Rybo's Game Development

Dead

2008-11-06T14:58:00.001-08:00

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

2008-01-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

"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

2008-01-21T13:48:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-21T13:43:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

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.

Plan

2008-01-03T17:41:00.000-08:00

You'll spend your whole life being told to plan. And if you're anything like me, you'll ignore it. But with GameMaker this isn't a good idea.

Before I start any game I do two things. Firstly I write out a short version of the story, even if it's just a minigame.
Secondly, I draw. I get some paper and a pencil and I draw the main character in different poses. I draw enemies, levels and more. I'm not a good artist, but as long as it helps me when I come to sprite - it's good planning.

And if you're really lazy and refuse to plan anything, at least do one thing: have a basic plan in your head. Don't just start a game and see what happens - never works.

The Logo!

2008-01-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

I want you to do something, go on Google, search for it and look at Nintendo's logo. What is it? Just a red word with a border around it.
Simple yes? And yet it's still one of the most recognizable symbols in the world.

So the success of it? It's simple and it's easy to remember.

So do something similar, not a copy, but similar. Keep it simple and recognizable!

That's all I have to say on this.

A Website

2008-01-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Okay you have your name! Great, now it's time to consider a website!

Okay my top tip? Make sure it is a .com or .co.uk address. These are very cheap from places like GoDaddy, and it makes you appear much more professional.

Professional, you can use Freewebs or something similar if you can't do anything else - but if you can I highly suggest using HTML or a program like DreamWeaver to look original and professional.

You may have noticed the word 'professional' appearing often - it's because I have experience of this. Firstly, my friends laughed at my website once because it looked so unprofessional - and refused to even look at it because it looked so bad. Secondly, I myself very rarely bother looking at unprofessional or freewebs websites.

Pages, make sure each game is given it's own page - this means you'll need a decent host and as much bandwith as possible!

Well that's all for now, hope it helps,
Rybo

The Name

2008-01-02T16:51:00.000-08:00

Well here's the first post of in-depth into each section. Firstly we're starting with your company's name.

This is often quite difficult, but don't concentrate on it. There's no reason why the name can't be the last thing thought of. Concentrate ontion you game, rather than you to begin with.

Use your imagination, often something will pop into your head - and I highly recommend dotting it down as soon as possible. Beleive me, it's very easy to forget it within an hour!

Be original, don't copy someone else. Sonie, Nintenda and Micrasoft are stupid rip-off names.

Make it catchy, as I said before 'AmericanBasedSoftwareAndGames' is not as good as 'Electronic Entertainment'

If you need some more advice or you want my opinion on your name email me and mentalrybo@hotmail.com

Cya everyone,
Rybo

Rybo's Laws Of Gaming

2008-01-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has ever made a game, is making a game or wants to make games in the future should read this now!
This is compiled based on my opinion, public polls, expert advice and
factual information.
I will, in future posts, go into each section in more detail with more advice.

How to make a successful game

Everyone wants to be famous, don't deny it. A lot of people seek fame through internet gaming, making their name well known. And now, I'm going to tell you how!

Your name
Before you do anything you need a name, no not John Rowley, a proper company name. Newgrounds is an example; the creator of this site did not call it JackBarlow.com did he? So before you do anything, decide on a catchy name that's easy to remember and easy to spell. For example: Plushy Games is better than InteractiveGamingStudiosSituatiedInLondonSouthEngland LTD

A website
Once you have a few games ready, which you shouldn't have yet because you're only on stage two of this, you should consider your website. Find a good website creator, or use HTML code if you know how. Your website should be .com or .co.uk - do not use .biz, .8k.com or .freewebs.com or similar. It makes you sound unprofessional.

Logo
A logo can be just your company name or you can include a picture. If you do use a logo then remember to make it eye catching, easy to remember and recognisable. Keep it simple!

Right, onto games:
Before you even turn your computer on!The biggest mistake some people make is that they simply go into Flash, Gamemaker or whatever and begin. NO! You should first plan your game, even if your plan is just in your head that's better than nothing. For sprites I'd recommend making rough copies on Paint first so you can get a feel of what they'll look like. Think up original enemies, story and levels.

