While creating Project Drifter, I'm aiming to really try and enforce the aesthetics of Challenge, Sensation and a small amount of Discovery! Challenge: As it's a difficult roguelike with randomly generated levels, I want the player to feel like they are slowly mastering the game, learning each system in more depths as they progress to further levels on any given run. Sensation: I'm implementing plenty of satisfying visual effects and have created a really tight character controller that is great to use! Hopefully this will be good at attracting players to the game, and make them feel powerful when they are playing it! Light Discovery: As they get better at the game and progress pass the earlier levels, they will continue to find new dynamics in the later levels that they must master to carry on progressing. It's really interesting to put the game in this perspective, so I hope you enjoyed the video and remember to stay A E S T H E T I C
I'm looking to make a long tail of games as a business so I have been approaching MDA from the Aesthetic side first. Narrative being the core aesthetic. Challenge coming from the turn-based tactical gameplay and the need to plan and carry out your moves. Abnegation/Submission given the hands-off and linear approach to the story, providing as a sort of casual experience. For me, changing the dynamics each game comes much easier than trying to build mechanics first. I think that has to do more with how simple and intuitive turn-based games can be. A couple dynamics I've been hovering are... Using the environment to gain special effects on your abilities (casting your ability on an elemental tile adds an elemental effect to your spell) Managing a fleet of space ships, tweaking its capabilities for an upcoming fight (You can change the weapon a ship might fire with, give it equipment that adds a passive or ability, make it cheaper to produce by removing some equipment) I've found that coming from the Aesthetics side only works if you can accurately predict the dynamics that certain mechanics will provide. The more complex the mechanics are, the more designing and prototyping you'd need to do make sure you've got the dynamics down.
These are some interesting thoughts, thanks for sharing! Narrative is such a cool aesthetic and I feel it makes so many of my favourite games really memorable, so it's awesome to hear you are using it as a core! I agree that tweaking and thinking about dynamics can be better than solely think about individual mechanics - but the mechanics are the only thing we can actually physically code and create! It's important that we create out mechanics in a way that is easily edited, so we can adjust the dynamics as easily as possible imo Those dynamics you mentioned also sound awesome! Nice stuff 😄
I read that as MDMA for a second and figured if a player was on that they're having fun. XD This is a really interesting idea that players see games the opposite way round we do and explains so much. Personally I'm a big Old School RuneScape fan and whilst the graphics aren't great people love the aesthetics and world it created. Some say the mechanics are simple because it's point and click, whilst that's true, there is something to be said to how many players it can draw. Either way, great video!
I'm not a game creator but I'm actually student on Cultural Studies and one of my classes are about games and their influence on culture in general. Basicly you - in very easy way- explained kind of hard topic so congrats mate ! :D Of course I need to encourage everyone to read a paper about MDA Framework but still - great work :D
Great video! Will definitely try to apply concepts from the framework after hearing about it, not yet sure how though. I think a lot of game developers often look just at the technical aspects without really engaging in design principles, maybe also because so many tutorials and videos are tech and mechanics focused. It's nice to see concepts like these.
Mhm... This was interesting... 🤔 As always, great video Madbook!! Ps. Have you done, by any chance, any video about game scope and/or how to lower it?? Can you give me any recomandations about it?? 😗
Thanks! I haven't done a video about scope yet, but I'm sure I will do detailed one at somepoint. Some quick recommendations though: - Practise and experience will help you build up an idea of what you can achieve in a given amount of time. - This is why lots of people often suggest we start with small projects, as they let us quickly work out how long certain things take, without wasting months and months on a large project that never gets finished. - Game jams are also a great opportunity to complete a smaller project. - If you realise your project is becoming TOO large in scope, you will likely need to cut down on some features - there is basically no other way around this. - Pick the features in your game that you think are the most interesting and focus in on them as much as possible! - Cut the features that you don't think add to your game, or that feel like more "secondary" features. I hope this helps, and feel free to ask if you want any more clarification!
random nitpick: MDA is an initialism, not an acronym. You pronounce an acronym like a word ('SCUBA') but you say the letters of an initialism ('FBI'). Great video though!
While creating Project Drifter, I'm aiming to really try and enforce the aesthetics of Challenge, Sensation and a small amount of Discovery!
Challenge: As it's a difficult roguelike with randomly generated levels, I want the player to feel like they are slowly mastering the game, learning each system in more depths as they progress to further levels on any given run.
