Game Development 101: We Discuss Subjects

Shane

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Game Development 101: Risk and Reward

Life is full of risks. Should you go up and talk to that strange guy/girl that you think just winked at you?

However, while risky behavior in real life doesn't always end in reward, it should in video games. The higher the risk, the greater the reward. Example: There is a 1up by a cliff. You jump off to get it, but you have to double jump just right to get back on the platform.

The risk: Dieing
The reward: An extra life

I firmly believe you can make a good game by understanding these principles. Provided that the controls, etc. aren't broken.

What do you think?
 
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Yeah, something like that. This is what the platforming sections in my game is going to be like. The level design can be used to get you to the goal in different ways and it rewards you for being an explorer like using the double jump at the right moment when grinding on a rail at the speed of light. The reward is having a quicker way to get to the goal.
 
Game Development 101 1.1: Story is Tricky

I once said that I don't make a storyline in the video games I make. The reason why is because I once went to a forum and got a panel of people and asked if a storyline I made was good. None of them could agree on anything. I gave up. The personal preferences of people on storylines are highly varied, and also the more you have to flesh out via story, the more work you have in game development. In fact, I'd argue that storylines tend to make games overly linear, because they follow a set direction. Whereas with no story, you tend to create your own story.

So, now I'll only focus on the gameplay mechanics in my own games, not the story.

Thoughts? I am posting a controversial opinion with this one, so there is no right or wrong answer. Do you feel cinematic storylines have made games more linear?
 
Sometimes story doesn't make the game. Like Conker's Bad Fur Day is a game that has a plot that is not meant to make any sense and made so ridiculous that it is funny. Well, in my game, Lucifer assorts into different missions while trying to get the Guardian stones, usually like beating up demons in a distressed town, helping friends and meeting friends with rival battles. That seems to stray away from being linear, right?
 
So if I have a fighting game, I should make diffrerent combos like X+X+Y or Y+ jump +X.

Do I list all combos at the start of the game, or just let the player experiment with different button combos as he progresses through the game?
 
I'd just like to touch on the point of linear games a little. These days with the rise of the open world titles that are available, I think the more linear games are getting a bit if a raw deal in the reviews to be honest.

While I understand that people enjoy the games that they can go anywhere and do anything, sometimes a game benefits from having a linear structure. Start here, do that, go there and finish here. They're how most games used to be, and I still think there's a market out there for this type of game.
 

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