The computer games industry is one of the most dynamically developing segments of the IT sector. How difficult is it to learn how to create games or at least individual elements of them? Can the user cope with such tasks alone? How do professionals create computer games?
What do you need to start creating games?
First of all, you need to be involved in the industry as a player. Without knowing how games work from the inside and the psychology of gamers, observing how computer graphics work in real use, and not in theory, it is very difficult to achieve success in releasing your own games. If a game is created with an eye toward commercial sales (or at least with the goal of promoting the personal brand of its developer), then it must be competitive and reflect the current demands of the gaming community. To release a product without following the “trend” is to waste time. Therefore, it is important to be not just an amateur gamer, but also to study the market, be able to install new games on your computer, and test them. And this means that the developer will also need very And here we move on to the second main condition for success in the gaming industry. We are talking about hardware components - hardware.
It is known that (from among PCs, of course, we are not talking about industrial computers) - gaming ones. They include hardware components (processor, video card, memory, chipset) that are much more technologically advanced than PCs for office and home needs. Externally, of course, computers of different classes may hardly differ, but from the point of view of electronic “stuffing” the difference is significant. A gaming PC can cost 5-10 times more than an office or home PC. It is possible that even some individual component (for example, the same processor) will have a price higher than the entire finished PC for the office. By the way, powerful hardware will be needed not only for testing gaming products. High-performance components are also required specialized programs for playing games on a computer. Those with the help of which masterpieces of the industry will be created.
The third component of success in releasing great games is, as experts in the “gaming workshop” say, a special type of thinking. It must combine two seemingly completely different principles: logic and creativity. The first is necessary in order to have a good understanding of the construction of scripts, scripts and various kinds of dependencies embedded in the product concept, to decide how to write a game in a structure that future users will understand and accept. The second is to give your product unique features that distinguish it from similar or competing solutions.
Game Creation Methods
How are games created for a computer? Experts identify three main ways to develop gaming products: using construction kits, using game engines, and writing from scratch. The first is the simplest, the third is the most difficult. Therefore, if we are new to the field of creating games, then it makes sense for us to pay attention to the possibility of using construction sets. However, it will be useful to consider the features of each of the tools.
Game constructors
A constructor is a set of templates that have a programmed behavior model. The closest analogy that can be given to explain how to create a game using such a solution is “Lego” parts. Just as children construct, by reading a manual or improvising, houses, cars and other interesting masterpieces made of plastic.
The user has relatively great freedom in managing templates and setting scenarios for their operation. It is unlikely, of course, that with the help of a designer, even an experienced game developer will be able to produce a product that will create a sensation on the world market. Such programs are, rather, educational in nature, allowing novice gaming industry enthusiasts to understand how games are created on a computer. However, even this kind of task assigned to designers is important from the point of view of industry development.
Game engines
Creating games using engines is a process in which the user has at his disposal a disproportionately wider range of tools than in the case of designers. It is quite realistic to say that through the interfaces supplied by the manufacturers of such solutions, it is possible to create solutions that are competitive even at the global level - arcades, 3D action games, simulation games. Engines can be installed on a computer without problems and are almost always accompanied by a convenient interface for using them. As a rule, also high-quality help and training systems.
What is an engine? This is, in fact, just a set of commands (albeit a very complex one, consisting of hundreds of thousands of algorithms) that allow you to launch individual game processes. Number of templates similar topics, which are available in designers, as a rule, is kept to a minimum. And those that exist are very easy to modify or replace with those developed by the user himself. Using engines requires, of course, more qualifications than working with designers. If we are talking about creating a serious game, then the user will most likely have to involve someone else to help (we will look at the structure of a typical development team below). But once a person has mastered the engine interfaces, he will subsequently be able to adapt his existing knowledge and skills to create almost any gaming product.
Game from scratch
If a user has outgrown the capabilities of game engines, not to mention designers, has learned several programming languages, and studied in detail the principles of creating 3D graphics, then it’s time for him to master the most complex tool for creating games - writing a gaming masterpiece from scratch. The stages of releasing a new product will most likely include the development of its own engine - it is rare for a game to do without it, especially one that claims to be recognized in the community.
It is worth noting, however, that it is very difficult to cope with the release of a product from scratch alone (although the history of the gaming industry knows such precedents). But it is quite possible for one user to go through some stages of game development (such as, for example, creating characters, drawing graphic elements) in order to then involve other people by assembling a team.
Professional developers
If we talk about game development as a separate market segment, then the main role here is played by professional studios that have the financial and human resources to release commercially competitive products.
Creating top-level games costs hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars, and dozens of specialists from various fields are involved in their release. There are, of course, small and medium-sized development companies whose budgets for the release of gaming products can fit into the amount of 8-10 thousand “green”, but this is a very specific segment.
Structure of a professional game studio
Continuing the conversation about professional development, it will be useful to study the structure of the average development company. Who should work for a company that claims to create a global gaming bestseller? How do people who do this on a professional basis create games on a computer?
The development team must include designers and artists. Without their talent, computer graphics will not impress users. Graphics are, according to many experts, a key factor in the success of a game. In some cases, positions of this type are divided by function. For example, a team of game creators may have separate 2-D and 3D designers, as well as so-called concept artists who offer their colleagues and company management sketches of future graphic elements for approval.
The next group of specialists are “modelers”. Befitting the name of their position, they create prototypes of the game characters, as well as the artifacts, equipment, and buildings surrounding them, and “model” the future virtual world. In a number of cases, specialists in this category are assisted by animators (in cases where special modeling needs to be done) complex movements characters).
In most cases, programmers themselves are involved in creating games. This happens most often when the development company uses its own engine, but it is necessary to periodically coordinate the scripts written in it with the features of the game animation laid down by the artists. If the engine is supplied by a third-party developer, then, as a rule, no changes to the program code are required.
A serious gaming product cannot be made without an art director. This person is called upon to consolidate the efforts of artists and designers within a single concept. He will also be responsible for the efficiency of work, organizing processes so that the game is released on time.
We create games ourselves: a review of programs
How to create a game with only general knowledge of how programs for developing gaming products work? There are many tools that allow even an amateur to create his own game. Let us give examples of the types of solutions that we discussed above.
