Maximum Creativity: Open & Closed Mode
Originally written for #AltDevBlogADay
A video recently cycled through my friends’ social circles which I wanted to share. John Cleese talks about Creativity and Open and Closed thinking modes.
The TL;DR of John Cleese’s talk
- Closed Mode
- Purposeful Highly Productive, but not creative. Good for getting things done. Default Mode at Work.
- Open Mode
- Playful, Curious, Fun, Humorous, Relaxed, Contemplative without goals.
Past the Past Pastel Dreams
Originally written for #AltDevBlogADay
Take a moment, think back, past the nostalgia and sepia dreams so we can consider old, forgotten mechanics. The thing we love about games is that they are complex and detailed but primarily, they are games. Systems of interaction and exploration within a created framework. All creative works evolve, compete, succeed and in some cases die out.
Though within these sepia dreams and old memories live viable mechanics which when re-examined and explored anew provide exciting areas of creativity.
Among the games of my youth three digital games stand tall, in order played: Hero’s Quest: So You Want to be a Hero[1], X-Com: Terror from the Deep and Shadowrun on Sega Megadrive. Now some of these games have seen reboots or attempts at reboots which quite frankly angered fans and often missed the point. Thankfully through Kickstarter for Shadowrun and Firaxis for X-Com these two titles are getting a modern, caring treatment and re-examination.
X-Com Squad Turns
Many people passed over the unique quality of team-based turns. There have been many other games in the tactical genre but few have explored this idea of "I move all my units, then you move all your units". This concept of moving multiple units simultaneously thus requiring a session of planning which manifests as a massive investment.
As control is taken away from the player, breaking a golden rule to strengthen this mechanic, a high point of tension is created as the plan unfolds.
Of interest to modern designers is that this investment, planning and then tension as you take away control from the player. For a modern interpretation with a different angle I suggest looking at Frozen Synapse. The turns are simultaneous and you plan 5 seconds increments but once again, control is taken away from the player as they watch the consequences of their plans.
Golden Rule Broken: Taking Control Away from the Player
Shadowrun Hacking
Almost a fully fledged game within the game but with deep seated roots in the core gameplay. So often “hacking” or another core ability is thrown in as a tangential mini-game. With limited or no interaction with the core-gameplay other than a binary outcome of success or failure. This follows the premise of not creating a game mode shift for the player and avoiding a development investment in what is essentially a “second game”.
Older games were much bolder in this. In Shadowrun hacking you hunted down better hacking decks with a whole subset of stats which could be upgraded. The camera shifted from isometric to third person over the shoulder with new UI and controls. You built contacts and went on missions to acquire that “better piece of software” or that “underground deck”. Your decker’s point of access, which related to hacking difficulty, is determined by their physical entry point into the system. Individual nodes on the hacking map relate to camera systems or subsystems of the physical security system. Triggering the alert system or disabling it, affect the real world alarm systems.
That massive investment in an alternate game mode layered on top of the primary mode added massive levels of depth to the world and further fleshed out the game. Looking for modern alternatives I was unable to find a good modern execution of this concept.
Golden Rule Broken: Avoid Gameplay Mode Shifts
Alternate Expression: Focus on a consistent experience.
Time Based Gameplay
In Quest for Glory many moments of interaction were determined by time of day or the day of the week. This occasionally meant as a player you were running around waiting for an event to happen or cleaning out the stables to earn some coins and some time. While some modern games have integrated NPCs timetables much more complex than their predecessors, they have been made insignificant by removing their game altering potential and turning them into minor points of flavour.
The depth of gameplay this added to the world was significant. You had to work around a real world. As a side note the fact the game required you to grind some monsters or chores like stable sweeping to earn your coin allowed you to effectively use your downtime. In Skyrim I can wake up a town blacksmith and purchase armour, removing all gameplay impact of the town schedule. This mechanic lives on in many modern games but in our fear of inconveniencing the player it has been neutered. I encourage designers to look at the gameplay affecting elements this play style offers.
