Early Game
The early game is probably the most important part of the game. The first five minutes lure the player into the first half hour, and at the end of that time, he or she knows whether they'll bother to keep playing.
Also, the early game is usually the only thing in the demo, meaning it is all a player gets to see before making their decision to buy.
The early game is doubly important for Machine City. I have to determine exactly what people like and feed it back quickly and accurately. Therefore, the first few scenes have to contain sharp memetic choices.
What I've done instead of making one-dimensional characters is make "meme packs" which I hope most of the players will more or less click with. Each of the three characters you can talk to and choose to use as copilot in that early game are patterns which many players should find interesting.
These are rough sketches that follow, because my tablet setup is shitty at the moment. Ever try to draw on your stomach? I'm working on it.
This guy is the "action man". His suggestions will tend to be towards blowing things up and frontal assaults. His powder-blue suit aside, he is the testosterone hound.
As the game goes on, you quickly discover that he funded the expedition. You also run into some of his family members. He's the wuss in the family.
This is your mechanic, probably named "Casey". She's the "fun hacker" culture. She should appeal to people who like being geeks without being pompous, as well as people who are looking for a more comedy-centric game. Her suggestions tend to be more for bizarre contraptions and complex new doohickeys.
In addition to appealing to the "sexy librarian" stereotype, she is the more serious scientist. She has an acerbic wit and a deep understanding of biochemistry. For example, pressure-point methods, poisons, and recreational drugs. Her advice runs towarards surgical strikes and information-gathering, and she is a very good tactical advisor.
It is my belief that, combined with the main character, these three characters should offer a fairly wide "spread". If you don't see a character in there that could appeal to you, let me know!
When a player starts to talk to and rely on one or two of the characters, the game skews dramatically in their direction for a short while, then rights itself when it knows the player isn't going anywhere for a while. :)
Also, the early game is usually the only thing in the demo, meaning it is all a player gets to see before making their decision to buy.
The early game is doubly important for Machine City. I have to determine exactly what people like and feed it back quickly and accurately. Therefore, the first few scenes have to contain sharp memetic choices.
What I've done instead of making one-dimensional characters is make "meme packs" which I hope most of the players will more or less click with. Each of the three characters you can talk to and choose to use as copilot in that early game are patterns which many players should find interesting.
These are rough sketches that follow, because my tablet setup is shitty at the moment. Ever try to draw on your stomach? I'm working on it.
This guy is the "action man". His suggestions will tend to be towards blowing things up and frontal assaults. His powder-blue suit aside, he is the testosterone hound.
As the game goes on, you quickly discover that he funded the expedition. You also run into some of his family members. He's the wuss in the family.
This is your mechanic, probably named "Casey". She's the "fun hacker" culture. She should appeal to people who like being geeks without being pompous, as well as people who are looking for a more comedy-centric game. Her suggestions tend to be more for bizarre contraptions and complex new doohickeys.
In addition to appealing to the "sexy librarian" stereotype, she is the more serious scientist. She has an acerbic wit and a deep understanding of biochemistry. For example, pressure-point methods, poisons, and recreational drugs. Her advice runs towarards surgical strikes and information-gathering, and she is a very good tactical advisor.
It is my belief that, combined with the main character, these three characters should offer a fairly wide "spread". If you don't see a character in there that could appeal to you, let me know!
When a player starts to talk to and rely on one or two of the characters, the game skews dramatically in their direction for a short while, then rights itself when it knows the player isn't going anywhere for a while. :)
posted by Craig Perko at 12:40 PM
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