CLI group challenge
CLI group challenge
Prepare a game that can be played exclusively with the command line.
Using for example cd, ls,
cat or git.
- 15' - Intro & Groups
- 15' - Tips for a basic game
- 30' - Research & testing existing games
- 120' - Work on your game
- 5' each (could be on the next day) - Present your game
- Goal of the game
- The rules
- What challenges did you face?
- Quick Demo
Introduction to Game Design
What is a game?
A game has 4 key characteristics:
- Goal
- Opposition
- Decisions
- Rules
Key elements of a game
Some common elements are
- Mechanics: how the game works
- Dynamics: how the player interacts with the game
- Aesthetics: how the game looks and sounds
- Narrative: how the game tells a story
Game mechanics
Game mechanics are at the heart of gameplay design.
Per definition it is how players and the rest of the fundamental interlocking pieces of a game, such as
- rules,
- challenges,
- goals,
- actions,
- strategies,
- game states
interact with each other in a meaningful way.
Examples
Can you think of any?
- Jump in Super Mario
- Shield in Halo
- Skydiving and the storm in Fortnite
- Rotate in Tetris
The core of gameplay
... are the "Core Actions" (game mechanics = actions = verbs) and the "Core Gameplay Loop".
Core Gameplay Loop
A gameplay loop is the collective set of actions (game mechanics) that the player will be doing over a specific time frame. At the most basic, we're talking about actions that usually happen within seconds of each other.
Super Mario Bros.
So what is important for your CLI game?
- Have a clear goal
- Give the player choices
- Have a clear ruleset
- Keep the rules and the mechanics as simple as possible