Week 4.2 Recap: Systems

A system is a set of formal and dramatic elements that, when put together and set in motion, achieve a specific effect/experience.

Consider a system's parts: An object in a game. Its properties (statistics, numbers, variables, and other details), behaviors (what it can do, what a player can do with it), and its relationships with other objects (what happens when this object and another object are used together)

   chess bishop. moves diagonally. captures enemy pieces by entering an enemy piece's square; is captured when an enemy piece moves into its square. 2 per side, starting at back row column 3 and 6.
   left 4 dead zombie. 1 hp, takes 1 damage from all weapons, more depending on which body part is hit. (head explodes when shot in the head). Idle until approached by players, then runs towards and attacks player (5 dmg per swing, changes with difficulty). Can be spawned by the computer several at a time, charging straight at the players, at pseudo-random intervals. Can climb walls. If a pipebomb is deployed, attacks the pipe bomb instead. Spawned when a player is covered in boomerbile. Spawns in any space not visible to any player.
   other examples: A timer on the upper-right of the screen. The player character. A cement floor, an ice floor, a grass floor. Hit points. Turn-based battle. A powerup. An enemy creature. An npc. A sniper rifle, a shotgun, a machine gun. Money.

An example, to differentiate between the dynamic and the underlying mechanics:
   The system/dynamic: Hit points.
     The rules/mechanics: A player's hit points is 100. A zombie's hit points is 5. A Tank's hit points is 1000.
   The system: cards, with colors/numbers.
      The rules: This card's color/number is yellow/3. It may only be dropped on a yellow or a 3.


Dynamics/systems are set in place, and fixed/tweaked/buffed/nerfed, in order to fulfill the following:

To encourage an aesthetic goal.
for example, to promote Fellowship, add:
4 players.
-obstacles that require more than 1 person to defeat.
-obstacles that require the other players to recover from
-resources that are severely limited and carrying space that's severely limited.

or to promote a Story that centers on relationships between people, add:
-dialogue choices.
-changing events based on the dialogue that is chosen.

To maintain the FLOW of the game.
add systems to manage the balance.
-a system that gives the player an advantage when he's losing, and gives him a disadvantage when he's winning.
-or a system that gives the player an advantage when he's WINNING, and/or gives him a disadvantage when he's LOSING.

add systems to manage the information feedback to the player.
-user interface

add systems to encourage the correct actions, and punish the wrong ones. Also to track the win/loss conditions.
-hit points on all creatures.

add systems to simply keep the game from dragging on for too long; the game MUST end eventually. 
-a timer

add systems to create conflict between a player's ingame goals.
-powerups in dangerous places.

add systems to just outright disturb the status quo (usually by chance).
-a 0.1% chance to give a free powerup to a random player.

To maintain a "dramatic curve" in the game. Balance out in-game moments of calm and moments of tension, to get a general "start small, end with a climactic BANG!" effect.
-managing the appearance and aggressiveness of enemies in the game; easy enemies at the start, miniboss, period of calm, boss encounter, end stage.


To encourage the dramatic theme/premise. By duplicating an object/scenario/action by way of the formal elements/rules, a system represents an idea/theme/premise.

add systems for managing multimedia elements
-music, sounds, the player's camera position changes to match the current situation. (ex: a 1st person camera that shifts to a 3rd person camera under specific scenarios)

add systems for movement.
-how a person moves vs how a car moves vs how a tank moves.
-press the idea of a helplessly bound character by allowing the player to do miniscule and useless motions (struggle!)

To counter or take advantage of game-breaking player actions or bugs. 
-to discourage corner stacking/camping, add something that punishes players for standing in one spot for too long.
-someone discovered how to skip the stage by running on top of the ceiling! instead of removing it, instead add a hidden warp zone there!
-an outside judge/arbiter to settle clashes without either player learning of the other side's pieces.