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>> PRODUCT REVIEWS SOFTIMAGE XSI 6.5 * DECODA 1.07 FEBRUARY 2008 T H E L E A D I N G G A M E I N D U S T R Y M A G A Z I N E >> WAVE-O-LUTION >>TOUGH IT OUT >> MMO MONEY, MMO PROBLEMS A PRIMER ON MASSIVE UNLOCK THE POWER OF COMMUNITY MANAGERS TELL INTERACTIVE SURF HARD MODES IN GAMES YOU WHAT THEY REALLY DO POSTMORTEM: RATCHET & CLANK FUTURE: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION 00880022ggdd__ccoovveerr__vvIIbbss..iinndddd 11 11//2255//0088 77::0077::1177 PPMM B:8 in T:7.75 in S:6.75 in Using Autooddeesskk®® HumanIK® mmiiddddllee-- ware, Ubisoofftt Autodesk® grounded tthhee MotionBuilder™ assassin inn hhiiss software enabled In Assassin’s Creed, 12th centuryy bboooottss the assassin to Ubisoft used and his run--ttiimmee fl uidly jump Autodesk® 3ds Max® environmenntt.. from rooftops to software to create cobblestone a hero character so streets with ease. real you can almost feel the coarseness of his tunic. S:9.5 in T:10.5 in B:10.75 in HOW UBISOFT GAVE AN ASSASSIN HIS SOUL. autodesk.com/Games IIImmmmmaaaaaggggggeeeeee cccoooouurttteesyy ooff UUUbbbiiissooffftt Autodesk, MotionBuilder, HumanIK and 3ds Max are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. © 2007 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. Job # 07.M&E.131 - Mech A Description 3ds Max ad Last Modifi ed 7/11/07 5:09 PM User/Prev. User Chad Kukahiko / Noel Espiritu Fonts Location Client Autodesk Art Director D. Lee Kievit (Medium, Regular, Italic; Type 1), Helvetica (Me- WD | Chad Bleed 8 in x 10.75 in L Studio Artist N. Espiritu dium; Type 1) DocuColor 240 E SETUP GTuLrtiitvmeer 76N..o77n55e iinn xx 190.5.5 i nin PERSONN ACcocpoyu nTWtr aMriftfige crr SAS... SSGahoueunrwlddeinrs CONTENT LLps14d__ HA(CaDMloSYoKnK.We;p i4sr 5e(38.t8 ipf7 p(KCi;B M1).,Y2 PLMKl1aB;_c 3Ue; 4d2C0 1GM .p7rpaA9ip%;_h 7A)ic,9s sL.s4a1Ms_sSBink;W e8l8eirt%eofn)r,_a me. CYeylalnow, , MI nBaklgsaecnkta, thicker.psd (CMYK; 805 ppi; 1.0MB; 8.94%), L1_HIK. Publication Game Developer Bonus Sigraph Issue (Jul 11) Production V. Speiser psd (CMYK; 554 ppi; 4.4MB; 12.97%), L1_Assassin.psd Print Scale100% ROUND 12 / FINAL (CMYK; 754 ppi; 117.3MB; 19.87%), L2_Ubisoft_2.eps Southern 8432 Culver City FILE NAME: Ind01B_07.M&E.131A_3dsMax.indd Californa Steller California JOB NO CLIENT DESCRIPTION IMAGESETTER SCREEN PROOF # DATE TIME OPERATOR 707147 Wong Doody Autodesk 3ds Max Ad Fuji 133 3 07-12-07 7:25 PM jbg Graphics Drive 90232 BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW [CONTENTS] FEBRUARY 2008 VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 FEATURES 6 DIFFICULTY IS DIFFICULT If done well, difficulty can make a game quite addictive. If done poorly, the game can become an abject failure for consumers. This design article dissects various elements of difficulty tuning, and proposes potential solutions. By Daniel Boutros 14 BIG WAVES Game Developer has featured articles on water before, but never massive, interactive waves. Building off a primer for general in- game water creation, this technical piece shows practical techniques for the creation, 6 smoothing, and perfection of big waves in- game, as seen in Ubisoft's SURF'S UP. By Adi Bar-Lev 27 COMMUNITY ROUNDTABLE Community management straddles the line 32 between developer and fanbase, and as a 14 result is often misunderstood. Herein, your questions are answered by community professionals, as their jobs become more POSTMORTEM important to game development. By April Burba, Christian Schuett, Jonathan Hanna, Richard Weil, Sean Dahlberg, and Victor Wachter 32 RATCHET & CLANK FUTURE: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION 27 RATCHET & CLANK was Insomniac's second PlayStation 3 game, and 42 HALO 3 DIFFICULTY Q&A indeed one of the first second-generation PS3 titles period. From scope woes to preproduction pitfalls, this postmortem illuminates some of the Continuing the difficulty discussion, Dan process behind this "second party" development cycle. Boutros speaks to HALO 3 gameplay designer Francois Boucher-Genesse. By John Fiorito By Daniel Boutros DEPARTMENTS COLUMNS 2 GAME PLAN By Brandon Sheffield 51 THE INNER PRODUCT By Mick West [PROGRAMMING] One Love, One Format Collaborative Game Editing 4 HEADS UP DISPLAY 56 PIXEL PUSHER By Steve Theodore [ART] 2007 NPD numbers, Concrete Games closes, IndieGames blog, The Free Tote Bag Gig and more. 63 GAME SHUI By Noah Falstein [DESIGN] 44 TOOL BOX By Carey Chico and Brian A. Stone Multiple Variations on a Single Theme Softimage's XSI 6.5, Unknown Worlds' Decoda 1.07, and product news. 65 AURAL FIXATION By Jesse Harlin [SOUND] Beyond the Button Press 96 BUSINESS LEVEL By Marty Poulin [BUSINESS] The Next Internet Gaming Wave COVER ART: INSOMNIAC ART TEAM WWW.GDMAG.COM 1 00880022ggdd__ttoocc__vvIIjjff..iinndddd 11 11//2255//0088 77::1111::1155 PPMM [GAME PLAN] wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww......ggggggddddddmmmmmmaaaaaagggggg......ccccccoooooommmmmm CCCCCCMMMMMMPP MMPPPPee ddMMMMiiaa,,eeee 66dddd0000iiii HHaaaaaa,,,,rr rr6666iiss0000oonn0000 SS HHHHtt..,, aaaa66ttrrrrhh rrrrFFlliiii..ssss,, SSooooaannnnnn FF SSSSrraattttnn....cc,,,,iiss 6666ccootttt,, hhhhCCAA FFFF 9944llll11....00,,,, 77 tt:: 441155..994477..66000000 ff:: 441155..994477..66009900 SSSSSSaaaaUUnnnnBB SSFFFFCCrrrrRRaaaaIInnnnPPccccTTiiiiIIssssOOccccNNoooo ,,,,SS CCCCEERRAAAAVV 9999IICC4444EE1111SS00007777 ttttFF::::OO 4444RR1111 5555IINN....9999FF4444OO7777RR....MM6666AA0000TT0000II0000OO NN ffff,,:::: OO4444RR1111DD5555EE....9999RR4444 QQ7777UU....6666EE0000SS9999TT0000IIOO NNSS,, AANNDD AADDDDRREESSSS CCHHAANNGGEESS S S SSUUUUtt::BBBB 88SSSS00CCCC00RRRR..22IIIIPP55PPTT00TTIIII..OO22OO44NNNN22 SSSS99EEEE RRffRR::V V88VVII44IICCCC77EEEE..77SSSS6633..99660066 ee:: ggaammeeddeevveellooppeerr@@hhaallllddaattaa..ccoomm FEFEFFOODDOORIIRRRTT OOIIIINNNNRRFFFFIIAAOOOOLLRRRRMMMMAAAATTTTIIIIOOOONNNN,,,, O OOORRRRDDDDEEEERRRR QQ QQUUUUEEEESSSSTTTTIIOOIIOONNNNSSSS,, ,,AA AANNNNDDDD AA AADDDDDDDDRRRREEEESSSSSS SS CC CCHHHHAANNAANNGGGGEESSEESS ONE LOVE, EE DDtSSttt::::iiII 8mm888TTOO0000ooRR0000nn--.... 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Plus, now your game that AAADDDSMHBCBCHHtllVVVrraaaiiieaacnnIIIlllvSdd SSk ttBBBeooO OOBBWaaann RTRRuurrr ehKKwYwwllYYkkseee oBoolltBBoiiee ttoooO dOOhhyymdddAo AA w R rNHNH RR eDDDDeiieeDD gge seevvshhsteesst @ihrrMMiigggssengoooonnoooedffeedttnnrmrr-o-- [email protected] be one hell of a job. A recent blog post from David the publisher told you to make “more like GTA” is ADERREEVyylllllleIeeaaSnnnnnO LLGGGReeuuuYssooo ssBnnneeO rrBBB A e eeRHHeeeDaammmrrmmaaanoonn nn ii MMMxxiiicccrrrooosssooofffttt Jaffe said “I’ve yet to have a good argument from now competing against all the other games that HBMMBBarrraaaaalrr dddkkB aBDDBBreeuuuwLLlllkkkooollluuoeeerrdyyyaa D NNNUUeebbeesviivvssiegeeoorrrnffssstteooorf-fftattt-Large ECCClllliliiennnntttooo Gnnnu KKKoeeeniii tttBhhhe e HHHmiiigggahhhn M MM Mooooioocnnnr oS SSstttuouudfddtioiioosss atrnuyeo tnhea t.. .m aoss tto r weahcyt iao nssin hgalev ec oonnslyo ldei sisc uwsrsoendg .w” Iht’ys pGuTAb.l iOsfh ceorsu rtsoeld, tdheivse mloepaenrss ttoh amt aink eg emnoerrea ll,i kgeam es DDAADDBCIIRMRMRMRRVVlryyyaaaiEEaEEnaaarrrCCdRRtkkknnnoTT TT B OODDDnLLLIIuSSRRee eeeeKlIILs LLsskNNOOesossoolGGFFieeuteeuu hySSrSSrrrrr a AAAAaa HLLLLNH HH EEEEUaieUUaagSSSSrbvrrbbhm mmeiiis ssMroooosoonofnnofftiottfiixxxtn Studios it’s not possible. 