Category: Making an Entrance

  • Making an Entrance  Part 4: Implementation

    Making an Entrance
    Part 4: Implementation

    Unlike other elements of my introduction, the implementation doesn’t care about hooking players into the game, or layering future themes, or even being pretty. It just needs to work. When I say “implementation”, I’m referring to what drives how players interact with the game — what runs the game in the background? I could use the word “code” instead of…

  • Making an Entrance  Part 3: The Visuals

    Making an Entrance
    Part 3: The Visuals

    Much like the other elements of the introduction, the visual style has to grab players. Sure, they’re coming to the game after being exposed to screenshots or trailers, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stick around if they don’t get hooked. The art needs to have a spark that previews the best parts of rest of the game. Inspiration…

  • Making an Entrance  Part 2: The Design

    Making an Entrance
    Part 2: The Design

    Creating an intro sequence needs writing, design, art, and code. A few weeks ago I outlined the importance of setting mood, foreshadowing themes, and hooking players with the writing. I brushed over the game design, but that’s equally vital to a good player experience. Teach Me! There are similarities between introductions in books, plays, films, and games…

  • Making an Entrance  Part 1: The Writing

    Making an Entrance
    Part 1: The Writing

    I enjoyed the Crafting the Map Screen feature because it gave a thorough look at making the game: a combination of art, design, and code required for even a simple feature. Similarly, my game’s intro sequence needs art, design, and code. But it also has one more element: writing. I’ll break down each of these aspects in their own posts. For this first part,…