solving the design puzzle from management to execution
DESCRIPTION
Solving the Design Puzzle From Management to Execution. Alexandre Mandryka gamewhispering.com. Who’s this guy?. Born in Paris Trained in biology Worked for 5 years in France. Moved to Canada in 2005 Studio level positions at Ubisoft and Relic. The Thesis. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Solving the Design PuzzleFrom Management to Execution
Alexandre Mandrykagamewhispering.com
Who’s this guy?
Born in ParisTrained in biologyWorked for 5 years in France
Moved to Canada in 2005Studio level positions at Ubisoft and Relic
The Thesis
We are playing a huge stakes game without mastering one of its core pillars
Design?
• Each discipline executes on the vision
• Design is just one of them ...
• Different roles can be held by same people
• But beware!
Vision
Game
Features Features
Coding Design
Features
Art
Creative direction
Design(different types)
Invention of Cinema Sons of a photographic plate makerInventors and engineers
Inspired by Thomas Edison
Created a camera/projector“Le cinematographe” (1894)
Louis and Auguste Lumiere
Reverse angle shots (1911)
First celluloid film (1888)
Film continuity
Scope effect
Gradually developing a vocabularyand a grammar
About 25 years to get there
Media evolution
?
The essence of the video game medium is still being to be explored
How did Movies gained specificity?
• Shared expertise with literature and theater
• But also specific technical area– Lighting– Photography– Cinematography
• Academic study• Only a mastered technique can
be expressive
What is the path for games?
• Shared expertise with literature cinema and digital arts
• But also specific technical area– 3D– Engineering– Programming– Design
• Academic study for most• Except design ...
“Every story has been told”
Stanley Kubrick Joseph Campbell
Tristan and Isolde
XIIth century
Lancelot and Guinevere
In games No unnecessary risk
Different consideration in stories
AgonConfrontationBe the bestBe in controlSeek challengeVictory
AleaAccept fateRelinquish controlEmbrace chancePassivityHope
MimicryImaginationPlay a roleExplore a consistentinventionMake believe
IlinxDestroy the stability of perceptionVertigoOn the brink of loosing controlExplore your limits
All of these require action
Four core game pleasure types
Roger Caillois
Movies-Games comparison
Movies• Technical birth• Slow maturation• Allowed theorization• Close from literature• Empathy is the vector
Video games• Technical birth• Ultra quick growth• Limited academic support• Singular medium• Interactivity is the vector
En Pathos
In Feeling
Passive medium Active medium
MANAGING DESIGNERS
MotivationCareer ProgressionCreative Management
My understanding of management
EvaluateTrainMotivateAssign tasksTeamwork
Creative workNeed to feel safe to take risks
Competency
Autonomy
Purpose
Intrinsic needs
(Works for games too)
About skills
What are the skills of a designer?
• No shared understanding• No one gets it– Not your family– Not your boss– Not yourself, at least not me
Competency
What academia offers
You enjoy driving cars?
Become a mechanical
engineer and do what you
love!
Design skills – Game Design• System design: AI, economy, game rules Logic, mathematics, probabilities
• Interaction design: Controls, interfaces, feedback
Ergonomics, biomechanics, cybernetics
• Motivation design: Learning, reward, difficulty Psychology, learning theory, motivation theory
Design skills – Level Design• Gameplay implementation: Challenge
creation, obstacles meet abilities Analysis of game’s core challenge
• Environment creation: Building spaces to naturally draw the player through
3D engines and tools, architecture, landscaping
• Theatrics: Environmental storytelling, mood setting
Staging, cinematography techniques
Design skills – Narrative Design• Writing: Dialogue/screenplay, prose Literature, creative writing
• Narrative Interface Design: Designing methods to convey story to the player
Media studies, media psychology, communication
• Player-Centric Plotting: Engaging the player as protagonist - Don’t tell, don’t show, let me play it!
Psychology? Literature theory?+ Method Acting
How to select schools• Focus on theoretical training • Be wary of making full games
Production focus or implementation
Vision
Game
Coding DesignArt
Pr. Moriartyand his Perlenspiel
Not design
design
• Media and their users• Communication, design and aesthetic• Interfaces and scriptwriting• Architecture and urbanism• ...
Academic background in games
• Free to play monetisation – Analysts & Economists Establishing a better metric that “Fun”
Ph.D.combinatorial mathematics
Dr Eyjolfur GudmundssonLead Economist at CCP
Amy Jo Kimbehavioral neuroscience Ph.D.
Creativity
• Being creative?
Autonomy
Artists Programmers Designers Managers
NOT
Creativity is aimed downwardsFind the most adapted solution to problems
Tale of a micromanaging structure
• “Why do you like him as a lead designer?”• “Because he’s fast”• “But would you want your lead programmer
to be fast?”• “Hmmmmm …” Design was considered as implementation
onlyLead Game Designer
FunctionFunction
Creative Process
• Needed for each discipline• Different steps require
different skills and level of experience
• You want expertise at each level
• Respect each level as a black box
Autonomy black box
Intention
Function
Solution
Feature
Functional requirement
Analysis
Implementation
A mix of things
• Required for Creativity Self-esteem Respect of others Respect from other
• Establish the design specialties• Establish the related skills• Responsibilities / Black box• Ensure proper processes and collaboration
Purpose
Malsow’s hierarchy of needs
Last word on creative management
• “Think out of the box”
• So go watch:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ideas 4 4 4 4 8
David Rock
UNDERSTANDING DESIGNEradicate the Fun
The ‘fun’
• This is design’s metric• It’s totally broken• It doesn’t fly with other disciplines• We’re confused between the fun of playing
and the fun of creating games• It is vague, inefficient and so risky to use!
Designing with the ‘coolness’ principle
Idea
IdeaIdea
IdeaIdeaCool
Cool
Cool
Cool
Idea
Cool
Cool
We have it!
CoolSwell
LOL
Fun
U MAD BRO?
LOLLOL
LOL
Backlog
Make the game more exciting for fans
Functional requirement
More goals More speed Maintain skill
Game VS Toy
Rules, what you can, or can’t doWinning/Loosing conditions
Nothing is forbiddenEverything is allowed
Þ Investigate the relationship between rules and player strategies
Rules VS Player strategies
No Rules Þ Dominant strategies
Ground pound
Knock out punch
Submission
Limit player efficiency to allow different styles to be viable
The intention:Boxing is “the noble art”
2 kinds of rules
Touchdown: When any part of the ball, legally in possession of a player inbounds, breaks the plane of the opponent’s goal line, provided it is not a touchback.
Direct rules – How to win (Optimal strategy) Indirect rules – Limit unwanted dominantstrategies
Upkeep system
Rested XP
What if there’s no offside?
What is the effect on optimal strategy?
Offside
Because we want midfield play to be relevant
What is the effect of Offside?
Þ Makes Hockey a contact sport
Sum of 4 runs
Intended experiencePrecisionThe most regular winsControlled risk
Intended experienceFearlessThe most outrageous wins
Best of 2 runs
Halo’s 30 seconds of fun
accuracyEngagement Enemy killed
Out of ammo
Player ChoiceReload
Grenade
Melee
average
good
Understanding design
• “The fun” is a lie• Design is a second order problem• You don’t control the player• Based on intention– Encourage the behaviors you want– Discourage those you don’t
ÞThink in terms of optimal strategy
Last word
• Yale graduate in literature
• Looks like Robert Redford
• Acting method can help us
• Not for storytelling
• But for gameplayJeffrey Yohalem