Game Mechanics Advanced Game Design

by Adams, Ernest; Dormans, Joris

• ISBN13: 9780321820273
• ISBN10: 0321820274
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-06-15
• Publisher: New Riders

Summary

Game mechanics--the rules and systems that govern the functional behavior of a game--lie at the heart of all game design. The mechanics implement the living world of the game; they generate active challenges for players to solve in the game world and they determine the effects of the players'actions on that world. Here to teach game designers and students the essentials of game mechanics are two leading authorities in game design. Readers will learn how to craft mechanics that generate challenging, enjoyable, and well-balanced gameplay. They'll learn how to visualize and simulate game mechanics in order to design better games and learn at what stages to prototype, test, and implement mechanics in games. This in-depth resource also comes with hands-on lessons and readers can download a free simulation tool in order to follow along with exercises in the book.

Author Biography

Ernest Adams is a game design consultant, teacher, and the author of the classic Fundamentals of Game Design, Second Edition, the companion volume to this title. He has worked in the game industry for 23 years, eight of them at Electronic Arts. He is also the founder and first chairman of the International Game Developers' Association. His professional website is at www.designersnotebook.com. Joris Dormans is a game design lecturer and researcher based in Amsterdam with eight years of experience in higher education. For the past four years he has been researching formal tools and methods to design game mechanics. As an independent, freelance game designer he published and worked on several video games and board games, including story-driven adventure games, physical platform games, and a satirical political card game. His professional website is at www.jorisdormans.nI.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xi
Who Is This Book For?	p. xii
How Is This Book Organized?	p. xii
Companion Website	p. xiii
Designing Game Mechanics	p. 1
Rules Define Games	p. 1
Discrete Mechanics vs. Continuous Mechanics	p. 9
Mechanics and the Game Design Process	p. 12
Prototyping Techniques	p. 15
Summary	p. 21
Exercises	p. 22
Emergence and Progression	p. 23
The History of Emergence and Progression	p. 23
Comparing Emergence and Progression	p. 24
Games of Emergence	p. 26
Games of Progression	p. 30
Structural Differences	p. 37
Emergence and Progression Integration	p. 39
Summary	p. 41
Exercise	p. 42
Complex Systems and the Structure of Emergence	p. 43
Gameplay as an Emergent Property of Games	p. 43
Structural Qualities of Complex Systems	p. 47
Harnessing Emergence in Games	p. 57
Summary	p. 58
Exercises	p. 58
Internal Economy	p. 59
Elements of Internal Economies	p. 59
Economic Structure	p. 62
Uses for Internal Economies in Games	p. 71
Summary	p. 78
Exercises	p. 78
Machinations	p. 79
The Machinations Framework	p. 79
Machinations Diagram Basic Elements	p. 82
Advanced Node Types	p. 93
Modeling Pac-Man	p. 98
Summary	p. 104
Exercises	p. 104
Common Mechanisms	p. 107
More Machinations Concepts	p. 107
Feedback Structures in Games	p. 113
Randomness vs. Emergence	p. 126
Example Mechanics	p. 130
Summary	p. 144
Exercises	p. 145
Design Patterns	p. 147
Introducing Design Patterns	p. 147
Machinations Design Pattern Language	p. 151
Leveraging Patterns for Design	p. 168
Summary	p. 169
Exercises	p. 170
Simulating and Balancing Games	p. 171
Simulated Play Tests	p. 171
Playing with Monopoly	p. 179
Balancing SimWar	p. 187
From Model to Game	p. 195
Summary	p. 195
Exercises	p. 196
Building Economies	p. 197
Economy-Building Games	p. 197
Analyzing Caesar III	p. 199
Designing Lunar Colony	p. 206
Summary	p. 219
Exercises	p. 220
Integrating Level Design and Mechanics	p. 221
From Toys to Playgrounds	p. 221
Missions and Game Spaces	p. 229
Learning to Play	p. 238
Summary	p. 244
Exercises	p. 246
Progression Mechanisms	p. 247
Lock-and-Key Mechanisms	p. 247
Emergent Progression	p. 258
Summary	p. 270
Exercises	p. 270
Meaningful Mechanics	p. 271
Serious Games	p. 271
Communication Theory	p. 276
The Semiotics of Games and Simulations	p. 282
Multiple Layers of Meaning	p. 294
Summary	p. 299
Exercises	p. 300
Machinations Quick Reference	p. 301
Design Pattern Library	p. 303
Static Engine	p. 303
Dynamic Engine	p. 305
Converter Engine	p. 308
Engine Building	p. 311
Static Friction	p. 314
Dynamic Friction	p. 316
Stopping Mechanism	p. 319
Attrition	p. 321
Escalating Challenge	p. 325
Escalating Complexity	p. 327
Arms Race	p. 330
Playing Style Reinforcement	p. 333
Multiple Feedback	p. 336
Trade	p. 336
Worker Placement	p. 336
Slow Cycle	p. 336
Getting 5tarted with Machinations	p. 337
References	p. 338
Index	p. 341
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