DevLog 8: GAME DESIGN (Video Recording)

GAME DESIGN

I wanted to create an experience that is not reliant on combat in cases where gameplay is about to lose excitement. In RPGs, during exploration, or free roaming, or outside the dialogue interactions, players have nothing to do or engage with that is exciting which results in boredom. Where combat and fighting, is often used for cases relating to gameplay getting boring. Where adding combat acts like a patch or duct tape to fill the holes, when it is not meaningful or necessary. From my experiences with RPGs, story-driven, and action-adventure games throughout the years, most of the time that is often the case. Not that it is a negative, just it is overused, and I think it’s a flaw. I think that it is something players are gradually becoming aware of.

I wanted to create something where the experience feels like you’re playing a sports game like EA FC game. Mainly regarding the constant engagement, you get, where characters or players are reacting to your every move, in the open world or free roaming, that have an impact. With expectations of a few games, most RPGs, and action-adventure games, do not feel or have that type of gameplay experience and engagement outside of the main missions or side quests, in the world exploration. I think violence or fighting, is a common design choice due to its immediate and impact toward player experience. Because of this, many video games that are unique in their design and gameplay, when they implement combat or fighting end up producing similar game experiences, regarding enemy encounters, structure, and game progression.

I realised maybe I can take the concepts of FIFA or EA FC. Mainly the constant reactions, actions, dynamics, and movements or positioning of players (NPCs) in relation to other football players. Apply and translate them to an RPG or adventure game. In this case a game that does not use violence, I thought what would that look like, and this is the concept I came up with. I thought it might be a concept people and gamers would find exciting and interesting. Although, it would be complicated and difficult to conceptualise.

Lost in Zania’s design centres on player engagement and character (NPCs) dynamics. Environments and assets are made with detail to reflect the dept and complexity of the world, and the types of situations or circumstances players will find themselves in. Where nearly all things have the appearance of being interactable. With the possibility of escalating to conditions where players can either take advantage of or be taken advantage of. It is up to players to decide the approach they want, to progress the story. Characters’ behaviour, movement, and staging are created to make and add a layer of dynamics and increase immersion, with the potential of emergent gameplay.

Visuals, art, sound, music, and aesthetic are made to reflect the culture of Tanzania, to ensure that players feel like they are experiencing something different. Yet feeling like they have control of what occurs.

In terms of atmosphere, the restaurant and player exploration should have and feel a sense of unfamiliarity, beauty, quality, luxury, immense, importance, and grand in relation to the restaurant’s assets and textures.

Regarding the gameplay atmosphere, the player should feel the following moods, reflective, uncertainty, confrontation, deception, hopeful, friendly, warm, nostalgic, melancholy, celebratory, lonely, isolated. Ensuring they align with the game’s themes, which are identity, self-discovery, cultural reunion, alienation, belonging, nostalgia, adaptation, growth, heritage, exile, language, communication, and acculturation.

 

GAME MECHANIC

There are several game mechanics, players will be experiencing; each game mechanics is intended to align with the game’s concept and game core loop. Some noticeable mechanics are part of the story, to further players immersion. Continually, are designed in such a way that when playing they are meant to feel fluid and dynamic and not manufactured. Designed, such that, they are not overly complicated to learn or require multiple steps to execute.