tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post8672051857702041689..comments2023-09-28T07:23:51.376-07:00Comments on ProjectPerko: Play and StoryCraig Perkohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-82904238142258183942008-12-15T16:09:00.000-08:002008-12-15T16:09:00.000-08:00I agree to some extent, but disagree hugely at the...I agree to some extent, but disagree hugely at the same time.<BR/><BR/>If you're sticking to The Big Names, you're right: the game system is just there to be a go-between.<BR/><BR/>But in many game systems (such as Nobilis) the game system is a powerful organizing force that changes how the GM interacts with the players.<BR/><BR/>I think that's important.Craig Perkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-87874162430866114332008-12-15T11:32:00.000-08:002008-12-15T11:32:00.000-08:00Over time, I've come to think that, at least for t...Over time, I've come to think that, at least for tabletop RPGs, the game mechanics don't matter very much. That is, it seems to me that tabletop RPGs are about the interaction of the GM and players, and a good GM can make any system fun, while a bad GM won't be able to make any system fun. This is largely because the systems are designed with open-ended aspects so that the players and GM can fill in the blanks with whatever they want to create the game experience they want. Some systems are even more explicit about this (Houses of the Blooded, where a knowledge check doesn't give the player a fact that the GM or rulebook came up with, but actually lets the player decide what the fact is that they know).<BR/><BR/>By contrast, the electronic game offers a world that adheres to a strict ruleset. Though the game is very limited in what rules it can handle and how well it can simulate reality, it can deliver perfect consistency to the player. So while the rulebook for a tabletop game is a useful tool for enabling a fun interaction, the rules in an electronic game are the game itself. My point is just that I think there's something valuable about that. It's not just that the computer game is harder to make, it's harder to make because it forces you to fill in the details explicitly, but what you get in the end is a complete system to play with. <BR/><BR/>Anyway, that's what I'm thinking.Ellipsishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13554930621825481241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-65578207610304276402008-12-15T04:49:00.000-08:002008-12-15T04:49:00.000-08:00Erik: I'd be curious to know why you think that, w...Erik: I'd be curious to know why you think that, when everyone else thinks the exact opposite!<BR/><BR/>Daniel: I've used a variety of platforms, but right now I'm waffling between C# and AS3/Flex. They provide me with the more robust project management tools that are required by any project larger than match-three games. Other middleware (such as Torque or Game Maker) ends up hitting the complexity limit when I start modifying it/scripting in it to get very specific play styles.<BR/><BR/>2) Honest attempts at making tabletop RPGs in software?<BR/><BR/>How can you?<BR/><BR/>They rely implicitly - unbreakably - on the GM.<BR/><BR/>Sometimes I've built little fragments of them - this is the combat engine or whatever - but you can't build a whole game that way.<BR/><BR/>Even if you could, the experience would be completely different. Hmm.Craig Perkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-46090913903117897712008-12-15T04:23:00.000-08:002008-12-15T04:23:00.000-08:00I agree that today's platforms are still very far ...I agree that today's platforms are still very far from providing an efficient and interesting development experience.<BR/><BR/>But even then, I'd ask you two questions:<BR/>1) What platform are you actually using to make the prototypes.<BR/>2) Did you ever make an honest attempt at doing *exactly* what you do on paper, on software? Even if it's not very enjoyable?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-72879604233910682602008-12-15T00:51:00.000-08:002008-12-15T00:51:00.000-08:00Haha, true. When you sum up all the negative aspec...Haha, true. When you sum up all the negative aspects of electronic games and the work involved it's incredible that someone even try to make them.<BR/><BR/>And in a few years they will be gone (or at least unplayed by most people).Erik Svedänghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12984091121271266222noreply@blogger.com