The concept of metagame in "Undertale" originally developed by Chen Xu opened up a new way of thinking for many game designers in the industry.
And after that, the independent game circle also burst out with a wave of meta-game craze.
The second time was when "Kitchen" and "Fall Bean Man" were launched. The cooperative and variety show-style gameplay also inspired many game designers.
But the subsequent "Dark Souls" and "Two for Two" also inspired many designers.
That is the lack of excellent two-player cooperative games, and the fact that players are more receptive to hardcore games than imagined.
But in terms of the gameplay and settings of the game itself, many game designers basically have no reference.
Because this is an improvement brought about by comprehensive quality, and at the same time, many small factories and independent game designer teams are completely unable to bear the cost risk.
And now the emergence of "Don't Starve" and the so-called sandbox game type of "Don't Starve" have made many game designers feel bright.
Although so far, all game designers have not fully understood the core concept of "Don't Starve" and the concept of sandbox games.
For example, the success of "Don't Starve" lies in the survival gameplay, the collection and construction gameplay in the game, or other invisible reasons.
But it is undeniable that games of this type are completely playable.
Because it has one of the most basic elements, that is, "Don't Starve" is not a big-budget production.
From the art resources of "Don't Starve" and the scale of the finished product, this is obviously a standard independent team game.
For small-scale production, this means that the cost of trial and error is small.
Moreover, from the overall external framework, many designers feel that replicating the success of "Don't Starve" is far easier than "Dark Souls".
Because the theme of the game "Don't Starve" is very clear, which is to simulate a sandbox world with rich content, and then allow players to better survive in this world.
The only question is how to do this in other sandbox games.
On a forum in the industry, many well-known independent game designers, as well as designers from some second- and third-tier manufacturers, discussed the advantages, disadvantages and direction of "Don't Starve".
“It feels like sandbox games are a very promising direction!”
"The Nebula gaming platform feels like it's getting better. Judging from the currently announced sales, the sales volume in the first month will probably be around 4 million, and this is just the sales of the Nebula gaming platform alone!"
"Don't talk about the Nebula gaming platform. It has nothing to do with us at all. Let's talk about the sandbox gameplay of "Don't Starve"."
"In fact, I feel that "Don't Starve" is a relatively clear direction, that is, clear goals combined with rich elements. Think about it, the main theme of "Don't Starve" is survival, and all designs are centered around 'survival' This is the goal, so I think a sandbox game should be a relatively large map with a core theme and gameplay, but without restricting players."
"Yes, if survival is replaced by something else, this law is actually completely feasible. For example, if the theme of the game is treasure hunting, the game world is divided into various tombs, and we do not limit the direction in which players can explore the tombs. Add some randomness and it feels like a sandbox."
"Yes, the technology tree in Don't Starve can be completely eliminated with the skill tree. For example, in a treasure-hunting sandbox game, every time the player finds a new treasure, the acquired treasure can be associated with the skill tree to learn new skills. Skills.”
In the forum, game designers from all walks of life are discussing what is the focus of sandbox games.
Each designer has his or her own corresponding ideas.
… … … … …
In the rest area of Nebula Games, Ruan Ningxue was also playing "Don't Starve", and behind her, people like Yang Xin and others were watching.
In this archive, Ruan Ningxue has lived successfully for more than sixty days, and the season is summer.
"Xiaoxue, your base should be the largest in the company!"
"That's right, sister Xue, how long have you had liver disease?"
The people standing behind Ruan Ningxue said.
Various traps, as well as framed pig houses, and boxes for storing supplies.
There are countless rows of berry bushes and other crops.
There are also many dog tooth traps placed at the entrance to the home.
The entire home is surrounded by grass walls.
"No way!" Ruan Ningxue's face was full of smile.
While chatting with Yang Xin and the others, Ruan Ningxue was also checking her dog tooth trap.
Because the hounds are about to attack her.
But so what? She has so many dog-tooth traps.
But when the hunting dogs appeared and saw several red figures among them, Ruan Ningxue's expression changed: "Damn it, I forgot to fill the fire extinguisher with fuel!"
"What's wrong? Aren't all the hunting dogs killed?" Yang Xin is in charge of the plot mode and doesn't know the characteristics of the monsters. Moreover, she has not survived 20 days in the game so far, so when she saw Ruan Ningxue's Acting strangely.
But she understood the next moment.
After the death of the red hound, a flame appeared on the spot.
Then, with Ruan Ningxue's ashen expression on her face, the fire began to spread.
Pig barns, berry bushes, saplings... until the fire engulfed two-thirds of the base.
The various burning buildings and the blazing flames show the word despair when viewed horizontally and vertically.
Yang Xin and others standing behind also shook their heads and sighed.
And this tragic situation is actually what most players in "Don't Starve" have experienced.
It's okay to die because of some accidents. After all, one death is enough for a hundred people. What's really tragic is that some accidents cause one's own base to be wiped out.
In this case, it fully demonstrates what life is worse than death.
"No more playing, I'm tired..." Looking at the still burning picture on the screen, Ruan Ningxue silently used ait+f4 to exit the game.
"This game is always full of surprises, just like life." Chen Xu, who had just arrived at the rest area to take a break, also saw the whole process of Ruan Ningxue's mental collapse and couldn't help but smile.
It was a very philosophical sentence, but everyone present rolled their eyes.
"By the way, Mr. Chen, many game designers in the industry have recently been discussing our "Don't Starve" and the topic of sandbox games. I feel that there will be a huge explosion of sandbox games in the future!" What did Qin Yi think of? , said towards Chen Xu.
"I've been paying attention, but their focus is a little distorted." Chen Xu nodded, but shook his head.
"Is the point wrong?" After hearing Chen Xu's words, everyone showed curious expressions.
"What do you think is the core point of sandbox games?" Chen Xu asked.
"Survival and freedom?"
"No, it feels like collecting and survival should be equally important."
Everyone was discussing among themselves.
However, Chen Xu did not wait for them to summarize, and continued to answer directly: "Creation! This is the core of sandbox games."
“Creativity, which leads to exploration, is the core gameplay of sandbox games. Simply put, it allows players to use the materials provided by the game to create what they want, and then use what they create to explore a wider world. ." Chen Xu said while looking at everyone.
From the perspective of Chen Xu's previous life, the current discussions in the game industry actually make sense, but they are not entirely correct.
Instead, it is more partial to the two elements of the box garden game and the open world game. As for the sandbox game, although "Don't Starve" gives players a strong goal of survival, its core concept does revolve around the creation of survival.
Survival is just a strong goal to keep players from getting confused.
Listening to Chen Xu's words, everyone looked like they understood a little but not completely.
"When the next game is developed, you will understand what I mean." Chen Xu said with a smile.
Next game
Everyone was excited.
"Mr. Chen, is it so fast?" Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin were both shocked.
After all, "Don't Starve" has only been online for less than two weeks!
"Compared to "Don't Starve", the new game cycle will be longer. In the first few months, our work will be focused on new games. Of course, I am just telling you now. If you have any questions, you can ask them at the meeting. At present Our main job is to operate the mod of "Don't Starve" well and develop the subsequent DLC at the same time," said Chen Xu.