September 2005 marks the beginning of a new column in the Adellion website. It is a look behind the scenes and sometimes behind the thoughts of the developers who are trying to make a new kind of game for you to play.
Every few weeks I will present in this column some interesting tidbit of Adellion life. Sometimes it will be a discussion of some new thing we are working on, other times it will be a glimpse into some of the reasoning behind a decision.
And there are lots of little things to look at, and lots of things to reason about. Adellion is a vast playground of new ideas, with a basis far different than most of the games you are used to playing. Even simple decisions are not so simple in Adellion, where the goals are different than in other games. You see, our target audience is not the majority of game players on the planet; in fact, it is intended for a select minority. It does not cater to the whims of the latest hot technology, or the latest style of presentation. It is grounded in a realistic representation of a world much like our own, at a time, which we have moved through in our evolution.
It is a world that was possible, but not one we ever really saw.
Thinking about that issue, the issue of possibility, is what I would like to cover in this inaugural column.
Adellion walks a fine line, a line that is hotly debated almost constantly during its development. That fine line can be summarized with the question, “Where does reality become boring?” Adellion is mainly about realism. It is about role-play, which can be fun in greater or smaller doses for different people.
Role-play can teach you a great deal about the world, other people, and the consequences of your actions. It can let you experiment with life and its choices. For some, it can be therapeutic, allowing the release of stress. Occasionally, it can take you to places where you, as a rational, thinking member of society, would never willingly venture and show you the consequences of your actions both short and long term.
Most games concentrate on identifying what is “fun” and trying to give the player a giant dose of it. I, personally applaud such games when they work. However, not all games are intended for just that goal - despite the hype you hear coming out of numerous game magazines.
Some games such as chess, crossword puzzles, sudoku, adventure games, challenge our minds to think, to reason, and to plan, and we derive enjoyment from the accomplishment that goes with mastery of a new skill. That same pleasure goes with mastery of a sport, or craftsmanlike pleasure in a job well done.
Simulations games can convey meaningful information to us – how to fly an aircraft, drive a racecar, or pilot a tank.
Some games, like the Sims, even let us experiment with current social relationships.
Adellion, as I mentioned above, is about role-play. You assume a role, be it baker, or miller, or blacksmith, or town constable and you play it to the best of your ability – just as if you were in that time period and that person. Satisfaction is gained from mastery of the role, becoming a successful baker, a successful miller, etc.
Some people want to see the satisfaction they get from Adellion come from the same actions as they perform in a different game. They want to control play in Adellion the same way as they control action in World of Warcraft, or Halo, or Half-Life 2. Some people want to explore as they do in Myst or Syberia. Some people want Adellion to be a 3D version of the Sims, or Civilization, or Diablo II. Some even see it as an extension of another role-play game they may have tried in the past, such as Morrowind.
Bringing such expectations to Adellion is probably natural, but just as playing Doom 3 is not the same as playing Madden Football, playing Adellion is not intended to be like playing any other game.
In the coming weeks I hope to share not only what we are doing to make the game world, but also to help you see how it can and should be played.
And that is what this column is about. It is about opening your minds to the idea of a whole different kind of game, new ways to play, and to let you taste the possibility of a new form of entertainment.
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