Golden Rule Broken: Never Inconvenience the Player
Alternate Expression: Never waste the players time
Mixing it Up
Quest for Glory additionally mixed combat, role playing, adventure elements while providing multiple solution paths gto many problems. Environmental storytelling, usage based levelling and many other elements which have survived into modern design lexicons.
X-Com famously mixed the tactical and geoscape layer in a very complex interwoven gameplay. Though as Brendon Chung's GDC talk into his trouble with Atom Zombie Smashers highlighted this is not a simple task. I’ve also already talked about the Shadowrun hacking element as another example. For modern designers still bravely exploring mixing of genre and mechanics you do have to look outside mainstream metric focused development. Though I worry that their lack of polish and budget in many cases restricts their ability to smooth out the seams and truly integrate genres.
Golden Rule Broken: Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS)
Conclusion
As many of these older mechanics show, breaking what we consider a golden rule today can sometimes be key to development of an interesting mechanic. These are just a few picked examples from these games. Many other elements exist in these older games which have been gathering dust.
Many of these older mechanics first came about due to technical limitation and were discarded with the limitation. Our Golden Rules were not forged by the gaming gods but discovered through trial,error and exploration. Some of them may lead to an evolutionary dead end in design, an appendix when no longer needed. I encourage you to mine old games. Not for the IP, nostalgia, or history but for the game. Uncovering the hidden machinery of the past, broken paths and discarded branches of game evolution for old and interesting ideas that can be made new again.
[1] Later renamed to Quest for Glory: So you want to be a Hero to avoid confusion with another game, Hero Quest.
Be Aspirational
Originally Written for #AltDev
A year ago ago I signed up to this service, TimeHop, which emails me my tweets and status updates from a year ago, and it has been strangely motivating. To see my growth, challenges and remind me of my goals, my dreams, my successes and my failures.
So this week a year ago I was...
- Listening to this classic song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzMhh8zhTiY ) while improving my Starcraft 2 Laddering position of course.
- Working Hard: Quote “Stress + Overtime = Weight gain -> More Stress -> Stress + Overtime... (T_T)”
- Learning to use Blender: http://yfrog.com/h413067151p
- Bitching about it’s lack of ngons, which it now has in dev branch (^_^) Great job guys!
- Which led to this game asset: http://yfrog.com/h0oiyp, http://yfrog.com/h2zxzvfzj, http://yfrog.com/h2og8sbj
I was going to write another designer skill-up post regards art tools but then I wanted to follow up the brilliant, “You Should be Drawing” post by Mike Jungbluth, with a piece on the Flour Sack doodle. How everyone should doodle old school animation at least once to get a feel for motion and weight in animation... which led to me just wanting to shout from the roof tops.
BE ASPIRATIONAL!
If you're reading AltDev, or better yet contributing, you have at least made the first steps. I encourage you to draw up a bucket list or a dream list of stuff you want to do! Try Schemer!
Start your list with some traditional gamedev skills.
- Code
- Make “Hello World”
- Make Pong
- Make Particle Fountain
- Art
- Draw Flour Sack Animation
- Draw Human Hand
- Model Something on Your Desk
- Design
- Invent a Card Game using a normal playing deck
- Make a Boardgame
- Write a Roleplaying Module
Nothing is stopping you extending that list to include:
- Cook a Quiche
- Crochet a Scarf
- Model something out of clay
- Learn to Cat Yodel
There is no such thing as a useless skill! Aspire to be more, learn more, do more! Also being reminded about last year via timehop and making plans in schemer are not bad places to start.
Everyone I’ve ever met worth anything wanted to me worth more.
P.S. Sorry about the fluffy post but I got super fired up and needed to shout!
P.P.S Also there are similiar services to TimeHop & Schemer. They just happen to be the ones I’m using.
P.P.P.S Should I think things through more and be less impulsive... maybe
P.P.P.P.S I really will do a more technical, solid post next time I promise.
P.P.P.P.P.S: Can you make a recursive Post Script? I wonder...
