Game checklist

On Pranab’s site

Jan 24, 2025 (IST)

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  1. Main
    1. Multiplayer
    2. Beginner friendly
    3. Free
    4. Open sauce
  2. Additional
    1. Co-operative play
    2. Directional movement
    3. Non-action/combat games
  3. Playable lobby
    1. 2D movement
    2. Top-down
    3. LAN multiplayer
    4. Minigames
    5. Mobile friendly
    6. Web technologies
    7. Storage space efficient
    8. “Pretty”
    9. Trial round
    10. In-game wiki
    11. Interactive tutorial
    12. Show controls

Things that would make an ideal game for me.

Main🔗

Multiplayer🔗

I’ve had the most fun with multiplayer games. Most of the singleplayer games I’ve played have also been shared experiences. We used to play games on the same computer, and even now we play some games on each others computers, and we watch each other and discuss the game.

Beginner friendly🔗

I want to play for fun with friends, and I want to make it accessible for everyone.

Free🔗

I can’t expect everyone to purchase a game. Especially when I’m generally broke myself.

Open sauce🔗

Sounds like a good way to build a community, in my opinion. Allows people to play with the internals and make the game their own.

Additional🔗

I also have some smaller points that are mostly derived from the above.

Co-operative play🔗

Beginners will not have fun if they’re pitted against higher-skilled players.

This can also be mixed in with PvP in the form of team-based games, including battle-royales1.

1

See the point on LAN multiplayer, though.

Directional movement🔗

Directly controlling a character is more immersive. I think it creates a link between you and the character, and makes you a part of the world, instead of ruling over it with clicks and drags.

Non-action/combat games🔗

“Action”2 games are unintuitive for some people, and can make them immediately lose interest.

Combat games like shooters are also unappealing to some.

Alternatives include:

One point in favour of “action”2 games is that they provide a consistent and repeatable interface that can be used in a large variety of contexts.

2

action games in the sense of controlling a character directly and making it take actions in the world.

Playable lobby🔗

The waiting room should be a fully playable space.

This way people can do something other than staring at a menu while they wait for each other.

You can also put gameplay tips and a tutorial area there so that all players can brush up on the mechanics, and experienced players can guide beginners through.

2D movement🔗

Have you ever yelled at someone to “look left”, then “right!”, then “wait! stop! now slowly turn left!”?

Even if the graphics are 3D, as long as movement is 2D, it means that directions will always have the same meaning.

This contributes to being beginner friendly.

Top-down🔗

We navigate in the physical world and 3D games using discrete floors.

Additionally, movement in all directions remains consistent. In a platformer game, jump is much more complex than simply moving in a given direction in a top-down game.

This also contributes to being beginner friendly.

LAN multiplayer🔗

When I play with friends, I’m often hanging out with them, and it’s nice to see and hear reactions in person.

Also, online multiplayer means servers, although peer-to-peer might help reduce costs.

Minigames🔗

They’re fun! They add some variety and extra depth to the game.

Mobile friendly🔗

It’s just easier to get started, and people carry phones everywhere.

Web technologies🔗

It’s the easiest way to support several devices, and distributing iOS apps is really tough.

Could collaborate with iOS users, if they have a Mac, and you’re working on a game that needs it, such as something with 3D or higher graphics.

Storage space efficient🔗

This is a part of making games accessible to more people, because download sizes for games these days are huge, which can make people reluctant to download it, or even unable to, because of unavailable space.

This can be achieved with pixel art, simple 2D art, or low poly 3D art.

“Pretty”🔗

Aesthetics matter to people, and they likely won’t try something if it doesn’t at least look interesting.

Trial round🔗

If making a party game or something with lots of minigames, have a way to run a trial round to experience a round of each minigame.

In-game wiki🔗

Information about game systems should be available in the game.

Preferably with images and animations. These can be made with in-game assets, and could even be made interactable!

In a top-down 2D game, this could even be written on the floor, and the player could move around or use buttons in the game-world to change what they’re viewing.

Interactive tutorial🔗

Don’t force a tutorial where control is taken away from the player.

In a 2D game, you can achieve this by having tutorial text and images on the floor or wall.

You can also use “holographs” that depict a character or player taking a specific path, performing some actions, or using various controls.

Show controls🔗

Show the available controls to the player.

on desktop, show the keys and mouse actions in a corner.

on mobile, make the buttons have the expected icons.