EL 405: "A common sense approach to game design"
I've been looking forward to learning more about The Games Factory 2 (TGF2) since there was a demonstration of its power and capabilities during class a few weeks ago. Jason Darby's Making Amazing Games in Minutes has given me a tantalizing glimpse at the possibilities, and while I still don't know exactly how to create a game in TGF2, I can already tell that I'll have lots of fun learning.
I was particularly excited when I found out that TGF2 allows you to design your own menus and import your own custom graphics into the games you create, because I've been studying the role of graphic designers in game design in my graphic arts classes over the past several weeks and now I'm looking forward to applying my skills while working on the next project.
As Darby says, "it is very important that you understand both your own capabilities and those of the tools you are going to use" (19).
There are lots of interesting tables in Darby's book, and one of the most useful I've found was the one which demonstrated how to organize and compare several different game ideas (18). It's a "common sense approach to game design" that assists readers in choosing a game idea that they can manage (29).
[Check out Mike's blog entry for a slightly more critical approach to the book I mention here.]
Comments
I agree, Leslie--that probably would have been unnecessarily complicated. I like your game just fine the way it is (or was; I hope you found a way to restore it to your I: drive.)
Posted by: ChrisU | October 19, 2006 10:30 AM
I also found the game table very helpful when laying out the logistics of my game. I went through several ideas and in the table mapped out various ways to make them happen in the game. Before deciding on the beer drops falling for Peter Griffin to catch, I entertained the idea of having him shoot bubbles (implying burping) at the drops, rather than having Peter catch them. But then I decided that was a little bit much.
Posted by: Leslie Rodriguez | October 17, 2006 1:58 PM