Thread: RE: [GD-Design] Ideas for a short game coding party

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I like the idea of having a strange input. So you could say "your only input
is the microphone". Another nice one I like - "your only input is mouse
position" - i.e. no buttons!

But it's not exactly a game "engine", really just a random restriction to
prod games in a different direction. But that's not such a bad idea.

Tom Forsyth - Muckyfoot bloke and Microsoft MVP.

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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Aras Pranckevicius [mailto:ne...@in...]
> Sent: 10 October 2003 12:10
> To: gam...@li...
> Subject: [GD-Design] Ideas for a short game coding party
> 
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I'm planning the next LTGameJam party, and some interesting 
> ideas for the
> games/engine are needed. We've though some, but more would be 
> welcome :)
> 
> Short description of the party: LTGameJam 
> (http://jammy.sourceforge.net);
> which is in turn similar to IndieGameJam 
> (http://www.indiegamejam.com/), is
> a short game development event. Someone prepares a small 
> specific "engine",
> invites a bunch of game programmers/designers, and over two 
> days they try to
> make small games. Of course, two days to study the engine and 
> write a game
> is a very short time, so main focus should be on original 
> ideas, etc. We've
> made two Jams already, first being direct IGJ0 clone - "100k 
> game units!",
> second being "physics, cars and stuff". Now, it's time to 
> think of the idea
> for the next one...
> 
> If anyone has a crazy idea and is willing to share it, you're 
> more than
> welcome. Anyone willing to participate is welcome also, though so far
> LTGameJam was in Lithuania (hence 'LT'), and only Lithuanian 
> programmers
> were participating (but noone enforces that :)).
> 
> Here's a short list of ideas currently "in processing":
> 
> 1) Old maze-like games. This is simple and easy, but not very 
> original or
> interesting. Basically, it's 2D maze at logic level, with 
> engine providing
> pathfinding, collision, entities, particle effects, camera etc. The
> participants take this "2D maze" thingie and write some game logic.
> 
> 2) "guess the packet" network games - there's a server that 
> basically just
> broadcasts packets. And there are clients. The twist is, that 
> while client
> games use the same server and same physical packet structure, 
> they don't
> know the packet semantics. So, every games interprets the 
> packets in it's
> own way. To keep at least some control, something is known about the
> packets - eg. a packet is bunch of bytes with known small 
> range. This could
> turn out totally unplayable, though. The problem is, what the 
> engine should
> provide, except networking? Possibly some 2D games stuff 
> (sprite renderer,
> 2D pathfinding, etc.)?
> 
> 3) "microphone is the input". Nothing much more is known, 
> except that, well,
> microphone is your input device :) The problems are the same 
> as 2) - what to
> provide except the input?
> 
> 4) "vehicle building". Basically, you don't write a game, but 
> rather code a
> vehicle - assemble it from pre-made components, add input processing,
> auto-aiming, whatever. In the end you end up with vehicle 
> "plugin" that is
> plugged into premade networked game. You don't write AI for 
> it - it will be
> controlled by human. This idea is a strange one, as it's not "game
> programming" anymore...
> 
> 
> 
> Aras Pranckevicius aka NeARAZ
> http://www.gim.ktu.lt/nesnausk/nearaz/
> 
> 
> 
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