Thronefall
A minimalist strategy game about defending a kingdom.
Where Thronefall comes up2 episodes and tests
GMark Brown is the creator of Game Maker's Toolkit; Luke Muscat is the designer of Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride and Feed the Deep testWhat's the Point of Prototyping?
Gcreator of Game Maker's Toolkit, with the designer of Islanders and Thronefall testHow to find amazing game ideasThronefall, a minimalist kingdom defense game, began as a power fantasy of building and defending a tiny kingdom, then used prototypes to compare art styles and camera angles, not only gameplay. The sources give no sales or player numbers. The lesson: start from the fantasy you want players to live, and prototype art and camera early.
- 1Pick one fantasyBuilding and defending a tiny kingdom
- 2Let design followDecide the role the player inhabits
- 3Prototype gameplayTest how the game plays
- 4Prototype art and cameraSeparate prototypes, not only gameplay
From Jonas Tyroller on Thronefall
What was said about Thronefall
Thronefall's team prototyped art styles and camera angles, not only gameplay. The team built gameplay prototypes and also separate prototypes made only to test art styles and camera angles. A prototype can answer almost any question about a game, not just how it plays.
The same source points to Pixar, which often makes a whole film as a rough comic book animatic with stand-in voices to check the story before any 3D model exists.
Thronefall started from one fantasy: building and defending a tiny kingdom. The design began as the power fantasy of building and defending a tiny kingdom. Jonas Tyroller is cited as the source for this origin, and the approach is to decide what role the player inhabits and let the rest of the design follow.
The comparison given is FTL, whose makers wanted players to feel like Captain Picard yelling at engineers to get the shields back online.
What's the Point of Prototyping?
Its makers built prototypes only to compare art styles and camera angles, not just gameplay.
Thronefall's team prototyped art styles and camera angles, not only gameplay. The team built gameplay prototypes and also separate prototypes made only to test art styles and camera angles. A prototype can answer almost any question about a game, not just how it plays.
The same source points to Pixar, which often makes a whole film as a rough comic book animatic with stand-in voices to check the story before any 3D model exists.
How to find amazing game ideas
It began as the power fantasy of building and defending a tiny kingdom.
Thronefall started from one fantasy: building and defending a tiny kingdom. The design began as the power fantasy of building and defending a tiny kingdom. Jonas Tyroller is cited as the source for this origin, and the approach is to decide what role the player inhabits and let the rest of the design follow.
The comparison given is FTL, whose makers wanted players to feel like Captain Picard yelling at engineers to get the shields back online.
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