Spector's Deus Ex Rules of Roleplaying

Summary

Dr. Lou Pulser discusses Warren Spector's rules for creating engaging video games, drawing from the development of Deus Ex. The rules emphasize clear goals, problem-solving over puzzles, multiple solutions, avoiding forced failures, character-driven gameplay, and rewarding players' increasing skills. Additions from other designers suggest tailoring challenges to players' abilities, using varied tools, and thoughtful level design. Spector's single-player focus shapes these guidelines, which may differ from multiplayer RPG dynamics.

Takeaways

• 🎯 Players need clear goals to know what they're supposed to do, a modern approach in video games.
• 🧩 Focus on problems, not puzzles, allowing multiple solutions for more engaging gameplay.
• 🚫 Avoid forced failures where players can't foresee or prevent negative outcomes.
• 👤 Emphasize character-driven gameplay, letting players choose their interaction style.
• 👀 NPCs should not overshadow players; players should be the primary actors in the game.
• 🧠 Increase game difficulty gradually as players become more skilled and smarter.
• 🏆 Reward players regularly and unpredictably to keep engagement high.
• 🔄 Think in three dimensions and avoid linearity to create a more interconnected and immersive environment.
• 🛠 Design missions and problems keyed to players' skills, augmentations, and tools for varied gameplay.
• 🔫 Combat should require strategic thinking, not just the use of the biggest weapon available.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the video script?

The speaker is Dr. Lou Pulser.

What video game is Dr. Lou Pulser discussing?

Dr. Lou Pulser is discussing the video game 'Deus Ex.'

Who led the creation of 'Deus Ex'?

Warren Spector led the creation of 'Deus Ex.'

What is the first rule mentioned by Dr. Lou Pulser for role playing in 'Deus Ex'?

The first rule is to always show the goal, so players know what they are supposed to do.

How does Dr. Lou Pulser feel about the modern trend of handholding in video games?

Dr. Lou Pulser acknowledges that it is very common nowadays, though it might not have been seen 15 or 20 years ago. He suggests that it makes it easier for players, especially in role-playing game adventures.

What is the difference between 'problems' and 'puzzles' according to the script?

Problems are obstacles that can be solved in multiple ways, while puzzles have a single solution. 'Deus Ex' favors problems to encourage inventive solutions from players.

Why is 'no forced failure' an important rule in 'Deus Ex'?

No forced failure is important because players should not suddenly die in unforeseeable situations, which would be unfair and frustrating for them.

What does the rule 'it's the character, stupid' imply?

This rule implies that the game should focus on the characters, allowing players to choose their style of interaction and make meaningful decisions.

What example does Dr. Lou Pulser give to illustrate the rule 'players do, NPCs watch'?

He gives an example from a 1976 Dungeons and Dragons adventure where the referee's overpowered character did all the work, which was not fun for the players.

How should games balance increasing difficulty and player skill according to the script?

Games should increase in challenge as players get smarter, rewarding them regularly and frequently but unpredictably.

What does 'think 3D' mean in the context of level design?

'Think 3D' means considering all dimensions (up, down, left, right, center) in level design to create more complex and engaging environments.

What is the significance of the rule 'think interconnected, avoid linearity'?

This rule suggests allowing multiple paths and solutions within the game, rather than forcing players along a single path.

What additions did Harvey make to Warren Spector's rules?

Harvey added that all missions, locations, and problems should be keyed to skills and augmentations, gameplay should rely on a variety of tools, combat should require thought, geometry should contribute to gameplay, and the overall mood and tone should be clear and consistent.

How does Warren Spector's preference for single-player games influence his design rules?

His preference for single-player games against the computer means his rules are tailored for those scenarios, and they may not be as applicable for multiplayer games where players are on the same side against a referee-controlled enemy.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Introduction to Deus Ex Rules of Role Playing

Dr. Lou Pulser introduces the topic of Deus Ex's rules of role-playing, created by Warren Spector for the famous video game. He discusses the importance of showing goals clearly to players, highlighting the trend of handholding in modern games. Pulser reflects on how this clarity can impact player creativity and enjoyment, especially in single-player versus role-playing games.

