Game Design Advice

General Discussions
#1

So I’ve decided that I understand Java well enough now to begin programming my own games. Which is great! Problem is, I’m not entirely creative. I do have my moments of pure creative genius, but on most occasions I can hardly visualize a game at all in my mind. Now I understand this game should be small and rather easy to produce, considering this will be my first game. Regardless, I still want to give this game a certain finesse that is unique to games I create.

With that said, I would like to ask all of you fellow JGO members to discuss with me your strategies for piercing deep into your imaginations. (This should be interesting.)

#2

If you have really no ideas, you could still try to clone one of the classics…

#3

That’s sound advice 8)

Cas :slight_smile:

#4

A game I’ve personally wanted to make for ages but never thought I could, is a puzzle platformer game where you can reshape the world using a ‘drag and drop’ mechanic.

You have multiple ‘windows’ in your bigger window, and the player is in one. You can drag any windows around anywhere you like - so long as they don’t overlap - to reshape the levels and allow for different crossings.

^Like that, but where you can drag the window anywhere you like with the mouse cursor.

It’s just a mechanic though - I’ve got no story or level design.

#5

If its your first game, I would make a simple 2D platform game, with typical classic elements. Mostly that will just give you a reason to learn the game loop mechanics, timing, simple animation using sprites, smooth movement etc. You can add sounds and some effects. All things that will help you with future games. Don’t be too ambitious at first.

#6

Oh, and in terms of ideas (which is what you really asked), pick a movie you like, or a book, or a tv show and use that as the situation. Or take the vague objective from it. You only need something simple in most cases. What’s the situation? What’s the objective? What are the obstacles? What does the hero need to do…

So for a (seemingly) simple game like VVVVVV, the situation is simple. Ship has crashed, something weird has happened and the crew are scattered. Need to rescue the crew. Theme is space station, sort of… Code from there…

So pick a theme or objective from a topic you like. Hero is trapped and needs to escape from the dungeon, castle, desert or shopping mall that he/she is stranded in. The cops, knights, dragons, robots or viral agents are out to get him and need to be defeated or avoided. Oh, and better get it all done before the tidal wave, solar radiation storm, or black friday sale starts.

Chris

#7

Calculating Game Ideas…

Hmmm, there is no real strategy for getting game ideas. I mean, literally, inspiration comes out of nowhere for me. The biggest problem for me is time. The hardest part is that with all the ideas going through my head, I don’t actually take the time to write down all the good ones. :emo:

#8

I agree with everyone else that starting with cloning a classic game is the best way to go. I started with Break Out but never finished it, but I will eventually. My first game, without sound, was Pong. Even though these are simple games you will learn a ton.

Also, I am like you about the creativity or lack thereof. But one thing I found is that as I am programming these simple games, new ideas are coming to me. I read a fair amount of motivational books and they all say the same thing. You can’t wait for motivation and inspiration to come to you but the very act of doing the thing you want to find inspiration in will generate inspiration. I have found this to be true.

Read! Read game programming books. Not only will it help you with programming games but you might get some new ideas just by reading and thinking about how you can apply what the book is discussing.

Another thing that I found that has helped me immensely is just enjoying the art of programming and creating something - anything. For the longest I worried about making money with my programming and developing the next big application or website. I finally came to the conclusion that I am going to treat my programming as I did when I was a kid on the Commodore 64, and just do it for myself. If I come up with the next big thing, great! If not, that is great as well.

I hope this helps. Just my two cents and something that I have struggled with as well.

fm2606