Turn-based games

[Guest Stevie_K]

Since I can remember I have always loved to play games. At one point I decided to go forth and study games on an academic education. I am expecting to earn a masters degree in July.

Some parts of my education is about game theory while other parts of it are practical work, in the sense that I have to actually develop games.

 

As of today I have taken on a project where I will spend a few months developing a game prototype along with a business plan that could be shown to potential investors.

 

So far, I have chosen to develop a single-player game for PC in the genre turn-based RPG, where the player takes the role of a young animal in the wilderness. The goal is to survive by searching for food, water sources and shelter, exploring new areas while avoiding natural predators and other dangers.

The turn-based genre is an old genre. It originates from board games and is among the oldest of video game genres. I want to present a modernized take on old turn-based flash games such as Big Al (Walking With Dinosaurs, BBC) pictured below. I believe games like these text-adventure inspired turn-based games still have potential today (if done right).

 

 

It is very early in the process, and I am currently at a point where a bunch of research is critical for me to make rational decisions. I thought I'd swing by here and ask a few questions in a familiar community.

 

My question to you is whether you like turn-based games in general? If so, can you point to something specific about turn-based games that you like? Maybe a game in particular that you are very fond of?

Are there particular features in some turn-based games that you dislike? Feel free to tell stories or answer in key-points.

 

Thanks!

 

[Plok 319]

I've only played turn-based strategy games (Civ series, Heroes of Might & Magic 3-5...) and have only seen X-COM clones.

 

But, what I can tell you that I like about turn-based games is the ability to sit and think what would be your best decision in the next turn. Wherever there are stats and different factors (terrain composition, distance, other objects and characters and their stats) to keep an eye on, you get the chance to calculate and choose one of many options. They usually give a good sense of progression and are at times far more satisfying than real-time games, mostly because they require more effort to beat. But at the same time, they have an "easier" pace and you can play them in any time interval and quickly pick up where you left off by just skimming your current state (whereas in real-time games, you waste time recollecting, which may lead to a loss at times).

 

I don't know about others, but a "medium" range of aforementioned factors (range, distance, endurance...) is my personal preference. Having few may (but doesn't have to) lead to a shallow game, while having too many will steepen the learning curve, which sometimes isn't worthwhile.

 

 

Looking forward to seeing your progress. Your idea is something I haven't personally seen before, so I'd love to see what'll come out of it.

[Guest Stevie_K]

Thanks for the input Plokite. I appreciate it!

 

I am coding a very rough prototype for Thursday that must contain a basic core loop (core interaction(s), failure state(s), success state(s)). It is basically just a map with the player on it as well other creatures. A navigation compass and buttons for interactions such as "attack", "escape", "wait", "search". Basic stuff.

I will head back with some screenshots at some point.

[Guest Stevie_K]

 

I finished the prototype for the game this morning. It has been a tough run. Especially because I had to make a comprehensive business plan along the way.

I am kind of relieved to be done and over with this. Developing a turn-based game while having to justify its existence market wise and financially has been an uphill adventure.

 

You can check it out at my Itch.io page if you want. Keep in mind it is merely a prototype with few core mechanics and is very rough around the edges.

http://jehal.itch.io/wan-yama

 

[Plok 319]

I like the art direction

 

Though my 1366x768 laptop monitor doesn't seem to be fitting for it

Edited January 8, 2016 by Plokite_Wolf

[Guest Stevie_K]

It is fixed for 1920 x 1080. Built it specifically for a presentation at that resolution. It was never supposed to be put out in public but in hindsight I should have made it dynamic.
I will build future games to support all resolutions.

[Lauren 77]

Your UI takes up way too much space. The colors make it hard to look at after a while (especially the dark green text is hard to read) and may be bad for color blind people (it's mostly a mix of green and red)

All your controls are in the bottom middle and right, and make no sense to be split that way. Also, which is actually more important, is you splitting the target name and the select button (just use selectable lists!) that's just bad, stuff that belongs to a group has to be grouped visually.

When you're just moving around it's okay to place the keys and map in the middle, but the moment you start fighting everything you look at is top right and bottom left. So you want your action/stats a bit more centered. The log is okay where it is. So if you combine control and target selector (as said before) place the current stats in the bottom mid or something more central.

Another point is button flashing. You don't want that. If you have buttons which are inactive grey them out. You only want something flashing if it's important, for example if a button does more than it usually does, or to emphasize that if the player doesn't do that action it might result in a game over screen (they can do other actions but that being the suggested one).