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Where will their market go if they But maybe this is also a way to circumvent the CSDDVSAAAAEEPSSMUUIIRR,SSNNDD PEESIIIISSII OCCTOGEETTRTTRRNNAAAOOA M NNCCVVRRTTTEEPEPE ,, MMMM G DD GGTaaAAIEEERACrrNNCVVOyyM MAAEEH UGGEGGALLNPrr,EEROO iiODffRRffKPPLOii nnMMEJJOB ooT EEGeeBIhhNNN::Y’ nnSmm GTTI ,SSN kkI llMCeeNggssrrMOiiiciiffnnVIhff iissAGennkkTRl@@eOii O ccReeMUmm::S aPjj ssppGg ll ..ueePRccssooihOriimmeinnUlisspPkk C iiP@@hhccaimmplipnpp i..Cccchkooammpnick don’t have platforms to define them? money? Maybe having one large console space GGLLGGIIRRRRSSOOOOTT UUUURRPPPPEE NN DDDDTTIIIIAARRRRLLEEEE CCCCMMTTTTeeOOOOrrRRRRiitt DD CCKKiiaaarrarreettoocchhllttyyyy LLnn SSLL GGccCChiih rr ttoooo::uubb 99axxa11 cc 44eekk..::33 cc66gg88iirr..11oo00uuxx00@@00ccmmpp..ccoomm This sounds crazy, but bear with me. Think would mean the smallest games can actually DDIIRREECCTTOORR MMaarryy GGrriiffffiinn ee:: mmkkggrriiffffiinn@@ccmmpp..ccoomm aMbaojeust ctoh ea nDdS gmoat rikne ut nridgehrt t nhoew w. iUren lwesitsh yCoOuO’KreIN G gatette nnotitoicne odf, tbheec eanutsiere t hgeaym’vineg g poot pthuela pcoet. ential AGDAGDICICLLAANNUUIIMMRSSRIMMISSRTTRDSSDOOPPaaEETTEEIIIUI Urr RRSSETTERRCCiiooPPNNTTEENNTTEE AA CCSSOAAODDCCNNNNaaTTHHRRIIEETTRIIRllTTNNOOii AA nn DEDE KMOOMMNNLLaaCCEErLLa AAssAA TiTVVOOMMsLLr OONN EEytttGG eeLLRR::iAALL YYGrrII66C GGOOCC ii K55rCuMMttEEEEPPi aa00fnDDAANNRRMMfrt..niiiNNoh55SS nrrEE ily11eeAAJJIIyn NNNN 33 ooGGccenHgGGTT..tthhEE: 44heG mLLnnMMIIn22aiNNrLL 33rmEEoSSkFFyCC44NNugllOO ee xrTTe ettRRssffi ::::: f: eMMii kf9966nnk:ih [email protected] cr onNNyee11m66ui@33::88n [email protected] [email protected]::oc mmiimm@@sspccaa.mmllciinnoppaam..sscc@@oommccmmpp..ccoomm MAMA, or Ubisoft with PETZ games, releasing a LPPAIINNIRRSSTTSEETEEISS SRRRIITDDENNAEENAANNNTTTTTTAII OO MLAANN NNA MAADDNLLe ACCr GLLEEitIIEOO CCDR SSEEir ttNN eeeJSScovveetIIhNN LnWWGGL SeeC IIiilNN tte zztsFF:nn iOO9nee1RRrrs 4kMM.i3 AA e6TT:II8 [email protected] DothcSee tyait’nrlee— ibnnig ot obedonadoyyu’ sgw hmi ltla onr omkteaitck eies y lwiokauevr ectresya! irWnsgh u ainntlt eaos basinz arre AWrehNleaatAs iifRn MgCi ctHhroeYsmo IfetNv de irdTynH W’t Eegda tnGee AtshdMea ygEa?mS WPeosuA oldCn i EtX bBeL A, ISSESSESSILCPCPNNEEEEEEIXXRRMeMMMeMcMcSTTNNNNNNEE:mm:EEaTaPP aaE EmmCCIIIIII SSrrOOOOOOrrR RppRUUiTTiiiIIsosoRRRRRRoo..NNEDDEETTccaa SNIISAASSooVVVVVVCCEElVVlaaTiTiPPPPPPaammTNNHHnEEnI,,,,lIlA lli OiAAOTTa NNaiiACAC nVVnLnn NNsNsNUUOOAAMMPPaa aa @@DDNNAMDD sAsLLPPssAA L L OOIIcDDGGc NNe EEII tt ttmmNNGGEErLL: DD:NN::CC i 6NNTTI6ItYY 66ppCCCEECCC EE55EE D55..EEMMEFFEOOcGGc00RRi00 OONoNorMM RRAA..AASSe..55m mSSNNAA55AAAALLttc11eeIITTdd11RR AA t NNCC33 EEvvaa33 KKGGLOOGG..DDeemm44..EELEE44UU I2IWW2MMCTT MMN22NNNMM3II3 AAeeNN33 FSSFEEaat44RRii:44GGEEOOrrNNtt dd9KK zz LL RRff&&TT ee1:ffEEnn :SSM M ::rr4 66TTee DDaa66A5.A5IIrrnnEE3NN55 TT00ddVV6GG00II..OOrrEE855 ..aaSS55LLNN1.1 1OOGGOO11330LLrr33PP..aa4UU40..MMyy444TT04ssEE44II88OOooNN8822nnNNTT22 SS BB JJeeiillooll:: ssAAmmeemmssppsshhaatt lluuBBiinnttrrzzaaaa uussee@@ metaphor that turned out to be. Anyway, Nintendo as easy for your game to make a splash? Would CSSCEEEEMMXXNNEEPPIICC OOTTUURREETT CCVVIIHVVHPP,,EENN CC OOVVOOPPLLRROO PPAAGGOONNYYRRDD AAMM CCTTAAEEFFNN OOMMAA AAAAGGRRddEEaaKKMMmmEEEETT NNIIMMNNTTaaGGrr ddLLiieessrraa JJoohhnnssoonn just conquered 2007 with both of its consoles, anyone be able to find it? CPSSPPEEHRRRNNEAEEIIISSSOORIIIRRDDDM EVVEEANPPNNN,,T TT CCD ,,AOO aCCNRRvHHDPPidAA OOC NNLRREeNNAAOvEETT iEESLLn t SSeGGAAvRRLLeOOEE WUUSS ePPAAi nntRRznnooneebbe MMeerrr aattrr iiFFeeaa MMlleeiittllllrreeaarr and of course, what do you see on the best- That’s what I’m not sure of. Thinking about the CPSSEPPEERHRRXPPNNEEaaIEEEIIuuCSSSOOFIllUIIRR D DDMMFT EVVEEIIiiNVllNPPNNlleeE,,AT TTMMrr N,,,V CAACCCPMNNIMM AAUUPPPNLFF BDOAATTUCC EEFCTTSCCFFUUIIHHONCRRNN EEAIINNOORSdGGLLaS S OO mMMTcGGEoaa MCtYYrrtii aHee IIMNNr NMMdoNNOeyyzOOrLeeaVVOrrrssAAsGTTkYOOy GRRRSSO GGURRPOO TUUoPPn y Uphoff sellers list for DS and Wii? Nintendo games. 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How many companies cited the “HALO that a unified console or standard just doesn’t VP, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Patrick Brennan 3 effect” when explaining their poor numbers? work with our existing publishing and funding Gamers can’t necessarily afford to buy HALO 3 and models. If we want to move to a single format, two other games in a given month. But right now, we’ve got to change that first. some consumers don’t have a 360—and they - Brandon Sheffield Game Developer is BPA approved Game Developer 2 FEBRUARY 2008 | GAME DEVELOPER WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW............CCCCCCCCCCCCMMMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPPPPGGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEE............CCCCCCCCCCCCOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM 00880022ggdd__ggaammeeppllaann__vvIIjjff..iinndddd 22 11//2255//0088 77::1100::2200 PPMM morpheme-ad.eps 13/12/2007 17:08:48 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K [HEADS UP DISPLAY] GOT NEWS? SEND US THE BIG SCOOP AT [email protected] 2007 SEES RECORD GAME SALES $4.8 BILLION IS A LOT OF MONEY, Dollar Sales Dec. 2006 Dec. 2007 Annual 2006 Annual 2007 but believe it or not that was the game industry’s total revenue for Video Games Total $3.77 billion $4.82 billion $12.53 billion $17.94 billion December 2007, up 28% over last year, according to the NPD Group. Hardware Total $1.57 billion $1.83 billion $4.58 billion $7.04 billion The charts below show a strong Christmas season with $1.83 billion Console Hardware $1.08 billion $1.3 billion $2.96 billion $5.12 billion in hardware sales exceeded by $2.37 billion in software sales. Portable Hardware $489.5 million $525.7 million $1.62 billion $1.92 billion The best selling game machine Game Software Total $1.74 billion $2.37 billion $6.46 billion $8.64 billion for December was the Nintendo DS with 2.47 million units sold. The Wii Console Software $1.22 billion $1.8 billion $4.77 billion $6.64 billion followed, putting 1.35 million units under the Christmas tree, slightly Portable Software $519.4 million $574.9 million $1.69 billion $2.00 billion edging out the Xbox 360, which moved 1.26 million units. Accessories $455.4 million $621.6 million $1.49 billion $2.26 billion NPD’s numbers show the PlayStation 2 continuing to outsell the PlayStation 3, with 1.1 million units sold in December over the Looking at the figures for the Hardware Units Dec. 2007 Annual 2007 Life-to-Date PlayStation 3’s 797.6 thousand. The entire year of 2007 should warm PlayStation Portable continues to corporate hearts across the PlayStation 2 1.1 million 3.97 million 41.12 million make good numbers, selling 1.06 country. As a whole the video PlayStation 3 797.6 thousand 2.56 million 3.25 million million units in December, and has game industry brought in $17.94 sold 10.47 million units during its billion during the year, up 43% PlayStation Portable 1.06 million 3.82 million 10.47 million life-to-date. over 2006. Hardware takes up a Nintendo had three titles in the significant portion of that number, Xbox 360 1.26 million 4.62 million 9.15 million list of December’s top ten games leaving $8.64 billion in game sales including SUPER MARIO GALAXY in the for developers and publishers to Wii 1.35 million 6.29 million 7.38 million number two spot with 1.40 million divvy up. copies sold. Activision topped the The Nintendo DS was the top Nintendo DS 2.47 million 8.50 million 17.65 million chart with the Xbox 360 version of selling system of the year with CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE, 8.50 million units sold and the Wii which sold 1.47 million units. came in a close second, moving PlayStation 3, which moved 2.56 reliance on Christmas spending to Interestingly, the number three 6.29 million units in 2007. Although million units over the past year. Over drive sales. Nintendo’s games have bestselling game for December was third in 2007 sales, Microsoft’s its life-to-date the PlayStation 2 has a longer tail, and the company was Activision’s PlayStation 2 version Xbox 360 trends well, selling 9.15 sold 41.12 million units. rewarded with strong sales for WII of GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK million units in its life-to-date, with HALO 3 was the bestselling game PLAY and POKEMON DIAMOND, which which sold 1.25 million copies, the Wii catching up fast at 7.38 of 2007, selling 4.82 million copies were released in Q1 2007, and MARIO compared to the Xbox 360 version’s million life-to-date. The PlayStation since its release in September. PARTY 8, which came to shelves in respectable, but far lower number of 2 was a strong fourth place seller, Most of the year’s top games were May of 2007. 