Game Design is the practice of creating and balancing systems and the mechanics which the player uses to affect those systems. This is not to be used for programming questions about the "design" of features, engines, etc.
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Example of Data Oriented Design
I can't seem to find a nice explanation of the Data Oriented Design for a generic zombie game (it's just an example, pretty common example).
Could you make an example of the Data Oriented Design on ...
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4answers
799 views
MUD Games ideas
I am a huge MUD games fans. Though, MMORPG's rising popularity gives text-based games a strong opponents that they can't match.
I started my own MUD engine (codebase) a while ago and I'm now looking ...
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2answers
750 views
How do you keep the gameplay and music in sync in a rhythm game?
What's the best way to program a rhythm based game in XNA? (Some sort of game like Dance Dance Revolution) Would you use the built in GameTime? What logic would you use to make sure the game ...
6
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1answer
540 views
Bringing a Box2D, Physics Enabled game Online?
Lets say, to simplify the problem of online games a bit, my goal would be to run a near identical simulation on multiple computers in sync. Would sending commands be a good idea?
Now if only sending ...
6
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1answer
278 views
Literature about Open World Games, Freedom to Choose
I'm doing a diploma thesis about the development of games with freedom to choose or open world.
Topics will be i.e. development issues in programming and the design itself, mechanics etc.
For that I ...
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2answers
158 views
What to do with old data?
I have a game - virtual soccer manager. It is browser based game. It is split into 'seasons' each of them takes around a half of a real year. The central game element is a soccer match, each team ...
6
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1answer
223 views
Rule / validation design pattern
What design patterns can be used to create a rule / validation system for a game like chess (this is just a simple example, the actual game needs more difficult sets of rules)
I've read several ...
6
votes
1answer
921 views
Xna: Texture2D from a png file
I'm making a tile based game, and I'm working for support of tilesets. I'm trying to make it so that a Texture2D is set as a chosen PNG file. I can do this with no problem f I load the image into the ...
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1answer
436 views
Pairing algorithm for the Elo rating system
Imagine a 1 on 1 (not teams) competition between AI bots, like the Google AI Challenge. The various bots are assigned an ELO rating based on the outcome of the various versus matches. The reason I ...
6
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1answer
550 views
Does Pokemon use any deep A.I in battle? [closed]
A Pokemon wild battle. The enemy may have up to 4 moves.
I am wondering, is there any.. A.I going on here, or does the enemy simply take a random move and then executes it? Are there not any battle ...
6
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2answers
272 views
Are there any good articles that layout the evolution of game development techniques?
I'm just getting into coding up some 3d rendering apps and I'm considering taking the jump into interactivity. While developing I've learned about Euler angles, gimbal lock, quaternions, frustum, ...
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2answers
271 views
How can I handle a bunch of achievements in a game? [duplicate]
Take for example Team Fortress 2. There are a huge load of achievements, and I'm wondering how the manages all of them. And since there's a lot of achievements, I'd also like to know how it "knows" ...
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5answers
3k views
What is the easiest genre of game to make? [closed]
Before you down vote let me give some restrictions.
I like RPG but they seem long and hard to make but after you make the framework the rest sort of falls into place where as platformers never get ...
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votes
5answers
521 views
GamePlay Patent
Do you know any patents of GamePlay model? I mean behavior between User as Player and the System? In another words Patent of GamePlay rules. For example "when player's character dies -> the system ...
5
votes
3answers
294 views
What's an appropriate difficulty scale for weapon efficacy vs difficulty to obtain?
I'm writing up a design document for a voxel based adventure game, similar to minecraft, but fixing a lot of fundamentally broken game mechanics, or at least updating those mechanics to be more suited ...
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votes
3answers
472 views
For games that time stamp a saved game (think Half-Life), is the entire game state really being saved every time?
It seems to me if that were the case that your directory of saved binaries or serialized objects could get massive real quick. Is there some sort of strategy being employed on top of the State pattern ...
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6answers
671 views
What is the story of game programmers beside gaming history?
Nowadays, game programming is like a big business-ish, technological, academical, programming havoc. There are dozen of engines, free or not, don't-reinvent-the-wheel dos and don't, plenty of ...
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votes
4answers
718 views
Methods of player retention and conversion in MMO games?
What are other retention and conversion (free to play to paying to spender) strategies in MMOs?
I know some like promotions, social viral, content generation, intentional imbalance, perks and ...
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7answers
489 views
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4answers
340 views
How do I model a gooey sprite?
I happened to see this structure of a gooey player character made in flash.
Can anybody suggest onto what computer science concept I should use to
make a goo
make it behave like a goo
Thanking ...
5
votes
1answer
4k views
Time based movement Vs Frame rate based movement?
I'm new to Game programmming and SDL, and I have been following Lazyfoo's SDL tutorials. My question is related to time based motion and frame rate based motion, basically which is better or ...
5
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2answers
315 views
Java 2D game programming: Different approaches to make a game loop
I am new to Java game programming, but the more I read the more I'm confused, because I've seen several different approaches to make a game loop:
1. The standard approach, that uses the Timer class ...
5
votes
2answers
616 views
what options do I have for rendering “large” terrains?
I am trying to design a game with some interesting features but one question I have is regarding terrain. I want a terrain that will make for a very large game world, and I want to be able to have ...
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2answers
244 views
How should I plan the inheritance structure for my game?
I am trying to write a platform shooter in C++ with a really good class structure for robustness. The game itself is secondary; it is the learning process of writing it that is primary.
I am ...
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3answers
473 views
How to start with more complex games? [closed]
I'm a new game developer and I have already finished Pong, Breakout and Snake. I want to start with strategy games, where do I read up on that? What ideas should I wrap my head around?