Game Maker
This program makes it possible to create a game even for those users who do not speak programming languages. This, however, is not about developing three-dimensional masterpieces. The program allows you to create only 2D games, but in a wide variety of genres. You can make very simple action games. The menu available to the user contains a large number of ready-made templates. All that essentially remains to be done is to come up with your own game scenario.
The program contains fairly detailed instructions and a good quality help system. Having mastered the possibilities Game Maker at a basic level, the user can proceed to learn the built-in language of this program - Game Maker Language. Using its capabilities, you can go beyond the templates built into the software and create games almost from scratch.
Construct-2
The Construct-2 product is recognized by experts as one of the most functional solutions in its class for creating games by users who do not speak programming languages. The huge advantage of this solution is that it can be used to produce games for most platforms used today - Windows, iOS, Android, create them in HTML5 and applications for Facebook (having understood how to make programs to run on this social network, the user will learn how to create a game on VK and show it to friends). Users of Construct-2 note the simplicity and clarity of its interface. You can work mainly according to templates, but there are a lot of them, and therefore there is almost anyone that will fit into the scenario invented by the user. The nice thing is that Conustruct-2 is free.
Unity 3D
The two programs listed above are designed for creating games in 2D mode. Unity allows you to work using 3D graphics capabilities. The opportunities that the program provides are huge. Just as in the case of Construct 2, there is multiplatform (there is even support for consoles - Xbox, PlayStation, Wii).
The program includes one of the best game engines in the world, according to experts (it is also called Unity). Therefore, this solution, without any exaggeration, allows us to create world-class gaming masterpieces (if, of course, we manage to assemble a team comparable in personnel to at least the average development studio). It will be possible to release very serious games on the computer. Shooting games - definitely, strategies - also quite realistic, racing, simulators - easy.
This post is for those who dream of making their own game, but don’t know where to start. I assume that this person has already read at least five books on game design and already has some experience in the industry. If one of these conditions is not met, this post is not for you and you do not need to read it. How not to start making your dream game. I have had several startups, with with varying success. The first time I tried to make my own game, if I’m not confused, was somewhere in 1999-2000. At that time, there was a company called Fireglow, which made the famous title “Confrontation” (in the English version “Sudden Strike”). Surely you remember this strategy; it was the first Russian game to reach the top of the world charts. Unfortunately, I was still too young and did not take part in the development of the title. But I was friends with some of the guys who made it (we became friends based on common computer interests, while still just teenagers).
One day one of them, a wonderful programmer Viktor Bargachev, came to visit me. In between, there was a conversation about how things were going in their team and when to expect the next game. And it turned out that things were not going well, there were no ideas. And Vitya, knowing that I was studying directing at the time, suggested that I write a script (we didn’t know the words game design yet). What if something happens? I attracted a friend, we wrote three hundred pages of different options and scenarios; The key programmer of the Fireglow team and the manager (technical director, sort of) left Fireglow and the five of us began working on a new, super complex RPG. Six months later, the initiative died due to the high complexity of the idea, lack of experience of all team members, improper management and other childhood illnesses of startups. However, my game design career began right then. Then there were more games, and also independent ones. Some were completed with varying degrees of success, one quite successfully. But in all cases, I used the same approach to forming a team ready to work in their free time, for an idea and solely on enthusiasm. This approach works; Maybe it's some kind of special secret, maybe not. Perhaps I was lucky to find a life hack, thanks to which I can now create teams, with whom I can implement ideas (both my own and the teams’). Below I will share a method that works so well for me (but not necessarily that it will work just as well for you). I deliberately omit here the scope of the planned project. It could be an MMO with dynamic changes in the game world and robbery of the Korovans, or a simple puzzle. In the second case, your chances increase greatly, but this is a subject for another article; here I will only recommend not to do anything complicated as a first project with a new team. The optimal team to start is three people: a game designer, a programmer and an artist. Everything else (sounds, music, etc.) can be easily found later. And here the question arises: where to find these two people (provided that you are a game designer)? Next is a step-by-step action plan.
Step 1: organizing your workspace
What it is? This is a wiki and task scheduler. For the wiki I use Atlassian Confluence, the tracker depends on the complexity of the project. It’s probably better to get used to the good stuff right away, so I recommend Atlassian Jira. Both will cost a total of $20/month. Further, if you need version control and a single repository, then SVN or GIT; Bitbucket for Git is free up to a certain quite acceptable number of users. If you have your own hosting and know how to set up an SVN, then it definitely won’t hurt. To work with Unity3D I recommend Asset Server, but latest versions Unity can also work with SVN/Perfors, so what do you like best? We take cheap hosting (free for a year) on Amazon AWS (micro instance) - full root access, any operating system. Requires knowledge of the basics of admin; for me it was a great way to get a basic skill in linux. Now I know several Linux commands, I can launch WordPress from the console, install PostgreSQL and Trac, and also completely screw everything up, so I strongly recommend backing up the system. If you don’t have such skills, then Atlassian Confluence On Demand is your choice. Everything is already installed and configured, and all you have to do is start working on the design document. Here many will ask: “why is this necessary, because you can work just fine in Word!”, and they will be wrong. A wiki allows cross-referencing, which is vital for creating complete documentation; allows you to work on documentation together, provides access to the latest changes at any time, and so on. After working in confluence, you won’t want to return to Word. 
Step 2: writing a design document and necessary materials
A mandatory step if you want to find a sane team with whom you will work long and productively. Or if you don't want to find people who promise generously but disappear as soon as it comes to work. This happens even with paid employees, what about those who will work with you with enthusiasm? In general, if you want to find real comrades-in-arms, then write a normal design document. Of course, you won’t be able to write a complete one; As you work, you will refine it and this is normal and correct. But there must be a starting point. Not even a period, but a powerful platform that will withstand all the questions, suggestions and criticism that future team members may have. I told you how to write a design document. In addition, literary descriptions and pitches are needed. This should be the essence of your design and vision, in which every letter is verified, in which every word shoots, striking the imagination of your future colleagues. This document should sink into their heart, soul and brain, ignite them - and only then will they overcome all subsequent difficulties and difficulties with you (which are guaranteed to arise). The pitch should take no more than two pages, clearly and concisely describe the game, what it will be, and its USP (unique features). After reading the pitch, people should feel that this is a game. They should see how it will work, feel it as if they had already played it. In general, pitching a future game is your chance to assemble a strong team. No pitch - no strong team. 
