We all do it at some point or another. We get an idea for a game, and go into an area that we are unfamiliar with. So what does that entail? You must do research! Here, in this topic, I'd like you guys to talk about what kind of work goes into your game and what kind of research you had to do.

For Arcadia Mania, the most important aspect I have to always do is regularly go to the arcade. I have to constantly remind myself how it feels to step in the arcade with all those flashing lights, sounds, and even smells. How do the arcade boards FEEL? What kind of noises do they make? What kind of sound system and rumble setting do they have, and does it all immerse me in it? What kind of controls do I need?

My goal is to bring the arcade home. In order to accomplish this goal, I have to know what an arcade IS.

It sounds crazy, but it completely works.

And there are benefits as well. First, my motivation for the project never seems to end. I can feel like I don't want to work on it right now, but I still have the desire to make it. And secondly, regularly visiting the arcade has given me new ideas for my game. For example, very rarely when I visit an arcade, the game has already been paid for. So, in my game making, I had the idea to very rarely have arcades hand out free tokens from people who left them behind.

A different game I made, Usuru, also had a lot of research done to it. I have a folder that has papers and charts for all the different characters, when they appear, what powers they have, etc. plus full chapter listings and weapon details. I also have a tape which has audio commentary for everything in the story, which really came in handy when creating the game.

Alright, enough about me, what about you?

I do some reason when I come up with an idea. First, I see if it's feasible. If it's not possible to finish, it's probably not worth looking into further. Next I look at competition. If the game has already been done, it's probably not worth making. However, if significant upgrades would be appreciated, it might be worth it. After that I take a look at the market. If so few people would be able to appreciate the game, I probably won't bother either (I'd rather find a bigger market to please).

If all of those tests pass, I start my actual work (which can still lead to more research, even in the above areas). There's also game-specific research to be made. If I was making a farming game, I'd sure wanna know how long it takes potatoes to mature.

Minority Blues demands research of the 90's.

I have a notebook with all my game ideas in it. Some games just have a title and a paragraph to describe them, others have ability charts, items, etc.

I usually don't write things I expect to remember because that would waste my time, but I do write ideas as they come to me and then assign them to a game idea.

Sometimes I research how I will do something by creating a basic prototype to get a feel for what is possible, likely. I just did that today for a class system on a game that is way down the road. I recorded that in the notebook, but it is basic.

I do outside research on rare occasion to find out facts, etc. In my last game, I looked online at wikipedia to find out some facts relevant to the environments to keep it real. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to research the game externally too much.

i had to research aspects of sailing and ship information. ive searched for time travel, regret, religion, mythology, and a whole ton of other topics.


its important to know what it is your trying to convey by having at least a basic understanding of the topic. if you go in without a clue you may make a significant blunder that someone with more background knowledge will see. to be a credible creator you must appear to grasp the concepts, settings, and totality of your project.

I had to figure out what Japanese swordfighting style would support both katanas and shuriken.

I also found out what the technical term for a map-maker was (cartographer), but it seemed like a word many people would be forced to look up if I put into the game, so I decided to stick with "map-maker".

Huh. Not as much research as I originally thought. I figured there would be other people like me who go out and actively research things for their games. Because all of my projects have been very research-heavy.

At the very least, research is fun. That is of course, if you count buying arcade complilations to learn about arcade games that you haven't played before.

What that means is, I recently bought a namco collection so I could learn about games I've only heard of (like Galaga; I hear about it all the time but never played it till now). And to re-introduce myself to Pac-man, which I haven't played in a long time.

Nope. No research. My game doesn't need it.

Cartographer is a pretty not-that-obscure-at-all word around here...

Also, for the style, it's gotta be something obscure. Ninjutsu is not that keen on swords at all and Kobujutsu is too ghetto to have katanas, while Kenjutsu is too first-class to use shuriken.
But thinking in styles is too damn annoying. What stops a guy with a katana to carry shuriken around? Or vice-versa. Nothing stops you from putting "self-taught style" in that paragraph in the character bio... or, if all else fails, "jeet kune do" =3

Actually, kenjutsu happens to be the best term I could find.

kenjutsu translates to SWORD Technique. Not Sword and shuriken technique. I'm on to your games.

I look things up from time to time, but I don't really research.

Actually I think the confusion came from a Wiki article mentioning "shurikenjutsu" and there also being a "kenjutsu", I figured they were related.

You know Kendo? The guys in padded armor fighting using bamboo or wooden swords? Pretty popular around the world as a sport. It translated roughly as "art of the sword".

Kenjutsu, on the other hand, translates something like "swordfighting" and involves real swords and injuries and is not a sport. It's pretty much the proper name of "samurai sword fighting".

"Shurikenjutsu" would translate as "shuriken fighting", which I seriously doubt is a school in itself and is probably a part of a more complete style, Ninjutsu being the obvious guess.

=]

Edit: Haha! I was right, according to Wikipedia.


This also goes to show that a "style" is a terribly weird and contrived term. In the example, you see that the seemingly innocent Ninjutsu included in its teachings variations of a lot of different styles, that are in themselves styles and also feature variations of other styles within their schools and...

Nevermind. Dray, you're better off just saying your character fights with a katana and knows how to throw shuriken, because that's pretty much how it works.
Not that you're asking for an opinion, but okay =x

That brings up a good point. If you have to research it to put it in your game, there's a good chance most people would have to research it to know you goofed. Most people won't do research like that... it's how myths get passed around.

The heck? Okay, what article did you get that from, 'cause I'm doing a word search for "kenjutsu" in a shuriken article and it's only finding "shurikenjutsu". If what you quoted is correct, then I should be fine saying "kenjutsu", because the character in my game is in fact using real swords.

And the quote from my game is "I understand you practice in the art of kenjutsu. I ordered something for you that should go well with the style." Or something like that. So it was necessary to find the name of a proper fighting style, just for that line.

You'll be fine using Kenjutsu as long as he's using a Katana Read the first paragraph.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenjutsu

"I understand you practice in the art of kenjutsu" is pretty much the same things as saying "I understand you use a sword", and that's pretty generic, and safe =]

"I've heard about your fighting style. I ordered something for you that should compliment it nicely."

"I've heard about your techniques. I ordered something that might come in handy."

"I understand you have an interesting style. I ordered something that may be of some use."

Come on, now we're just b*tching about his game.