Keep it original!
No one wants to play 'Super Flash Bros' or 'Flash Sonic'! People want new, original and unique ideas to play. Take 'Purple' for example, a simple game currently on Yoyo Games is a unique platformer that offers a lot of fun from such a simple game. Check it out to see what I mean!
Music and soundWhen I click on a game the worst thing to happen is to hear a crappy, illegally copyrighted song along with some dodgy sound effects from FlashKit. NO PEOPLE. Do all or as many of your own sound effects that you can. Voice acting should be done by you, a friend or relatives to keep it original. And music should be made by you and cool to listen to. I recommend Ejay which allows you to create simple songs easily and use them royalty-free.

The golden rule
The number one thing you must remember at ALL times is this. It is not the game's fault. I'll explain what I mean. Note the difference between the following: Firstly, Mario dies on level 5 because the enemy is too large to pass or impossible to kill without a certain item. Secondly, Mario dies on level 5 because he did not dive away fast enough from the large enemy.The difference is that the first example was the game's fault, if a player dies because something is too hard or a certain factor means too much difficulty it will mean the player is likely to give up, leave and not visit your website again. The second example makes the player determined to play again and beat this boss using his skill not the game's rules.

Which brings us nicely to.....
Interaction. In a game the player should be able to control as much as possible. For example, a simple thing like allowing the player to skip dialogue can ease the gaming stress a lot for a lot of people.This brings us on to cutscenes, cutscenes should not be used unless absolutely necessary. For example, if when approaching a door in a cutscene there is dramatic music this will cause the player to watch in suspense. But if the player controls, hears the music and avoids the door the tension is ruined and the game is potentially deemed rubbish. So keep cutscenes, but to a minimum.

Goals and rewards
This is another point a lot of game maker's lose player interest. Goals. A mission or goal of a game should be challenging so that it provides entertainment but also easy enough to achieve. One example would be having a difficulty setting to allow a variety of players to play.Rewards. When a player completes a mission or goal he should feel as if he has achieved something, not as if he has finished work but more he won at tag. When a game has ended he should be rewarded with something, examples include a fantastic epilogue; a bonus feature to play in game or a high score to post on a board. If a player finishes a game feeling unsatisfied they are likely to leave negative comments about it.

Decisions
All games are full of decisions, some are even so subtle they go un noticed. The more decisions a game has the more fun it is. If a player is set to follow a strict storyline and do everything correctly then it is no longer a game but more an interactive book. The player should be allowed to wander off and make mistakes and change endings. Having multiple endings not only causes more re-plays but also allows the freedom that most gamers enjoy.

Multiplayer
A common mistake in even console games these days is the principal law of "if your better at the game, your bound to win"This should not be true, though it is hard it is possible to make games where a beginner has an even chance against an expert because the creator has laid out easy instructions and allowed each player the same things.

Characters
In a game it is important, like in a film, that the player finds themselves with a strong emotional bond with the character. A great example is in Fable when the player is encouraged to love their virtual pet as if it were real. This provides extra enthusiasm to gameplay and may sound silly but can mean the difference between a simple internet game and multi-award winning internet game!

Story
Just a quick note to remind you that the storyline isn't a massively important factor but without it a game may be left unnoticed. A story can make the player feel part of this virtual reality and really immense them in their surroundings.And lastly,

The right game for the right person
Unfortunately a lot of game developers around seem to think that the best kind of games are ones that all gamers will enjoy. Not true. Each gamer will prefer something different. One example of this are flying games.Someone who knows about planes or perhaps flies a real one will want a realistic simulator where they control all of the plane's features as if it were real. A casual FPS gamer will prefer a flight game where he flies with simply buttons and shoots green aliens.So decide who your game will suit best then focus on that audience.Also - rather than make one game for all gamers, why not make one game for each gamer. Then everyone is happy and you develop a reputation for large variety.

Well that's all for now, I hope this helped all you aspiring Game Developers out there. Until next time, goodbye!