Game Design Basics

Before you jump into designing a game, it's important to know what you want yourself and others to get out of it. If you start building without a purpose, then, when you finally have settled on a purpose, you have a bunch of unrelated junk that doesn't at all promote the actions and attitudes you want. That said, what do I want in my game?

1. Fun. Entertainment is the chief value of a game. Sure, it may be thought-provoking and challenging, but it's got to be enjoyable first and foremost. Games that are not fun do not keep players. For me, I get most of my fun out of role-playing, but there's other ways to have fun, too. Some people like wasting monsters, some like gaining recognition, and others just like discovering the game world. Often, players are a mix of the three. Thus, all three of these play styles should be catered to in order to keep the majority of people happy.
2. Solid gameplay. I've seen many games that, while they've got lots of complex systems in place to ensure realism, lack any sort of gameplay. Often, that means they stick players into a sandbox type of game where they've got bunches of rules to obey but few clearly defined goals. No, you don't need to have every step in the game planned out for the player, but you should always give him something new and fun to do. Gameplay, in my mind, boils down to these things:
   
   • Clearly defined objectives: the player should never be left scratching his brain to figure out what to do next. Giving the player free reign over his actions doesn't mean you can't point out the way for the newbies.
   • Opportunity for advancement: so often I see persistent worlds where the owners think XP is something evil. On the contrary, building your character up in power is fun, and, if the game is fun, it will give you opportunities to do so.
   • Chance for adventure: Neverwinter Nights is a game of adventure, and most of the characters your player will create will be adventurers, like it or not. This means you need to allow your players to experience a sense of wonder and excitement. That doesn't always mean slashing up monsters (though that's a part of it). It also means giving them new and exciting places to explore, challenges to overcome, and limits to push past.
   • Coherent design: this is my other big beef with so many PWs I've seen. There's a huge mish-mash of cultures that don't fit into a realistic world, and there's an equally dissatisfying mix of gameplay mechanics. Often the mechanics are there for "realism," but, again, there's no rhyme or reason to what's being made realistic. Why force me to have food in my pack to rest for the night? Do they think no one has ever gone hungry for the night? Realism is useful, but any game mechanic should not be in place to ensure realism but, rather, to ensure fun. That is, after all, the point of a game.
   • Immersion: I would much rather play in a world where it felt like a real place but there were no nifty features than one where there were plenty of flashy gimmicks but nothing to draw you in. Fantasy gaming is about cultivating a sense of wonder, and that's one of the things that makes it so fun. Give a world I can lose myself in, and I'll be happy forever.
3. Something new. Tried and true is good, but if I was wanting the same thing I can get anywhere else, why am I coming here? A game should give its players an experience they just can't get anywhere else. Whether that means storyline or character classes or just the visual style, you've got to have something the players haven't seen before to grab their attention. But you've also got to be careful to have real substance and not just flashy gimmicks.
4. Improvements. A game designer has the luxury of being able to look back at past games and see why they worked and why not. He then has the duty to do his absolute best to improve the game in every way he can and to thus give his players a better experience. Don't just copy what worked for others. Figure out why it worked and make it work even better.
5. Art. Some people throw things together, while others take the time to really give it their all and put some serious creativity into it. Casa is one of the latter. I've never seen an area he designed that didn't thrill me. Aesthetic appeal helps create a sense of immersion that sucks you into the game and won't let go. And it's not just visual appeal that does it. I've seen NWN modules that stood out to me because of the great dialogue and the carefully developed plot lines. But art doesn't just mean aesthetic appeal; it also conveys a certain depth of feeling and expression. I've spent so much time in this blog talking about the importance of theme because saying something deeply meaningful is important to me. I want to make a deep world.

Well, that gives you a bit of a glimpse into what I want from this world. We'll get more specific next time.