Section: New Results

A Pattern-Based Game Mechanics Design Assistant

Video game designers iteratively improve player experience by play testing game software and adjusting its design. Deciding how to improve gameplay, however, is difficult and time-consuming: designers lack an effective means for exploring decision alternatives and modifying a game's mechanics. In [35] , Van Rozen presented the Mechanics Pattern Language (MPL) for encoding common game economy structures and design intent, and a Mechanics Design Assistant (MeDeA) for analyzing, explaining, understanding existing mechanics, and generating, filtering, exploring and applying design alternatives for modifying mechanics. As a result, game designers' productivity and game quality is increased by providing feedback and design alternatives early in the development cycle. Furthermore, the game economy modifications are applied at runtime using the MicroMachinations library, so that the effect of changes can be immediately experienced.