Holy ***, that guy made Yoda Stories! This is THE game that inspired me to try making games back in 2000's. That's what I call a good presenter - the guy who REALLY knows his shit!
About the third talk: I agree - I played Destiny2 for 135 hours until I spent money on it - but when I did, we all did, all 6 people of our clan, all DLCs because we wanted to support the game (and see new content).
Same with My Friends. It happened in Dota 2 and we spent it in a battle pass and an international. A think it was after 200+ hours. But ir was the 4 of us.
My takes: -People tend to have an affinity for a specific scale. For example, they would focus on the concept deck and forget about the elevator pitch and the one liner. Or would focus on quests without the dialogue, story arc, and the hero's journey. Or focus on society but not the building, city, and world. One must learn to scale up and down. -"When forced to work within a strict framework the imagination is taxed to its utmost-and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom the work is likely to sprawl." -T.S. Eliot. "Necessity is the mother of invention". -Humanize your work as possible (e.g. add characters instead of valuable objects). -Make goals instead of rules, objectives that you repeatedly question 'why' until you make them meaningful. It is easy to forget why you were following the rule in the first place, but not a goal.
"If you have a mechanical problem, solve it with an NPC." Oh, so *that's* where all these infuriating, cliche, flat plot device victims and cults come from...
The second speaker was super validating. Ever since the days of limewire I've wanted to contribute to the market of free stuff. At one point, dwarf fortress inspired me when I was older and I hope that I can inspire someone else in about 30 years when I'm old and gray and my game doesn't suck any more
Christina says that players spent more time in multiplayer than single player. But what she neglected to mention is that players had to be bribed to play multiplayer at launch. The *secret* ending was locked behind the bonuses you got for completing the multiplayer. They claimed this was essential to the experience they were trying to create, but they ended up patching the requirement out of the game. That's all. Otherwise, great talk! I really enjoy the idea of art being driven by constraints rather than hindered by them. Silent Hill's overbearing fog was originally added to hide the game's dismal draw distance, but it became an iconic feature of the game. So much so that the remastered versions that tried to remove the fog ended up ruining the experience for a lot of people.
Luke's mention of the health bar --> apparently the creator of the Dark Souls games referred to the health bar in an interview as "the player's will to live". I love that analogy for game design of a user's health, that intensity really sinks in both for you the designer and the unfortunates users trapped in your world :)
If you have a free to play game and want to encourage community let the players trade your premium currency for in game things. The free players get the paid content in exchange for their time and you still get the money for it when your whale players buy gold for gems (or whatever). Dont let it become pay to win, but try to let the community decide the values of the currency.
@@mohandasjung Well if your selling any non-cosmetics you are treading dangerously close to toxic design already. Even if you only sell things like +50% xp boost you have to be very careful not to balance for people to have those boosts. Or you end up one of those games where they sell 10X or 100X multiplier boosts and its balanced for having that and if you dont your grind just to level is excessive.
Mass effect cut its inventory system as a solution to a problem... they didn't solve the problem, they cut the problem. I would have said the issue was their UI. However, it is a solution for AAA developers on a time crunch; maybe due to poor leadership?...
@@StuCreates I strongly disagree, it was the best thing they could've ever done. I find most inventory systems stupid to the point they break immersion. I just put 60 bullets and a couple of grenades through that dude's armor, I am NOT looting it, it's not even my size! Instead, I'll scan it and apply whatever tech they had to my future armors. In a sci fi context this is absolutely fucking genius. We can argue how good the execution was, but the idea itself is brilliant. It made the game so much better.
@@aWinterCrow I've long thought about the inventory debate between ME1 and ME2 (I vastly prefer ME2) but I've never interpreted the tech scanning (upgrading) in that way! When I read your comment I was just like "Holy shit! I appreciate the changes EVEN more than I have for nearly a decade!" @Stu Royce I'd say the problem with ME2 "inventory" was that selecting a weapon loadout got reduced to a text box with a list of weapons. In other words it's a problem of PRESENTATION.
@@GothikaGeist It feels right when things make sense huh :D Never thought about your second point though, you may be right, often times presentation matters more than it seems
You don't want them getting stomped every game by players who pay money he says. keep players "just out of reach" he says. He's talking about psychologically manipulating players into spending money by making them think they can win. Does it make sense in regards to making profit? Absolutely, scams often do. But I'm not saying he's nonsensical, I'm saying he's the epitome of scumbag game design.