05:01

🧩 Problems Not Puzzles and Multiple Solutions

Pulser emphasizes designing problems instead of puzzles in games, advocating for multiple solutions to enhance player creativity and enjoyment. He explains that situations with only one solution limit player ingenuity, while problems with various solutions offer a more engaging experience for both players and designers.

😡 Avoiding Forced Failure and Emphasizing Characters

The discussion moves to the importance of avoiding forced failures in games, such as undetectable traps that kill players unfairly. Pulser also stresses focusing on characters, allowing players the freedom to interact and make choices, even if those choices lead to mistakes. He criticizes rigid designs that prevent players from exploring different interaction styles.

🤔 No NPC Overpowering and Gradual Challenge Increase

Pulser recounts a personal experience where an overpowered NPC overshadowed the player characters, highlighting the importance of not letting NPCs dominate the gameplay. He also discusses the principle of gradually increasing the game's difficulty as players become more skilled, rewarding them unpredictably to maintain engagement.

🌍 Thinking in 3D and Interconnected Level Design

Pulser advises designers to think in three dimensions, ensuring vertical as well as horizontal gameplay elements. He encourages avoiding linear paths in level design, allowing multiple ways for players to reach their goals, thus enhancing the exploration and decision-making aspects of the game.

🔧 Customizing Challenges to Player Skills

Pulser introduces Harvey Smith's addition to the rules, suggesting that missions and challenges should be tailored to the player's skills and augmentations. He acknowledges this modern approach but contrasts it with the traditional method of letting players use their available resources creatively.

🛠️ Encouraging Variety and Thought in Combat

Pulser highlights the importance of variety in gameplay tools and thoughtful combat strategies. He criticizes monotonous gameplay where players rely solely on one powerful weapon, advocating for diverse challenges that require different approaches and tools.

🏰 Geometry and Consistent Mood in Game Design

Discussing the role of geometry in gameplay, Pulser explains how the physical layout of a game environment can impact the player's experience. He also emphasizes maintaining a clear and consistent mood and tone throughout the game, noting that Warren Spector's rules are geared towards single-player experiences against the computer.

🧩 Adapting Rules for Multiplayer Games

Pulser concludes by mentioning that Spector's rules are primarily designed for single-player games and may need adjustments for multiplayer games like tabletop RPGs. He underscores the differences in design philosophy when multiple players are involved, each with their unique interactions and objectives.

Keywords

💡Deus Ex

Deus Ex is a popular video game series created years ago under Warren Spector's leadership. It is known for its immersive gameplay and innovative design. In the script, Deus Ex serves as the foundation for discussing the rules and guidelines that Warren Spector implemented for game development.

💡Show the Goal

This rule emphasizes the importance of making players aware of their objectives in a game. It is considered a modern approach to game design, contrasting with older games where objectives were not always clear. In the context of the script, it highlights the trend towards 'handholding' in modern gaming.

💡Problems, Not Puzzles

This concept differentiates between challenges in games that have a single solution (puzzles) and those that allow for multiple solutions (problems). The idea is to create scenarios where players can use their creativity to succeed. The script suggests that players enjoy solving problems more than puzzles due to the freedom it provides.

💡Multiple Solutions

This rule advises against designing game situations with only one correct solution. Instead, it encourages creating problems that can be solved in various ways, enhancing player creativity and satisfaction. The script uses this to stress the importance of flexibility in game design.

💡No Forced Failure

This principle warns against creating scenarios where players can unexpectedly fail without any forewarning or way to avoid it. It aims to prevent frustration and maintain fairness in the game. The script provides an example of undetectable traps as an undesirable design choice.

💡Player Choice

This rule emphasizes allowing players to choose their style of interaction within the game, such as using stealth or combat. It highlights the importance of not restricting player actions unnecessarily. The script discusses how some game designs prevent players from making certain choices, which can detract from the gaming experience.

💡NPC Participation

Non-Player Characters (NPCs) should not overshadow the player's actions or solve problems for them. The script recounts a negative experience where an NPC resolved a major challenge, depriving players of the fun and satisfaction of solving it themselves.

💡Progressive Difficulty

This concept involves gradually increasing the game's difficulty as players become more skilled. It ensures that the game remains challenging and engaging. The script mentions rewarding players unpredictably to maintain their interest and satisfaction.

