In documenting my groups design philosophy, I found myself writing these guidelines out. What do you guys think? "Really Great Games are: 1. Unified All parts support a theme. The music, art, gameplay, writing, and everything else was written to achieve the same end. Nothing feels out of place. This helps the game feel more like it is it''s own world. 2. Original This one goes without saying. Even if a game is just a rehash of something else at heart, it should always have something new to bring to the table, even this is just a new combination of old ideas. 3. Balanced If the core of a game''s design is balanced, you don''t need to create abstract limitations afterward. For example, if the original D&D system had natural balance, they would not have needed to create abstract limitations such as demi-human level limitations and the silly notion that a wizard cant use a sword. 4. Meaningful We in the game industry should really have to fulfill the same creative contract as movies or novels. Most players feel cheated if they beat a game and there''s no more to it than that. You set out to do something and you did it. There is a deeper layer of meaning that sets truly great games apart. 5. Symbolic Many games have stuff that happens for no other reason than the designers think it would be cool to put in. This is also a problem in Hollywood. These ideas are best saved for another time, or transmuted into something more directly signifigant to the game''s design. As a general rule, everything in your game needs to happen for a reason. Everything needs to be indicitive; symbolic. This is an area of control that you can''t afford to sacrifice if you''re going to do divergent pathways in the plot. 6. Believable Suspension of disbelief is a MASSIVE problem in games. It prevents most people over a certain age from enjoying them. It isn''t hard. Even the most outlandish sci fi film has to pull off suspension of bisbelief to be any good. The original Star Wars and William Gibson''s novels do this really well. Battlefield Earth, however, did not. 7. Challenging Oh, god, there is othing I hate more than a great game that''s over too quick, because it''s easy. I feel that a game has to make the player lose AT LEAST ONCE, so that they know and fear the game''s version of death. If a monkey could beat the game, or if it only requires pressing one button over and over (read: most console RPGs), I feel I have wasted my money and time. 8. Mutable Mutable means that the player has had some change on the story; made waves in your game somehow. If the game never changes no matter how good or bad you are, no matter what choices you make, you''ve wasted the most powerful tool interactivity has to offer for your story. 9. Customizable Make the player at home in your little application. Allow them to set their own character details (as far as the story permits), window functions and CONTROLS. The more comfortable they are with the construction of the game, the easier it is to forget they''re only playing a game... 10.Substantial Games should be as deep as they are long. Deeper. Easter Eggs, secret characters, mutually exclusive event order. Try to make the game worth playing again. This is not only for replay value, but adds a sense of realism to the world, since things don''t revolve entirely around the player. This doesn''t mean you should go creating a fully functional reactive environmnet, just try not to make things too linear (did I just say that?) There we go. Any thoughts? Corrections? Additions? ====== "The unexamined life is not worth living." -Socrates "Question everything. Especially Landfish." -Matt

wow, seems pretty complete to me! Definetly has the most needed parts of a game. Good job.

"with the birth of the Artist came the inevitable after-birth of - The Critic."

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\\// live long and prosper; \||/ die short and rot.
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You forgot one thing:

11. Fun

If it''s in the game, it better contribute to the entertainment value of the game. Example: if the player thinks something is tedious, it shouldn''t be in the game.

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"What's the story with your face, son?!?"

Hmm. Well, I think that I would add:

11. Characters

Characters are the most powerful tools available for getting your player emotionally involved and giving them a satisfying gaming experience. The player should be able to react emotionally to your characters as if they were real people. It''s not interesting to hear about characters doing stuff unless you also get to hear about what they think and feel about what they''re doing.

Corrolary: If you get your player to care a lot about a character then it is not generally a good idea to let the plot events abuse the character.

BTW, great thread name I love the Family guy

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*car screeches, man cries out as getting hit by car*
"My God, are you Stephen King?"
"No, I''m Dean Koontz..."
"Oh...."
*car starts, reverses over man laying in road*
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Classic......


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"What's the story with your face, son?!?"

quote:Original post by pacman

BTW, great thread name I love the Family guy

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*car screeches, man cries out as getting hit by car*
"My God, are you Stephen King?"
"No, I''m Dean Koontz..."
"Oh...."
*car starts, reverses over man laying in road*
----------------

Classic......


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"What''s the story with your face, son?!?"

The Family guy?? Who was that? The title was from Mel Brooke''s "History of the World Part I". Did he get it from this Family guy? Just wonderin.....



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\\// live long and prosper; \||/ die short and rot.
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They are great.GDnet should put them on the front page.

Runemaster
Join the Game Developers RuneRing !

The Specular Lightosis Research Fund

Family Guy is a series on Fox ...Thursday(?) nights. It''s the funniest damn show on TV, no joke.

BTW, sunshadow is right, good chars and good characterization is crucial.

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"What's the story with your face, son?!?"

Excellent list, Landfish. I''d add:


12. A game. Not a story. Not a movie. Not some mutated form of art because artistes might look down their noses at our form of expression. Just as a poem or a song is worthy and valid for what it is, without having to be butressed and validated by some other art form , so to are games.

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Just waiting for the mothership...