when one aims primarily for the former instead of the latter, one is likely to end up with neither. As you are testing, it is important to remember that you cannot please every - one. Given a large enough testing team, there are bound to be people who do not like portions of your game, or even who do not like the entire game. If you start try - ing to make every single person on the testing team happy you often end up making the game less fun for other people. While you may have started with a game that a bunch of people liked a great deal and a few people thought was dull, if you start trying to please everyone you may end up with a game that everyone thinks is OK, but which no one is truly enthusiastic about. Given the choice, I always prefer to give a certain group of people an experience they truly love than try to give every - one something they like only marginally. Testing should also not mean game design by committee. You do not have to take every suggestion that your development team presents and implement it. Some of these ideas may be perfectly reasonable but you may feel that they just do not fit with your game. That is a perfectly reasonable response to have. In the end, it may be that every single playtester you have tells you that some part of the game must change, but if you feel, in your gut, as an artist, that you do not want to change that portion of the game, then leave it as it is. In the end you must be the final arbiter of what happens in the game. A committee, whether it consists of executives, testers, or even members of the development team, can never have the unity of vision and certainty of purpose that can be maintained by a single person. 488 Chapter 23: Playtesting TEAMFLY Team-Fly ® Conclusion As I stated in the introduction, this book is not a definitive guide to computer game design. No book can be. But it has attempted to inform the reader of what I know about game design, in addition to sharing the thoughts of six of game design’s most accomplished masters. Of course, none of the information in this book will amount to much if the reader is not prepared to use it to the right ends. As with any art form, computer games demand that their authors have a personal investment in their cre - ations if the games are to be truly worthwhile. I feel that computer games have a great power to affect their audience, and a game designer has a tremendous respon- sibility to use that power wisely. Art The game development industry seems to be constantly involving itself with discus- sions of whether computer games qualify as an art form. Some other discussions center around whether computer games will ever be “legitimate” art. Such argu- ments are completely fruitless. We cannot make the public see us as legitimate merely by tooting our own horn and bragging of our accomplishments. Some people still fail to see film or jazz music or comic books as “legitimate” art and those forms have a body of work which, due in part to their age, dwarfs what computer games have produced. The question must be asked, “Would you do anything differently if computer games were or were not art?” Surely the best way to convince the public that we are legitimate is to act like it by producing works as compelling as those found in any other media. Of course computer games are art. Could anything be more obvious? This is especially true if one uses the definition of art that I am most fond of, from Scott McCloud’s magnificent book Understanding Comics: “Art, as I see it, is any human activity which doesn’t grow out of either of our species’ two basic instincts: sur - vival and reproduction.” It would appear that many game developers who constantly scream “games are art” have a certain insecurity complex and feel the need to justify working in games to their family or friends, to the public as a whole, or even to themselves. Such insecurities seldom lead to an artist working at his full capacity, since he is constantly going out of his way to prove himself. This seldom leads to great work; more often it leads to pretentious trash. When asked if he 489 agreed with critics who said his films qualified as art, Alfred Hitchcock replied, “Oh, I’m very glad when they do, but it’s not like taking page one of a script and then saying, ‘I will now start a work of art.’ It’s ridiculous—you can’t do it.” Qual - ity games are most likely produced when those developing them have no motives other than creating the most compelling experience for the player. The Medium So often, we in the game development community are envious of other media. In part, this may be game designers wishing for the respect that other media command in society, the “legitimacy” that I spoke of earlier. Others may secretly, subcon - sciously, or even openly wish they were working on something other than games. A game designer may say, “I want my game to have a similar effect on the audience as the movie The Godfather!” or “I want people to enjoy playing this game the same way they enjoy listening to The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Electric Ladyland!” But this is the wrong approach to take. The strength of our medium lies in what it does differently from other media and the emotions it can evoke in the audience that no other art form can. If we endlessly try to ape other media we will forever be stuck with second-class, derivative works. Surely Jimi Hendrix did not try to emulate a movie he had seen when he recorded Electric Ladyland. Similarly, Francis Ford