LOSTGARDEN

IntroductionThis part 7 of an ongoing game design document written as a blog. Be sure to catch up on previous posts. In the last installment, we described the Planet token and its use in player-created environments. This time we’ll extend the concept of player-created environments with the notion of territories. First Post: Introduction Previous Post: Planet Basics In order to create fully realized player-created environments, we need to define some rules that lead to interesting […]

Introduction This part 6 of an ongoing game design document written as a blog. Be sure to catch up on previous posts. In the last post we talked about using expressive verbs as the model for player actions. This time we’ll talk about the need for a game environment that provides a large set of unique and interesting context for each player action. First Post: Introduction Previous Post: Verbs I’m going to pull another design […]

Introduction This part 5 of an ongoing game design document written as a blog. Be sure to catch up on previous posts. In the last installment, we made a quick inventory of all the pieces in the game. This time we’ll dig into the part of the game that matters most to first time players, the things they can do. First Post: Introduction Previous Post: Building a gameplay parts list Expressive Verbs: A theoretical underpinning […]

Document Note: Games are complicated. This ‘small’ design will be 20+ pages by the time I’m done and most designs run into the hundreds of pages. This post compresses the entire design into a single page. Game design can become horribly abstract and it helps to have a complete (if simplified) vision of the gameplay in your head before delving to each area. Introduction This part 4 of an ongoing game design document written as […]

Click here to download the presentation (2.5 megs) Just download the zip file, unzip the exe onto your drive and run the file. Some things to try: Building a ship Launching a ship Wasting command points Building an upgrade Spinning the planet This particular test isn’t intended to be very functional. The goal is to create the graphics and put them together in context so I can see if this art style works. The theme […]

A discussion of simultaneous turns Document Note: Each feature in a game design must address a need or solve a problem that occurs with the design. Introduction This part 3 of an ongoing game design document written as a blog. Be sure to catch up on previous posts. In the last installment, we described a typical person who would play SpaceCrack and some of the requirements the must be fullfilled in order for the game […]

Document Note: A game design must justify its existence. If you are going to spend thousands of hours on a title, there should be a good reason behind what you are building. “Because I want to” is not good enough. “Like Title X, but better” is not good enough. What is the unique need does your game title fill? Why would anyone play this game instead of other games? Introduction This is an ongoing game […]

Your email box has a message. “9pm tonight. Time for some SpaceCrack. – Ray” At 8:55, the baby is asleep and you log onto the computer and double click on the SpaceCrack icon. You grin: Everyone is here, even Daniel over in Sweden. The familiar friendly jabber starts immediately. You get down to the task of taking over the universe. Planets like giant billiard balls strewn across a solar system. Using terraforming technology and powerful […]

Ah, SpaceCrack. This is a simple multi-player game played in the spirit of Spaceward Ho. It is all played over the internet and uses a simple match making service similar to evite. Set a date, the system bugs everyone incessently to log on, and then within 3 minutes of clicking on the link you are playing against your buddies. The goal is to get people playing quickly and to convince their friends to play. In […]