Design Challenge: The Crate

[jillduffy]

Discuss the challenge and your solutions here for "Game Design Challenge: The Crate."

[ronnoc10]

A brick of Cocaine.

[Protector one]

I can't decide if this is a really easy challenge or a hard one...
Reading between the lines, it seems we simply have to think of sci-fi replacements for crates and throw in some non-sci-fi alts just in case the game isn't sci-fi.
What would make this hard is to think of something genuinely original. Sci-fi crates have been done to death already (see the Metroid Prime series for, ahem, prime examples).

Crates are used for storing, blocking, building, climbing, throwing, smashing, and more! The object needs to be versatile, movable, stackable, and stable when situated on the floor.

Well, this very much limits the shape of the 'crate'...
It is going to be hard to think outside of the box for this one.

[zenobuk]

I think this is a hard one... I really don't know where to start. The problem is 'sci-fi' is such an enormous context, as not to really be any context at all...

Imagine a slight variation "We're making a game based on a licence from the SciFi channel. We need something to use as a 'crate', but can't think what..."... What can you propose to that...??

I'm looking at the SciFi channel guide at the moment - we have Star Trek, The Lost World, Quantum Leap, Legion of Fire, Heroes, 3rd Rock From the Sun, many others that I've never watched... And for all of them, any kind of decent answer is going to be 100% dependent on the specifics of the IP. I could probably think of some plausible alternatives for each particular case - but think of something that could be plausible across all of them...???

Even closing in on particular cases is hard - something suitable for a Star Trek: Voyager setting would be different from something for Star Trek: Origins, for example...

[TG1]

hmmm, indeed a hard one.
I'm trying to start by thinking about sci-fi typical environments (planet surface, spaceship) and from there think about crate-like objects that fit into these environments.

[Protector one]

What's the 'little boxes' song?

I'm putting a glass crate in my list. Glass doesn't go out of style. Plus, the fragility adds a new dimension to the basic crate gameplay.

[Machaca8]

With a recent mod my team is working, I ran into this same challenge! We ended up leaving it for later since the basic design of the level was more pertinent at the time than the assets. But, yea... it's hard! It's hard to think "outside of the box" for this one especially because of their stack-ability. This takes shape into serious consideration.

I think Protector One is on a good track as well. Different materials are another thing to consider. By making a list of ten things, you can include more "typical designs" in case that's what their game calls for, but you can also include more "out there" designs and those are what might make or break your "pitch". If they said create TWO designs for this mysterious game, then you might be in trouble because your options are severely limited. Make sense? Maybe?

Anyway, I think this is an amazing design challenge. I like that it can incorporate artists very well.

[TG1]

Originally Posted by Protector one

What's the 'little boxes' song?

I'm putting a glass crate in my list. Glass doesn't go out of style. Plus, the fragility adds a new dimension to the basic crate gameplay.

http://www.ocap.ca/songs/littlbox.html

and to get back on topic - I'm thinking about small lego-like boxes that come in different shapes and sizes and can be used to build diffrent structures.

[jillduffy]

Originally Posted by Machaca8

By making a list of ten things, you can include more "typical designs" in case that's what their game calls for, but you can also include more "out there" designs and those are what might make or break your "pitch". If they said create TWO designs for this mysterious game, then you might be in trouble because your options are severely limited. Make sense? Maybe?

Yes! This challenge should remind you that game designers needs to have thousands of ideas, not just one or two good ideas.

The "Little Boxes" song has been in my head, too, because I've been watching the TV series Weeds on DVD (that's the theme song).

Okay, let's see some ideas that aren't made out of tickytacky!

[TG1]

OK, got one:
Cratos (lame joke/reference, I know) - a large creature native to the planet <some planet name> that retracts to it's shell when threatend, the shell is big enough to hide behind (or in, if it's not occupied)

(2 down, 8 more to go)