1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,490 I love games that let you move with speed, fluidity, and finesse. 2 00:00:05,490 --> 00:00:12,580 I'm talking about games with perfect parkour, comic book web-swinging, awesome skateboarding, 3 00:00:12,580 --> 00:00:15,889 super sonic speeds, and ninja-like wall-running. 4 00:00:15,889 --> 00:00:22,180 The problem is: there's no one-size-fits-all answer for how to make such a movement system. 5 00:00:22,180 --> 00:00:27,290 What makes Rocket League great is completely different to Sunset Overdrive, which is different 6 00:00:27,290 --> 00:00:28,840 still to Titanfall 2. 7 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:35,650 Sure, we can get point to obvious stuff like responsive controls, visual effects, and cool animations. 8 00:00:35,650 --> 00:00:37,800 But perhaps we can go further. 9 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:42,730 What we can do is look at the very different ways that movement works in a bunch of brilliant 10 00:00:42,730 --> 00:00:47,629 games, and then see if there's anything these varying approaches all have in common, and 11 00:00:47,629 --> 00:00:50,609 help answer the question of how to make movement fun. 12 00:00:50,609 --> 00:00:51,719 So, Hi. 13 00:00:51,719 --> 00:00:55,671 I'm Mark Brown, and this is Game Maker's Toolkit. 14 00:00:58,449 --> 00:01:03,120 Okay, let's start with Super Mario Odyssey. 15 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:07,800 This game is all about giving the player a bunch of different moves - that all allow 16 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:09,830 for slightly different actions. 17 00:01:09,830 --> 00:01:15,190 You've got tall jumps and long jumps and fast jumps and last-minute-save jumps. 18 00:01:15,190 --> 00:01:17,930 It's about knowing which move to use, and when. 19 00:01:17,930 --> 00:01:23,110 But what's even better is that these moves can be chained together to eke out further 20 00:01:23,110 --> 00:01:24,240 advantages. 21 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:30,340 Mario's jump, dive, and hat throw can be carefully chained together to bound between rooftops 22 00:01:30,340 --> 00:01:31,890 in New Donk City. 23 00:01:31,890 --> 00:01:38,470 We see similar stuff in other 3D platformers like Sackboy: A Big Adventure and A Hat in Time. 24 00:01:38,470 --> 00:01:42,740 But also the Tony Hawk's series, which is laser focused on combining moves. 25 00:01:42,740 --> 00:01:46,820 There are two actions - the revert and the manual - which are specifically designed to 26 00:01:46,820 --> 00:01:51,040 keep your combo going between the skatepark pieces. 27 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:55,640 Next up is Insomniac's open-world zombie blaster Sunset Overdrive. 28 00:01:55,640 --> 00:02:01,060 Now here, the main character doesn't have a particularly involved moveset: just a basic 29 00:02:01,060 --> 00:02:03,070 run, jump, and roll. 30 00:02:03,070 --> 00:02:07,460 But that's because this game is all about using things in the environment: running on 31 00:02:07,460 --> 00:02:12,269 walls, bouncing on awnings, grinding on rails, and swinging on poles. 32 00:02:12,269 --> 00:02:17,030 Clever use of the environment will put you at a huge advantage over the enemies. 33 00:02:17,030 --> 00:02:22,660 Other games that put the focus on environmental interaction include sci-fi ninja sim Ghostrunner, 34 00:02:22,660 --> 00:02:29,682 and the best bits of the Ori games as you bash to propel yourself off enemies and projectiles. 35 00:02:29,682 --> 00:02:33,810 Next, let's look quickly at The Pathless. 36 00:02:33,810 --> 00:02:36,090 And this one is all about timing. 37 00:02:36,090 --> 00:02:40,719 In this game you can temporarily boost your speed by shooting arrows at floating targets 38 00:02:40,719 --> 00:02:41,730 in the world. 39 00:02:41,730 --> 00:02:46,000 You have to charge the shot and release when the meter fills up completely - giving the 40 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,569 game a sort of rhythmic action as you try to efficiently time the release of every shot. 41 00:02:50,569 --> 00:02:55,060 And that's not to mention that if you release when the meter is only halfway full, you get 42 00:02:55,060 --> 00:02:57,200 a much bigger burst of speed. 