624.6 thousand copies. with 3.97 million units sold in 2007, released during the fourth quarter, — Jeffrey Fleming again beating its own successor the showing the industry’s continued JESSE HARLIN NOMINATED FOR G.A.N.G. AWARD JESSE HARLIN’S FEBRUARY, 2007 February 21, and the editors wish him Center and includes live video game column “Does it Sound Next-Gen?” the best of luck. music performances throughout the has been nominated for a Game Audio The winners will be honored at the evening. For more information visit Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) award in the 6th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony, www.audiogang.org. Best Game Audio Article, Publication, taking place during the Game —Staff or Broadcast category. Winners for Developers Conference. The awards the G.A.N.G. Awards will be revealed on event will be held at the Moscone 4 FEBRUARY 2008 | GAME DEVELOPER 00880022ggdd__hhuudd__vvIIjjff..iinndddd 44 11//2255//0088 88::0077::5599 PPMM THQ DROPS FRANCHISES, CLOSES CONCRETE GAMES THQ RECENTLY ANNOUNCED IT WILL NOT BE CONTINUING ITS JUICED AND STUNTMAN franchises, and has dropped PS3 and PS2 ports of some multiplatform releases, and is shuttering its Concrete Games studio, all in one fell swoop. The move is designed to cut the less successful elements of its organization, as part of the company’s 2008 financial guidance for stockholders. WEBLOG UNVEILED For THQ’s third quarter, sales projections were increased from $490 million to $509 million, but representatives have said the company will report "approximately $20 million in accelerated amortization expense" due to the under performing titles. THQ CEO Brian Farrell has previously called out JUICED and STUNTMAN's IN JANUARY THE CMP GAME to have a developer’s web site performance by name, noting in October of last year that neither achieved desired Group (publisher of Game bookmarked, or chance upon play mechanic and overall quality targets, something that was "particularly Developer) unveiled a news a game announcement in a disappointing" following the performance of games like SAINTS ROW. "This is not component to IndieGames. forum. I started the site as a acceptable," said Farrell at the time, "and we've taken steps to address it." com, part of the group’s place to inform people about Along with the cancellation of the two franchises, THQ says it has also portfolio of web sites focused the latest projects from these canceled the PS3 version of FRONTLINES: FUEL OF WAR and the PS2 version of on submarkets of the video talented developers.” DESTROY ALL HUMANS!: BIG WILLY UNLEASHED, now a Wii exclusive, as well as two game industry. The site (www. In the years since his old unannounced titles for Xbox 360 and PS3 that were expected to be released indiegames.com/blog), edited by weblog’s debut, Boon has in fiscal 2010. Most surprising was the closure of its internal Concrete Games Wee Tim Boon, looks at the world seen the barriers to game studio, which was working on one of the unannounced games, but had yet to of independent games with daily development crumble as new release a full title under the Concrete banner. coverage of Flash, downloadable technology opens the field to The publisher says a number of Concrete employees will be offered freeware, and independent anyone with a desire to create. positions in other internal studios, and that the company at large will see commercial games. Boon and “The tools used for developing financial repercussions of the closure stated on its fourth quarter earnings. his co-editors are also fleshing games are now easily accessible Though THQ says it saw better-than-expected sales of WWE SMACKDOWN out the site with interviews, to anyone with an interest in VS. RAW 2008 and MX VS. ATV UNTAMED, it notes that this was offset by features, and commentary on creating something to share. underperformance of a number of its titles, including the recently released the emerging indie scene. “I [Some] game development STUNTMAN: IGNITION, RATATOUILLE, and CONAN. continue to be surprised by the software has reached a stage Said Farrell in a statement, “In October, we announced certain product creativity of developers who where it is nearly as simple to quality initiatives, including personnel and structural changes in product produce games on practically use as MS Paint,” Boon said. “A development and a more rigorous internal and external product evaluation no budget which are unlike budding designer with no coding and feedback process. Consistent with these initiatives, we have taken anything seen in the market skills can follow a few tutorials actions to strengthen our pipeline and position ourselves to compete today,” Boon said. available on the net to get aggressively with compelling, high quality games.” IndieGames.com—The started, then upload their work An anonymous former employee of Concrete Games had this to say: “Given Weblog has its origins in Boon’s to any of the game distribution the sad situation of having your studio shut down, I have to say that THQ Independent Gaming weblog, channels online. There are a lot has shown great class in the way they handled this situation. THQ has taken originally created two and a half of creative developers turning measures to reassign all employees affected into other THQ studios. However years ago as an information out fantastic games and we will for those for whom a place could not be found, THQ HR and Recruitment staff clearing-house for independent see independently developed are working hard to help place these employees into external studios. games. “The problem is that the games gain even more attention The layoff is effective on Feb 6th and all employees that could not find a games are usually not noticed from the games industry in the position in a THQ studio by that date will get 2 weeks for every year they until months, sometimes years, coming years.” worked for THQ as well as any vacation time. All in all, I think this was pretty after their initial release,” said -Jeffrey Fleming fair given the circumstances.” Boon. “Not many will know —Brandon Boyer, Brandon Sheffield about them unless they happen CALENDAR P.I.E.C.E. Indie MMO Game ION Game Conference CoGames 2008: The 1st Game Connect: Cashman Center Developers Conference Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel International Workshop on Asia Pacific 2008 850 North Las Vegas Blvd Minneapolis Convention Center 2100 Alaskan Way Collaborative Games Brisbane Las Vegas 1301 Second Avenue South Seattle The Hyatt Regency Irvine Queensland Nevada Minneapolis WA Irvine, CA Australia March 8–9, 2008 MN May 13–15, 2008 May 19–23, 2008 November, 2008 Price: $50 March 29–30, 2008 Price: see website Price: see website Price: see website http://piece.eventbrite.com Price: $219.99 www.ionconference.com http://cisedu.us/cis/cts/08/ www.gameconnectap.com www.IMGDC.com workshops/W3-CoGames www.gdaa.com.au 2008-cfp.html WWW.GDMAG.COM 5 