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[Sanctume]

I hear ya on how time flies.  Back in my days, I was dreaming of creating an AI Dungeon Master.  I was designing linked databases before the simplicity of installing free SQL server express in the local machine. 

My take on most games was learning the mechanic, and thinking on how to code it in the computer.  Not really a passion to earn a living from it, but rather a hobby and enjoying the learning experience from it.

[Truean]

[nods]

I remember a time before email, before cell phones, with pay phones, etc
Don't want some patent troll saying he came before I did. Spend your whole life on a thing to end up dealing with this stuff

Anyhow, I'm sorry for what I honestly didn't think would be a derail. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

[Transcendant]

huh....
ok

Well, since you're good at making games, can we try a simple one? Where would anyone suggest we start?

[Truean]

Depends, but usually good to outline some goals and options. Start with the end in mind, then do some practice runs / develop the game world....
You'd have to peg down a couple of things to have some way to work stuff out. What are people asking for?

[Transcendant]

What do you mean? Goals and options? Peg down a couple of things?

[Truean]

Basically you have to have something to work with. I mean narrow it down, at least a little:

What kind of game, in terms of:

Setting: Fantasy, Sci Fi, Horror (a la your zombie game?)
Tech Level: Survival, Bronze Age, Medieval, modern, futuristic, etc?
Magic Level: None, restricted, moderate, or high?
Focus Level: Individual, team/vessel, city, country, society, world?
Main Player Focus: Combat, building, strategy, economics, puzzles?

From there you'd flesh it out more, but you have to have something to work with. The rest of the steps would change drastically if you were building a ... Fantasy, Medieval, restricted magic, individual focus, combat game, instead of a (I dunno) Sci Fi, Futuristic, no magic, Team/vessle, economics game.

Have to give something to work with here.

[Transcendant]

Let's say

Fantasy
Medieval
Restricted
City
Building with a little bit of econ in there?

[Truean]

So basically a city builder with a little magic set in medieval fantasy times? Ok, moving on:

1.) Decide if you are building top down or ground up. Top down is big picture then zooming in on a little one. Ground up is the opposite, starting small and adding on as needed/desired.

2.) Imagine yourself as a potential player of this game. So you're looking at it, and what's the first thing you see or think of? What options and obvious goals do you have? What obvious challenges do you have and how might you overcome them potentially?

3.) Think up some regional powers, one or more ... countries / kingdoms that are major players. Think up smaller ones. Define their relationship to each other and what they are, generally.

4.) Start thinking of some problems that might pop up, a la "quests." Perhaps the beginnings of a storyline?

[Transcendant]

1. Uh, Ground up?

2. People, their skills, resources, buildings? Gathering more resources to make more buildings and have more people?

3. Do I just make up countries? Will have to get back to you on that? If I really get it. I don't know.

4. Defending attacks and getting resources?

[Truean]

Workable....

1.) Ground up means designing a single space or small area. Focus on that as a starting point.

2.)

People: X
Labor Avl: X/#
Food Req: X/#
Home Avl: X/#
Resources etc....

Resources: (Stocks and Flows) (where stocks is what you have and flows are the increase or decrease per turn presently or as best known).

Food: X (+8)
Lumber: Y (-3)
Stone: Z (+0)
etc

Buildings (List Buildings and Functions as well as modifiers like infrastructure / roads).

Intangibles: (Morale, Happiness, Religion, Culture, Appeal, etc).

3.) Yes, if you'd like I could give general guidance upon that perhaps?

4.) Good start, more. Consider groups within the area and from outside it. What are their needs, wants, and goals. How might they achieve these. Would they be adverse or in line with any potential players' reasonable goals? Outright aggression, planning and strategic opposition? Trade wars and embargoes? Political problems? Competition not arising to military levels (economic or regional competition for customers, suppliers, transit, etc). Alliances and cooperation, in need of assistance? Reluctant to join but persuadable? The enemy that could be turned friend? How?

[Sanctume]

Fantasy, Medieval, Restricted (magic), City, Building with a little bit of econ in there?

1. Build Mode: Build From Ground Up
We start in a flat land.  And optional, we have a 1 room hut in the middle of our field.

2. Resources: Food, Stone, Lumber to name a few.

This means, we need items to obtain resources.
Tools: Hoe:Food, Pick:Stone, Axe:Lumber.
or Buildings:  Farm:Food, Quarry:Stone, Wood Cutter Hut:Lumber.

3. Scope:  What is our land compared to other nearby lands?
Are we one of many lands, some peasant or land owner?
Is there a government that govern our land?  A central town, a city, a kingdom?

4. Defense:  Yes, I like defending from outside threats.
So perhaps an escalating threat based on our levels to keep it challenging.
Kobolds, then goblins, orcs, trolls, ogres.

And we use magic to defend.
Actually, we can create some tech-tree to determine what defenses will be available.
Be it traps, or hired human patrols, magic, or combination of all.

Anyway, interesting stuff.

[Dorsidwarf]

On the original topic, http://tgchan.org/wiki/Advice_for_Running_a_Quest is a neat guide.

Battlements, my badlyISG, ended up going nowhere because, well, I ran out of things to happen and lost interest, because I had no endgame.

[Transcendant]

Good place to start I guess. Thanks. Anything else so far?

[Truean]

Simple enough capture interest; complex enough to keep it....
Can't be too complex, few will get it. Can't be too simple, it's been done before, a bore.

When creating, think in at least broad terms of:

A.) Why does anyone care?
B.) What can players or anyone do here?
C.) What supports/pays for this? (subquestion, how can this matter?)
D.) What does this produce or create? (same subquestion, how can this matter?)
E.) Who makes decisions? Based on what/how?
F.) What happens if someone tries to overtake / disobey / or invade this?
G.) How does this relate to other things, near, and far?
H.) How does this feel / have atmosphere?
I.) Are there any "metapoints" or overarching themes to all or part of this?
J.) What problems are in the area / might come to the area?

Keep these in the back of your mind.

[Transcendant]

Is it just me or does every town just seem to blur together in games? Same taverns same streets. How do you answer those questions anyhow and does anybody?