Prototype #1 - 4

It's the final version of the first prototype, 'cause it became too complicated to develop it further. I made important conclusions and got ideas for the next prototype, which will be built on icons and buttons rather than 2D graphics.


The world in the prototype appeared to be.. psychedelic a bit =) It looks similar to milkman's mind in "Psychonauts", which is my favourite episode. Don't force it, it's not an action-game =)

Download occam_proto_1_4.zip [0.9M]

Control:
left click	talk
right click	goto
alt-enter	fullscreen
~	console (and log as well)

Prototype #1 - 3

It's a memorable moment for the Occam-city: its inhabitants got their names and learned how to talk. More interactivity, more ideas. Looks familiar to my first OpenGL project "CoS", when I intended to recreate a city of "The Status Civilization" by Robert Sheckley in the Fallout setting.

Prototype #1 - 2

Just as I'd expected, the experiment attracted pleasant things into my life. I marked several pages in my notebook for characters, buildings and events. One of the most useful methods I use is "Mind Map", and it really helps to bind separate pieces into a single structure. As for technical side, I implemented path finding, visibility limitation and idleness of NPCs. And tweaked some graphical features, just those that were easy to do =)


And yeah, I called the project Occam, in the name of an English Franciscan philosopher. I just heared my colleague to say "Occam's razor", and it was the moment I understood it would be an appropriate name for the project. Occam's razor is a principle like you should assume simple causes to explain a phenomenon. In crazy games like Final Fantasy or Psychonauts this principle doesn't work so you should suppose nothing at all - you'll be wrong at the end =)

Prototype #1 - 1

I think, ability to devise something out of nothing is a miracle. Like a magic everyone can do. Though, it's not really "nothing", people around sometimes talk about your ideas in another context. And they would never think that some ordinary word they say thousand times a day may be a crucial component in your concept. What is the word you say thousand times a day? =)

I began the first prototype under impression of Dwarf Fortress game, and it shows =) One-screen 40x30 tiles, urban setting. Actors are placed, so it's time to enliven this small world.


By the way! What do you think a game is? I mean, why would you call one thing a game, and another to be a piece of a carrot?

..Rules! Any game requires at the very least rules to be a game, and they identify any game as a piece of art. Or a piece of junk =) Anyway, Rod Humble would explain it more clearly in his article "Game Rules as Art." And I strongly recommend you to look at his game "The Marriage" that is supposed to be a piece of art.