Step 3: finding a team, attracting teammates
Many people start creating their project with this step. They find a couple of people, get together and then the question arises: “Well, what kind of game are we going to make?” In the case of well-coordinated teams that finished the previous game, this is great. But not if you are putting together a new team. It’s also bad if suddenly, instead of providing materials for review, you start talking about what a great game it will be. This stage will also be needed, but then, your task is to find a team for the vision that you have; these should be people who share your vision and will follow it, helping and participating, without trying to change the game to their vision, which may differ from yours. Therefore, step 2 is also useful because it will filter out people who are not suitable for you before you start working. So, you have a dzdok and a pitch. You know exactly what kind of game you want to make. I always started (and am, and will continue to do so) by looking for an artist who can do concept art well. He will be able to turn your words into pictures, and this will make it much easier to find a programmer (and other team members, if necessary). Fact: it’s much easier to find other team members with beautiful pictures than without them. That's why I believe that you have to start with the artist. We are looking for an artist. The next question is: where and how to look for it? There is gamedev.ru, where in my opinion it is almost impossible to find someone worthwhile (of course, miracles happen, but you have to be very lucky). DTF even more so. I don't waste time on forums and announcements. For my latest project, I visited about twenty thematic resources (where artists of the style in which the game will be posted their works); I found some of the most interesting ones and wrote (somewhere by email, somewhere by Skype). I was wildly lucky (or we were lucky, and we met this way): the idea of the game ignited the first, most powerful artist, and we started working. The concepts turn out to be stunning - I have never worked with such a talented concept artist on any project (neither funded nor startup). Therefore, there is no need to be afraid high level person. It is quite possible that your idea is exactly what he himself has been looking for for a long time. In addition, an artist-modeler from previous startups, who was found in exactly the same way, but several years ago, also remained on the current enthusiastic project.
Once you have ready-made concept art and a design document (which is guaranteed to be expanded and detailed while working on concepts), and there is a pitch, you will be ready to hiring a programmer. But now it will be much easier for you: firstly, there are already two of you; secondly, you will have not only text, but also visuals. With pictures, as I said above, it’s easier to attract, especially technical people who find it difficult to visualize such things. Concepts will help you not only tell you what should be done and how, but also what it should look like. It’s easy to get inspired by an idea when armed with pictures. If the programmer finds out that you have a wiki, a SVN, and a tracker, and you are generally well prepared, then in his eyes you will have no value. And this is truly a rarity simply because until this moment only one and a hundred (I exaggerate) game designer-Vannabis survives. By bringing development to this level, you, among other things, show the seriousness of your intentions, which is also very valuable.
Step 4: Prototype
This step is optional because if you listened to my advice at the very beginning, you don’t need money to create a simple game. You will do it yourself, and my experience shows that you will do it in about the same time as with regular (paid) development. But if you do average or big game, you will need money to expand the team, then for marketing, etc., and therefore a prototype. Previously, when in 2001 I came to Moscow for money, met with a wonderful person Sergei Gerasev and Yura Miroshnikov, asking for $300k for development, they politely sent me back. By the way, if Sergei or Yura suddenly read this article, then I express my gratitude for not laughing and being so patient. So, I was sent back to rainy and sleepy St. Petersburg, with sacred words: “Come with a demo version.” Then I didn’t understand why they needed it, because I told and described everything so well! But the demo/prototype is needed not because they are fools and don’t understand what the game will be like. A prototype is needed in order to understand whether this team can do anything at all or not, whether it is worth contacting it or whether everything will end in words. Not having a prototype doesn't guarantee that the team won't do anything; Having a prototype does not guarantee that the team will make the game. But this is a significant risk reduction. This is a demonstration of the seriousness and responsibility of the team and that you can work with them. And, most importantly: the prototype is not needed by the person who will give you money. You need the prototype yourself. 
Step 5: attracting investments - the classic option
Yes, I wrote this in capslock, and in bold, and I also underlined it. It's very easy to find money for a game, and the sources can be different, but in all cases you need a demo version or a prototype. I have made a rule for myself: no prototype - no work with investors. They regularly offer me money, different sizes and with different amounts zeros. But I refuse every time for the reason that I am now leading another project and there are certain obligations that I will fulfill. But if I didn’t have such obligations, then I would still refuse the remaining two: a) there is no playable prototype yet and b) there is crowdfunding. I believe that starting development without a working prototype is a very big risk, and if it goes wrong, you will lose other people’s money and a lot of your time; Without a working prototype, the conditions on which you can negotiate will most likely be much worse, even enslaving (this is very well practiced in our country). Once you have a prototype, you can bargain or even choose who to work with. For example, after the presentation of the prototype of one of the games in 2009 at the House of Entrepreneurs, two different investors approached me and I chose the one that seemed more suitable to me (I was wrong, by the way). Finalizing: make a prototype.
In general, as for the classic approach: you do a demo, take a package of documents (concepts, pitch) and get money, giving a large % to the company. In return, you get money if you are a specialized investor - professional producing, good feedback and quality control, incentives in the form of kicks and scoldings, marketing and everything else (if you live to see the release). For many, it's worth the huge percentage they'll take from you. 
Step 5: attracting investments - an alternative option
Yes, crowdfunding. I was there, raised $30k for a project that theoretically shouldn’t have raised even $10k (I wrote about this on Habré, in this post-mortem). If you do everything right from the beginning, then raising $50k is not a problem. There are difficulties with entering Kickstarter, but there is also IndieGoGo, there are also our sites (planeta.ru, boomstarter.ru, where the record for a game so far is 500 thousand rubles, against ten million dollars in the USA). But even if you start step 1 immediately, you will be able to enter the site no earlier than in a year - by this time our market will be better, and maybe it will be easier to enter Kickstarter. What is good about crowdfunding for game developers? Because there are no enslaving conditions. Collected - and forward. There are also disadvantages, such as the need to develop other materials (for the campaign) and the fact that you will be on your own, no one will give you smart (or not so smart) advice and you will not work with professional producers at first. You can read about what materials will be needed and how it works in general in our group
The first thing we need is to decide on our goal. What do we ultimately want to get? If you want your game to work, you first need to aim more accurately and not hit at random.
The concept and goal definition stage is handled by project Manager.
