Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

2
THE
game design process begins by synthesizing and harmonizing various
gameplay ideas and concepts. The very early stages of game design
are, by nature, heavily conceptual. Game concepts have to be pulled down to
Earth and given shape and definition. These concepts, when working together to
form a gaming experience, will have to share a small boat on a large ocean. They will
be required to work together tightly and forcefully. Only when our game concepts
row the boat together in harmony will we achieve any exciting motion. A game that
seems “only to float” hasn’t achieved this harmony. In some cases, concepts that
might otherwise have worked out well are not given life in execution. Keep in mind
that professional game design always occurs in parallel with a multitude of constraints,
objectives, and considerations.
In this chapter, we will focus on the initial stage of game concept harmony, sometimes
called the previsualization process. Perhaps the best way to understand this
process is by discussing it in the context of an example. Thus, we’ll look at the “cathedral”
example. This specific example could be the game setting for a first- or
third-person action title, but the previsualization process that we will discuss for this
example can be applied to many game genres.
Each subsequent chapter will address in detail the process of “building up” or executing
your own game ideas. We’ll cover many topics that relate to giving shape and
form to your own game concepts. In summary, we will consider the following:
� Level construction The process of creating game environments
� Lighting, texturing, particle systems, effects, and audio
game environments
How we detail our
� Props, items, and behaviors
environments
How we stage or set up our game
� Camera considerations How we handle camera issues
� Scripting action events How we create event behaviors
� QA and player feedback loops How we test and refine game titles
� Design considerations for emerging game forms New venues for games