43 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:02,750 But, if you screw up the timing, the shot will miss and you get nothing. 44 00:03:02,750 --> 00:03:04,900 Moving on to Titanfall 2. 45 00:03:04,900 --> 00:03:09,219 And this game is all about momentum: building it, and keeping it. 46 00:03:09,219 --> 00:03:13,549 The pilot can run at a max speed of only 22 kilometres per hour. 47 00:03:13,549 --> 00:03:18,760 However, your speed can be temporarily boosted by things like wall-running, leaping away 48 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,609 from walls, and sliding along the ground. 49 00:03:21,609 --> 00:03:25,939 So to be truly fast, you've got to try and keep that momentum up, by endlessly chaining 50 00:03:25,939 --> 00:03:27,489 together those moves. 51 00:03:27,489 --> 00:03:28,610 But that's not all. 52 00:03:28,610 --> 00:03:33,180 When we go into multiplayer, we can get things like the grapple which hooks onto a wall and 53 00:03:33,180 --> 00:03:36,849 then retracts - like Link's hookshot on fast forward. 54 00:03:36,849 --> 00:03:40,969 Combine that with a jump and you can slingshot your way across the map at super speed. 55 00:03:40,969 --> 00:03:42,529 And we're still not done. 56 00:03:42,529 --> 00:03:46,610 Because when you come to land you can do a slide-hop (which is where you hit crouch, 57 00:03:46,610 --> 00:03:49,249 then jump) to maintain that momentum. 58 00:03:49,249 --> 00:03:53,829 The very best Titanfall 2 players - i.e. not me - are the ones who are always thinking 59 00:03:53,829 --> 00:03:58,260 about ways to keep the momentum they've built up. 60 00:03:58,260 --> 00:04:02,930 We see similar stuff in older shooters like Quake and Counter-Strike, where bunnyhopping 61 00:04:02,930 --> 00:04:08,860 to build momentum was a physics-busting emergent strategy not intended by the developers. 62 00:04:08,860 --> 00:04:13,459 The parkour gem Mirror's Edge will force you to maintain momentum if you want to nail its 63 00:04:13,459 --> 00:04:14,689 time trials. 64 00:04:14,689 --> 00:04:18,870 Crumble is all about getting faster and faster, the more you move. 65 00:04:18,870 --> 00:04:25,240 And in the platformer N++, you need to build momentum in order to make the biggest jumps. 66 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:30,910 Next up is Cyberhook - a first-person speedrunner about grappling onto blocks and launching 67 00:04:30,910 --> 00:04:32,530 yourself towards the goal. 68 00:04:32,530 --> 00:04:36,770 And so this one, I think, is about understanding trajectories. 69 00:04:36,770 --> 00:04:38,120 Bear with me for a second. 70 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:43,922 A trajectory is a path an object will follow, when moving under the influence of a physical force. 71 00:04:43,922 --> 00:04:49,240 And we subconsciously consider this when playing any platformer, because the arc of every jump 72 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:51,120 is determined by gravity. 73 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:56,340 But in games with grappling hooks - like A Story About My Uncle and Bionic Commando - the 74 00:04:56,340 --> 00:05:01,400 swing's arc is determined by both gravity and the taut pull of the rope. 75 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:06,030 And so to get the most out of the mechanic we have to mentally map out the precise arc 76 00:05:06,030 --> 00:05:09,900 of the swing - and know the best time to latch on and let go. 77 00:05:09,900 --> 00:05:13,988 We also see this in games with gliding mechanics, it's all about the shapes the character 78 00:05:13,988 --> 00:05:19,873 will make when moving, and understanding how to use that to your advantage. 79 00:05:19,873 --> 00:05:23,520 And finally, I want to touch on Rocket League. 80 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:28,980 This game is kind of unique because the character - in this case, a car - is basically a physics 81 00:05:28,980 --> 00:05:32,699 object, and you just apply forces in different directions. 