"Escape Games" game pattern

What is a Escape Game?

• Classic Escape Game made with Flash
• screen shot

Game Dynamics Analysis

• The game is following typicall "Stress and Catharsis" pattern.
• When you first look at the game screen, there should be nothing special about it.
• You keep clcking every possible part of the screen, and sometimes you get a "hit".
• This "hit" often comes as a new item, or a path to another state.
• As the game progres, it becomes harder to get a hit by clicking screen. However, your knowledge about unsearched part also should have deepened. Therefore, the stress level won't exceed.
• This "clicking stress and sometimes a hit" combination is nothing but one form of "Stress and Catharsis" pattern.

How to make a unique Escape Game

• If it's about "Stress and Catharsis" pattern, the issue lies on player's level of experience.
• Some thinks it's too easy, while other think it's too hard.
• To tell a player's level of experience on this game, good guess might be "how many fail clicks are made by a player".
• If a player clicks nosense area so many times, You could put more hint items onto the screen.
• That way, everybody who tries the game thinks "it's an appropriate difficuly for me".

"Variables" Game Pattern

Brief Summary

• Every game has its variables, in another word, some values which changes as game goes on.
• Most of times, you get to control the variables, how you allocate them to convert to other valuable elements of the game.
• What's important is, there always is some irregularity when converting variables to other game elements. If the conversion always results the same way, there's no fun controlling the variables as a player.

Game Example

• Almost any game should have a number of variables.
• Most obvious examples are tactics games. You get some victory points(or whatever the points you get when game goes) as you play, and you allocate them to grow your units.
• Stronger units requires more variables to convert, weaker ones less. However, which unit is better depends on each game situation.
• Therefore, some variable conversion is thought to be better than others, and that's what makes players keep excited.
• This screen shot should explain this game pattern.

Feedbacks appreciated

• please leave comments on my Twitter account

First Game "tower defence"

background

• Apple launched a new language "Swift", and since I've been using Ruby, I thought now's the time to start iOS game development.
• I made a small app called "2d-tower-defence-Swift", and I'd like to share the code as well as what makes a great game.

Code

• 2d-Tower-Defence-Swift
• screen shot

Game Elements

• It's a so-called "tower defence" game, which you are defending your 'valuables' while the enemy attackers are trying to invade.
• To see what it's like, one of easier ones you can play on PC is Desktop Tower Defence (it uses Flash).

Game Pattern: Choice

• As well as many other good games, this game forces you to choose one action over another.
• When you play the game(while enemies are reaching), you have variables like your money in a game.
• Now the choice is, how you allocate this money.
• Typically, you have variety of 'units' that will attack enemies. Choosing one over others is a player's choice.
• Another easier option some of these games offer is level up, which will improve (for example) your money increase rate.
• Depending on how well you allocate the variables to those choices, your game result in win or lose.

Now It's your turn

• what's your idea on making a great 'tower defence' game?
• what are the other game elements which makes a great game of this kind?
• please leave comments on my Twitter account