300 Game Mechanics
A collection of concepts or conceits that Sean Howard thinks it would be interesting to see appear in games (link).
Information Complexity & Adventure Games
“Adventure games, at their core, are about solving puzzles. The fun lies in figuring out how the pieces fit together, not going through mind-numbing tedium to figure out where the pieces are. As adventure games ascend to higher resolutions and more complex, realistic environments, players have to spend more time figuring out what their tools are rather than actually using them to play the game.
Of course, all this isn’t to say visuals are bad; it’s rather that today’s adventure game developers don’t usually understand the difference between making an adventure game that’s just pretty and one that’s fun to play.”
Rage FPS
A demo of id software‘s next-generation (idTech5) game engine
Capture the Map
Capture the map is a two player strategic game based on the Google search engine. The idea is to capture the world with the geographical spread of Google search results.
Zork History
Matt Barton has written an article on the history of Zork through the ages over at Gamasutra. Read about the its creation and the influence it has had into the present day.
Also, check out Tim Anderson’s “History of Zork” article. Anderson, a Zork co-creator, goes into more detail about the specifics of the creation of the original game and the trilogy based on it.
If your interested in learning more about Infocom, the company that made Zork, read this excellent history/analysis of the rise and fall of one of the iconoclastic games companies ever to exist here.
Game Developer Business Models
“With companies like Westwood’s Turbine Inc., Lexington’s Blue Fang Games LLC and even Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios LLC in Maynard generating attention for their entertainment-based games, New England is developing a reputation as a hot spot in the gaming industry.
But just below the surface of the multibillion-dollar game technology industry lies a group of [New England] entrepreneurs working with similar technologies and ideas, but different goals. Instead of entertainment, these entrepreneurs want to apply game technologies to ‘serious’ industries such as training, product testing and education.”
Links to New England game companies mentioned in the article
Cube 2: Sauerbraten
A free, open source multiplayer/singleplayer first person shooter much like the original Cube game engine. Allows dynamic in-game map/geometry editing in single user and collaborative “coop edit” mode.
Scorched 3D
Scorched 3D is a game based on the classic DOS game Scorched Earth. Set in a 3D island environment and offering LAN and internet play, Scorched 3D is totally free and is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems.
