I last wrote about a small-time flash game that I believed was a great example of game design. Now I'm going to talk about a big budget game that has been in the works for almost five years. That five years doesn't count the fact that it is the thirteenth in the series, they've had plenty of time to perfect their formula. That's right. It's time to talk about Final Fantasy XIII.
Final Fantasy has been known for a long time for its intricate story and beautiful graphics. How does FFXIII stand in these categories? Quite well. It's obvious that these were the driving force in development. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly in the target audience for these attributes. I hooked my Xbox (not PS3) to an old CRT monitor. I did not have the resources to be any more impressed with Final Fantasy's graphics than any other game. As for the story, I'm not exactly the best guy to ask.
I can enjoy just about any plot, so that isn't much of a make or break issue for me. I can't say too much about the story because I didn't pay attention the whole time and don't want to spoil anything anyway. There was a lot going on, but not all of it was gripping material. That's not to say it was bad, I actually enjoyed what I've seen, but the story will only be interesting if you take the time to pay attention (something I advise anyone playing to do).
One thing that I did notice in the storyline, that I think is a good thing, is my attachment to the characters growing over time. At first, I didn't like any of the characters (save one). After playing for a while, they acknowledge their faults or changed them in a manner that gave them a human dimension apart from the generic, and generally negative, labels I had placed on all of them before. The fact that I didn't like the characters to begin with seems like a bad thing, but if that's what they were going for, they pulled it off very well.
All that we have left to talk about is gameplay. There's a lot to be said about that, so buckle down. If you have yet to play FFXIII and you have a desire to play, stop reading now. I'm about to nitpick at every aspect of gameplay. The average player may not notice all of the things I'm going to complain about, and it would probably be for their benefit if they do not. That isn't to say you shouldn't play FFXIII, it's not a bad game, but its gameplay could use a lot of work, and that's what I'm going to talk about.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Robot Unicorn Attack
Today, I'm going to discuss what I believe is a spectacularly designed game. I saw my roommate playing it and I thought it was pretty neat. It wasn't until I actually tried it out on my own that I realized how much fun it really is. The game is called Robot Unicorn Attack and is an original game made by Cartoon Network's [adult swim]. Usually, [adult swim] games are more about the tongue in cheek humor of the game concept, rather than the actual execution of the game. Most of their games are either excessively violent (Candy Mountain Massacre), sexual (PoleDance Hero), or just plain bad (Worst Game Ever). I was very surprised to find that, not only does Robot Unicorn Attack not fall into any of these categories, it was also very fun. If you wish to try it out to get a better idea about what I'm talking about, you can find it here.
It's not a revolutionary game concept. It's simply an exercise in obstacle avoidance. Games have been doing that for a long time, so why am I talking about this game? Simply put, it's a great example of this style of game done right. Every aspect of the game is crafted with a kind of precision to get the absolute maximum amount of enjoyment from the experience.
First, the visual appeal is very nice. It's a very pretty game. The backgrounds are nice, but the light palette won't draw your eye from more defined the foreground. The animations are smooth and they utilize sparkles and rainbows in all the right places to maximize the effect. The HUD is clean and clear. You can see your score and how many lives you have left. That's all you need. They could have stopped there, but they didn't, they took it one step further to maximize on the player's emotions. When you gain points for collecting fairies or smashing stars, the points are clearly displayed in the center of the screen apart from the running total, but don't obstruct the player's view of the terrain or obstacles. There is also the added visual appeal of robot dolphins once your points start to breach 5000 points. Additionally, as you chain larger combos, the score at the top increases it's scale proportionate to what you earned. This is an image of a combo of 20 consecutive stars versus the default score size.
The score on top isn't that big because the number is so high, but rather because the combo was so great. This coincides with the player's emotions while playing. The longer you do well, the bigger the rush you get, but the game just keeps getting harder and the pressure increases as well. Just by adding that little bit of scaling to the number, it increases the player's peak enjoyment by letting them know just how awesome they are.
The visual appeal is good and works well in the game. What about the controls? Clunky controls can easily ruin a player's experience through frustration if the game doesn't respond as intended. Do the controls of Robot Unicorn Attack pass? With flying colors, and I'm not talking about rainbows. The game only has two controls: Jump and Dash. What they do with those controls is what's important. The game plays very intuitively, when you lose, there's no question as to why because the game responds exactly the way you think it should, consciously or not.
