Platinum Games Guide to Action Game Design (GDC Talk)

[kid aphex]

At GDC, Atsushi Inaba of Platinum Games gave a talk about the development of "Action Games". Here's a link to a summary of it:

http://gamasutra.com/view/news/268401/P ... design.php


It's a genuinely interesting read. He reduces the philosophy of Action Games down to foundational axioms of purpose and design.
Most interesting is his acknowledgement of action games as "Reactive" games: Games that are, ultimately, focused on the moment of Player response.

[Obscura]

The bit about action games being reactive sure does go a long way to explaining why so many Platinum games are mired in call-and-response drudgery.

[kid aphex]

The bit about action games being reactive sure does go a long way to explaining why so many Platinum games are mired in call-and-response drudgery.

[Squire Grooktook]

Improvisation and reaction are the only things I truly care about in any kind of gameplay.

High Level Design was most interesting to me. Reminds me of the discussions of Futari's easier stage 4, the flow there is one of my favorite aspects of that game. Something I'll have to keep in mind.

[Durandal]

Improvisation and reaction are the only things I truly care about in any kind of gameplay.

Isn't stage memorization fundamental for 1cc's?

[Squire Grooktook]

Improvisation and reaction are the only things I truly care about in any kind of gameplay.

Isn't stage memorization fundamental for 1cc's?

You can have both memorizable/static elements and random elements co-existing in balance and harmony. Randomness can be hard to balance but it's doable with the right methods and some patience (personal experience with game devving).

Though technically memorization isn't theoretically necessary to 1cc a shmup (even hard ones) if the game telegraphs its hazards fairly. It just makes it easier. I've blind cleared a few moderately difficult shmups and stages myself, and I've heard some impressive anecdotes about top players first times with certain games.

But static elements co-existing with subtle random elements to give a situation both an element of strategy and an element of reaction/improvisation is best in my book. The reaction/improvisation itself is the most satisfying and important thing to me though, and I have a hard time calling any game that lacks that element a favorite.

[Shepardus]

The full talk is up on YouTube now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrw2IP6pZu0

[BulletMagnet]

Off to the side, Platinum's head honcho recently resigned.