Genre
You can imagine your finished game in great detail from the very beginning, or you can think out the plot, style, and features of the game as development progresses. In this matter, excessive precision is not necessary, but at a minimum, we need to set the direction for the development of our game project. The genre of the game must be chosen at the very beginning without fail. The genre will be the main direction of development of the game.
Let's look at round table genres as a target, and select the gameplay elements we need (more information about the table of genres can be found in the article “ Computer game genres"). Some elements will give us high popularity among players (destruction, competition, hero, care), some will give us loyal but picky fans (tactics, control, evasion), and some will give us the absence of serious competitors (training, logic, travel, economics).
The chosen genre can be slightly adjusted as work progresses, but its essence should remain the same. Genre is a kind of foundation for the entire game. If you want to change the genre of your game, it will be easier to start developing a new game all over again than to remake what has already been developed.
Setting
The division of computer games into genres is very specific and is not similar to the system of genres of films and books. Game genres determine only the basic actions that players will perform during the game, thereby answering only the question “WHAT?” To the questions "WHERE?" and when?" Another main characteristic of the game is the setting.
Setting is the game’s belonging to a certain plot theme or to a specific virtual world. Several of the most popular settings have emerged among computer games: fantasy, science fiction (sci-fi), World War II, the Middle Ages, steampunk, post-nuclear world, anime, comics.
Creating a game in a popular setting ensures its own popularity, and players feel cozy and comfortable in an already familiar world. Some games are created in their own unique settings or in unusual combinations of standard themes. Such games are less popular, but, nevertheless, they have their own audience of special players who cannot stand stereotypes and monotony.
2. Remedy
The goal of the game project has been set, now we need to choose the means (materials and tools) to achieve it. And here we are faced with an unusual phenomenon of the computer world - both the material and the tool of the game project are the same entity - program code. Code how construction material are digital images, three-dimensional models, sounds and texts in the form of sequences of ones and zeros. Code as a tool is commands in lines of program code that control game objects of all listed types.
Creating game material (filling, content) is a purely creative part of the process, we’ll look at it a little later, but for now let’s look at the program code only as a tool. In this case, the program code is a framework (skeleton) on which the results of all subsequent stages of development will be strung.
This stage is carried out programmers.
First of all, we must choose the programming language that suits us best. After this, there will be hard and painstaking work on writing program code that can operate with two-dimensional or three-dimensional objects in space, linking images and sounds. To create a virtual three-dimensional space, you will have to use complex geometric formulas to construct a projection of 3D objects onto a plane (in the mind of a computer, objects exist in real three-dimensional space, but to display their image on a flat two-dimensional screen, you have to make recalculations). As development progresses, you will have to study all image and audio file formats, all kinds of codecs and encodings.
The use of game engines does not completely free us from using the services of programmers, but it reduces them to a minimum. You still have to customize the standard software module and add something of your own to it to make the game project more unique.
3. Game mechanics
The most important creative part of any game is the game mechanics. This thing is not on the surface, so it often escapes the attention of inattentive game connoisseurs.
Young teenagers (the main part of the gaming audience) mostly evaluate games based on the quality of graphics, and do not notice that beautiful games Although popular, their popularity lasts only a few months after release. And in the hearts of players and in the golden lists of eternal gaming classics, completely different games remain forever, perhaps a little unsightly in appearance, but with amazingly exciting gameplay. The more varied and interesting the gaming options, the longer the player stays in the game. For example, why did Minecraft receive universal love? Certainly not for the primitive cubic graphics, but for the fact that this game gives truly limitless gaming possibilities.
If you imagine the game in the form of a living organism, then the game mechanics will be its nervous system and the brain. And if you imagine the game in the form of a house under construction, then the game mechanics will appear as electrical wiring, pipelines and other household utilities. Imagine what happens to beautiful and fashionable, but not well-thought-out games from this point of view: you can live in beautiful house, but if it does not have lighting, running water and sewerage, then at the first opportunity you will leave it in search of more comfortable housing.
Game mechanics, at their core, are a set of rules by which the game will function. What action will happen if the player takes this bonus? If the player comes into contact with an enemy, what will happen then? Will he lose health from this contact, or will this only happen after being hit by an enemy? If a player approaches a car, will he be able to get in and take a ride? Will the player be able to build anything or at least move objects? There may be several hundred or even thousands of such questions. The answers to all these questions will constitute the game mechanics.
Objects
The basis of all mechanics are game objects. The main character of the game, computer rivals, minor characters(NPC), bonuses, moving objects, decorations - all these are game objects with their own properties and possible actions.
Control
Game mechanics determine which keys the main character or the main game object will control, what action will occur after pressing a particular button. This also includes the laws of behavior of game objects (physics engine) and the behavior of enemies (artificial intelligence).
Physics engine
If “control” is responsible for moving the character under our control, then the physics engine is responsible for those movements that occur without the direct intervention of the player. These actions imitate physical laws real world(sometimes slightly distorted towards fantasy). A thrown ball bounces off the floor, an overturned barrel rolls off inclined surface, a shot with a powerful weapon throws the shooter back, a fragile object thrown from a height breaks - all these are examples of the action of the physics engine.
In ready-made game engines, physics engines are most often implemented. All you have to do is assign ready-made objects to your unique objects. physical characteristics: weight, density, elasticity, destructibility. If you decide to create your own physics engine, then for this you will need a talented programmer who has a good understanding of the principles of object-oriented programming (OOP) and a little knowledge of classical physics.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is responsible for the behavior of computer enemies or allies.
The role of AI varies significantly depending on the game genre. In action games, enemy actions are extremely primitive; in RTS strategies, a couple of dozen scripts are enough to give the opponent seeming intelligence; In stealth action games, slashers and fighting games, it is necessary to create a unique behavior system for each type of enemy, otherwise stupid enemies will make the game uninteresting. A serious strategy game requires enormous work on AI, but in simple casual games and online projects focused on battles only between real players, artificial intelligence is not needed at all.
4. Levels
The rules of the game in the form of game mechanics are ready, now we need to create platforms where these rules will begin to work. The created game objects are placed in separate virtual spaces – levels (locations). Games most often contain many separate levels, the transition between which occurs as the story progresses. But recently, thanks to the increased performance of computers, games are being released with one large, integral world, only conditionally divided into different locations (GTA, Skyrim).
