Arcade classics were all about high scores and personal bests - but can scores still be relevant when mixed with more modern game design? Let’s find out!
2018-06-08 19:30:22 +0000 UTC View PostHey! In my last video, on melee combat, I briefly touched on scoring systems. I decided to go a bit deeper into that subject, and look at how scores can be used in modern game design, for all sorts of interesting advantages.
Cheers! Things are getting back to normal so hoping to get two videos out this month. Thanks so much for your patience this spring!
Mark
2018-06-07 14:32:53 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everyone! Here's your Playlist for May, with three interesting games you might have missed this month.
2018-05-30 14:37:47 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone! Hope you’ve had a fab May. Before the month closes out, I’m here with a bunch of articles and videos I think you might enjoy.
As always, never hesitate to send me cool content over Twitter or email or wherever. I can’t find everything myself!
Top pick
[Read] Recalling the Leviathan Axe - God of...
2018-05-29 10:06:26 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everybody!
So this month, I spent a fair amount of time on an episode that I just… threw away. Basically. I did the research, wrote the script, and was about to record it when I decided that it wasn’t right for the channel and so I tossed it.
The episode was about this concept of a “failure spectrum” (a term dreamed up by Gunpoint designer Tom Francis), which descr...
2018-05-26 17:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Following on from my videos on "what makes a good..." detective game, puzzle, and AI, is a new video on combat systems!
It's one of my most requested topics so let’s look at everything from Bayonetta and Yakuza, to Batman and God of War, to break down the essential elements of a goo...
2018-05-25 07:39:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello team!
So, I went to the London College of Communications today to do a talk for some game design students. The talk was about the way I analyse games, and how I think about existing games from a critical perspective.
I'm going to paste my "script" (I adlib a lot, but this is the jist of it) and some of the more relevant slides below. If you're a GMTK fan you'll have heard most of this stuff before. But maybe there's something in there you'll enjoy.
At the end of the day: why ...
2018-05-10 18:33:45 +0000 UTC View PostIt's a lovely day, I'm almost done preparing a talk I'm going to give in London tomorrow, and I thought I'd take a moment to show you how the GMTK office is coming along in my new place.
So this is the main area. I've got an adjustable standing desk from IKEA, with my iMac (where I edit all the videos), a microphone (for streaming, interviews, etc) a TV, and a PS4. Under the desk is my PC and a big ta...
2018-05-09 08:56:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone! First things first, thank you for your lovely comments on the newsletter earlier this week. You’re all so supportive and brilliant!
Now - let's finish off April with a big bunch of things to watch and read, eh?
Behind the Scenes
[Read] Designing Lone Echo & Echo Arena’s Virtual Touch...
2018-04-27 19:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
A bit of a different video for April. Instead of reviewing 3 or 4 games, I'm looking at how two recently released games - The Swords of Ditto and Minit - tackled the same basic idea in very different ways.
Normal service shall resume in May!
2018-04-26 11:02:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everybody!
I’m going to start this newsletter with more of a personal update. And then we’ll get to the video stuff.
So, Game Maker’s Toolkit is one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’m so immensely proud of what I’ve achieved, and have enjoyed almost every minute working on it. I’ve had so many successes, from hitting 400k subscribers, to making YouTube my full time job (thanks!), to getting awards, and being invited to perform talks and guest lectures.
But I...
2018-04-25 16:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
Long time no see. My life continues to be a bit crazy (now in my new house, awesome girl I was dating is now my girlfriend, etc). But I've been working on this in every spare minute I've had.
It takes the analytical concepts of my Zelda dungeon work, and applies it to the world of Dark Souls. We'll be talking branching paths, non-linearity, fast travel, direction, difficulty curves, the lot.
2018-04-24 13:26:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hello! Here's your new episode, on different ways games can keep your attention and engagement until the credits roll.
Next up is either the co-op video or the return of Boss Keys.
Sorry about the delay on this one. I've made 2018 a year to really focus some more time on my real life (after dedicating so many of the previous ones to GMTK). I'm moving house, starting a new relationship, and things like that. So I thank y...
2018-04-06 17:53:43 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! Here's your new episode, on different ways games can keep your attention and engagement until the credits roll.
Next up is either the co-op video or the return of Boss Keys.
Sorry about the delay on this one. I've made 2018 a year to really focus some more time on my real life (after dedicating so many of the previous ones to GMTK). I'm moving house, starting a new relationship, and things like that. So I thank y...