00880022ggdd__hhuudd__vvIIjjff..iinndddd 55 11//2255//0088 88::0088::0000 PPMM >> dan boutros DIFFICULTY IS Designing For Hard Modes In Games DIFFICULT MODES IN GAMES ARE RARELY DISCUSSED AS AN in a quick and dirty way can also change the game’s play DAN BOUTROS importantfactor in our business. In some games, they are fundamentally—this is something many developers don’t factor is a consultant well-thought out additions, built for the hardcore players. In into their decisions enough. and freelance other games, these modes are an afterthought, provided to game designer, appease a publisher, or as an attempt to provide direction to TUNING FOR TOUGH currently directing multiple audiences attracted by the same product. For almost Many games have sought to copy Rare’s N64 GOLDENEYE model an unannounced DS all developers though, difficulty modes are tackled at the end of for greater difficulty—double damage from enemies = harder puzzle game. Email the project when the game is being tuned, and they are tough to game—but within the context of other factors, doing this can him at dboutros@ implement well without significant time and thought. actually change the consistent play type of the game, and gdmag.com. For this piece, I’ll aim to explore some methods and thus change the experience in a fundamental and arguably philosophies behind how difficult play has been successfully unsatisfying way. implemented in games overall, either in terms of general Let’s say there’s a fictitious FPS called NaziShoot 2000. In difficulty, or within an optional objective that recontextualises this game’s normal difficulty mode, the player can usually play (such as Rare's super-tough multiplayer bonus unlockable get shot, have a second to think, recover, then react. In tough objective in GOLDENEYE for the Nintendo 64). mode, players cannot risk being shot as the increased damage We’ll explore where certain methods have worked, failed, and and AI kills them almost instantly. This forces players to move where they are simply not relevant anymore. Since difficulty is and act more conservatively. In an ideal-world’s well-designed so subjective, I’ll focus arguments around the following ideas: tough game, it would be possible to play through and not die, if the player used the utmost care and thoughtfulness. However, "A player must always feel like the failure of a challenge is this game had to hit a deadline so the tough mode had to be entirely his own responsibility, and not a fault of a poorly evolved from the normal mode, and tuned to a formula. In this designed product." memorizing bottleneck scenario, surprise snipes to the head, and learning from trial and error become the dominant way to play. "The player must understand how and why he failed, so that he And there is the difference: whereas one mode is a reactionary can learn from his mistake and increase the feeling of failure and lightly memory-reliant experience, in the tough mode, the being his responsibility." game becomes very classically rooted in trial and error, using memory play as the core consistent play type. The only way Choosing a high difficulty is the act of wanting to be tested on a player can survive with meager resources and a damage the part of the player. The reward of passing a test is a feeling disadvantage is by trying, dying, remembering, and restarting. of worth and accomplishment—and to make a test enjoyable is This is a classic tenet of the old school 2D arcade shooters. In to make it challenging, while also achievable. Tuning difficulty a 3D game where an additional axis dramatically adds to your 6 FEBRUARY 2008 | GAME DEVELOPER 00880022ggdd__ddiiffffiiccuullttyy__vvIIbbss..iinndddd 66 11//2255//0088 77::1166::5566 PPMM DIFFICULTY IS RUNNING HED things-to-worry-about radar, control complexity is usually increased, and gameplay acts—core gameplay sequences such a shooting something and then grabbing a power-up—are spread across a longer timeline because of the physical world’s scale increase. If the player can be killed in one hit, or by other fatal game features, this can often result in an intense feeling of frustration, and quite possibly lead to dissatisfaction with the game overall. DIFFICULTY TUNING ROUNDUP There are many elements of gameplay that are worth tweaking for harder difficulty modes, provided there is time to test each of these thoroughly against the other modes, and with players of varying skills. I’ll investigate a few here. Time limit.This is a classic difficulty tuner for racing games, and a few platform games—essentially inspiring the player to get to the end of a The best difficult modes in games tend to share the same level or challenge by X time. This usually forces the player into formula for upping the difficulty, which is contextual to the optimal route-finding play and looking at their navigational level portion. Sometimes this involves more enemy spawns, tools differently. Had PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME embraced and most of the time there’s additional damage—and in some non-linearity, we may have had a time limit goal challenge places, less ammo. to recontextualize the levels in some very interesting ways. Simon says.If the game is dependent on button presses, like Generally, most racers have a medal-based reward structure DDR, BEATMANIA, or GUITAR HERO, then demanding more presses where the gold medal will be a very tight time to achieve. Games per time unit makes sense as a difficulty increase. Pressure that have other play types involved in the racing—F-ZERO has is increased through the players having to parse what they combat for example—end up forcing the player to also optimize see, and combine that with what their currently engaged feet, those play types, alongside finding the ideal path. fingers, or other digits are already doing. Damage Dynamics. This is the easiest thing to tweak when Increased AI aggression.HALO 1 and 3 are perfect examples making a game harder—just make everything hurt more. The of how to pull this off, as are the Infinity Ward installments of problem is that without careful tuning of other factors, such the CALL OF DUTY series. Sometimes, the enemy just behaves more as enemy placement and resources, this can bring about aggressively, forcing the player to act more quickly and confidently, one-hit kill syndrome, which in a 5–10 minute stretch of play rather than wait around trying to aim a perfect head shot. In HALO, The enemy AI in HALO can come across lazy and unfair. It’s also the easiest way to the grunts will do suicide kills in the harder difficulties. shows increased change the feel of the game from an evaluate/solve game to a Make your enemy AI take more risks, but on the flipside don’t aggression at higher predominantly memory-play based affair. make the enemy AI be able to see the player from a million miles difficulty settings. away with the aim of a laser-eye-surgeried hawk, or you’ll get a MEGA MAN-style scenario in which players feel cheated through an unknown and unseen kill, such as from an off-screen bullet. In some contexts it’s realistic, but in most games of this sort that I’ve played, it’s rarely fun. It could just be me, but it made me stop playing MEDAL OF HONOR: AIRBORNE. Reduced neutral zones. This is when safe areas and unused areas are removed or replaced with hazards, such as spikes you can’t stand on or instant-kill zones. The Challenge levels in Valve’s PORTAL are a great example. This has the added side-affect of pin-holing the player’s focus o n very few options, and with good level design can create a high-pressure puzzling environment. HUD restrictions.In some games, challenge can be tuned by altering the interface. Games with multiple feedback systems work best, as numbing or reducing just one of your in-game senses can cause player decision-making to be more tense. The METAL GEAR SOLID series has done this since the beginning, where harder difficulties would remove the in-game radar, meaning the player had to rely not only on their memory of the 8 FEBRUARY 2008 | GAME DEVELOPER 00880022ggdd__ddiiffffiiccuullttyy__vvIIbbss..iinndddd 88 11//2255//0088 77::1166::5599 PPMM

