Tag: Mechanics

Mobile Game Concept

February 13, 2017

The aim of this task is to create a mobile game that has one base mechanic. This will make the game simple and easy to understand.

Initial Ideas

  1. Silly achievements that drive the game
  2. Customize a character
  3. Make food game
  4. design a ship
  5. racing game
  6. dinosaur riders
  7. planet destroyer
  8. connect the electron
  9. spread the infection
  10. destroy the castle
  11. defend the castle
  12. music game
  13. snail road game
  14. speed run game
  15. dreamscape (go through worlds, turn based rpg)

Final Idea

Dreamscape, Disney brand tie in

Our final idea for this is to create a 16 bit role playing game where the player has to travel to multiple different worlds with the hope of defeating the bosses and collect a piece of the reward, known as dream drops. The player completes the game by collecting all of the pieces.

core mechanic: quests

sub-mechanics: discovery,levels, and cascading information, urgent optimism, customization

5 different world, adapted from Disney movies, where the player has to travel to each world to defeat a boss and collect and item.

Worlds: Numbers indicate world order

3.Incredibles: tropical island (villain, syndrome)

5.Wall-e: scrapheap (villain, auto)

2.Bugs life: grass hopper hideout (villain, hopper)

1.Wreck It Ralph: Candy Land (villain, turbo)

4.Alice In wonderland: Wonderland (villain, red queen)

Playable Character:

customizable, boy or girl

Since we decided that the game we would create a concept for we also thought it would be a good idea for each of us to create our own world since there is five of us in the group. The idea is based upon the Disney universe, therefore each world has to be related to a Disney book or movie. The movie I chose was the Incredibles which contained lots of different environments. In my opinion the tropical island is the most iconic environment from this movie is the tropical island as this is where the team unites and are introduced to the villain. The dream drops design is specific to each world.

 

 

 

Game Mechanics: Achievements

November 1, 2016

This game mechanic is used to reward the player and commonly happens outside of the game. Commonly used to level up the player’s profile. Steam and Xbox use achievements for every game on their systems that level up the player’s profile showing other players the skill of that player.

Telltale Batman uses this mechanic as a way to show the player their progress into the game. When the player reaches a certain part of the game they will receive an achievement that appears on the screen.

DC Universe Online has an in-game achievement system, unlike most games that reward the character of that player with unique items. The achievements are gained for completing all different task such as completing certain parts of the story or for performing a combo such as defeat 5 enemies within 10 seconds.

In my game, I would make it so that the achievements affected the player in the game. If the player earned the achievement they would receive awards that benefited their character or vehicle.

Game Mechanics: Appointment Dynamics

November 1, 2016

This game mechanic is where events happen within the game depending on a specific circumstance. A popular way this mechanic is used is by having time events where certain things happen depending on the time set on your computer or console.

A good example is in Lord of The Rings Online. At popular holidays in the year such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas there will be a festival where the players can complete unique quests which are only available at that time of year and collect rewards that show they were from that festival, For example, a pumpkin helmet to show Halloween.

The Forza franchise also uses this mechanic in the form of rival races. When the player drives through certain areas of the map they will see other racers speed past which trigger a race with them. This can happen in random places and does not always depend on the time.

I would use this mechanic similarly to how LOTRO uses it which is to have events in te game that happen on popular holidays. The reason I would do this is because it would mean that the players know when the events are happening.

 

 

 

Game Mechanics: Bonuses

November 1, 2016

This mechanic is fairly straightforward as it is used to give the player extra rewards that will benefit them further in the game or simply make them feel better about themselves. Sometimes bonuses can be received if the player has completed a hard task, other times it can happen no matter what so that the player enjoys the game more.

A good example of a game that uses this mechanic is Super Mario Bros. After completing a certain amount of stages the player will load into a bonus stage. This will be in the form of a stage that is filled with coins that the player can collect to increase their score.

Similarly, too before this is also done in Crash Bandicoot, however, the player is timed. The player runs through the course collect as many apples as possible but can not go back if they miss any. This benefits the player in the same way as the other example as it increased the player’s score.

If I were to use this mechanic in my own game I would make it so that it works alongside the combo mechanic. If the player is able to complete a combo or a shortcut that the game did not tell them about then they will receive a bonus award.

 

Game Mechanics: Combos

November 1, 2016

The Combo mechanic is where a movement is activated within a game by pressing a certain sequence of buttons in a certain order. This relies on the skill of the player as they have to remember these sequences to complete the action and have to do so in a short amount of time.

This is mostly used in ‘Beat Em Up’ Games, also known as fighting games. A good example of a game that has lots of use of this mechanic is Mortal Kombat. The player can do basic punches and kicks with the buttons but by completing a sequence of the buttons it will perform a special attack that does more damage to the enemy.

Another time this mechanic is used is in a game called Party Panic. This is a game compiled of short mini games. In one of these games the players participate in an eating challenge. In order to eat more food than your opponents, you must press the sequence of buttons that are displayed on the player models.

If I were to use this mechanic In my own game it would be in a fighting/beat em up a style of game. This is because it makes the player memorize moves and relies on the skill and memory of the player rather than just displaying the combo.

