DAY 10
Took a break from development, but back at it again.
Spent some time to iron out the gameplay loop and the core pillars of the game. While having a general, if not vague idea, the game design itself lacked a proper direction. For an exploration game, one might think that there isn't too much to work on, right?
Turns out that, as simple as it may seem, (good) games like this are understatedly specific in their inner workings. Exploration should be fun and rewarding. How do you make exploration fun and rewarding?
- Beautiful sights contribute to the fun (arguably greatly), but it's not the be-all-end-all of the exploration pillar.
- Having collectibles alongside beautiful sights makes exploration rewarding, but is this enough? Only for a short while and only if done right (i.e. having different types of collectibles carefully placed around the game world).
- Giving enough of a challenge for the player to navigate around the beautiful areas and getting to collectibles? Ok, now this is going somewhere.
- Build a gripping story around the game world? OK, keep going...
- Having enough variety in the levels to mix things up? Almost there..
- Having a new twist on an old mechanic or some novel mechanic that is also interesting for the player to use? That's it!
All these ingredients make for an interesting experience for the player, I believe.Hopefully I did not miss anything before it's too late.
Today I've spent some time on the level design as well.
That's all I've got for today. See ya.