No Time To Play

Well-known game developer Raph Koster starts 2012 with a 6-point guide to making cheaper games, to which the Rampant Coyote responds thoughtfully as ever. Here at No Time To Play, we are definitely interested in this particular topic, though we prefer to frame it as making games faster instead. Since time is money, that’s the same thing in the end: both come down to making games with less work. That’s especially important nowadays, as development times/costs are skyrocketing towards unsustainable levels (as Shamus Young points out at every turn).

But how can you do that? Let me add my own two cents first.
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So, the project that has kept me busy as of late has ended, poorly (making current again something I wrote over a year ago). But all my recent reading triggered something in me, and instead of going back to coding games, I started writing fiction again for the first time in years. And this time, it seems I’m onto something.

As an amusing coincidence, the issue of storytelling in games has recently resurfaced. You may have noticed Kelketek’s earlier post, but the Rampant Coyote also chimed in, even twice, not to mention this post on how improvisational theater can inform game stories. And it just happens that storytelling is the one other skill (beyond coding and art) I need in order to make serious games.

But first to get something done.

Two gaming publications have just announced that they’re closing down. That in itself is no big deal, except perhaps for the timing. What is interesting is the different ways it was handled.

On the one hand we have the GamePro magazine issuing a press release a mere week in advance (which promptly drew the ire of Internet archivist Jason Scott). On the other hand, we have GameSetWatch explaining their reasons in a very personal manner, and explicitly promising to keep the website online.
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Work has ramped up as of late, preventing me from working on my projects much. On the plus side, I’m in a mood to write code again, though not on my existing games. But mostly, I’ve been thinking about art.

Among other things, I joined OpenGameArt and contributed some art I had laying around. For all that people make fun of programmer graphics, one of my submissions was actually appreciated. Having been made with a clear purpose in mind must have something to do with that.

I’ve also made another raytraced scene, and thinking of more. One of these days, maybe I’ll have enough of them to inspire an adventure game.

But first, to get my work/life balance back into shape. See you around.

How different can you make a roguelike and still keep it recognizable as such? The turn-based nature of the game was once deemed essential, but then Diablo happened and nowadays, realtime roguelikes are reasonably common. Permadeath is considered just as important, yet the first roguelike I played extensively didn’t feature it. Graphics, once considered un-rogue-like, are increasingly common for the genre. But otherwise most such games are much like each other… right?

Three very unusual titles have been brought to my attention recently, two by a friend (thanks, Jason!) and the other by IndieGames.com.

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Playing cards are popular both in the real world and on the computer. In the former case, because the components are cheap and compact (at least when stored), and the games themselves can often be played in confined spaces, such as on the train. In the latter case, because they require only static pictures for art, and little computing power.

I suspect everybody knows at least a few of the several hundred games you can play with a standard 52-card deck. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Magic: The Gathering — a single game — has thousands of cards and counting. It is also a considerable money investment. But what lays between these extremes, and how do tabletop card cames inform their computer counterparts?

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Software developers are willing to put up with a lot for the chance to earn a little money. (Hello, Web agencies!) This is most visible in the iPhone market, which has two very onerous barriers to entry:

1. you have to own a Mac and
2. you must pay a $99 developer fee just to test your own apps on the device you bought honestly.

Despite these obstacles, the official Apple app store has enjoyed a veritable gold rush (which, like in history, has benefitted few people, often not those who took risks and toiled). This may have something to do with the fact that many developers already own a Mac, and you can at least develop your app without asking for permission.

This is not a given, however.

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This is undoubtedly no big deal for most game developers, but all my games have been mute so far. Not by choice, either. I know people who are equally good programmers, artists and musicians, but that’s hard. Those of us who are more specialized have few real options:
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I finally took a break from game development this week, mostly due to my brain refusing to focus on anything resembling code. So instead I’ve been following news more closely than usual, and making plans.

On the news side, the 2011 Interactive Fiction Competition is in full swing, and looking good. There’s a good handful of CYOA titles, mostly browser-based, and at least two experimental works. A refreshing variety of authoring systems are represented, including Alan and the reborn Quest, and the comp enjoys mainstream coverage. As a minus, not only there are still untested games being entered, but I caught one author openly advertising that!

Let’s make one thing clear: a game that hasn’t been beta-tested is half-finished at best. I don’t care if it’s as simple as Hamurabi, it will have issues. Don’t open it up to the public in that state.

In the way of plans, I’ve decided to pause the development of Dungeon Romp for now, and start a more streamlined, graphical roguelike instead. It will be based on a novel concept, and make a better browser game, in addition to being portable. When I resume work on Dungeon Romp, it will be running in the natural environment of traditional roguelikes: a Unix terminal. That way I hope to satisfy both casual and hardcore players without too many compromises.

But first I have some other things to get out of the way.

What would you consider a decent screen resolution for gaming? 1280×1024? 1600×1200? Or maybe 1920×1080, if you’re a console owner?

My mobile port of Buzz Grid runs just fine on a screen as small as the one on the left:

That’s 176×220, a common resolution for cellphones around 2005. Seems limited? Nintendo Gameboy, possibly the absolute best-selling gaming console ever, had a screen no bigger than the one on the right: only 160×144! And four shades of gray for variety.

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