000 metre intervals of each other; each one has been strategically placed commonly on high ground, resulting in the player seeing the tower well before they reach it. This is so that the player knows early on of their goal and can physically see them nearing their objective.

Level Design: Disguising the Critical Path

Although a very linear game feature in what is a very explorative environment, in my opinion the level design has done very well to disguise the linearity. Making you jump, climb, crawl and even keep balance keeps the players mind drawn away from the fact that they are navigating through a critical path that a player has no control of. Additionally, successfully manoeuvring through these obstacles gives the player a sense of achievement As a new route has become available.

When a player reaches the top the tower they have to navigate around to the other side. This is a clever ploy to give the player the opportunity to soak up the surroundings which in Far Cry is an abundance of visual beauty. The sight of this vast open space is also used as a distraction method, as the wide open space and sighting of unchartered areas detracts the player’s attention and fills them with a great sense of discovery and achievement.

Level Design: Player Progression

From a design point of view the player will almost certainly tackle a tower either before or after a main mission. Therefore after the respite that the tower provides the player will want to complete a more challenging activity. When unlocking a tower a player is shown points of interest, and locations of game features. The additional activities have been brought to the player’s attention to provide options for higher intensity of the gameplay. In addition to giving the player the option to gain additional XP, cash and loot that will help them become stronger for the next story arc of the mission, it also helps with the overall player progression and game flow.

Level Design: Signs & Feedback

The towers also contain a flashing light that has been intentionally included for additional signs and feedback, but from a level designers perspective its purpose is to attract the player’s attention and to make them aware of the towers position so it can be detected both during the day and at night. The level designers have also used other tricks of signs and feedback in assisting the player on their way through the critical path up the tower. To climb the tower one of the actions the player has to perform is a quick time event to grab a rope and pull themselves up to the next platform. The rope used is distinctive in its appearance. The aesthetics of the tower give off that its unstable and worn and torn, however the rope is brand new and clean in its appearance. This has been done to make the rope stand out as a player will identify the shiny rope amongst all the blacks and greys that the towers consist of. The formation in which the rope hangs has also been purposely placed. The player will recognise the rope as a climbable object as it hangs the same as the vines on rocks which can also be used to climb to higher ground. Another trick that has been used is the strategically placed items of loot such as cash stacks, and body armour. By placing such items on platforms and ledges it gives the player a hint of which direction to head in and also rewards the player for completing a difficult obstacle.

Level Design: Encouraging exploration