Good Bones: Game Designs That Just Work  Franchises like Pokemon
and Borderlands are successful for a reason.  Ever heard the
expression “good bones”? It's said of houses undergoing
renovations, of classic cars that need a bit of a spruce up.
It's even said of unfinished creative masterpieces. It's a nod
to rock-solid foundations, or a certain lineage that observers
can safely bet will produce excellent results. It's a saying
born out of knowing a thing or two about a particular market.
Often it's relied upon as a harbinger of success.  In gaming,
good bones could mean a lot of things. It could be a reference
to the titles in a series that have gone before, laying down a
game design foundation, or to a development team that’s
established and talented, who know what they're about. It could
also refer to the tried and true tropes of a tried and true
genre.  Regardless of its interpretation, many games today –
successful games – rely on their good bones to get at least some
of the work done, whether that's in-ga