In my previous Game Design 101, I talked about tutorials, the process of designing them and whether they were necessary or not, as well as warning about keeping the tutorial stripped down to the core basics of the gameplay, instead of showing off the ways the gameplay was built upon.
However, what “building upon” gameplay means is a difficult term to explain. It's easy enough to understand with simple genres, such as platformers, but can be more difficult to translate to other, more complicated genres, such as first-person shooters. It's important to build on the core mechanics of a video game so that the player can continue being interested in playing. They can be likened to restrictions placed on the player and having the player find ways to work around those restrictions.
An excellent example of introducing core mechanics and then building on them would be the original Prince of Persia.
The first level of the game begins at 4:30. Watch from that point, and pause at 5:20.
The aim of the original Prince of Persia is to open the exit door, then make your way to the exit door and leave, finishing the level. The player has a time limit on the entire game of a single hour; if the player runs overtime, they can still complete the levels, but receive a bad ending. Standing in your way are various traps and other constructs that require you to occasionally slow down or drop safely from ledges, or jump and climb. Alongside these are various traps, like floors that shoot spikes, unstable platforms, and gates that need to be opened by stepping on switches. Later in the first level, the player picks up a sword.
Now move to 6:20, and pause at 6:45.
At this point, at the end of the first level, the player is introduced to combat in the game, fighting against a weak enemy on even terrain, with no traps on the screen. This safe, unobtrusive setup allows for the player to make a few mistakes while learning the combat system. There are no ways for the player to lose health or die on this screen except by making mistakes in combat. Once the enemy is killed, the player sheathes their blade and continues to the end of the level, having been prepped on the basics of platforming and combat for the entire game.
Now, move to 8:36.
This scene of combat introduces the first environmental hazard that can be seen during battle; if the player is forced too far backwards, he will fall onto the spiked floor and be damaged. This forces the player to stay on the offensive, trying to gain more ground so that they will not be forced into a corner by the enemy. By making the player have to adapt to this difference on the battlefield, they learn, get more experienced, and ultimately grow more confident in their ability to handle enemies, even if the field isn't fair.
Now move to 13:00.
The game now reveals a new type of trap, a quick-moving crushing wall that forces to player to quickly jump through before it can kill them. After encountering and maneuvering the trap, they find another enemy, an undead skeleton with no health bar in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
In this battle, not only does the player not know how well he is doing or how close the skeleton is to being defeated, but the arena has deep pits on both ends, once again forcing the player to stay on the offensive, lest they risk not damage, but death this time around. In fact, the player absolutely must keep forcing the skeleton further and further back, as the only way to truly defeat it is to force it over the edge of the platform to plummet to its doom. Not only does this teach the player that there are other ways to deal with enemies beyond simply killing them, but it also acts as another training exercise to teach the player about combat.
Now, move to 18:10.
This next battle begins after the player moves into range of the enemy, through a crushing wall. This is perhaps the ultimate end of the two previous battles where the player was forced to keep on the offensive, as the player cannot afford to make mistakes in this battle, as he will be forced back and potentially be crushed by the wall trap. Despite the fact that the enemy has no more health than the others encountered thus far, the player's disadvantage forces him to adapt to the situation.
This is how the game builds on its core mechanics. The game introduces the basics of traps, movement and combat in the first level, and proceeds to mix the two together in various ways, forcing the player to learn, to think, and to conquer. A trap here, with an enemy you can forced onto or into it. A giant bottomless pit under a bridge composed entirely of unstable platforms. Having to climb up small footholds, one by one, to reach the top of a pillar, risking falling and dying all the while. And all the while, the hour-long time limit ticks down, pressuring the player to not waste time dawdling or spend too much time trying to formulate a needlessly-complex strategy. And by the end, the player will have conquered everything the game could throw at them... and, hopefully, they'll have gotten to the end in time.