Unfortunately thats how ftp games work. Even in f2p games you love the ideal match making system will pair players with other players in a way that they might wanna spend some money. Warframe for example. Theres no PVP aspect but there is a very very real cosmetic level of the game. It would make perfect sense for the devs to pair people who havnt spent much money to people who are decked out and look incredibly bad ass.
I disagree. Cosmetics are not a 'level of the game' they are an entirely different product. I don't know warframe that much but if you look at f2p games that do it right like Dota2 and Path of Exile, there's absolutely no reason to 'buy' cosmetics if all you want to do is experience the game in its entirety. Cosmetics are a separate digital product for people who enjoy the base game because they do not influence the base mechanics. The issue is when your business model affects the core mechanics of the game by giving players an edge dependent on which fool gave you more money. If you're going to sit there and spout non-arguments against said issue then we have nothing more to discuss.
In warframe it is very much a level of the game. Its a term they coined fashionframe. I see what your saying but as much as you may disagree, cosmetics are very much a way to get people to invest money. So it would make perfect sense to show off those cosmetics to a free player and maybe get them to spend some money in the game as well. And I think its great that people can play a f2p game entirely and not spend any money. However for every person that runs through a f2p game without spending any money, the designers have failed. The goal is to convert as many f2p players to paying players as possible. The goal to make money is to take the free to play and try to get people to spend money on it, all the while trying not to compromise gameplay.
There are some truly atrocious ideas in this talk. A lot of the issues in games today, including ideas that have been thoroughly rejected by virtually the entire community can be viewed here. I suggest watching the first and last speakers, the ones in between will just tell you how great p2w is and that butchering your game instead of problem solving is the way to go. Very sad panda.
You're confusing acknowledgement of reality with partisanship. No matter what side you're on, it's a pretty objective piece of our reality that the U.S. is perceived as a more dangerous and/or tricky place to visit recently than previously. Relative to the past, more concern is expressed towards the concept of visiting the U.S. in the present.
I understand that, but immediately going in to how about most of you're accepting of people regardless of where they're from is a jab at the policy. I've never really been one to hide my political beliefs, but regardless of what side anyone is on, it's been three years, and I wish it would stop creeping in to unrelated topics.
All he did was take a few seconds to mention the issue which IS relevant to the convention and he followed up by welcoming the people from different countries. If you are bothered by this, you are hypersensitive.
Bobbie Jean Pentecost It's a game developer's conference. You were brought in to talk about game development. Go through all the other presentations on this channel, and count how many discuss partisan issues at the beginning. It's not hypersensitive to point out obvious virtue signaling.
I'm really sick of the extremely heavy themes of socialism being peddled at these talks. I wish they would get some less political speakers. These are video games for christ sake.
I'm really sick of the extremely stupid comments and people all over TH-cam but such is life. I guess you should start making some games and get invited to do a talk yourself.
I really hate it when people say "grok" in a software context, it's has psuedo religious/sexual connotations and really just say "fully grasp" or "completely understand" since you dont actually mean what the word means, and from the defining document on the topic, its almost ineffable.
The moment you used "freeloader" you lost my respect. It is well known (and documented) that you need the "freeloaders" to make the whales spend. Any one of those free games without the "freeloaders" would end up with just 5 people that would get bored in 1 second.
Last talk completely stole the show. Great advice and wonderful little twist at the end.
"cant wait to check out Andromeda"
uh-oh
Yea I laughed when I saw that =D
41:07 that same team has gone on to make andromeda and I cant wait to check it out
she spoke to soon
Well xD How do you think about it now?
that was one hell of a twist ending. i have never physically applauded a youtube video before.
1:04:26 is probably the best part about this whole talk.
yea that was so cool
Definitely left a more lasting impression. GOLD!
wild stuff 🥴
That was so sick.
Yep, this demonstrates why this guy is the most successful of the bunch that presented
Talk 4: better rules.
Talk 5: screw rules.
Liked the twist in the end.
Holy ***, that guy made Yoda Stories! This is THE game that inspired me to try making games back in 2000's. That's what I call a good presenter - the guy who REALLY knows his shit!
About the third talk: I agree - I played Destiny2 for 135 hours until I spent money on it - but when I did, we all did, all 6 people of our clan, all DLCs because we wanted to support the game (and see new content).
18:54 You can pinpoint the exact moment his heart breaks
Same with My Friends. It happened in Dota 2 and we spent it in a battle pass and an international. A think it was after 200+ hours. But ir was the 4 of us.
My takes:
-People tend to have an affinity for a specific scale. For example, they would focus on the concept deck and forget about the elevator pitch and the one liner. Or would focus on quests without the dialogue, story arc, and the hero's journey. Or focus on society but not the building, city, and world. One must learn to scale up and down.
