forkable-game-design/systems

Game Systems

Game systems are pretty loose. Separated below are a few approaches. Choose the best fit for your project and thought process. You may wish to cascade these approaches down more granularly to in-game objects, obstacles, and AIs.

GMTK Definition

Game Maker's Toolkit uses this approach to describe a game system, which is still general while being more geared towards games. I've adapted it mildly to fit it in with the GOTE approach, since it is fairly compatible.

Fail State

What are the criteria that define a fail state? Timer running down? HP going to zero?

Obstacles

What are the obstacles that push the player towards that fail state? Hesitation? Enemies?

Tactics

What are the tactics/methods that can be employed to overcome those obstacles? Moving quickly? Moving accurately? Acquiring bandages?

Win State / Goal

What is the win state? What is the desired outcome? High amount of time left? No damage?

Functional Definition

The foundation of any system, generally, is a function of input and output. Between is a process, a set of operations that take the input and present an output.

Input

How will the player interact with the game? Keyboard, mouse, joystick? What kind of actions will the player be able to perform? Walking, running, shooting, jumping, attacks, combo moves, etc?

Process

How will the player interactions be processed? As movement, aiming, or shooting? How will actions cascade through the game world?

Output

What kind of reactions will the system generate? What happens when a player collides with another entity? Will platforms fall when walked on? Will enemies get knocked back on attack? Will enemies need to respond to the actions of other enemies?