G’dday all you gaming people. Hope you’ve been having a good time playing and creating in Gamefroot land!
Good Games Set the Scene
First off I wanted to give you some tips to get your games looking really good. The first things that I notice when I first open a game are music and background. The Gamefroot editor offers a nice variety of backdrops and musical medleys (created by yours truly), so have a scan through and pick whichever best suits your theme. The music can be found in the music tab, and the background can be chosen within the level properties panel. 90% of games right now have the default backdrop… so get creative! Remember you can also upload your own backdrops and your own music, so don’t feel limited by what you see and hear in the engine.
Making a Point
The next thing to include right at the beginning of your game is a story point. Where are we, what are we doing, what’s the point of this game? Are we trying to rescue a kidnapped damsel? Have we awoken in a mysterious world and we need to unlock it’s mysteries, or are we just a sadist that likes to KILL EVERYTHING.
Whatever the plot is, including a story point will instantly lift the quality of your game and its playability. Just take a look at the New and Noteworthy game category on the home page; five out of six exhibit an opening plot line which draws into the story of the game and makes it not only more interesting and memorable, but more original.
So to recap, background, music, plot points.
The Accident by OskarThaGrouch
To exhibit this, I give you the first game review of the week, The accident by OskarThaGrouch. Straight away, what do we get? A plot point! Instantly I am more connected to the character and want to know if we will get out of this place…so we play on!
The game play is fairly simple with its main features being a nice use of switches that activate moving walls, as well as thematic use of background, characters and tiles. There is also a nice side quest of collecting six hidden coins as you go. You don’t need to do this to finish but it is an extra challenge if you are feeling up for it.
Music would be a really nice addition to this game, or ideally a sound scape style backdrop that conveys the mood of the area, but the re-occurring plot points keep you connected to the character and connected to the story so it isn’t that big of a deal. It is pretty easy to get to the end of this game, and it isn’t ground breaking by any means, but it takes you on a journey and that is what keeps you locked in. So do as OskarThaGrouch does… use story points!
rapheal55555 by rapheal55555
Lastly this week I want to mention a short but sweet game, rapheal55555 by…you guessed it, rapheal55555. Ok, so the name isn’t particularly creative, but let’s not be sticklers about this! This is a simple game involving reaching the end. It isn’t really challenging, apart from some lava hurdling near the end…but it is smart and clean with appropriate use of backdrop and players, and it has potential. So this is a little prod to rapheal55555 to keep it up because he’s got the important elements sussed. We will be watching!! 🙂
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So that’s that for this week. Next week I hope to see you guys ticking those three points off your list before you publish a game: have you thought about your music, your background, and your story?
See ya then!
Rayne Leafe and the Gamefroot team.