This need for the player to think and be smart about their play is something that occurs in every game, no matter how small of a difference it is in the long run. Platformers have ice physics, falling platforms, underwater movement or quicksand, forcing the player to learn about these restrictions and find a way to work around them. First-person shooters, ones that aren't modern military shooters like Modern Warfare, require the player to keep track of their ammunition, health and armor and change their strategies as necessary while fighting enemies. Dungeon-crawlers or action games may toss in new types of hazards for the player to come across, or new enemies that may be strong or weak against certain attacks. Adventure games, like Zelda, have puzzles that the player has to ponder to solve, some of which may require a great deal of critical thinking, forcing the player to think smart.
This type of growth has waned considerably in the past few generations of gaming, partly due to the rise of the casual gaming market, which may have less time or attention to devote to playing games and may just want something simple to waste time on. This can (and has, in some games) lead to situations where the restrictions and need for the player to learn and adapt are too lenient; the level design may be too forgiving, puzzles may be extremely simplified for the sake of keeping the player moving, previously-core game mechanics may be removed for the sake of streamlining and simplifying a game. Other games, like the roguelike genre, offer no difficulty curve at all, throwing the player into the game blind and forcing them to learn through trial-and-error, and while this can be fun for some people, more often than not people gravitate towards something more manageable, something that they won't feel frustrated by right off the bat.
The balance of building on the core mechanics is a difficult line to straddle, and requires a heavy amount of thought, testing and understanding of how the game will play. However, if a game simply doesn't build on its basics at all, it becomes painfully shallow and boring, as the beginning of the game will be exactly the same as the end of the game, aside from cosmetic or presentation details such as graphical or audio changes.
With this in mind, here are some tips to keep in mind when thinking about how to build on a basic foundation of game design:
However, what “building upon” gameplay means is a difficult term to explain. It's easy enough to understand with simple genres, such as platformers, but can be more difficult to translate to other, more complicated genres, such as first-person shooters. It's important to build on the core mechanics of a video game so that the player can continue being interested in playing. They can be likened to restrictions placed on the player and having the player find ways to work around those restrictions.
An excellent example of introducing core mechanics and then building on them would be the original Prince of Persia.
The first level of the game begins at 4:30. Watch from that point, and pause at 5:20.
The aim of the original Prince of Persia is to open the exit door, then make your way to the exit door and leave, finishing the level. The player has a time limit on the entire game of a single hour; if the player runs overtime, they can still complete the levels, but receive a bad ending. Standing in your way are various traps and other constructs that require you to occasionally slow down or drop safely from ledges, or jump and climb. Alongside these are various traps, like floors that shoot spikes, unstable platforms, and gates that need to be opened by stepping on switches. Later in the first level, the player picks up a sword.
Now move to 6:20, and pause at 6:45.
At this point, at the end of the first level, the player is introduced to combat in the game, fighting against a weak enemy on even terrain, with no traps on the screen. This safe, unobtrusive setup allows for the player to make a few mistakes while learning the combat system. There are no ways for the player to lose health or die on this screen except by making mistakes in combat. Once the enemy is killed, the player sheathes their blade and continues to the end of the level, having been prepped on the basics of platforming and combat for the entire game.
Now, move to 8:36.
This scene of combat introduces the first environmental hazard that can be seen during battle; if the player is forced too far backwards, he will fall onto the spiked floor and be damaged. This forces the player to stay on the offensive, trying to gain more ground so that they will not be forced into a corner by the enemy. By making the player have to adapt to this difference on the battlefield, they learn, get more experienced, and ultimately grow more confident in their ability to handle enemies, even if the field isn't fair.
Now move to 13:00.
