ForumsGamesGame Design! A contest

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KentyBK
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KentyBK
566 posts
Nomad

Alright folks, I've been doing some thinking.
Since the forums have been rather inactive, I've decided to try out this little idea of mine.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Kenty, shouldn't this be in the AMW?"
And yes, I've thought about that, but instead decided to post it here for a few reasons, namely because

a) Game Design is not really writing or art as much as it is describing aspects of a game in as much detail as needed to make a full game from it. Mind you, those skills *do* come in handy (as does some knowledge in programming), but it isn't required for this contest.

b) It IS related to video games (although you can apply Game Design to any form of game, not just digital ones) and this particular forum needs more interesting threads anyway


Now for the contest itself.

RULES
Each week, there'll be a game design specific assignment. This might be something specific to a certain genre, like coming up with new game modes for Shooter games or something slightly more theoretical, like coming up with rulesets for specific things. There's quite a lot of potential topics to choose from and I'll try to keep it varied enough for everyone.

There won't be a limit on how large a submission can be, although I'd prefer if I don't have to spend an entire day reading a single submission. You can even use pictures to illustrate your points (maybe even draw something yourself if you're the artsy type). Just make sure you properly source things that are not your own.

ASSIGNMENT
Since this IS still a test run, I'll start with something generally open-ended:

Design a game around a snowball fight!

For this assignment, I want you to ask yourself the following questions:

What is actually essential to the "experience" of a snowball fight?
What does your game need to capture this experience?

For instance, if you associate snowball fights with "cold weather", you have to ask yourself what your hypothetical game needs to have in order to convey a sense of "cold weather".

Be as descriptive as possible!

You don't have to literally design EVERYTHING about your game, like say a soundtrack or art direction, unless it directly relates to your experience of a snowball fight. Entries will be judged based on how well they convey the experience.

Deadline for this one is a week from now, specifically Friday, July 27th, up until midnight.

If you have any questions and or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the thread or my profile.

  • 26 Replies
BRAAINZz
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BRAAINZz
787 posts
Nomad

I should rethink some things.

Each team is able to reposition their TNT cannon if they are unable to hit anything from where they originally built it. But they only have two minutes to do so.

And not sure If I included this but: Players are not allowed to run up to the enemy tower in any circumstance.

Somewhat49
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Somewhat49
1,607 posts
Nomad

Starting: The hunted gets 2 minutes to run away from the hunters and set up their traps, after the 5 minutes the hunted can still run and set up traps, but the hunters will be trying to find the hunted after the 5 minutes are up.

Sorry changed the number of minutes that the hunted gets to run away because I thought 5 minutes was too much, so it should be "Starting: The hunted gets 2 minutes to run away from the hunters and set up their traps, after the 2 minutes the hunted can still run and set up traps, but the hunters will be trying to find the hunted after the 2 minutes are up."
Somewhat49
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Somewhat49
1,607 posts
Nomad

Edit to rules of starting: Hunters have to start in the same spot which will be known to both parties and the hunted cannot build within 20 blocks of the hunters starting point in the 2 minutes the hunters cannot chase the hunted.

KentyBK
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KentyBK
566 posts
Nomad

Wheeeeeeeeee it's time for judging again.

It's too bad there's not that many entries this time, but then again,
I understand such a contest won't appeal to everyone.

With that said, let's look at the two entries. I'll mainly focus on the "loopholes" I can think of while reading over the ideas. If you disagree, feel free to mention it and I'd be happy to explain myself more.

BRAAINZz
A very interesting idea, especially how you balanced out firepower with building material. Destroying enemy buildings fits Minecraft very well and is in fact a big part of several PVP servers and modes. However, while the idea is good, there's a few things you didn't consider:

- You never actually define a "tower" for the purpose of this game. It may seem like a trivial thing, but it leads into one of the loopholes I'll mention later. Although I'll be fair and not assume any possible placement counts, because otherwise you could scatter your 49 sand blocks everywhere, winning the game instantly.

- You should've exactly specified the materials for the cannon. Otherwise you invite crafty people to make super cannons, which would technically still count as a single TNT cannon.

- Forcing the players to wait if they run out of TNT is not a good idea. In order to be fun, your game should have the players be active throughout it all. Otherwise you risk boring them fast.

