Finally, We Talk About Gameplay
Now that we’ve discussed what the character looks like, let’s talk about what he does. All gameplay flows from the main character. You have to think about the character’s relationship to the world. How tall is your character? How tall or short are all the other characters and enemies in relationship to the main character? How long is the character’s reach? If your character is a quadruped or a vehicle, how long and wide is it? As you create your character, you determine these proportions. These proportions become the basis of the character’s metrics: the cornerstone of your gameplay and design.
But before we dive into metrics, let’s talk about fencing.
When you fence, you learn how far you travel when you step forward, how far your weapon goes when you extend your arm. As a fencer, you learn that those distances get greater as you lunge at an opponent. It’s important to know these distances to help you gauge...