GameSalad Weekend Intensive

18
Game Creation for Everyone. GameSalad Weekend Seminar January 2012 Billy Garretsen, Manager Game Development [email protected] Monday, January 30, 12

description

January 2012 GameSalad's Billy Garretsen, Manager Game Development taught us how to build a game and publish it to our fav iOS, Android platforms. Ck out UW Bothell Center for Serious Play: http://uwbcsp.com/

Transcript of GameSalad Weekend Intensive

Page 1: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

Game Creation for Everyone.

GameSalad Weekend SeminarJanuary 2012

Billy Garretsen, Manager Game [email protected]

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 2: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar2

INTRODUCTIONS• What is GameSalad?• A little background on Billy Garretsen

Session 1 Overview

GAME DESIGN PRIMER• Why are we all here?• The core components of a game

GAMESALAD• General UI Discussion• Actors and Scenes• Behaviors and Attributes• Advanced: Custom Attributes• Tables• Advanced: Expressions

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 3: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar

What is GameSalad?

3

TOOL OVERVIEW• Logic-based• Drag & Drop functionality• No coding or programming• Uses logic & mathematical

expressions

BENEFITS• Rapid prototyping• Test out gameplay• Free to use• Easy to learn• Test live on the device as

you go

PLATFORMS• iOS• Android• Mac Desktop• HTML5

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 4: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar

A Little About Billy Garretsen

4

CURRENT TITLE• GameSalad: Manager, Game Development• Head of internal Game Team One

EDUCATION• BA Studio Art, University of Texas at Austin

2004

INDEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT• Made first publicly released game at age 19• Formed Perfect Dork Studios LLC in 2007• Contributed development and art services for

Wii, Xbox360, PSHome, iOS, Android, PC and Mac titles

• Experience with multiple game development platforms such as Torque, Unity and Unreal

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT• Spent 7 years designing and illustrating

casino games for Multimedia Games, Inc.• Have shipped over 50 titles and hold a

number of gaming patents (pending) CREDITED ROLES TO DATE• Director• Designer• Art Direction• Illustration & Animation• Music Composer

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 5: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar

Why Are We Here?

5

WE LOVE PLAYING GAMESWE LOVE SOLVING PROBLEMS

WE LOVE SHARING IDEAS

WE LOVE EXPRESSIVE TECHNOLOGIES

BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT GAMES ULTIMATELY DRIVES US TO BECOMING

GREAT GAME MAKERS.

WE LOVE INTERACTIONWE LOVE ART & MUSIC

WE LOVE LEARNING

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 6: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar

The Core Components of A Game

6

A DRASTIC SIMPLIFICATION OF WHAT MAKES A GAME:

GRAPHICS• The visual representation

of game mechanics• Reinforcement of positive

or negative game feedback

AUDIO• Aural feedback/cues and

reinforcement of game mechanics

• Often used as the emotional backbone

Recommended Reading:

The Art of Game Design - A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell

GAME MECHANICS• The actual activity the

player is engaged in from moment to moment

• Can be emotionally driven. Games can encourage, taunt, frustrate and satisfy

“Elemental Tetrad” (Schell)

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 7: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar

GameSalad Concepts

7

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 8: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar

GameSalad Interface

8

LAUNCH SCREEN• Select new or existing

projects• Open templates and

tutorials

SCENE SELECTION• Add new scenes to the game• Rearrange existing scenes• Rename scenes

ACTOR EDITOR• Add behaviors, rules, notes,

and groups to the actor• Edit attributes, images• Add new attributes

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 9: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar

BREAK FOR LUNCH!

9

CAFFEINE• Try Coffee or Tea• Limit your Sodas• Don’t overdo it

A QUICK WORD ON DEVELOPER FITNESS

SNACKS• Try and handful of nuts

or dried fruit• Chips and candy will

slow you down

SESSION 2 BEGINS AT 1PM

YOUR BRAIN & BODY NEED TO STAY FIT

EXERCISE• Doesn’t take much• Get up and stretch once

and in a while• Good circulation keeps

you focused

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 10: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar10

ELEMENT 1: Core Theme and Mechanics• The Design Process• High Level Objectives• Reinforcement of theme

Session 2 - Let’s Design a Game!

