Better Than the Worst:
A Newbie’s Guide to Sidestepping Ridicule
The 2008 Revival
Part Three

By Jeremy Bursey (Pepsi Ranger)

In the last two parts we examined the need to be patient and the need to prepare. Now it’s time to discuss what happens when we think the project is finished.

“But isn’t there a part missing?” you may ask. “After going through all the previous steps, shouldn’t we learn how to make the game?” Yes, but what can I teach you? It’s not my game you’re making, right? How to design your game is up to you. No project should follow a set formula. If you want to draw maptiles first, then so be it. If you think walkabouts are the way to go, who am I to try and stop you? Each design is specific to the author. However, one thing that is important to understand is that your game isn’t finished until it’s worth playing. Hence, we move to

Lesson #5: Tie Up Loose Threads.

That’s right. Every project, regardless of medium or style, needs to have its threads tied. But what does that mean exactly? Well, just like everything else in this feature, this lesson is dependent on the author and the project. To tie up loose threads can mean taking the story to a significant event, providing an ending to certain puzzles, or simply finishing an area so the player can experience the setting as intended. After all, no one wants to fight slimy creatures halfway down the castle hall before the monsters stop and the castle turns into a sea of default grass. The game should provide a definitive end.

Should a game always have an ending? Well, an ending doesn’t hurt, but that’s not the point. Figure most projects are merely demos, so no one expects a final ending in that regard. The point, rather, is to give the player a sense of joy that he’s taken the game as far as it’ll go without question it’s over. People become irritated when they discover they spent several hours walking around a map when the game “ended” long ago, as they should. And who really wants to waste his time? May I see hands please? When you know your game is over, initiate some signal that tells the player it’s over. People like that, and they’ll like you for it.

“But what if making an ending isn’t enough?” you may question (instead of ask). “What if the game requires a certain character to show up before the story can take its shape and what if that character isn’t due to show until much later in the game? Can the threads still be tied, or does the author have to hold back his release months longer just so the game has some kind of ‘closure?’” Good question, but I think the answer depends on true readiness. What determines the line between patience and impatience? What tests the author’s confidence that the game is worth playing? If there’s any sense of incompleteness, then the game should wait. Period. Sometimes hard choices need to be made when getting creative and those hard choices may require constant time shifting. But what truly determines completion is up to the goals set from the beginning. In other words, if the goal of the demo is to have a clearly written story with five interactive heroes, then that game’s unfinished until those goals are met. If it demands one dungeon and a boss, then it’s finished when the boss goes “Argh!!!” and dies in a cloud of vapor. The important part is that the dungeon is complete, with full working battle system, or that those five heroes are sustained long enough to set up the story. If not, the game won’t live up to its potential. What this translates to is a potentially great project falling apart. The goal of Lesson #5, then, is to avoid unraveling at all costs, which won’t happen if Lesson #1 is practiced.

“Okay, so the game has an ending and all the threads are tied. Can it be released now?” Sure, but do you really want that? Do you really want people stumbling through your bad grammar and missing wallmaps? Figure no one wants to play another Magnus, so are you sure you’re ready to release it?

If you think your game is ready, then go ahead and post it somewhere. I’d recommend practicing the next lesson first, though.

Lesson #6: Editors Don’t Want to Write Your Story for You.

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?” It means your project should be revealed when it’s at its best. If a player is tempted to edit your game, then you clearly forgot to polish it—a very important step. Too often newbies are criticized for writing Kindergarten quality grammar. Too often the criticism is justified through newbies’ numerous ignorant mistakes. True, people who don’t know the engine are bound to miss a lot of things without knowing, but that’s why it’s important to learn it before you churn it. The biggest downfall of the worst games is the oversight of simple things, like vanishing wallmaps, poor continuity, or even improperly linked doors. These symptoms can turn a four-star game into a turkey. So make sure the flaws it has are unnoticeable. If a character is a prince in one scene, but a 1984 station wagon the next (with nothing to explain this transformation), then the game isn’t ready.

“So now that we understand the little points that make us better game designers, what is there left to learn?” Well, there isn’t really anything else to say here, but there is a question that needs asking.

Lesson #7: Is This Thing Really Meant to Go Public?

It may seem like a rhetorical question considering the whole series is about making the game appropriate for community release, but think about it anyway. Is this game really something you want to share with the world? If so, then why? Does it make a statement of your versatility? Is it unlike anything people have seen before? Is your game destined to turn you into a legend among gamers? Do you just want somebody to tell you how to design it better?

These questions may be awkward, but what’s the true drive for making a release reality? For those who just want to create, then public release isn’t even a concern, right? For those who want publicity, then the set release date is the most important date of the year, right? What is it that makes you want to test the line between praise and ridicule?

These questions may not seem relevant to the heart of game design, but asking them may test your will to finish what you started. If your goal is to win awards and be the talk of the community, then you’re less likely to finish, opting instead for disappointment. If your goal is to have fun and explore new forms of expression, however, then the outcome could be anything. Only you can answer this question and it’s up to you to decide what to do about your answer. Granted, players love new releases, but we love them more when there’s heart planted into them.

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