Month: January 2021

Summary

• I choose this game because of the nice story telling and game play. It’s a jrpg that’s on xbox and playstation.

Game Play Analysis

Formal Elements
The Basics
Name of the game	Code Vein
The platform	Played on Xbox One, but is also on Playstation4
Time played (should be at least 30 minutes)	2+ hours
If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why?	I would probably add more types of weapons because there is a limited amount of them but that would be to add more customization.
Players	NOTES
How many players are supported?	1
Does it need to be an exact number?	Yes it does
How does this affect play?	It gives a more intimate story telling experience.
Some types of player frameworks:Single Player – like Solitare.Head-to-head – 1 vs. 1, Chess.PvE – Player vs. Environment, or multiple players vs. the game. Common in MMOs like World of Warcraft.One against Many – Single-player vs. multiple (obvy).Free-for-all – Every man for himself (1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1..). Most common for multiplayer games, from Monopoly to Modern Warfare.Individuals Against the System – Like Blackjack, where the Dealer is playing against multiple players, but those players have no effect on each other.Team Competition – Multiple vs. multiple, i.e. sports.Predator-prey – Players form a circle and everyone’s goal is to attack the player on their left and defend themselves from the player on their right.Five-pointed Star – Eliminate both players who are not on either side of you.
Objectives/Goals	NOTES
What are the players trying to do?	They are trying to find information about the world and things going on to help people and to do that they have to solve puzzles and defeat monsters.
Some common objectives include:Capture/Destroy – Eliminate all your opponents pieces (Chess).Territorial Acquisition – Control as much territory as you can, not necessarily harming other players (RISK).Collection – Collect a certain number of objects throughout the game (Pokemon).Solve – Solve a puzzle or crime (Clue).Chase/race/escape – Anything where you are running towards or away from something (playground game Tag).Spatial Alignment – Anything involving the positioning of elements (Tetris or Tic-Tac-Toe or that game at Cracker Barrel).Build – Advance your characters or build your resources to a certain point (The Sims).Negation of another goal – The game ends if you perform an act that is forbidden by the rules (Jenga or Twister).
Rules/Mechanics	During Setup you create your character and what they look like and then you go through the beginning prologue which also acts as a tutorial. Through the progression of play you level up gain new and more powerful gear, and gain new abilities. Opening up new areas and fighting new monsters. As I haven’t finished the game I don’t know it’s ending but at the completion of missions and objectives you gain resources and the like but if you die you lose all the experience used to level up and you respawn but you still have a chance to gain them back by going back to where you died and picking them up but if you die again before picking them up you lose them forever.
There are three categories of (what the book Rules of Play calls) operational rules:Setup – the things you do at the beginning of a game.Progression of Play – what happens during the game.Resolution – How an outcome is determined based on the game state.
Controls	NOTES
What controls are used?	All but the big xbox button on the controller. These allow you to jump, walk, run, dodge, attack, block, use abilities, use items, open your inventory, equip new gear, use items, switch abilities, and pause the game, switch settings and such.
Was there a clear introductory tutorial?	Yes it’s at the beginning of the game and is part of the prologue it teaches everything you will need to know to play the game.
Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller?	They were easy to understand but since the controls were simple there was a lot of spamming to continue to attack or dodge or use abilities.
Resources & Resource Management	NOTES
What kinds of resources do players control?	The player controls health and skill points, money, upgrade points, and gear
How are they maintained during play?	Health is maintained by either taking damage or healing one takes away the other gives back, skill points are maintained by using them to use abilities and then gain them back by waiting or using items. Money is maintained by killing enemies, finding it around the world, earning it by completing missions and objectives and you lose it by spending it on items. You gain upgrade points by killing enemies, finding them around the world, and gaining them from missions and objectives and you use them to level up and gain new abilities and level them up. Gear is gained by killing enemies and finding them around the world, and also from completing certain missions and objectives, after gaining them you can either keep them and use them or sell them for money and other resources.
What is their role?	Their role is to give you a possible “lose condition” as well as to give you rewards for doing well and to give you motivation for going around and doing everything.
A resource is everything under the control of a single player. Could be the money in Monopoly or health in WoW. Other examples are:Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames (guns, health packs, etc.)Time (game time, real-time, or both)Known information (like suspects in Clue)
Game State	NOTES
How much information in the game state is visible to the player?	You know just about all your information and there is a fog of war for areas you haven’t been to yet.