The jumping mechanism is more complex than it might seem at a glance. The longer you hold the jump key, the higher you go. You can let go at any time to begin you descent. The interesting thing is, even after you reach the peak of your jump, if you still hold jump, you'll descend significantly slower than if you were to release. Couple this with the ability to jump twice in the air and you have a lot of control over where you go in the air.
The dashing mechanic is similarly simple. You dash forward in a straight line, preventing any descent for a short time. Once the game speeds up and there are stars on many of the platforms, one dash to break a star may cause you to miss the platform entirely. If you've already expended your double jump, it seems obvious that the only place left to go is down. However, that is not the case. After a dash, the player is granted another mid-air jump, allowing the player to remain airborne for as long as may be desired. I was surprised by this mechanic initially, but I didn't need the game to tell me that's how it worked. It was intuitive. Once I reached the edge of the platform while dashing, I jumped. That's the way I played the whole time, the fact I was already in the air didn't change the fact I wanted to jump. It worked. That's intuitive control at its finest.
In addition to the controls being smooth, the game is very forgiving. There hasn't been an instance where I feel I've been cheated out of a life. In fact, on more than one occasion, I almost feel I've cheated the game to keep going. Not in a bad way, though. All of the platforms are very smooth and curved. Because one of the lose conditions is hitting a wall, the smooth platforms function as more of a guide than something to avoid. You can usually dash "into" most walls and not die. This is because the game will automatically adjust your direction by up to what appears to be 45 degrees. Dashes are also extended for about half a second longer than the actual animation. You can actually destroy a star while descending moments after the dash finishes. Any close calls are favored towards the player to allow longer play sessions. That's what the player wants: To play the game.
The structure of the game is well formulated as well. While the platforms are randomly generated, the first two are always the same. The player doesn't have to do anything for the first two platforms to survive and collect two fairies. In addition, even though there are only two controls, when the first few stars appear, the game tells the player to dash and even reminds them what key to press. The three life structure for the scoring system is rather clever too. Giving the player three times to play levels out their score to a reasonable value, reducing the effects of outliers. It also gently requests a certain amount of replay value. Each game session is a total of three, that's what makes it so addicting. Maybe you have that one really good life, but you still have to play at least one more round to see if you get a high score. What if you get that good life at the end of a game? Then you can't help but think, "What if I did that well three times in a row?" Then, you try to beat that score by signing up for three more tries instead of just one.
The sound in the game meshes with the action very well. The music is mellow but upbeat allowing the player to easily zone into the game without having the music be intrusive. The game responds each time the player scores with a subtle whoosh and ding to let them know they've been rewarded. The stars are smashed with a satisfying bang and the dolphins cry happily when they come on screen. Every time the player takes to the skies, a sparkling sound is played. Because the player is in the air so often, it creates a sort of magical overtone for the game.
Gameplay-wise, we've established that the game works beautifully, but there's much more to it than that. I believe this is a good example of gestalt in a video game. Gestalt is "a structure, configuration, or pattern of physical, biological, or psychological phenomena so integrated as to constitute a functional unit with properties not derivable by summation of its parts" according to Merriam-Webster. What I mean by that is the game plays very well and is fun in its own right, but the really cool part is what they've done with the theme to enhance that experience.
Robot Unicorn Attack by itself is a ridiculous title. The concept of a robot unicorn is downright absurd, and an attack involving one is just silly. That's the point. The game itself is a strange blend irony that just works. The designers probably thought, "Can we make a game about unicorns that a bunch of guys will think is awesome?" So they took unicorns and added robots and explosions to make it "cool" without skimping out on the "girl stuff" like rainbows and sparkles. In addition, the music chosen for the game probably wouldn't get much attention from the demographic of those playing the game in any other circumstance. However, by simply adding rainbows and a robot unicorn smashing through giant stars, the music somehow takes a life of its own and is more enjoyable as a result.
There is just so much more that makes this game fun than meets the eye at first glance. That's why I decided to break it down a bit more, to let people in on all the little things that can make the gaming experience great.
