13 basic principles of game design: progression, environment, method and basics

Imagine that you are driving a ship and at the same time completing it. Something similar is happening in game design. To really feel this pace, you have to jump with a parachute, finishing it on the go. In game design, never harness a horse in front of a cart. Here they race, and we see who comes first.

The first part of the article - by reference.

Progression
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8. Step-by-step promotion

Do not forget about the sense of urgency, the pace at which events occur, the necessary level of concentration and the frequency of repetition of events. Spread moments of high concentration, accentuate from time to time a sense of urgency, change everything and wherever possible to achieve the desired effect.
Example of level design: create locations where the player can enjoy open spaces, as opposed to locations where the player has claustrophobia.


An example of a system design: create protracted powerful attacks that will contrast with short and light.

Environment

9. Location

Assess the scale of the space on the screen and compare them with the real world, realize the spatial relationship between the elements and consider the consequences of changing this space.

Example of level design: arrange the location of opponents in such a way that the player does not have problems with moving around.
An example of a system design: let's say a player needs to follow an NPC to complete a quest. If a player’s character lags behind the NPC, he stops, making it clear that he needs to hurry.

Method

10. Linear design or breakdown

Linear design involves solving problems as they come. All solutions have the same total value. With this method, you can lose sight of the original goals, but with it there are creative and spontaneous decisions.
Partitioning involves systematic categorization and the formation of the logical hierarchy of all decisions. This method may limit innovation, but maintains the clarity of the original design goals.

This principle does not mean that designers should choose. It’s just that at different stages of development, one of these methods works better than the other. For example, at the pre-production stage, there is enough time to plan the sequence of events. But if the publisher urgently needs changes after pre-production, then the linear design method will cope with this task better.

Example of level design: a typical blocking of level geometry at an early stage of development versus adjusting small areas of the same level in order to implement an idea that arose during the development process.
An example of a system design: identify all major systems (combat, AI, etc.) and gradually fill in various levels with details or come up with a couple of levels and create systems based on the linear progress of the game.

The foundation

The last 3 principles are the foundation of game design. I will list them in order of increasing importance. It is unlikely that they will be a revelation for someone, but still.

11. Player

What is the role of the player? How does it interact with everything that is already developed? A player is not just someone who controls a joystick. Think about what the player brings to the process. If you have a good idea and you can implement it correctly, but the player is not interested in this, you need to change this idea or get rid of it altogether.

Example of a level design: create something promising so that the player is awaiting the unusual.
An example of a system design: line up the game so that the player feels inspired, full of energy and ready to rush into battle.

12. Communication

Do all team members correctly understand their task? Do developers make the right decisions? Even if you have a good idea, it can fail simply due to the fact that you fail to properly convey the idea.

Example of level design: use elements of the environment in such a way that they tell the player the desired direction of movement.
An example of a system design: use visual cues to help the player understand when it is better to strike with a hand, and when with a foot, when to jump forward, and when to the side, etc.

13. Attractiveness

When thinking about an audience, ask yourself: “Will it be interesting to others?”. This applies (but not reduced) to players, viewers, your fellow developers, the publisher and his marketing team. If the idea is “so-so”, you do not need to drag it with dead weight until it becomes better or something more successful appears.

An example of a level design: just running down the street is not interesting, but running down the street, hiding from government secret agents, is another matter.
An example of a system design: waving your fists can be fun, but if the camera shakes from the blows, it's even more exciting.

Conclusion

That's all. These principles helped me to make my projects better and taught me to look at problems from all sides. I firmly believe that they will give you an edge over others. So take them into service - and go!