2018-04-05 13:49:37 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone. Hope everything’s going well.
Looks like March will be a one episode month. Sorry about that - next video is underway but taking a bit longer than I wanted for lots of boring personal reasons. Luckily, the episode I did this month was a big one:
What makes a good puzzle?
So this was a really tricky video to make, as I really had very little understand...
2018-03-28 09:46:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everybody! Hope you're having a wonderful March. Here's a whole bunch of articles to read and videos to watch.
In the trenches
[Read] How One Man Made the Indie Video Game Sensation Stardew Valley - Eric Barone opens up about the obsessive work that went into his charming farming sim.
Puzzles can be one of the most complex things in game design. In this video, I break down some great conundrums from favourite games, and share some knowledge from sharp puzzle designers, to find out what makes a good puzzle.
Also - I hit 400,000 subscribers!
2018-03-14 16:43:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! Long time no see. I've been working hard on this video, which is all about puzzle design.
You know, this is a subject that doesn't have a lot of specific info out there. A lot of the stuff I found about puzzles was pretty vague, or unhelpful. (Though there were some good resources, too, which I'll add to the description).
Hopefully this will prove useful to people who are thinking about adding some conundrums to their game! Lemme know what you think.
Mark
2018-03-13 13:07:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! I’m Mark, and this is what I’ve been doing in February.
I had been thinking about this video for quite some time. I’ve spoken about systemic design before, in the immersive sim and the 2018-02-28 09:23:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Developer intention can often come at the expense of accessibility and player preference. In this video, I look at some recent games that have found a middle ground.
2018-02-21 21:26:14 +0000 UTC View Post
Second video for February, is a look at assist modes, safe modes, cheat options, and communication. It's a semi follow up to my Dark Souls video, where I work through some thoughts on designer intent and player preference.
Lemme know what you think!
Mark
2018-02-20 20:08:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! Welcome to your Reading List for February 2018.
This is a collection of links to stuff I enjoyed in the past few weeks. Sometimes it’s a video. Sometimes it’s an article! Whatever the case, it’s always interesting.
Lemme know if you hate this new format. I just didn’t feel like there was a lot of value to me commenting on every link - but I also didn’t want to just paste a random list of URLs. Hopefully this middle ground is okay!
Designer notes 2018-02-17 15:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everybody. Here's your new episode of the show.
With games like Breath of the Wild, MGS V, and Watch Dogs 2, we're seeing a real boom in the idea of a "systemic game". In this video I want to explain what that is and talk about some of the pros and (potential) cons of this sort of design.
I want to say thank you to all the $5 Patrons who watched an early draft of this video yesterday and gave me some great feedback.
Hello!
So, I was revisiting Red Dead Redemption and something struck me. The game felt kinda dead compared to more recent open world games I've been playing.
And I realised that maybe it's something to do with the fact that a lot of modern open world games have been investing heavily in systemic design. From MGS V to Far Cry 4 to Zelda, this stuff is everywhere.
In this video I wanted to figure out what that actually means and how it's achieved, and then look at some...
2018-02-13 16:49:42 +0000 UTC View PostHello!
Something you may not know about me is that I am a big fan of film. If I’m not playing a video game, chances are I’m watching a movie.
I recently totted up my Letterboxd profile and realised I watched 100 films last year! Blimey!
So, I’ve decided to offer my backere some recommendations for recent-ish films you might not have seen. Not big award winners or blockbusters, but smalle...
2018-02-07 22:45:37 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! It's only January but there are already some great indie games worth checking out. So take a gander at this month's playlist and see if anything takes your fancy!
Mark
2018-01-31 15:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everybody! Welcome to the first insider article for 2018. I kicked the year off right with lots of happenings, so let’s get right to it.
Videos
I released three videos this month. And I wanted to start as I mean to go on, with a design theory / topic video, which features lots of games and examples. That being 2018-01-30 22:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
Decided to make a short-and-sweet third video for January.
This one's about how Rayman explores a mechanic throughout an entire world - instead of throwing it away at the end of a level like Mario and Donkey Kong. Wanted to offer a different perspective on platformer level design.
Hope you like it. Back in February for another chunky topic video. And then whatever else is on my mind.
The final Patreon rewards - Insider and Playlist - will be out in the coming day...
2018-01-29 17:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
