Focusing Your Game
COMBATING THE CURSE OF “MORE”
Patrick Lipo
Hidden Path Entertainment
Who the heck am I?
Who the heck am I?
Game designer /
programmer / lead
In the game industry
since 1993
Not an academic
Focus on “action
games”
Who the heck am I?
Some recent projects:
X-Men Legends
Lord of the Rings Online
This is Vegas
Big Games!
Multi-million dollar
budgets
Teams of 40, 70, 100…
3+ Years of
development time
Lots of features
Awesome!
…right?
Big Games…
Why do large projects
sometimes create
weak experiences?
Ex: The designers want
Diablo
Big Games…
Why do large projects
sometimes create
weak experiences?
Ex: The designers want
Diablo
…while programmers
create tech for The Sims
Big Games…
Why do large projects
sometimes create
weak experiences?
Ex: The designers want
Diablo
…while programmers
create tech for The Sims
…as the artists start
making Halo
Big Games…
Fear of player
expectations
Resources without
meaning
An excess of ideas
No Limitations
Wait a minute!
No Limits?
Ideas are good!
Cool new stuff is what
a game designer does!
…right?
We all need limits
A blank sheet of paper
is dangerous
Every project needs to
build a box for
themselves
We all need limits
What about smaller
projects?
We all need limits
What about smaller
projects?
Small games have
partial boxes built-in
They are efficient
because they have to be
But this still doesn’t
guarantee a focused
effort
The Enemy
“More”
Everyone loves the
word “More”
We all want “stuff” in
our games
“More”
We all want our games
to be cool!
Saying “no” sucks
Stuff adds “value” for
the dollar
Extra features just
make things better
…right?
Open-World Insanity!
Grand Theft Auto has
set a ridiculous
precedent
Open-World Insanity!
Grand Theft Auto has
set a ridiculous
precedent
Breadth in all things is
starting to be
demanded by
audiences
Open-World Insanity!
Ex: Spiderman 2
The environment
looked like GTA
But you couldn’t get in
the cars
Open-World Insanity!
Ex: Spiderman 2
The environment
looked like GTA
But you couldn’t get in
the cars
Should Spiderman
have been able to
cruise around in a low-
rider?
The Ideal
Focus vs. “Cool Stuff”
Designing a great
game is about focus
Every feature takes
energy to create!
No matter how small
A good design works
within constraints
…or creates its own
Focus vs. “Cool Stuff”
Constraints help you
prioritize features to
support a game’s
objectives
They assure that each
feature is worth the
cost of entry
They demand that the
gamer will notice your
efforts
Focus vs. “Cool Stuff”
What will
impact your
players the
most?
Focus vs. “Cool Stuff”
This is an unpopular
stance to many
Gamers want their
games to be
everything they could
possibly be
Focus vs. “Cool Stuff”
This isn’t an argument
for simplicity
Depth is best targeted
at carefully chosen
places
Focus vs. “Cool Stuff”
Ex: God of War
Simple combat system
Highly polished
Light RPG elements
Focus vs. “Cool Stuff”
Ex: Bioshock
Simplified version of
System Shock 2
Tough cuts to make
Still complicated and
deep
…and more successful
Tools for Focus
Verbs
Use verbs to abstract Fight
player activities Explore
Keep them “chunky” Customize
and high-level Build
Cook
Expand
Destroy
Solve
Socialize
Verbs
Use verbs to help you group features
Pillar Verbs
Identify a very small number as the Pillar Verbs
These are what the player does 90% of the time
Pillar Verbs
Use them as a razor for
prioritizing features
Pillar Verbs
Use them as a razor for
prioritizing features
Use them to spot
where you are trying to
do too much
Ask “what activities
will players want most
out of this game?”
Pillar Verbs
What will
impact your
players the
most?
