System design for the game

The game universe, even if it is beautifully drawn and animated, is not enough to attract a lot of attention from users. It is important that gamers find it interesting to be in it, explore and develop their character. This is the part that game designers are responsible for.

They create the rules by which the virtual world will work and the characters will interact, set the ultimate goal and determine the options for solving in-game tasks. That is, the job of a game designer is to design the game experience.

• Narrative Designers. Create texts for dialogues, notes, and diaries. They are working on the mythology and the format of presenting the story – for example, through the environment, using the arrangement of objects, characters and scenes, or using descriptions of objects and short snippets of phrases, which is typical for soul like projects: Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Mortal Shell.
• Level designers. Probably one of the most famous categories. Such specialists are responsible for the difficulty of completing levels, placing creatures, objects and props inside locations and integrating cut scenes. Their main task is to make the gameplay fun and balanced.

• Usability designers. Responsible for creating in-game interfaces. The life bar, level maps, controls and visuals all need to be placed in the right place according to human physiology. This makes the gameplay more enjoyable and has a positive effect on the involvement of the gamer.
• System game designers. Engaged in the creation of rules and related calculations within the game. Its main goal is to combine all the systems created by other specialists into one whole, so that each function and mechanic fits seamlessly into the gameplay and interacts correctly with the player.

In this article, we’ll take a look at how systems design affects gameplay, and what the job of these professionals is.

Each game project consists of interconnected systems with which the end user interacts, so the system game designer is an integral part of the game development team. He joins the project at the design stage in order to analyze the scope of work, set up platforms and set a development vector that will help create a really interesting product that is in demand on the market.

In the early stages of creating a game, the systems designer determines:

• what main mechanics will be present in the project;
• how artificial intelligence will be used;
• rules for user interaction with the outside world;
• technical resources and tools that will be used during production;
• rules for managing in-game inventory.

During main production, the systems game designer spends most of the time working with in-game metrics and interacting with the development team to create a fun gameplay experience.

For example, when creating the game Dying Light, which is known for its parkour mechanics, the system game designer was responsible for the height and range of jumps, and also decided which objects and in which parts of the location the character could grab onto.

Another good example is the implementation of the stealth mode in The Last of Us project, where the system designer determined how low the character could lean and what position he would take in order to calculate and create possible shelters from enemies on the locations.

Also, an important part of the work of a game game designer is to create additional in-game activities, such as mini-games, quests, tasks, and so on. They help dilute the main gameplay and give gamers the opportunity to get a new user experience.

Even though system design does not include the direct development of individual mechanics or the creation of animations, it has a global impact on the entire game project and largely determines its success after release.

At the last stages of development, the systems game designer integrates the game into a single mechanism and takes an active part in its testing.

As part of system design, specialists determine the game engine on which the project will be developed. It should not only be suitable for the selected platforms, but also provide sufficient performance in accordance with the genre and mechanics.

There are several common options:

• Unreal engine. Proven and reliable engine used in most AAA games. Supports the C++ programming language, which allows you to work with memory and ports at a low level for maximum performance, and Blueprints visual scripts.

• Unity. It is mainly used for creating mobile games. It includes a huge number of functions, ready-made models, textures and documentation, and is also able to withstand high loads.
• Marmalade SDK. An open architecture toolkit used to create cross-platform game projects. Includes many libraries and code samples that greatly speed up production.
• MonoGame. Another set of tools for developers. It runs in C# and also supports any .NET languages.

The choice of engine often depends on the technical features of the project.

Game production is a multifaceted process that involves many different specialists. We, at AVADA MEDIA, will help you not only create a system design for your future project, but also select a team of experienced developers and implement a game of any complexity: from the formation of an idea to publication in application markets and further support.