I like games ...
5
votes
1answer
612 views
2D pathfinding - finding smooth paths
I was trying to implement a simple pathfinding, but the outcome is less satisfactory than what I intended to achieve. The thing is units in games like Starcraft 2 move in all directions whereas units ...
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2answers
287 views
Giving points to users - how can I make it interesting?
I have a website where users can choose the winner of a sporting event. If they guess correctly they get 1 point, otherwise they receive zero points. At the end all users are ranked based on their ...
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1answer
1k views
How does 2D Game Physics work? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do I build a 2D physics engine?
If we take the game Angry Birds that had big success lately I were thinking how do they implement the physics in a game like that?
...
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votes
2answers
217 views
How to “repeat” a sprite in the gameworld in a random fashion?
I have a platform flash game which includes a level with just two backgrounds which are flipped side by side so that a looping background effect is created. In this I have to include Obstacles. ...
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votes
4answers
356 views
What are good questions for design interns?
I've recently been interviewing design interns and been pitching what I consider fairly easy practical design questions to measure their skill level. I've been shocked by poor quality of answers. Now ...
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6answers
355 views
Low dexterity game development
I am tasked with developing a game for kids with low dexterity (as a college project).
I am stuck trying to find examples of similar games to generate ideas about game play and overall function. The ...
5
votes
2answers
194 views
How to evaluate a user against optimal performance?
I have trouble coming up with a system of assigning a rating to player's performance. Well, technically there is is a trivial rating system, but I don't like it because it would mean assigning ...
5
votes
3answers
373 views
Game/Level Design Career translations in other fields
Although I would love to get a job in the gaming industry I can't help but feel I should have a backup plan. What I wanted to ask is game/level design a marketable skill that translates to other ...
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1answer
427 views
Splitting up duties for a card game server
I'm working on a game where players connect to a game server and to a lobby to play a card game against others.
I have a pretty good idea how to code it and such, I'm just not sure regarding a few ...
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3answers
421 views
What are the code structures for storyline based game?
I am curious about how storyline-based games are written.
For example: if the character done Event A, then he meets an NPC and result in Event B.
On the other hand: if the character didn't do Event ...
5
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2answers
2k views
Realtime multi-player game design principles for Node.js
I've been reading the Valve article on multi-player networking which has been adapted from Yahn Bernier's 2001 paper called Latency Compensating Methods in Client/Server In-game Protocol Design and ...
5
votes
1answer
650 views
Random generation of interesting puzzle levels?
I'm making a Sokoban-like game i.e. there's a grid that has some crates on it you can push and you have to get the crates on crosses to win the level (although I'm going to add some extra elements to ...
5
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4answers
529 views
Optimal touch controls for a twin-stick shoot 'em up?
So we recently launched a shoot 'em up arcade-type game (think Smash TV or I Made a Game with Zombies in It!). You can move in one direction and fire in another, so the ideal control scheme is ...
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2answers
306 views
Resolving Diplomatic actions in a RISK-style board game
I'm working on a board game called Farlanthia: Lords of War. And I need some help with resolving diplomacy during play.
My original idea was to have Diplomacy be a form of "attack" like in RISK. This ...
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1answer
1k views
Where can I see example sell-sheets for a game?
So my long term one-man indie project is turning into a two-man indie project, and I feel I need to take a step back and at least have a "sell-sheet" as a basis for the game design.
Does anyone have ...
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2answers
936 views
How do I build games with scripted actors?
The idea
I have an idea for a game. A few games, actually, that can built on top of the same general design.
There is a game world that the player and the other actors exist in. The player can get ...
5
votes
3answers
237 views
Other than the ESA are there other sources for demographic data?
I'm pretty interested in seeing demographic data as I find them good targeting tools. But other than the ESA reports (free) and NPD numbers (paid) does anyone know any other sources for such data?
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votes
5answers
1k views
Designing score system: Combos, chains, multipliers and bonuses
I am making a breakout-clone, I not want only want it to feel "arcade" for home users, but it will have a arcade version (although probably noone will buy, and I will only use the machine to amuse ...
5
votes
1answer
693 views
How would you design components for an entity like this?
This is not a question about how to implement a component based system. I have my own system implemented and working fairly well, just can't figure out a good way to split some entities to fit the ...
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2answers
396 views
Strategy Games Online Resources
I am looking for some good online (ebooks) resources about strategy games discussing the gameplay and the interactive aspects of strategy games, and how to design interesting and challenging strategy ...
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votes
2answers
174 views
Are there any resources for motion-planning puzzle design?
Some background: I'm poking at a set of puzzles along the lines of Rush Hour/Sokoban/etc; for want of a better description, call them 'motion planning' puzzles - the player has to figure out the ...
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votes
9answers
866 views
Anyone know of other unique playable archetypes?
Well I like to play games that give me a wide breath of options. For most part I see games implementing certain archetypes like the usual RPG trinity (tank, DPS and healer).
So far the most ...
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3answers
528 views
Investigation stage before starting a game
I was thinking about how to organize the stage about getting informed about whatever game is needed to develop, what would others do.
For example, if I wanted to develop a game about car racing, I ...
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2answers
315 views
How do I go from a general idea to a specific draft of a design?
Before starting planing your code, the data structures, the class hierarchy, you need to have a clear idea of what you want for your game.
I came across with an idea for a game, but it is too general.
...
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4answers
776 views
MMORPG game balancing
I've seen a couple of examples of some game balancing techniques in books yet they are not comprehensive and not particularly aimed at MMORPGs but I'm looking for practical examples of game balancing ...
