Author Topic: how do you design?  (Read 8609 times)

eyeteeth

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how do you design?
« on: 2007-02-27, 10:20:24 PM »
i'm curious about what general methods others use in the process of designing games. for instance, i brainstorm sprites and other design ideas, then organize them into a list. i generate content item by item, finishing each one completely before moving on to the next. once the individual pieces are all complete, i begin assembling them into discrete levels. the assembly process often requires going back and re-doing old work, so that the whole fits together smoothly, but i find this much easier than attempting to generate entire levels from whole cloth.

Jam0864

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Re: how do you design?
« Reply #1 on: 2007-02-27, 10:52:19 PM »
I dont do level designing at all, i do it as i go. I figure out how the game would work in my head. Sprites and stuff I just get a general idea in my head of what they look like and what they do. I barely do any design at all.

Scarecrow(sXs)

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Re: how do you design?
« Reply #2 on: 2007-04-05, 05:56:46 PM »
i have a hard time designing. I tend to focus so much on graphics that i miss the whole plot of the game. The basic idea of it is to make sure the game flows smoothly and that everything is explained well.

You have to assume that the player knows nothing about the characters or items-but learns everything as he or she goes along.

Example:ppl won't know what a V-Card(Verification Card) is unless i explain somewhere in the game. (It opens doors)

bluemonkmn

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Re: how do you design?
« Reply #3 on: 2007-04-06, 06:27:32 AM »
I think a lot of games just work that kind of info seamlessly into the dialog:
"What?  Did you forget your V-Card again?  You do that every week and I have to use mine to get you through the doors all day.  This time I'm not doing it.  You have to find your own V-Card if you want to get through today.  You probably left it on the beach yesterday."

or

"Oh, I lost my V-Card! Has anybody seen my V-Card?  It's a green card with a black stripe.  I'm in a hurry and I have to get through security to stop an emergency, so if anyone has seen it, your help would be much appreciated."

tprime

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Re: how do you design?
« Reply #4 on: 2007-04-06, 01:25:11 PM »
I write and draw all my ideas on paper. Then I put it on computer. I'd reccomend a compostion notebook.

Scarecrow(sXs)

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Re: how do you design?
« Reply #5 on: 2007-04-24, 05:53:28 PM »
Yeah thats exactly right Bluemonkmn. I think of it as reading an interactive book. I like how u gave *hints of where that V-Card might be "On the Beach."

SmartBoy16

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Re: how do you design?
« Reply #6 on: 2007-08-11, 03:28:08 PM »
what seems to work best for me is I first create the first level. i think of the things that happen in that level. (like soliding platforms in Codename: Paperboy). then i figure out how this could be used in-game (like going through the level while getting the right items in the right order). then i ask for others opinions on how they think the game would turn out like. (in my case, asking my sisters or posting it here). after getting opinions, i start on the next levels and in some cases a demo level. usualy these are in "primitave graphics" but change later on. then i start composing music (or find music online) that go with each level. Finally i update the graphics to match the first level (though by then, in Codename: Paperboy, i would have changed from the SHFL graphics). then i test the game out with others tjo see if i missed any "bugs". then i put all of the file together, zip them, post it, and release it. then it's done.
Looking to the skies.....