A snapshot of the game at a single point is the game state. The resources you have, the un-owned properties in Monopoly, your opponent’s Archery skill all count towards the game state. Some example information structures are:Total Information – Nothing is hidden, like Chess.Info per player – Your hand of cards is only visible to you.One player has privileged info – Like a Dungeon Master.The game hides info from all players – Like Clue, where no one knows the victory condition.Fog of War – In video games, where certain sections of the map are concealed if you do not have a unit in sight range of that area. You also cannot see other players’ screens, so each player is unaware of the other’s information.
Sequencing	NOTES
In what order do players take their actions?	The game is a real-time battle game so you take your turn as soon as you press a button but the enemies will be making their turns too.
How does play flow from one action to another?	Pretty smoothly but for the most part you can’t do something until you have finished with the previous action, there is a little bit of a hesitation before it will do something.
Some structures include:Turn-based – Standard board game technique.Turn-based with simultaneous play – where everyone takes their turn at the same time (like writing something down or putting a card down in War).Real-time – Actions happen as fast as players can make them. Action-based video games.Turn-based and time limits – You have this long to take your turn.
Player Interaction	For the most part you attack monsters and they attack back, but you can trade with certain friendly NPC’s as well as gain new and more information.
Some examples:Direct Conflict – I attack you.Negotiation – If you support me here, I’ll help you there.Trading – I’ll give you this for that.Information Sharing – If you go there, I’m warning you, a trap will go off.
Theme & Narrative	NOTES
Does it have an actual story structure?	Yes it does, it for the most part is very linear as you are playing the story but there is a function in the game where you can see memories of the past to gain more information and story.
Is it based on a historical event (or similar)?	No it’s not based on a historical event as it is post-apocalyptic where a section of an area got sealed off from the rest of the world with what characters call the red fog.
Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play?	You get notifications about what can be done and stuff like that but over all to know how to play you should go through the tutorial at the beginning of the game.
Does it have emotional impacts?	Yes, and no there are definitely emotional impacts but I don’t know how effective they would be to others.
Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)?	No, as the game is about trying to find out how everything happened and how to make things better for the people stuck in the area.
The Elements in Motion	NOTES
How do the different elements interact?	When an enemy hits you, you lose a certain amount of Health, when you use an ability you lose a certain amount of skill points.
What is the gameplay like?	Gameplay is paced well I would say if you watch the enemies and figure out their patterns its then all about rinse and repeat.
Is it effective?	I would say for it yes it is effective it is a souls-like game but not at the same time.
Are there any points where the design choices break down?	Not that I could find but I may just be inexperienced and not have seen them.
Design Critique	NOTES
Why did the designer make these particular choices?	I think that the designer made these choices because it fit what they wanted for the game and also because it fit the theme and might pull people into the game to play it.
Why this set of resources?	Probably because it fit the style of the game and had chances of pulling in lots of people to play the game.
What if they made different decisions?	If they made different decisions it could feel very different and have a different theme which would change how the story impacts players as well as the characters.
Does the design break down at any point?	Not that I could find but I may not have seen any points of break down.
Graphics & Sound	NOTES
Does the game art pair well with the mechanics?	I feel that they pair well it fits the theme and the setting though the art may not fit some peoples preferences and likes.
Did you find any bugs or glitches?	Not that I could find but as I haven’t done everything there is to do in the game I just may not have found them.
What about sound?	The sound fits really well with the game and gives it a really foreboding and serious feel.
Can you spot any technical shortcuts?	I couldn’t find any technical shortcuts, but I haven’t played the entire game yet to find any.
Various Stages of the Game	NOTES
To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play:
What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?	You face difficult enemies, puzzles, having to gain upgrade points and leveling up, but to get past the enemies you may have to learn their patterns and use that to defeat them, the puzzles you have to find hints and clues to complete them, and upgrade points are gained by completing the other things stated.
Is the game fair?	For the most part yes, it’s meant to be a bit difficult and if you aren’t up for it then it may seem unfair.
Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience?	I would say it’s not very replayable but you could play it again and choose a different set of abilities to use the next time.
What is the intended audience?	JRPG lovers, anime lovers, and age range of roughly young adults to mid twenties.
What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun?	Fight enemies, I find it fun because of the different enemies and different weapons and abilities that can be used to defeat them.

