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Aspects of Game Design

Blogs > Korakys
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Korakys
Profile Blog Joined November 2014
New Zealand272 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-04-21 05:39:07
March 23 2016 05:35 GMT
#1
Just some brief thoughts on game design that have been slowly coalescing in my mind lately. I thought I'd share them before I forget them again.

Accuracy: In RTS games this is called micro mechanics, in shooters it's called good aim, in fighting games it's button combos. Not super important in MOBAs and not typically relevant in turn-based games. This is all about how well you can control your keyboard, mouse, gamepad, etc. In StarCraft, macro is really just micro of your base instead of your army. This is the physical part of playing a computer game, where you use your body (typically your fingers).

Positioning: How you move around the map, set up flanks, judge distances, scout, force your opponents actions, etc. This really exercises your brains time-constrained thinking capacity - your ability to think on your feet. It's kind of a stretch, but how you play your hand in card games could also be considered positioning, or at least a substitute for it.

Build: How you spec your character or construct your units and the order you do it in. What cards you put in your deck or the class and/or spells, weapons and items you select. This is stuff you do before you fight and it tests your deep-thinking ability where you can off-load a lot of time spent thinking and testing to before the round even starts. This does mean you can just copy other people and this is where the term "the meta game" is appropriate.

Map: The terrain you play on and move your character or pieces around on. Maps are super-fucking important in games that have a significant positioning element, which is nearly every game type (but not card games for example). This is entirely controlled by the game designer and not the player which separates it out from the other aspects.

What is the point of this? Well, to make you think. And to check if my thoughts make sense here, feedback is wanted.

I think the best games have relatively equal weightings on each of the three player controlled aspects, which is what StarCraft does (although it might be high on the accuracy element). But you can still make great esports games that have unbalanced aspects. Fighting games like Smash have lots of accuracy and positioning, but no build element, while card game Hearthstone lacks an accuracy aspect and something like the WoW arena is heavily build focused. MOBAs seem to really amp up the build aspect, having many choices, perhaps to compensate for lesser focus on accuracy.

I have never watched any esport other than StarCraft so I've made a lot of educated guesses in my analysis.

Swing away sOs, swing away.
fluidrone
Profile Blog Joined January 2015
France1478 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-03-24 09:51:31
March 24 2016 09:42 GMT
#2
hi, how about:

Live knowledge of the game / time spent playing it competitively
(as people showcase how to play it to maximum efficiency, as game developers change it, map pool evolution)

Multitasking and and live focus management/strategy
(choices made on where/when to allocate one's attention, not how well you input the orders to the game)

Strategy (positioning is tactics not strategy)
(meta decisions made that are correlated to the current opponent, the timing (3rd game of a best of 7 for instance) not to the game itself)
"not enough rights"
Korakys
Profile Blog Joined November 2014
New Zealand272 Posts
April 21 2016 05:12 GMT
#3
You make some good points, but I was writing more about aspects of game design and not what players do with the game once they can play it. Of course players influence (or should influence) how a game is revised by the designers once it has been released.
Swing away sOs, swing away.
fluidrone
Profile Blog Joined January 2015
France1478 Posts
April 22 2016 12:42 GMT
#4
i am designing such a "new" game and i find that shit fascinating.

Like all "artistic" endeavor, the creation takes a life of its own.
[insert astroboy frankenstein's monster and doctor jekyl pictures enhancing visual aid/support]

You start up with concepts and end up with a child
"not enough rights"
Korakys
Profile Blog Joined November 2014
New Zealand272 Posts
November 20 2017 01:07 GMT
#5
I just realised this is probably applicable to martial arts, and possibly military battles in general, too.
Swing away sOs, swing away.
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