Blog Archives

Fibonacci Game Design

Use the fibonacci sequence to design simple, clean systems that people will find pleasantly compelling.

The Art of Boss Design

Great boss fights come from good planning, so learn how to plan correctly.

Boss Design and the Principles of Animation

There is no truer test of the combat designer than a boss.

What Makes Combat Fun

Learn what makes combat fun through the analysis of goals, intentions, and constraints.

 

August 15, 2011

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Defining The Gap

“Nothing moves forward in a story except through conflict.” – Robert McKee

Game: the Verbing Noun

I have worked on five games in the past six years. I have written countless word documents, set up countless excel files, modeled levels, written code, and even drawn a few maps; but I cannot show you any of this.

Predictably Irrational Game Design

Thoughts and practical applications of the wonderful ideas presented in Predictably Irrational.

Pacing Graphs And Proper Communication

Pacing Graphs are not just for you, and they are not just for other designers; they are for the entire team, and that means that they require meaningful context, game wide consistency, and clean communication. This means that you must construct your Pacing Graph a certain way, and it must match in style and meaning to the guy two cubicles to your left. The following will help you to overcome two major mistakes: a lack of clarity, and failing to recognize the difference between combat and cerebral tasks.

Depth vs Breadth in Combat Design: An Interactive Visualization

An interactive visualization of depth versus breadth in fighting games

My Personal Philosophy On Handling Negative Reviews

If negative reviews make you angry, then you didn’t work hard enough on what you created