Flow (Melody)

Melody in reference to music describes the pattern of notes. We can apply this to level pacing as the pattern of game mechanics that make up a sequence -- more suited to the term flow.

There are several terms used to describe aspects of melody in music that could be applied:

• Monotone -- the repeated use of a single element.
• Ostinato -- a repeated phrase or game mechanic (separate to monotone in that it is punctuated with others).
• Ornaments -- elements that are used to embellish the principle element -- i.e. smaller game mechanics in a sequence that focuses on one particular mechanic as its main theme.
• Tremolo -- rapid alternation between mechanics.

Harmony

Harmony is the combination of notes to create a pleasing sound -- a chord for example. In terms of game pacing this might be interpreted as mechanics used in unison to create pleasing gameplay. Certain types of gameplay tend to fuse well, others are so different that they are discordant -- they don't work well together and feel wrong.

Form

The form or structure of a piece of music describes the manner in which it is assembled -- breaking it down into constituent parts.

The most common musical structure is the Strophic form -- verse, chorus, verse. This could quite easily apply to pacing: choruses tend to be louder, more impactful sections between quieter and more relaxed verses. This is very similar to the peaks and troughs ethos of many games' level pacing.

There are however other structures used in music that might also be applicable. Rondo (to return) plays a different melody each verse, but returns to one main theme each time. Other structures are very much like mini narratives, such as Fugue or Invention, which tend to have exposition, then development and then finished with recapitulation. Variation has a main theme that is played slightly differently each time.

There are certainly some elements of musical structure that might well translate well to the feel of level pacing in a game.

Timbre

Translating timbre to game pacing is really describing the quality of the gameplay as its constituent game mechanics -- it defines exactly what is required of the player.

An examination of timbre is to break down the individual game elements and see exactly how well each one is performing. Polishing even the smallest mechanic can have a drastic impact on the feel of the whole sequence.

Dynamics

Dynamics pertains to the specifics of the mechanics themselves -- how many enemies in a fight, how aggressive the A.I. is, how many shots are fired, how much damage is caused, etc.

There are a couple of terms applied to music that can also be applied to pacing:

• Legato -- long and smooth flowing.
• Staccato - short and detached.

Texture

Texture can be used to describe the complexity of what is happening at a given point. A rich texture may be a sequence of gameplay that has many different things happening all at once. However, gameplay with too much complexity can become disordered and unreadable. Sometimes a simple texture can be more pleasing.

There are several musical terms that can be applied:

• Monophony - single notes at a time, or in the case of gameplay, single mechanics used one at a time.
• Homophonic -- using harmonies, such as chords on a single melody. This would be the use of mechanics that work well together in defined patterns.
• Polyphonic -- multiple melodies playing at the same time. This would be extremely complex scenarios in terms of gameplay, where different gameplay elements are occurring in their own patterns. This would be fairly rare without being a complete mess.
• Heterophonic -- the same melody is being played with slight variations at the same time. This is more likely to be workable than a polyphonic scenario, as it would be more readable in terms of what is going on.