1. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
PACE
How does the pace affect the player’s
perception of the level?
What is it that sets a well-paced level
apart from a poorly paced one?

2. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
key aspects of
game pace
• Movement Impetus
the will of the player to move through the level.
• Threat
the notion of danger.
• Tension
the atmosphere and mood of the level or perceived danger which is
reflected in the player.
• Tempo
the level of actual action currently being experienced by the player.

3. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
Movement
Impetus
Affecting the players movement through a level --
either moving them forwards or stalling them from
pushing forwards in order to affect the movement
impetus and thus the pace of the action.

4. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
Forward
Movement
• Introduce a threat from behind
• Present an objective ahead
• Impose a time limit
• Narrow physical options
• Draw the eye
• Architectural pressure
• Snatch desired object
• NPC leads the way

5. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
Slow Movement
• Wow moments
• Obstacle
• Altered movement
• Introducing a threat ahead
• Increased tension
• Multiple Routes / Open World
• NPC halts player
• Taking stock of inventory (collecting items)
• Dialogue / Roleplayand
• Story exposition

6. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
Threat
The greater the sense of peril the player believes they are in,
the quicker their pulse, the more nervous and often more pan-
icked them are.
Different forms of threat change the game’s pace -- e.g com-
bat more frenetic than assasin stealth.
External threats become greater the closer they are to the
player.
Internal threats (player mistakes/puzzles) are generally less
frantic... unless they’re on the clock.

7. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
Tension
(Perceived Danger)
Atmospheric effects:
• Believable world that the player is invested in
• Knowledge of consequences of ‘unknown’ threat
• Action with threat of discovery.
• Audio
• Staging (lighting especially)

8. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
Tension
(Perceived Danger)
Atmospheric effects:
• Believable world that the player is invested in
• Knowledge of consequences of ‘unknown’ threat
• Action with threat of discovery.
• Audio
• Staging (lighting especially)

9. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
Tempo
Describes how much concentration is required by the player to
achieve their goal.
Low tempo gameplay tends to be that which requires serious
thought and contemplation -- eg puzzles.
High tempo gameplay requires fast reactions and split-second
decisions. It induces stress or panic.
A time limit will always increase tempo no matter what the
other game mechanics.

10. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
Tempo in
movement
Explorative movement tends to be low tempo, as the player
has time to look around and determine their own route.
More acrobatic environment traversal can often be higher
tempo. It really achieves high tempo when there is a great
sense of flow in the design.

11. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
Tempo in
puzzles
The only real way to create a high tempo puzzle is to add a
time pressure.
This tends to make them the ideal method of reducing the
pace of gameplay as a counterpoint to high paced action like
combat.

12. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
Tempo in combat
High tempo (split-second decision making and fast reactions)
BUT the tempo itself may change dramatically over the course
of a battle.
General Skirmishes
The tempo of the battle builds to a
certain tempo before it hits a
turning point, where the more
the player removes the incoming
threat, the easier it becomes to
take out the remaining threats.

13. SHIRALEE SAUL :: A-WEBSITE.ORG :: 2009 : MC1
PACING & MECHANICS: ITERATIVE GAME DESIGN
Tempo in combat
Boss Fights
Boss fights tend to crescendo --
they are generally eased into the
first part of the fight, but as they
start to chip away at its health it
begins to attack with more and
more ferocity, until the final phase
where it is particularly dangerous.