This analysis form was adapted from https://notlaura.com/a-template-for-analyzing-game-design/

Summary

• I chose Knights of Pen and Paper 2 because it is a different genre and type of game from my previous ones. Also because multiple different types of characters and character combinations you can do and play with.

Game Play Analysis

Formal Elements
The Basics
Name of the game	Knights of Pen and Paper 2
The platform	Played on Xbox One and Android, but it is also on Ps4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Windows, Mac OS, and Linux
Time played (should be at least 30 minutes)	8+ hours
If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why?	I would add more classes, races, and players to add more variability to the game and more customization.
Players	NOTES
How many players are supported?	1
Does it need to be an exact number?	Yes
How does this affect play?	It makes it more self strategy and story driven than if there were more players supported. You are the player but you have multiple characters that you control.
Some types of player frameworks:Single Player – like Solitare.Head-to-head – 1 vs. 1, Chess.PvE – Player vs. Environment, or multiple players vs. the game. Common in MMOs like World of Warcraft.One against Many – Single-player vs. multiple (obvy).Free-for-all – Every man for himself (1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1..). Most common for multiplayer games, from Monopoly to Modern Warfare.Individuals Against the System – Like Blackjack, where the Dealer is playing against multiple players, but those players have no effect on each other.Team Competition – Multiple vs. multiple, i.e. sports.Predator-prey – Players form a circle and everyone’s goal is to attack the player on their left and defend themselves from the player on their right.Five-pointed Star – Eliminate both players who are not on either side of you.	Single Player
Objectives/Goals	NOTES
What are the players trying to do?	Level up, gain gear, complete missions, gain more party members/characters.
Some common objectives include:Capture/Destroy – Eliminate all your opponents pieces (Chess).Territorial Acquisition – Control as much territory as you can, not necessarily harming other players (RISK).Collection – Collect a certain number of objects throughout the game (Pokemon).Solve – Solve a puzzle or crime (Clue).Chase/race/escape – Anything where you are running towards or away from something (playground game Tag).Spatial Alignment – Anything involving the positioning of elements (Tetris or Tic-Tac-Toe or that game at Cracker Barrel).Build – Advance your characters or build your resources to a certain point (The Sims).Negation of another goal – The game ends if you perform an act that is forbidden by the rules (Jenga or Twister).	Capture/Destroy, Collection, Solve, and Build from the common objectives listed.
Rules/Mechanics
There are three categories of (what the book Rules of Play calls) operational rules:Setup – the things you do at the beginning of a game.Progression of Play – what happens during the game.Resolution – How an outcome is determined based on the game state.	Setup: You create two characters that you will use to complete objectives and kill enemies. There are 8 player types, 3 race options, and 6 class options at the beginning of the game if you haven’t bought add-ons early. Progression: You level up your characters upgrade their skills and gear, complete missions and kill enemies. Resolution: Enemies come in waves, once you kill the wave you have won and can move on unless you need to kill more, missions complete once you finish the specific objective like collecting 8 red apples, and you have beat the game once you complete the final mission and kill the final boss. But there are add-on dlc’s that add their own campaign and things to do.
Controls	NOTES
What controls are used?	It is mainly point and click the buttons are clearly labeled as what they do, like the attack button, the block button, the item button, the magic/skill button, the inventory button and so on.
Was there a clear introductory tutorial?	Yes, there was and it was quiet funny too.
Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller?	It was easy to understand they were simple controls with not much behind them in terms of complexity.
Resources & Resource Management	NOTES
What kinds of resources do players control?	Health, Mana, Money, consumables, gear, and skill points.
How are they maintained during play?	Health is maintained by a damage and healing system, you get attacked they have a chance of hitting you and if they do they do a predetermined amount of damage based on their level, your level, your active and passive skills, and your gear, you can heal your self with skills and consumables which of a set amount of health that they give back, Mana is slightly different where using skills and spells use up Mana and you regenerate with skills or consumables, these two also get restored whenever you successfully rest the night away. You gain money by completing missions and killing enemies and then you spend it on items that you buy from stores. Gear is obtained from enemies, missions, and stores. Skill points are gained by leveling up each level you gain a skill point and you can raise your characters skills up to a max of 20.
What is their role?	Healths role is to determine whether that character is alive or dead, Manas role is to determine if you can use a skill or spell, Money’s role is to determine if you can buy an item from a shop, Gears role is to determine what effects your character will have ranging from damage, to damage reduction, threat, critical, and initiative, while skill points role is to determine how strong or potent a skill/spell is.
