Game mechanics are how a game works and how a game feels. You probably already know and have experienced game mechanics if you have played games. What you probably don't know is how to add them to a game engine.
In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:
- How to add game mechanics to Construct 2
- What are game mechanics?
- Adding game mechanics to a sprite
You probably already know about game mechanics after playing games, but you probably don't know they are game mechanics, as a game designer will refer to them and use them. Game mechanics are simply the rules of the game that allow gameplay. More simply, they build the interactivity in a game to make it playable. Game mechanics can be really simple or they can be really complex. Let's take a look at a few simple game mechanics:
- Running
- Jumping
- Score keeping
- Shooting
- Lives
- Health
- Physics
Game mechanics are used to make a game playable. They can be simple. For example, a player can run and jump, but there are several ways in which we can tweak running and jumping. How fast does the player run? How high does the player jump? How many times can the player jump?
All of these variables equate to a certain kind of gameplay. It is your job as a game designer to figure out what combination works out best for your game. If you want an action-packed game, you can use really fast movements. If you are trying to evoke a more elaborately thought out game, perhaps small and slower movements are best.
Tip
Whenever you put game mechanics in your game, you can evoke an emotion. Experienced game designers can have events in games that evoke rage, jealously, and helplessness. It's up to you to play around with game mechanics and see how you feel about them. Whenever you put game mechanics in, you give the player a certain sensation. This sensation could be blasting your way through space and then making an escape with your spacecraft, or trying to collect enough apples to feed your pets. The mechanics that you lay down, lays the foundation for the sensation the gamer plays.
Apart from the essential game mechanics of running, shooting, and so on, there are many more complex game mechanics. Achievements give the sensation of accomplishment, the same kind of feeling you get when you work at improving yourself. Combos are used when you take two actions and combine them to get something greater and again create a sensation of skill accomplishment. Usually, these kinds of game mechanics reward the player. A sound effect or more points are very common rewards. Rewards, in themselves, are game mechanics. There are many different kinds of rewards, such as scores, power-ups, extra lives and more. With each mechanics, you have to tailor the reward for your target audience.