Radiation Design

"What is Radiation Design?" -I hear you ask.

Well, let me tell you. "Radiation Design" is a design philosophy where certain elements can be designed from a "CORE" thought.

 
 

Mama Mia, That'sa Big Bada Guy!

the core

I'll use this generic-looking boss & this Mario rip-off called Wari-- crap! That name's taken, hmm... we'll call him Ripario.

The boss and his ultimate demise will be our core.

Jumping on his head will K.O the big sucker (our core), but how do we get to his head? 

Let the radiation begin...

the radiation

The closer we are to the core, the higher our level of thinking will be and as we start to retreat from the center, our ideas will be more focused & precise.

In this case, the highest level of thinking we can have is the player jumps on the boss's head, and the boss dies.

Moving away, we start thinking: ok, the boss is bigger, so how do we get up there? Does the boss shrink, do platforms appear? maybe there is a super jump. This would continue until we've left the "radiation zone", reaching the final design.

Core.png
Core2.png

radioactive cross contamination

This is when one core contaminates another.

Let's say the blue core is a super jump. Moving outward, we choose to make it skill-based. I'll continue to rip off Mario, so let's just say it's the triple jump. We decide how it works and how to teach this new mechanic to the player.

By cross contaminating the radiations, we could devise a sequence to defeat the giant freak of nature who wants to squish our hero.

For example:

The boss stomps around while the player avoids falling rocks. These rocks create a platform or platforms; they, in turn, set up the super jump. Finally, the player can reach the enemy’s head and defeat him.

YAAAAAY!!!!

Radiation design applied

90200be48e8533f13f5f596147ddd81f--spyro-the-dragon-retro-gamer.jpg
 

Let's Look at my favorite game Spyro the Dragon!

Focusing on the first game we can easily identify three cores:

  1. Dragon

  2. Cute

  3. Mascot Platforming (Genre)

 

Dragon

Continuing in a hierarchical manner, the first question we should ask is what is a dragon?

"A dragon is a tyrannosaurus rex with wings that breathes fire!"

- Craig Stitt

Being more specific they:

  • Can fly

  • Can breathe fire

  • Have horns

  • Have scales

  • Sharp teeth

  • Attraction to treasure

  • Are dangerous

  • etc...

This core is very important since it informs the character’s movement, a fundamental piece of any game because,

"If it's fun to run around in a circle, then it's a win."

- Brian Hastings

These characteristics, however contradict our second core...

Blue core.png

Cute

When starting on their new project one of the main goals for Insomniac was to make a mascot for the PlayStation that could rival the likes of Mario, Sonic, Banjo & Croc! Now I highly doubt that the first idea that pops into your head when someone says dragon is "cute" you probably default to those badass dragons from Reign of Fire blowing shit up!!!

Spyro, however, is more reminiscent of classic juvenile heroes like Peter Pan:

  • Young (roughly 8-12)

  • Somewhat cocky or bratty

  • Matures due to the experiences they go through

Finally, let’s move on to our third core...

Mascot platforming (genre)

Our third core is manipulated by the other two, where "Dragon" dictates level design & "Cute" informs the look or artistic style.

Gaps are made larger, enemies are goofy, and environments are colorful and fun.

This core resembles wet sand because of how malleable it is. Without other cores to inform the design, it's just a "run & jump". Injecting a character like Spyro shakes up the fundamental idea of what a platformer is.

It is no longer a simple two-action game, you can now jump, glide, charge, burn, interact with enemies, etc...

Looking at Mario, Crash, Ratchet, Banjo, Jak, etc... you can see that the "Genre" is manipulated by their other cores, making each game unique.

White Core.png

Cross-contamination

Cross contaminating the cores gives us the first game; if we look into its sequel, new ideas would be considered like extra playable characters.

A very important part of  "Radiation Design" is the mixture of ideas and how the refinement process changes as cores start to contaminate one another.

In closing

  • You can't make a game with only one core. (You can, however, have one very strong core that contaminates the entire design)

  • Genre should always be present yet malleable. (Allowing other cores to influence the genre will help with creating a unique game)

  • Reverse engineer other games. (There are smart people in the world & we should learn from them)

  • Radiation design can be applied to all aspects of development. (I showcased two very different examples above to prove this point)

the end