Game Mechanics: Levels

October 30, 2016

This game mechanic is fairly straightforward and is used in most games. The player receives a level which determines the strength of their character, the items they have/can use, and the abilities that they have. It is used across a wide range of genres as it can affect the player in a different way.

The first example where this mechanic is used is in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The player has two levels which each serve a different purpose. The first is a level that starts at 1 and ends at 40. The purpose of this is to give player rewards when they reach certain levels and works using the progression mechanic. The good thing about this is that it means that the players have to reach level 3 before they can play the competitive side of the game. This is where the other form of level mechanic is used. In the competitive game mode, the player has a rank which determines the skill level of them and the players they will be matched up with. This is done so that the games are fairer and the players have an equal chance of winning.

Another game that uses this mechanic is Lord Of The Rings: Online. This is an MMORPG where the players aim is to reach the highest level. The mechanic is used in this game so that as they level up the strength of the character increases and they can defeat higher level enemies. It also means that they can explore different areas of the game that require a certain level.

If I were to use this mechanic in a game it would be tied in with the reward system. The player levels up by the progression mechanic which then gives them points to spend on abilities. This would be effective in open world resource collecting games similar to Minecraft.

Game Mechanics: Infinite Gameplay

October 30, 2016

This game mechanic applies to games that are not story driven and can have no ending. This means that the player can play for an infinite amount of time. The game may get harder as they progress but there is no end point where the player receives a credit scene and the game ends.

This mechanic is used in a lot of mobile and flash games, a popular one being Tetris. In this game, the player has to destroy the blocks by using them to create a row. When the player destroys a row they receive points. The game does not end until the player losses at which point they receive a final score. They can then restart the game and repeat the process to try and last longer.

Another good example of this is Minecraft. Even though Minecraft technically has an ending, the game can be played for an infinite amount of hours as it is not driven by a story but by the imagination and creative mind of the player as the purpose is to build structures.

If I were to use this mechanic in my own game It would be an open world adventure. The player will be online or by themselves and have to collect resources in order to  gain equipment. They can explore the world and create structures such as cities for them to live in.

Game Mechanics: Epicness

October 30, 2016

This mechanic is fairly straightforward and the title basically explains it all. The point of this mechanic is to make the player feel ‘Epic’ after completing something within a game. This can range from anything such as defeating a boss to coming first in a leaderboard.

A good example of a game that does this is Star Wars: The Old Republic. Each World of the game has what is known as a ‘World Boss’ which is essentially the hardest enemy on that planet. These bosses usually take more than one person t defeat and when doing so make the players feel ‘epic’ as they have completed a hard task. This mechanic even coming into play before the players have defeated the enemy as the boss spawns in random locations across the world. Therefore the player will feel ‘epic’ just for finding it.

This mechanic happens very often in shooter games such as Call of Duty. A common tactic called ‘trickshotting’ is considered the hardest thing to pull off in the game as it requires perfect positioning and timing. The trick shot is where the player jumps off of something, spins around a certain amount and then kills the enemy before they have reached the ground. Since this is a complicated move it means that when the player pulls it off they feel epic as not many other people can do this.

If I were to use this mechanic in my own game I would do it similarly to how Call of Duty does it. What I mean by this is that the players themselves would develop a tactic or maneuver that they consider hard. Which in turn makes them feel epic if they pull it off.

 

Game Mechanics: Behavioural Momentum

October 30, 2016

This mechanic makes players have to constantly repeat something so that It is improved. This can be done in skills, use of weapons, etc. This is commonly used in role-playing and online games.

A good example a game that uses this mechanic is Runescape. In order for the player to level up, their character they must first level up a range of fighting skills. These are Attack, Strength, and Defense. To level these skills up the player must fight a certain amount of monsters until it eventually levels up. After leveling them all up a certain amount of times it then levels up the player. In turn giving them rewards.

Another example of a game that uses this is Elder Scrolls Skyrim. Depending on the type of weapon the player uses determines what skill they are ranking up. By continuously killing enemies with that weapon it will level up and give the player a choice of perks that they can unlock.

If I was to use this mechanic in my own game It would be like in Skyrim. The player makes progress through a skill depending on what weapon they are using and by repeating a task of killing a certain number of enemies.

Game Mechanics: Loss Aversion

October 24, 2016

This mechanic is applied mainly in MMORPG games. What this is, is items that the player receives but they can not use them because they are on the demo version of the game or a free trial. This is a good way of encouraging players to buy the game as they will be able to use the items.

Runescape is a good example of a game that uses this mechanic. The game is free to play however players can pay money every month so that they have a subscription. While they are playing in free mode they will sometime receive items from quests or even from other players such as ‘Dragon Armour’. When the player tries to equip this armour it will tell them that they need to buy a membership to be able to use this mechanic. The player is then encouraged to buy a membership which then gives the company a profit.

Another good example of this mechanic being used is in the console version of Minecraft. Players can play through a demo of the game that only lasts a certain amount of time before it will ask them to buy the game or restart the demo. Since the player has already put time into the game creating their own buildings and gathering resources they will not want to lose it. Therefore they then buy the game so that they can keep on playing.