The designer should refer back to these criteria constantly, in the process of continual evaluation as well as during the final evaluation. They provide specifications on how the goals of MDP are to be achieved.
| Criterion | Analysis/Importance | Impact on the MDP |
|---|---|---|
| Function | ||
| The gamemode should start correctly | The gamemode needs to start correctly from the main menu of Garry's Mod | Users will not be able to play the gamemode at all, and the time spent on the MDP will be a waste. |
| The gamemode should work as intended, with as few bugs and issues as possible | The gamemode should be free of any unexpected behaviour to create a more immersive user experience. | A poor experience with bugs, such game-breaking, crashing or constant annoyance will sour the user's experience of the gamemode. |
| Aesthetics | ||
| The gamemode should stick to a consistent aesthetic feel | The gamemode should try to adhere to a consistent level of aesthetics with consistent resolution textures, consistent use of fonts in interface elements and consistent audio quality. | If the quality or format of content varies too much, the user will get the impression that the developer has been sloppy in their work. |
| High resolution resources should be used where available | The highest resolution textures, audio files and models should be used where appropriate, as long as they are consistent with the aesthetic of the gamemode. | Low resolution game resources are off-putting, especially to users who place great importance on the graphical or audial elements of a game. |
| Budget | ||
| The designer should take advantage of free libre software | The gamemode should be produced as cheaply as possible by taking advantage of free software, especially 'libre' software that is developed co-operatively and for which the source code is available. | Dependence on commercially licensed software can be an issue when working on multiple machines, and possibly may require significant financial outlay for licensing. |
| Security | ||
| Security against attempts to cheat should be considered when developing the gamemode | The gamemode should be secure against attempts from players to cheat at the game to gain unfair advantage over other players. | If players gain unfair advantages over each other, this imbalances the situation that the gamemode developer has designed and results in an unfair game that cannot be enjoyed by many. |
| Time | ||
| The time taken for rounds of the game should be set appropriately | The developer should aim to set the round time at an appropriate length, at least as a default setting. Rounds should not be too short as to confuse new players or waste too much time between rounds. However, they should also not be too long as to require a significant amount of the players' time. | If rounds are too short, players may find the gamemode confusing and complain about the time between rounds. If the rounds are too long, players will complain about the length of the round and possibly leave with recurrences of long rounds due to boredom (if the player has been eliminated). |
| The development time required for the gamemode should not be excessively long | The time required to develop the gamemode should not take up all of the spare time of the designer; the designer may have to limit the scope of the project or leave it as a prototype (alpha/beta version) if the time taken is too long. | The designer needs to have time to make sure that they fulfil all of their other obligations and take care of their social and mental health. |
| Intellectual Property | ||
| The designer should take care to observe intellectual property laws in the development of the gamemode. | Although Valve corporation and Facepunch studios are normally quite lenient with their rules regarding their intellectual property laws, still the designer should avoid misuse of copyrighted resources that may be used in the development of the MDP. Any resources sourced from outside for the MDP, such as community-made models etc. should be recognised properly in the MDP folio and prior permission be requested from the author of such works. | This will reflect well on the designer and demonstrate that they are being ethical about their use of others' intellectual property. |