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Good design tips to get your game to play the way you want it too in your head

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by zeroBudget, Oct 10, 2021.

  1. zeroBudget

    zeroBudget

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2019
    Posts:
    62
    I thought to make this thread as a way to share subtle tips that help games look and feel better/professional. A common one is particle effects and bakground parallel scrolling.

    One issue I need help with is how to balance a lot of objects moving on screen at once in a side-scrolling fashion; I can't make it too fast or have too much at once. What is a good way to balance this gameplay wise?
     
  2. Moonjump

    Moonjump

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2010
    Posts:
    2,572
    The best way is to test and edit repeatedly until it does what you want, although you may find through your experimentation that there is better possible than was in your head. Something just worked nicely that you hadn't foreseen.

    Repeated testing and editing requires the fastest iteration time possible, which Unity is good for. But to maximise the benefit, you need to get the gameplay working with the minimum in it. It is too soon to worry about graphics and audio, they come later, they just slow you down when getting the gameplay to work. Get the game working with simple coloured primitives. It is easy enough to replace the mesh and material on an object once you have everything working nicely.

    Get it to play the way you want, then get it to look and sound the way you want.
     
    aer0ace, Joe-Censored and stain2319 like this.
  3. angrypenguin

    angrypenguin

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    Dec 29, 2011
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    15,617
    Are you sure that your game actually plays well in your head? Often the version we imagine in our heads glosses over details which are an important part of whether or not it's fundamentally sound. Prototypes and game design docs are two important tools in working through that stuff.

    Is this a gameplay thing or a presentation / visuals thing?

    If it's gameplay then my first port of call is maths. Figure out what the control variables are, what impact each one has, and then iteratively tweak them to move towards the desired experience.A spreadsheet will probably help.

    What interaction does the player need to take with the objects? How long does that interaction take? What resources (ammo / health / dilithium crystals / whatever) does the interaction require? Do you want the player to get some / most / all of them? Collect all of the appropriate numbers, and then do the math to work out upper / lower bounds, and then start tweaking the individual numbers to get the experience you want.
     
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  4. zeroBudget

    zeroBudget

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2019
    Posts:
    62
    I have an algorhithm in place, at this point is mostly about it looking smooth visually.

    Like for instance:
    In Sonic Mania, when Sonic is moving fast, it seems to look like it has motion blurring, it almost gives me motion sickness..


    as where Sonic the Hedgehog on the Genesis doesnt, it seems much smoother.


    Is it because the Genesis framerate is slower?
     
  5. zeroBudget

    zeroBudget

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    Nov 14, 2019
    Posts:
    62
    So for a side scrolling game, I learned to keep things spaced out (not too much cluttering), and to have items reasonably accessible enough. Too much clutter and difficulty almost makes it difficult to remember the objective of the game.
     
  6. zeroBudget

    zeroBudget

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    Nov 14, 2019
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    also, bump for anyone who can answer the framerate question above.
     
  7. BIGTIMEMASTER

    BIGTIMEMASTER

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    Jun 1, 2017
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    5,181
    Mine would be to not hold stuff in your head at all. Write it down right away.

    This helps alleviate that sense that you had a better idea in your head, when really all it was was a vague feeling. Once you actually write it down you realize that you had nothing special at all, and now there is a lot of work to do to actually create good gameplay/visuals by going through the process of iteration (as mentioned.)
     
    zeroBudget, AcidArrow and koirat like this.
  8. Not_Sure

    Not_Sure

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2011
    Posts:
    3,546
    Prototype, prototype, prototype…