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GDM February 2008 PDF

2008·23.2 MB·English
by  UBM TechWeb
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Preview GDM February 2008

>> PRODUCT REVIEWS SOFTIMAGE XSI 6.5 * DECODA 1.07 FEBRUARY 2008 T H E L E A D I N G G A M E I N D U S T R Y M A G A Z I N E >> WAVE-O-LUTION >>TOUGH IT OUT >> MMO MONEY, MMO PROBLEMS A PRIMER ON MASSIVE UNLOCK THE POWER OF COMMUNITY MANAGERS TELL INTERACTIVE SURF HARD MODES IN GAMES YOU WHAT THEY REALLY DO POSTMORTEM: RATCHET & CLANK FUTURE: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION 00880022ggdd__ccoovveerr__vvIIbbss..iinndddd 11 11//2255//0088 77::0077::1177 PPMM B:8 in T:7.75 in S:6.75 in Using Autooddeesskk®® HumanIK® mmiiddddllee-- ware, Ubisoofftt Autodesk® grounded tthhee MotionBuilder™ assassin inn hhiiss software enabled In Assassin’s Creed, 12th centuryy bboooottss the assassin to Ubisoft used and his run--ttiimmee fl uidly jump Autodesk® 3ds Max® environmenntt.. from rooftops to software to create cobblestone a hero character so streets with ease. real you can almost feel the coarseness of his tunic. S:9.5 in T:10.5 in B:10.75 in HOW UBISOFT GAVE AN ASSASSIN HIS SOUL. autodesk.com/Games IIImmmmmaaaaaggggggeeeeee cccoooouurttteesyy ooff UUUbbbiiissooffftt Autodesk, MotionBuilder, HumanIK and 3ds Max are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. © 2007 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. Job # 07.M&E.131 - Mech A Description 3ds Max ad Last Modifi ed 7/11/07 5:09 PM User/Prev. User Chad Kukahiko / Noel Espiritu Fonts Location Client Autodesk Art Director D. Lee Kievit (Medium, Regular, Italic; Type 1), Helvetica (Me- WD | Chad Bleed 8 in x 10.75 in L Studio Artist N. Espiritu dium; Type 1) DocuColor 240 E SETUP GTuLrtiitvmeer 76N..o77n55e iinn xx 190.5.5 i nin PERSONN ACcocpoyu nTWtr aMriftfige crr SAS... SSGahoueunrwlddeinrs CONTENT LLps14d__ HA(CaDMloSYoKnK.We;p i4sr 5e(38.t8 ipf7 p(KCi;B M1).,Y2 PLMKl1aB;_c 3Ue; 4d2C0 1GM .p7rpaA9ip%;_h 7A)ic,9s sL.s4a1Ms_sSBink;W e8l8eirt%eofn)r,_a me. CYeylalnow, , MI nBaklgsaecnkta, thicker.psd (CMYK; 805 ppi; 1.0MB; 8.94%), L1_HIK. Publication Game Developer Bonus Sigraph Issue (Jul 11) Production V. Speiser psd (CMYK; 554 ppi; 4.4MB; 12.97%), L1_Assassin.psd Print Scale100% ROUND 12 / FINAL (CMYK; 754 ppi; 117.3MB; 19.87%), L2_Ubisoft_2.eps Southern 8432 Culver City FILE NAME: Ind01B_07.M&E.131A_3dsMax.indd Californa Steller California JOB NO CLIENT DESCRIPTION IMAGESETTER SCREEN PROOF # DATE TIME OPERATOR 707147 Wong Doody Autodesk 3ds Max Ad Fuji 133 3 07-12-07 7:25 PM jbg Graphics Drive 90232 BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW [CONTENTS] FEBRUARY 2008 VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 FEATURES 6 DIFFICULTY IS DIFFICULT If done well, difficulty can make a game quite addictive. If done poorly, the game can become an abject failure for consumers. This design article dissects various elements of difficulty tuning, and proposes potential solutions. By Daniel Boutros 14 BIG WAVES Game Developer has featured articles on water before, but never massive, interactive waves. Building off a primer for general in- game water creation, this technical piece shows practical techniques for the creation, 6 smoothing, and perfection of big waves in- game, as seen in Ubisoft's SURF'S UP. By Adi Bar-Lev 27 COMMUNITY ROUNDTABLE Community management straddles the line 32 between developer and fanbase, and as a 14 result is often misunderstood. Herein, your questions are answered by community professionals, as their jobs become more POSTMORTEM important to game development. By April Burba, Christian Schuett, Jonathan Hanna, Richard Weil, Sean Dahlberg, and Victor Wachter 32 RATCHET & CLANK FUTURE: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION 27 RATCHET & CLANK was Insomniac's second PlayStation 3 game, and 42 HALO 3 DIFFICULTY Q&A indeed one of the first second-generation PS3 titles period. From scope woes to preproduction pitfalls, this postmortem illuminates some of the Continuing the difficulty discussion, Dan process behind this "second party" development cycle. Boutros speaks to HALO 3 gameplay designer Francois Boucher-Genesse. By John Fiorito By Daniel Boutros DEPARTMENTS COLUMNS 2 GAME PLAN By Brandon Sheffield 51 THE INNER PRODUCT By Mick West [PROGRAMMING] One Love, One Format Collaborative Game Editing 4 HEADS UP DISPLAY 56 PIXEL PUSHER By Steve Theodore [ART] 2007 NPD numbers, Concrete Games closes, IndieGames blog, The Free Tote Bag Gig and more. 63 GAME SHUI By Noah Falstein [DESIGN] 44 TOOL BOX By Carey Chico and Brian A. Stone Multiple Variations on a Single Theme Softimage's XSI 6.5, Unknown Worlds' Decoda 1.07, and product news. 65 AURAL FIXATION By Jesse Harlin [SOUND] Beyond the Button Press 96 BUSINESS LEVEL By Marty Poulin [BUSINESS] The Next Internet Gaming Wave COVER ART: INSOMNIAC ART TEAM WWW.GDMAG.COM 1 00880022ggdd__ttoocc__vvIIjjff..iinndddd 11 11//2255//0088 77::1111::1155 PPMM [GAME PLAN] wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww......ggggggddddddmmmmmmaaaaaagggggg......ccccccoooooommmmmm CCCCCCMMMMMMPP MMPPPPee ddMMMMiiaa,,eeee 66dddd0000iiii HHaaaaaa,,,,rr rr6666iiss0000oonn0000 SS HHHHtt..,, aaaa66ttrrrrhh rrrrFFlliiii..ssss,, SSooooaannnnnn FF SSSSrraattttnn....cc,,,,iiss 6666ccootttt,, hhhhCCAA FFFF 9944llll11....00,,,, 77 tt:: 441155..994477..66000000 ff:: 441155..994477..66009900 SSSSSSaaaaUUnnnnBB SSFFFFCCrrrrRRaaaaIInnnnPPccccTTiiiiIIssssOOccccNNoooo ,,,,SS CCCCEERRAAAAVV 9999IICC4444EE1111SS00007777 ttttFF::::OO 4444RR1111 5555IINN....9999FF4444OO7777RR....MM6666AA0000TT0000II0000OO NN ffff,,:::: OO4444RR1111DD5555EE....9999RR4444 QQ7777UU....6666EE0000SS9999TT0000IIOO NNSS,, AANNDD AADDDDRREESSSS CCHHAANNGGEESS S S SSUUUUtt::BBBB 88SSSS00CCCC00RRRR..22IIIIPP55PPTT00TTIIII..OO22OO44NNNN22 SSSS99EEEE RRffRR::V V88VVII44IICCCC77EEEE..77SSSS6633..99660066 ee:: ggaammeeddeevveellooppeerr@@hhaallllddaattaa..ccoomm FEFEFFOODDOORIIRRRTT OOIIIINNNNRRFFFFIIAAOOOOLLRRRRMMMMAAAATTTTIIIIOOOONNNN,,,, O OOORRRRDDDDEEEERRRR QQ QQUUUUEEEESSSSTTTTIIOOIIOONNNNSSSS,, ,,AA AANNNNDDDD AA AADDDDDDDDRRRREEEESSSSSS SS CC CCHHHHAANNAANNGGGGEESSEESS ONE LOVE, EE DDtSSttt::::iiII 8mm888TTOO0000ooRR0000nn--.... 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Plus, now your game that AAADDDSMHBCBCHHtllVVVrraaaiiieaacnnIIIlllvSdd SSk ttBBBeooO OOBBWaaann RTRRuurrr ehKKwYwwllYYkkseee oBoolltBBoiiee ttoooO dOOhhyymdddAo AA w R rNHNH RR eDDDDeiieeDD gge seevvshhsteesst @ihrrMMiigggssengoooonnoooedffeedttnnrmrr-o-- [email protected] be one hell of a job. 