It's not a revolutionary game concept. It's simply an exercise in obstacle avoidance. Games have been doing that for a long time, so why am I talking about this game? Simply put, it's a great example of this style of game done right. Every aspect of the game is crafted with a kind of precision to get the absolute maximum amount of enjoyment from the experience.
First, the visual appeal is very nice. It's a very pretty game. The backgrounds are nice, but the light palette won't draw your eye from more defined the foreground. The animations are smooth and they utilize sparkles and rainbows in all the right places to maximize the effect. The HUD is clean and clear. You can see your score and how many lives you have left. That's all you need. They could have stopped there, but they didn't, they took it one step further to maximize on the player's emotions. When you gain points for collecting fairies or smashing stars, the points are clearly displayed in the center of the screen apart from the running total, but don't obstruct the player's view of the terrain or obstacles. There is also the added visual appeal of robot dolphins once your points start to breach 5000 points. Additionally, as you chain larger combos, the score at the top increases it's scale proportionate to what you earned. This is an image of a combo of 20 consecutive stars versus the default score size.
The score on top isn't that big because the number is so high, but rather because the combo was so great. This coincides with the player's emotions while playing. The longer you do well, the bigger the rush you get, but the game just keeps getting harder and the pressure increases as well. Just by adding that little bit of scaling to the number, it increases the player's peak enjoyment by letting them know just how awesome they are.
The visual appeal is good and works well in the game. What about the controls? Clunky controls can easily ruin a player's experience through frustration if the game doesn't respond as intended. Do the controls of Robot Unicorn Attack pass? With flying colors, and I'm not talking about rainbows. The game only has two controls: Jump and Dash. What they do with those controls is what's important. The game plays very intuitively, when you lose, there's no question as to why because the game responds exactly the way you think it should, consciously or not.
The jumping mechanism is more complex than it might seem at a glance. The longer you hold the jump key, the higher you go. You can let go at any time to begin you descent. The interesting thing is, even after you reach the peak of your jump, if you still hold jump, you'll descend significantly slower than if you were to release. Couple this with the ability to jump twice in the air and you have a lot of control over where you go in the air.
The dashing mechanic is similarly simple. You dash forward in a straight line, preventing any descent for a short time. Once the game speeds up and there are stars on many of the platforms, one dash to break a star may cause you to miss the platform entirely. If you've already expended your double jump, it seems obvious that the only place left to go is down. However, that is not the case. After a dash, the player is granted another mid-air jump, allowing the player to remain airborne for as long as may be desired. I was surprised by this mechanic initially, but I didn't need the game to tell me that's how it worked. It was intuitive. Once I reached the edge of the platform while dashing, I jumped. That's the way I played the whole time, the fact I was already in the air didn't change the fact I wanted to jump. It worked. That's intuitive control at its finest.
In addition to the controls being smooth, the game is very forgiving. There hasn't been an instance where I feel I've been cheated out of a life. In fact, on more than one occasion, I almost feel I've cheated the game to keep going. Not in a bad way, though. All of the platforms are very smooth and curved. Because one of the lose conditions is hitting a wall, the smooth platforms function as more of a guide than something to avoid. You can usually dash "into" most walls and not die. This is because the game will automatically adjust your direction by up to what appears to be 45 degrees. Dashes are also extended for about half a second longer than the actual animation. You can actually destroy a star while descending moments after the dash finishes. Any close calls are favored towards the player to allow longer play sessions. That's what the player wants: To play the game.
The structure of the game is well formulated as well. While the platforms are randomly generated, the first two are always the same. The player doesn't have to do anything for the first two platforms to survive and collect two fairies. In addition, even though there are only two controls, when the first few stars appear, the game tells the player to dash and even reminds them what key to press. The three life structure for the scoring system is rather clever too. Giving the player three times to play levels out their score to a reasonable value, reducing the effects of outliers. It also gently requests a certain amount of replay value. Each game session is a total of three, that's what makes it so addicting. Maybe you have that one really good life, but you still have to play at least one more round to see if you get a high score. What if you get that good life at the end of a game? Then you can't help but think, "What if I did that well three times in a row?" Then, you try to beat that score by signing up for three more tries instead of just one.