💡Think in 3D

This rule advises game designers to consider verticality and spatial complexity in level design. It enhances immersion and realism. The script gives an example of overlooking a higher vantage point, which could be used by enemies, as a common oversight in less sophisticated designs.

💡Avoid Linearity

This principle encourages designing game levels that allow multiple paths and solutions, avoiding a single, linear progression. It ties back to the idea of player freedom and creativity. The script suggests that interconnected paths make the game more interesting and engaging.

Highlights

Introduction to Deus Ex rules by Dr. Lou Pulser, referencing Warren Spector's guidelines.

Rule 1: Always show the goal - players need to know what they're supposed to do.

Modern gaming often involves handholding to guide players on what to do next.

Inventiveness can arise from unclear objectives, but clarity helps in multi-player scenarios.

Rule 2: Problems, not puzzles - set up situations with multiple solutions rather than single-solution puzzles.

Players enjoy finding inventive ways to succeed in problem-based scenarios.

Rule 3: No forced failure - avoid situations where players die unexpectedly without warning.

Forced failures are frustrating and can seem sadistic, detracting from player enjoyment.

Rule 4: It's the character, stupid - games should focus on character interaction and player choice.

Designers should allow players to use their preferred styles, such as stealth or combat.

Avoid invincible characters that disrupt the game's realism and player agency.

Rule 5: Players do, NPCs watch - avoid having NPCs overshadow player actions.

Players should be the primary agents of action and decision-making in the game.

Rule 6: Games get harder, players get smarter - increase challenge as players progress.

Reward players regularly but unpredictably to maintain engagement.

Rule 7: Think 3D - incorporate verticality and spatial awareness in level design.

Avoid linearity - allow multiple paths and solutions to enhance player exploration.

Add-on: Key missions and challenges to player skills and augmentations for a tailored experience.

Gameplay should require a variety of tools and strategies, not just one dominant method.

Combat should involve thoughtful decisions rather than relying on the biggest weapon.

Geometry and level design should impact gameplay, adding strategic depth.

Overall mood and tone should be clear and consistent throughout the game.

Warren Spector prefers single-player games, and these rules are designed with that preference in mind.

The rules may not be as applicable to multiplayer or tabletop RPGs.

Reference to the original article for further details on Warren Spector's rules.