Secondary Verbs
Verbs that are not pillars are
secondary verbs
These are side activities that
provide breadth
Alternation of gameplay
Examples:
Half-Life 2 – Driving
Diablo 2 - Crafting
Verb Examples
God of War Diablo
Pillar: Fight Pillars: Fight, Acquire
Secondary: Upgrade, Explore Secondary: Upgrade, Craft
Halo Oblivion
Pillar: Fight Pillars: Fight, Explore,
Secondary: Drive Customize
Secondary: Collect, Craft
Super Mario
Pillars: Traverse, Collect Grand Theft Auto
Secondary: Fight Pillars: Drive, Fight
Secondary: Collect, Acquire,
Upgrade, Drink, Bowl, etc…
Pillar Values
Beyond verbs, what abstract
concepts make your game
memorable?
Where should your extra love
go?
Create short vision
statements to serve as your
Pillar Values
For education, “Teach skill X” is
a pillar
Pillar Value Examples
Ex: X-Men Legends
It’s about a team of
heroes, not an
individual
The most destructive
environments possible
The player’s own team
of X-Men
Pillar Values
Make sure that your
game screams them
Make them plain and
easy to understand
Ask “What are people
going to remember
most about your
game?”
Pillar Values
What will
impact your
players the
most?
Pillar Value Examples
Halo
Cinematic set pieces
Unique vehicles
Genre-defining multiplayer experience
God of War
Unapologetically brutal main character
Powerful, visceral combat experience
Epic moments
Devil May Cry
Fast, over-the-top combat
Style over substance
One Last Tool
The Scale of a Game
A ridiculous example:
The Scale of a Game
A ridiculous example:
A warrior fights his way
through thousands of
enemies
The Scale of a Game
A ridiculous example:
A warrior fights his way
through thousands of
enemies
Then faces off against his
arch-rival
The Scale of a Game
A ridiculous example:
A warrior fights his way
through thousands of
enemies
Then faces off against his
arch-rival
…in a rousing game of Chess
The Scale of a Game
What happens if your Pillar
Verbs don’t compliment each
other?
Sometimes activities seem
“stapled together”
This can happen in educational
games
At what level of organization
does the bulk of gameplay
occur?
The Scale of a Game
Activities happen at
various scales in different
games
Soul Calibur
Fighting per-person
Ninja Gaiden
Fighting per-room
Dynasty Warriors
Fighting per-legion
The Scale of a Game
Different games make
obvious scale choices in
environments as well
Grand Theft Auto
Interaction density: ~20m
Stranglehold
Interaction density: ~2m
Flight Simulator
Interaction density: miles
The Scale of a Game
Sometimes it isn’t so
obvious
Ex: Diablo II
It appears to be about
fighting
…but the most
compelling gameplay is
in acquisition and
upgrades
Vegas Design Dilemma
This is Vegas started
with a vision of “GTA
meets The Sims”
It sounded different
and cool
The technology was up
to the task…
But the problem was
scale
Vegas Design Dilemma
The player had the run of
the city and could enter
dozens of buildings
The player could sway
entire crowds with a
single outrageous act
But the player could also
affect his relationship
with any individual
Vegas Design Dilemma
This required the player
to think on a “per room”
basis as well as a “per
person” basis
Suddenly one out of
every 100 people wasn’t
part of the crowd
Worse yet, it led to
behavior that was
“unpredictable”
Vegas Design Dilemma
The gameplay was
deeply rooted in two
places
Ultimately we had to
pick one:
“It’s about the room,
not the individual”
Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Pillar Verbs, Pillar
Values and Game Scale
are just tools
…not very scientific ones
either
They make you think
about what you really
want to provide the
player with
Final Thoughts
What are people going
to take away after
playing your game?
It doesn’t matter
whether you are trying
to entertain them or
teach them
Final Thoughts
What will impact your
players the most?
Questions?
Patrick Lipo Unconventional but
useful reading:
Email: Generating Buy-in:
Mastering the Language
patlipo@yahoo.com of Leadership
Website: Mark S. Walton
www.patricklipo.com Positioning: The Battle
for Your Mind
Al Reis, Jack Trout