Introduction to Game Systems Design: (Game Design)

As games grow more complex and gamers' expectations soar, the discipline of game systems design becomes ever more important. Game systems designers plan a game's rules and balance, its characters' attributes, most of its data, and how its AI, weapons, and objects work and interact. Introduction to Game Systems Design is the first complete beginner's guide to this crucial discipline. Writing for all aspiring game professionals, even those with absolutely no experience, leading game designer and instructor Dax Gazaway presents a step-by-step, hands-on approach to designing game systems with industry-standard tools. Drawing on his experience building AAA-level game systems (including games in the Star Wars and Marvel franchises), Gazaway covers all this, and more: Exploring the essentials of game design and its emerging subdisciplines Asking the essential questions at the heart of all design Getting started with modern game system design tools, including the spreadsheets most professionals now use Creating systems and data from a blank page Populating and quantifying a world of data into a game Tuning and balancing game systems Testing game systems and data Leveraging communication, psychology, and rewards within your games Balancing game probability within systems Whether you're a college freshman entering a game design program, an indie developer using Unreal or Unity, a Dungeon Master, or anyone who wants to really understand modern games, this guide will help you get where you want to go.  

Table of Contents:
Preface     xx Chapter 1  Games and Players: Defined     1 Defining Game     2     Agreed Upon, Artificial Rules     2     Players Have an Impact on the Outcome     3     People Can Opt Out     4     Game Sessions Are Finite     4     Intrinsic Rewards     4     Game Attributes Summary     5 Finding the Target Audience for a Game: Player Attributes     6     Age     6     Gender     7     Tolerance for Learning Rules     7     Interest in Challenge     9     Desired Time Investment     10     Pace Preference     11     Competitiveness     11     Platform Preference     12     Skill Level     12     Genre/Art/Setting/Narrative Preference     13 Value Gained from Players     13     Payment     13     Other Forms of Value     16     Target Audience Value     17 Target Audience Composite     18     Chess     18     Galaga     18     Mario Kart     19     The Battle for Wesnoth     20     Bejeweled     20 What to Do with a Target Audience Profile     21 Further Steps     22 Chapter 2  Roles in the Game Industry     23 Core Management Team     24     Vision Holder     24     Lead Engineer     25     Lead Artist     25     Lead Designer     25     Producer     25     Lead Sound Designer     25 Team Subdisciplines     26     Art     26     Engineering     27     Production     28     Design     28     Sound Team     29     QA Team     29     Narrative Designer     30     Additional Roles     30 Further Steps     30 Chapter 3  Asking Questions     31 How to Ask a Theoretical Question     32     Steps of the Scientific Method     32     Defining a Question for Data Analysis     35 How to Ask for Help with a Problem     36     Why How You Ask Matters     36     Steps to Writing a Good Question     37 Further Steps     41 Chapter 4  System Design Tools     43 What Is Data?     44 Game Industry Tools     44     Documentation Tools     45     Image Editing Tools     45     3D Modeling Tools     46     Flowchart Tools     47     Databases     48     Bug-Tracking Software     49     Game Engines     49 Further Steps     50 Chapter 5  Spreadsheet Basics     51 Why Spreadsheets?     52 What Is a Spreadsheet?     54 Spreadsheet Cells: The Building Blocks of Data     54     Cells     54     The Formula Bar     55     Spreadsheet Symbols     56 Data Containers in Spreadsheets     60     Columns and Rows     60     Sheets     61     Workbooks     61 Spreadsheet Operations     63     Referencing a Separate Sheet     64     Hiding Data     65     Freezing Part of a Sheet     66     Using Comments and Notes     68     Using Formfill     71     Using Filters     77 Data Validation     80     The Data Validation Dialog     81     Time Validation     83     List Validation     84     Named Ranges     84 Further Steps     88 Chapter 6  Spreadsheet Functions     89 Grouping Arguments     90 Function Structure     90 More Complex Functions     93 Functions for System Designers     96     