Signposted #1

Currently Playing: Diablo 4

Hey Designer,

I want to take a moment to thank you for spending some time with me this week. I know Baldur’s Gate is out but you’ve decided to take a few minutes to explore the world of game design with me.

In this first issue we’ll start with discussing how enemies in Stray fuel various emotions based on their relationship with the player. In the best of series we’re looking at Into the Breach’s award winning yet simple AI, as well as the audio tools used to create narratives in horror games. Lastly is our first ever community poll.

In the premium subscription section, we’re looking into what it takes to build an Elo system, a deep dive into a Dishonored map, and what happens when you build a game but don’t communicate amongst the team (spoilers: designs don’t mesh well when looked at holistically).

Let’s get started!

Bi-Weekly Analysis

Stray: Emotions and Zurks

By Scott Fine

This issue’s SFGD article is about how the player to enemy relationship in Stray promotes specific emotions throughout the story. After the embedded link I’ll list out some quick takeaways for those short on time.

Quick Takeaway:

• The relationship between player and Zurks promotes specific emotions based on the encounter and circumstances of their encounter.

• In the early game the player cannot fight back and the Zurks chase the player forcing them to run away.

  • This promotes: Danger, Fear, Terror, Panic, and Stress

• In the mid game the player meets Doc who they help activate a weapon which can kill the Zurks. Doc sits in a window and shines the light protecting the player.

  • This promotes: Safety, Security, Relief

• The player gets a miniaturized mobile version of the weapon shortly after. They can use this to kill the Zurks at will, so long as they don’t overload the rechargeable battery.

  • This promotes: Power, Strength, Revenge, Confidence

• Later the player is separated from their friend Doc. Upon reuniting, the player discovers Doc being attacked by Zurks. After killing them a large wave of Zurks comes forcing the player to overload their battery and wait a little bit until it recharges.

  • This promotes: Fear (for self and friends) and Power

• A short time later the mobile weapon breaks permanently and the Zurks never appear again. This ends the player’s relationship with enemies.

The Best of Game Design

The Best of Written

The Colors of Game Design

By Felipe Dal Molin

Felipe has spent the better part of the last decade developing a tool he calls “The Colors of Game Design”. Building off existing design theory, he structures his colors in a way which helps designers see the various dynamics and relationships at play. I think it’s quite helpful and I’ll be adding his “colors” into my toolkit.

‘Follow The Fun’ is a Trap

By JB Oger

JB Oger comes in with a little bit of a spicy take this issue. We’ve all heard the saying “Follow the fun” while making games. It’s up there with “Kill your babies” for game design sayings. But there are some not so obvious pitfalls in following the fun. Thankfully Oger has outlined practical solutions to avoid said pitfalls.

Issue #1 Community Question

The Best of Video

The Secret of Into the Breach's AI: Power in Simplicity

By AI and Games

When people think of game design, they don’t often think of AI. But someone had to design how all the monsters and bosses act in every scenario. In this video, AI and Games shines a lens onto a topic which is typically considered complex, only to discover it’s quite manageable. Simple as it was, Into the Breach still went on to win multiple “Best Strategy Game” awards across 2018 and 2019. An excellent watch if you’ve ever been intimidated but curious about AI in games.

'Dark Pictures: Season 1': 4 games in 4 years: Audio Systems for Narrative Horror

By Barney Pratt

This is a pretty cool video where Barney Pratt from Supermassive Games discusses their tools, and how they used them to create an award winning interactive narrative experiences. He goes into great detail on how the audio systems work individually and together to create an immersive (and terrifying) experience.

The Best of Audio

Level Design Talk - Mental Maps

By Max Pears

Max Pear is a level designer who has worked on shooters like The Division and Cyberpunk 2077. If you’re familiar with shooters in general, then you’ll be able to picture the scenarios Max describes in great detail. He covers scenarios like room size, feel, and how the positioning of the player encourages specific behaviors. It’s like a GDC talk but in podcast form. And while the visual examples are missing due to the medium, I don’t think much is lost by it. It’s a great listen.

More of the Best…

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