Constraint Based Design
Written for #AltDevBlog
In some cases the most destructive action one can perform on the creative psyche is to give it absolute freedom. The blank page, blue sky, and empty word document are among the most terrifying monsters in the creative world.
- Apply artificial Constraint
- Design within Constraint
- Remove Contraint
- Analyze
That sums up a little bit of advice I’m going impart as to how I defeat these monsters. I’ve used this model in various ways and below I’ll give some examples of this simple piece of advice.
One Button
The modern gamepad (or keyboard/mouse) provides a massive subset of control options. Too many in most cases. As a programmer I often just find myself going “bind” crazy because its easy to bind to a key. This leads to terrible interfaces; original Blender UI anyone 
As a designer I often force myself to only have one button and one stick on a gamepad, or maybe just mouse interaction. I force myself to use less buttons than I think I need. Then I will often find ways to contextualize or simplify a mechanic or control. Leading to a more elegant control solution.
This also means I can often later in a project arbitrarily say something like, “Okay we will map that Global button to Shoulder button, they aren’t used anywhere”. Which is great when in crunch or a great feature occurs late in development.
Box It
Often when doodling an idea I will just draw a box on the page. Then draw only inside that box. This only really works for visual designs but I find it works really well to focus once I have a set boundary.
Coin Toss
Have two options?
Do a blind coin toss, and then before revealing the coin if you find yourself wishing for heads or tails you know your answer.
Three Point System
When constructing a narrative it’s easy to lose sight of the overall structure or lose detail. One trick I use is what I call the Bullet Point System. The system that forces groups of three means your always forced to find that third thing but also that you often self prune. Some of my best ideas come while reaching for that third point to fit. I also find that often something sounds great but then I can’t flesh it out to three points so I discard it.
Rules
- Write 3 lines
- No line can go onto the next line
- Always write 3 lines
- You can expand a point with exactly 3 sub lines
Story of Lost Boy
- Boy Gets Lost
- Follows Butterfly
- Goes into Cave
- Can’t See Butterfly
- Boy Wanders
- Boy Finds Way Home
- Mother Asks where he has been
- Boy Gives Silly Answer
- Don’t Retell Story
- Child’s Vision
- Doubt the Experience
- Butterfly Lands on Boy
Pick It
Alternatively called the F it system this is for when often I’m uncertain or given too many options. If there are 6 different ways we can go and we can’t be sure which to go well then just throw hands in the air, F-it, and pick one.
Most importantly I document the choice!
I will force myself to finish the design or complete going down the path, no regrets. Then if possible when we have more time I go back to that fork in the road and re-examine the choice. Though to be frank it’s rare that you find yourself going back and re-evaulting.
Conclusion
Keep It Simple Stupid! This is all very basic advice that I was hesitant to post but then I recall watching a 30 minute cooking show on cooking Potatoes and thought well sometimes simple advice is very useful.
Tips for Reading Academic Texts
Original written for AltDevBlogADay
Do you ever open an academic text or scary PDF, scan for code snippets, pretty pictures, maybe read a bit then run for the hills?
One of the most important skills you learn in university, or rather you should learn but many don't, is the ability to read and write academic texts. Often when tackling a topic, someone more knowledgeable than you has spent a great deal of time on the topic, possibly with peers to research the topic. If not your exact topic then I guarantee the supporting topics have been researched. So why not stand on the shoulder of giants? These are a few little tips I often give for tackling the wild white paper.
Tip #1: Notebook or Note Taking tools are critical
First you will need a note taking method, I recommend paper if you're reading on the computer. You will need a text either printed or digital. If you're on a computer, Google Scholar is your friend. Most university computers have IP access to the PDF in the search results, some employers have paid for it, as well as libraries. Your home computer will not have free access to most papers and you will need to hand over cash.
Tip #2: Google Scholar rocks, if your employer hasn't got access check a library computer
When looking at a paper in the search results the number of citations is a good quick reference for the authority of a paper. Also if you know a well known person in the field or university known for the field you can track down papers that way.
