My first major lesson on the importance of simple things occurred shortly after I was reassigned to work on the outdoor world with Mike Heiberg, the legend that inspired the High Bergg Helm and my first official Blizzard mentor.
I was sitting in a cheap, plastic chair, leaning in to a 14″ monitor one day when Mike turned to me and asked, “What’s the simplest thing in WoW?”
It seemed like a trick question, but I said the first thing that came to mind: “Well, a wolf, I suppose. It runs up and does its thing, but it’s not very interesting.”
Mike grinned and said, “that’s right, wolves are incredibly boring, yet they still do their job – why?”
“I dunno, you kill enough of ’em, you complete a quest and you get some stuff. That’s most of the game, right?”
Mike frowned for a split second, shook his head and said, “that’s not quite it – you’re missing the whole step before it. How’d you kill those wolves?”
“Well, I threw a Fireball at it.”
“Aaaaahhhhhh,” spoke Mike with a sagely tone, “tell me a little more about that.”
“I stood back, cast it, cast it a few more times, then it died.”
“So what was engaging about it?”
“Er… well, what? I dunno, using my abilities on it was kinda fun, if simple.”
“Yup, that’s it. Using your abilities is fun. That’s true. A lot of games can miss that – and spend too much time making interesting monsters. If your own abilities are fun, even the most boring of monsters can be interesting. People spent hundreds of hours right clicking in Diablo 2, but it was those moments when they leaped in and pushed whirlwind that they remembers.”
“Sure, Mike, but that’s all so basic.”
“Tell, you what, let’s stop here for the day. Tomorrow, I want you to come back and tell me why a Fireball is fun.”
“What?”
“Do you already have an answer?”
“Well… no, not really.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The Importance of Thinking Basics Through
You didn’t get to avoid it, you couldn’t even roll out of the way. It’s just a fiery load in your face. Fine. Maybe that’s it, I told myself. So I did what any well-equipped and professional person would do – I cheated. Limitations
Games are about rules, rule bending and sometimes rule breaking. Rules define the limits of what you can do – and those limits often point to the power hidden behind a given ability. In fact, the ability to read between the lines of an ability’s limits is so powerful, that players frequently read too far into them and mistake a minor bug cleanup with a deeper grand purpose. - I can attack without getting close
- Monsters will attack me after they get hit
- The cast time for Fireball wasn’t very long so…
- If I throw one from far enough away, I can hit them with another one before they hit me
Dream On
The Simplest Thing
“Basic things are ornate, we just rarely take the time to see them. For example, the time a Fireball takes to complete is very important. It changes what decisions you make, and opens up opportunities for the ability to be countered with a kick.”
Your memory of me sounds a lot smarter than my memory of me. When I die, can you help out with the eulogy? 🙂
I would be honored. Before I can do that, I need to know some dirty secrets about you to share though.
Despite many years of marriage, Mike sometimes still puts dirty laundry on top of or next to the hamper.
You’re welcome!
Well, now I know *how* Mike is going to die…
One of my biggest problems with SWTOR was the abilities, and I`ve tried to convince my friends of this, but most don`t see to understand it. It constantly feels as though during gameplay, your character is pausing to complete an ability. When playing a MMORPG, or any game, you want instant response from the game that what you`re doing is having effect, either through the cast time, sounds, animations or results (damage/healing).
I generally veer away from games where the PC’s interaction with the world seems sluggish or slowed, just because it doesn’t feel right. Doesn’t feel like you’re epic.
Great article, and so true. I remember when I first showed a non-gamer colleague of mine the gameplay of casting spells. This was a guy who taught me most of what I know about usability, user experience and interface design (which is my job). None of that teaching was anywhere near the realm of games however, and he was frankly amazed by the whole concept of a progress bar that was simply for effect. I explained to him that the building expectation of the cast time added greatly to the feeling that the spell had power behind it. It’s just pixels on a screen after all, so there’s no inherent sense of physicality. It told him it’s the wizard equivalent of pulling your fist back in slow motion, then releasing a punch forwards at super speed.
Great thought provoking article for anyone with an interest in games to read.. as a ‘wannabe’ game designer I’m loving the concepts being put forward here.
and they actually transcend the idea of just game design, and they would work well in any aspect of design or development… even myself as a test professional at present can reap the benefits of these being applied to your everyday work.. and help in creating great software
After 5 years of playing WoW I finally did it last week: I created a level 1 rogue. Rogues have to be the class I hate PVPing against the most, ever since I first got repeatedly ganked by them in Tarren Mill.
I can’t stand them.
And I also knew I was going to love playing one. How did I know this? That Gouge animation they perform is slick. Plus watching your opponent standing there dazed, their backs facing you as you anticipate that energy bar to fill up so you can Backstab them… Glorious.
There difference between “wannabe” and real is simple: take action. Don’t want for anyone to “recognize” you – just start doing it, then listening to what people think of your games.