Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
doesn't know that the player has completed the level, even though the victory
condition has been met.
Of course, sometimes games contain bugs that allow a player to cheat and reach a
solution by a means that's completely outside the rules. In Interstate '76 , however,
the trick with the land mine isn't a bug but an innovative solution that the design-
ers didn't consider. When the software checks the victory condition in your game,
be sure it checks the solution state that you told the player to achieve, not the way
in which he achieved it.
Summary
Although artificial life might not seem very much like a game, simulations about
people, pets, and even entire species can be entertaining and have been made into
successful and fun products. An A-life game can be about individuals and relation-
ships, or it can be a simulation of an ecosystem. To design this type of game you
must consider how the simulation will run and ways that the player will interact
with it.
Puzzle games, on the other hand, provide the player with hours of strategy and
problem solving. You'll need to provide a game that combines high-quality presen-
tation with well-thought-out game mechanics and interaction. Players can be very
opinionated about puzzle games, but the individuals who enjoy puzzle games are
often also very loyal.
Design Practice CASE STUDIES
For this chapter, there are two case studies. The instructor may ask you to work on
a single study or both.
Choose an A-life game that you believe, from your own experience of playing it, is
an excellent example of the genre (or use one your instructor assigns). It can be a
commercial simulation with humans or pets or a research simulation of life. High-
level graphics are not a requirement. Write a report documenting this simulation.
Be sure to cover at least the following areas:
Describe the game mechanics and the player's role. Discuss what makes the
product a “game,” or if it is not a game, discuss why not.
If the product involved the life cycle and reproduction of a life form, compare
the evolution and genetics in the game to those of real life. Did the life cycle make
sense? Was it balanced so that the artificial life could succeed and remain a viable
life form for more than just a few generations, or did the life form die out without
your intervention?
 
 
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