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Where will their market go if they But maybe this is also a way to circumvent the CSDDVSAAAAEEPSSMUUIIRR,SSNNDD PEESIIIISSII OCCTOGEETTRTTRRNNAAAOOA M NNCCVVRRTTTEEPEPE ,, MMMM G DD GGTaaAAIEEERACrrNNCVVOyyM MAAEEH UGGEGGALLNPrr,EEROO iiODffRRffKPPLOii nnMMEJJOB ooT EEGeeBIhhNNN::Y’ nnSmm GTTI ,SSN kkI llMCeeNggssrrMOiiiciiffnnVIhff iissAGennkkTRl@@eOii O ccReeMUmm::S aPjj ssppGg ll ..ueePRccssooihOriimmeinnUlisspPkk C iiP@@hhccaimmplipnpp i..Cccchkooammpnick don’t have platforms to define them? money? Maybe having one large console space GGLLGGIIRRRRSSOOOOTT UUUURRPPPPEE NN DDDDTTIIIIAARRRRLLEEEE CCCCMMTTTTeeOOOOrrRRRRiitt DD CCKKiiaaarrarreettoocchhllttyyyy LLnn SSLL GGccCChiih rr ttoooo::uubb 99axxa11 cc 44eekk..::33 cc66gg88iirr..11oo00uuxx00@@00ccmmpp..ccoomm This sounds crazy, but bear with me. Think would mean the smallest games can actually DDIIRREECCTTOORR MMaarryy GGrriiffffiinn ee:: mmkkggrriiffffiinn@@ccmmpp..ccoomm aMbaojeust ctoh ea nDdS gmoat rikne ut nridgehrt t nhoew w. iUren lwesitsh yCoOuO’KreIN G gatette nnotitoicne odf, tbheec eanutsiere t hgeaym’vineg g poot pthuela pcoet. ential AGDAGDICICLLAANNUUIIMMRSSRIMMISSRTTRDSSDOOPPaaEETTEEIIIUI Urr RRSSETTERRCCiiooPPNNTTEENNTTEE AA CCSSOAAODDCCNNNNaaTTHHRRIIEETTRIIRllTTNNOOii AA nn DEDE KMOOMMNNLLaaCCEErLLa AAssAA TiTVVOOMMsLLr OONN EEytttGG eeLLRR::iAALL YYGrrII66C GGOOCC ii K55rCuMMttEEEEPPi aa00fnDDAANNRRMMfrt..niiiNNoh55SS nrrEE ily11eeAAJJIIyn NNNN 33 ooGGccenHgGGTT..tthhEE: 44heG mLLnnMMIIn22aiNNrLL 33rmEEoSSkFFyCC44NNugllOO ee xrTTe ettRRssffi ::::: f: eMMii kf9966nnk:ih [email protected] cr onNNyee11m66ui@33::88n [email protected] [email protected]::oc mmiimm@@sspccaa.mmllciinnoppaam..sscc@@oommccmmpp..ccoomm MAMA, or Ubisoft with PETZ games, releasing a LPPAIINNIRRSSTTSEETEEISS SRRRIITDDENNAEENAANNNTTTTTTAII OO MLAANN NNA MAADDNLLe ACCr GLLEEitIIEOO CCDR SSEEir ttNN eeeJSScovveetIIhNN LnWWGGL SeeC IIiilNN tte zztsFF:nn iOO9nee1RRrrs 4kMM.i3 AA e6TT:II8 [email protected] DothcSee tyait’nrlee— ibnnig ot obedonadoyyu’ sgw hmi ltla onr omkteaitck eies y lwiokauevr ectresya! irWnsgh u ainntlt eaos basinz arre AWrehNleaatAs iifRn MgCi ctHhroeYsmo IfetNv de irdTynH W’t Eegda tnGee AtshdMea ygEa?mS WPeosuA oldCn i EtX bBeL A, ISSESSESSILCPCPNNEEEEEEIXXRRMeMMMeMcMcSTTNNNNNNEE:mm:EEaTaPP aaE EmmCCIIIIII SSrrOOOOOOrrR RppRUUiTTiiiIIsosoRRRRRRoo..NNEDDEETTccaa SNIISAASSooVVVVVVCCEElVVlaaTiTiPPPPPPaammTNNHHnEEnI,,,,lIlA lli OiAAOTTa NNaiiACAC nVVnLnn NNsNsNUUOOAAMMPPaa aa @@DDNNAMDD sAsLLPPssAA L L OOIIcDDGGc NNe EEII tt ttmmNNGGEErLL: DD:NN::CC i 6NNTTI6ItYY 66ppCCCEECCC EE55EE D55..EEMMEFFEOOcGGc00RRi00 OONoNorMM RRAA..AASSe..55m mSSNNAA55AAAALLttc11eeIITTdd11RR AA t NNCC33 EEvvaa33 KKGGLOOGG..DDeemm44..EELEE44UU I2IWW2MMCTT MMN22NNNMM3II3 AAeeNN33 FSSFEEaat44RRii:44GGEEOOrrNNtt dd9KK zz LL RRff&&TT ee1:ffEEnn :SSM M ::rr4 66TTee DDaa66A5.A5IIrrnnEE3NN55 TT00ddVV6GG00II..OOrrEE855 ..aaSS55LLNN1.1 1OOGGOO11330LLrr33PP..aa4UU40..MMyy444TT04ssEE44II88OOooNN8822nnNNTT22 SS BB JJeeiillooll:: ssAAmmeemmssppsshhaatt lluuBBiinnttrrzzaaaa uussee@@ metaphor that turned out to be. Anyway, Nintendo as easy for your game to make a splash? Would CSSCEEEEMMXXNNEEPPIICC OOTTUURREETT CCVVIIHVVHPP,,EENN CC OOVVOOPPLLRROO PPAAGGOONNYYRRDD AAMM CCTTAAEEFFNN OOMMAA AAAAGGRRddEEaaKKMMmmEEEETT NNIIMMNNTTaaGGrr ddLLiieessrraa JJoohhnnssoonn just conquered 2007 with both of its consoles, anyone be able to find it? CPSSPPEEHRRRNNEAEEIIISSSOORIIIRRDDDM EVVEEANPPNNN,,T TT CCD ,,AOO aCCNRRvHHDPPidAA OOC NNLRREeNNAAOvEETT iEESLLn t SSeGGAAvRRLLeOOEE WUUSS ePPAAi nntRRznnooneebbe MMeerrr aattrr iiFFeeaa MMlleeiittllllrreeaarr and of course, what do you see on the best- That’s what I’m not sure of. Thinking about the CPSSEPPEERHRRXPPNNEEaaIEEEIIuuCSSSOOFIllUIIRR D DDMMFT EVVEEIIiiNVllNPPNNlleeE,,AT TTMMrr N,,,V CAACCCPMNNIMM AAUUPPPNLFF BDOAATTUCC EEFCTTSCCFFUUIIHHONCRRNN EEAIINNOORSdGGLLaS S OO mMMTcGGEoaa MCtYYrrtii aHee IIMNNr NMMdoNNOeyyzOOrLeeaVVOrrrssAAsGTTkYOOy GRRRSSO GGURRPOO TUUoPPn y Uphoff sellers list for DS and Wii? Nintendo games. 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How many companies cited the “HALO that a unified console or standard just doesn’t VP, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Patrick Brennan 3 effect” when explaining their poor numbers? work with our existing publishing and funding Gamers can’t necessarily afford to buy HALO 3 and models. If we want to move to a single format, two other games in a given month. But right now, we’ve got to change that first. some consumers don’t have a 360—and they - Brandon Sheffield Game Developer is BPA approved Game Developer 2 FEBRUARY 2008 | GAME DEVELOPER WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW............CCCCCCCCCCCCMMMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPPPPGGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEE............CCCCCCCCCCCCOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM 00880022ggdd__ggaammeeppllaann__vvIIjjff..iinndddd 22 11//2255//0088 77::1100::2200 PPMM morpheme-ad.eps 13/12/2007 17:08:48 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K [HEADS UP DISPLAY] GOT NEWS? SEND US THE BIG SCOOP AT [email protected] 2007 SEES RECORD GAME SALES $4.8 BILLION IS A LOT OF MONEY, Dollar Sales Dec. 2006 Dec. 2007 Annual 2006 Annual 2007 but believe it or not that was the game industry’s total revenue for Video Games Total $3.77 billion $4.82 billion $12.53 billion $17.94 billion December 2007, up 28% over last year, according to the NPD Group. Hardware Total $1.57 billion $1.83 billion $4.58 billion $7.04 billion The charts below show a strong Christmas season with $1.83 billion Console Hardware $1.08 billion $1.3 billion $2.96 billion $5.12 billion in hardware sales exceeded by $2.37 billion in software sales. Portable Hardware $489.5 million $525.7 million $1.62 billion $1.92 billion The best selling game machine Game Software Total $1.74 billion $2.37 billion $6.46 billion $8.64 billion for December was the Nintendo DS with 2.47 million units sold. The Wii Console Software $1.22 billion $1.8 billion $4.77 billion $6.64 billion followed, putting 1.35 million units under the Christmas tree, slightly Portable Software $519.4 million $574.9 million $1.69 billion $2.00 billion edging out the Xbox 360, which moved 1.26 million units. Accessories $455.4 million $621.6 million $1.49 billion $2.26 billion NPD’s numbers show the PlayStation 2 continuing to outsell the PlayStation 3, with 1.1 million units sold in December over the Looking at the figures for the Hardware Units Dec. 2007 Annual 2007 Life-to-Date PlayStation 3’s 797.6 thousand. The entire year of 2007 should warm PlayStation Portable continues to corporate hearts across the PlayStation 2 1.1 million 3.97 million 41.12 million make good numbers, selling 1.06 country. As a whole the video PlayStation 3 797.6 thousand 2.56 million 3.25 million million units in December, and has game industry brought in $17.94 sold 10.47 million units during its billion during the year, up 43% PlayStation Portable 1.06 million 3.82 million 10.47 million life-to-date. over 2006. Hardware takes up a Nintendo had three titles in the significant portion of that number, Xbox 360 1.26 million 4.62 million 9.15 million list of December’s top ten games leaving $8.64 billion in game sales including SUPER MARIO GALAXY in the for developers and publishers to Wii 1.35 million 6.29 million 7.38 million number two spot with 1.40 million divvy up. copies sold. Activision topped the The Nintendo DS was the top Nintendo DS 2.47 million 8.50 million 17.65 million chart with the Xbox 360 version of selling system of the year with CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE, 8.50 million units sold and the Wii which sold 1.47 million units. came in a close second, moving PlayStation 3, which moved 2.56 reliance on Christmas spending to Interestingly, the number three 6.29 million units in 2007. Although million units over the past year. Over drive sales. Nintendo’s games have bestselling game for December was third in 2007 sales, Microsoft’s its life-to-date the PlayStation 2 has a longer tail, and the company was Activision’s PlayStation 2 version Xbox 360 trends well, selling 9.15 sold 41.12 million units. rewarded with strong sales for WII of GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK million units in its life-to-date, with HALO 3 was the bestselling game PLAY and POKEMON DIAMOND, which which sold 1.25 million copies, the Wii catching up fast at 7.38 of 2007, selling 4.82 million copies were released in Q1 2007, and MARIO compared to the Xbox 360 version’s million life-to-date. The PlayStation since its release in September. PARTY 8, which came to shelves in respectable, but far lower number of 2 was a strong fourth place seller, Most of the year’s top games were May of 2007. 