The sound in the game meshes with the action very well. The music is mellow but upbeat allowing the player to easily zone into the game without having the music be intrusive. The game responds each time the player scores with a subtle whoosh and ding to let them know they've been rewarded. The stars are smashed with a satisfying bang and the dolphins cry happily when they come on screen. Every time the player takes to the skies, a sparkling sound is played. Because the player is in the air so often, it creates a sort of magical overtone for the game.
Gameplay-wise, we've established that the game works beautifully, but there's much more to it than that. I believe this is a good example of gestalt in a video game. Gestalt is "a structure, configuration, or pattern of physical, biological, or psychological phenomena so integrated as to constitute a functional unit with properties not derivable by summation of its parts" according to Merriam-Webster. What I mean by that is the game plays very well and is fun in its own right, but the really cool part is what they've done with the theme to enhance that experience.
Robot Unicorn Attack by itself is a ridiculous title. The concept of a robot unicorn is downright absurd, and an attack involving one is just silly. That's the point. The game itself is a strange blend irony that just works. The designers probably thought, "Can we make a game about unicorns that a bunch of guys will think is awesome?" So they took unicorns and added robots and explosions to make it "cool" without skimping out on the "girl stuff" like rainbows and sparkles. In addition, the music chosen for the game probably wouldn't get much attention from the demographic of those playing the game in any other circumstance. However, by simply adding rainbows and a robot unicorn smashing through giant stars, the music somehow takes a life of its own and is more enjoyable as a result.
There is just so much more that makes this game fun than meets the eye at first glance. That's why I decided to break it down a bit more, to let people in on all the little things that can make the gaming experience great.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
First time for everything
Today is a historic day of minimal significance. The day that, I, Brian Frantz, open a blog to unleash myself upon the internet. For those of you who don't know me, or wish to know me from behind the safety buffer that is the internet, I am Brian Frantz. You probably got that idea from the URL or perhaps the name of the blog, but in case it was not yet made clear to you, Brian Frantz is the name of the man who writes this blog. What do I write in this blog? I don't know yet, as of now, I'm yammering on about some nonsense about who I am without actually saying anything.
The first paragraph's lack of actual information is an important one. To truly understand me is to know everything about me, which is to say, I offer you no other choice. I have made a motto for myself. One that I like very much, not only because it sums up how I act perfectly, but also because it rhymes.
Always precise, never concise.
Some of you may be wondering, "Wait a minute, for a guy who is never concise, that was pretty concise." You would be exactly right, however, that is only because you haven't read this paragraph elaborating on what that actually means. When I say precise, I mean drawn out or overly descriptive. I'm not necessarily always correct in my statements, but I prefer to give as much information as possible so that my views and opinions are expressed in their entirety so as not to leave any details to the imagination. I chose the word precise, simply because it rhymes with concise, as well as supports the general idea of the message fairly well.
At this point you may be asking, "Why am I reading this?" I can't answer that for you, but I can say why I hope you are reading this. I am a student at Digipen. That means I make video games. Being a student also means I don't have a job. I would very much like to have a job making video games. If you found this blog and are looking for someone to fill a job position regarding programming or designing video games, I just might be the guy for you.
As I mentioned earlier, being a Digipen student means I make games. I don't mod games, I make them. We don't use any existing game engines like Unreal or Source, we write them from the ground up. My most noteworthy accomplishment at the time of my writing this is my entry into the Tetris Online Design Challenge that recently took place at Digipen. Digipen students were eligible for submitting design ideas for a variant of Tetris. The competition was split into two rounds: The first was the design phase. Students were asked to submit a paper containing the mechanics for their Tetris variant. Only ten of these contestants were chosen to go into the second round. In the second round, students were asked to make a working prototype of their game concept. I came up with my own idea for the contest and made it through to the second round, earning $1,000 in the process. I then executed my prototype by myself in a matter of months and managed to snag third place, earning an additional $3,000. All of that money is going into tuition, but, more importantly, I have something to point at to say, "Hey, somebody likes my idea."
I'm a huge fan of game design. I have my own little philosophy regarding what makes a good game idea.
Anything can be fun if you do it right.
