game dev diaries part 2 : learning game design from Nintendo

Hello guys,

This week my brain is scattered so it's time to study game design, and what better than studying while playing games.

I picked Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

I will write exactly what I see as a rule to build a game on top of my previous design from game dev diaries part 1, go back and check if you did not read it.

now let's start analyzing Captain Toad Treasure Tracker

1- Introduce your conflict right away and don’t take long to do it

The conflict was  introduced 30 seconds from the start of game play. 38 seconds exactly and it took 20 seconds to explain it. (a star was stolen by an evil bird and took poor Toadette with it)

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Let’s start replicating that, first our conflict is that the main character lives in a plastic toy world powered by electricity but an evil scissor cuts off the power supply and now they had to use batteries everywhere.

2-have clear objective

Right away I can tell what I need to collect. It's also a teaser to the reward ahead. 

note (Make sure you communicate the game objective visually and make it as clear as possible).

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Ok my turn again.

My objective is to open doors. My game is all about unlocking doors so this is what I came up with.

I still do not know what I want the character to collect but let's add some puzzle pieces representing

fragments of her memories and some stickers because who doesn't love collecting stickers.

3-show the end goal right away but don’t make the path to it clear.

At the start of the first level you can clearly see one collectable item and the end goal aligned

but the way to both is hidden, clever design.  

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All my brain gears started to turn Mmmmm... think think think

Ok to keep this exercise simple I downloaded a pack from CGtrader and it looks like this.

Now let’s add the house to the tree I previously modeled to make a tree house.

And let’s make the door the end goal.

Think think Mmmm….

Since there is no electricity in this game world we will use battery to switch toys on and off.

Ok now after this short brainstorm session let’s start coping by aligning the start with the first reward

and the end goal.

Also let's hide the path to the goal by removing the ladder to it. I want the player to think “There is a way to it but it’s clearly not the ladder”. Confuse the player by adding the ladder to a different platform.

BTW I still do not know the way myself. I know I want the small platform to take me to the end goal, I also want it to be battery powered. Will see.

Let things slowly unfold.

4-Start by teaching the player simple mechanics right away then reward him/her right away.

This is a small teaching moment

(teaching the player that captain Toad may not be able to do anything but he can pull) ,

clearly explains to player's all of his/her strength and limitations.

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What I need to teach the player right away is how to turn things on using batteries.

So I downloaded a this also from CGtrader

Now let make it battery powered.

Here is my small teaching moment ( add battery and change direction to bring the little chick to her mother)

5- let the player apply the same mechanics three times, two of them with small rewards and the last one with a big reward. 

A few small rewards(small dose of dopamine) followed by big rewards. Giving the player a big hit of dopamine.  Everything seems to be carefully placed to trigger the player's internal reward system. Ok let’s copy that too.

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Ok here is the two added challenges/reward ( bring back those two chicks)

(the number of reward = number of chicks you bring )

Adding more and expanding the puzzle. For this one I’m adding more baby chicks on the tree as an added reward.

6- Teach new mechanics building on the previous ones but with different result. 

This time adding batteries should have a new results. Let's start moving platforms.

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Ok first I started by fencing the area to guide the player around.

Now I want the player to learn that batteries can switch platforms on and off too.

7-Allow the player to analyze existing clues and using learned mechanics to solve a small problem.

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Then reward the player.

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ok let's do this by adding more complicity to the platforms. (change direction multiple times)

8- Change some variables 

(same technique but this time a moving object)

Another challenge using the same mechanics but this time with a moving object.

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changing variables Mmmmm 

I thought about this for a long time Mmmm.

ok for this one I’m keeping the battery socket with the player on the moving platform so the player must remove the battery to stop the platform and change direction.

9- Teaching a new mechanics

Oh this one is difficult to add because the game is getting bigger and bigger.

but let's try.

this time Captain Toad can use a hammer

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Stimulate the player too by adding extra effects

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Then gave the player more reward and stimulation.

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For this one I decided to reuse the same button I had (yes I'm cheating technically it's not new).

The player must jump on it multiple time to drop the apples and the reward.

10-secret area

Unlocking a secret area using the same technique you just learned, to find a hidden secret within the level is also a special type of reward, it is double the reward, one for finding the secret place and one for getting the golden mushroom.

Always have extra golden objects to collect (obviously there is no value to the golden mushroom but it gives the player a sense of completing the level).

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ok I might be cheating again here by placing the sticker there but I ran out of ideas. I placed the collectable sticker right behind the tree branch.

11-Break the connection to the end goal and allow the player to fix the connection

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I kept this one in mind since the start I kept the tree house detached from anything, now let's build a bridge and add a button, jumping on a button will lower the bridge connecting to the goal.

Gave the player a new unique reward and the final collectable.

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Win

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Hooray win win win

and we are done, I like this game and honestly this first level of Captain Toad Treasure Tracker is my favorite it's small simple with cleaver design.

I hope you enjoyed this one too.

Thank you for reading.