When Your in any type of game jam, most the time you need to brainstorm. Not just be able to brainstorm but do it quickly. So how do you guys brain storm quickly for game jams and just normal projects. I like to list a bunch of random words or mechanics and then write down how the game would play out like this:
Turtles
This would be so boring
Platformer
Move around
Jumping
Power ups
Zombies
Be exactly like any other zombie game for that amazing cliche feeling
So how do you guys do it?
I’ve never entered a game jam but I would break it down to exactly what I want then make it like:
Type: Platformer
- small levels
Story: zombies
Goal: Collect all supplies before you get eaten or time runs out
Enemies:Zombies
Multiplayer?:no
Dev. Time Limit: 2 Days
Enigine: GameMaker
Budget: $10
This is my text file for brainstorming from Ludum Dare 28:
LD28 12/13/13 - You only get one
-you only get one ring, and you have to defeat a horde of zombies to win
-you only have one companion (probably animal EX dog) and you two have to fight hordes of enemies. Maybe the companion has one special power that can only be used once per round? - probably what I'm going with
-One click chain reaction game, could be fun but way more technical and overdone
-you only get one chance to make it through a level
-combo of both (maze and animal thing && maybe one click chain reaction?)
I NEED TO START WORKING!
As soon as I found out the theme I started thinking. I didn’t start coding until I at least had the basic idea of what I wanted to do, and then from there the rest of the “filler” features for the game came when I was frantically coding. Pressure does awesome things to programmers!
Usually I first decide what kind of game it should be, e.g. a RTS game.
Next I think about the setting, first the basic like let’s say medieval setting, from that point I write down everything what comes to my mind.
After that I think about mechanics and the story, if there will be one.
And of course if it will be a bigger project I start to write a Game Design Document which grows over the period of time :
i have a big pile of math exercise books with a grid on every page. i write so much stuff in them that i can never find what im looking for. its much more satisfying than typing stuff on the computer, and i can think about ideas without so much distraction.
I generally think, okay what do I want to implement? And then I think, which of those are possible, which of those are practical, and then which of the few remaining are fun for the player. With those remaining things I draw some pictures and then just map out the game from there. I’d show you some pictures, but I’m too lazy to take pictures and upload them, sorry. :emo:
Brainstorming is about quantity not quality. You try to get as many ideas as you can (about 50 is good). The goal is to experience brain-drain. These ideas should not be judged on feasability yet (ie don’t throw any out). Also, have FUN while brainstorming. The best ideas are often the most crazy. Later, you can narrow your ideas down to about 3, then you can narrow it down to one.
This is just a general idea of how I brainstorm with a theme (in Ludum Dare for example)
Whenever you take a random theme, there are normally a few categories to think about:
Mechanics - The theme is the basis of a mechanic.
Plot - The theme is the basis of the plot.
Stupid - Play on words etc. or just general nonsense ideas.
Usually I work from mechanics, but that may be different for other people.
The stupid category is not really meant to be a serious set of ideas, but more to make you think outside the box, and maybe some parts of a ‘stupid’ idea will get combined with another and create something awesome.
Then you just come up with a whole lot of ideas, and sort them under the categories.
After that, you can create multiple specific ideas based of each basic idea, and maybe even mixing a few together.
When you’re done, pick your best ideas (usually around 3), refine and summarize them, and then make a final decision.
Usually I ask in a forum for advice. I’m good at developing new ideas while communicating with other people, and if there are no real people which I can bother, I try that online.
Also, I’m better at refining ideas which I pick up, than to come up with new ideas.
If I’m really on my own, I work with word clouds and mind maps.
Beer.
Writing a hell-of-a-lot of random stuff into my (analog, not digital) Note-Book.
Hundreds of pages of random (and possibly damn awesome) ideas.
Most of the time I got a paper and a pencil with me. Even in the gym, I am using the last pages of my notebook for programming ;D
If I really think about what I could do next I start thinking about non-sense and stuff I wouldn’t be able to do. Afterwards I break the ideas down to something I could accomplish