Process

Processes connect the elements of a game.

In a game, all content that follows a sequence or has a developmental process is considered part of the process. Macro processes include the story progression in the game and the player’s experience process from start to finish, etc. More micro processes include the progression of individual levels or the storyline within a specific quest. For video games, in addition to the content of the game itself, there are also interactive processes involving user actions, such as the process of equipping weapons or adjusting system settings.

The process of a game can be represented in various forms. The most common ways to express a process are text descriptions and flowcharts. Text descriptions are the simplest form of representation, and they can easily express a linear process in a minimal amount of space.

For example:“The protagonist, after receiving the task of rescuing the princess, follows the elder’s guidance to obtain a sword. Along the way, they challenge four sacred beasts and successfully open the castle gates. After defeating the lord, the protagonist rescues the princess, and together they live happily ever after.” However, text descriptions also have their flaws. When the process involves more complex branching content and logical transitions, it becomes difficult to express clearly with just text. In such cases, we can use flowcharts. Flowcharts visually display the logical relationships and can better represent multi-threaded processes.

However, flowcharts are not perfect. They usually take up a large amount of space, and drawing them requires more time and effort. When there are too many branches or the logical transitions are too complex, the flowchart becomes very complicated, which can create confusion visually. At this point, reading the flowchart also requires a high level of logical understanding. Therefore, when using flowcharts, it’s important to simplify them as much as possible, isolating the more complete process modules and creating smaller flowcharts. Additionally, when describing processes, we can combine the strengths of both text descriptions and flowcharts, using each where appropriate based on the situation.

A level design diagram may include information such as terrain, collectables, traps, special time events, and the player’s movement path within the map. We can visually demonstrate the player’s actions in the level and use it as an example when actually building the level. However, level design diagrams are not effective at expressing narrative processes. When showing multiple threads of a process, it will either require multiple paths on the same diagram or multiple design diagrams. The former increases the difficulty of understanding, while the latter takes up more space. Each form of representing a process has its strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to choose the right method of expression for the appropriate process.