Kotaku
Another month, another Lost Garden prototyping challenge: this time, the theme is 'god games' like Populous on a "smaller, more casual scale."
For those of you who wonder why there aren't more original games, this can be a great learning experience. The first lesson is that original design isn't usually constrained by technology. I've intentionally kept the engine requirements rather low tech. Instead, the biggest challenge becomes the mental shift from 'implementing a spec' to 'finding the fun in a new game system.' These are two very different skills. If you merely implement an original design, you'll often end up with unplayable garbage. Instead you have to dig for the fun.
And just in case you think nothing ever comes of this stuff, Danc recently posted a whole slew of SpaceCute prototypes. Being someone who's closest interaction with design anything is the final product, it's fun watching the evolution, even for something as low key and painfully cute as the Lost Garden designs.
CuteGod: A Prototyping Challenge [Lost Garden]
Comments
I'm a little confused. Can you actually play this game?
@KicktheCAN:
Not really, since it doesn't exist at the moment. This is a prototyping exercise for any able-bodied programmer willing to take Danc's challenge. He just provided design specs and art assets and there are already prototypes for CuteGod.
@AnyoneElseWhoCares:
After reading the design specs, the games comes across as a god sim/jigsaw puzzle/nonogram hybrid. Villagers pray for specific tile patterns which you build from scattered tile pieces. Completing patterns rewards the player with houses falling from the sky and happy villagers.
It could have the same appeal as Grow Cube if they can address the control and perspective problems. I would suggest a Meteos/Panel de Pon tile manipulation system and rotatable map.
Anyway, moral of the story: You don't know if your idea is fun until you play it.
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