...which is a composite of "Diamond Aurora"... or something like that. We haven't decided on a name for our next project yet. Four of us are going to work on the casual game over the summer, hopefully spending much of it at Shuksan's (new graphic artist) house. Apparently, his family bought a new house, and it's so huge that there are actually four rooms to spare. Since the dude has an ultra-powered desktop (zOMG, with widescreen cinema display!), it's quite fitting. It's still undecided though, but I'm very excited about it. Maybe I'll bring my little Wii along - or even my darling Mac Mini... hmm, wonder if he has another monitor to spare. And hopefully it's CRT (remember, I have problems with LCD screens... right now I'm typing this as fast as possible since I'm using one at college).

We haven't started the "Developer Club" at college yet, and I think we should leave it until the next term. So, at this point, it's a 4-man team again, but instead of me being the graphic artist, I'm filling the position of programmer instead. And we may be using GTGE instead of GM7P, but that's also undecided.

Anyway, it's nearing finals and things are starting to get really hectic again. I'm next to flunking my electronics course, and because of it, I've discovered how excruciatingly EASY physics is, comparatively. And I still think physics is impossibly hard, so use your imagination for someone who sucks at that taking electronics. Utter disaster.

As mentioned ealier, "Diaura" (or whatever it is to be called), will be a casual game. We are probably going to add a touch of "surreal experimentalism" in terms of graphics and audio, while hooking players in with cute anime girl artwork (which will be attractive AND unique). I've been personally proposing that we try to keep this game as "pure" as possible and not throw any "cheap punches". That will be the biggest challenge for me, personally. How can I design a game that is varied and strategic by taking elements OUT of the game, as opposed to adding in extras - such as obstacles, powerups, and whatnot?

I'm thinking of going as far as avoiding color-differentiation and go for size-differentiation instead (not to mention that it better fits the concept). The strategic aspect will be intimately infused with the scoring system, which will strongly affect both Visible Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (game gets harder faster if you earn higher scores, allowing better players to reach their level of difficulty faster) and Invisible Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (moment-by-moment, the number of "released objects" will depend upon the number of such objects already existing in the playing field).

And of course, the entire game will be controlled by the mouse and two buttons. I'm considering whether I should limit it to just one-button though. On one hand, greater simplicity will enhance flow and accessibility. On the other, if done wrong only slightly, the consequences may be very negative, considering how much of the game depends on it.

Btw, I'm speaking on a more abstract level because it's easier to modify/add/remove elements on this plane. In case some of you are wondering/annoyed/bored/confused/indifferent/whatever.

Anyway, part of the strategic aspect involves a simple "economy system". :D We may or may not include an explicit "story opening" to the game (and even if we do, we may just put it in the posters or the readme file instead, since those are of course also part of the experience, no matter how seemingly insignificant), but if we do, it will tie in strongly with this system. Personally, I think it's more meaningful when a game also conveys a strong theme, and of course it can be done subtly or left open for interpretation.

Not to mention that it will better please the administrators. :P

And finally, despite all this talk, it is definitely not certain that we're going to make this game. It's a team effort, and if not everyone is passionate about it, it's best to completely scrap it and go for something else more spiritually satisfying for all.

Totally wish I had a cinema widescreen display. *daydreams*

Hmmmmmm....

Blurgh.  I wubb my Wii and Mac!!!  :P

Yesh.

Do you plan on ever releasing any of these games for free? Or are you just using eo as free advertising space?

hah, hah, haaaaah!

comedy to start my day  :D

somebody wants to start an arm wrestling match  :P

wonderful.  so glad to hear someone finally thinking ahead instead of the grossly-common "just add powerups" design philosophy.


slick thought.  might be able to avoid color blind folks getting screwed.  as long as the size differences are incredibly explicit, this seems as if it should be an intelligent approach.


i know that you know very well that this is a completely backwards statement...
(considering that you used "will" as opposed to "may", that is)

----

i hope you all succeed in pulling together to rock out this project.  sounds like you'll all learn and grow a ton from it  :)

I don't know if I'm prone to toilet humour, but when I first read "Diaura", I thought it was a misspelling of diarrhea. I'd say you go for another title.

Anyway, good luck with the game. I can't picture what you guys are upto in my mind from reading your vague description, but it sounds somewhat interesting :)

Oh, these games are not good enough for international attention. No really. :P I initially promised to release them for free online, but seeing some of us here going for shareware (eg. Chubigans) or donationware (see other recent blogs) lately... I don't know. *shrug*

And since I'm selling these games to a local Thai audience, is there any point of advertising on a website that relatively few people visit (not to mention that the number of Thai visitors is next to, well, zero?)? *shrug*

Haha, nice to hear that. In my "framework of understanding" it is not the powerups that matter but the resulting players' experience from Variety and Depth provided by the powerups that is truly important. If such Variety and Depth can be achieved through means not usually done, it's something definitely worth exploring further. What's certain is that it can be done not only in terms of Game Design, but also Product Design, such as Apple's (pardon my fanatism) philosophy of cutting out features in order to better serve the needs of the customer. Likewise, the freeware movement is not only popular because of the fact that they're free, but also because, unlike "bloated" commercialware counterparts, such free software have better focus on their core features, instead of providing a "mish-mash" of space-consuming excessives (at least, according to PC World).

One of my teammates is colorblind. So is my uncle. Besides, virtually every casual game uses explicit color-coding in one way or another. Hopefully, and I can break the norm without breaking the game (jeez, I like to state the obvious).

Pfft. It's just a blog. Shush. :P

Oh right. My bad. Thanks for the tip. ;D

It's pointless describing the elements now anyway. May overhaul it completely at this point. Who knows?