I want to make a Collect-a-thon game, for kids, in which you have to collect magical artifacts but also you have an inventory, in which weapons and health power-ups are stored. Do you think these two things work together? The magical artifacts are not to be traded or used, but the weapons (just laser weapons, there will be no blood in the game) and the medikits will be in a different category, shown as a simple interface, just like in Family Guy Back to the Multiverse or Tomb Raider Legend. What do you think about this combination? Does it make the game too complicated? I'd appreciate your advice.
Do they work together?
Collection games appeal to some people.
If you go with a design where one is usable and the other is not, I think you will do better keeping the collection items separate from regular inventory items. Players should have clear differences between what they can use and what they cannot. Otherwise the story around a collection game can work or not is all up to implementation details.
If the player is going to find laser weapons and health power-ups useful I understand it's going to be a first person shooter, albeit probably combat light.
How are you going to make collecting stuff interesting and challenging in such a context? Combat with guardians? Environmental hazards? Large-scale exploration? Small-scale searching? Puzzles that make catching already found items difficult? There are probably going to be other types of useful items.
On the other hand the collected magical artifacts don't necessarily need to be treated as inventory: as Frob recommends they shouldn't get in the way when the player interacts with the “real” inventory, but even a segregated inventory for them makes sense only if they allow interaction, such as leaving objects behind (e.g. to avoid bringing iron artifacts near powerful magnets) or altering or combining objects (e.g to turn redundant items into needed ones), Otherwise the collection is a read-only scoreboard, and the only user interface it needs is a clear indication of what still needs to be collected.
LorenzoGatti said:
If the player is going to find laser weapons and health power-ups useful I understand it's going to be a first person shooter
Why? There are plenty of other genres doing this - it could be a turn based game for that matter.
Moko said:
have to collect magical artifacts but also you have an inventory, in which weapons and health power-ups are stored. Do you think these two things work together?
Obviously, magical artefacts are highly dangerous and should be stored safely in a big wooden chest ?
SuperVGA said:
LorenzoGatti said:
If the player is going to find laser weapons and health power-ups useful I understand it's going to be a first person shooterWhy? There are plenty of other genres doing this - it could be a turn based game for that matter.
Well, it is certainly possible, but the free movement and limited field of view of FPS-like 3D interaction are very useful in a game where the player has to look for things.
Compare the limited and relatively easy and boring discrete searching and collecting that is possible in roguelike games (seeing all map tiles because they can contain something, inspecting individual wall sections for secret passages…) with finding and reaching stars in Super Mario 64.
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