Transcripts

hi this is Dr Lou pulser and I'm going

to talk this time about the deis X rules

of role playing now you may be familiar

with deox it's one of the most famous

video games created quite a few years

ago under War inspector's lead and he

wrote a set of rules for his people to

follow while they were making the

game he recently talked about this in a

article on the web so here his rules and

some additions made by other

people the first rule always show the

goal in other words players need to know

what it is they're supposed to do now

this is the modern way uh to play it's a

bit of handholding that you might not

have seen 15 or 20 years

ago but nowadays in video games it's

very common to hold the hands of the

players and essentially tell them what

they need to do next

I think that a lot of times when it's

not clear what to do next is when

players can be inventive but perhaps

that's easier on the players when there

are several players as in a role playing

game Adventure rather than a single

player as in your

typical video game

level so you'll have to decide how to

treat this particular guideline or rule

the next one is problems not not puzzles

it's an obstacle course not a jigsaw

puzzle and that ties in with the next

one which is multiple

Solutions in other

words don't set up situations where

there's only one way to succeed that's a

puzzle it has a

solution set up situations that are

problems and then the players can find

inventive ways to succeed they'll enjoy

it more uh you'll enjoy it more if you

watch people play test the game

it's a win-win

situation uh there are people who like

Puzzles but perhaps not in levels or

Adventures the next rule is no forced

failure for

example don't have a player suddenly die

in a situation where he couldn't

possibly have foreseen that he might die

he couldn't possibly know about it like

the undetectable trap that he steps on

and L ERS slice through him and kill him

nobody likes

that the only person who could possibly

like that is a person who devised the

situation and is being sadistic and

that's not what we want from level and

Adventure designers we want player

Centric level and Adventure designers

who do things so the players can enjoy

themselves his next rule is it's the

character stupid

the game is about the characters if

there are in fact characters in the

level or Adventure which often there are

uh the choice of interaction style

should always be the players not the

designers if players want to try to use

stealth okay if players want to kill

everybody in sight well that's probably

not going to be very smart and that has

to be taken into account by the designer

but the designer shouldn't prevent it uh

my brother told me once about a

character in a well-known own uh Elder

Scrolls game that had to stay alive for

various purposes so it didn't not matter

how many times you killed him he kept

coming back something like that where

the designers had said well we can't

have this happen so we won't let the

players do

that I don't think that's a good idea

maybe sometimes you can't avoid

it but it's not a good idea let the

characters interact in the way they want

but if they do something stupid like

kill somebody they shouldn't kill then

perhaps they should pay for

it the next rule players do NPC's

watch now in 1976 I played a Dungeons

and Dragons

Adventure where the referee included in

our party one of his characters a

darini well durini were characters from

a popular book series at the time and

they were awfully powerful so we were in

a dungeon and we were fighting

demons and we were single level s single

digit level characters we weren't

double- digit level characters so it was

pretty

scary and we found a door where we knew

by detection spells and so on that there

were about eight Demons

Inside well this was very very

formidable and while we were wondering

what to

do the referee's character walked

through the door using his cyanic powers

that there was a big struggle and he

came out having killed all eight of the

Demons do you think that was fun for us

do you think that was interesting for us

no we stood and watched while he did the

work the NPC did the work this is a bad

idea bad

idea the next rule games get harder

players get

smarter the idea of increasing challenge

as you go along because the players have

learned how to cope with things so that

something would that would have

completely thwarted them to start with

they can now take and

stride patch your player on the back

reward players regularly and frequently

but

unpredictably now the more Modern Way is

predictable players have come to expect

that every monster they kill will have a

Loot drop even if there it makes no

sense that that monster had any loot at

all you you have to decide whether you

want to accommodate the modern way or

whether you want to do things a little

bit more the old-fashioned way the the

way that war inspector talked about for

de of

six think

3D if you've played many levels or

Adventures you've probably run into a

situation where you walk into a room and

you forget to look up and there happens

to be some kind of vestibule above the

door with a bunch of monsters and as

your party walks in they all jump down

amongst you and it's pretty bad so

that's thinking 3D making sure there's a

third dimension up and down as well as

Left Right

Center think interconnected avoid

linearity uh I interpret this to mean

don't force people along a particular

path you can have lots of different

connections and this kind of goes back

to letting the players choose their own

solution if they wander around as though

they were in a maze but end up coming to

where they need to go instead of going

straight there that's okay there can be

more than one way to get

there and here are some of the add-ons

from

Harvey all missions locations and

problems will be specifically keyed to

skills and skill levels augmentations

and augmentation levels objects and

weapons now this is a more modern sort

of

idea I like to set up situations and let

people resource y use what they've got

but this rule is suggesting that when

you have a particular situation set up

you should have in mind what skills

augmentations and so on the players are

going to use to overcome that

situation you can do things that way it

may work

better uh but it's definitely not the

old ski school

way another of these add-ons is game

play will rely on a variety of tools

rather than just one and of course

that's a really good idea

if say in a fantasy game a player is

really good with a sword and all he ever

does is Bash people with his sword that

can get kind of tedious give situations

where they have to use something other

than bashing people with a

sword combat will require more thought

than what's the biggest gun in my

inventory and that's an another aspect

of this make getting people to think

getting people

to figure out what is the best thing to

do in a particular

situation geometry should contribute to

gameplay in other words how the dungeon

is built if it's a dungeon or how the

spaceship is arranged if it's in a band

and spaceship something like that that

should make a difference to the game

playay the overall mood will be and tone

will be clear and consistent and that's

generally a good idea and I've talked

about that separately

keep in mind with these rules that

Spectre prefers to play single player

games that is games against the computer

he likes to design the same he doesn't

design for a lot of players he doesn't

design player versus

player he wants single player and

computer and that's the way he likes to

do things so these rules are written

with that in

mind and consequently they may not

necessarily be as appropriate or

applicable for

a multiplayer game such as a tabletop

RBG where everybody is on the same side

against the the bad guys the enemy run

by the

referee and there's a

URL of the article