82 00:05:32,699 --> 00:05:37,449 This allows you to move the car about in pretty much whatever way you desire: leading to masterful 83 00:05:37,449 --> 00:05:42,909 players discovering absurd tricks like making a car fly across the pitch, or doing bonkers 84 00:05:42,909 --> 00:05:44,250 bicycle kicks. 85 00:05:44,250 --> 00:05:48,300 Trust me, this one is way over my head - but I thought it was still worth mentioning. 86 00:05:48,300 --> 00:05:55,685 So, here, I've identified six different elements that great games use to make movement more fun. 87 00:05:55,685 --> 00:06:02,240 Those are chaining moves, using the environment, nailing timing windows, building momentum, 88 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:05,550 understanding trajectories, and playing with physics. 89 00:06:05,550 --> 00:06:10,419 Now that's not an exhaustive list - and it's also important to note that many games mix 90 00:06:10,419 --> 00:06:12,319 and match these different elements. 91 00:06:12,319 --> 00:06:16,889 In Just Cause 3, for example, you need to hook shot onto the environment, which builds 92 00:06:16,889 --> 00:06:19,260 momentum as the rope retracts. 93 00:06:19,260 --> 00:06:22,690 You can then chain into your parachute and then chain into your wingsuit. 94 00:06:22,690 --> 00:06:26,860 At which point you're carefully considering the weirdo trajectory of this thing as you 95 00:06:26,860 --> 00:06:29,009 dive away from enemy attacks. 96 00:06:29,009 --> 00:06:32,770 So this gives us a sort of table of elements when it comes to movement. 97 00:06:32,770 --> 00:06:37,539 The building blocks that are used and combined to make interesting interactions. 98 00:06:37,539 --> 00:06:40,330 These are the things that make movement fun. 99 00:06:40,330 --> 00:06:42,199 But… why? 100 00:06:42,199 --> 00:06:46,349 Is there anything these different approaches to movement have in common, to help explain 101 00:06:46,349 --> 00:06:48,050 their appeal? 102 00:06:48,050 --> 00:06:53,560 First, all of these approaches allow for a real freedom of movement. 103 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:57,870 They're about giving you options for how to get around the world: you could take a very 104 00:06:57,870 --> 00:07:03,280 slow and meandering trip up a staircase, or you could run up the wall, turn around, spring 105 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:06,530 off the wall, and tuck your feet up over the handrail. 106 00:07:06,530 --> 00:07:11,449 This effectively turns the entire game space into a traversal playground. 107 00:07:11,449 --> 00:07:16,520 Walls and big gaps are no longer barriers to impede progress: they are challenges to 108 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:17,639 overcome. 109 00:07:17,639 --> 00:07:22,159 And where many games are practically glued to the ground, these advanced movement mechanics 110 00:07:22,159 --> 00:07:24,349 add verticality to the world. 111 00:07:24,349 --> 00:07:28,599 Second, these movement mechanics typically allow for very analogue inputs. 112 00:07:28,599 --> 00:07:31,159 Which... let me explain what I mean. 113 00:07:31,159 --> 00:07:35,669 When using the hookshot in Zelda, you must aim it a suitable point, and then it locks 114 00:07:35,669 --> 00:07:39,850 Link into an unstoppable animation until he reaches his destination. 115 00:07:39,850 --> 00:07:42,439 It follows a single, predetermined path. 116 00:07:42,439 --> 00:07:47,120 In Titanfall 2, however, the grapple works in a very different way. 117 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:51,180 You can latch onto any point in the world, you can move while it retracts in order to 118 00:07:51,180 --> 00:07:56,030 change its trajectory, you can boost the speed with a jump, and you can cancel the grapple 119 00:07:56,030 --> 00:07:57,220 at any point. 120 00:07:57,220 --> 00:08:02,129 There is an almost infinite number of paths it can follow - entirely based on your control 121 00:08:02,129 --> 00:08:03,280 and desire. 