Chapter 203: Industry Discussion
The concept of metagaming from Undertale, originally developed by Alex, opened a new perspective for many game designers. This subsequently sparked a metagaming craze within the independent gaming community.
The second wave came with the release of Overcooked and Fall Guys, whose cooperative and variety show-style gameplay also inspired many designers. Later games like Dark Souls and It Takes Two also inspired many designers.
However, the lack of excellent cooperative games for two players and the fact that players are more receptive than expected to hardcore games led to a lack of references for gameplay and scenarios. This is because it requires a comprehensive approach, and many small studios and independent game design teams simply cannot afford the cost risk.
The appearance of Don't Starve and its sandbox gameplay has opened the eyes of many game designers. However, to date, no game designer has fully understood the core concept of Don't Starve or that of a sandbox game.
For example, does the key to the success of Don't Starve lie in its survival mechanics, its gathering and building elements, or perhaps in some other more subtle factor?.
However, it is undeniable that a game like Don't Starve is completely viable. This is due to a fundamental element: it was not a high-budget production. The artistic resources and the scale of the final product clearly indicate that it is a typical indie team game.
This small-scale production implies less time for trial and error. In addition, considering the general external framework, many designers believe that replicating the success of Don't Starve is much easier than that of Dark Souls.
The theme of Don't Starve is clear: it simulates a rich sandbox world and allows players to survive better in it. The only question is how to replicate this in other sandbox games.
In an industry forum, many renowned independent game designers, as well as second- and third-tier game developers, analyzed the strengths, weaknesses, and direction of Don't Starve.
"It seems that sandbox games are a very promising direction!".
"The Nebula games platform seems to be booming. According to the published sales figures, the first month's sales will be around 4 million, and this only refers to Nebula Games sales on a single platform!".
"Let's not talk about the Nebula games platform. It has absolutely nothing to do with us. Let's talk about the sandbox gameplay of Don't Starve."
"In fact, I think Don't Starve is a game with a fairly clear direction, that is, a clear objective combined with rich elements. Think about it: the main theme of Don't Starve is survival, and all the designs focus on this objective. Therefore, I believe that a sandbox game should have a relatively large map, with a central game theme, but without restricting the players."
"That's right, replace survival with something else; in fact, this principle is totally feasible. For example, if the game focuses on treasure hunting, the world is divided into various tombs. We do not restrict the direction in which players explore the tombs and add some randomness. This gives the feeling of being a kind of sandbox."
"That's right. The tech tree of Don't Starve could be completely replaced by a skill tree. Let's take, for example, a treasure-hunting sandbox game. Every time players find a new treasure, they can link it to a skill tree and learn new skills."
In the forums, various game designers debated the essence of sandbox games. Each designer had their own ideas.
In the Nebula Games room, Jane was also playing Don't Starve. Behind her, people like Lisa were watching. In this saved game, Jane had successfully survived for more than sixty days, and it was summer.
"Jane, your base is probably the largest in the entire company!".
"That's right, Jane, how long have you been working on it?".
...the people behind Jane asked.
There were all kinds of traps, framed pigsties, and boxes to store supplies. There were also countless rows of berry bushes and other crops. Numerous dog-tooth traps were placed at the entrance of the house. The entire house was surrounded by a grass wall.
"That won't work!" Jane asked with a smile.
While chatting with Lisa and the others, Jane was checking her dog-tooth traps. The hounds were about to attack her.
'But what could she do? She had so many dog-tooth traps.'.
But when the hounds appeared and she saw some red figures among them, Jane's expression changed. "Oh, no! I forgot to refill the fire extinguisher!".
"What happened? Didn't all the hounds die?". Lisa was in charge of the story mode and was unaware of the characteristics of the monsters. She hadn't even survived 20 days in the game, so Jane's behavior seemed strange to her.
But she understood it immediately.
After the red hounds died, a fireball appeared in their place. Then, as Jane's face sank, the fire began to spread. Pigsties, berry bushes, young trees... until the flames consumed two-thirds of the base. The burning buildings, the scorching flames, everything spoke of despair.
Lisa and the others who were behind her shook their heads. This tragic situation is, in fact, what most Don't Starve players have experienced.
Dying by accident is fine; after all, a single death is a single death, but the real tragedy is that the base is destroyed by an unforeseen event. This situation fully demonstrates what it means to live a life worse than death.
"I'm done, I'm tired...". Looking at the burning image on the screen, Jane silently pressed ALT+F4 to exit the game.
"This game is full of surprises, like life itself." Alex, who had just arrived at the rest area to rest, also witnessed Jane's mental breakdown and couldn't help but smile. It was a very philosophical statement, but everyone present rolled their eyes.
"By the way, Alex, many game designers in the industry have been talking lately about our game Don't Starve and the topic of sandbox games. It seems there's going to be a boom in sandbox games!", Eric said to Alex, reflecting on something.
"I've been following it, but their approach is a little off." Alex nodded and then shook his head.
"Are they wrong?". Alex's words piqued everyone's curiosity.
"What do you think is the essence of sandbox games?" Alex asked.
"Survival and freedom?".
"No, I think it's a balance between gathering and survival."
The group debated among themselves.
However, Alex did not wait for them to finish and continued: "Creation! That is the essence of sandbox games."
"Creativity, which in turn leads to exploration, is the essence of sandbox games. In short, it allows players to use the game's resources to create what they want and then use their creations to explore the vast world." Alex looked at the group and said: "From your previous perspective, the current discussions in the video game industry had their merits, but none were entirely correct. Instead, they tended to lean towards elements of both small and open-world games."
As for sandbox games, while Don't Starve offered players a fundamental objective: survival, its core concept revolved around the creation born of survival. Survival was simply a fundamental objective to prevent players from getting lost.
Hearing Alex's words, everyone seemed to understand a little, but not entirely.
"When we start developing the next game, you'll understand what I mean," Alex said with a smile.
"The next game?". Everyone was excited.
"Alex, so soon?". Jane and Lisa were shocked.
After all, Don't Starve had only been online for less than two weeks!.
"Compared to Don't Starve, the new game cycle will be longer. Our work in the first few months before the end of the year will focus on the new game. Of course, I'm only telling you this now. If you have any questions, please ask them at the meeting. Our main objective right now is to manage the Don't Starve mod and develop the subsequent DLC," Alex said.
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