SUM     96     AVERAGE     97     MEDIAN     97     MODE     98     MAX and MIN     99     RANK     99     COUNT, COUNTA, and COUNTUNIQUE     100     LEN     100     IF     101     COUNTIF     101     VLOOKUP     102     FIND     102     MID     103     NOW     103     RAND     104     ROUND     105     RANDBETWEEN     105     Learning About More Functions     106 How to Choose the Right Function     106 Further Steps     107 Chapter 7  Distilling Life into Systems     109 An Abstract Example     114     Throwing     114     Sticks     115     Running     115     Teamwork     115     Putting Together the Mechanics     115 Story in Games     116 Further Steps     117 Chapter 8  Coming Up with Ideas     119 Idea Buffet     120     Sample Idea Buffet     120 Running a Brainstorming Session     121     Having Goals     121     Gathering the Troops     122     Giving Yourself a Block of Time     123     Don't Accept the First Answer     123     Avoiding Criticism     124     Keeping on Topic (Kind Of)     124     Capturing the Creativity     125     Keeping Expectations Reasonable     125     Percolating     125 Methods to Force Creativity     126     Bad Storming     126     Jokes     126     Building Blocks     127     Future Past     127     Iterative Stepping     127     Halfway Between     128     Opposite Of     129     Random Connections     130     Stream of Consciousness Writing     130 Further Steps     131 Chapter 9  Attributes: Creating and Quantifying Life     133 Mechanics Versus Attributes     134 Listing Attributes     134     Initial Brainstorming     135     Blue-Sky Brainstorming     136     Researching Attributes     136     Referring to Your Own Personal Attribute Bank     138 Defining an Attribute     139     Considerations When Defining an Attribute     140 Grouping Attributes     141 Further Steps     143 Chapter 10  Organizing Data in Spreadsheets     145 Create a Spreadsheet to Be Read by an Outsider     146 Avoid Typing Numbers     146 Label Data     147 Validate Your Data     148 Use Columns for Attributes and Rows for Objects     148 Color Coding     149 Avoid Adding Unneeded Columns or Rows or Blank Cells     151 Separate Data Objects with Sheets     152     Reference Sheet     152     Introduction Sheet     153     Output/Visualization Sheets     154     Scratch Sheet     155 Spreadsheet Example     155 Further Steps     156 Chapter 11  Attribute Numbers     157 Getting a Feel for Your Attributes     158 Determining the Granularity for Numbers     158     Numbers Should Relate to Probability     158     Some Numbers Need to Relate to Real-World Measurements     159     User Smaller Numbers for Easier Calculations     160     Use Larger Numbers for More Granularity     161     Very Large Numbers Are Confusing     162     Humans Hate Decimals and Fractions, but Computers Don't Mind Them     163     Numbering Example     163 The Tension Trick     163 Searching for the Right Numbers     165 Further Steps     167 Chapter 12  System Design Foundations     169 Attribute Weights     170 DPS and Intertwined Attributes     173 Binary Searching     176     How Binary Searching Works     176     Lacking a Viable Range     179 Naming Conventions     180 Naming Object Iterations     185     The Problem with “New”     185     Iteration Naming Method 1: Version Number     186     Iteration Naming Method 2: Version Letter and Number     186     Special Case Terms     187 Using the Handshake Formula     188 Further Steps     194 Chapter 13  Range Balancing, Data Fulcrums, and Hierarchical Design     195 Range Balancing     196     How Range Balancing Works     197     Who Adjusts What     201 Data Fulcrums     203     What Is a Fulcrum?     203     Creating a Fulcrum     204     Testing a Fulcrum     204     Locking a Fulcrum     206     Using a Fulcrum for Data Creation     206     Unavoidable Cross-testing     208     Fulcrum Progression     209 Hierarchical Design     210     Starting the Hierarchy     211     Advantages of Hierarchical Design     212 Further Steps     213 Chapter 14  Exponential Growth and Diminishing Returns     215 Linear Growth     216 Exponential Growth     217     Parts of the Basic Exponential Growth Formula     218     Building Blocks of the Exponential Growth Formula     220     Tweaking the Basic Exponential Growth Formula     226     A Note on Iterations     227     Exponential Charts and Game Hierarchy     227 Further Steps     228 Chapter 15  Analyzing Game Data     229 Overview