Design of game core mechanics

1. Core Mechanics
Design of Computer Games
Martin Sillaots
Aug 6 2019
#6

2. Elements of Game Production *
• Gameplay
• Core mechanics
• Game World
• Characters
• Story
• Levels
• UI

3. Content
• Definition of core mechanics
• Role of core mechanics
• Design of core mechanics
• Elements of core mechanics

4. Definition of Core Mechanics
• Data and algorithms that describe game rules
and internal operations
• Complete description of rules

5. Format of Rules
• Paper
– algorithms in design document
– spreadsheet algorithms and data
– paper prototype
• Code

6. Role of Core Mechanics
• Activate challenges
• Track player actions
• Detect success or failure
• Operate NPC's
• Switch modes
• Proceed with the story
• Operate the internal economy

7. Design of Core Mechanics
• Structure your game
• Describe resources
• List objects and describe their behavior
• Define relationships between objects
• Define events and processes related with objects
• Define conditions to objects and events
• Global mechanics - operate through entire game

8. Game Structure
• What is the player going to do? *
• Flowboard of the game structure
• List of gameplay modes
• General outline of the story
• List characters
• General plans for each level
• Progression of the levels
• Victory or loss conditions
• Non-gameplay actions *

9. e.g. Structure of Time Mesh WW2 Paris Scene

10. Resources
• Object types
• Materials and quantities
• Changes during the game
• e.g. gold, ammunition, water, popularity, …
• Rules, how they will be:
– created
– used
– traded
– destroyed

11. Internal Economy of the Game
• Source - give birth to resources
• Drain - define consumption of resources
• Converter – turn one resource to another
• Trader - trading goods between player and game
• Producers - for making resources
• Tangible Resource - e.g. ammunition
• Intangible Resource - e.g. money (in business
simulation)

12. Objects
• Instance of resource
• State of an object - attribute (on / off)
• Simple objects - specified by single value
• Composite objects - combination of values
• Unique object - only one object per type
• Numeric objects - initial quantity and range of
possible values
• Symbolic objects - initial state and list of possible
states

13. Object Examples
• Wind speed and direction
• Factory
• Characters
• Vehicle
• Inventory

14. Type Name Description
Background Eiffel Square 1400x350
Background Top of Eiffel 750x350
Background Street Right 750x350
Background Street Left 750x350 Gold color
Background Cafe 750x350 Cest la vie
Background Cafe Basement 750x350
Character Rex Spy, French, Red herring (location seller)
Character Gruber Soldier, German, careless (Eiffel square)
Character Geering Soldier, German, careless (Eiffel square)
Character Strohm Colonel, German, greedy (Right street) animation
Character Rene cafe owner, French, food, radio, food ticket, (Cafe)
Character Alfonse ex-banker, French, starving, watch (Eiffel square)
Character LeClerc French, connected with Rex, riddle1, Cross (Top of Eiffel)
Character Michelle resistance, French (Right street) animation
Character Jannet no roll, French (Top of Eiffel)
Character Pierre no roll, French (Top of Eiffel)
Character Francois no roll, French (Cafe)
Character Gustave painter, French (Left Street) Painting animation
Object Motorcycle sidecar, German army 1940, (Location of Radio) (Eiffel square)
Object Golden watch belongs to Alfonse (Eiffel square)
Object Radio in motorcycle sidecar (Eiffel square)
Object Chicken leg from Rene (Cafe)
Object Bucket of golden color left street (Left Street)
Object Croix de Lorraine LeClerc (Top of Eiffel)
Object Newspaper no function (Cafe)
Object Cafe tables inside and outside (Cafe)
e.g. Time Mesh WW2 Paris Game Objects

15. Relationships
• Relationships among objects
• Value of one object depends on value of other
object
• Numeric relationships - arithmetic operations
• Symbolic relationships - states and relations
• e.g. Level goes up when XP's are collected

16. Events and Processes
• Event - specific change triggered by condition
• Process - sequence of events

17. Conditions
• What affect object?
– Events
– Processes
– Relationships
• What events are affected by the object?
– What causes an event?
– What starts (finish) an process?
• What the object can do by itself (AI)?
• What can player do with the object?

18. e.g. Time Mesh WW2 Paris Relations and Conditions
C
Eiffel Square
Top of Eiffel
Right Street
Left Street
Cafe
Cafe Basement
C

19. e.g. Time Mesh WW2 Paris Relations and Conditions
C
Painter
Spy Soldiers
Officer
Barman
Prisoner
Ex Banker
Member of Resistance
C
C

20. Global Mechanics
• Pause, save, ...
• Loss conditions - same for all levels

21. Core Mechanics and Gameplay
• Passive Challenges – don’t need special rules
• Active Challenges - objects and rules are needed
• Player actions trigger mechanics
• Actions attached by data

22. Example
Design of Core Mechanics for EcoHous game
tinyurl.com/ecohousegame

23. Game
000.raxsade.com/ecohouse

24. Current Situation

25. Possible Targets
• Average new building – 120 000
• Low energy building – 80 000
• Passive house standard – 15 000

26. List of Objects

27. Rules
=Data!D$20+Data!D$29+Data!D$35+Data!D$41+Data!D$47-400
Energy loss through:
Windows - 0
Walls - 3000
Floor - 3000
Ceiling - 3000
Ventilation - 0

28. Guidelines of Core Mechanics Design
• Simplicity
• Generalize
• Not everything perfect on paper
• Suitable level of detail

29. Mission # 6
Core Mechanics

30. Core Mechanics Mission Details
• Design your game core mechanics:
– List of game resources (if relevant)
– List of game objects and attributes
– Relationships between objects
– Events and processes
– Conditions to events and procedures
– Internal economy of the game (if relevant)
• ALL teams have a chance to present their core
mechanics