Game Design - Pt 1

   

What is meant by Gameplay?


 When i hear the word gameplay i always think of having a controller in my hand and a headset on shouting at the non responsive tv, normally expressing my anger in someway. But essentially it is not. Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with the game, its the connection between the players and the game, the challenges the player has to overcome and experience the player has with the plot of the game. This term is basically used to describe the interactive aspect of game design. Some aspects of gameplay would include, the presence of an environment, rules governing changes in the game, rewards and punishments for the player and players being able to interact with the environment such as moving objects. There are also different types of gameplay such as cooperative or deathmatch. 

 Game Design which i think is the same as Game Development is not the sole responsibility of one person in a company but a job for the whole team to create. I believe this is the process and development of designing the content and rules of the game including story line, challenges, characters and environments. This team puts together not just artistic skills but great writing and documentation demonstrating a preview of the idea put forward. I could say a leading game design company would be Bioware manufacturing games such as Mass Effect but i could argue  that these games are just copies and developments of an original idea, so is the design any different from a game such as doom? I believe the huge growth of technology has allowed such companies to change to look of games but in my opinion the design has not been changed.

 I think the interaction with games can be different depending on what the player wants, different genre of game provide different interaction therefor the design of those games cant all be the same. Different genres include action-adventure, role playing, simulation, strategy and shooter. For example flight simulator would not have the same design principles as Call of Duty, although they both want the player to feel like their very much involved in the game, i think the development process on how they do that would differ. 

What do i need to keep me interested?

 Stats and showboating! A major factor in keeping my attention on a game is the statistics of my character, this i guess like many other players keeps me wanting more. If i know i can improve, learn new skills or have to level up to get a certain weapon then ill play until i get it. Obviously not just this alone though, visual effects, great cinematics, intriguing story line and a character you grow to love are all important for me to keep playing. I am also a big fan of the ever growing online multiplayer games, this adds a certain amount of competitiveness, knowing that your playing someone else makes you want to be better. I guess all game companies thrive on all these factors when developing a game otherwise no one would bother buying them!  

Game Review: DMC 4

 Devil May Cry 4, released in 2008 is the newest entry in the revered series and by far one of my all time favorite high quality action games. Released on both platforms this 'feel good' game as i call it ticks all the box's for my personal preference, not quite as challenging as Devil May Cry 3 however it's no walk in the park.The first half of the game provides you with a excellent and stylish newcomer Nero,who has a selection of impressive and elegant moves obviously cut from the same cloth as Dante (the star of previous games).
 In a nutshell the games takes you through a story about Nero, and how he struggles to learn the truth about his own religious organization, The Order of the Sword and Dante's apparent murder of its its leader. This all takes place in a surreal demonic world with copious amounts of powerful architecture and melodramatic cut-scenes. Although i found the levels slightly repetitive most of my attention was focused on his stylish game play.
 The character Nero possesses a powerful demonic arm, otherwise known as the ‘devil bringer’, which gives him the ability to grab enemies from a distance and slam them down forcefully. Nero acquires other tactical combinations, providing the player with much game-satisfaction. Both a variety of methods in which to slash an opponent combined with slick timing earns the player an overall better grade at the end of the level. In this way, the game ensures players are kept interested by providing a means to ‘show off’ and display their range of capabilities
 As well as the story missions the game also offers secret missions which is no doubt the most challenging aspect of the game for example you will have to dispatch every demon within the allotted time, you aren't required to do these mission but accomplishing these tasks is incredibly gratifying. The second half the game you take control of Dante, whilst losing the devil bringer is a bit of a disappointment, Dante's new weapons accompanied with 5 new fighting styles is a lot of fun especially Pandora's box developing flashy ways to destroy demons!
 As you work your way through the puzzles you have the freedom to free roam to help break up the fast pace and acquire new techniques for tougher bosses. Each boss is widely different from the last and visually stunning, these spectacular battles require perfect split-second timing and reflexes, these boss's are cleverly designed and very rewarding to deal with.
 DMC 4 is definitely a looker showcasing a great deal of style and flair in their movements, the damage you do to the enemy the better it looks on screen. The most impressive moves are accompanied with equally powerful sound effects, again using a heavy metal effects that most demon inspired games and films use during combat. Devil May Cry 4 delivers a lot of action that will please fans and if you liked previous series you will love this one.  

