Archive for the ‘Game Design’ Category

Project Space Sector Dev Diary #1: Starmap and Exploration

Project Space Sector Dev Diary #1: Starmap and Exploration

By on October 28th, 2016 at 2:19 pm
Hi everyone! Today we kick off a series of dev diaries for Project Space Sector, which we intend to be releasing in a 2-week or monthly fashion.
Endless Legend – First Design Documents

Endless Legend – First Design Documents

By on December 3rd, 2013 at 10:04 am
Amplitude Studios has recently released a series of design documents for their upcoming 4X fantasy title, Endless Legend. As of now, four documents have been released covering the following topics.
Making a Space 4X Game: Technology

Making a Space 4X Game: Technology

By on June 28th, 2013 at 10:45 am
For this article I'm going to discuss technology in the game. On my previous article, A Living Galaxy, technology became a hot topic in the comment section so it only makes sense I write about it next.
Making a Space 4X Game: A Living Galaxy

Making a Space 4X Game: A Living Galaxy

By on May 3rd, 2013 at 9:43 am
I'm going to start writing about the systems in the game now. This will be a series of many articles. We start with my vision of what makes a galaxy feel alive and full of discovery.
LucasArts: Thanks for a Great and Unforgettable Ride

LucasArts: Thanks for a Great and Unforgettable Ride

By on April 5th, 2013 at 11:40 am
I have very fond memories about many titles produced by LucasArts, as I spent a good deal of my childhood playing their games. What about you?
Julian Gollop’s X-COM: UFO Defense Postmortem at GDC

Julian Gollop’s X-COM: UFO Defense Postmortem at GDC

By on March 29th, 2013 at 5:55 am
Yesterday, Julian Gollop gave a talk at GDC about X-COM: UFO Defense, where he talks about what went wrong and what went right about X-COM's development.
Making a Space 4X Game: Modding

Making a Space 4X Game: Modding

By on March 15th, 2013 at 3:44 pm
For my next article I'm going to explain how I implemented modding. Please be aware that this is a more technically focused article.
Jon Shafer’s Civ5 Lessons Learned, Mea Culpa & At the Gates

Jon Shafer’s Civ5 Lessons Learned, Mea Culpa & At the Gates

By on February 14th, 2013 at 11:39 am
Jon Shafer succeeded on Kickstarter with At the Gates and in a recent Kickstarter update he talks about Civ5's design,lessons learned and his new vision for At the Gates.
Making a Space 4X Game: Empires and Races

Making a Space 4X Game: Empires and Races

By on February 12th, 2013 at 10:28 am
For my third article I'm going to write about how I design empires/races for games.
Making a Space 4X Game: An Overview on Graphics Libraries

Making a Space 4X Game: An Overview on Graphics Libraries

By on January 9th, 2013 at 2:50 pm
This article gives a brief overview on some of the Graphic and GUI libraries that I know and have used before to develop my games.
AI Design in 4X Games – An Approach

AI Design in 4X Games – An Approach

By on December 28th, 2012 at 2:03 pm
This article is an overview of the general approach we have taken with StarDrive’s AI and is meant to provide some insight into the process of designing an AI for games of this genre.
How to Tackle Build Micromanagement Tedium in 4X Games?

How to Tackle Build Micromanagement Tedium in 4X Games?

By on December 11th, 2012 at 8:35 am
How to deal with excessive micromanagement in 4X games? Especially when dealing with developing cities, planets or star systems?
Making a Space 4X Game: Setting the Stage

Making a Space 4X Game: Setting the Stage

By on December 7th, 2012 at 1:10 pm
I thought it'd be fun to see what goes on behind the scenes and some of the obstacles that I have encountered while making my 4X Game, whose name will remain hidden for now!
What Makes A Good Game – Challenge

What Makes A Good Game – Challenge

By on February 19th, 2012 at 10:53 am
I want to take the time to talk about challenge in games, which I feel is a vital part of the core of a good game.
What Makes A Good Game – User Interface

What Makes A Good Game – User Interface

By on December 21st, 2011 at 7:29 am
It goes without saying that User Interfaces(UI) are extremely important to any program. This article will talk about some basic concepts and thoughts about building good User Interfaces.
Starships Combat Conundrums – Realism vs. Simplification

Starships Combat Conundrums – Realism vs. Simplification

By on December 7th, 2011 at 11:47 am
My personal preference is always toward realism but at a certain point, perhaps ironically, reality strikes and simplification are needed to have a playable game that can be developed in this decade.
What Makes A Good Game – Story

What Makes A Good Game – Story

By on November 28th, 2011 at 10:08 am
A story in a game is an important tool for the developer. It gives the developer the means to create emotion, a way to share the lore of their game universe and a way to present a point.