Summary
I am going to analyze Rainbow Six: Siege as it’s a game I am very familiar with and I have a lot of insight into the game, whether it be high level competition or casual, leisurely playing.
Game Play Analysis
Formal Elements |
|
The Basics |
|
Name of the game | Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege |
The platform | PC |
Time played (should be at least 30 minutes) | ~1000 hours |
If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why? | I would change some maps, the way some operators (characters) work, and I would add some game modes. |
Players |
NOTES |
How many players are supported? | 10, 5v5 |
Does it need to be an exact number? | yes |
How does this affect play? | makes it very hard for one side to win if it’s missing a player |
Some types of player frameworks:
|
|
Objectives/Goals |
NOTES |
What are the players trying to do? | Defend or Defuse the bomb |
Some common objectives include:
|
|
Rules/Mechanics |
|
There are three categories of (what the book Rules of Play calls) operational rules:
|
|
Controls |
NOTES |
What controls are used? | Basic movement keys, plus some additional for leaning and utility usage. |
Was there a clear introductory tutorial? | Yes, there are some small tutorials called situations that show you the basics. |
Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller? | Recoil is intense but otherwise it’s straightforward, although I personally fat finger a lot and press the wrong button. |
Resources & Resource Management |
NOTES |
What kinds of resources do players control? | Each player has a certain amount of gadgets that change on which character they pick that can counter play the other players gadgets. |
How are they maintained during play? | You use it when you need it. |
What is their role? | Very important its almost impossible for the attackers to win if they don’t use their gadgets to force out the defenders |
A resource is everything under the control of a single player. Could be the money in Monopoly or health in WoW. Other examples are:
|
|
Game State |
NOTES |
How much information in the game state is visible to the player? | Basic HUD plus some unique things to the game such as what gadgets you have left. |
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:
|
|
Sequencing |
NOTES |
In what order do players take their actions? | It starts with the prep phase for the defenders to prepare for the attackers, but while that’s going on the attackers use little remote-controlled drones to scout out what the defense is doing, and then they attack. |
How does play flow from one action to another? | It all depends on how you start your attack. |
Some structures include:
|
|
Player Interaction |
|
Some examples:
|
|
Theme & Narrative |
NOTES |
Does it have an actual story structure? | Kind of, there’s no campaign or story mode but with certain events we can get a little insight into the story line. |
Is it based on a historical event (or similar)? | There are some maps and character names based off events. |
Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play? | No |
Does it have emotional impacts? | No |
Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)? | No |
The Elements in Motion |
NOTES |
How do the different elements interact? | Creates a very unique game |
What is the gameplay like? | Fast-paced and harsh |
Is it effective? | Yes |
Are there any points where the design choices break down? | Sometimes |
Design Critique |
NOTES |
Why did the designer make these particular choices? | Its all about counterplay and weaknesses so that one character can nullify another’s |
Why this set of resources? | |
What if they made different decisions? | It would be a whole different game |
Does the design break down at any point? | Sometimes |
Graphics & Sound |
NOTES |
Does the game art pair well with the mechanics? | Yes |
Did you find any bugs or glitches? | Yes |
What about sound? | Its spotty at times. |
Can you spot any technical shortcuts? | Yes |
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? | Well most of the challenges are just other players being better than you really and the only way to overcome that is an organized strategy or get better at aiming. |
Is the game fair? | Its defender sided, but you can use finesse and skill to win |
Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience? | Yes not once in my over 1000 hours have I gotten bored with it. |
What is the intended audience? | Teenagers |
What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun? | The core thing is shooting, yes it’s fun |
This analysis form was adapted from https://notlaura.com/a-template-for-analyzing-game-design/