It is the dawn of the 8-bit era. Having invested several years and an obscene number of hours in arcade games, SciFi novels, and something called "Harnworld," your greasy friend Ibid Straydrink has finally informed you that he has decided to pursue his destiny as a game designer. Thanks to your generous start-up investments, darling Bay12ers, each of you is a partner in this fledging enterprise. As such, aside from a stake in the company's profits (if there be any!), you will also vote to determine what kind of projects it undertakes, and how they are handled.
First thing is first, however- this business needs a name.....
1. Bay Delve
2. Toady Works
3. BroWare
4. Armok Entertainment
5. Three-Toe Feetures
6. Other
How to Play Along
The proverbial curtain rises on the musky garage of my grandmother's house, better known as my office. Each update I will describe currents events and give a brief summary of company affairs. Afterwards, partners will be prompted to make decision as to what our next strategy will be. This may include developing a new game or game engine, undertaking research, hiring or firing, or even taking on small-time contracts for a little extra cash. The first turn, however, is reserved for the production of our debut to the gaming industry!
Before development can begin, we must first brainstorm our product. The catch? All of the games we develop must be based on forum games from the Bay 12 Forum Games and Roleplaying section, except for those with names based on real world games and franchises- let's be 'original!'
For our first title, we must consider the concept...
Name of the Game - Must be based on a forum game!
Audience - Y=Young, E=Everyone, M=Mature
Topic - We will begin with four or five random topics, and can research others. Certain topic fit particular genres of gaming better than others.
Genre - Action, Adventure, RPG, Simulation, Strategy
Platform - As time goes on, platforms will rise and fall, sometimes unexpectedly. Different platforms may hold a greater market share than others, thus a potential for greater profit.
Game Engine - In time, we will be able to develop our own state-of-the-art, powerful, customized game engines! For the time being, we will be using a potato.
Next we will select features, such as graphics and sound effects. These will be listed accordingly with their respective costs.
Lastly, development in proper. Game development is split into three phases. Each phase will features three slider bars, each of which represents an aspect of game design. Each shareholder will choose a number between 1 and 10 (decimals are acceptable!) to determine how much time and resources will go into a specific area of development. Another catch- these numbers must add up to no more or less than a total of 15 per shareholder. E.g., 3 in area A, 7 in area B, and 5 in area C= 15.
The phases are...
Phase 1
Engine
Gameplay
Story/Quests
Phase 2
Dialogues
Level Design
Artificial Intelligence
Phase 3
World Design
Graphic
Sound
When the game is complete, it will be shipped off and published. Watch the market anxiously, and wait for the company report.
Learning from our victories and our blunders will be essential to our growth. As things go on, we will begin to "level up" as a company in regard to certain elements of game design. For this reason, whether we decide to specialize in one or two genres, or make a little of everything for everyone, it is important that we sharpen our talents accordingly.
All said, a toast to our success!
Author
Topic: Let's Play Game Dev. Tycoon: Welcome to The Team! (Read 3772 times)