,
10 tweets,
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HOW I DESIGN GAME MONSTERS: a twitter thread
or, No More Zombies, a TED Talk
Work out:
👻 Desired Player Behaviour
🦇 Appearance Rule
👾 Surprise Structure
🐺 Defeat Requirements
👽 Alert Rules
👹 When to fight / to take flight
or, No More Zombies, a TED Talk
Work out:
👻 Desired Player Behaviour
🦇 Appearance Rule
👾 Surprise Structure
🐺 Defeat Requirements
👽 Alert Rules
👹 When to fight / to take flight
The goal of designing good monsters for me is building a cohesive experience that thrills the player and teaches them how to cope with this new threat.
We're killing off zombies because they're tired, but we love zombies (those fuckers persist) and they fit this structure
We're killing off zombies because they're tired, but we love zombies (those fuckers persist) and they fit this structure
👻 Desired Player v Monster Behaviour
How should the player act?
🔫 shoot? 🏃♀️flee? 🔪 fight? sneak?
👩solo? or 👩👧 backup?
🛠️ Build a base? Tear down the environment?
Hunt and exterminate? Pretend to be one? Distrust strangers?
Plan these first; they'll guide your ideas
How should the player act?
🔫 shoot? 🏃♀️flee? 🔪 fight? sneak?
👩solo? or 👩👧 backup?
🛠️ Build a base? Tear down the environment?
Hunt and exterminate? Pretend to be one? Distrust strangers?
Plan these first; they'll guide your ideas
🦇 Monster Appearance Rule
When do they appear, and where?
Are they fast? What size are they?
Are they limited e.g. to water or unlit areas or soft soil or trees, etc?
If they hide & appear suddenly in some places, consider the reward/risks to the player entering those areas
When do they appear, and where?
Are they fast? What size are they?
Are they limited e.g. to water or unlit areas or soft soil or trees, etc?
If they hide & appear suddenly in some places, consider the reward/risks to the player entering those areas
👾 Monster Surprise Structure 1
What rules for behaviour or ecology will surprise the player? Every great monster has rules that it follows.
Zombie bite? You're a goner. Werewolf and full moon. Vampires look like us, but can be detected through certain rituals.
What rules for behaviour or ecology will surprise the player? Every great monster has rules that it follows.
Zombie bite? You're a goner. Werewolf and full moon. Vampires look like us, but can be detected through certain rituals.
👾 Monster Surprise Structure 2
Pick something and find a way for the player to distrust it or fear it.
Food that can contaminate you.
Direct light? Wind? Open spaces? Make rules for monster times/zones
Invisible monsters only detectable by footprints that the rain will mask.
Pick something and find a way for the player to distrust it or fear it.
Food that can contaminate you.
Direct light? Wind? Open spaces? Make rules for monster times/zones
Invisible monsters only detectable by footprints that the rain will mask.
🐺 Monster Defeat Requirements
Good monsters come with rules for defeat.
You can make them unstoppable with a small set of weaknesses, then wrench-in an in-universe explanation for being unstoppable. (They regenerate! They don't feel pain! They're sentient slime! Supernatural!)
Good monsters come with rules for defeat.
You can make them unstoppable with a small set of weaknesses, then wrench-in an in-universe explanation for being unstoppable. (They regenerate! They don't feel pain! They're sentient slime! Supernatural!)
👽 Monster Alert Rules
Fear works really well when there are signs that danger is nearby or lurking. Do they make a mess of corpses they've attacked? Moan? Cause electrical devices to malfunction?
Be careful of choosing something 100% reliable, though - it evaporates tension
Fear works really well when there are signs that danger is nearby or lurking. Do they make a mess of corpses they've attacked? Moan? Cause electrical devices to malfunction?
Be careful of choosing something 100% reliable, though - it evaporates tension
👹 When to fight / to take flight
Decide when it's a safe time to be around a monster, and when you should definitely leg it.
Zombies are okay if slow and spread-out. Some blind monsters can't hear you if there's noise nearby. Safer zones/places/densities/environments
Decide when it's a safe time to be around a monster, and when you should definitely leg it.
Zombies are okay if slow and spread-out. Some blind monsters can't hear you if there's noise nearby. Safer zones/places/densities/environments
@threadreaderapp unroll please!