New Game Journalism

Although i have explored various video game blog, online and print articles i have a very negative view on the direction of strategy guide previews and printed magazines such as Edge, Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Video game journalism is a branch of journalism concerned with the reporting and discussion of video games. It is typically based on a core reveal/preview/review cycle. There has been a recent growth in online publications and blogs which in my opinion will eventually lead to a decrease in the number of video game magazines published, or being completely abolished.  

"New Games Journalism....argues that the worth of a video game lies not in the game, but with the gamer." 

New Games Journalism (NGJ) is a video game journalism term, coined in 2004 by journalist Kieron Gillen, in which personal anecdotes, references to other media, and creative analyses are used to explore game design, play, and culture. It is a model of New Journalism applied to video game journalism. Gillen's NGJ manifesto was first published on the now defunct state forum/website, a community of video game players often engaged in discussion and analysis of their hobby, from which an anecdotal piece, Bow Nigger, had appeared. Gillen cites the work as a major inspiration for and example of what NGJ should achieve and the piece was later republished in the UK edition of PC gamer. 

A recent blog entry from Blogcritics suggest that games don't have great writing because they don't have to. This is an on-going argument as other journalists believe a great action adventure game needs a good story line making a great write up and anything being uninteresting, however others think any modern genre game now can have an equally as good write up. Personally i wouldn't buy any official printed magazine as i think the journalists have a certain limit and are governed buy the company they work for. It is common sense to know that if PlayStation develop a Game the possibility of them giving them giving the game a bad review is very low. 


I value writing about this subject and in doing so believe i learn so much more about the industry as i progress, I think many others would agree when i say i would prefer reading personal online blogs and reviews on video games, i feel the post will deliver an honest opinion even if this will be bias towards the gamers needs. I have also come across other forms of video game writing which include: 

• Blogs - often carrying rumours and hype
• Online - cater for a larger audience and contain huge amounts of information
• Video Based - game trailers and recorded game play
• Strategy Guide - walkthroughs, previews and reviews
• Printed - Magazines such as Play, PC Gamer and Nintendo Power
• Television - Game Trailers TV and X-Play

'The Tree'

Making some good progress with 3ds the past couple of weeks, I have recently finished the 2 week Tree Project for Game Production, i have learnt new skills in modelling, unwrapping, texturing and using alphas adding detail where needed. I'm not quite happy with the final outcome as i could not get rid of these white fussy lines around my alphas, and apparently no one else knows the solution to this. I will probably start the project again in my own time and see if i can get round this problem by modelling another way. 

The tree may look like it's a winter Christmas tree with snow on the edges, but unfortunately its not meant to! I will find away around this error of mine! Also i would like to find another tree with some interesting features and maybe in a different setting or season so the colour and lighting effects will vary. I have enjoyed this project and have now found myself looking at various tree's when playing COD!     

Personal Gaming History

My first ever console was the Sega Mega drive produced  in 1990, this was absolute cracker of a x-mas present. At the time i loved the slick design of the black curved controllers with the D-pad and 3 buttons. Obviously this was first and leading console so anything this machine delivered entertainment wise, impressed me. The most memorable games i enjoyed on the Mega drive include, Street Fighter 2, Golden Axe (which brings back so many good memories), Sonic and Streets of Rage. Even though technology has developed in so many ways, these are games i would still enjoy to play and no doubt waste alot of my time. My favourite game is definitely Golden Axe, i always remember being able to play 2 player which at that time is great for when friends came over. The dodgy wilderness music and sound effects and the fact you could pick which character to be all added to the slight addiction of this game. I think having the 3 lives and gaining magical powers that you can unleash on your enemy just made me want to play more.

I thoroughly enjoy 'feel good' games, for example Devil May Cry on PlayStation 2-3, the fact that you can take on a hero like figure that refuses to die and kills everything in his path by using awesome combo attacks which you can customise to your liking really appeals to me. There is also a ranking system which Analise's your ability on how 'stylish' you can destroy an enemy, this just prompts me to be the best and play more.

Games for me will only get more realistic as technology develops over the coming years, i also think that games will become another means of communication between a young audience, online multiplayer will be increasingly used as well as headsets for example on the X-box. I would like to see games become alot more social but not overtake the aspect of reality.

A small Fantasy of technology i always think of is related to the film called Surrogates, staring Bruce Willis. This basically allows people to buy a remote controlled humanoid robot through which they interact with society but in my case, part of a game. These robots assume their life roles enabling people to experience life how they wish but from the comfort of their own home. Now take the humanoid robot and incorporate it into a game, this also links to a recent film called Gamer.