Summary
Game Play Analysis
| Formal Elements | |
| The Basics | |
| Name of the game | 911 operator |
| The platform | ps4 |
| Time played (should be at least 30 minutes) | 60 minutes |
| If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why? | a sandbox mode so players could see what is the best equipment for the jobs that they do |
| Players | NOTES |
| How many players are supported? | 1 |
| Does it need to be an exact number? | yes |
| How does this affect play? | it can be stress full |
| Some types of player frameworks:Single Player – like Solitare.Head-to-head – 1 vs. 1, Chess.PvE – Player vs. Environment, or multiple players vs. the game. Common in MMOs like World of Warcraft.One against Many – Single-player vs. multiple (obvy).Free-for-all – Every man for himself (1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1..). Most common for multiplayer games, from Monopoly to Modern Warfare.Individuals Against the System – Like Blackjack, where the Dealer is playing against multiple players, but those players have no effect on each other.Team Competition – Multiple vs. multiple, i.e. sports.Predator-prey – Players form a circle and everyone’s goal is to attack the player on their left and defend themselves from the player on their right.Five-pointed Star – Eliminate both players who are not on either side of you. | pve |
| Objectives/Goals | NOTES |
| What are the players trying to do? | solve situations that are occurring in the city/town |
| Some common objectives include:Capture/Destroy – Eliminate all your opponents pieces (Chess).Territorial Acquisition – Control as much territory as you can, not necessarily harming other players (RISK).Collection – Collect a certain number of objects throughout the game (Pokemon).Solve – Solve a puzzle or crime (Clue).Chase/race/escape – Anything where you are running towards or away from something (playground game Tag).Spatial Alignment – Anything involving the positioning of elements (Tetris or Tic-Tac-Toe or that game at Cracker Barrel).Build – Advance your characters or build your resources to a certain point (The Sims).Negation of another goal – The game ends if you perform an act that is forbidden by the rules (Jenga or Twister). | solve |
| Rules/Mechanics | you control he police fire dept and ambulance and you solve problems around the city or town |
| There are three categories of (what the book Rules of Play calls) operational rules:Setup – the things you do at the beginning of a game.Progression of Play – what happens during the game.Resolution – How an outcome is determined based on the game state. | SETUP you move you vehicles to strategical points PROGRESSION OF PLAY you get incidence that may require only one responded or many RESOLUTION at the end of the game you get rated on how you did. EX you solved a house on fire but didn’t get a cat out of a tree. |
| Controls | NOTES |
| What controls are used? | movement, select |
| Was there a clear introductory tutorial? | yes |
| Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller? | they were easy |
| Resources & Resource Management | NOTES |
| What kinds of resources do players control? | police fire dept ambulance |
| How are they maintained during play? | you select the responded and then select the incidence you want them to go on |
| What is their role? | police- fine people fire dept- put out fires ambulance – heal wounded |
| A resource is everything under the control of a single player. Could be the money in Monopoly or health in WoW. Other examples are:Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames (guns, health packs, etc.)Time (game time, real-time, or both)Known information (like suspects in Clue) | first responder |
| Game State | NOTES |
| How much information in the game state is visible to the player? | just what you need |
| A snapshot of the game at a single point is the game state. The resources you have, the un-owned properties in Monopoly, your opponent’s Archery skill all count towards the game state. Some example information structures are:Total Information – Nothing is hidden, like Chess.Info per player – Your hand of cards is only visible to you.One player has privileged info – Like a Dungeon Master.The game hides info from all players – Like Clue, where no one knows the victory condition.Fog of War – In video games, where certain sections of the map are concealed if you do not have a unit in sight range of that area. You also cannot see other players’ screens, so each player is unaware of the other’s information. | total info |
| Sequencing | NOTES |
| In what order do players take their actions? | you would look at the situation then send the correct unit |
| How does play flow from one action to another? | it is real time with options to pause and fast forward |
| Some structures include:Turn-based – Standard board game technique.Turn-based with simultaneous play – where everyone takes their turn at the same time (like writing something down or putting a card down in War).Real-time – Actions happen as fast as players can make them. Action-based video games.Turn-based and time limits – You have this long to take your turn. | |
| Player Interaction | solo based game |
| Some examples:Direct Conflict – I attack you.Negotiation – If you support me here, I’ll help you there.Trading – I’ll give you this for that.Information Sharing – If you go there, I’m warning you, a trap will go off. | |
| Theme & Narrative | NOTES |
| Does it have an actual story structure? | yes |
| Is it based on a historical event (or similar)? | kind of |
| Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play? | yes |
| Does it have emotional impacts? | possibly |
| Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)? | no |
| The Elements in Motion | NOTES |
| How do the different elements interact? | they solve problems |
| What is the gameplay like? | you send people to solve people problems |
| Is it effective? | yes |
| Are there any points where the design choices break down? | no |
| Design Critique | NOTES |
| Why did the designer make these particular choices? | because he had an interest in the subject |
| Why this set of resources? | because they are the 911 operators in real life |
| What if they made different decisions? | it wouldn’t be called 911 operator |
| Does the design break down at any point? | no |
| Graphics & Sound | NOTES |
| Does the game art pair well with the mechanics? | yes |
| Did you find any bugs or glitches? | no |
| What about sound? | no |
| Can you spot any technical shortcuts? | no |
| Various Stages of the Game | NOTES |
| To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play: | |
| What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them? | stress you over come that by trying to think logically |
| Is the game fair? | yes |
| Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience? | yes |
| What is the intended audience? | kids adults |
| What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun? solve problems |