GCV Spotlight: Greg Campbell

Vault fans, meet Greg Campbell. Greg’s been a fan and friend of ours for a long time, even when the Vault was just starting out. We talked with him months ago and we did this piece on him before we even had the blog going. Now that we’ve got an official place to put this article, we want to share it with you again!

We all want to know how to start making our own game.  What programs should I use?  What do I need to learn first?  Should I start with the levels first or the story?  Many beginners, and even veterans, can feel overwhelmed by the large size of this task. They quit before they ever know where to begin

Enter Greg Campbell, Cal State Fullerton graduate and avid gamer. Campbell has completed a game and is very familiar with his game-making technique. He discussed his method with some of the Vault staff and wanted to share it with you all.

While we chatted, Campbell told us about his own project that he’d been working on for some years now, a role-playing game called "Fate and Destiny."

 We asked him what programs he used, to which he replied with a smile, “The StarCraft 1 engine!"

Greg was inspired by the original "StarCraft."

Campbell explained that it was easier to use a toolset that was already available and one you didn’t have to pay for. This wasn’t a cheap excuse, more a smart move, especially since there were years of tutorials on the Internet. The same goes for many free game-development toolsets.

Campbell was an avid fan of "StarCraft," so it seemed logical for him to use the engine since he was so familiar with it. "StarCraft" had a large audience and a free, built-in multiplayer service.  Also, "Fate and Destiny" was a turn-based RPG in a real-time strategy game. Even in "StarCraft," few had tried to make turn-based RPGs, and previous attempts were of relatively low quality.

In his mind, when tackling a project like this, you need two things.

1: Knowledge of your chosen system.
2: Desire.

“If you’re more knowledgeable about the system, the more you have the second one. Knowledge breeds desire,” he said.

Campbell’s words ring very true.  The more people find out about the Unreal Development Kit or the "Dragon Age" toolset, the more people want to do with them. (These toolsets are free to the public, but the "Dragon Age" toolset requires a registered version of "Dragon Age: Origins" for PC.) 

The Unreal Development Kit is free to the public.

         

Speaking of ideas, people usually call things good ideas or bad ideas. Many bad ideas, however, are simply good ideas executed badly. Greg said that this is one reason having strangers test your games is so important. Strangers notice things in ways the development team doesn’t see. The "Portal" games were thoroughly tested by many strangers who questioned Valve’s game design technique. Valve listened to many suggestions which made for better games.

Ideas for fan projects and independent games are usually based on doing something different, not something new. "Portal" did something new via the portal Gun. The game was centered around use of the portal Gun for platforming and puzzle solving.

"World of Warcraft" started as Blizzard making the best "EverQuest" it could. "EverQuest" was a well-established and well-loved game, but had enough flaws to inspire the Blizzard designers to want to do it right.

Greg's "StarCraft" maps were usually heavy modifications of existing ones. Many times, the original authors had good ideas that were bogged down by bad grammar and spelling, awkward interfaces, or ideas that needed a lot more work to work.

Campbell stressed that whatever game you plan to make, make a game that you want to play!  You probably know a lot about the genre and setting of this game. If you don’t, then you better do research! Play similar games! You also know that you want to play it, and there are probably lots more people who want to play it too. You’ll be more motivated to work on this game and release it if it's something you can wait to play. Ultimately, if it isn’t fun, why’s it called a game?

Before you begin, Campbell explained that you must have a solid idea of what your game is and what makes it fun!  Without this, you can expect your game to fail!  This can be all in your head, or in a game design document. The more people involved, the more helpful it is to write out a design document so everyone understands what to do.

What about your art, sound effects, music, and code?  Games need these assets. Usually, game authors assemble teams and share duties for all these. Sometimes, lone authors use existing assets from the Internet. Campbell said that it was crucial to credit the people involved with their names and contact info. It's not just good manners, it's good business.

Also, keep in constant contact with your teammates! Everyone involved needs to know what’s going on. Often, people part of a team will only do something if they know they’re meant to do it. Many problems occur from bad communication!

Many games fail because people try to do too much at once. Do what Campbell did and start with a small level that has many the game’s most important features. Find out what’s fun. Keep whatever works well and scrap the rest. Build new characters, levels and features from there.

Let’s say you've worked on a game for a long time. When do you know it's ready to be released to the public?

Campbell gave a knowing smile and said, “perfection through iteration.” Keep playing and testing your game until you, the game’s author, are satisfied. That means no bugs, lots of fun, and a confidence that the game. This process can take a long time, but the success of "Portal" and Blizzard's games is thanks in part to the quality that comes from from constant polishing.

One polished mechanic can really make the game.

There is no substitute for experience! Making games lets you make better games! Even games you make that you never release to the public teach you something. If you wait until the perfect idea comes along to start making your first game, you can expect to be overwhelmed.

 Many successful developers make small games to test their skills and experiment with what’s fun and possible before trying to make something epic in scale.

Similarly, there’s no substitute for playing games! The more games you play, the more you can understand what works, what doesn’t and why.

In Summary

1: Start with a solid idea for a game and what makes it fun.

2: Find a toolset to suit your needs. Free toolsets are usually best on a tight budget.

3: Assemble your needed team. Sometimes, this is just you.

4: Keep in constant contact with your teammates.
5: Start with something small and build from there. Ensure it’s fun before you invest a lot of effort.
6: Keep testing. Bring in outsiders (those not part of the game’s development) for testing.
7: Have fun! The more you enjoy working on the game, the more you'll want to work, and (ideally) the more others will enjoy playing it.

Handy Links

Extra Credits: This Escapist video series focuses on elements of game design, gaming trends, and what’s involved in being a professional game developer or reviewer.

Greg Campbell’s Portfolio: Greg Campbell’s games are available to download.