Sensation: I'm implementing plenty of satisfying visual effects and have created a really tight character controller that is great to use! Hopefully this will be good at attracting players to the game, and make them feel powerful when they are playing it!
Light Discovery: As they get better at the game and progress pass the earlier levels, they will continue to find new dynamics in the later levels that they must master to carry on progressing.
It's really interesting to put the game in this perspective, so I hope you enjoyed the video and remember to stay A E S T H E T I C
I'm looking to make a long tail of games as a business so I have been approaching MDA from the Aesthetic side first.
Narrative being the core aesthetic. Challenge coming from the turn-based tactical gameplay and the need to plan and carry out your moves.
Abnegation/Submission given the hands-off and linear approach to the story, providing as a sort of casual experience.
For me, changing the dynamics each game comes much easier than trying to build mechanics first. I think that has to do more with how simple and intuitive turn-based games can be.
A couple dynamics I've been hovering are...
Using the environment to gain special effects on your abilities (casting your ability on an elemental tile adds an elemental effect to your spell)
Managing a fleet of space ships, tweaking its capabilities for an upcoming fight (You can change the weapon a ship might fire with, give it equipment that adds a passive or ability, make it cheaper to produce by removing some equipment)
I've found that coming from the Aesthetics side only works if you can accurately predict the dynamics that certain mechanics will provide. The more complex the mechanics are, the more designing and prototyping you'd need to do make sure you've got the dynamics down.
These are some interesting thoughts, thanks for sharing!
Narrative is such a cool aesthetic and I feel it makes so many of my favourite games really memorable, so it's awesome to hear you are using it as a core!
I agree that tweaking and thinking about dynamics can be better than solely think about individual mechanics - but the mechanics are the only thing we can actually physically code and create! It's important that we create out mechanics in a way that is easily edited, so we can adjust the dynamics as easily as possible imo
Those dynamics you mentioned also sound awesome! Nice stuff 😄
Cheers for this, The golden question has always been what makes a game fun and I think your video has helped me get closer to the answer.
Really nice! Good quality for such a small channel! Keep it up!
Absolutely great and well explained video we need more videos like this keep it up!
Very interesting Madbook!
I read that as MDMA for a second and figured if a player was on that they're having fun. XD
This is a really interesting idea that players see games the opposite way round we do and explains so much.
Personally I'm a big Old School RuneScape fan and whilst the graphics aren't great people love the aesthetics and world it created. Some say the mechanics are simple because it's point and click, whilst that's true, there is something to be said to how many players it can draw.
Either way, great video!
Excellent breakdown
I'm not a game creator but I'm actually student on Cultural Studies and one of my classes are about games and their influence on culture in general. Basicly you - in very easy way- explained kind of hard topic so congrats mate ! :D Of course I need to encourage everyone to read a paper about MDA Framework but still - great work :D
Keep up the great work, love the content as always
Love your videos, very informative as always! Thanks for the great work!
Can confirm, MDMA is pretty fun!
Great video! Will definitely try to apply concepts from the framework after hearing about it, not yet sure how though. I think a lot of game developers often look just at the technical aspects without really engaging in design principles, maybe also because so many tutorials and videos are tech and mechanics focused. It's nice to see concepts like these.
LETS GOOOO
Mhm... This was interesting... 🤔 As always, great video Madbook!!
Ps. Have you done, by any chance, any video about game scope and/or how to lower it?? Can you give me any recomandations about it?? 😗
Thanks!
I haven't done a video about scope yet, but I'm sure I will do detailed one at somepoint. Some quick recommendations though:
- Practise and experience will help you build up an idea of what you can achieve in a given amount of time.
- This is why lots of people often suggest we start with small projects, as they let us quickly work out how long certain things take, without wasting months and months on a large project that never gets finished.
- Game jams are also a great opportunity to complete a smaller project.
- If you realise your project is becoming TOO large in scope, you will likely need to cut down on some features - there is basically no other way around this.
- Pick the features in your game that you think are the most interesting and focus in on them as much as possible!
- Cut the features that you don't think add to your game, or that feel like more "secondary" features.
I hope this helps, and feel free to ask if you want any more clarification!
@@Madbook Thanks for the suggestions, that's exactly what i needed to hear!! I'll try to make good use of this knowledge form now on!! (^u^)
Fun is not fun without meaning, that is, a bigger context, even if the bigger context has to do with bonding or competing with someone else.
random nitpick: MDA is an initialism, not an acronym. You pronounce an acronym like a word ('SCUBA') but you say the letters of an initialism ('FBI'). Great video though!
TMYK!
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