Introduction to 3D Gaming
Jatmiko Indriyanto
6
(in $millions)
Average budget (in $millions) for a
blockbuster game title.
50
Average size of development team
for blockbuster game title.
10
Average number of programmers on
development team for blockbuster game title.
32
Average number of months to develop a blockbuster
3D game from concept to delivery.
6
Average number of months for team of expert
programmers to develop a complete game engine
from scratch.
600,000
Number of dollars to license the Unreal game
engine for 1 game on 1 platform.
6
Average number of months saved by
licensing a game engine.
8
Current number of job openings at Epic Games,
the makers of the Unreal game engine.
107
Current number of programmer/engineer job
postings on Gamasutra.com.
9
Average number of gigabytes consumed by
game installed to PC hard disk
5
Average number of terabytes consumed by
game assets created by development team.
What is a Game?
Play
Learning in a safe environment
Interactivity
The illusion of control in
a controlled environment
Toys, Games, and Simulations
What’s the difference between a
toy and a game?
Toys
Abstraction of reality Don’t have goals
Toys, Games, and Simulations
What’s the difference between a
game and a simulation?
Simulations
Try to closely mimic reality
Complexity may affect fun
Toys, Games, and Simulations
TOY GAME SIMULATION
Complexity
Abstraction
Formal Elements
Players
Voluntary participants
Roles
Uniform
Multiple, Balanced
Interaction
Player vs. Game
Player vs. Player
Unilateral Competition
Multilateral Competition
Objectives
Desire to work towards goal is key to game
play and immersion
Provides challenge and sets tone
Symmetric/Asymmetric
Examples
Capture
Chase
Alignment
Race
Rescue/Escape
Procedures
Actions or methods of play allowed by the
rules
Examples
Starting actions
Normal actions
Special actions
Resolving actions (point scoring)
Rules
Define game objects and procedures
Describe allowable player actions
Proscribe reactive events
Resources
Items made valuable by their scarcity and
utility
Examples
Tokens Units
Currency Actions
Lives Terrain
Health Points Time
Boundaries
Defines the scope of the game procedures
and rules and creates the game "reality"
Examples
Terrain
Time
Resources
Conflict
Relationship between objectives, procedures,
and rules limiting behavior
Examples
Obstacles
Opponents
Dilemmas
Outcome
Measurement of achievement
There must be a winner – a player who
achieves a positive outcome
System Dynamics
Objects
Properties
Behaviors
Relationships
Interaction
Linear
Branching Network
Autonomous Agents
Economies
Currency, markets and bartering
Resource pools
Equilibrium states
Dramatic Elements
Perspective
Player’s point of view
Top-
Top-Down
Side-
Side-View
Isometric
First Person
Third Person
Challenge
Creates tension
A balance between frustration and boredom
Focuses attention towards objectives
Play
Mechanics that provide flexibility to allow player
creativity and imagination
Play styles/archetypes
The Competitor The Artist
The Explorer The Director
The Collector The Storyteller
The Achiever The Performer
The Joker The Craftsman
Premise, Characters, and Story
Provides context to the formal elements
Story Arcs
Character Arcs
So what is a game?
A game is…
Closed, formal abstract economic system
Players involved in engaging structured
conflict to achieve a goal
Resolves to an unequal outcome
Mastery
Long plateaus of practice with spurts of
progress
Learning occurs during plateaus via repetition
Great games allow players to achieve state of
flow
Designing a 3D Game
Game Types
Action Puzzle
Adventure Simulation
Casual Sports
Fighting Strategy
Platform Role-
Role-playing
Genres
Fantasy Mystery
Science Fiction Horror
War Western
Espionage Romance
Crime
Game Play
Perspective
First person
Third person
Top down
Isometric
Side scrolling
Text based
Modes
Single player
Multiplayer
Mechanics
Story (1)
Dramatic writing = Conflict!
Characters
Name
back-
Motivation & back-story
Appearance
Catch-
Catch-phrase
Personality traits & quirks
Every character is on a journey
World Creation
What is plausible?
Ecosystems always seek an equilibrium
Equilibrium drives motivations
Story (2)
Storyboards
Plot out the overall story arc
Analyze structure and refine to create rising tension
3-
Hollywood has proven the 3-act structure works
Dialogue
Avoid clichés
Cinematics
Pre-
Pre-rendered
In-game using 3D engine
In-
Take the player some place special and exciting
Humor is hard
Levels & Environments (1)
Story
Setup
Continuity
Objectives
Goals
Sub goals
Previsualization
Reference photos
Concept sketches
Low fidelity level blocking
Zones, regions and rooms
Power ups
Enemies
Levels & Environments (2)
Enriching the vision by layering in detail
Location and terrain
Time of day and year
Weather conditions
Boundaries and hazards
Scripting of triggered events
Lighting and special effects
Prefabs and doodads
Sounds and music
Play test early and often
Refine, refine, refine
Looking to achieve player flow
High Concept
Title
Type
Genre
Game Play
Story
Levels & Environments
Team Roles & Specialties
Production
Executive Producer
Line/Brand Manager
Marketing
Public Relations
Producer/Project Manager
Localization
Design
Story World Creation
Character Level
Dialogue Environments
Game play Scripting
Single Player User's Guide
Multiplayer
Programming (1)
Graphics
Animation
User Interface
Shaders
Terrain
Sound & Music
Physics
Rigid Body Dynamics
Collision Detection
Particles & Effects
AI
Network
File System
Programming (2)
Database
Memory Management
Engine
Game play
Tools
Build
R&D
Web
Art (1)
Concept
Story board
Environmental
Cartography
Motion Capture
Cinematics
Art (2)
Texture
Character
Modeler
Animator
Props
User Interface
Audio
Score Composer
Sound Effects
Voiceover
Foley Artist (Cinematics)
Quality Assurance
Level testing
Focus groups
Technical Support
Remember:
Design accounts for ¾
of entire production
timeline
Next Steps
Join Gamasutra.com
Next Steps
Join the XNA Creator’s Club
Next Steps
Play LOTS of games!
References (1)
Aliens and Alien Societies: A Writer’s Guide to Creating
Life-
Extraterrestrial Life-Forms – Schmidt
Character Development and Storytelling for Games –
Sheldon
Designing 3D Games That Sell – Ahearn
Game Architecture & Design - Rollings & Morris
Game Design: Secrets of the Sages – Saltzman
Game Design Workshop – Fullerton, Swain, & Hoffman
Game Development and Production - Bethke
Get in the Game: Careers in the Game Industry - Mencher
References (2)
The Hero With A Thousand Faces – Campbell
How to Write a Damn Good Novel – Frey
Long-
Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment
– Leonard
Object-oriented Game Development - Gold
Object-
The Writer’s Digest Character Naming Sourcebook –
Kenyon
The Writer’s Journey – Mythic Structure for Writers –
Vogler
Ultimate Game Design: Building Game Worlds – Meigs
From…
Clint Edmonson
Architect Evangelist
Microsoft
Email: clinted@microsoft.com
Blog: http://www.notsotrivial.net
@clinted
Twitter: @clinted