Archived Rare Life Profile – Mickey’s Speedway USA

The very beginning: someone comes up with a concept. The designer then has to formulate a plan to turn this into a playable game.

In the case of Blast Corps, Chris Stamper once famously said, “If you knock down buildings it will be fun”. This may be true, but without a reason to do so, the player would soon become bored. In Blast Corps a simple premise was formulated: clear a path for an out of control Missile Carrier. This provided a purpose for the destruction and the continuous movement of the Carrier created a time limit.

Initially it is important to decide what gameplay features are to provide the backbone of the game. With Jet Force Gemini, the development process began once the team decided to produce a fast-paced third person space shooter with multiple enemies: this provides a constant theme that runs throughout the game. Other aspects are then introduced to add some depth to the gameplay. In the case of JFG these were the collecting, exploration, character development and story elements.

JFG started life featuring a single playable character with multiple abilities. Eventually this transformed into three characters with a single ability each. This approach allowed the game to progress with an interesting structure. Floyd, the arse-shaped flying robot, was then added to allow a simple co-operative gameplay mode to be implemented.

Because they are inextricably linked to how a game will play, control of the character and the way the camera works are two of the most important aspects in the creation of any game. Once they have been finalised, work can begin more confidently on level design. The level design needs to be articulated to an artist who prepares it for inclusion in the game. One way to do this is use a 3D modelling package (Rare currently use Maya for most things), or some designers prefer to sketch their levels out on paper first.

Levels must be sympathetic to the constraints of the software, and also provide scope for the artist to create something that is aesthetically pleasing. A basic awareness of the limitations of the hardware will enable things to run more smoothly. One of the original ideas for Blast Corps was to have a ‘picture-in-picture’ alternative view of the destruction, but it soon became apparent that the N64 was not powerful enough to support this.

Once the artists have finished with a level, objects and incentives are then placed on it using editors created by the software team. This tends to be the stage where the game gets its first real feedback. Various people play this early taster of the game and give their opinions about the future direction of the product. It is important to analyse the response to the game and identify any issues that may become a problem during the rest of the development cycle.

From this point on the game begins to take shape. The remaining levels are put in and everything is linked together. When the game becomes stable and the structure is at an advanced stage then it is ready for full testing. This is a vital time for the game and the feedback provided gives a good indication of how the product will be received. Final tweaks to the gameplay are made and the game is then ready to go into production. It now takes anything from nine months to several years to get to this stage, with development teams consisting of an increasing number of people.

There are no protocols for game design – different methods are adopted by every team at Rare. Inevitably, whatever works best under the circumstances is the best way. A designer will need to be able to communicate ideas and remain flexible in a constantly changing industry. Games testing is a great background for a designer as it provides excellent first hand experience of what makes a game good or bad.