624.6 thousand copies. with 3.97 million units sold in 2007, released during the fourth quarter, — Jeffrey Fleming again beating its own successor the showing the industry’s continued JESSE HARLIN NOMINATED FOR G.A.N.G. AWARD JESSE HARLIN’S FEBRUARY, 2007 February 21, and the editors wish him Center and includes live video game column “Does it Sound Next-Gen?” the best of luck. music performances throughout the has been nominated for a Game Audio The winners will be honored at the evening. For more information visit Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) award in the 6th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony, www.audiogang.org. Best Game Audio Article, Publication, taking place during the Game —Staff or Broadcast category. Winners for Developers Conference. The awards the G.A.N.G. Awards will be revealed on event will be held at the Moscone 4 FEBRUARY 2008 | GAME DEVELOPER 00880022ggdd__hhuudd__vvIIjjff..iinndddd 44 11//2255//0088 88::0077::5599 PPMM THQ DROPS FRANCHISES, CLOSES CONCRETE GAMES THQ RECENTLY ANNOUNCED IT WILL NOT BE CONTINUING ITS JUICED AND STUNTMAN franchises, and has dropped PS3 and PS2 ports of some multiplatform releases, and is shuttering its Concrete Games studio, all in one fell swoop. The move is designed to cut the less successful elements of its organization, as part of the company’s 2008 financial guidance for stockholders. WEBLOG UNVEILED For THQ’s third quarter, sales projections were increased from $490 million to $509 million, but representatives have said the company will report "approximately $20 million in accelerated amortization expense" due to the under performing titles. THQ CEO Brian Farrell has previously called out JUICED and STUNTMAN's IN JANUARY THE CMP GAME to have a developer’s web site performance by name, noting in October of last year that neither achieved desired Group (publisher of Game bookmarked, or chance upon play mechanic and overall quality targets, something that was "particularly Developer) unveiled a news a game announcement in a disappointing" following the performance of games like SAINTS ROW. "This is not component to IndieGames. forum. I started the site as a acceptable," said Farrell at the time, "and we've taken steps to address it." com, part of the group’s place to inform people about Along with the cancellation of the two franchises, THQ says it has also portfolio of web sites focused the latest projects from these canceled the PS3 version of FRONTLINES: FUEL OF WAR and the PS2 version of on submarkets of the video talented developers.” DESTROY ALL HUMANS!: BIG WILLY UNLEASHED, now a Wii exclusive, as well as two game industry. The site (www. In the years since his old unannounced titles for Xbox 360 and PS3 that were expected to be released indiegames.com/blog), edited by weblog’s debut, Boon has in fiscal 2010. Most surprising was the closure of its internal Concrete Games Wee Tim Boon, looks at the world seen the barriers to game studio, which was working on one of the unannounced games, but had yet to of independent games with daily development crumble as new release a full title under the Concrete banner. coverage of Flash, downloadable technology opens the field to The publisher says a number of Concrete employees will be offered freeware, and independent anyone with a desire to create. positions in other internal studios, and that the company at large will see commercial games. Boon and “The tools used for developing financial repercussions of the closure stated on its fourth quarter earnings. his co-editors are also fleshing games are now easily accessible Though THQ says it saw better-than-expected sales of WWE SMACKDOWN out the site with interviews, to anyone with an interest in VS. RAW 2008 and MX VS. ATV UNTAMED, it notes that this was offset by features, and commentary on creating something to share. underperformance of a number of its titles, including the recently released the emerging indie scene. “I [Some] game development STUNTMAN: IGNITION, RATATOUILLE, and CONAN. continue to be surprised by the software has reached a stage Said Farrell in a statement, “In October, we announced certain product creativity of developers who where it is nearly as simple to quality initiatives, including personnel and structural changes in product produce games on practically use as MS Paint,” Boon said. “A development and a more rigorous internal and external product evaluation no budget which are unlike budding designer with no coding and feedback process. Consistent with these initiatives, we have taken anything seen in the market skills can follow a few tutorials actions to strengthen our pipeline and position ourselves to compete today,” Boon said. available on the net to get aggressively with compelling, high quality games.” IndieGames.com—The started, then upload their work An anonymous former employee of Concrete Games had this to say: “Given Weblog has its origins in Boon’s to any of the game distribution the sad situation of having your studio shut down, I have to say that THQ Independent Gaming weblog, channels online. There are a lot has shown great class in the way they handled this situation. THQ has taken originally created two and a half of creative developers turning measures to reassign all employees affected into other THQ studios. However years ago as an information out fantastic games and we will for those for whom a place could not be found, THQ HR and Recruitment staff clearing-house for independent see independently developed are working hard to help place these employees into external studios. games. “The problem is that the games gain even more attention The layoff is effective on Feb 6th and all employees that could not find a games are usually not noticed from the games industry in the position in a THQ studio by that date will get 2 weeks for every year they until months, sometimes years, coming years.” worked for THQ as well as any vacation time. All in all, I think this was pretty after their initial release,” said -Jeffrey Fleming fair given the circumstances.” Boon. “Not many will know —Brandon Boyer, Brandon Sheffield about them unless they happen CALENDAR P.I.E.C.E. Indie MMO Game ION Game Conference CoGames 2008: The 1st Game Connect: Cashman Center Developers Conference Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel International Workshop on Asia Pacific 2008 850 North Las Vegas Blvd Minneapolis Convention Center 2100 Alaskan Way Collaborative Games Brisbane Las Vegas 1301 Second Avenue South Seattle The Hyatt Regency Irvine Queensland Nevada Minneapolis WA Irvine, CA Australia March 8–9, 2008 MN May 13–15, 2008 May 19–23, 2008 November, 2008 Price: $50 March 29–30, 2008 Price: see website Price: see website Price: see website http://piece.eventbrite.com Price: $219.99 www.ionconference.com http://cisedu.us/cis/cts/08/ www.gameconnectap.com www.IMGDC.com workshops/W3-CoGames www.gdaa.com.au 2008-cfp.html WWW.GDMAG.COM 5 00880022ggdd__hhuudd__vvIIjjff..iinndddd 55 11//2255//0088 88::0088::0000 PPMM >> dan boutros DIFFICULTY IS Designing For Hard Modes In Games DIFFICULT MODES IN GAMES ARE RARELY DISCUSSED AS AN in a quick and dirty way can also change the game’s play DAN BOUTROS importantfactor in our business. In some games, they are fundamentally—this is something many developers don’t factor is a consultant well-thought out additions, built for the hardcore players. In