The game now reveals a new type of trap, a quick-moving crushing wall that forces to player to quickly jump through before it can kill them. After encountering and maneuvering the trap, they find another enemy, an undead skeleton with no health bar in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
In this battle, not only does the player not know how well he is doing or how close the skeleton is to being defeated, but the arena has deep pits on both ends, once again forcing the player to stay on the offensive, lest they risk not damage, but death this time around. In fact, the player absolutely must keep forcing the skeleton further and further back, as the only way to truly defeat it is to force it over the edge of the platform to plummet to its doom. Not only does this teach the player that there are other ways to deal with enemies beyond simply killing them, but it also acts as another training exercise to teach the player about combat.
Now, move to 18:10.
This next battle begins after the player moves into range of the enemy, through a crushing wall. This is perhaps the ultimate end of the two previous battles where the player was forced to keep on the offensive, as the player cannot afford to make mistakes in this battle, as he will be forced back and potentially be crushed by the wall trap. Despite the fact that the enemy has no more health than the others encountered thus far, the player's disadvantage forces him to adapt to the situation.
This is how the game builds on its core mechanics. The game introduces the basics of traps, movement and combat in the first level, and proceeds to mix the two together in various ways, forcing the player to learn, to think, and to conquer. A trap here, with an enemy you can forced onto or into it. A giant bottomless pit under a bridge composed entirely of unstable platforms. Having to climb up small footholds, one by one, to reach the top of a pillar, risking falling and dying all the while. And all the while, the hour-long time limit ticks down, pressuring the player to not waste time dawdling or spend too much time trying to formulate a needlessly-complex strategy. And by the end, the player will have conquered everything the game could throw at them... and, hopefully, they'll have gotten to the end in time.
This need for the player to think and be smart about their play is something that occurs in every game, no matter how small of a difference it is in the long run. Platformers have ice physics, falling platforms, underwater movement or quicksand, forcing the player to learn about these restrictions and find a way to work around them. First-person shooters, ones that aren't modern military shooters like Modern Warfare, require the player to keep track of their ammunition, health and armor and change their strategies as necessary while fighting enemies. Dungeon-crawlers or action games may toss in new types of hazards for the player to come across, or new enemies that may be strong or weak against certain attacks. Adventure games, like Zelda, have puzzles that the player has to ponder to solve, some of which may require a great deal of critical thinking, forcing the player to think smart.
This type of growth has waned considerably in the past few generations of gaming, partly due to the rise of the casual gaming market, which may have less time or attention to devote to playing games and may just want something simple to waste time on. This can (and has, in some games) lead to situations where the restrictions and need for the player to learn and adapt are too lenient; the level design may be too forgiving, puzzles may be extremely simplified for the sake of keeping the player moving, previously-core game mechanics may be removed for the sake of streamlining and simplifying a game. Other games, like the roguelike genre, offer no difficulty curve at all, throwing the player into the game blind and forcing them to learn through trial-and-error, and while this can be fun for some people, more often than not people gravitate towards something more manageable, something that they won't feel frustrated by right off the bat.
The balance of building on the core mechanics is a difficult line to straddle, and requires a heavy amount of thought, testing and understanding of how the game will play. However, if a game simply doesn't build on its basics at all, it becomes painfully shallow and boring, as the beginning of the game will be exactly the same as the end of the game, aside from cosmetic or presentation details such as graphical or audio changes.
With this in mind, here are some tips to keep in mind when thinking about how to build on a basic foundation of game design:
When thinking of ways to make the player learn and adapt to the basics, think about ways to restrict the formula. If your game is about a character who moves very fast, perhaps a later level could include smaller platforms so that the player will have to slow down a bit to be more precise?
When introducing new mechanics or restrictions, be sure to do so in a way so that the player is not taken completely by surprise. If your close-combat action game has a boss that must be taken out with ranged combat, teach the player beforehand about ranged combat with a sequence where they must pick off weaker enemies from far away.
As the game moves further and further towards the endgame, begin to increase the punishments for making mistakes involving restrictions that were taught earlier. If a game has forgiving ice physics in the World 2, and a player loses a life due to less-forgiving ice physics in World 7, it is the player's fault for failing at something that they had been introduced to much earlier.