mannander

First-Person 3Cs: Camera

On this next step in my sporadic systemic design journey, I will try to explore the intricacies of how to build a good first-person camera. Maybe even a great one. I will touch on the basics of making it, too, but there are many things that aren’t related to the camera directly but to everythingContinue reading “First-Person 3Cs: Camera”

Building a Systemic Gun

Games are somewhat obsessed with guns. Everything from nukes to squirt guns have been modelled and simulated in extraordinary detail. Since one reason that every widely copied design paradigm keeps getting copied is the volume of references, the fact that there are countless games to play for anyone who wants to research gun gameplay invariablyContinue reading “Building a Systemic Gun”

Simulated Immersion, Part 3: Product

Part 1 was about the legacy of immersive sim games and how they pushed systemic game design to the max. Part 2 dealt with the game design takeaways from that legacy, and things you can consider if you want to walk in its footsteps. (Please note that there’s a silent in my opinion added onContinue reading “Simulated Immersion, Part 3: Product”

Simulated Immersion, Part 2: Game Design

This second part in a three-part series goes through the takeaways from the legacy of immersive sim game design that was covered in Part 1. As it’s a somewhat debated topic, there are countless opinions out there that you may read at your leisure. This one is mine. Maxim Samolyenko has an excellent writeup inContinue reading “Simulated Immersion, Part 2: Game Design”

Simulated Immersion, Part 1: Legacy

I have an obsession, and it’s playing immersive games. Games that put me in an interesting pair of shoes. Games that allow me to interact with systems that behave in predictable and thought-provoking ways. Games that let me experience a world or act out an interesting role. I like feeling as if it was IContinue reading “Simulated Immersion, Part 1: Legacy”

When in Doubt, Improvise

Since my first days as a roleplayer, improvisation has always been what it’s all about. There was never a plan to make it that way, however. I just couldn’t afford the expensive campaigns and adventures that other groups played. So I took my core book or box and I used it in every way IContinue reading “When in Doubt, Improvise”

Speak to Me!

Video game storytelling is a nascent field. If we’re honest about it, we don’t really know how to do it. At least not well. Most of the time we just give up and copy film. Why? Because it’s comfortable to wrap ourselves in the cozy vernacular of the Hero’s Journey, three-act structure, and cinematography inContinue reading “Speak to Me!”

Books for Game Designers

Some cool news in Playtank-land: I’ve signed on with CRC Press to write a game design book! It’s a book I feel is currently missing and that will fill a critical gap in the knowledge sharing around game design. But to clearly state where I’m coming from, this post will be dedicated to some fantasticContinue reading “Books for Game Designers”

It’s (Not) an Iterative Process

“Game design, like most forms of design, is an iterative process. That means that the game is quickly prototyped, played, and refined again and again before it is finalized.” Brathwaite and Schreiber; “Challenges for Game Designers” Iteration is a word game developers use to describe the magic that makes games happen. But what we actuallyContinue reading “It’s (Not) an Iterative Process”

Stages of a Game’s Design

Projects I’ve worked on, large and small, have often demonstrated similar issues with game design in their later stages. Beyond having me in common – which is hard to do anything about when you’re me – one issue has been that the role of game designer changes throughout the project but not all game designersContinue reading “Stages of a Game’s Design”