As you can see, the 'if' is in italics. Why would I do that? Do I just like playing with fonts? Yes and no. I do like playing with things, but that 'if' is the key to understanding how to make good games. The actual premise of the game can be ridiculous, or even boring by nature. The key is, how do you manipulate the premise in a manner that is fun? How do you do it right? Well, that really depends. The first game I created as a Freshman was a lawn mowing game. Not many people enjoy yard work, yet I picked that as my concept for a game. The player has to guide the mower across the lawn and avoid destroying flower gardens. The faster and neater the job is, the more they get paid. The player can then buy better equipment. Bigger bags allow for more grass clippings to be caught before they start being left all over the lawn and making a mess. Bigger mowers can mow the lawn in less time, but are less maneuverable. Also, many mowers are gas powered, so the player may need to refuel on a regular basis. According to my friends, that game turned out to be rather fun. After that, I decided to never turn down a game idea just because it sounds silly, it could be the next big thing.
I think I'm done crafting this particular window into my life. If you enjoyed it, great, if not, that's great too. Whether you like me or hate me, I respect your decision, and I hope you have a great life.
The first paragraph's lack of actual information is an important one. To truly understand me is to know everything about me, which is to say, I offer you no other choice. I have made a motto for myself. One that I like very much, not only because it sums up how I act perfectly, but also because it rhymes.
Always precise, never concise.
Some of you may be wondering, "Wait a minute, for a guy who is never concise, that was pretty concise." You would be exactly right, however, that is only because you haven't read this paragraph elaborating on what that actually means. When I say precise, I mean drawn out or overly descriptive. I'm not necessarily always correct in my statements, but I prefer to give as much information as possible so that my views and opinions are expressed in their entirety so as not to leave any details to the imagination. I chose the word precise, simply because it rhymes with concise, as well as supports the general idea of the message fairly well.
At this point you may be asking, "Why am I reading this?" I can't answer that for you, but I can say why I hope you are reading this. I am a student at Digipen. That means I make video games. Being a student also means I don't have a job. I would very much like to have a job making video games. If you found this blog and are looking for someone to fill a job position regarding programming or designing video games, I just might be the guy for you.
As I mentioned earlier, being a Digipen student means I make games. I don't mod games, I make them. We don't use any existing game engines like Unreal or Source, we write them from the ground up. My most noteworthy accomplishment at the time of my writing this is my entry into the Tetris Online Design Challenge that recently took place at Digipen. Digipen students were eligible for submitting design ideas for a variant of Tetris. The competition was split into two rounds: The first was the design phase. Students were asked to submit a paper containing the mechanics for their Tetris variant. Only ten of these contestants were chosen to go into the second round. In the second round, students were asked to make a working prototype of their game concept. I came up with my own idea for the contest and made it through to the second round, earning $1,000 in the process. I then executed my prototype by myself in a matter of months and managed to snag third place, earning an additional $3,000. All of that money is going into tuition, but, more importantly, I have something to point at to say, "Hey, somebody likes my idea."
I'm a huge fan of game design. I have my own little philosophy regarding what makes a good game idea.
Anything can be fun if you do it right.
As you can see, the 'if' is in italics. Why would I do that? Do I just like playing with fonts? Yes and no. I do like playing with things, but that 'if' is the key to understanding how to make good games. The actual premise of the game can be ridiculous, or even boring by nature. The key is, how do you manipulate the premise in a manner that is fun? How do you do it right? Well, that really depends. The first game I created as a Freshman was a lawn mowing game. Not many people enjoy yard work, yet I picked that as my concept for a game. The player has to guide the mower across the lawn and avoid destroying flower gardens. The faster and neater the job is, the more they get paid. The player can then buy better equipment. Bigger bags allow for more grass clippings to be caught before they start being left all over the lawn and making a mess. Bigger mowers can mow the lawn in less time, but are less maneuverable. Also, many mowers are gas powered, so the player may need to refuel on a regular basis. According to my friends, that game turned out to be rather fun. After that, I decided to never turn down a game idea just because it sounds silly, it could be the next big thing.
I think I'm done crafting this particular window into my life. If you enjoyed it, great, if not, that's great too. Whether you like me or hate me, I respect your decision, and I hope you have a great life.
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