At each individual level, game objects, walls, platforms, decorations, and backgrounds are placed. Levels are created in games of all genres. Even in a simple casual game of rearranging colored pebbles, there are levels - their role is played by the playing fields and the placement of stones. In browser games, individual html pages act as locations.
If, again, we imagine the game in the form of a house, then the construction of game levels is the layout of the floors, and the number of levels is the number of storeys of the building.
They are building levels level designers.
Ideally, level designers are taken from among avid gamers. This happens because any other person from the outside, even if creative, but very far from the topic of games, will not be able to cope with this task well. The level designer must have a good understanding of the gameplay, and feel how the game situation will change from moving objects on the level.
Quite often, a game comes with a level editor, with which ordinary players can independently create new maps and levels for themselves. Game developers support the distribution of homemade maps among players and often post the best works on their official servers. Level editors are created not only to entertain players and increase the lifespan of a particular game, but also to find the most talented people among the gaming audience. Thus, game studios solve their personnel problem. As mentioned above: the best level designer is an avid player.
The most important component of the game – the gameplay – depends on the design (not the design, but the layout) of the levels. (This rule does not apply only to most casual games, fighting games and sports games, where the levels are extremely primitive). Uninteresting and monotonous level layouts have ruined many games with great designs backed by the latest technology. If you want to create a full-fledged, exciting game, and not a dummy in a beautiful wrapper, then you need to spend maximum creative effort on level design.
5. Design
They create graphics artists, game designers.
Of course, if you are developing a simple 2D game, then you can draw something from pixels yourself, but in more serious and large projects it is better to hire professional artists and designers.
Arts
First you need to create images of heroes, enemies, game objects, backgrounds. They are initially drawn either on paper or on a computer using a graphics tablet. For small game studios, this step is not necessary, but it is simply necessary in big companies, so that not with fingers, but with visual images, we can explain to all designers what they should end up with.
2D, 3D models
Based on art, designers create either 2D sprites from pixels or 3D models from polygons.
Animations
Animations are created for game objects that will move during the game. It will be especially difficult with heroes and enemies, the number of animations of which sometimes exceeds a hundred different movements.
Currently there is a tool for creating humanoid 3D characters. special technology"Motion Capture", which allows you to create animations based on the movements of real people. This technology is available only to large and very rich companies. To use Motion Capture, you not only need to purchase expensive equipment, but also hire a group of actors from whom movements will be recorded.
Backgrounds
With backgrounds everything is much simpler - I drew it once, put it in Right place at the level without any changes, and forgot.
Special effects
Visual special effects are essentially the same as animations, but instead of moving objects, they use moving particles and light filters. Beams of light in different directions when taking bonuses, fire on a burning building, a smoke screen after a grenade explosion, laser beams from the barrel of rifles, the application of blur filters when underwater and darkening filters in poorly lit places - all these are special effects. Without such effects, the game will seem bland and too ordinary. The use of special effects adds brightness, richness and expressiveness to the game.
Screen and menu design
It is necessary to design not only the game levels, but also the system that unites them into a single whole - the game menu (lines, buttons, settings pages). The initial menu is generally the calling card of the game, and it should look perfect. The game screen also has many elements to which you can apply design - the number of lives, lifebar, minimap, quick action menu, hero's inventory, task lists, dialogue screens. On English language all this is called one abbreviation - GUI (Graphical User Interface - graphical user interface).
The interface and menu are designed artists, programmers And HTML page layout designers. (Site site)
6. Plot
It is very difficult to attract a player to your project, but it is even more difficult to make the player complete the game to the end. Any frustrating, boring or difficult passage can instantly turn a player off from further playing. In most cases, the player will leave and forget the game without any regret. And only a well-presented, high-quality plot can force the player to gather his strength, complete the entire game, and therefore listen to your interactive story to the end.
At the dawn of their existence, computer games did without a plot, drawing players in only with their gameplay. But nowadays, even the simplest casual game has a plot attached to it, not to mention large AAA game projects.
Although the existence of a plot in the game just for show does not give any positive effect, the developers continue to come up with more and more new stories, one more stupid than the other. A story is only useful if it can engage the player's emotions. This requires a unique, interesting and believable plot; each character must have his own unique personality and act according to it; characters and there should be no more events than the human brain can perceive, otherwise the plot will turn into an incomprehensible vinaigrette; events should occur logically (mystery and vagueness are welcomed to maintain plot intrigue, but there should also be a logic hidden from the player).
Scripts, events
The best option is when the plot exists right inside the game. This is achieved through the use of scripted scenes.
The script is the following: the player enters a certain place, or performs the desired action, or some other necessary conditions are met, and after that the actions that you have programmed for this case begin to be performed. For example, in a military 3D shooter we rise to a hill, approach an installed machine gun (the condition is met), 10-15 seconds after that, a massive enemy attack suddenly begins below, and we have someone to use the machine gun on (events have occurred).
With the help of scripted events, you can add variety to the gameplay or even turn the game into an attraction of endless scripts (this is what the Call of Duty series of games is built on). The only disadvantage of this method is that the player’s freedom of action is reduced. Everything happens at the will of the scripts, and depends little on the player’s actions.
They are thinking through scripts screenwriters, and their implementation – programmers.
Dialogues, narrations
In old classic games, the story exists separately from the gameplay. For example, when loading or finishing levels, we are introduced to the plot story, told about the relationship between heroes and enemies, and explained what needs to be done at the level and why. During the game itself, none of the above has any meaning, and the player can safely skip all these texts. Most often this is what happens - texts remain unread. And all because there is no good reason to read them.
Another thing is in-game texts or dialogues. They occur during the game, but in safe places, or with game time stopped so that the player can focus only on the text. The player has to listen to the narration, since the game freezes for this time, but does not stop completely. And in dialogues you also need to choose an answer option. Choosing an option gives interactivity and at least some practical meaning to listening to the text - the correctly chosen answer can bring an additional bonus, make further play easier, or preserve the chosen character of the hero in role-playing games.
When creating a game, it is better to store the texts of narratives and dialogues in separate files that are loaded during the game. Separating the artistic text from the technical codes will help in the future if you decide to create a localized version of the game in other languages of the world.
Writing texts and dialogues screenwriters And writers.
