Game Design Camera Angles Camera Angles Side Scrolling

Game Design

Camera Angles

Camera Angles • Side Scrolling • Top Down / Isometric • General Third Person • First Person Protagonist • Over The Shoulder

Side Scrolling • 2 D • Player physically detached from the agent (player’s avatar) • Not immersed in the scene, not meant to be present in game space • Provides solid oversight over everything in proximity to the agent

Top Down / Isometric • Same sense of physical detachment a side-scroll • Places the viewer far above the action • Viewing platters • Offers a sense of full control with emotional detachment • Good for strategy games

Top-Down vs. Isometric

General Third-Person • Slightly top-down angle • Detaches player from ground to provide oversight • Solid view of agent (avatar/player) body • Player is more connected to their avatar • Can be tough to gauge distances (esp. faces)

First Person • Thru the eyes of protagonist • Possibly the most immersive angle • Body awareness is lacking, no peripheral vision • Minimum special awareness • Protagonist can’t see the ground in front of them

Over The Shoulder • 3 rd person view on eye level with protagonist • Player is completely grounded, walking with avatar • Camera attached to the agent, moves with him • Enhances player’s feeling of vulnerability

Game Functionality

Game Feedback • Defeating enemies • Earning points • Reducing Health • Specific sounds • Winning Screen • Lives

Game Control • Moving • Implementing power-ups • Jumping objects • Switching view • Collecting objects

Other Elements • Strategy • Duration • Success

Game Design Process

Game Design • Starts with an idea • Choose concept, genre • Game Proposal • • • Concept Gameplay Feature list Setting/Story Target Audience Admin Stuff

Disciplines • World Design • System Design • Content Design • Game Writing • Level Design • UI Design • Audio Design • Game Feel

World Design • Backstory • Setting • Theme

System Design • Game rules • Underlying mathematical patterns

Content Design • Characters • Items • Puzzles • Missions • Content is the complexity added to a minimum viable product to increase its value. Example: Final Fantasy

Game Writing • Dialog • Text • Story • Voice acting • Music

Level Design • The construction of world levels and their features • Makes use of many different fields to create a game world. • Lighting, space, framing, color and contrast are used to draw a player's attention. • A designer can use these elements to guide or direct the player in a specific direction through the game world, or mislead them.

User Interface Design • Menus • Heads-up displays • Game mechanics engine • How much info to give the player? • How to inform the player about the world?

Audio Design • Creating or incorporating all of the sounds that are in the game • Sound effects • Voice acting

Design Process

Design Process – 4 Main Steps • Concept • Pre-Production (pitch document, design document, etc. ) • Production • Post-Production

Concept Phase • What genre? • What theme? • Brainstorm your ideas and make notes

Pre-Production • Pitch Document • Scripting/Storyboard • Define game mechanics • Gather/create art