This week the doodles have created a direct link between the two halves of this blog - art and gaming. In fact, it's nice to have a reason to think about the link between the two, but I suspect this won't be exactly what most people think of when relating art to games.
Despite all the wonderful visuals like environments and characters in games, one of the most creative aspects to me is game design. This is ultimately where the mechanical systems of the game are fused with its aesthetic and narrative to create something that not only makes sense, but is fun to play. It's one thing to have a great artist do the visuals, or a smart programmer to write the code; but tying the two together in a meaningful way isn't as easy as it seems.
I say that because it's obvious when a game has above average design, as everything makes sense in a cohesive set of systems. Most of the time it's not noticeable, because nothing really stands out and we're used to how games are supposed to feel and play. It only really shows up when a game excels at something in particular.
Which brings me to the odd doodles in this post, as they are a direct result of playing way too much of the game Factorio lately. The game is pretty straight forward on paper: it's like Sim City, only you're building a factory instead. As you build more machines and automated production lines, you unlock more complex chains and materials to develop. Sounds pretty boring on paper, but in practice there's something incredibly compelling about how the game is designed, which has me obsessed.
The only thing that's relevant right now is that in the game you eventually need to transport large amounts of goods across great distances. One of the systems in the game is a logical railway element that lets you build complex networks to transport everything to its correct location.
It didn't take long before my initial railroad became a web of tracks across the landscape, with multiple trains sharing tracks to reach their destination. At this point, a simple logic system of signals can be implemented to stop trains running blindly into each other as they hurtle down the same track.
On a small scale, the logic system is quite straight forward and goes a little like this: IF there's a train on the track ahead of me THEN stop at the junction until the track is clear ELSE continue along the track to the next signal. Makes sense in a straight line, but what of a more complex system where trains are sharing track in both directions and multiple junctions means that there are multiple points where two trains might end up on the same path.
Hence, I began doodling basic signal problems that I was having on my own network. The level of complexity can quickly spin out of control as I needed to chain signals together so that a signal would go red if there was another train further along the system, which might be many junctions away, but on the same route.
Check out the Factorio post for more details on the game itself, as it's really quite incredible for a little sandbox game, but for now let's get back to creativity (thanks to railway logic).
While I learned how to control my railway system and eventually manufactured an elegant network of basic logic, I had many moments akin to creative epiphanies. It's rare to feel really inspired by a game with such mechanical systems, but I've only mentioned trains and there's a list as long as my arm of systems to figure out.
I think of it as a bit problem solving puzzle, which has a scope beyond my own comprehension, even though I'm ultimately in control of everything. Perhaps if I concentrated more, I'd have a more elegant system in the end, but I play games for fun so tried to keep the maths out of it. Thanks to the overall design of the game's systems, I'm still making progress and having many eureka moments when something I've created works.
The design in a game might not be so obvious, as Factorio doesn't rely on graphics (even though it looks fine) to get its point across; instead leaning heavily on systems. However, the design of those systems is elegant, as you are given enough tools to accomplish complex goals, but only as many as you need. I think this is key to my enjoyment of figuring out systems like logic networks in the game, as I never feel like there are too many options to understand, while having everything I need available to me.
It's a nice thing to see happen within a medium that often does so much to divert your attention and suck you into some other conceit. I liken it to watching a movie and noticing how beautiful the cinematography is - for a moment you're taken out of the drama on screen, but the pleasure centres in your brain are sparking for recognising something beautiful.
Or maybe that's just me… nice design really does make me happy. Even if it's mechanical logic and IF statements.