Random Writings

Time to try,
Making rules for a game.
'tis a shooter I want.
Chaos aplenty.
Yet, control needs to be,
for the puzzle I seek.

Tricky weapons.
One shot kills.
Chain reactions.
Puzzle, not skills.

The right manuver,
the right place.
A single shot,
fired in their face.

I want a shooter,
with a fight.
All the enemies,
line up just right.

A single shot,
A single space,
Sending fire,
All over the place.

Different weapons,
different means.
Different people,
different teams.

Tonight I try,
to make this out.
A sense of chaos,
all planned out.

Links

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_32/200-Infinite-Princesses
I like this article.
There can be more to gaming, than just the player and the game.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_96/537-Vision-Doesn-t-Sell-Copies.2
Reminds me of an observation I heard once regarding movies. The ones that get great reviews are rarely blockbusters, and the blockbusters rarely get good reviews.

Mechanism Design

http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=9880

Trying to create a system of rules that won't have unwanted side effects is bloody hard.

One of Bioshock's charms.

I think one of the important "little things" the game got right, was having a character who could experience Rapture as a new and strange place, just like the player does. Having the player and character share the same experiences, is important to immersion. Note: Avoid amnesia. Unless the player has amnesia, they won't be able to relate.

Link time...

http://www.raphkoster.com/gaming/lawsindex.shtml
A bunch of laws about online games. It's funny, because it's true.

Virtual Toys.

I was reading an article on Habbo Hotel (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1946/designing_a_gameless_game_sulka_.php), and when trying to describe what it was, they made this analogy: "if you go to a room and you're alone, it would be just furniture. There's no play. You're kind of playing, but it's the same as if you had a doll's house, just moving the furniture, which you can also kind of play, but it's definitely not a game. "

Seems to me like the word they are looking for is "toy". A virtual toy.

I feel a need to link this.

http://www.nowheregirl.com/