Post by ©³~ SilentK on Jan 19, 2011 13:30:42 GMT -6
(Originally by Tucker933 for modhalo.net)
This tutorial will cover many of the methods I use and have learned along the way after years of working with multiplayer gameplay.
First of all, to achieve great gameplay, you need balance.
Balance is a careful mix of Fun, Fairness, and Longevity. While fun and fair play is relatively simple to accomplish, longevity is where many developers struggle. Anyone can have fun with an imperfect game, but if it does not last, it is not balanced.
While you may outline what is necessary to create balance and achieve great gameplay in return, as I have above, achieving the contents of that outline is not an exact science. It takes experience and vigorous testing. You will never achieve perfect balance without testing, no matter how adept you may be.
When creating balance you always want to work in passes. Balance can't wait till the end, and it cannot be accomplished till the end. Get a rough foundation down and polish, working each chess piece into specific roles.
Balance by adding strengths, not weaknesses, give each piece a purpose and do not create redundant roles. Diversity is key.
Also keep in mind fairness is not balance, giving pieces specific roles allows for power weapons, long range weapons, short range, etc. There is a piece for every encounter, but not every piece will yield victory over another in every situation. The gameplay encounters this creates require the player to use more thought when it comes to approaching a situation, to know when to attack, changing the situation to fit their capability.
When creating roles; visually such roles should be apparent to the user without an explanation. If a piece needs an explanation, it's a bad piece. You need visual cues so the player knows more or less what they're working with and what to expect.
When taking feedback from testers; never blindly take their advice, take people's emotional reactions. If someone doesn't like how a piece functions, consider why they don't, rather than what they think you should do about it.
When personally testing your content (which is something you should constantly be doing); often look at the game as if for the first time, and don't allow yourself to get too comfortable with it, don't ever get good at your own game.
Testing isn't just for balance tweaking, it is also for finding exploits and bugs. Always have your testers on the lookout for such things. However don't expect them to catch everything, just because your testers don't find issues, doesn't mean they don't exist. You know better than anyone else where and what to look for because you know exactly what went into your content. Always actively be testing your content in an attempt to break it.
This tutorial will cover many of the methods I use and have learned along the way after years of working with multiplayer gameplay.
First of all, to achieve great gameplay, you need balance.
Balance is a careful mix of Fun, Fairness, and Longevity. While fun and fair play is relatively simple to accomplish, longevity is where many developers struggle. Anyone can have fun with an imperfect game, but if it does not last, it is not balanced.
While you may outline what is necessary to create balance and achieve great gameplay in return, as I have above, achieving the contents of that outline is not an exact science. It takes experience and vigorous testing. You will never achieve perfect balance without testing, no matter how adept you may be.
When creating balance you always want to work in passes. Balance can't wait till the end, and it cannot be accomplished till the end. Get a rough foundation down and polish, working each chess piece into specific roles.
Balance by adding strengths, not weaknesses, give each piece a purpose and do not create redundant roles. Diversity is key.
Also keep in mind fairness is not balance, giving pieces specific roles allows for power weapons, long range weapons, short range, etc. There is a piece for every encounter, but not every piece will yield victory over another in every situation. The gameplay encounters this creates require the player to use more thought when it comes to approaching a situation, to know when to attack, changing the situation to fit their capability.
When creating roles; visually such roles should be apparent to the user without an explanation. If a piece needs an explanation, it's a bad piece. You need visual cues so the player knows more or less what they're working with and what to expect.
When taking feedback from testers; never blindly take their advice, take people's emotional reactions. If someone doesn't like how a piece functions, consider why they don't, rather than what they think you should do about it.
When personally testing your content (which is something you should constantly be doing); often look at the game as if for the first time, and don't allow yourself to get too comfortable with it, don't ever get good at your own game.
Testing isn't just for balance tweaking, it is also for finding exploits and bugs. Always have your testers on the lookout for such things. However don't expect them to catch everything, just because your testers don't find issues, doesn't mean they don't exist. You know better than anyone else where and what to look for because you know exactly what went into your content. Always actively be testing your content in an attempt to break it.