122 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:07,729 And we see this in other mechanics too: like generous mid-air movement in Mario, being 123 00:08:07,729 --> 00:08:13,360 able to bash in literally any direction in Ori, and the absurdly granular input you have 124 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,349 in physics-based movement systems like Rocket League. 125 00:08:16,349 --> 00:08:21,439 These either give you perfect fine-grain control of the character, or at least the ability 126 00:08:21,439 --> 00:08:23,597 to influence a trajectory. 127 00:08:23,597 --> 00:08:30,249 Third… when done well, these mechanics allow you to move with flow, which is when you fluidly 128 00:08:30,249 --> 00:08:34,469 move through a level without stopping or slowing down too much. 129 00:08:34,469 --> 00:08:39,560 So perhaps that's chaining together moves across an entire level, or keeping your momentum 130 00:08:39,560 --> 00:08:42,229 with careful navigation of the space. 131 00:08:42,229 --> 00:08:46,790 This can be particularly fun in games with environmental interactions as you bounce from 132 00:08:46,790 --> 00:08:51,660 one object to another - but that's as much to do with the level design as it is the basic 133 00:08:51,660 --> 00:08:53,640 movement mechanics. 134 00:08:53,640 --> 00:09:00,190 Fourth - and perhaps most importantly - these advanced movement mechanics are a test of skill. 135 00:09:00,190 --> 00:09:05,290 When chaining moves, you need to know how and when to link these actions together - and 136 00:09:05,290 --> 00:09:08,160 probably in mid-air or when moving at speed. 137 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:12,670 When it comes to using the environment, there's a certain level of precision needed to guide 138 00:09:12,670 --> 00:09:15,370 your character onto a rail or bounce pad. 139 00:09:15,370 --> 00:09:18,980 And timing, naturally, tests your timing. 140 00:09:18,980 --> 00:09:24,310 Momentum has a built-in skill check: the faster you move, the harder the game is to control. 141 00:09:24,310 --> 00:09:29,420 Trajectories can be particularly hard to understand until you internalise their unique arcs. 142 00:09:29,420 --> 00:09:33,100 And physics-based characters are naturally challenging to navigate. 143 00:09:33,100 --> 00:09:37,470 And so while these advanced moves offer huge advantages over the more basic running and 144 00:09:37,470 --> 00:09:41,970 jumping - such as making you move faster, take shortcuts, or get the drop on enemies 145 00:09:41,970 --> 00:09:47,279 in combat - they come with a huge skill barrier, and until you can surpass it, you’re gonna 146 00:09:47,279 --> 00:09:50,870 spend a lot of time scraping your face against the tarmac. 147 00:09:50,870 --> 00:09:54,779 But, that leads to the fifth and final similarity. 148 00:09:54,779 --> 00:09:59,529 Which is when you do have that skill, all of these movement mechanics are intrinsically 149 00:09:59,529 --> 00:10:01,340 satisfying to use. 150 00:10:01,340 --> 00:10:05,889 When chaining moves you're performing tiny, quick-fire piano melodies on the controller 151 00:10:05,889 --> 00:10:08,139 which just feels amazing on the fingers. 152 00:10:08,139 --> 00:10:12,660 When you're exploiting the environment you're constantly making plans about your route forward. 153 00:10:12,660 --> 00:10:17,000 And hitting a button in a microscopic timing window and getting a big burst of feedback 154 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:18,280 is always a hit. 155 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:23,100 Building momentum lets you get almost uncontrollably fast, putting you in thrilling white-knuckle 156 00:10:23,100 --> 00:10:25,920 situations as you try not to slam into a wall. 157 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:30,120 And expertly navigating a character while navigating gravity and other physics-based 158 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:32,380 interactions just feels great. 159 00:10:32,380 --> 00:10:36,920 Skimming close to the ground with Just Cause's wingsuit is an unparalleled treat. 