[SOUND] Let's change the rules so all red cards are wild.
>> Why, do you have a bunch of red cards that you can't use?
>> No.
>> You can't change the rules halfway through a card game,
but you can change the rules half way through a video game.
>> [SOUND] >> It's true, how many times have you been
playing a game only to have gravity to suddenly reverse itself?
In Super Amazing Wagon Adventure, sometimes your gun gets broken and
starts shooting in the wrong direction, or your oxen get confused and then,
all the directions on your controller go the opposite direction you're used to.
When designing a game, you can change the rules whenever you feel like the current
set of rules are becoming too predictable.
Usually when this happens, there's some reason seen by the player.
For instance, they stepped on a trap and that reversed gravity,
or they dropped their gun and
it broke, which is what caused it to start shooting in the wrong direction.
Usually, unless you want to confuse your players,
which is a possibility, it's best to let them know why you've changed the rules,
so they know that their computer isn't busted.
Changing or adjusting the rules can keep your game interesting and unpredictable.
There are also simpler reasons why you might want to change the rules of your
game from time to time, for more structural and narrative reasons.
Let's say you have a sequence where your character is talking with an old friend.
Maybe the character's rocket launcher should be disabled for
conversation sequences where it might produce unwanted story results.
If your character is going to be in a store,
maybe they shouldn't be able to use their sneaky skills to steal everything there.
It might make the game too easy.
These sorts of rule changes are used to keep the game
at a right level of difficulty and they're also used to simplify programming and
keep the designer from having to create parts of the game that aren't needed for
their intended story.
As a game designer, you set the rules and you break them, too.
Just keep in mind, when the rules change, so will your game play.
Keep in mind that this may affect your game.
Will it bring interesting variety?
Will it simplify the programming?
Will it have positive effects, without confusing or
frustrating the player in unintended ways?
Give it a try and see what happens.