Game Design DreamWorks--Chapter 2--The Structure of the Game

Job selection and group division of labor are shown in the figure below:

Group division of labor mind map

Game Design DreamWorks – Chapter 2 – The Structure of Games

Take Plants vs. Zombies as an example

Exercise 2.1: Think about two games

think of a game
- Think of any game you have ever played and write down a description of it. Be detailed, assuming you are writing a description for someone who has never played this type of game.
Now think of a completely different type of game
- Try to make this game completely different from the previously mentioned games, and then describe this game in the same way.
Compare these two descriptions
- Think deeply about the descriptions of both games and figure out which elements are the same and which are different. Also think about what the mechanics of these two games are.

Game 1: Plants vs. Zombies

"Plants vs. Zombies" is a highly strategic tower defense game. In the game, the enemies you face are a group of crazy zombies, and your task is to defend your house from their invasion. Here are some key elements and mechanics of the game, for those who have never tried this type of game:

Plant Defense: You need to grow a variety of different plants in your garden, each with unique skills and attacks. For example, some plants shoot beans to attack zombies, while others may unleash a freezing attack or create poison gas clouds.
Resource Management: Solar energy is a resource in the game and you need to use it carefully to grow and upgrade your plants. Each plant costs differently, so you need to make wise choices with limited resources.
Zombie Invasion: Different types of zombies will approach your house with different speeds and characteristics. Some zombies may move through your plants, while others may become faster as they approach.
Level Design: The game contains multiple levels, each with unique maps and challenges. As the game progresses, you will face more complex zombie invasions and strategic challenges.

Game 2: Dungeon Fighter

"Dungeon & Fighter" is a role-playing game (RPG) in which you play an adventurer, explore dangerous dungeons and fight against various monsters and enemies. Here are the main elements and mechanics of the game:

Character Creation: You can create your own character, choosing a profession, appearance and skills. Different classes have different abilities and characteristics, for example a warrior may be better at melee combat, while a mage can use magic attacks.
Exploration: The game has a massive dungeon system where you can explore various rooms, corridors and areas. Each location may contain hidden treasures, traps and monsters.
Combat: Fighting enemies is the core of the game. You can use weapons, skills, and magic to defeat monsters. Combat is real-time and requires strategy and reaction.
Quests and plots: There are various tasks and plot lines in the game. You need to complete tasks and interact with NPCs to promote the development of the story.

Compare the similarities and differences between the two games:

Similarities:

Resource Management: Both games deal with resource management, albeit in different ways. In Plants vs. Zombies, you manage solar resources, while in Dungeons & Fighters, you might manage gold, gear, and magic.
Level Design: Both games feature multiple levels, or locations, each offering different challenges and objectives.

the difference:

Game Type: Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defense strategy game, while Dungeons & Fighters is a role-playing game. Their gameplay and goals are completely different.
Characters and Story: The two games have different stories and characters. Plants vs. Zombies is set against the backdrop of a zombie invasion, where you play as a defender of plants, while Dungeon & Fighter is a world filled with fantasy adventures.
Game Mechanics: The game mechanics are also very different between the two games. Plants vs. Zombies focuses on strategy and defense, while Dungeon Fighter focuses on character growth, exploration, and combat.

These two games showcase the diversity of different types of games, allowing players to choose a gaming experience that suits their interests and play style. The key to game design is building the right mechanics and elements based on the target audience and game philosophy.

Exercise 2.3:

List five games and describe the goals of each game in one sentence.

Plants vs. Zombies: Your goal is to defend your house against a zombie invasion by growing different types of plants to prevent zombies from entering and preventing them from eating you head.
Dungeon Fighter: Your goal is to create and upgrade your own adventurer character, explore dangerous dungeons, fight various monsters, complete quests, accumulate wealth and honor.
League of Legends: Your goal is to work with your team against the other team, destroy their towers and capture their base, and ultimately win the game.
Forest Iceman: Your goal is to control the little fireman or the little iceman, solve various puzzles and challenges, find treasures, and survive in a forest full of dangers Come down.
CrossFire: Your goal is to team up with or against other players in multiplayer online battles, complete different missions and competitions, and improve your ranking and skill level .