A resource is everything under the control of a single player. Could be the money in Monopoly or health in WoW. Other examples are:Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames (guns, health packs, etc.)Time (game time, real-time, or both)Known information (like suspects in Clue)
Game State	NOTES
How much information in the game state is visible to the player?	Just about all information besides a few things like attack patterns which you learn as you play.
A snapshot of the game at a single point is the game state. The resources you have, the un-owned properties in Monopoly, your opponent’s Archery skill all count towards the game state. Some example information structures are:Total Information – Nothing is hidden, like Chess.Info per player – Your hand of cards is only visible to you.One player has privileged info – Like a Dungeon Master.The game hides info from all players – Like Clue, where no one knows the victory condition.Fog of War – In video games, where certain sections of the map are concealed if you do not have a unit in sight range of that area. You also cannot see other players’ screens, so each player is unaware of the other’s information.
Sequencing	NOTES
In what order do players take their actions?	Turn based, each character and enemy has an initiative score with this score and a random generated number from 1-20 added together you get that entities initiative and the higher your initiative the closer to first you start if you have the highest initiative you start first.
How does play flow from one action to another?	It flows pretty well since it is turn based so one thing happens then something else happens there is a clear stack of things that happen and things don’t happen all at the same time.
Some structures include:Turn-based – Standard board game technique.Turn-based with simultaneous play – where everyone takes their turn at the same time (like writing something down or putting a card down in War).Real-time – Actions happen as fast as players can make them. Action-based video games.Turn-based and time limits – You have this long to take your turn.
Player Interaction	You fight enemies, trade money for items or items for money, and you complete missions.
Some examples:Direct Conflict – I attack you.Negotiation – If you support me here, I’ll help you there.Trading – I’ll give you this for that.Information Sharing – If you go there, I’m warning you, a trap will go off.	Direct Conflict, Trading
Theme & Narrative	NOTES
Does it have an actual story structure?	Yes it does. You are a group of friends of the Dungeon Master/Game Master (DM/GM) and you are playing the story of them and fight your way across the lands that he has created.
Is it based on a historical event (or similar)?	No, it is a fantasy game loosely based around adventures from the paper and dice games like DnD and the like.
Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play?	Yes, the DM tells you through NPC’s (Non-Player Characters) and other things what your objective is at the time or what objectives you can take one.
Does it have emotional impacts?	Yes, though it is funny emotional impacts nothing that really should make you sad or angry unless you get upset at the game because you messed up or failed.
Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)?	No, it does not, you start at the beginning of the campaign.
The Elements in Motion	NOTES
How do the different elements interact?	They interact with each other pretty well and other things clearly impact other aspects or things of the game.
What is the gameplay like?	It’s fun and simple, it keeps you playing without being to confusing or complex, there are some hard fights that you have to get around but enough strategics or grinding to increase your level should do it.
Is it effective?	For the type of game it is yeah it’s effective.
Are there any points where the design choices break down?	Not really at least not that I could find.
Design Critique	NOTES
Why did the designer make these particular choices?	To make a fun and lighthearted game that people still found interesting enough to play.
Why this set of resources?	It went along with the theme, setting, and feel of the game giving it more of a cartoonist look.
What if they made different decisions?	It would have a different feel.
Does the design break down at any point?	Not that I could find or see no.
Graphics & Sound	NOTES
Does the game art pair well with the mechanics?	Yes it does, it gives it more of a cartoony look which fits its funny lighthearted feel it has.
Did you find any bugs or glitches?	Not that I could find or see besides the ones that are programmed in the game, to specify the class of editions, you are playing first edition and you sometimes run into second edition characters or things that end up having adverse affects in the game.
What about sound?	The sound was nice and evoked the kind of feelings you would expect for the areas you traveled to.
Can you spot any technical shortcuts?	I couldn’t spot any no, but I just might not have noticed them.
Various Stages of the Game	NOTES
To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play:
What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?	Enemies, a few easy puzzles, and mission objectives. You kill enemies, and use clues to solve the puzzles, and you use the information given to you and your objective description to try and complete said objective the best you can.
Is the game fair?	In my eyes and opinion I think it is fair.
Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience?	Yes it is replayable, as I said earlier there are multiple character options and combinations that you could always play through with different characters multiple times.
What is the intended audience?	Young teenagers to young adults I would say.
What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun?	Press buttons to do actions, and I would say it is fun enough, since those buttons facilitate the rest of the entire game and everything else that you do.