Coppola knew he would have to radically alter Mario Puzo’s book The Godfather in order to make a good movie out of it. Indeed, Coppola’s mastery of film allowed him to create a movie significantly better than the book upon which it is based. Both have nearly the same story, characters, and even dialog, yet Coppola’s telling of the story cinematically outdid Puzo’s literary telling in nearly every way. Though the effect a game has on a player may be different than a book has on a reader, a film has on a viewer, or a song has on a listener, it is not necessarily a worse effect, merely a different one. Computer games have strengths of their own which we must master if we are to produce the best work possible. Surely our medium presents challenges for those who choose to work with it, challenges not to be found in other art forms, challenges we have a duty to face if we hope to be more than charlatans and conmen. In his book Understanding Media, Marshall McLuhan is famous for saying, “ themedium is the message. This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium—that is, of any extension of ourselves—results from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology.” McLuhan argues that while people concern themselves with the content of television shows or plays or music, a medium’s true message comes not from the content but from the medium itself. Now, I certainly do not claim to be a McLuhan scholar, yet I cannot help postulating what the nature of our medium of computer games is, a medium which did not exist when McLuhan wrote 490 Conclusion those words. The inherently interactive nature of computer games creates a mass medium that encourages players to be active participants in art in ways other media cannot. I cannot help but conclude that the fundamental message of our medium is one of participation and empowerment. Game designers make a product which either facilitates the interaction between others, in the case of multi-player games, or sets up an interaction between a single person and the computer, for solo games. In the latter case, it is somewhat incorrect to say that the true interaction takes place between the person and computer, since the computer is nothing more than a medium for the interaction; the interaction actually takes place between the player and the game’s creator. When I spent weeks of my early life alone in the dark computer room in the back of my parents’ house playing The Bard’s Tale and The Bard’s Tale II, I never thought of myself as being alone. In a way I was there with Michael Cranford, the games’ creator, playing in the world he had made, exploring the piece of himself he had put into the game. This medium seemed so powerful I knew immediately that I wanted to work with it to create my own games, so I could put a part of myself in games for players to experience. The Motive I have talked at length in this book about why players play games, but perhaps the most important question you as a game developer should ask is why you make them. The film director Krzysztof Kieslowski said that no artist has a chance of understanding his work if he does not understand himself and his own life, and what events have brought him to where he is. As you embark on your life as a game designer, questioning your own motivations in your work is vital to effectively using your medium. The first question a designer should ask himself is how he came to work in computer games. Was it happenstance? Did a friend in the business happen to know of a position that was open? Was he aimlessly searching the classifieds only to find an ad about game development to which he responded, “Hey, that might be fun”? Did he see game development as something cool to do, much hipper than his sorry friends who have to shuffle papers for a living? Did he really want to work in some other field, such as film or television, and when that career did not work out as planned he found that he could earn a living in the gaming business in order to pay the bills until something better came along? Or did gaming just turn out to be the profession which, given his skill set, would pay the most money? As the reader might guess, none of the above are among the best motivations for working in games. There are people who come to gaming with more pure moti - vations, people who pursue it because it is what they want to do more than anything else. Of course, a designer might come into the world of game development with Conclusion 491 the wrong motivations only to find a passion for creating games stirred inside him - self. Regardless of why he started working in games, what is essential is that now that he is developing games, he wants to truly make the best games possible. I am continually surprised and disappointed by the number of people working in games for all the wrong reasons: because it is cool, because it pays well, because they do not have anything better to do. Game development may be more fun, styl - ish, and potentially profitable than many other professions, but these are side benefits that cannot distract from the true goal a designer must have: to make com - pelling interactive experiences. When other motives become a designer’s primary guiding directives, her work is hopelessly compromised in a way that will hinder it from achieving its full potential. The most likely person to make really brilliant games is a game designer with a dream. A dream that involves advancing the art of games beyond the more puerile and trivial concerns it may be seen wallowing in from time to time. A dream that involves a game-world so compelling players lose track of their regular lives as they play it. A dream which involves creating a work that captivates and involves players in the art as no other media can. A dream of computer games that enrich their players’ lives for the better. Do you have such a dream? 