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Design for Longevity

In the realm of game design, it's vital to engage players continuously. This presentation by Sara Jensen Schubert at the 2008 ION Game Conference explores vital components of content management and infrastructure systems in gaming. It emphasizes the necessity of data-driven technical design, effective scripting, and quality data storage. By standardizing workflows and utilizing databases, designers can enhance maintainability and develop creatures and features more efficiently. Learn how to keep players invested through consistent updates and a streamlined design process.

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Design for Longevity

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  1. Design for Longevity Sara Jensen Schubert Senior Designer, Spacetime Studios 2008 ION Game Conference

  2. Players get bored and quit without frequent updates. You can’t depend on code features to fill out patch notes. You will have neither the money nor the time to do what you want to do. Live team truths

  3. Mobs, items, abilities, quests, NPCs, zones … everything that supports content. INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS

  4. Designer scripting. Write a script to modify your other scripts: if (/\s*sound\s*=\s*fire.wav/i) { … } Or use your fancy form-based tool … … over and over and over and over again. Or browse your database. Select, filter, enter down the list. Or update your standard. Change one file. Done. Data Maintenance Options

  5. Data-driven technical design. Quality data storage. Database-style tools. KEYS TO MAINTAINABILITY

  6. Start by thinking of your workflow. Technical design

  7. What do I need to define a creature? • Name • Level • Appearance: mesh and skeleton • Sound • Health and health regeneration • Damage range • Special flags like whether or not it’s “elite” • AI info – casting behavior, aggro radius, etc. • Spells to cast • How much gold it drops • Loot table

  8. Super Awesome Form-Based Tool Name Mesh Level Skeleton Health Sounds Damage Save Gold Leaving out some fields, of course …

  9. But what do I really need to define a creature? • Name • Level • Appearance (including sound) • Special flags like “elite” • One of several standardized AI packages • Spells to cast

  10. Start by thinking of your workflow. Standardize. Only customize data that really needs to be unique. TECHNICAL DESIGN

  11. Start by thinking of your workflow. Standardize. Only customize data that really needs to be unique. Customize by combining small pieces. Small pieces take little code. TECHNICAL DESIGN

  12. Don’t maintain multiple copies of the same data. Name stuff well. Use XML. Source control each entity separately. Data storage

  13. Use a database. It lets you survey the whole data set. It exposes errors. It makes it easy to compare things. tools

  14. Use a database. It lets you survey the whole data set. It exposes errors. It makes it easy to compare things. It’s efficient. TOOLS

  15. caster melee melee caster

  16. Data-driven technical design. Quality data storage. Database-style tools. KEYS TO MAINTAINABILITY

  17. Email: sjensenschubert@gmail.com Blog: http://www.lietcam.com Questions?

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