Book Image

Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design - Second Edition

By : Scott Rogers
Book Image

Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design - Second Edition

By: Scott Rogers

Overview of this book

If you want to design and build cutting-edge video games but aren’t sure where to start, then the SECOND EDITION of the acclaimed Level Up! is for you! Written by leading video game expert Scott Rogers, who has designed the hits Pac Man World, Maximo and SpongeBob Squarepants, this updated edition provides clear and well-thought out examples that forgo theoretical gobbledygook with charmingly illustrated concepts and solutions based on years of professional experience. Level Up! 2nd Edition has been NEWLY EXPANDED to teach you how to develop marketable ideas, learn what perils and pitfalls await during a game’s pre-production, production and post-production stages, and provide even more creative ideas to serve as fuel for your own projects. Level Up! 2nd Edition includes all-new content, an introduction by David “God of War” Jaffe and even a brand-new chili recipe –making it an even more indispensable guide for video game designers both “in the field” and the classroom.

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Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design - Second Edition
Scott Rogers
Apr, 2014 | 552 pages
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Table of Contents (54 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Copyright Information
Copyright Information
2
Publisher’s Acknowledgements
Publisher’s Acknowledgements
3
Foreword
Foreword
4
Press Start!
If You Are Anything Like Me …
No, You Can’t Have My Job
Who Is This Book For?
Why a Second Edition?
5
Welcome, N00bs!
Welcome, N00bs!
A Brief History of Video Games
The Brave New World of Gaming: Mobiles, Online Distribution, and Touchscreens
Game Genres
Who Makes This Stuff?
Have You Thought about Publishing?
6
Level 1’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 1’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
7
Ideas
Ideas
Ideas: Where to Get Them and Where to Stick Them
Getting Ahead of the Game
What Do Gamers Want?
Brainstorming
Breaking Writer’s Block
Why I Hate “Fun”
8
Level 2’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 2’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
9
Writing the Story
Writing the Story
Once Upon a Time …
The Triangle of Weirdness
A Likely Story
Time to Wrap It Up
A Game by Any Other Name
Creating Characters Your Players Care About
A Few Pointers on Writing for Kids of All Ages
Writing for Licenses
10
Level 3’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 3’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
11
You Can Design a Game, but Can You Do the Paperwork?
You Can Design a Game, but Can You Do the Paperwork?
12
NOTE
NOTE
Writing the GDD, Step 1: The One-Sheet
Writing the GDD, Step 2: The Ten-Pager
Writing the GDD, Step 3: Gameplay Progression
Writing the GDD, Step 4: The Beat Chart
Writing the GDD, Step 5: The Game Design Document (and the Awful Truth about Writing It)
Writing the GDD, Step 6: Above All, Don’t Be a Jerk
13
Level 4’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 4’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
14
The Three Cs, Part 1: Character
The Three Cs, Part 1: Character
Who Do You Want To Be Today?
Finally, We Talk About Gameplay
15
Level 5’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 5’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
16
The Three Cs, Part 2: Camera
The Three Cs, Part 2: Camera
Get It Right: Camera Views
First Person Camera
Third Person Camera
Giving Up Control
Two and a Half D
Isometric Camera
Top-Down Camera
AR Cameras
Special Case Cameras
Tunnel Vision
Camera Shot Guide
Camera Angle Guide
Camera Movement Guide
Other Camera Notes
Multiple-Player Cameras
17
Level 6’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 6’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
18
The Three Cs, Part 3: Controls
The Three Cs, Part 3: Controls
Control Is in Your Hand
You’ve Got the Touch
Dance, Monkey, Dance
Character or Camera Relative?
Shake, Rattle, and Roll
19
Level 7’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 7’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
20
Sign Language: HUD and Icon Design
Sign Language: HUD and Icon Design
Heads Up!
There Are Other Screens Than the HUD
A Final Word on Fonts
21
Level 8’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 8’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
22
Everything I Learned About Level Design, I Learned from Level 9
Everything I Learned About Level Design, I Learned from Level 9
The Top 10 Cliché Video Game Themes
The Name Game
Everything I Learned About Level Design, I Learned from Disneyland
Following Procedure
You’ve Got the Beat
Re-using Re-use
23
NOTE
NOTE
The Gary Gygax13Memorial Mapping Section
Sandbox Play
Illusional Narrative
The Dave Arneson16 Memorial Mapping Section
Wrapping Up Mapping
Gray Matters
Leave the Training Level for Last
Levels without Characters
24
Level 9’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 9’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
25
The Elements of Combat
The Elements of Combat
400 Quatloos on the Newcomer!
Put ‘Em Up!
And a One and a Two …
The Big Finish
Live by the Sword …
Now You Have to Kiss Me
