Digital Prototyping

So this blog will be focuses on my lecture about Digital Prototyping (So I was planning on doing this earlier but I got Pokemon X yesterday and it kinda consumed my life). So Digital Prototyping is an important aspect of Game Design, because it allows game designers to test the aspects and features of their game. Now there are a few different processes of digital prototyping that I will discuss in this blog (which will probably be a short blog cause 1. It's Thanksgiving weekend where I live 2. I'm still kinda of sick and 3. I wanna play more Pokemon).

Now there are four areas of Digital Prototyping, which come from a development director named Eric Todd, who identified the following aspects:

• Game Mechanics
• Technology
• Kinesthetics
• Aesthetics

 GAME MECHANICS 

•  These are the formal aspects of the game, which I discussed in an earlier blog, Here.
• When prototyping Game Mechanics should be simple, they don't always have to be the completed, complicated game code.
• You should focus on a particular design question (start with your core Mechanics and then work your way up from there).
• Start with a spreadsheet and start adding the the game logic in order to develop the right rules and balance your game

TECHNOLOGY

•  This is generally all the software needed to make the game run and work properly.
• Technology can include the games Graphics, AI,  and Physics; Any specific tech issues of your game.
• The digital prototype is very heavily based on technology.
• This is not done in your actual game code, use a another programming language (using something that you can make quick and dirty prototypes).
• This is good for validating good and removing bad ideas.
• One of the worst things you can do is build your final game from your prototype code, program in another coding language.

KINESTHETICS

•  This is what is referred to as the feel of the game and is generally about the controls of your game feel and how they respond.
• This area of prototyping is extremely important because it tests the types of controls available to the player.
• You need to be able to test the controls and responsiveness of the interface, this is important in order to ensure the game works and responds correctly.
• This is generally something that can only be tested in the digital prototyping.

AESTHETICS

• These are the visual, oral and dramatic aspects of the game.
• Aesthetics can be anything from Storyboards, Concept Art, Animatics, Interface prototypes and audio sketches.
• Now with your prototypes, you don't have to add all of you aesthetics, since prototypes do not need to have all their aesthetics done.
• However having a few aesthetics in your prototype can make all the difference in your prototype.

Now another important aspect of digital prototyping is Designing Control Schemes, Selecting Viewpoints and Effective Interface Design:

• DESIGNING CONTROL SCHEMES
•  This is designing the input part of your game controls, games usually consist of an input and AI and an output.
• You need to understand the controller types handed to you in order to make the best game you can. To do this you must understand the capabilities of your controller.
• You can start a list of procedures or a control table in order to keep track of your controls and limitations.
• These procedures are tied to the games state and it is important to remember that more controls doesn't necessarily make a better game.
• SELECTING VIEWPOINTS
•  This refers to the viewpoint of the game environment (not the visual aspect/ display of the status).
• There are 5 types of viewpoints; Overhead view, Side view, Isometric view, First-Person view, and Third-Person view.
• Selecting a viewpoint for your game sets the degree of access to the state of the game game world and helps place/define the player's relationship to the game objects/characters
• This aspect includes both the formal and dramatic elements of games, which I discussed in blogs found Here and Here.
• EFFECTIVE INTERFACE DESIGN
• Now this aspect includes a few different elements:
• Player Information Design
• Form Follows Function
• Metaphors
• Visualization
• Grouping Features
• Consistency
• Feedback

Now you can create prototypes a few different way, using paper or technology (a digital prototype). Prototyping is important for the experience design first, technology second and can use numerous different programming languages to test things quickly and efficiently. In addition, you can create prototypes to test your game mechanics and controls using different game engines or level editors, such as Unity, Unreal, and Portal 2.