Terminology Flashcards
Platformer
a player controls a character that has to run and jump on platforms while avoiding obstacles
Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA)
multiple players face off in an arena-style environment
Sports
a representation of current or made up sport
Role-playing game (RPG)
players assume different kinds of fictional characters and play through a story
Puzzles
solving problems and puzzles through specific challenges
Strategy
slower, sometimes turn-based game that requires different strategies to win
Action/Adventure
high paced game with the character going through a series of quests or missions
What do you consider in player experience?
Human emotions
The challenge a game presents
The players game preferences
What are some possible game objectives?
Completing a puzzle in the lowest time possible
Beating a boss to advance
Finding some hidden key or treasure that will unlock more powers or accessories
Completing a side mission
Score the most points in a game
What is included in the term ‘Game Mechanics’?
The space/setting
The state of the game (eg. player score, health, level)
Actions (shooting, crafting, attacking)
Skillset
Elements of chance
Cooperative
a coop game allows players to work together as teammates against one or more NPC opponents
Asymmetric
usually refers to multiplayer games where the same game is played by two or more groups of players but with different gameplay mechanics.
Nonlinear
allows players to choose where they go or what they do next. The journey branches out like a tree (eg MMORPGs).
Emergent
Games that change according to player’s actions and it asks players to make simple decisions that collectively lead to complex situations.
AI
Artificial Intelligence
What is a basic game Ai’s 3 step cycle?
- Sense: observe the surroundings
- Think: make a decision
- Act: carry out the decision
UX
User experience
What does UX do?
promotes the user’s emotional response to a product. It is about understanding human limitations.
What are the 7 usability heruistics
- Signs and Feedback
- Clarity
- Form Follows Function
- Consistency
- Minimum Workload
- Error Prevention/Recovery
- Flexibility
UI
User Interface
What does the UI encompass?
All the elements that enable users to interact with the product.
HUD
heads-up display
What does the HUD encompass?
Displays information relevant to the game. Eg. health, magic, ammo, mini-map etc.
Assets
features of video games that help to make the game more enjoyable and memorable
C++
Unmatched in performance. It has a close proximity to hardware which makes it the standard for consoles and PC.
It is a complex language to learn.
Java
Cross platform, object oriented language that runs on a virtual machine.
Makes games easier to scale and distribute.
Has a collection of open source material
popular for indie, mobile and multiplayer games.
HTML5 and JavaScript
HTML5 is the core technology behind games run on web browsers and mobile platforms like iOS and android.
Packages HTML, CSS and JavaScript together to create interactive online games.
Lua
High-level, lightweight and cross platform language that runs on virtual machines.
Convenient due to its hiighly embeddable nature. Easy to integrate into other applications.
C#
modern and simple language that is object-oriented and designed by Microsoft.
Perfect for building games on Windows and Xbox. Microsoft has developed tools and frameworks that make it cross-platform.
Can be used as a backend language to communicate with servers.