492 Conclusion Appendix Sample Design Document: Atomic Sam T he following design document is for a simple console action game called Atomic Sam. The game itself is far from revolutionary and, from a design standpoint, part of its appeal is its simple nature. It is part of a project I was previously involved with that was never developed into a finished game. Despite this, the reader can consider the document to be “authentic,” since it is written in the exact style and format I have used in design documents for projects which have been developed. 493 As a result of its simplicity, the design document for Atomic Sam is not very large. I have written documents five times the length of this one for other projects, and even those documents were not as big as others in the industry. Parts of this document were deliberately kept short, since it was not intended to be a complete design document, but rather to give its reader an idea of what Atomic Sam would be. In particular, certain sections have deliberately been kept short. For instance, the listing of enemy robots is much smaller than it would be if the document actually described all of the enemies in the game. Similarly, a full version of this design document would include descriptions of more projectiles for Sam to throw, more devices and contraptions for him to manipulate, and more of the characters he would meet in the game-world. The game might even be expanded to include more areas than just the five described here. In fact, more detail could be used throughout the document. The way this docu - ment is written assumes that the author is going to be involved throughout the development process, guiding the design in the correct direction. As I have stated elsewhere in this book, as a game designer I am only interested in being involved with projects that I can see through from beginning to end. If this document were for a project that the author did not expect to be actively working on, it would make sense to add more detail throughout in order to be completely clear about the direc- tion the project should take. For example, the section about level design could be significantly more detailed. However, if one has a team of level designers who understand the gameplay and can be trusted with the responsibilities of designing a fun level, the descriptions contained in the document could be a sufficient starting point for level design. From this document, the level designers are given a great deal of freedom in terms of how to build their levels, a system that works well if the level designers are up to the challenge. Certainly, if you will be designing many of the levels your - self, you do not need to plan everything out in minute detail in advance. Many successful games have been made this way, including a number of the projects I have worked on. For instance, Centipede 3D had only a general notion of the AI, mushroom types, and power-ups designed before the level construction process began, and it was a system that ended up working quite well. Of course, before writing a design document, the designer should have a good idea of the focus of the gameplay, as I have discussed elsewhere in this book. Here, for example, is the focus statement I had in mind when I started working on the design document for Atomic Sam. 494 Appendix: Sample Design Document: Atomic Sam Atomic Sam: Focus Atomic Sam is a non-violent, fast-paced action game whose gameplay centers on defeating various villainous robots in creative and inventive ways, using a variety of projectiles and environmental devices. The story is one of a young boy separated from his parents for the first time who learns about the world through mentors, friends, and new experiences. Atomic Sam takes place in a unique “retro-future” with whimsical, non - sensical devices providing a unique backdrop to the unfolding of the story and action. Armed with the direction provided by the focus, the game design grew organi - cally from there into the design you will read below. As I have stated before, there is no set-in-stone format for design documents. It is the designer’s responsibility to present the design in as much detail as is necessary, in a manner which clearly com- municates that design to all the members of the team. Appendix: Sample Design Document: Atomic Sam 495 Atomic Sam Design Document Version 2.0 This document and Atomic Sam are TM and © 2000 Richard Rouse III, all rights reserved. Atomic Sam character designed by Richard Rouse III and Steve Ogden Table of Contents I. Overview 499 II. Game Mechanics 500 Overview 500 Camera 501 In-Game GUI 502 Replaying and Saving 502 Control Summary 503 General Movement 503 Moving in a Direction 504 Variable Movement Speed 504 Flying Movement 504 Moving Up and Down 504 Stopping 504 Flight Speed 505 Directional Flying 505 Burst Speed 505 Limited Flight Time 505 Landing 506 Falling to the Ground 506 Limited Altitude 506 Rocket-Pack Upgrades 506 Surfaces 507 Picking Up Objects 507 Throwing Projectiles 508 Inventory 508 Picking Up Projectiles 508 Readying Projectiles 509 496 Appendix: Sample Design Document: Atomic Sam Throwing the Projectile 509 Throwing Speed and Distance 509 Projectile Capabilities 510 Electric Piranha 510 Actions 510 Flipping Switches and Pressing Buttons 511 Pushing and Manipulating 511 Picking Up, Carrying, and Dropping 511 Talking 511 Reading 511 Interactive Combat Environments 512 Looking 513 Friends 513 Speaking 514 Cut-Scenes 515 Storytelling 515 Environments 516 Friends 516 Radio 516 Signs 516 Levels 516 Critical Path 517 Training Level 517 The Electric Priestess’ Home 517 World Order 518 III. Artificial Intelligence 518 Enemy AI 519 Player Detection 519 Motion 519 Flying 520 Pathfinding 520 Taking Damage 520 Combat Attacks 520 Evading 521 Special Actions 521 Taking Hostages 521 Internal Repair Arms 521 Collaboration 521 Trash Talking 522 Falling into Traps 522 Appendix: Sample Design Document: Atomic Sam 497 [...]