160 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:40,839 It would be easy to say that movement in a game feels good because you're playing as 161 00:10:40,839 --> 00:10:45,440 a character with awesome abilities - but I think it's the player's physical performance 162 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:51,283 of these skills that feels satisfying - and not just the super heroic imagery on screen. 163 00:10:51,283 --> 00:10:54,200 Though, let me give a couple caveats. 164 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:58,550 One is that games should look for precision - but not perfection. 165 00:10:58,550 --> 00:11:01,639 So it's good to have systems that subtly help the player out. 166 00:11:01,639 --> 00:11:05,990 I've talked before about coyote time - which is letting the player jump off a platform, 167 00:11:05,990 --> 00:11:08,100 even if they've already run off the edge. 168 00:11:08,100 --> 00:11:11,980 We can do something similar on the landing, by pushing the player to safety if they were 169 00:11:11,980 --> 00:11:14,820 just a few centimetres away from the ledge. 170 00:11:14,820 --> 00:11:19,699 You might also give the player moves to save themselves from a bad jump: like being able 171 00:11:19,699 --> 00:11:24,790 to right your board back in line with the ground in Tony Hawk's, or slow time and dash 172 00:11:24,790 --> 00:11:28,990 in Ghostrunner - which can be used to realign for a wall run. 173 00:11:28,990 --> 00:11:33,750 And in King of Cards, if you get hit in mid-air you'll get a free shoulder bash move which 174 00:11:33,750 --> 00:11:37,400 can be used for a last minute, frantic scramble to safety. 175 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:42,470 And secondly, this brings us back to something I explored in a video late last year. 176 00:11:42,470 --> 00:11:47,300 The idea of whether the player should be given a power fantasy through slick animation and 177 00:11:47,300 --> 00:11:48,779 highly automated systems. 178 00:11:48,779 --> 00:11:53,550 Or have to earn the power fantasy through the application of hard-won skills. 179 00:11:53,550 --> 00:11:58,610 Ultimately we want something that can do both: easy to use, but hard to master. 180 00:11:58,610 --> 00:12:04,080 So please check out that video for more information - and ideas for how to make these movement 181 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:08,329 systems more accessible to a wider audience. 182 00:12:08,329 --> 00:12:12,240 So how do we make interesting movement systems in games? 183 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:17,000 If you ask me, we're looking for mechanics that give players a real freedom of movement, 184 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:22,040 through analogue inputs that let them fully control how their character moves. 185 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:27,440 We want to test - or at least reward - the player's skill, and create movement that feels 186 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:32,170 satisfying when you perform it well - whether that's through quickfire finger action on 187 00:12:32,170 --> 00:12:35,690 the controller, or stomach-clenching, near-miss thrill rides. 188 00:12:35,690 --> 00:12:40,709 I've established a number of elements that work towards these goals - from chaining together 189 00:12:40,709 --> 00:12:46,110 a big load of actions to toying with the trajectory of a wingsuit under gravity - but there are 190 00:12:46,110 --> 00:12:49,150 probably more to discover, and more I missed. 191 00:12:49,150 --> 00:12:53,639 So, in the comments below - what's your favourite movement system in a game? 192 00:12:53,639 --> 00:12:58,389 And - most crucially of all - why? 193 00:12:58,389 --> 00:13:04,089 It's indie game recommendation time, and I've been having a lot of fun with Cyber Shadow 194 00:13:04,089 --> 00:13:11,160 - an NES throwback platformer that's inspired by games like Ninja Gaiden and Shatterhand. 195 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:16,100 It's not quite as punishing as those old games but it will certainly give you a good challenge. 196 00:13:16,100 --> 00:13:22,610 If you're up for it you can expect great level design, a huge moveset, and stellar boss fights. 197 00:13:22,610 --> 00:13:25,899 Cyber Shadow is out now on all major platforms.