###Exercise 2.4: Rules
Can you think of a game without rules? If so, describe the game. What about a game with only one rule? Why is this exercise difficult?

Since I chose the case of Plants vs. Zombies, I can only talk about the simple rules of Plants vs. Zombies, which may not be complete haha.

The goal of the game is to prevent zombies from invading and eating the player's brain.
Players plant different types of plants to fend off zombies.
Plants require solar energy resources to grow, and solar energy is generated over time in the game.
The game is divided into multiple levels, and each level has specific victory conditions, usually preventing all zombie invasions within a specified time.
Players need to choose plants reasonably and manage resources to deal with different types and numbers of zombies.
The game fail condition is that if any zombies manage to get in and eat the brain, the player will fail and need to restart the level.

These rules form the basic framework of the game, and players need to strike a balance between resource management and strategic decision-making to successfully defend against the escalating zombie invasion.

###Exercise 2.5: Conflict
Compare the conflict between football and poker, and describe how these two games create conflict for players

Let’s use the case of Plants vs. Zombies to answer the conflict of the game.

Escalating zombie invasion: The game starts with a simple zombie invasion, but as the levels progress, players will face more powerful and diverse zombie enemies. This escalating challenge puts pressure on players to constantly improve their strategies and plant selections.
Limited Resources: Players must manage solar resources, which are needed to grow plants and upgrade them. Therefore, they need to make decisions with limited resources, choosing which plants to plant and upgrade to deal with different types of zombies.
Different types of plants: Each plant has unique skills and characteristics. Players must carefully consider which plants to choose to build their defense lines to ensure they can effectively deal with various types of threats. This selective decision-making can create strategic conflicts.
Limited space: The garden space in each level is limited, and players need to arrange the plants reasonably to ensure that each plant can play its maximum role. This leads to a conflict between resource management and space utilization, where players must weigh their options.
Time factor: Each wave of zombie invasion has a time limit, players must make quick decisions, otherwise they may be overwhelmed by zombies. This time pressure also adds an element to the conflict, with players needing to make the right choices within a limited amount of time.

Overall, "Plants vs. Zombies" successfully creates a variety of conflicts that make players feel tense and challenging by introducing elements such as escalating enemies, resource management, plant selection, space limitations, and time pressure, thereby enhancing the level of gameplay. The game is strategic and fun.

###Exercise 2.6: Challenge
List three games that you find challenging and why?

Here are three games that I find challenging and what makes them challenging:

Plant Encyclopedia：
- Resource Management: The challenge lies in efficiently managing solar resources to their full potential to grow and upgrade appropriate plants. Incorrect resource allocation can lead to failure.
- Diverse zombie invasion: Different types of zombies appear at different speeds and characteristics in the game, requiring players to choose appropriate plants according to the situation, which increases the strategic nature of the game .
- Level design: Each level has a different map and zombie configuration, requiring players to respond flexibly to different challenges, making the game more challenging.
Hero Alliance:
- Teamwork: The challenge lies in cooperating with other players to coordinate operations, strategize, and take full advantage of their respective hero roles. Poor collaboration can lead to failure.
- Skills and Reactions: The game requires players to use a variety of skills and strategies in real-time combat while making quick decisions and reactions. High level of skill and reaction time is one of the challenges in the game.
- Dynamic Game Balance: The balance of heroes and equipment in the game is constantly changing, requiring players to constantly adapt to new game versions and tactics, which increases the challenge.
Penetrating Fireline：
- Competitive gaming: The challenge comes from fighting against other players, which requires good aiming, shooting skills and tactical thinking, because the opponents are also capable players.
- Diverse weapons and maps: There are a variety of weapons and maps in the game, which requires players to master different weapons and adapt to different battlefield environments. This increases The gameplay is deep and challenging.
- Tactics and teamwork: In team games, players are required to collaborate with teammates to formulate tactics, reasonably distribute tasks, and consider strategic positions to win the game.