ELEMENT 2: Presentation• Different views for different genres• Technical considerations based on POV

ELEMENT 3: Planning Ahead• Thought maps and flow charts are great!• Understanding how it all fits together

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 11: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar11

The Design Process• Anything can inspire a game• Imitation is sometimes the best way to learn• It is easier to change direction early on• Ask a lot of questions - explore a lot of options

Core Theme and Mechanics

High Level Objectives• What is the meat versus what are the potatoes?• Hammering down the handful of game mechanics that define

your game vision• Genre, control schemes, etc• Think broadly within your constraints...leave a little wiggle room

Reinforcement of Theme• Begin understanding that everything in your game should

tie into and reinforce your central vision• Includes visuals, audio, level design

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 12: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar12

Different views for different genres• How will the player experience your vision?• Genre and Point of View• Scale as an emotional and communication tool

Presentation

Technical Considerations based on POV• Understanding that some genres are more intense

than others design and development wise• Static Camera versus scrolling• Top Down vs. Flat Side Scrolling vs. Multiplanar

Side Scrolling...• Room-by-room exploration vs. Open World

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 13: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar13

Thought Maps and Flow Charts• Gathering your ideas

visually is a great way to organize all of your individual thoughts into a cohesive design

• Thought Maps allow you to take the elements of your design and categorize them in a hierarchy that will make your flow charts and engine easier to create

• You’ve probably seen Flow Charts before. They are the visual representation of what will ultimately be your game logic with an emphasis on order and dependencies

Planning Ahead - EVERYTHING is Connected

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 14: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar14

Collaborative Design Exercises

EXERCISE 1: GOAL: Create a Thought Map

& General Flow Chart as a group

EXERCISE 2:GOAL: Translate Flow Chartinto logic using GameSalad

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 15: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar15

Jump Right In

For the rest of today’s session you will be working on your own original design and

implementation using GameSalad.

GameSalad associates will be available for Q&A and assistance if you get stuck!

Tomorrow we will review your work and offer critique. Afterwards we will go through a few

more goal-driven design challenges before wrapping up at noon.

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 16: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar16

DESIGN CHALLENGE 1 30 Minutes• Build a scrolling top down shooter• Key Components: Keyboard Input, scene wrap, actor spawning

Session 3 Design Challenges

DESIGN CHALLENGE 230 Minutes• Build a point-and-click navigation game• Key Components: Device Attributes, Constraints and Move To Behavior

DESIGN CHALLENGE 360 Minutes• Build a basic side scrolling platformer with jumping and platforms• Key Components: Game Attributes, Keyboard Input, Collision, Velocity

ONE on ONE REVIEWS and Q&A60 Minutes (Optional Attendance)• Review any work from previous session and field individual questions

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 17: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

GameSalad - Confidential Game Development Seminar17

In Closing

GAME DESIGN IS AN ART AND A SCIENCE• Play Games...IT’S RESEARCH!• Make games as often as you can with any tool you can...even pen & paper• Study other designer’s documents. Don’t design in a bubble.

GAMESALAD AS A DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM• Unrivaled in speed and accessibility• Prototype your ideas faster to find out if they are fun• Great for the transition from student to professional.

DESIGNER EXPERIENCE IS CUMULATIVE• Good game designers usually have a number of years or titles under

their belt. Each project will teach you something new you can take into the next one to make it better/faster/bigger

PATIENCE WITH A CAPITAL P• You will probably fail more times than you succeed and that is

normal. As long as you can assess your ideas objectively and learn from your design choices (good and bad) you will come out on top

• Don’t ever give up! Games are AWESOME!

Monday, January 30, 12

Page 18: GameSalad Weekend Intensive

Thank you for attending!

Questions? Comments? Contact us at:[email protected]@gamesalad.com

Monday, January 30, 12