Game Art and Design Unit 3 Lesson 3 Procedures and Rules

1. Game Art and DesignUnit 3 Lesson 3Procedures and Rules

2. Big Idea Knowledge of the basic skills and components of any field makes one uniquely prepared to perform at a high level in that area.

3. Formal Element: Procedure

4. Procedures • Steps in a game that do not affect the outcome of the game. • Help the game proceed to the desired outcome. • Example: shuffling the cards. • There are four basic types of procedures.

5. Types of Game Procedures • Starting Action: How to put the game into play. • Progression of Action: Ongoing procedures after starting the game. • Special Actions: Conditional to other elements or game state. • Resolving Actions: Bring gameplay to a close.

6. Examples of Game Procedures Connect Four • Choose a player to go first. • Each player, in turn, drops one color checker down any of the slots. • Play alternates until one player gets four checkers of one color in a row.

7. Examples of Game Procedures Connect Four • Choose a player to go first – Starting Action • Each player in turn drops one color checker down any of the slots – Progression of Action • Play alternates until one player gets four checkers of one color in a row – Resolving Action

8. Examples of Game Procedures Super Mario Brothers • Select Button: Use button to select the type of game • Start Button: Press button to start Left • Arrow: Walk to the left • Right Arrow: Walk to the right

9. Examples of Game Procedures Super Mario Brothers • Select Button: Use button to select the type of game – Starting Action • Start Button: Press button to start game – Starting Action • Left Arrow: Walk left – Progression of Action • NO Resolving Action – Resolution is controlled by the game system

10. Procedures in Digital Games • Can have more complex game procedures. • Players do not need to know the procedures at first, the game will enforce them. • Procedures often work behind the scene, responding to situations and player actions.

11. Defining Your Procedures • It is important to keep in mind the limitations of the environment in which your game will be played. • Non-digital games – make sure the procedures are easy to remember and follow. • Digital games – consider what type of input/output devices will be used - keyboard and/or mouse.

12. Formal Element: Rules

13. Game Rules • Affect the outcome of the game • Define objects and concepts • Define game objects and define allowable actions by the players • Restrict actions • Restrict effects

14. Game Rules Consider these questions: • How do players learn the rules? • How are the rules enforced? • What kinds of rules work best in certain situations? • Are there patterns to rule sets? • What can we learn from these patterns?

15. Game Rules • Generally laid out in the rules document of board and card games. • The players must remember and enforce the rules. • In digital games, rules may be explained in the manual, or may be designed into the program. • The program enforces the rules.

16. Game Rules • Rules may close loopholes in a game’s system - Monopoly: • “Do not pass go, do not collect $200.” • This rule is applied when a player is sent to jail from any spot on the board. • It’s important because a player could make the argument that moving past “Go” entitles him to collect $200, turning a punishment into a reward.

17. Game Rules • Too many rules make a game unplayable. • Too few rules make a game too simple and unchallenging. • Poorly communicated rules may confuse or alienate players. • Even in digital games, where the rules are kept by the program, players need to understand the rules so they do not feel cheated.

18. Examples of Game Rules • Poker: A straight is five consecutively ranked cards. • Chess: A player cannot move the king into check. • Go: Players cannot make a move that recreates a previous situation on the board. • WarCraft II: In order to create knight units, a player must have upgraded to keep and build a stable.

19. Rules Define Objects and Concepts • Games do not inherit objects from the real world; rather, they create their own objects and concepts, usually as part of the rule set. • Even if the objects or concepts are familiar, they still need to be defined by the rules.

20. Rules: Chess • Uses objects that relate to the real world. • Each piece has a specific rule pertaining to its movement on the board. • The pieces also have a value associated with them: King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight, Pawn

21. Big Idea Knowledge of the basic skills and components of any field makes one uniquely prepared to perform at a high level in that area.

22. Game Art and DesignUnit 3 Lesson 3Procedure and RulesImagesstudent work, photos by Phyllis Jones, and clipart