This analysis form was adapted from https://notlaura.com/a-template-for-analyzing-game-design/

Summary

• I have chosen to analysis Nier Automata because of it’s interesting game mechanics and it’s branching story lines. Also because it was a beloved and liked game when it came out.

Game Play Analysis

Formal Elements
The Basics
Name of the game	Nier Automata
The platform	Played on Ps4 but is also on Xbox One
Time played (should be at least 30 minutes)	6+ hours
If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why?	I would and more weapons which might slightly change the weapon systems.
Players	NOTES
How many players are supported?	1
Does it need to be an exact number?	Yes, 1
How does this affect play?	It makes it more of a story driven game with interesting and challenging systems and obstacles.
Some types of player frameworks:Single Player – like Solitare.Head-to-head – 1 vs. 1, Chess.PvE – Player vs. Environment, or multiple players vs. the game. Common in MMOs like World of Warcraft.One against Many – Single-player vs. multiple (obvy).Free-for-all – Every man for himself (1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1..). Most common for multiplayer games, from Monopoly to Modern Warfare.Individuals Against the System – Like Blackjack, where the Dealer is playing against multiple players, but those players have no effect on each other.Team Competition – Multiple vs. multiple, i.e. sports.Predator-prey – Players form a circle and everyone’s goal is to attack the player on their left and defend themselves from the player on their right.Five-pointed Star – Eliminate both players who are not on either side of you.	Single Player, PvE
Objectives/Goals	NOTES
What are the players trying to do?	They are trying to level up, gain new gear, level up gear, and complete missions and objectives.
Some common objectives include:Capture/Destroy – Eliminate all your opponents pieces (Chess).Territorial Acquisition – Control as much territory as you can, not necessarily harming other players (RISK).Collection – Collect a certain number of objects throughout the game (Pokemon).Solve – Solve a puzzle or crime (Clue).Chase/race/escape – Anything where you are running towards or away from something (playground game Tag).Spatial Alignment – Anything involving the positioning of elements (Tetris or Tic-Tac-Toe or that game at Cracker Barrel).Build – Advance your characters or build your resources to a certain point (The Sims).Negation of another goal – The game ends if you perform an act that is forbidden by the rules (Jenga or Twister).
Rules/Mechanics
There are three categories of (what the book Rules of Play calls) operational rules:Setup – the things you do at the beginning of a game.Progression of Play – what happens during the game.Resolution – How an outcome is determined based on the game state.	Setup: You adjust game settings like brightness and sound, you are following the story of specific characters so there isn’t any character creation or customization in the beginning of the game
Controls	NOTES
What controls are used?	All but the capture button on the ps controller. You can jump, walk, run, double jump, float, dodge, light attack, heavy attack, switch weapon sets, use drones gun, use drones special ability, open in game menu, use items, collect items, sell items, buy items, upgrade gear, and much more.
Was there a clear introductory tutorial?	For the basic controls yes, but there are more complex actions that you have to combine the basic actions together to get to work and you find those out yourself or from someone else.
Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller?	Yes, overall they were simple but could be used to do some difficult or complicated actions.
Resources & Resource Management	NOTES
What kinds of resources do players control?	Health, Money, consumables, gear, and abilities.
How are they maintained during play?	Health is maintained by healing, getting hit and so on. While money is maintained by spending it and earning it. Consumables are maintained by buying them, picking them up, and using them.
What is their role?	To help give more “meat” to the game-play.
A resource is everything under the control of a single player. Could be the money in Monopoly or health in WoW. Other examples are:Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames (guns, health packs, etc.)Time (game time, real-time, or both)Known information (like suspects in Clue)
Game State	NOTES
How much information in the game state is visible to the player?	It’s mainly info per player, but you can learn and know some outside information depending on what you have equipped with your gear.
