Game Design Tools: For When Spreadsheets and Flowcharts Aren't Enough
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 22 авг 2024
- In this 2017 GDC session, game designer Katharine Neil gives an overview of some of the game design tools available that might help game designers improve their work.
Register for GDC: ubm.io/2yWXW38
Join the GDC mailing list: www.gdconf.com/...
Follow GDC on Twitter: / official_gdc
GDC talks cover a range of developmental topics including game design, programming, audio, visual arts, business management, production, online games, and much more. We post a fresh GDC video every day. Subscribe to the channel to stay on top of regular updates, and check out GDC Vault for thousands of more in-depth talks from our archives.
![[TF2] The Russian Bear Trap](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YFNSwz2_rOA/mqdefault.jpg)
Section 1 : Industry Standards
@4:53 Machinations
@8:53 Articy: Draft
@11:50 Skill atoms
Section 2 : Experimental
@13:24 Mixed Initiative
@14:04 Sentient Sketchbook
@16:07 Ludoscope
@18:22 PCG-based level editor for the game Refraction
Section 3 : Additional info
@21:08 Progressimo
@23:28 Vebefits of using game design tools
@24:58 Limitations and pitfalls
@26:36 Suggested Approaches
Would also recommend Ink and Twine as lightweight, free alternatives to Articy Draft. They both have multiple ways to integrate with game engines like Unity too.
twine doesnt have the right level of freedom when changing node structures. u have to know the order ahead of time. removing and replacing nodes is riduclous.
Designing boardgames make talks like these interesting but tools don't often fit into a lot of what I do. Machinations and progressimo are probably the two options that speak to boardgames well. I have a flow chart for everything I make.
Another good concept is creating the tools yourself. If you can build a game, you can most likely use the same tool to build parts of the game.
Think of a dialog system, You can make it editable ingame, and save the results to external scripts.
Think of a character creator for example (To make custom NPC's) And the ability to name them, entering their dialog etc.
Or a level editor, not just for the end player but you can use this editor to make levels yourself. It could be faster, easier. And you'll be able to make them ingame (Handy if you build a mobile game, that means you can work wherever you are!)
Most engines support mobile, so even if your game isn't made for mobile, these tools build in these engines could still run on mobile ;)
The exact reason why these tools exist is because you should design a game before you build it, especially when you're in a team and you need to start thinking about design without having many assets or finished mechanics
If you're solo, sure i guess but planning is still important
@@defectivenull Oh yeah certainly true, especially to prevent Months of wasted work like the video samples show how you can pre-calculate many things before actually building it in the engine.
I'm personally the pen and paper guy. (And a bunch of sticky note apps). I just need to write ideas and plans down to get it out of my system and for save keeping.
Solo, so i'm the only one having to deal with the mess :)
Folders are organized and ready for possible future collaboration though, it's not ALL messy! :P
what you're talking about is actually called production tools
Be knowledgeable, but trust expertise.
Not completely false, we're doing this in our current project as well. The thing is, you have to dedicate the whole production process to this, but that was a non brainer for us, as the needed adjustment brought data oriented and test driven development with it. We decoupled almost every system on every level and this makes exactly this possible. Stands and falls with your dedication, experience and planning abilities. Although in the end, you only get a hightly specialized version of such tools, but with no boiler plate work within the tool.
Great talk. Something I've thought about a lot due to getting the feeling that a game I'm playing is leaning on spreadsheet design a little too much. A lot of good information here.
@3:00 a good design tool helps us create some order in chaos, lets us capture vague ideas and iterate on them
I found Articy Draft 3 quite useful
So theres some tool that helps with visualizing the crafting progression? From Ores mined, to objects used to refine, to finally items made?
The links for Mechinations and Skill atoms doesn't seem to work.
Machinations seems to have moved to machinations.io
Just google "skill atoms". It's been around for a good decade and you'll get the original articles (Gamasutra seems down right now? but Dan's website Lost Garden is definitely up) and some stuff talking about it.
@@Duiker36 Euh so a website talks about... who cares. The comment was it is not available so again who cares.
@@guillaumemercier3536do you have brain worms? What a tedious and unnecessary reply
So most of those tools we're not available or are not available anymore... Except Articy and Machinations.
which toll would be best for designing a fps sniper game for mobile phones?
Bad intro, decent talk. I've actually been wondering about these sorts of tools recently, something between being forced to muck about in engine versus trying to imagine the final forms of paper prototypes. Not sure I'll use the tools much, but they clearly fill a hole in digital game design.
I just use Hack n Slash and looooooooooooove it
Can you do a review of Notion and Taskade? please? ❤️
I've always found these kinds of tools to present too much overhead to meaningfully help with production.
That said, more options is always better.
ya...rly easy to google these words and find nothing. and finding something u can't run it without downloading a dozen other sketchy things. wonderful
Hilarious introduction.
If she's not drunk then what's the hair all about?
thats the old "I dont give a damn"
that's people around her who were drunk
She is allowed frump at a con full of nerds.
When someone brings irrelevant information into a conversation to exclude themselves from doing something, it's pretty much guaranteed that the opposite is true.
I have two kids, trust me I know 😂
She slurs a bunch of words around 16 minutes lol.
worthless suggestions
Machinations may have some have potentials, but like skill atoms we can't find it so who cares.