Level 3 of the Los Angeles Film School's Game Mechanics class.

1. Level 3
David Mullich
Game Mechanics
The Los Angeles Film School

3. Mechanics
ACTION
Actual Action
of the
Mechanic
REWARD
Reward for
Executing the
Action
TRIGGER
Event that
Triggers the
Action

4. Progression
The ongoing procedures after the game’s set-
up, leading to a desired resolution.

5. Tracking Progress
 Score
 Level
 Improved/New Abilities (Gain Competence)
 Position (Race)
 Resources (Collection)

6. Game Objects
 Pick-Up
 Tool
 Power-Up
 Controller
 Charger

7. Making Progression More Meaningful
 Add a Strategic Component
 Shaping Learning Curve
 Reward Most Engaging Way To Play
 Enhance Narrative and Character
Development
 Provide Cohesion and Consistency

9. What Are Tactics?

10. Tactics
Actions carefully planned to achieve a
goal or subgoal.

11. How Is That Different From Strategy?

12. Strategy
A plan of action to achieve an overall goal.

13. Theater Of Combat

15. Units
Groups of game elements under the player’s
control that let the player perform actions to
influence the Game World.

16. Unit Design Considerations
 Actions and Attributes
 Initial Number
 Production and
Consumption
 Selection and
Tracking
 Autonomy
 Avatar Companion
 Ownership Changes
Design Analysis: Units

17. Why Designers Use Units
 Multiple Focus Loci
 Attention Swapping
 Varied Gameplay
and Tactics
 Strategic Thinking

18. Enemies
Avatars and units that hinder players trying to
complete their goals.

19. Enemy Design Considerations
 Number
 Placement
 Abilities and
Attributes
 Tactics to
Overcome or Evade
Design Analysis: Enemy

20. Why Designers Use Enemies
 Movement and Maneuvering Hazards
 Competition and Threat
 Balance Difficulty
 Overcome and Evade Goals

21. Goal Hierarchy Involving Enemies
1. Series of Duels
2. Learn Enemy’s Identity or Achilles Heal
3. Find Tools For Defeating
4. Defeat Henchmen
5. ??????

22. Bosses
A more powerful enemy that players must
overcome to reach certain goals in the game.

23. Boss Design Considerations
 High-Level Goal or Main Goal?
 How Is It Defeated?
 Difficulty

24. Why Designers Use Bosses
 Structure Progress
 Balances Levels
 Antagonists For Narrative

25. Strategic Locations
Areas in the game world that give advantages
to the players controlling them.

26. What Types Of Locations Are
Strategic?

27. Examples of Strategic Locations
 Pick-Ups
 Power-Ups
 Chargers
 Controllers
 Safe Havens
 Resource
Generators
 Spawn Points
 Choke Points

28. Explicit vs. Implicit
Explicit
 Strategic objects permanently placed
Implicit
 Strategic objects nearby
 Strategic objects placed randomly

29. Strategic Location Design
Considerations
 What Makes Location Strategic?
 Explicit or Implicit

30. Why Designers Use Strategic
Locations
 Memorization For Strategic Knowledge
 Area Control
 Balances Player Actions (especially
Combat)
 Supports Traverse, Gain Information, Gain
Ownership, Reconnaissance, Exploration,
and Guard Goals

32. Combat
Actions where the intent is to eliminate or
otherwise overcome opponents.

33. Avatars vs. Units Combat
Avatars
 Fighting Games or RPGs
 Tools and Improved/New Abilities
 Combo Actions
 Health Points, balanced by Lives, Stuns,
Forced Retreats, Resistances
Units
 Strategy Games
 Attention Swapping and Privileged
Abilities
 Collaborative Actions
 Damage Points, balanced by Achilles
Heels and Strategic Locations

34. Turn-Based vs. Real-Time Combat
Turn-Based
 Budgeted Action
Points
Real-Time
 Dexterity-Based
Actions and Timing

35. Combat Design Considerations
 Avatars or Units?
 Turn-based or Real-time?
 Attack Success (Blocking)
 Lives or Damage?
 Damage Amount (Reduction)
 Information about Enemy/Boss
 Randomness

36. Why Designers Use Combat
 Conflict
 Tension
 Supports Eliminate, Overcome, and
Capture Goals

38. Limited Set of Actions
Players can only have a few actions to
choose from.

39. Limited Actions Design
Considerations
 Actions Available
 Focus Loci
 Play Modes
Design Analysis:
Limited Ability
Considerations

40. Why Designers Use Limited Set Of
Actions
 Balance Complexity
 Balance Units or Teams (through Privileged
Ability losses)
 Strategic Planning
Dangers:
 Limits Freedom of Choice
 Analysis Paralysis (especially with high
Penalties)