Video inserts
Between levels of the game or at certain checkpoints of levels, instead of dry text and voice acting, you can show video inserts (cutscenes) to players. Such screensavers can be created either using separate video files or using a game engine.
Video files allow you to transmit a picture of any quality and complexity to the player, but when creating a game distribution, they take up a lot of disk space. Screensavers created on the game engine are almost as good in quality as pre-rendered videos, but to view them well, the player must have a fairly powerful computer, which is not always the case in reality.
They create video inserts artists, animators, 3D modelers, screenwriters, directors.
7. Sound
A beautifully drawn and impressively designed project silently looks at us and waits for us to add sound to it. This is another important component of the game.
Sound effects
For any young person game movement you need to add the appropriate sound. This could be sword strikes, a melee strike, the sounds of a car moving, receiving a bonus, or the hero being detected by an enemy. Don't think that this is some kind of excess, and you can get by with just a few basic sounds. For example, most 3D-Action games neglect to add footstep sounds for the protagonist and enemies. As a result, when viewed from the first person, you can see that the hero is moving in space, but it seems that he is not walking, but smoothly sliding forward. And enemies without voiceover of their steps can completely silently run up to the hero from behind and greatly spoil the nerves of the players.
Good sound effects not only fill the silence, but also serve as an extension of the game's graphical style. A cheerful arcade game is filled with no less cheerful melodic sounds, a sports car simulator is filled with the rumbling roar of engines and the clanging of brakes, a three-dimensional action movie is deafening with machine-gun fire, falling shell casings and clicking rifle bolts.
Most often as sound effects uses real sounds recorded digitally. There are many free collections of sound effects on the Internet, you just need to find them and choose the ones that suit you best.
Music
In addition to sounds, for a full-fledged game you also need music (soundtrack). It will be the sound background for what is happening on the screen. Music is also one of the stylistic elements of the game, and has the greatest influence on the player’s mood. It takes a long time to select finished music according to the appropriate tempo and mood. There are many paid and free collections of game background tracks that you can use in your game (article " Music for creating games"). Or you can order composers to write new music specifically for the game.
Voice acting
The third sound element of the game is the voice acting of game dialogues and monologues. This component is very expensive, but its presence in the game is not necessary. Some games have almost no dialogue or text, and where there is, they can be left unvoiced in the form of text subtitles. Small games get by without any voice acting at all, but in large projects They even invite world-famous professional actors to do the dubbing.
The presence of music and full-fledged voice acting in the game significantly increases the volume of the finished game occupied on the hard drive. But if possible, it is better to still add voice acting to the game. This will increase the player's involvement in the plot and the story you are telling, since most players ignore and do not read regular unvoiced texts at all.
8. Sanding
The process of developing a large game is structured in such a way that different specialists work on its different elements. On initial stage the game is a disparate set of creative developments in various fields of art: images, sounds, 3D models, architecture, texts, scenes, video inserts, design. And finally, the moment comes when the scattered stones need to be collected. With the help of software, disparate objects are connected into a single complex system.
Mixing of material (a-version)
When building a game on game engine merging of objects occurs gradually from the very beginning of the process. Until the game is completed, it is called the alpha version. At this point, you can already start testing individual levels, scripts and other mechanisms.
At this stage, it is already technically possible to release a demo version or at least a video with gameplay in order to attract players to your project in advance.
Troubleshooting (b-version)
When the game is completely assembled, all that remains is to eliminate the resulting bugs. They appear in any case, since the game is a system with a complex structure. The game elements themselves are clear and simple, but the connections between them are so complex and ornate that the process of debugging and eliminating errors can take up to 40% of the entire project development time. A fully assembled game, but not yet tested for errors, is called a beta version.
They are looking for bugs in the game testers. Very often, groups of ordinary players are involved as testers, and this serves as the beginning of their career in gaming industry. The easiest way to solve this problem is in online games - developers organize open beta tests in which all interested players participate.
9. Sale
The creation of the game and all creative issues are handled by the development studio, and all other issues (loans, finances, contracts, rights protection, promotions, localization, sales) are usually transferred to the shoulders of another organization - the game publisher.
The relationship between developers and publishers can be very different: an agreement on cooperation on equal terms; all rights, financial risks and possible profits belong to the publisher, and the developers only receive their small percentage of the profits; all rights belong to the developers, the publishing house is a separate company temporarily hired by the developers; developers and publishing house are different divisions of one large corporation.
Before selling a game to the end user, publishers first need to communicate the game's existence. Of course, they can buy a game without knowing anything about it, simply choosing it at random in the store, but the chance that they will choose your game in this way is extremely low. It is much more profitable to spread information about the game through all possible channels. To do this, they use either advertising in a computer disk store or advertising on Internet resources.
The gaming industry is not like the market for ordinary goods; it has its own characteristics. Information spreads among the active gaming audience at lightning speed and covers everyone around. With this feature, the most effective advertisement for the game is its high quality. If your game is interesting and exciting, then gaming magazines and information internet portals, players will begin to discuss the game and spread information further and further, and after completing the first game they will look forward to additions and continuations of this project. Thus, without spending a penny on advertising, but earning the respect of the players, you will ensure the success of both the current game and all subsequent additions.
Localization
Released the game in your native Russian language? Get ready for the fact that the audience of potential players will consist of only a few countries, and the profit will be meager. It is much more profitable to release a game in English - its text will be understood by the majority of players around the world, these players will be much more solvent, and therefore the profit will be an order of magnitude greater.
Ideally, you need to release the game in several of the world's most popular languages at once (English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese), but for this you need to have a whole staff translators And localizers. Moreover, it is desirable that translators be native speakers. On your own native language they will be able to transfer the maximum meaning of the original text. But ordinary single developers do not have such luxury, and most large companies are in no hurry to spend money on this matter.
Separating the artistic text from the technical part of the game will help to significantly simplify the localization process. To do this, you need to place texts, subtitles and voice-over audio files in separate, easily accessible files of standard types. And in the game’s program code you only need to leave links so that the text is loaded into the game from these files. The most popular games are translated by enthusiastic players on their own, without any participation from developers. Separating the literary text at the game development stage will greatly help such enthusiasts do their good deed.
Sales system
The game is ready, players are waiting for its release, all that remains is to decide how to deliver the game to end users and take money from them.