Let’s Get Defensive
Dodging the Bullet
On Guarding
State of the Art Bang Bang
The Best Gun for You
Run and Gun
Not Just Shooting
Dang it, Jones! Where Doesn’t It Hurt?
Death: What Is It Good For?
Conflict Without Combat
26
Level 10’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 10’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
27
They All Want You Dead
They All Want You Dead
Sizing Up the Enemy
Bad Behavior
How Rapid is Rapid?
Movement Style
Bring on the Bad Guys
I Love Designing Enemies
I Hate You to Pieces
Non-Enemy Enemies
How to Create the World’s Greatest Boss Battle
Who’s the Boss?
Size Matters
Location, Location, Location
Why Not to Create the World’s Greatest Boss Battle
28
Level 11’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 11’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
29
The Nuts and Bolts of Mechanics
The Nuts and Bolts of Mechanics
The Mechanics of Mechanics
Holy Death Trap!
What I Learned from Making Kids Cry
Time to Die
The Music of Mechanics
Chip Off the Old Block
A Nice Little Calm Spot
Riddle Me This
Puzzle Me That
Minigames and Microgames
30
Level 12’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 12’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
31
Now You’re Playing with Power
Now You’re Playing with Power
Powering Up
“Love Thy Player”
Seriously. “Love Thy Player.”
More Wealth Than You Can Imagine!
Bonus Section about Bonus Features
How to Win at Losing
32
Level 13’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 13’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
33
Multiplayer—The More the Merrier
Multiplayer—The More the Merrier
How Many Is the Right Number?
MMORPGS, or Hell Is Other People
Designing Multiplayer Levels
34
Level 14’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 14’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
35
Everybody Wins: Monetization
Everybody Wins: Monetization
Cashing In
Money Is the Root of Something Something
36
Level 15’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 15’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
37
Some Notes on Music1
Some Notes on Music1
I Know It When I Hear It
Music with Style
And the Beat Goes On…
Sounds Like a Game to Me
38
Level 16’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 16’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
39
Cutscenes, or No One’s Gonna Watch ‘Em Anyway
Cutscenes, or No One’s Gonna Watch ‘Em Anyway
A Cut Above
How to Write a Screenplay in Eight Easy Steps
Finding Your Voice
40
Level 17’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 17’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
41
And Now the Hard Part
And Now the Hard Part
No One Cares About Your Stupid Little World
Who’s Paying?
Video Games Is a Haaaard Business
What to Do for an Encore?
42
Level 18’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
Level 18’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
43
Continue?
Time to Level Up!
44
The One-Sheet Sample
The One-Sheet Sample
45
The Ten-Page Design Document Sample
The Ten-Page Design Document Sample
Page 1: Cover Page
Page 2: Story/Game Summary
Page 3: Character(s) and Controls
Page 4: Gameplay Overview
Page 5: Gameplay Overview (continued)
Page 6: Gameplay Experience
Page 7: Mechanics and Modes
Page 8: Enemies and Bosses
Page 9: Bonus Material, and Downloadable Content
Page 10: Monetization
46
Game Design Document Template
Game Design Document Template
COVER
YOUR GAME’S TITLE
GDD Outline
47
The Medium-Sized List of Story Genres
The Medium-Sized List of Story Genres
48
Game Genres
Game Genres
49
The Big List of Environments1
The Big List of Environments1
50
Mechanics and Hazards
Mechanics and Hazards
51
Enemy Design Template
Enemy Design Template
52
Boss Design Template
Boss Design Template
53
High-Concept Pitch Presentation
High-Concept Pitch Presentation
Slide 1: Title Page
Slide 2: Developer Profile
Slide 3: Game Overview
Slide 4: Game Story
Slide 5: Game Features
Slide 6: Gameplay Summary
Slide 7: Gameplay Details
Slide 8: Monetization and Download Strategy
Slide 9: Production Specs
54
Achievement Unlocked: Exactly Like Making Chili
Achievement Unlocked: Exactly Like Making Chili
Acknowledgements: Everything I’ve Learned About Writing a Second Edition
About the Author

The Gary Gygax13Memorial Mapping Section

There are many ways to start building level maps. The designers of the original Metal Gear built their levels out of LEGO blocks. Many developers do rapid-level prototyping in 3-D tools like Maya or 3D Studio Max. One designer I know liked to model his levels in clay. Myself, I like a ream of blank paper, a very sharp #2 pencil, and an eraser. I like making maps on paper because it reminds me of the good old days of creating Dungeons and Dragon levels.

I have found that there are two types of three-dimensional video game level design: alleys and islands.

Alleys create a directed gameplay experience: players have a goal to reach, and the level is built to help them reach it. Your alley can be narrow to create a sense of claustrophobia and tension, or it can be wider to give the feeling of sprawl and space.

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Alleys offer the following advantages to designers:

  • Placing camera trigger zones is easier when you know where and how players will be entering...
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