Prototype prioritization

Dauntless · 2002-09-30T20:46:22

wow, don''t say the subject ten times fast anyways, I want to start hammering out a very simple game that basically will test whether certain features I want in my game are valid or not. Since I''ve never designed a game before, how exactly do you know what to prototype or not to test your ideas? I''m trying to figure out if I should protoype the elements based on diffuculty, or based on how essential the element is to the flavor of the game. A little background would probably help. The game will be set in the sort of near future (2160AD). Game will be more on a grand scale, about divisional level for battles (roughly 4-10,000 men/units...or in game scale, roughly 100-300 of the smallest organized unit type). Here''s my list in no particular order: 1) Hybrid real time/turn based sequence- fights are in real time, order phase is turn based) 2) Ability to modify/define units- i.e. units attributes are definable by the player before the game starts (possibly during the game...but I''m iffy on the tech tree thing) 3) Creation of templates- to create container classes that define Organized Units. OU''s are made up of base individual units) which are then defined by the templates 4) Officer system of control- Units are not directly clicked on, the interface to control the units are through Officer objects. Read#8 for more info on how control will work. 5) Ordering system- an interface system via the Officer objects that allows you to "script" how the Organized Unit will act and behave. 5a)If possible, the creation of simple logic algorithms to further define behavior (for example, IF (enemy) MOVES to POSITION (DH25), THEN order = attack(), ELSE order = opportunityhold()) 6) Faction Design- the ability to define your country''s resources and capabilities. For example, setting natural resources, manufacturing centers, cultural bonuses, etc. 7) Logistics based vs. Resource based- the country you play has a certain output every turn, however, getting them to the fighting units is just as crucial if not more so. The system that will get replacements and new Organized Units to the fighting front will be based on a supply infrastructure more than a "building" infrastructure. (this is actually a more tactical consideration than a strategic one...strategic considerations will be the "building" equation of how much industrial capacity your country has). This also implies that all units will have an "endurance" trait covering their ammo and fuel, and even fatigue for soldiers. This is exactly what I want, because few games out there really make you think about tiring out or exhausting your units expendables (this will allow for siege style strategies, denying the enemy any logistics reinforcement and supply) 8) Communication Tokens- all units gather information that must be passed via communication tokens to every other object in the game...including the player. The player will be an object on the board called an avatar. The player only knows about, and can control those officers from whom he has received the comm token. Tokens are relayed from base unit <-> officer <-> (officer+1 rank) or avatar. 9) Campaign mode- Fights will be based not per battle, but by campaigns. You must allocate your logistics, your transports, and when and where you chose to fight. This also means that units will gain experience between battles but will also suffer battle casualties. I''d really like all of these elements, though I think #6 and #2 will be the last things I will attempt to do. I think that #4 and #8 go hand in hand, and I''m not sure if I can do one without the other. I know it''s a diffuclut question with my limited info, but what would be the most diffucult elements on my list below so I can do them last? I know that the features list above is all very complex, so I''ll slowly build on them, but I need to figure out which ones are dependent on other features, and also figure out how I can minimize the complexity, but still capture the essence of the feature. Any suggestions would be helpful, even just flat out saying what I''m accomplishing is too hard.

Game Design and Theory Game Design

Started by Dauntless September 29, 2002 10:59 AM

9 comments, last by Dauntless 22 years, 3 months ago

Dauntless

Author

314

September 30, 2002 08:42 PM

Damn, I thought I only owed you guys $4 mil....and ummmm, you know, I could be more productive if you'd let me out of the cubicle at night....

Hmm, Doolus, I could work for a company like that. And hey, if you guys pay over minimum wage and have free dental and eye plans, I'm all over that!! What would I be though, the junior junior programmer? The "I wanna be a programmer when I grow up" programmer?

All kidding aside, actually, I'm doing this all by my lonesome Alpha. I realize it's a massive undertaking, but honestly, I'm doing this for the learning experience. If I actually make the game all the better, hehe. But really, learning from guys like Oluseyi and Doolwind are the cake. If I ever get this done, that'll be the icing.

Right now, I'm really concentrating on the analysis portion, but trying to think of the design portion while I'm going over what exactly I need to solve. It's harder than I thought, but kind of cool too. But hey, if anyone wants to help me, trust me, they are more than welcome too. One of my plans is to eventually put up a little webpage about my learning experience for other new programmers/game designers, and also as a host for the ideas and source code. Since this is a learning tool, I don't mind posting my code for the world to see.

Ohhh, if anyone wants to get a rough idea of how my game will hopefully look and play out, take a gander here:

http://www.battlefront.com/index.htm

These guys are including TONS of things that I want to see in my game. What I find most interesting is that this game is an official tool for the US Army. I actually want to go a little bit more indepth into the Officer/Order system than they have...but it's pretty close to what I envisioned.

[edited by - Dauntless on September 30, 2002 9:46:22 PM]

The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount." - General Omar Bradley

Prototype prioritization

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Prototype prioritization

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Reticulating splines