Week 2 explores the game design process, and the principles that underpin it. The first warm up task is to analyse a game that inspires you. I've decided to look at The Indie Stone's Project Zomboid - The Ultimate Zombie Survival RPG. Although this is not a genre I'm planning to work in myself, it is one of my current regularly played games and has been for good few years off and on.
Here's my analysis using the set out parameters: 1. Game Mechanics – Single and multiplayer (including split screen) exploration, melee combat, farming, crafting and survival
2. Genre – Indie / Early Access / RPG / Zombie apocalypse survival simulation
3. Player Fantasy – Living out the “what you would do in a zombie apocolype scenario”
4. Platform and Controls – Windows/Mac OS/Steam OS/Linux, Keyboard and mouse or controller
5. Spatial Abstraction – 3D isometric, with flat grid like building mechanics
6. Avatar – Random or player chosen (including physical features, previous career and skills)
7. Camera Perspective – 3rd person isometric
8. Goals and Scores – Goals are to stay alive for as long as possible by learning new survival skills, building and maintaining a secure home and keeping your mental and physical health in check. Scoring is measured in days survived and zombies killed.
9. Progression and Variety – Player characters can progress their skills through use and reading of books, general everyday tasks need to be completed to keep your characters physical and mental wellbeing intact – but there is plenty of time and scope for exploring, especially when you have acquired a car or two. There are four large interlinked locations to explore throughout the game map.
10. Tension and Rest – The tension is always there, as the game’s zombies will constantly roam and are attracted to noise. Players can never totally feel secure, as random game events (gun shots, dogs barking and helicopters flying overhead) can draw zombies towards their “safe” area. Zombies can bash down doors, break and climb through windows and destroy player made fortifications. Players are able to rest more in the more rural areas of the game, but need to remain vigilant. Combat is necessary, but it is possible for players to become quickly outnumbered and trapped – even “casual” combat can be precarious, as it is possible to get scratched and bitten. Once players are bitten, its highly likely they will become unwell (even with medical help) and turn! This can also happen with scratches.
11. Obstacles and Penalties – There are many everyday obstacles players must either avoid, work around, or overcome, these include weather (rain, fog, snow), physical and mental health degrading, fresh food and drinking water going rotten and running out. There are also locked doors and windows, some houses and cars are alarmed. Built up streets are difficult to navigate safely and can have large build ups of the walking dead.
12. Resources – The resources are plentiful at first, but electricity gets turned off, water runs out, food goes rotten, and tools and equipment break. However, players can build solutions to these with thoughtful planning and development of skills and careful execution.
13. Decisions – Players are free to make their own decisions and can explore freely, providing they’re willing to take a risk. Poor decisions often result in death and the loss of acquired resources – although “old” characters can be found wandering around where they died…
14. Simulation and Chance – the overall simulation of surviving in a zombie apocalypse is very strong and can be very daunting to the new player – with a lot of thoughtful micromanagement needed for basic survival. However, some of the maths around task achievement percentages can be highly suspect and don’t match up to attempts needed – for example, breaking down a wooden table with hammer and saw without any carpentry skill will give the player a 20% chance of achieving their goal, but the reality of it is that it could take 15 attempts to complete the action.
15. Storytelling – very little in the way storying telling, there’s a loading screen that exclaims “this is how you died” and then you’re left to make up your own story.
16. Art Direction and Style – The art style is somewhat dated, being generally plain and functional with a ‘Sims’ feel to it.
17. Animation and Visual Effects - As above, the animation and visual effects are functional, however, they have been worked on over time and may still be improved throughout the rest of the game’s development.
18. Sound Design – Sound design is good, with a dynamic atmospheric and foreboding soundtrack that sets the scene nicely. Sound effects are generally decent and help to add to the overall atmosphere along with being useful indicators to in-game events and actions.
I have been playing Project Zomboid for a good number of years and watched it's development with interest. Although, it's still very much a work in progress, in my opinion it's yet to be matched from a simulation point of view. However, there are definite areas that could be built upon to make it a complete package - with narrative aspects and NPC's sorely missing and impacting the overall player immersion.
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