Fundamentals of Game Design, 2 nd Edition

1. Fundamentals of Game Design, 2nd Edition by Ernest Adams Chapter 18: Construction and Management Simulations

2. Objectives • Know the definition of a construction and management simulation • Know the differences between plan-and-build and purchase-and-place gameplay mechanics • Know the basic gameplay modes and artificial behaviors common to this genre Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

3. Objectives (Cont.) • Understand the issues facing a designer for user interface for this genre • Understand the core mechanics of economies, construction, and management Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

4. What Are Construction and Management Simulations? • The majority of challenges are economic, concerned with growth • Construction activity is an essential element of any CMS • Pattern recognition and exploration challenges may also be present • CMSs avoid physical challenges, as well as conflict challenges, unless they are hybrids with another genre Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

5. Game Features • The player’s role • It’s not easy to define the player’s role because that role seldom corresponds to an actual activity in real life • The desire to create is in the heart of a CMS player Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

6. Game Features (Cont.) • Progression • No levels or story • Many begin with an empty space for players to start in from scratch • Often have no victory condition, only loss • Can also offer different scenarios for player to try • Scenarios are partially built when player starts them • Scenarios may have victory conditions as well as loss conditions Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

7. Game Features (Cont.) • Gameplay • Majority of CMSs are games of indirect control • The game simulates a process that the player can alter only in limited ways • However, some actions, such as changing prices, use direct control • Construction • In most CMSs, actual act of construction is not a challenge • Challenge is in obtaining resources needed for construction Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

8. Game Features (Cont.) • Gameplay (cont.) • Purchase-and-place construction mechanism • Player buys an object and places it • It is immediately ready for use • Player can build objects quickly • Resources used immediately • Plan-and-build construction mechanism • Player alternates between building and managing • Player plans where to build, the computer then builds • Object not ready for use until construction is complete • Player builds objects slowly • Player must manage the resource flow Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

9. Game Features (Cont.) • Gameplay (cont.) • Demolition • Allow players to demolish constructed items • Set the cost for demolition • Victory and loss conditions • Many CMSs do not have victory conditions • Loss condition is bankruptcy • Some scenarios can have victory conditions Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

10. Game Features (Cont.) • Competition modes—single-player unless it’s a hybrid • Simulating individual characters • Some CMSs model behavior statistically for the whole group and do not simulate individuals • Modeling individuals is more difficult • Create a behavioral model for them • Create a variable to track their happiness • Base happiness on player’s skill at meeting their needs • Statistics can be computed from all the individuals Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

11. Game Features (Cont.) • Mind reading enables the player to see an individual’s needs and fulfillment status • Advisors • Provide alerts about local problems • Notify the player of general conditions • Set a threshold level at which the advisor will appear • Allow players to turn off the advisor to add to challenge Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

12. Game Features (Cont.) • Pure business simulations • Players construct financial fortunes, not visible objects • Challenge—devise an economy and mechanisms for manipulating it • Real challenge is to make the subject visually interesting • Avoid runaway profits by controlling when and how a player can buy and sell Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

13. Game Features (Cont.) • Hybrid games • Offer economic, exploration, and conflict challenges • Design the economic aspects before adding other elements • Other elements usually depend on the economy • A mistake in the economy can ruin other parts of the game Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

14. Core Mechanics • Resources • Primary resources • Usually money and people • Building materials • Tangible entities in plan-and-build mechanics • Intangible or not a resource in purchase-and-place mechanics Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

15. Core Mechanics (Cont.) • The construction converter changes labor, money, and materials into buildings • Drains and maintenance • Drain permanently removes a resource • Decay is the usual drain • Maintenance can be automated • Disasters force players to act Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

16. The Game World • Setting • Simulated physical space, usually outdoors • Aerial perspective • Often set in 2D or 2.5D worlds • Pure business simulations might not require a physical setting Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

17. The Presentation Layer • Interaction model • Player is usually multipresent • Walkthrough mode allows players to see the world in first-person perspective • Camera model • Isometric perspective is common • 3D environments allow players to zoom in and out, see a broad overview, or focus on a local problem Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

18. The Presentation Layer (Cont.) • User interface • Interface can be more like standard computer software • Display important scalar variables • Graph can show values over time • Vector variables describe related data, such as the amount of water available in different locations Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

19. Summary • You should now understand • How to identify a construction and management simulation game • How to describe the differences between plan-and-build and purchase-and-place gameplay mechanics • How to use the basic gameplay modes and artificial behaviors common to this genre Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations

20. Summary (Cont.) • You should now understand (cont.) • How to describe the issues facing a designer for user interface for this genre • How to use the core mechanics of economies, construction, and management Chapter 18 Construction and Management Simulations