The title is often the first stumbling block, an undecipherable mess of words which seem to obfuscate rather than initiate. This is not intentional, the academic world is about concise precision trying to eliminate the ambiguity of natural evolving language. I would mention standards but that is more a dream than reality.
Tip #3: Build a list of common terms or words and their meaning
So process the title and write down every word you don't understand. Find the meaning of those words. You will want to build notes on the subject matter and commonly used words. Both to help understand the paper but also to help find other papers on the topic. Remember some words change their meaning based on context.
Tip #4: Abstract: if you don't understand it, read it
An Abstract is mostly there to tell you if you need to read the paper. If you are familiar with the field the abstract should have enough information in it to summarize the ENTIRE paper and tell someone if they should read it. If you do not understand the abstract or are unfamiliar with anything mentioned in it then chances are the paper has new information for you. In terms of the abstract readability, well, you try compressing a year of study into one paragraph
Tip #5: Intro, Expansion, Summary
In an academic paper the introduction comes first and tells them what you're going to tell them. Secondly a body which tells them, then a summary repeating what you told them. The body or sections can have this structure recursively depending on the size of the paper. As my old supervisor told me, academic papers are NOT mystery novels, there are no twists.
Tip #6: Note it, Stop, Search it
Read every sentence, do NOT skip over. If there is a single word or phrase you don't understand then WRITE IT DOWN. Stop reading, then go search it. Find the meaning as relating to the field. Sometimes there can be a rabbit hole effect. They might mention a mathematical term which leads you into a deep hole as you try understand it and process it.
Tip #7: Make note of all references, websites and sources
This is a GOOD thing. You are plugging a hole in your understanding. Academic papers should not have any throw away terms, unless a sentence says: "we dismissed the pink peanut method". Make note of any place which has useful information and make your own notes. The process of writing things down will often anchor them in your mind. If you go down a deep rabbit hole then always take a break before returning to the paper.
Tip #8: Look for alternative explanations
Sometimes a concept just won't stick in your head. Often there is a basic concept or well known crux which many people learned in high-school or university and they just take it for granted. Sometimes you've just developed a brick wall in your mind which you need to circumnavigate. Looking for alternative sources such as lecture slides, podcast, blog posts or just asking someone to explain it to you will help.
Tip #9: The deeper the rabbit hole, the more important it is to YOU, not the paper
This is going to sound strange but a really deep rabbit hole of understanding does not mean that a concept or term is important to the paper. It does mean it is important to you however. Your knowledge and mind are critical to your growth and the deeper the hole, the more there is to fill on the topic. The harder that hole in your knowledge is to fill, the more important it is to fill it. Once you're done not only will you have learnt something but you will have often solved a lot of other related problems.
In my 3rd year of physics I was trying to understand a field problem, which I couldn't get. Finally my tutor helped me with it, but it took a long time and we found out that some of my basic high school level understanding of vectors and matrices was just wrong. In the process of re-educating myself on that topic all the sudden a bunch of other things I had struggled with over the last 5+ years started making sense.
Tip #10: After trying, ask for Help.
Which leads to my final tip, always be willing to ask for help after trying. Do not be lazy and immediately ask for help as that will irritate and annoy. Though once you've done some leg work, ask for help. Most of us love our fields and love talking about them and sharing our love for our personal pursuit of knowledge.
I hope that this will help transform those white and black walls of text into the amazing resource and works of love they are.
Designing for the Untestable
Originally written for #AltDevBlog
Sometimes you’re asked to design for the untestable scenario. For instance, design a system for 10,000 players to asynchrously interact in a persistent competitive world with progression mechanics that plays out over 3 months.
Disclaimer: The entire time you are reading this remember one basic truth or else everything else contained herein is useless.
Focus on second-to-second play first. Nail it. Move on to minute-to-minute, then session-to-session, then day-to-day, then month-to-month (and so on). If your second-to-second play doesn’t work, nothing else matters. Along these lines, if your day-to-day fails, no one will care about month-to-month, either.