-"When forced to work within a strict framework the imagination is taxed to its utmost-and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom the work is likely to sprawl." -T.S. Eliot. "Necessity is the mother of invention".
-Humanize your work as possible (e.g. add characters instead of valuable objects).
-Make goals instead of rules, objectives that you repeatedly question 'why' until you make them meaningful. It is easy to forget why you were following the rule in the first place, but not a goal.
"If you have a mechanical problem, solve it with an NPC."
Oh, so *that's* where all these infuriating, cliche, flat plot device victims and cults come from...
Gave a like for the final speaker only. Dude did great!
if anyone wants pizzazz first polish later talk, check out the video "Rules of the Game: Five Techniques from Quite Inventive Designers"
The second speaker was super validating. Ever since the days of limewire I've wanted to contribute to the market of free stuff.
At one point, dwarf fortress inspired me when I was older and I hope that I can inspire someone else in about 30 years when I'm old and gray and my game doesn't suck any more
Christina says that players spent more time in multiplayer than single player. But what she neglected to mention is that players had to be bribed to play multiplayer at launch. The *secret* ending was locked behind the bonuses you got for completing the multiplayer. They claimed this was essential to the experience they were trying to create, but they ended up patching the requirement out of the game. That's all. Otherwise, great talk! I really enjoy the idea of art being driven by constraints rather than hindered by them. Silent Hill's overbearing fog was originally added to hide the game's dismal draw distance, but it became an iconic feature of the game. So much so that the remastered versions that tried to remove the fog ended up ruining the experience for a lot of people.
the end was banging
Luke's mention of the health bar --> apparently the creator of the Dark Souls games referred to the health bar in an interview as "the player's will to live". I love that analogy for game design of a user's health, that intensity really sinks in both for you the designer and the unfortunates users trapped in your world :)
lol very, very creative ending. love it!!!!
Yoda Stories was my jam as a kid!
If you have a free to play game and want to encourage community let the players trade your premium currency for in game things. The free players get the paid content in exchange for their time and you still get the money for it when your whale players buy gold for gems (or whatever). Dont let it become pay to win, but try to let the community decide the values of the currency.
Cosmetics are also a good way, since they can make the players stand out in the ftp crowd witouth interfere with the core gameplay.
@@mohandasjung Well if your selling any non-cosmetics you are treading dangerously close to toxic design already. Even if you only sell things like +50% xp boost you have to be very careful not to balance for people to have those boosts. Or you end up one of those games where they sell 10X or 100X multiplier boosts and its balanced for having that and if you dont your grind just to level is excessive.
Very good and helpful talk.
Last of Us was such a phenomenal experience for me. I love that game.
I really like this talk, it really hit and name several points I was thinking about lately. Thanks to speakers.
41:59
For anyone looking to skip the Pandas.
these are great
28:38 kEK 30:03
1:18 you know you know you know
30:04 lol
Final talk...
So, Metal Slug was the solution.
That graph is too accurate
Mass effect cut its inventory system as a solution to a problem... they didn't solve the problem, they cut the problem. I would have said the issue was their UI. However, it is a solution for AAA developers on a time crunch; maybe due to poor leadership?...
@@StuCreates I strongly disagree, it was the best thing they could've ever done. I find most inventory systems stupid to the point they break immersion.
I just put 60 bullets and a couple of grenades through that dude's armor, I am NOT looting it, it's not even my size! Instead, I'll scan it and apply whatever tech they had to my future armors. In a sci fi context this is absolutely fucking genius. We can argue how good the execution was, but the idea itself is brilliant. It made the game so much better.
@@aWinterCrow I've long thought about the inventory debate between ME1 and ME2 (I vastly prefer ME2) but I've never interpreted the tech scanning (upgrading) in that way! When I read your comment I was just like "Holy shit! I appreciate the changes EVEN more than I have for nearly a decade!"
@Stu Royce I'd say the problem with ME2 "inventory" was that selecting a weapon loadout got reduced to a text box with a list of weapons. In other words it's a problem of PRESENTATION.
@@GothikaGeist It feels right when things make sense huh :D
Never thought about your second point though, you may be right, often times presentation matters more than it seems
44:13 There. This unfortunately has become staple in many AAA games. It's what ruined MGSV for me
Quit watching at 0:30. Comments sound like I'm not missing much.
24:11 what a joke. Just don't make pay2win games. It's a sleezy business model.
