The Challenges of Designing First-Person Melee Combat

Speakers: Raphael Colantonio

Track: Game Design

Format: Lecture

Experience Level: All

Description: First-person melee combat has been one of those things that cannot quite be perfected. Yet that was one of the innovations that Arkane Studios wanted to bring to DARK MESSIAH OF MIGHT AND MAGIC. Raphael Colantonio, the game’s director, goes step-by-step on how the design worked. The game was released autumn of 2006, and Colantonio describes starting with the intuitive idea for combat, the mistakes and successes along the way, happy accidents, Randy Smith’s consultation, creating a special vocabulary, and how the combat system finally worked out in the end.

Idea Takeaway: Attendees will walk away with the realization that if you can imagine it, you can design it. Starting with the intuitive, it just takes lots of hard work, trying, testing, polishing, and a little luck doesn’t hurt, as you end with the analytical.

Intended Audience: Attendees looking for insight into the design process, through the specific example of how – start to finish – first-person melee combat was introduced into DARK MESSIAH OF MIGHT AND MAGIC.