Orthogonal design is one of the most important principles of game design

In this article, we will talk about the concept of orthogonal design in video games and its impact on the gaming experience. Orthogonal design is a key principle in game design and level design, thanks to it it is possible to create a deeper, more varied and interesting gaming experience, and also it simplifies the development process. We will look at how orthogonality manifests itself in the design of enemies, abilities, mechanics and missions using the example of such legendary games as Doom 1993, Halo: Combat Evolved, Dishonored And Red Dead Redemption 2.

The definition of orthogonality itself looks like this: Orthogonal – statistically independent. To understand what orthogonality is in game design, let's take an example – transport.

Let there be a game in which the player can use transport, and in non-orthogonal version of this gamethe player has three types of transport that he can use. They are all cars, but one of them is very fast, another is not so fast but is more durable and can withstand more damage, and the third has only two seats instead of four and has more speed.

So we have three cars that only differ in their stat numbers. So instead, orthogonal version of this game could be like this: we could have a car, a helicopter, and a boat. Now that you have these three vehicles, we're talking about very different characteristics, aren't we? Each of these vehicles is designed for something different: one for the land, one for the sea, one for the air.

You can do different things with these vehicles and they are orthogonal different because they are not dependent on numerical changes. There are no number of cars that can be combined to make a helicopter. There are no number of helicopters that can make a boat. You can imagine that for both the player and the game designer, having different vehicles makes a big difference to the gameplay. This is the difference we are talking about in orthogonal design.

Doom: Orthogonal Enemy Design

Game designers often cite the first Doom as a good example, and I will do so too. For example, Mark Brown has discussed this in his videos Game Maker's Toolkit. He talked about Doom and the orthogonal enemy design. What this boils down to is that in Doom there are no enemies that differ only in HP or damage, but there are many different enemy types that are orthogonally different from each other.

The reason Doom works so well is that each enemy has a distinct, consistent, and understandable behavior that can be learned – Matthias Worch, Mafia 3 Design Director

There is in the game Zombieman And Shotgun guy – they are weak, but use hitscanning weapons (projectiles fly to the player instantly). In contrast to them, there are Impwhich is a little more powerful, but uses fireballs that fly very slowly and can be dodged by strafe.

There is also Demons and their invisible friends Spectres – they don't have weapons, they deal damage in close combat. Similar mechanics are found in Lost Soulsbut they fly straight at you.

Cacodemons And Barons of Hell also use projectiles, but have a huge amount of HP

The enemies in Doom are a prime example. Orthogonal differentiation of units or else Orthogonal Unit Differentiation.

A game designer from Arcane describes this principle this way:

Players enjoy playing with purpose, making meaningful tactical decisions rather than just reacting randomly to what's happening. – Harvey Smith, Game Designer – Arkane Studios

If you draw a graph where the X axis is Unit speedand the Y axis is Unit Damagethen the enemies from Doom will be located on this graph like this:

These three categories of orthogonally different enemies are essentially the basis of all combat mechanics in Doom, but they allow for a lot of different variations. The choice of how to fight depends on the circumstances and on these different enemy types. This means that a level designer can create a lot of different, interesting situations to keep you interested.

It also works because the player doesn't have to keep so many variables in mind: in Doom total 7 types of enemiesEach of them is visually different and they make different sounds, which gives the player time to analyze them and come up with tactics.

This variety creates a large, yet easy to understand, set of tools that level designers can combine with architecture to create a huge variety of combat setups.

Left 4 Dead – Zombie Orthogonality

Left 4 Dead is another great example of a game that uses orthogonal enemy design to create interesting and engaging gameplay. In this game, enemies are varied and have specific functions, which makes combat dynamic and exciting.

The game's regular zombies are only a big threat when there are too many of them. But the real fun of orthogonality is shown in “special infected“: Hunter – agile and fast zombie, Smoker – slows down players with toxic smoke, Witch – a dangerous witch with the ability to search for a player by the sound produced by a weapon or character, and Tank – a huge and strong zombie with great strength, he can also climb over walls to chase the player.

Thanks to the variety of these enemies and their combinations, players can face different situations, which makes the gameplay more interesting and exciting. And for the game designer and level designer, the task of filling the levels is simplified.

Halo is another good example of orthogonal enemies.

Halo also features well-designed enemies that differ not only in appearance or HP and damage numbers, but in behavior and the way they fight.

Eat Grunts – monsters that start to panic and run away from the battlefield if a stronger alien is killed. There are Eliteswhich regenerate helppoints, there are Jackalswhich have large shields. There are Hunterswho attack in pairs and if their partner is killed, they enter berserk mode. Different opponents have different strengths, different weaknesses, different behavior, which forces the player to choose targets, think about how to fight them, and not move around the battlefield mindlessly.