- Brenda Brathwaite
Let’s Talk About Things We Can’t
Originally written for #AltDevBlogADay
The forbidden knowledge of the game industry is mostly acquired over a smoke or drink in the pub, parking lot and corridors of conferences. Though the personal scars slowly form our own tales over the years which are then shared in similar back alley fashion. I can safely say 80% of my knowledge about the industry, the stuff that matters, I should have never been told.
This is the absurd construct under which we work in the modern corporate creative world. The dark NDA, the culture of secrecy and the allergic reaction to inquiry or unionisation are complex a subject matter about which books could be written.
We are not an open industry by our nature, which I find absurd because most of the people I’ve met in the industry are open and friendly. When our skeletons are exposed they are outdated and mostly surrounded by such drama and media circus that little intelligent discussion and dissection occur. Often one or more parties say nothing by choice or court order, leading to wide speculation or mudslinging.
I’m convinced the reason we are seeing so much success among indies is because they make games free from our industries black cloud of secrets. Often the most valuable thing the veterans bring to the table is the knowledge of a secret war fought, and battles won which allow them to avoid old hidden pitfalls. Yet there are very few who would ever, or could ever share such knowledge in the open space for others to learn from.
Our crunch culture is not all top down for instance, many insane death marches are started by the team or some other factor. Though because we often don’t discuss or document these situations honestly our peers repeat the mistakes we have made.
I’ve heard several friends working on big titles bemoan the run-away visionary, or narrative designer who ship wrecked the projects in similar fashions. In my own short time in the industry I’ve seen one or two tropes repeat themselves on different projects.
I’m not advocating the spilling of company secrets on the newest hottest title, the kind of thing our consumers would lap up eagerly. I’m saying we need to push forward the tale from that project 4 years ago. The time where the entire company was moved continent for one coder, or a project was canned because of a personal war between two managers, or the tale of how enums were banned.
The last year has given me a lot to write about, and I have been recording it all. As the glitter and crunch clear I find myself looking at the year thinking about which of those stories I could share.
If you can do one thing in the coming new year, try find that one story or two that you can share. Not over a pint in the pub but in public for the greater discussion and improvement of our industry.
WebPad: Bring your Own Controller
Going to take a break from my Useless Designer series to talk about a personal project which has me very excited. While judging Dare I came across a good idea which could be brilliant: using a mobile device as the controller in a shared space. The idea was shown by Lucky Ghost using the iPhone and a native iOS app. However, Apple would never let it through the AppStore and not everyone likes Apple. The idea was good but limited, but then a solution hit me there and then and I excitedly shared it with them.
The game hosts a web-service providing HTML5 WebApp with WebSockets transforming any modern mobile device into the controller.
Stop being the Useless Designer: Programming
A bit to the left, No a bit to the right. Mmmm maybe if we make it blue?
Let’s face it, there is nothing more annoying than being bossed about by someone who is useless.?
So here are three simple rules.
- Work with them in the trenches.
- Everyone in the trenches has to be useful.
- Supplement don’t Replace?
So acquire some “Hard Skills” fast and be useful. This is a multi-part post for some places to start developing those “Hard Skills”.?
Judging Daring Doers
This year was the first time I was involved in Dare to be Digital. Now I’ll admit that due to time commitments and unfamiliarity, I sent others from my team to mentor but agreed to judge. Now I’m kicking myself, why did I pass up the opportunity to mentor such amazing and brilliant students. In a few weeks these students have produced high quality vertical slices and complete products which in some cases surpass the level of quality I’ve seen in many studio incubations, RnD or pitch teams.
Every game, bar one, blew me away in quality and the teams were talented, engaged individuals who clearly have a future in our industry if they continue at this level. A wide range of platforms and ubiquitous brilliant tools really pushed quality and innovation to an all time high. This year was apparently a watermark year according to the other judges and I’m glad to have been there. In fact my only WTF moment was, where were Microsoft? Some brilliant Kinect work on the floor, almost all of which hit the mark.
So onto the teams themselves...