What would you do…
8 Feb
…if you were making a project all over again?
That’s the general question I’ve been asking myself this week as I’ve plunged myself into writing something else. Well, ok, it’s not the only question I’ve been asking myself but a little bit more on that later.
I’ve been looking back at SY!NSO! and working out to myself what I felt comfortable with and class as worth it and what I don’t. I’m (unusually for me) quite proud of SY!NSO! as a game, but as always there’s something there which niggles away at me. In this case, the one thing I won’t be doing on my next game is going for pixel overload. Been there and done it twice now and already by the second time round, it was the law of diminishing returns. Sure SY!NSO! may have been a little bit fancier than War Twat but I’m left asking myself what actual use were the effects in it? Not the nice glowy ones. I *like* them. The complete obfuscation of the play area ones.
In War Twat, they served a purpose. In fact, in War Twat – they were the purpose. It ratcheted up the tension of an already overwhelming game into completely silly territory and lo, it turned out good in my not so humble opinion. In SY!NSO! they’re just there. Aside from a bit of pixelly masturbation, they have absolutely no reason to be there. Ok, ok, there’s nothing technically wrong with fluffing out the screen in that way but looking back, aside from providing a nice hook to claw people in they may as well have not existed. They distracted away from the design itself without fundamentally adding to the design. Whilst not exactly a bad thing to do per se, it was pretty pointless.
I may have sniggered to myself as I added in the giant head of Johnny Ball. I may have been a little bit overly anal when trying to make sure the segment of the Think Of A Number theme that plays blends in with Gordon’s music, but aside from amusing me for a few minutes? Nah, wasn’t worth the time and effort I put in. The game was good enough as it was without all that superfluous guff. I should have resisted that urge to go one louder, and next time round I fully intend not to go there.
You see, as I get older I seem to have less and less tolerance for pointless frippery in games. I still like, lust and go crazy over gorgeous graphics – be they pixel, procedural or the streets of Edinburgh rendered down to the last pebble – I’m good with that. I’m not talking about that sort of frippery. I’m talking about completely, utterly pointless design elements that just serve to pad out the game.
Take Brainpipe for example. It’s wonderful, trippy and actually starts to hurt my brain after extended play. Where it really shines though is that it’s stripped down. There’s nothing in the game that doesn’t serve a purpose. It’s not a deep and profound purpose (and why should it be?) but you’ll notice that the more you play it, the more glorious the design is. It’s pretty stark by todays standards and really, if ever anything had the term “old school” created for it, Brainpipe would be first in the queue to claim the title. This is a good thing in my books. I’m forced to focus on the game rather than being led astray. I like that. It feels somewhat whole. The incredible sound design is the icing on the cake.
Even what now feels a bit like the old stalwart, Space Giraffe (specifically in its original incarnation or Acid Mix to PC gamers) – there’s not one element of the game that isn’t relevant to the design. Yes, even the visuals. Play the new “calmer” NUXX mode and it’s like the game has had its soul torn out. I understand why Team Llamasoft *had* to do it, but… I dunno, it’s like taking the invaders out of Space Invaders. It’s removing an integral part of the game. Due to a bug on initial release (now resolved, fact fans) I also had to attempt to play the PC version without sound. I’ll tell you this, you may well be fine for the first ten levels – after that, forget it. Even the sound effects are integral. Not one element feels like it can be separated from the other without taking a little piece of the brilliance away.
And this is the stuff I find I’m increasingly enjoying more and more. I don’t want to go running around collecting 500 coins from one room. I don’t want to go round an entire map hunting out 40 hidden stars to unlock a bonus area. It’s fucking boring, man. Give me tight. Give me streamlined. Give me functional and a design where everything interleaves perfectly. Challenge me with game design, not mundane tasks. Make everything count.
This doesn’t have to just apply to arcade games either. One of the things I adored in (friend of MR) Zombie Cow’s adventure Ben There, Dan That! was how everything had some purpose, even if a lot of it did boil down to affectionately mocking the tropes of point and click games that we’ve all become accustomed to.
With SY!NSO! and the effects overload I lost sight of that. I hope I don’t make the same mistake twice.
One old saying that’s often trotted out, I paraphrase, “A design isn’t finished whene you’ve add the last piece to it, it’s finished when you’ve taken away all that you possibly can.”
Less bullets, more game?
Definitely less bullets!
Although SY!NSO! didn’t have that many bullets either
>In this case, the one thing I won’t be doing on my next game is going for pixel
>overload. I’m left asking myself what actual use were the effects in it? Aside
>from a bit of pixelly masturbation, they have absolutely no reason to be there.
Aww, it’s beautiful. Our Bob is growing up.
Nevar!
As long as the pixels don’t hide the action then I think nice effects are fine. but clearly for some people Space Giraffe and SY!NSO! did..
At least SY!NSO! defaulted to the most basic setting, so I’m not too unhappy with the end results. More, as I say, that the extra mode was entirely superfluous and that’s not something I want to repeat.
I’d sooner something have a reason for existing in the game other than “because I can”. It’s probably going to be quite a long trawl for whatever I’m going to call the next game because of this given I won’t know what stuff works from my scribbly notes until they’re in and running proper. I forsee a lot of “oh well, that didn’t – kill it” situations.
And I still claim that anyone who says the effects on SG hide the action are missing the whole point of it.
What’s wrong with organic design (seeing what works and what doesn’t).. ?
I think it’s a better way to go than for a written unchangeable plan that just doesn’t work in a game.
BTW: Have you seen this? (Octopus revenge!)
http://www.auntiepixelante.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/squishtopus.gif
Nowt Mr Rich, I much prefer that route. But I do keep some notes of “stuff to try” as I’d forget my arse if it wasn’t glued on!
And aye, love Dessgeega’s pixel stuff. The Joust-y ones just posted were fantastic.
Bob, I read somewhere that SY!NSO! was made using Gamemaker. Is that so? If so, which version & what plugins?
GM7 mateyman. The only “plugin” I use is Smayd’s Treble .dll to handle the sound.
Saves on a lot of “unexpected errors” that way.