Now for the loopholes that I've noticed:

- First of all, good job on spotting one yourself: Being able to move the TNT cannon. If a rule like that doesn't exist, a clever player could build their tower in such a way that parts of it couldn't be hit by the TNT.

- What if neither team builds any TNT and uses all their sand on the tower? The game instantly stops and cannot be won. Again, this might be something that only happens very rarely, but it's still a weakness that should be fixed.

- This is the loophole that I mentioned earlier. It's a strategy that makes it much more likely to win. Imagine a tower that is just a single pillar, using 45 blocks. That leaves enough sand for a single TNT block. I've done a small bit of testing in creative mode and in order to destroy a 49 block pillar, I needed to use 10 TNT blocks each time, so even just using 45 blocks means you aren't going to lose unless your opponent prepares atleast 9 TNT blocks. If any of those miss, team pillar is very likely to win the game. The leftover TNT is simply insurance, because they would otherwise still lose if they end up with less blocks than the opposing team. If they make the full 10 TNT blocks, you could destroy their entire 9 block tower with a lucky shot. I admit this one isn't a gamebreaker (maybe you even intended this to begin with?), but it's a potential problem you have to watch out for and maybe balance out with minor rule changes (perhaps by defining that a pillar doesn't count as a tower).

- "The TNT cannon is to be separate from your tower" and "Players are not allowed to run up to the enemy tower in any circumstance" create a new loophole, because there's no rule that forbids attacking the TNT cannon itself. This can actually be a potential game mechanic, since each player only has one life, but it needs to be adjusted a bit. For example, why not allow players to attack once the TNT runs out? It'd give them something to do instead of wait.

In summation, the idea needs a bit of tweaking (there's several smaller problems instead of a few major ones), but it looks like a very solid game.

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Somewhat49
Ahhhh a hunting PVP game. It kinda reminds me of a Minecraft minigame I came up with myself, although it was quite a bit differently than your idea.

Let's get right into the loopholes:

- Good job on being very specific about the equipment, because it avoids shenanigans using enchantments

- Making sure the Hunted does not wall in the hunters with TNT is also a good idea. Not being able to come close means you'd have to use long-range, i.e TNT cannons, but that problem is avoided by the 2 minute time limit, which might not be enough to make a cannon in time. And even then, he would lose as soon as the time's up.

- This is a minor thing, but if your playing field has no trees, allowing crafting is almost useless, because you're unable to make a crafting bench. Especially so for the Hunted, who cannot even mine materials to make ANYTHING useful.

- Now here's the big problem though: Theoretically speaking, it's next to impossible for the Hunted to lose, because he can modify the terrian like everyone else. So once the game starts, the Hunted can take his swiftness potion and run off. Once he is out of sight, all he has to do is find a good spot and dig straight down. Plug up the hole, crouch, and you've basically won right there, because 300x300 is simply too large an area to check all the ground blocks. Alternatively, he can just go inside a cave system (if there are any) and hide himself in the deepest part inside an Obsidian cube. Ambushes won't work either, because the Hunters cannot communicate privately with each other. One way to fix this would be to not allow the Hunted to dig, but that causes different problems, like making it harder to set up traps and making it harder for the Hunted to win, depending on the number of Hunters in the game.

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I really wasn't sure how to initially judge this one, but after thinking about it for a bit, this weeks winner would have to be BRAAINZz. Somewhat49's suggestion has a lot of potential to be very fun, but the one major loophole could lead to a lot of boring games, where nobody finds the hunted.

And with that, let's start the next contest:

ASSIGNMENT

Come up with an original character class!

Instead of designing entire games, let's try something different and design a specific part of a game, a character class. For this particular contest, we'll be looking at RPG classes.

Your task is to come up with a new character class to be used in an RPG, being as original as possible. That doesn't mean you can't make a spellcaster class, but you have to put an original spin on the concept and not use cliches like fire magic or the like.

CONDITIONS

- Character classes for both turn-based and non-turn-based games are allowed. However, you have to explain why you have chosen your format and why your class works best in it.

- The setting is entirely up to you. It doesn't neceessarily have to be a fantasy setting, so if you want something more Mass Effect-y (or maybe something completely different), you can do that.

