Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

Building Game Worlds
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U L T I M A T E G A M E D E S I G N
� Bad “built-in” resource balancing
� Various kinds of character speed and navigation issues
� A power, function, weapon, or ability is not working as intended
� Character, vehicle, or weapon physics are weak
� A clunky interface has emerged, making it hard to perform operations easily
or quickly
� Bad animation elements, such as bad motion transitions from move to move
� Disconnected, awkward, or illogical map, arena, and level layouts
� Too few or too many enemies; enemy density is not balanced well
� Play is simply too hard or too easy
� Play is simply not fun or engaging
� Characters or units need a better balance of complementary powers and
abilities
� Offense or defense is too high or low (for example, destroying opponents
is too easy or too hard)
� Controller reaction “feels” too slow
� The camera moves are jilting, shaky, or prevent/obscure the play experience
� Character, effect, prop, or environmental features are visually unappealing
� Need better AI (actors are too stupid)
� Need more diversity in weapon type or kind and projectile abilities
� Performing moves using controller button combinations or mouse/keyboard
is too confusing
� Audio support seems tacked-on, disconnected, or transparent
� Boss behaviors requiring impact and excitement for player are too simple
� Cinemas, segues, and intro and ending movies have grown way beyond the
scope of available resources
� Game features and functions try to accomplish too much, rather than doing
the simple things well (an all-too-common mistake; you can build a very
solid game by doing the so-called “simple things” well—controller tuning,
ease of operation, nicely “ramped” or ascending ease of objectives, solid
player payoff points, and so on)