into their decisions enough. and freelance other games, these modes are an afterthought, provided to game designer, appease a publisher, or as an attempt to provide direction to TUNING FOR TOUGH currently directing multiple audiences attracted by the same product. For almost Many games have sought to copy Rare’s N64 GOLDENEYE model an unannounced DS all developers though, difficulty modes are tackled at the end of for greater difficulty—double damage from enemies = harder puzzle game. Email the project when the game is being tuned, and they are tough to game—but within the context of other factors, doing this can him at dboutros@ implement well without significant time and thought. actually change the consistent play type of the game, and gdmag.com. For this piece, I’ll aim to explore some methods and thus change the experience in a fundamental and arguably philosophies behind how difficult play has been successfully unsatisfying way. implemented in games overall, either in terms of general Let’s say there’s a fictitious FPS called NaziShoot 2000. In difficulty, or within an optional objective that recontextualises this game’s normal difficulty mode, the player can usually play (such as Rare's super-tough multiplayer bonus unlockable get shot, have a second to think, recover, then react. In tough objective in GOLDENEYE for the Nintendo 64). mode, players cannot risk being shot as the increased damage We’ll explore where certain methods have worked, failed, and and AI kills them almost instantly. This forces players to move where they are simply not relevant anymore. Since difficulty is and act more conservatively. In an ideal-world’s well-designed so subjective, I’ll focus arguments around the following ideas: tough game, it would be possible to play through and not die, if the player used the utmost care and thoughtfulness. However, "A player must always feel like the failure of a challenge is this game had to hit a deadline so the tough mode had to be entirely his own responsibility, and not a fault of a poorly evolved from the normal mode, and tuned to a formula. In this designed product." memorizing bottleneck scenario, surprise snipes to the head, and learning from trial and error become the dominant way to play. "The player must understand how and why he failed, so that he And there is the difference: whereas one mode is a reactionary can learn from his mistake and increase the feeling of failure and lightly memory-reliant experience, in the tough mode, the being his responsibility." game becomes very classically rooted in trial and error, using memory play as the core consistent play type. The only way Choosing a high difficulty is the act of wanting to be tested on a player can survive with meager resources and a damage the part of the player. The reward of passing a test is a feeling disadvantage is by trying, dying, remembering, and restarting. of worth and accomplishment—and to make a test enjoyable is This is a classic tenet of the old school 2D arcade shooters. In to make it challenging, while also achievable. Tuning difficulty a 3D game where an additional axis dramatically adds to your 6 FEBRUARY 2008 | GAME DEVELOPER 00880022ggdd__ddiiffffiiccuullttyy__vvIIbbss..iinndddd 66 11//2255//0088 77::1166::5566 PPMM DIFFICULTY IS RUNNING HED things-to-worry-about radar, control complexity is usually increased, and gameplay acts—core gameplay sequences such a shooting something and then grabbing a power-up—are spread across a longer timeline because of the physical world’s scale increase. If the player can be killed in one hit, or by other fatal game features, this can often result in an intense feeling of frustration, and quite possibly lead to dissatisfaction with the game overall. DIFFICULTY TUNING ROUNDUP There are many elements of gameplay that are worth tweaking for harder difficulty modes, provided there is time to test each of these thoroughly against the other modes, and with players of varying skills. I’ll investigate a few here. Time limit.This is a classic difficulty tuner for racing games, and a few platform games—essentially inspiring the player to get to the end of a The best difficult modes in games tend to share the same level or challenge by X time. This usually forces the player into formula for upping the difficulty, which is contextual to the optimal route-finding play and looking at their navigational level portion. Sometimes this involves more enemy spawns, tools differently. Had PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME embraced and most of the time there’s additional damage—and in some non-linearity, we may have had a time limit goal challenge places, less ammo. to recontextualize the levels in some very interesting ways. Simon says.If the game is dependent on button presses, like Generally, most racers have a medal-based reward structure DDR, BEATMANIA, or GUITAR HERO, then demanding more presses where the gold medal will be a very tight time to achieve. Games per time unit makes sense as a difficulty increase. Pressure that have other play types involved in the racing—F-ZERO has is increased through the players having to parse what they combat for example—end up forcing the player to also optimize see, and combine that with what their currently engaged feet, those play types, alongside finding the ideal path. fingers, or other digits are already doing. Damage Dynamics. This is the easiest thing to tweak when Increased AI aggression.HALO 1 and 3 are perfect examples making a game harder—just make everything hurt more. The of how to pull this off, as are the Infinity Ward installments of problem is that without careful tuning of other factors, such the CALL OF DUTY series. Sometimes, the enemy just behaves more as enemy placement and resources, this can bring about aggressively, forcing the player to act more quickly and confidently, one-hit kill syndrome, which in a 5–10 minute stretch of play rather than wait around trying to aim a perfect head shot. In HALO, The enemy AI in HALO can come across lazy and unfair. It’s also the easiest way to the grunts will do suicide kills in the harder difficulties. shows increased change the feel of the game from an evaluate/solve game to a Make your enemy AI take more risks, but on the flipside don’t aggression at higher predominantly memory-play based affair. make the enemy AI be able to see the player from a million miles difficulty settings. away with the aim of a laser-eye-surgeried hawk, or you’ll get a MEGA MAN-style scenario in which players feel cheated through an unknown and unseen kill, such as from an off-screen bullet. In some contexts it’s realistic, but in most games of this sort that I’ve played, it’s rarely fun. It could just be me, but it made me stop playing MEDAL OF HONOR: AIRBORNE. Reduced neutral zones. This is when safe areas and unused areas are removed or replaced with hazards, such as spikes you can’t stand on or instant-kill zones. The Challenge levels in Valve’s PORTAL are a great example. This has the added side-affect of pin-holing the player’s focus o n very few options, and with good level design can create a high-pressure puzzling environment. HUD restrictions.In some games, challenge can be tuned by altering the interface. Games with multiple feedback systems work best, as numbing or reducing just one of your in-game senses can cause player decision-making to be more tense. The METAL GEAR SOLID series has done this since the beginning, where harder difficulties would remove the in-game radar, meaning the player had to rely not only on their memory of the 8 FEBRUARY 2008 | GAME DEVELOPER 00880022ggdd__ddiiffffiiccuullttyy__vvIIbbss..iinndddd 88 11//2255//0088 77::1166::5599 PPMM

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