Your submission should include the following:

- The name of your class
- The battle system format you have chosen and why you've done so
- An in-depth description of your class, explaining unique gameplay mechanics your class uses
- If it's not included in your description, what weapons does your class use?
- If your class has special abilities or skills, list ALL of them
- If your abilities have costs, list those too (it doesn't have to be specific values, just something that makes it comparable, i.e "more costly than ability X" or "so expensive you can only use it at the maximum level&quot
- Does your class have a special method of progression? What I mean is, does your class get stronger by gaining experience points or by other means?
- How much do stats increase? Are there certain things that increase faster than others (like HP for a warrior class)?

Once again, be as in-depth as you can. If your class uses lifepoints and you don't say that it does, I'm not going to assume it does.

Since I'm a little later than usual on the judging, the last day to submit is Saturday, August 11th. I'll probably seperate the next assignment and the judging and announce on the next contest on the 11th, with the judging on the 12th.

Somewhat49
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Somewhat49
1,607 posts
Nomad

- This is a minor thing, but if your playing field has no trees, allowing crafting is almost useless, because you're unable to make a crafting bench. Especially so for the Hunted, who cannot even mine materials to make ANYTHING useful.

I was saying that as an optional thing since crafting for the hunted could get to be a problem since the hunted would be able to craft swords and stuff.
Ambushes won't work either, because the Hunters cannot communicate privately with each other

Hunting Party (will require private chat mod).

I thought it was clear that there would be private chat between the hunters.

Now here's the big problem though

Yea I didnt think of that, one way to prevent that though is just to have it where you cant dig further than 10 blocks down into the ground.
KentyBK
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KentyBK
566 posts
Nomad

I was saying that as an optional thing since crafting for the hunted could get to be a problem since the hunted would be able to craft swords and stuff.


Honestly, I don't think it'd be that bad, because the hunted is outnumbered, so he'd have to be bold to attack out in the open. If anything, I'd say it allows for a little more strategy, because the hunted can use weapons to lure people into his traps. It'd even be a way to help the hunters, since chopped down trees indicate someone was nearby.

I thought it was clear that there would be private chat between the hunters.


I actually didn't notice that part at the top. My mistake. ;P
Feel free to ignore that part.

Yea I didnt think of that, one way to prevent that though is just to have it where you cant dig further than 10 blocks down into the ground.


You wouldn't even need to dig that far down, because crouching hides your name in Multiplayer, if you're behind a solid block. You'd have to dig up every dirt block to find someone. Not to mention, it doesn't stop the hunted from just making underground tunnels.
KentyBK
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KentyBK
566 posts
Nomad

Oh well, that one sure failed.

Looks like I'll have to extend the deadline to next Friday, August 17th. If there's still no submissions by then, I'll just let this poor thread die off.

Remember the assignment is still the same:

Come up with an original character class!

Details are at the bottom of page 2.

Pegasus16
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Pegasus16
48 posts
Nomad

Alright, here I go...

Game: Spell
Description: Spell is a game in which you buy and recieve letters which you then take to your workbench and put together to make things. There are many other features such as leveling up, many skill areas, mmo functions and alot more. But I'm only describing one character class, so the game discriptiopn may be short...
Character classes: Warrior, Spellmaster, crafter.
Spellmaster: (class I have chosen)
The spellmaster as the name may suggest, is like a wizard of spelling. His character sheet:

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Weaponslot 1,2,3.)
Armorleg, hands, upper body, head)
Pack20 slots)

critical damage:
Dexterity:
strength:
Stamina:
health:
intelligence:
Skills:

Spell points:
gold:
Level:

These stats are the same as everyone elses exept that when you start out as a spellmaster you get extra
spell points. which you must have a certain amount to make certain things. These you earn by leveling up. You also have more intelligence, which leans you toword being able to make more potions and heals and more magical items.

Please let me know if I'm lacking and I'll fix it...

gooeyglop1
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gooeyglop1
345 posts
Nomad

oops, uh, I kinda posted under the wrong account... Gooeyglop1 posted the above entry...

KentyBK
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KentyBK
566 posts
Nomad

That entry has none of the requirements except a class name. Sorry, but I can't accept submissions without any detail whatsoever.

gooeyglop1
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gooeyglop1
345 posts
Nomad

hmmmmmmmmm, maybe elaborate on your instructions abit?...Please...?

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