Dead

Obviously this blog died. I stopped posting here.

I'm leaving it open thought, purely for myself. So I can refer back here in the future to help myself in my future game development.

Feel free to do the same.

Ryan.

Multiplayer

"Quickly, code that last arena. We'll shove it on the shelf now, forget it if it lags"

Uh oh, the dieing words of a game.
Yes alot of developers, not usually indie, feel that multiplayer is an essiential aspect. And quickly add it, without thinking of it carefully.
Alot of players want to just play a game, then wait for the sequel. They don't want to complete it, then waste more time on multiplayer.

But don't ignore multiplayer, add it - but make it good.

Pro Evolution Soccer suffers from terrible online lag. Something you definetly need to avoid.
And make sure multiplayer is fun not just chucked in at last minute.
And finally, make sure you think about it carefully. Add a variety of options, maps and more!

Well that's all really, think carefully!

Decisions

One of the most fun things in a game, offering not only entertainment but also replay value is decisions.
If you offer the player more than one path, they choose and get their own ending to the story - this makes the game alot more exiting - the player feels as if everything they do has an impact, like real life.
And of course, it means people return to play it more than once.

This also links back to rewards, offer a trophy for unlocking all endings and it gives the player something exciting to fight for.

This does not need to apply to all games, but adding it will almost definetly make it instantly exciting!

Goals & Rewards

I'm deeply sorry for not posting the last week or so, I've been busy with my latest game project - of which I'm trying to follow my own advice, which I understand is hard.

Goals, a player needs something to do. All games have to have this, if they don't, they're not games. If you were stuck in Mario with no enemies, no obstacles then it's not a game.
Goals can be anything! Solve a puzzle, dodge bullets, fly forward, anything!
But obviously the more interesting a goal is, the more fun a game is going to be. Kill is not fun. Find and kill a specific target, and we're getting somewhere.

Rewards. Rewards are often quite difficult. Usually the satisfaction of winning is enough, but why not add something else? A highscore table to show off with, an acheivement too? Why not a secret extra level, a special video or anything that only those who work can get it! This gives the player something to strive for.

Well I think this is fairly obvious, but easy to forget.

Interaction

I, personally, do not consider this a major point - but it deserves a mention none the less.

A game, is called so because it allows players to control what is happening. This is the difference between games and movies.
Which is why cut scenes are often unpopular. I myself often enjoy cutscenes, what I do not enjoy is being forced to watch them.
For example, if I have already completed a game - I might decide to try it again on hard mode. When I do this, I expect to be able to skip dialoug I've already read, I do not want to have to read through loads of text when I know the story already.

So as I said before: Keep cutscenes, but to a minimum!

Fault

Alot of developers often think that making a game easy makes it accessible. Yet games like R-Type, Contra and more are almost impossibly hard yet people still come back for more?

What is this secret that means players keep coming back? Determination.

You have to make the player want to kill the enemy. Create a hatred toward it.
In Mario, you can sometimes find yourself hating those annoying Koopas. So if one kills you, it is often very satisfying to start again and go back to kill it. Players learn from their mistakes.

Note what I just said "Players learn from their mistakes"

So why did I emphasise that word? Their. If a player feels that it was the game's fault he died, he is unlikely to return.
Why? Well say that it was stupidly difficult to get past something, the player will abandon hope. But if it was the player's fault, for not pressing a needed button at the right time - they blame the game and are determined to try again.

This is why 'Dance Dance Revoluton' and similar games are so popular - it is the player's fault if they miss a beat - they return in hope of getting it the second time.

And this brings me onto: happiness. When a player does finally do what they knew they could acheive with hard work - they feel a great sense of pride and releif. They will remember this happily when they send you feedback!

So remember this, it is hard to implement - but try your best. Make sure you test each level of a game thouroughly for this kind of thing!

Originality

If anything, this is probably one of the first things I look for in a game. Originality.

Nearly everyone, upon seeing 'Mario Remix' or 'Flash Sonic', will immedietly ignore it. And if they don't, they will soon learn to.

Notice Nintendo, there is a fourteen year gap between their two 'Super Mario Bros' games - because if one was released every year it'd get boring. FIFA games are often critizied because nothing changes. They lack an original spark.

So what makes a game original? Well a new idea is always best. If you are going to make a platformer, don't make a person that eats mushrooms. Don't make a fast running animal. Do not make a pink blob that absorbs foes.
This has all been seen before! Make something new, something unique that will make people say "Hey this is cool, I've never done this before."

"But all original ideas have been done!"
Yes some people do say this. Okay, you can't think of an idea. Well then copy another idea, but change it as much as you can so it's unrecognizable.
Change sprites, sound, add new gameplay, take away gameplay, add twists, add story add so much that it tricks people into thinking it is original.
And no, I'm not saying "Download an engine and change bits" - that is not at all what I mean!

So what else can I say? Do something new, unique and interesting! Cause a spark and you could get famous. No-one gets famous with Mario copies.