The classic method (producing large quantities of computer disks and selling them through retail stores) is still relevant, but is only suitable for large companies and for games that have at least some initial popularity.
For small groups of developers, distributing the game through digital distribution systems (large online stores) is ideal. This option provides a newly created little-known game with a ready-made audience of buyers that has formed around the service. Most famous example– Steam service. Thanks to the huge audience of players using Steam, almost every game released in this online store immediately gains worldwide fame.
Or you can easily create your own online store with one single product - a created game. But in this case, you will have to advertise not only the game, but also the online address of the store, and win the audience yourself.
10. Support
Creating a game and selling it is not the end of the life cycle of a game project. When the game is already in the hands of end users, players may still need your help. Large companies even have entire technical support departments dealing with such issues.
Release of patches
The previous beta test eliminated the most obvious errors from the game, but this does not mean that they are completely gone from the game. It often happens that widespread use of a game reveals smaller, more subtle bugs that small groups of beta testers were unable to detect. These could be problems due to incompatibility with less popular brands of equipment, or errors due to unnatural use of gaming features. The imagination of some players exceeds the imagination of the developers; they can take actions in the game that the developers could not even think of.
All this contributes to the fact that we often have to make bug fixes in a finished game. These fixes are called patches, and this term is very common in the gaming industry. Few people manage to immediately release perfect games; most often, games are brought to perfection after their official release.
If for the game you received money from the players for each copy sold, then you receive absolutely nothing for releasing patches. From a market point of view, releasing patches is an unprofitable and useless action that does not have to be performed. But in the realities of the gaming industry, if you don't fully support your product, you get a bad reputation among players and lose possible future profits. Despite being free, releasing patches is a very useful and necessary thing.
Release of add-ons
An interesting and exciting game without serious flaws and errors gives you the green light for further creative activity. Have players received your gaming product with a bang? This means that an addition or a full-fledged second part can be prepared for an already finished game, and the begun plot can be developed further, turned into a whole epic or even a full-fledged gaming universe.
We take the game development plan and begin to create a new work of art using the same ten stages, but now fully armed with the accumulated experience and acquired skills.
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Introduction.
Here you go. The world is full of articles about creating games, developing engines and choosing second ones... In fact, most of this, to be honest, is garbage. The number of meaningless advice is growing=>the number of meaningless articles is growing=>the number of stupid creators is growing=>the number of stupid games is growing. In this article I will try to “put beginners on the right path.”
It all starts with an idea. Someone somewhere, for some reason, wants to create a game, because it gets boring to play, because... everything is rubbish, or he wants to leave his mark in the world of the gaming industry (as a rule, due to endless zeal, there remains a “bunch” and a lot of dissatisfied comments). And, for some reason, this is either a similarity to the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R., or creating maps in the WarCraft editor (sorry if I spelled the name incorrectly). And, about a year ago, the Internet was filled with messages “we’re creating a game like STALKER, I’m looking for a programmer in all the holes I'm a super pro myself C == I know it right now!" and other similar junk. What has changed now? Probably nothing. Only the names of the games have started to change a little. Actually, you won't find anyone that way.
Where to begin.
Naturally, the most important thing in a team is the leader. It is desirable that this be the most experienced person in the team, capable of organizing people. He has the last word. So he must have undeniable authority in the team. This is the brains of the team. Ideally, the “top” consists of 2-3 people (a leader, a pro in programming, knows all the stages of creating games, a generator of smart ideas, an assistant). If you want to become a leader, get people interested, show that you can do more than just yell and point. Everyone will leave a bad leader. You shouldn't recruit 999999 people, because... It will take a lot of time to manage all this mass. But even 2 people can hardly cope.
People.
Of course, I would like to have professionals on the team, but sorry, this option is immediately rejected. In the CIS countries there are 200-300 real professionals, 10-20 unique people. The rest are either average people with an inflated ego, or... or newbies with an inflated ego. In comparison, in the USA, according to unconfirmed data, there are 5000 professionals, and 500 unique ones (no one compiled official statistics). Well. You can look among the average, but this option will rarely make you smile, because... they charge a lot and demand royal conditions. The most common option remains - beginners. And there are two ways - there are people who “I screwed up something in 3DeMax in 5 minutes” and those who “I’m not very good at it, we didn’t teach this at the institute.. Let me try.” The second option is more optimistic, because Among them there are often quite talented people who are able to master their role well in 2-3 months. The main thing is to separate the truly capable people from everything else. Your command should be:
1) Divided into levels: programmers, designers, musicians. Ideally, each level consists of at least 3 people, of which 1 is a sort of “sub-leader”. He is entrusted with work, he distributes it among participants of the level he knows.
2) Friendly, because Discord between 2-3 people can ruin the entire team.
3) Purposeful, capable of self-improvement.
The most pleasant option is to recruit people from your city, and preferably friends. But if you decide to look for people on the forum, I ask you, everyone who reads this - TAKE AT LEAST 5 MINUTES TO CREATE AN AD!!! It’s really just annoying that “we’re creating MoMoMo, we need everyone.” I personally would be happy to join such a project, but what’s the point if the creator immediately ordered it to live long?
Organization.
Are there newbies on the team, some people don't know each other? Work unites! Create some game together, but better mod. It is advisable to decide on the editors and engine at this point. The graphics are not so hot, there are bugs... Well then. But you will have at least some experience working in a team, and you will master the basics. It is desirable that the leader, sub-leaders and the entire “top” work equally with everyone else, and even more - you will earn trust, and people will try, because they will see that for you this is not just pampering.
Project.
It's time to create a game. Budgetary. No one will work for free on enthusiasm alone! Choose a topic, discuss it with the team, and then create drawings and plans together with everyone. It is advisable that sub-leaders also take part in this stage. Search directly on finished project people and starting it right away is also not an option, you understand why.
The organization and selection of people is simply outlined here. I’ll talk about engines, 3D editors and 2D graphic editors in the next topic. It will be ready in the evening.
A game designer (game designer) is a game creator in the broad sense of the word. He can be called a game producer, responsible for the game design of the project.
Game designer(game designer, game design) is a game creator in the broad sense of the word. He can be called a game producer, responsible for the game design of the project. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in drawing and computer science (see choosing a profession based on interest in school subjects).
