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The Number One Educational Resource for the Game Industry

Session Name: Designing for Exploration and Choice in Firewatch
Speaker(s): Nels Anderson, Jake Rodkin
Company Name(s): Klei Entertainment, Campo Santo
Track / Format: Design

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Overview:

Firewatch is a first person game that focuses on narrative while still allowing for exploration and expressive player choices, all without combat, player death or other traditional action/adventure mechanics. Nels Anderson (Mark of the Ninja) and Jake Rodkin (The Walking Dead Season 1) will discuss how Firewatch is being designed - especially in its levels - with those objectives in mind. World structure, goals and gating, "encounter" design and the technical tools used will all be discussed to provide insight into how a non-combat exploration game is similar to other first-person games and also how the design approach differs.

GDC 2015

Nels Anderson

Klei Entertainment

Jake Rodkin

Campo Santo

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Design

Design