A snapshot of the game at a single point is the game state. The resources you have, the un-owned properties in Monopoly, your opponent’s Archery skill all count towards the game state. Some example information structures are:Total Information – Nothing is hidden, like Chess.Info per player – Your hand of cards is only visible to you.One player has privileged info – Like a Dungeon Master.The game hides info from all players – Like Clue, where no one knows the victory condition.Fog of War – In video games, where certain sections of the map are concealed if you do not have a unit in sight range of that area. You also cannot see other players’ screens, so each player is unaware of the other’s information.
Sequencing	NOTES
In what order do players take their actions?	Real-time, you do what you want when you want.
How does play flow from one action to another?	They flow really well and most actions can be used right after another, but there are a few things that take a little amount of time before you can do something else mainly based on the timing and duration of certain animations.
Some structures include:Turn-based – Standard board game technique.Turn-based with simultaneous play – where everyone takes their turn at the same time (like writing something down or putting a card down in War).Real-time – Actions happen as fast as players can make them. Action-based video games.Turn-based and time limits – You have this long to take your turn.
Player Interaction	There is a lot of direct conflict of you fighting enemies, but there are some enemies you can negotiate with and either have them against you or with you. Some of that negotiation is done through trading not to mention whenever you go to buy or sell something you are trading one thing for something else.
Some examples:Direct Conflict – I attack you.Negotiation – If you support me here, I’ll help you there.Trading – I’ll give you this for that.Information Sharing – If you go there, I’m warning you, a trap will go off.
Theme & Narrative	NOTES
Does it have an actual story structure?	Yes it does.
Is it based on a historical event (or similar)?	No, it’s post-apocalyptic
Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play?	Yes and no, you get a feeling of how your characters personality is and if you want to play towards that personality you could but you don’t have to.
Does it have emotional impacts?	Yes, yes it does.
Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)?	No it does not
The Elements in Motion	NOTES
How do the different elements interact?	Some elements interact with others and some don’t but the ones that do seem to interact with little to no problem.
What is the gameplay like?	Really smooth and from medium to fast paced depending on the obstacles and your level and gear.
Is it effective?	Yes, it is very entertaining and interactive.
Are there any points where the design choices break down?	Not that I could find no.
Design Critique	NOTES
Why did the designer make these particular choices?	They thought that it would make the interactions and the game itself more enjoyable and if not that at least more interesting.
Why this set of resources?	Because they thought it worked well with the rest of everything and fit just as well to the theme and setting.
What if they made different decisions?	It would probably have a different feel and might not fit the theme or setting as well.
Does the design break down at any point?	Not that I could tell or find.
Graphics & Sound	NOTES
Does the game art pair well with the mechanics?	I found that they paired really well together and helped with the feel and setting of the game and the animations seemed to be really smooth with very few to no problems.
Did you find any bugs or glitches?	Not in my time of playing no but there might have been things I didn’t do that would have shown some bugs or glitches.
What about sound?	The sounds and soundtrack worked really well with the setting and theme of the game and gave a feeling that fit the game.
Can you spot any technical shortcuts?	Not that I could spot but that could just be because of lack of experience.
Various Stages of the Game	NOTES
To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play:
What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?	Enemies, Puzzles, and and mission objectives. You overcome the enemies by killing them more often then not, puzzles you use clues to try and figure it out and you try to complete the mission objectives the best you can and if that doesn’t work try again with more knowledge.
Is the game fair?	For the most part yes, there are a few things that are difficult and take time or repetition that some may think isn’t fair.
Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience?	Yes, there are multiple paths to play and you also of new game plus which allows you to rest your progress at a higher level and go through the game again.
What is the intended audience?	Young adults to late 20’s mainly.
What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun?	Kill enemies and complete objectives, and yeah it’s fun the enemies are different and the objectives vary from one to the other.