Analysis     230 Next-Level Deep Analysis     238 Practicing Data Analysis     240 Comparison Analysis     240 Canaries     241 Further Steps     244 Chapter 16  Macrosystems and Player Engagement     245 Macrosystem Difficulty Adjustment     246     Flat Balancing     246     Positive Feedback Loops     247     Negative Feedback Loop     249     Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment     251     Layered Difficulty Adjustment     253     Cross-Feeding     254 Balancing Combinations     255 Further Steps     255 Chapter 17  Fine-Tuning Balance, Testing, and Problem Solving     257 Balance     258     Why Balance Matters     258     General Game Balance     259     Breaking Your Data     261     Problems with Balancing Judged Contests     261     How to Start Balancing Data     263 Performing Playtests     265     Minimum Viability Testing     266     Balance Testing     267     Bug Testing     268     User Testing     269     Beta/Postlaunch Telemetry Testing     273 Solving Problems     275     Identify the Problem     276     Eliminate Variables     277     Come Up with Solutions     277     Communicate with the Team     277     Prototype and Test     277     Document the Changes     277 Further Steps     278 Chapter 18  Systems Communication and Psychology     279 Games as Conversations     280 Word Meanings     281 Noise     284 Reciprocity     286     Overstepping Bounds     286     Shallow Relationship     287     Right Balance     287 Reward Expectations     288 Further Steps     289 Chapter 19  Probability     291 Basic Probability     292     Probability Notation     292     Calculating One-Dimensional Even-Distribution Probability     293     Calculating One-Dimensional Uneven-Distribution Probability     299     Calculating Compound Probability     301     Calculating 2D6 “Or Higher” Cumulative Probability     309     Calculating the Probability of Doubles     310     Calculating a Series of Single Events     311     Calculating More Than Two Dimensions     316     Calculating Dependent Event Probability     318     Calculating Mutually Exclusive Event Probability     321     Calculating Enumerated Probability with an Even Distribution     321     Calculating Enumerated Probability with an Uneven Distribution     322     Calculating Attributes Weights Based on Probability     325     Calculating Imperfect Information Probability     327     Perception of Probability     328     Probability Uncertainty     328 Mapping Probability     329     Attributes of a Random Event     329     Mapping Probability Examples     331 Measuring Luck in a Game     334     Testing for Pure Luck     335     Testing for Luck Dominant     335     Testing for Luck Influenced     336     Adjusting the Influence of Luck     336     Chaos Factor     338 Further Steps     338 Chapter 20  Next Steps     341 Practice     342 Analyze Existing Games     342 Play New Games     342 Modify Existing Games     342 Work on Your Game     343 Keep Learning     343 Index     345

About the Author :
Dax Gazaway was raised in a gamer family. His parents met in a Dungeons & Dragons group, and he was surrounded with games being played and made. From a very early age, Dax was fascinated by the numbers in games. He would pour over monster manuals and board game books, dissecting the rules to figure out how the systems worked. Dax started in the video game industry in the late 1990s. During his tenure in the industry, Dax pioneered game system design at multiple independent and AAA studios, helping to refine and define the subdiscipline. In recent years, he has become a course director at Full Sail University, specializing in teaching new students the concepts and tools of the system designer. Dax has created new curriculum and multiple classes for system design students, and he teaches introduction to system design courses. The following is a selection of Dax's game design credits: Star Wars: Obi-Wan, System and level designer Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter, System and level designer and QA liaison Star Wars: Bounty Hunter: System and level designer Gladius: System designer Syphon Filter franchise: Lead designer and system designer Spider Man 3: Lead system designer Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Lead system designer Guitar Hero franchise: System designer In addition, Dax has been the studio lead system designer for Row Sham Bow Games and a system design consultant for multiple projects.