41. Decreased Abilities
Player’s chance of succeeding with, or the
effect of, an action is decreased.

42. Decreased Abilities Design
Considerations
 Ability Decreased
 Cause of Decrease
 Type of Descrease
 Direct: Ability Attributes
 Indirect: Resource
Availability
 Consequences of
Decrease
 Chance to Succeed
 Effect
Design Analysis: Decreased Ability

43. Why Designers Use Decreased
Abilities
 Penalty
 Balancing Difficulty, Complexity, Players,
Characters, Skills, Units
Warning! Limits:
 Freedom of Choice
 Chance to Succeed
 Illusion of Influence

44. Ability Losses
The loss of ability to perform an action in a
game.

45. Ability Loss Design Considerations
 Ability Lost
 Cause of Loss
 Effect of Loss
 Length of Loss
Design Analysis: Ability Loss

46. Why Designers Use Ability Losses
 Penalty
 Limiting Actions
 Play Modes
 Varied Gameplay
 Balances Players
 Supports Gain Competency Goal
 Supports Gain Ownership of Tools
Warning:
 Restricts Freedom of Choice
 Promotes Downtime

47. Asymmetric Abilities
When players or game elements do not have
all the same actions available.

48. Asymmetric Ability Design
Considerations
 Focus Loci
 Explicit
 Privileged Abilities
 Implicit
 Asymmetric Resource
Distribution
 Asymmetric
Information
 Game Mastery
Design Analysis: Assymmetric
Ability

49. Why Designers Use Asymmetric
Abilities
 Varied Gameplay
 Replayablity
 Team Play (Collaboration, Negotiation)
 Balances Gain Competence Goals

50. Asymmetric Play
Extra Credits: Can One Game Cater To Many Play Styles?

51. What Was The Main Message Of This
Video?

52. Weak vs. Strong Asymmetry
Weak Asymmetry
 Players share some game mechanics
 Great for fostering teamwork
 Abilities to use together should be obvious
 Requires signals for when to use abilities
Strong Asymmetry
 Few or no shared game mechanics
 Requires strong team communication skills
 Better for varied gameplay within same boundary

54. Overcome
Defeat an opposing force in a test, or series of
tests, involving attributes or performance of low-
level actions.

55. Overcome Tests
 Combat
 Timing
 Rhythm-Based Actions
 Dexterity-Based Actions
 Memorization
 Negotiation
 Puzzle-Solving
 Luck

56. Overcome Goal Design
Considerations
 Who does the player compete against?
 Type of Tests
 Complexity of Tests
 Difficulty of Tests
 Are Ties Allowed?

57. Why Designers Use Overcome Goals
 Conflict
 Combat
 Competition
 Prevents Eliminate Goals

58. Evade
Avoid being captured or hit.

59. Evade Design Considerations
 Enemies to be evaded
 Penalties for failure to evade
 Role-reversal?

60. Why Designers Use Evade Goals
 Conflict
 Prevents Capture Goals
 Supports Traverse and Delivery Goals

61. Choose one of the following games to play:
OVERCOME
 Carcassonne (2-5p, 45m)
 China (3-5p, 45m)
EVADE
 Emerald (2-5p, 45m)
 Fearsome Floors (2-7, 45m)

62. Group Quest
Design an analog game prototype using
mechanics supporting one of the following goals:
 Overcome
 Evade

64. Aim and Shoot
The act of taking aim at something and then
shooting it.

65. Aim and Shoot Design
Considerations
 Turn-based or Real-Time?
 Perspective
 First-Person: Fairly easy, unless there is movement
 Third-Person: Movement of Focus Loci is necessary
for view of target
 God’s View: Difficult, due to lack of Spatial
Immersion
 Missile Speed and Range
 Moving Target or Shooter
 Tools or Resources Required

66. Why Designers Use Aim and Shoot
 Movement
 Spatial Immersion
 Balances Resources and Tools
 Supports Combat with Capture, Evade or
Eliminate Goals

67. Dexterity-Based Actions
Actions where success or failure depends on
some form of dexterity, usually hand-eye
coordination.

68. Dexterity-Based Action Design
Considerations
 Action
 Response Time

69. Why Designers Use Dexterity-Based
Actions
 Spatial Immersion
 Sensory-Motoric Immersion
 Game Mastery

70. What Determines Response Time For A
Dexterity-Based Aim & Shoot Mechanic?

71. Boss Battle Ahead!
There will be a test on Levels 1-3 the next
time we meet!

72. Design an Aim & Shoot mechanic on the
LMS.