This analysis form was adapted from https://notlaura.com/a-template-for-analyzing-game-design/

Summary

• I choose Destiny 2 because it is one of my most favorite games. Also because it has had it’s ups and downs, as been out for 4+ years.

Game Play Analysis

Formal Elements
The Basics
Name of the game	Destiny 2
The platform	Played on Xbox One X, but it is also available on Xbox Series X, Ps4, Ps5, and PC.
Time played (should be at least 30 minutes)	Lifetime played: 67 days, 23 hours, and 4 minutes. Analysis played: Roughly 2 hours going through as much of what the game had to offer as I could.
If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why?	The balancing between PvP and PvE, because so far for the most part any changes that happen in game for a reason like its to broken in pvp so they mess with it and fix then translates over to pve where it was working just fine and no it is less then subpar.
Players	NOTES
How many players are supported?	It’s an online games with open servers and social places so a lot, but if we are talking about playing together the max would be 12 and the min would be 1.
Does it need to be an exact number?	Sometimes yes Sometimes no. Certain activities will have a exact number to have but others do not.
How does this affect play?	It can really change up the dynamic of play, say you want to do some end game stuff so you decide to do a raid, you can go into a raid with any number of people from 1 – 6 and depending on how many you have will change what strategies you use and what gear you equip, it can also determine what you can get done in said raid, some encounters or parts of the raid may have you activate something by standing on three separate plates at once meaning at minimum you should have three people.
Some types of player frameworks:Single Player – like Solitare.Head-to-head – 1 vs. 1, Chess.PvE – Player vs. Environment, or multiple players vs. the game. Common in MMOs like World of Warcraft.One against Many – Single-player vs. multiple (obvy).Free-for-all – Every man for himself (1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1..). Most common for multiplayer games, from Monopoly to Modern Warfare.Individuals Against the System – Like Blackjack, where the Dealer is playing against multiple players, but those players have no effect on each other.Team Competition – Multiple vs. multiple, i.e. sports.Predator-prey – Players form a circle and everyone’s goal is to attack the player on their left and defend themselves from the player on their right.Five-pointed Star – Eliminate both players who are not on either side of you.	As a game it has multiple types of player frameworks depending on what you want to do in it, you could go 6v6 Pvp or free-for-all but there is also a campaign and pve content that can also be played with different pve player frameworks.
Objectives/Goals	NOTES
What are the players trying to do?	Players main objective no matter what is to get new gear and level up, get stronger stuff like that.
Some common objectives include:Capture/Destroy – Eliminate all your opponents pieces (Chess).Territorial Acquisition – Control as much territory as you can, not necessarily harming other players (RISK).Collection – Collect a certain number of objects throughout the game (Pokemon).Solve – Solve a puzzle or crime (Clue).Chase/race/escape – Anything where you are running towards or away from something (playground game Tag).Spatial Alignment – Anything involving the positioning of elements (Tetris or Tic-Tac-Toe or that game at Cracker Barrel).Build – Advance your characters or build your resources to a certain point (The Sims).Negation of another goal – The game ends if you perform an act that is forbidden by the rules (Jenga or Twister).	And will getting stronger is the main goal that almost never goes away you have a bunch of other types of objectives and that need to be completed or can be completed depending on what you do.
Rules/Mechanics
There are three categories of (what the book Rules of Play calls) operational rules:Setup – the things you do at the beginning of a game.Progression of Play – what happens during the game.Resolution – How an outcome is determined based on the game state.	If you just start up the game and haven’t played it the first thing you do is choose what class you want to play between Titan, Warlock, and Hunter. And then after that you create how your character looks. After that you will play through the main vanilla campaign defeating bad guys getting armor and weapons, upgrading them getting more and leveling up to unlock new and cool powers. If you die in a no re-spawn zone you have to start over from before you entered that zone and some missions you have to redo the entire thing. But if you complete it and finish the last objective you complete the mission and move on.
Controls	NOTES
What controls are used?	There is a lot of controls, every button but the home xbox button has one or more functions in the game. You can jump, walk, run, crouch, slide, double jump, triple jump, float, thruster boost, grapple, ride vehicles, shoot guns, aim down sights, swing swords, switch weapons, reload said weapons, melee, throw melee, throw grenades, dodge, put up a rift, put up a shield, use your super, interact with people, pick up items, and much more.
Was there a clear introductory tutorial?	Yes, there was the beginning of the campaign takes you through stuff and teaches it to you as you reach needing it, but you can also learn about it before the game tells you.
Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller?	Yes they were easy to understand, pretty simple all in all but once you combine them and the other functions of the game it might be overwhelming for certain people.
Resources & Resource Management	NOTES
What kinds of resources do players control?	Glimmer a form of currency, Silver a form of currency, Bright Dust a form of currency. Ammo, abilities, weapons, armor, ghosts, sparrows, ships, emotes, shaders, planetary materials, activity tokens, bounties, upgrade materials.
How are they maintained during play?	Each has there own place to be and you can only have so much of each one, once you reach cap you can’t pick up anymore but you can spend some or use some to be able to pick more up.
What is their role?	To buy things, keep you shooting bad guys, keep your guys up to par with the bad guys, get new equipment.
