Chapter 9
Large-Scale Design Process
Objectives
• Create a development plan for a video game
design.
• Describe the development process for a video
game.
• Explain the importance of budget and scheduling
on video game design.
• Explain how iterations are used in the design
process for video games.
• Create design plans.
• Create character sketches.
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Objectives (Continued)
• Create storyboards
• Discuss various game-development tools
currently used by the video game industry.
• Describe common video game engines.
• Explain the uses for various tools used for video
game development.
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Formal Design Structure
• Before you start to program a game’s functions,
you need to understand the design process
• Most new games are designed by teams with
specialists in several areas to keep the project
moving forward
• At the outset of the game’s design, the team is
given a budget and a time schedule
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Formal Design Structure (Continued)
• A delay in production occurs when the project is
not following the projected time schedule
• If the team spends more in development cost than
allotted, it is over budget
• As a result, the project may be terminated or
scaled back
• To assure timeliness and quality, game design
follows a three-stage production process
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Formal Design Structure (Continued)
• The three stages of the production cycle are
concept, construction, and tuning
• The concept stage begins with an idea about a
game and ends with a refined idea about how the
game will play
• The construction stage is where the rough idea of
the game from the concept stage is refined into
something workable
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Initial Idea to Final Character
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Formal Design Structure (Continued)
• Eight areas of design construction include
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–
–
–
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Gameplay modes
Protagonist and character development
Game world
Core mechanics
Mode elaboration
Story elaboration
Level design
Testing and debugging
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Formal Design Structure (Continued)
• The first playable level is the prototype version of
the game that allows someone to play and test all
the game interactions
• Professional game testers will play the latest
iteration of the game and note every glitch and
imperfection
• The tuning stage is where the game is tested for
functionality and playability
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Formal Design Structure (Continued)
• The most important aspects of the game must be
in place before the tuning can begin
• When testing functionality, the focus is on
whether the game functions or plays as intended
• Playability testing seeks to find out if
– The story is completely told
– The game holds true to the concept
– The objectives are obtainable
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Design Documents
• As a game designer, you will need to create
several different types of documents
• The governing game design document (GGDD) is
a collection of the documents used to display
information needed for the team
• The pitch documents are for presenting the idea
to the decision makers
– High-concept document
– Game-treatment document
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Design Documents (Continued)
• The market-analysis document details the
concept of the game and target market
• The world-design document lists the items that
are needed to create the game world
• A character-design document details the look of a
character and the abilities of that character
• Concept art is a sketch that gives basic shapes
and style, but not overwhelming detail
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Design Documents (Continued)
• Flowcharts and storyboards are combined to
create a map for the programmers to follow
• The designers write a flowchart with a few basic
instructions
• The storyboard shows a brief sketch of what
everything is supposed to look like
• The game-script document is where the rules and
core mechanics are structured
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Design Documents (Continued)
• Once the game script is written, a game mock-up
can be created
• The purpose of this is to test the rules and the
core mechanics to see if the elements work
• The technical design document details the
computer codes, event codes, and technical
interactions for the game
• Most game designers use a game engine and
other game development tools
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Flowchart for a Linear Game
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Game-Development Tools
• As a game designer, it is unlikely you will ever
use computer-code level of programming
• Companies use game-development tools to
streamline and simplify the design process
• A compiler program takes the instructions from a
user and restates these commands as computer
codes
• Video game production companies often create
custom software
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Game-Development Tools (Continued)
• Custom software includes applications or tools
created for a specific purpose that are not
available in existing software
• In the technological superiority area, the custom
software will improve a technical aspect of the
game
• In the speed of development area, the custom
software reduces the time required to create the
game
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Game-Development Tools (Continued)
• Most smaller companies do not have the time or
resources to spend on custom software
• They use consumer off-the-shelf (COTS) software
• Many COTS software tools are used in the game
industry to develop assets
• Common to most COTS software programs is a
graphical user interface (GUI)
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Game-Development Tools (Continued)
• Visual programming languages, such as Visual
Basic, take clicks of the mouse and turn them into
computer codes through compiling
• Some programs can compile using only one
computer language
• Other game development tools, such as Java,
help to create the game in a playable format
• DirectX is an all-inclusive game engine from
Microsoft
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COTS Software
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3D Software
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Review Your Knowledge
• Which stage of the three-stage game production
process do you think is most important? Why?
• Describe the primary gameplay mode for a video
game that you like to play. Describe the
secondary gameplay mode for the same game.
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