All three games feature different elements of challenge, including resource management, teamwork, skill application, tactical thinking, and adapting to changing game environments. These challenging factors make these games a choice for many players who like to challenge their skills and intelligence.

###Exercise 2.7: Presets
What are the game presets for Risk, Clue, Pi and "Guitar Hero"? If you don't know these games, find some games that you are more familiar with and study them.

Below I will discuss the premise of the two games "Plants vs. Zombies" and "Dungeon Fighter":

Plant Encyclopedia：

Backstory and setting: The premise of the game is a humorous and exaggerated story that takes place in the garden in front of an ordinary suburban house. The owner of this house is a crazy gardener named Crazy Dave, who informs the player that zombies are about to invade his house, and plants are the only way to defend the house. Therefore, players need to stop zombies by growing different types of plants.
Game goal: The goal of the game is very clear. The player's task is to prevent zombies from entering the house and eating Crazy Dave's brain. Each level has different zombie invasions, and the difficulty gradually increases. Players need to successfully defend against zombies in each level.
Rules and Mechanics: The basic rules of the game are to fight different types of zombies by growing different types of plants, each with different abilities and attack methods. Solar energy is an in-game resource used to grow and upgrade plants. Players need to manage resources and plant selection to develop the best defense strategy.
World view: Although there are fantasy elements such as zombies and plants in the game, the overall world view is very exaggerated and interesting. The game's style emphasizes humor and antics, allowing players to easily immerse themselves in this unique game world.

DNF:

Backstory and setting: The premise of the game is a fantasy world full of monsters, magic and dangerous dungeons. Players play an adventurer and explore dungeons, fight monsters, find treasures, and unlock the secrets of the game.
Game goal: The main goal of the game is to become a powerful adventurer. By defeating monsters, completing tasks and exploring dungeons, you can accumulate equipment and wealth, and improve your character level. Finally challenge the powerful boss enemy in the dungeon.
Rules and Mechanics: The rules of the game include elements such as role-playing, exploration, combat, and mission completion. Players can choose different character professions, utilize various skills and equipment, explore randomly generated dungeons, fight monsters, upgrade and develop their characters.
World view: The world view of the game is a typical fantasy world, including all kinds of magic, monsters, treasures and secrets. This worldview encourages players to immerse themselves in the game and discover rich stories and environments.

To sum up, the premise of Plants vs. Zombies is a humorous and exaggerated garden invasion story. The player's goal is to defend the house from zombie invasion. The premise of Dungeon & Fighter is a fantasy adventure world. The player's goal is to become a powerful adventurer, explore dungeons, defeat monsters, and find treasures. These pre-existing elements provide a unique background and goal for the game, increasing player involvement and game depth.

###Exercise 2.8: Story
Is there any story camp in any game that grips you tightly, touches you, or inspires you? ? If so, why? If not, why?

Below I will take the story setting of the game Plants vs. Zombies as an example.

Humorous setting: The game starts with the concept of a crazy garden owner, Crazy Dave, and his plants resisting the zombie invasion. This exaggerated and funny setting makes players laugh out loud, adding fun to the game.
Plant Personality: Each plant has its own unique appearance and special abilities, which provide a sense of personalization in the game. For example, the Nut Wall is a sturdy plant whose personality is that it can withstand a large number of zombie attacks, while the Peashooter is a ranged attack plant whose personality is that it can shoot from a distance. These plant personalities allow players to develop an emotional connection with them.
Step-by-step revelation of game progression: The game’s story continues to unlock new plants, new zombie types, and new game mechanics, as well as slowly revealing Crazy Dave’s secrets. Players stay interested and want to keep going.

Although the story of "Plants vs. Zombies" is mainly designed to increase the entertainment and fun of the game rather than a deep emotional experience, its humor and creative design can indeed touch the players' laughter and curiosity, making them more Willing to play the game. This relaxed game atmosphere allows people to relax and enjoy the game process.