A resource is everything under the control of a single player. Could be the money in Monopoly or health in WoW. Other examples are:Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames (guns, health packs, etc.)Time (game time, real-time, or both)Known information (like suspects in Clue)
Game State	NOTES
How much information in the game state is visible to the player?	Mainly Info per player, but there are cases where you can look at another players loadout and see what weapons, armor, and abilities they have in use, but other then that anything else in their inventory like a weapon they could switch to by equipping it in their menu is hidden.
A snapshot of the game at a single point is the game state. The resources you have, the un-owned properties in Monopoly, your opponent’s Archery skill all count towards the game state. Some example information structures are:Total Information – Nothing is hidden, like Chess.Info per player – Your hand of cards is only visible to you.One player has privileged info – Like a Dungeon Master.The game hides info from all players – Like Clue, where no one knows the victory condition.Fog of War – In video games, where certain sections of the map are concealed if you do not have a unit in sight range of that area. You also cannot see other players’ screens, so each player is unaware of the other’s information.
Sequencing	NOTES
In what order do players take their actions?	All at the same time
How does play flow from one action to another?	Pretty smoothly but there are somethings that don’t make sense on why you can do it almost immediately after another action or while you are doing another action.
Some structures include:Turn-based – Standard board game technique.Turn-based with simultaneous play – where everyone takes their turn at the same time (like writing something down or putting a card down in War).Real-time – Actions happen as fast as players can make them. Action-based video games.Turn-based and time limits – You have this long to take your turn.
Player Interaction	There is direct conflict, and some information sharing. You attack things they attack you, you can tell your teammates information you have gained if you are in a chat with them.
Some examples:Direct Conflict – I attack you.Negotiation – If you support me here, I’ll help you there.Trading – I’ll give you this for that.Information Sharing – If you go there, I’m warning you, a trap will go off.
Theme & Narrative	NOTES
Does it have an actual story structure?	Yes, there is a campaign that you play through, and each dlc has it’s own campaign, and each season has it’s own lore and information/story to tell and for you to find it.
Is it based on a historical event (or similar)?	No, this is a fantasy/sci-fi would were the darkness attacked humanity and we had a societal collapse, and are trying to rebuild and defend ourselves.
Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play?	To a point yes the them helps you know what you might do and how you might get to those things or do those things.
Does it have emotional impacts?	Yes, about a year ago they killed off my favorite character which helped kick of that dlc’s story.
Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)?	Yes, some of the original story is unplayable now but they have created a new beginning for new players so that they start at the beginning of their game and will find out more information as they play.
The Elements in Motion	NOTES
How do the different elements interact?	For the most part they interact well with each other but there are times where things don’t work out and things happen, not always bad things though some good things can come out of that.
What is the gameplay like?	Pretty smooth and fast paced.
Is it effective?	For the game it is now yeah it is effective.
Are there any points where the design choices break down?	Yes, as in all games there are somethings that don’t work out, we call those bugs, and no game will be completely bug free, though Destiny 2 does have it’s far share, but then again this answer may change depending on how people look at the meaning of “breaking down”
Design Critique	NOTES
Why did the designer make these particular choices?	To try and make the game entertaining and keep players playing.
Why this set of resources?	It’s what they had on hand that could do what they were asking for from the game.
What if they made different decisions?	It could have turned out way different. You could have had different graphics and interactions, the entire feel of the game would be different, for example if you changed the soundtrack it would change the entire mood of the game.
Does the design break down at any point?	Depending on what you do yes, it does, but nothing to the point that it makes it unplayable, it’s just a few things that don’t interact well with each other or not at all but thats only in certain instances with certain things happening or being used.
Graphics & Sound	NOTES
Does the game art pair well with the mechanics?	I feel it does yes, but that may just be because I am used to the game.
Did you find any bugs or glitches?	Yes, there are a few, but then again bugs and glitches when defined to different people could be different things, not everyone is going to see the same thing in the same way.
What about sound?	The soundtrack is amazing, and it works really well with the game.
Can you spot any technical shortcuts?	It looks and feels like they have used at least a similar copy of assets for different things, but I don’t know if I would call that a technical shortcut.
Various Stages of the Game	NOTES
To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play:
What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?	Puzzles, enemies, bosses, limited gear and equipment you can have on you. You beat puzzles by working really hard at figuring them out or you get someone else to do it for you, you get past enemies and bosses be killing them with weapons and completing their different phases if they have them.
Is the game fair?	In some aspects yes, in others no.
Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience?	Yes, there is at least some repeatability, as you can have three different characters and each weapon or armor you pick up can be different from others you have picked up.
What is the intended audience?	Mainly young adults, and teenagers
What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun? The main thing you do is get new equipment and level up, it can be fun but depending on how tedious it is or how long it takes it become not fun.