To be a game creator, you need to love and understand games; one must find pleasure in analyzing the game, breaking the game down into its smallest parts and understanding how those parts form the whole.
Any project starts with an IDEA. And in the gaming business, the brilliant idea and imagination of the game designer are the determining factor. A game designer not only generates some ideas and various features, but also thoroughly thinks through ways to implement them, taking into account the interests of the target audience. The game designer forms the idea of the game into a concept, drawing up a primary concept document in which he clearly states short description gameplay and game features. Based on the concept document, a design document (“design document” in game developer jargon) is created. At the same stage, the issue of project financing is resolved. Then the game designer assembles a team of specialists who will create a game based on the design document. During the game development process, the game designer oversees the team's work to ensure that the technical specifications match the core idea of the game. The design document is adjusted during the work process depending on the suggestions of the developers. The game designer also takes an active part in testing the game.
Thus, a game designer solves the following problems:
- development of the ideological basis of the game;
- drawing up a project concept;
- drafting and editing a design document (“design document”);
- if necessary, adjusting the ideological basis of the game;
- control over the development process in terms of game design;
- participation in the preparation technical specification games.
The computer games industry is developing at a rapid pace. The profession of a game designer is becoming increasingly in demand and highly paid, and in Russia this is due to an acute shortage of qualified game developers.
Features of the profession
In the modern world, computer game development is a well-oiled step by step process. There are two types of companies in the gaming business: developer and publisher. It often happens that the developer and publisher are the same. This benefits the game development process: the developer will not have to convince the publisher of the feasibility of the investment .
Steps to creating a typical computer game:
- First stage game development is called Pre-production or preparation for production . It includes drawing up a concept document, selecting funds to implement the project, drawing up a work plan, working with artists to determine the graphic style of the game, and resolving financial issues.
- At the second stage - Pre - alpha - a detailed design document is drawn up and approved, in which the entire game is described in detail. This is the main document that guides all specialists in their work. The work plan is agreed upon with the publishing company. As a rule, all modern games are developed for a specific publisher, who invests their own funds in development. At this stage, the screenwriter is involved in the work.
- Third stage - alpha version - a key stage in creating a game, during which the developers implement the plan and fill the game with content. The game designer works constantly with level designers and artists/modellers, ensuring consistency with the concept and ensuring consistency and coherence. art style games. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to the details that make the game world alive. At this stage, the current development results are periodically analyzed: a working demo version of the game, the first level. These intermediate results used in advertising new gaming projects: demo versions are published on gaming websites.
- At the fourth stage which is called beta version , the game should be almost ready and fully functional. The game designer takes an active part in testing and works with the mission designer. Based on the test results at this stage, the necessary changes are made to the game.
- And finally final chord - release (English) release), that is release . After creating, testing and debugging the game, the long-awaited time for its release comes. Interest in this event is strongly fueled by the game publisher through advertising. At this stage the game designer active work doesn't lead.
- The last and inevitable stage is support. Computer games, even after testing and repeated debugging, often come out with errors. Developers leave the opportunity to correct errors in released games by installing patches (from English word "patch"- patch).
Specifics of the work of game creation specialists:
To create a high-quality modern computer game requires more than one year of hard work. Therefore, several production teams work simultaneously to create games, each of which performs work in its own area. In addition to the programmer, representatives of other professions also participate in the creation of a computer game. The programmer is the central link of the entire development.
Engaged in writing game program code, with the help of which game physics and artificial intelligence of the game are implemented. The programmer must have extensive experience in computer science and development.
This is the most creative profession. In some games, such as Myst, the animator plays even more important role than a programmer. An animator is a person with a good imagination, modern thinking and many ideas. At all times, one of the criteria for evaluating a game has been its graphical component. Animators today have in their arsenal the most modern hardware and software(in particular, Motion Capture technology), which makes it possible to record real human movements and then transfer them to game characters.
, musicians, working on the sound design of the game, writing and performing music, reading character texts. Without decent music and quality voice acting, as well as without good graphics, modern game will not be successful. Musical and sound accompaniment, of course, are not the main thing, but try playing Need For Speed: Underground 2 without sounds and music - much of the charm of this game will disappear.
The game scenario is necessarily present in role-playing and adventure games, as well as in games of mixed genres. But even FPS games require high-quality and interesting texts. This is what screenwriters and directors do.
Game designer is a game design programmer with a focus on storylines, game structure, and rules.
Level designers . After programmers, animators, artists, and musicians have completed the main work of creating game characters, game interiors, and sounds, level designers are involved in the work. Even if the game is one large level without any obvious division into parts, the designers have to work a lot to create the game universe.
Game tester searches for various errors and inconsistencies in the game, analyzing the details of the game. Any game must be tested before release.
Pros and cons of the profession
The profession of a game designer is extremely interesting and complex, requiring complete dedication. Emergency jobs and long working hours are normal everyday life. The advantages include demand and high wages.
Place of work
Companies involved in the production of computer games.
Important qualities
- love of games;
- broad outlook;
- rich fantasy;
- good imagination;
- artistic taste;
- objectivity and flexibility of thinking;
- skills of an organizer, analyst, psychologist, player, technical writer;
- perseverance;
- skill to work in team;
- the ability to clearly express one’s thoughts to people of different mindsets (artists and programmers).
Game designer training (education)
Until recently, there were no educational programs in Russia to train specialists in the field of game development. You can take training courses
Salary as of 04/04/2019
Russia 25000—150000 ₽
Moscow 70000—180000 ₽
Career steps and prospects
Game designers can start their careers in hobby projects or as testers. When hiring a candidate for a game designer position, they are given a test task that is unique to each studio. Typically, this is part of the work to be done later. Several days are given to complete the task. After successfully completing the task, the candidate either undergoes an interview or completes an additional test task.
It is advisable for a game designer to have higher education— technical in the field of programming. Game designers with additional useful skills are in high demand on the labor market - drawing, knowledge of programming and scripting languages, 3D modeling.
Famous and great computer game developers:
Tom Hall, John Romero, Paul Jaquais, Tim Willits and Richard Bailey Gray aka Levelord, Jude Adamson, who worked on effects in the films Pig in the City, Stuart Little, The Sixth Day, Cats & Dogs, Harry Potter and Scooby-Doo.
Video on how to become a game designer