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Original post by Dobbs I don't know why some people here have been focusing on gameplay through combining "features of games that have sold well", since that's a much weaker version of gameplay through combining "features of games that are generally recognized as well designed". That's the real argument. Not all popular games are well designed, and not all well designed games are popular. And I agree this debate would be more interesting if Siolis were to post a design doc for some constructive criticism.

Well said, dobbs. I couldn't think of putting the effort into developing a game design without it being something that was so near and dear to my own view of what kind of game I would like to play, even if some features of other games were adapted creatively or mechanically to my original design. Otherwise, why make such a long, sustained effort, fraught with economic, technical and market challenges without following your creative path in the first place?

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Original post by adventuredesign Quote: Original post by Dobbs I don't know why some people here have been focusing on gameplay through combining "features of games that have sold well", since that's a much weaker version of gameplay through combining "features of games that are generally recognized as well designed". That's the real argument. Not all popular games are well designed, and not all well designed games are popular. Well said, dobbs. I couldn't think of putting the effort into developing a game design without it being something that was so near and dear to my own view of what kind of game I would like to play, even if some features of other games were adapted creatively or mechanically to my original design. Otherwise, why make such a long, sustained effort, fraught with economic, technical and market challenges without following your creative path in the first place?

I'd like to agree with both of these. When I try to design a game, I start with an idea that I personally would like to see implemented that often has nothing to do with any particular existing game. Only then do I start thinking about how I'm going to implement the various design elements do I start picking and choosing bits from other games. That's also why my ideas tend to be a hodge-podge of elements from different genres (not sure if that's a good thing, but I like it that way).

Of course, I've never really settled on a full design that I've liked and implemented, so I'm not sure whether I'm the best person to be giving advice on game design habits[wink].

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Original post by Trapper Zoid That's also why my ideas tend to be a hodge-podge of elements from different genres (not sure if that's a good thing, but I like it that way).

Some of my favorite games are a hodge podge of elements. It works well when the elements are in harmony. My favorite being the Dark Cloud series. Oh, how I wish more people played these games.