... will appeal not only to children but to game players of all ages who enjoy fast-action gameplay The game is suitable for any modern console system The player’s main task in Atomic Sam will be to navigate young Sam through the various environments of the game while defeating the robots he encounters Though the game is centered around this combat, it is a non-violent game from start to finish, with Sam incapacitating... special events in the game, such as when he first walks on the Moon’s surface or when he first encounters a particular boss monster By keeping Sam talking during the actual gameplay, the player will grow fond of the character and will be even more concerned for his welfare in the game- world Cut-Scenes Brief cut-scenes will be used in the game to help convey the story line to the player The game s 3D engine... the game has the player capturing enemies rather than killing them, and that when the player loses in a particular situation, Sam is always incapacitated in some non-lethal manner But due to its sharp, frantic gameplay, assortment of unique environments, and inventive adversaries, the game will also appeal to young adults And with Atomic Sam’s retro-futuristic look and emphasis on story line, the game. .. years ago II Game Mechanics Overview Atomic Sam is a third-person, floating camera 3D action game in the tradition of Super Mario 64 or Spyro the Dragon Atomic Sam is different, however, in that the gameplay focuses less on exploration but instead on the player battling his way through the levels, avoiding the robots and other adversaries that try to block his progress That being the case, the game mechanics... are scattered throughout the levels, and the game automatically and transparently remembers when the player has reached such a checkpoint The checkpoints will be carefully placed so as to enhance the challenge of the game without making it frustrating for the player During the gameplay, the player will be able to save at any time However, when the saved game is restored, it will only start the player... combat contraptions As soon as the player releases the Look button, the camera will return to its normal gameplay mode Friends Atomic Sam will not have to battle his way through all the game s levels alone In each of the three intermediary game sections—Benthos, Harmony, and New Boston—Sam will meet game characters who will help him battle the robots and other adversaries he encounters In Benthos, Sam... quick reactions and manual dexterity Atomic Sam is easy to pick up and play with simple, intuitive controls An in -game tutorial section at the beginning of the game will provide an easy way for new, inexperienced players to learn how to play the game In each of the middle three sections of the game, Sam will be accompanied by special friends who will help him defeat the enemies he faces All the while,... player back at the beginning of whatever level the game was saved on, instead of at the exact location (or checkpoint) Sam was at on that particular level This encourages players to finish a given level before they stop playing the game Control Summary The player will use a number of different controls to maneuver Atomic Sam and to navigate him through the game- world These controls are discussed in detail... Appendix: Sample Design Document: Atomic Sam In -Game GUI The majority of the player’s screen will be taken up by a view of the game- world with the player’s character, Atomic Sam, near the center of that screen A few other elements will be overlaid on top of this view in order to provide the player with information about Sam’s status and goings on in the game- world l Current Projectile + Count: In the... the game mechanics are designed in such a way as to allow the player intuitive and extensive control of his game- world character while enabling the player to appreciate the interesting and compelling game- world in which he is placed Appendix: Sample Design Document: Atomic Sam 501 Camera In the game, the player will control the character Atomic Sam At all times, Sam appears in the center of the screen, . something other than games. A game designer may say, “I want my game to have a similar effect on the audience as the movie The Godfather!” or “I want people to enjoy playing this game the same way. it from achieving its full potential. The most likely person to make really brilliant games is a game designer with a dream. A dream that involves advancing the art of games beyond the more puerile and. An in -game tutorial section at the beginning of the game will provide an easy way for new, inexperienced players to learn how to play the game. In each of the middle three sections of the game,