Dishonored: Orthogonal Game Ability Design

Now let's look at Dishonored, which is one of the classic examples of the orthogonal design approach to game abilities. I mean player abilities such as Blink, Bend Time, Possession And Dark Vision.

Blink – the ability to teleport, allowing the player to quickly move around the level, avoiding obstacles and enemies.
Dark Vision an ability that allows the player to see enemies through walls, allowing the player to plan their actions.
Possession the ability to possess a person, rat or fish, allowing the player to manipulate the environment and enemies from an unexpected perspective, and Bend Time a time manipulation ability that allows the player to stop or slow down time, using this effect to damage enemies or solve difficult problems.

Dishonored's orthogonal ability design gives the player a lot of room to maneuver and be creative in how they approach challenges. This encourages players to create their own strategies and allows them to avoid predetermined scenarios or paths. The orthogonality of abilities also adds depth to the gameplay experience, as each ability has unique capabilities and preferred situations for use. This makes Dishonored a compelling immersive sim and an engaging game.

Orthogonality of missions – Red Dead Redemption 2

Also, the missions the player encounters should be orthogonal. Who likes doing the same thing over and over again? Let me give you an example of a game from Rockstar Studios about the Wild West. The Rockies are not famous for their variety of missions – ride a horse there, shoot that one, watch a cutscene. But they skillfully dilute it with interesting missions.

For example, a mission in which we help John Marston steal cattle and sell it. During the passage, you don't need to kill anyone, you don't need to chase anyone, you just steal the cattle and lead it to the city. Rockstar even messed up a mini-mechanic for this mission – the cattle need to be driven and directed, and the lagging sheep need to be shouted at to catch up with the rest.

Of course, the mission then flows into a shooting range, where you will need to shoot the entire population of the town of Valentine, but at least for a little while we were given the opportunity to try something new and take a break from the shooter component.

A similar mission will be available from Uncle, as a robbery – there we will need to steal the cows.

There's also a cool mission where you and Dutch walk through a swamp and check crayfish traps, of course you'll still have to shoot, but not at people. An interesting task that keeps you on the edge of your seat in a dark swamp with alligators.

Sometimes the game gives you a break between shooting and lets you enjoy the narrative component. One of these missions is a fishing trip with Dutch and Hosea, the old guard calmly goes fishing on a boat. You'll have time to talk to your friends, laugh at the weirdo swimming naked, and of course, catch some fish.

These missions are mostly pauses and moments of stress relief for the player, after or before the next shootout. But they still give the player a new experience, new mechanics and a deeper immersion.

The orthogonality of missions helps players avoid fatigue from the same type of tasks and provides an opportunity for exciting gameplay, enjoying the variety of gaming experience and the development of the storyline.

Conclusion

Orthogonal design is a key principle that plays an important role in game design and level design. Orthogonal design is characterized by the use of diverse and orthogonally different elements, such as enemies, weapons, player abilities, game mechanics, and missions. This allows for a deeper, more varied, and more creative gaming experience, and simplifies the process of creating levels and gameplay for developers. Orthogonal design is a powerful tool in the right hands.

From the author:

1) Not everything and not in all games should be orthogonal, you need to analyze whether it will be better for the game or not, and keep this principle in mind

2) So being orthogonal means being better than something? No, for example, teleportation can be thought of as an improved mechanic of running fast, but that doesn't make them orthogonal. But the mechanics of turning into a monkey or catching a fish with a fishing rod are orthogonal to running fast.

3) Having orthogonal mechanics/abilities/enemies etc. is often a key element of emergent gameplay. Emergence is the combination of different elements and rules in such a way that some of the most interesting possibilities are not immediately possible or obvious, and therefore “emerge” over time.

4) The term orthogonality in geometry refers to lines and vectors that are perpendicular to each other – i.e. act on completely different axes. Orthogonal game elements (like player abilities) do the same thing, since they are also defined by how they act on different axes, rather than simply being a matter of different powers (numbers) on the same axes.

5) An example of what orthogonality is at the beginning of the article – on cars, is given only to understand the term.

Sources:
Every game designer should understand Orthogonal Design by Steve Lee (Level and Game Design);
What We Can Learn From Doom | Game Maker's Toolkit by Mark Brown

The article is supported by the team Serverspace.

Serverspace — a cloud services provider that rents out virtual servers with Linux and Windows OS in 8 data centers: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Turkey, the USA, Canada and Brazil. To build an IT infrastructure, the provider also offers: creating networks, gateways, backups, CDN services, DNS, S3 object storage.

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