What hes saying makes since. Hes trying to show how to profit from a f2p game without making the players feel like they are hitting a wall.
You don't want them getting stomped every game by players who pay money he says. keep players "just out of reach" he says.
He's talking about psychologically manipulating players into spending money by making them think they can win. Does it make sense in regards to making profit? Absolutely, scams often do. But I'm not saying he's nonsensical, I'm saying he's the epitome of scumbag game design.
Unfortunately thats how ftp games work. Even in f2p games you love the ideal match making system will pair players with other players in a way that they might wanna spend some money.
Warframe for example. Theres no PVP aspect but there is a very very real cosmetic level of the game. It would make perfect sense for the devs to pair people who havnt spent much money to people who are decked out and look incredibly bad ass.
I disagree. Cosmetics are not a 'level of the game' they are an entirely different product. I don't know warframe that much but if you look at f2p games that do it right like Dota2 and Path of Exile, there's absolutely no reason to 'buy' cosmetics if all you want to do is experience the game in its entirety. Cosmetics are a separate digital product for people who enjoy the base game because they do not influence the base mechanics. The issue is when your business model affects the core mechanics of the game by giving players an edge dependent on which fool gave you more money. If you're going to sit there and spout non-arguments against said issue then we have nothing more to discuss.
In warframe it is very much a level of the game. Its a term they coined fashionframe.
I see what your saying but as much as you may disagree, cosmetics are very much a way to get people to invest money. So it would make perfect sense to show off those cosmetics to a free player and maybe get them to spend some money in the game as well. And I think its great that people can play a f2p game entirely and not spend any money. However for every person that runs through a f2p game without spending any money, the designers have failed. The goal is to convert as many f2p players to paying players as possible. The goal to make money is to take the free to play and try to get people to spend money on it, all the while trying not to compromise gameplay.
I really want to learn from this video but all I can hear is a series of mouth noises. These microphones :(
There are some truly atrocious ideas in this talk. A lot of the issues in games today, including ideas that have been thoroughly rejected by virtually the entire community can be viewed here.
I suggest watching the first and last speakers, the ones in between will just tell you how great p2w is and that butchering your game instead of problem solving is the way to go.
Very sad panda.
Really? Five seconds in and we're getting partisan?
how long until we see your talk at GDC?
You're confusing acknowledgement of reality with partisanship. No matter what side you're on, it's a pretty objective piece of our reality that the U.S. is perceived as a more dangerous and/or tricky place to visit recently than previously. Relative to the past, more concern is expressed towards the concept of visiting the U.S. in the present.
I understand that, but immediately going in to how about most of you're accepting of people regardless of where they're from is a jab at the policy. I've never really been one to hide my political beliefs, but regardless of what side anyone is on, it's been three years, and I wish it would stop creeping in to unrelated topics.
All he did was take a few seconds to mention the issue which IS relevant to the convention and he followed up by welcoming the people from different countries. If you are bothered by this, you are hypersensitive.
Bobbie Jean Pentecost It's a game developer's conference. You were brought in to talk about game development. Go through all the other presentations on this channel, and count how many discuss partisan issues at the beginning. It's not hypersensitive to point out obvious virtue signaling.
I cant concentrate on what that old guy says with his mouth making that constant nasty sound
I'm really sick of the extremely heavy themes of socialism being peddled at these talks. I wish they would get some less political speakers. These are video games for christ sake.
Duckspeak socalism in a game's economic system is just better for the consumer so naturally the best designers use it.
These are not video games. 'These' are videos about the creation of video games.
IDK what video games you play but there's politics in like, everything.
Found the Merican
I'm really sick of the extremely stupid comments and people all over TH-cam but such is life. I guess you should start making some games and get invited to do a talk yourself.
Lead designer mass effect 3? Lmao no thanks
jesus the amount of manipulation lol
All the Trump crying. just give us the lecture ffs.
Was excited to listen to this until he started off with ignorant political dribble. Moving onto another speaker.
I really hate it when people say "grok" in a software context, it's has psuedo religious/sexual connotations and really just say "fully grasp" or "completely understand" since you dont actually mean what the word means, and from the defining document on the topic, its almost ineffable.
The moment you used "freeloader" you lost my respect. It is well known (and documented) that you need the "freeloaders" to make the whales spend. Any one of those free games without the "freeloaders" would end up with just 5 people that would get bored in 1 second.
Did you watch the rest of the talk? He goes on to say basically that, along with dismissing the term "freeloader"
Surprisingly, pink hair lady had best talk. From past experiences - didn't expect anything smart from woman with pink hair.