Phase 2: Research
So now I have a good understanding of the rules and expectations. I did a draw through the system for my three games and as you can see, the spread was… interesting. I make a point of pulling up the manual from all three over on the Wayback Machine. I also go out of my way to find a few people doing game play and reviews on Youtube. Once I have everything pulled up, I sit down with a piece of paper and start making notes.
In last year’s competition, I was somewhat new to Shadowdark, so I also downloaded their free resources to study along with numerous related materials to make sure I understood exactly what the system was about and how it worked. Having an actual copy of the full book goes a long way to making sure you can do short-hand references and save a lot of space when needed.
Ikari Warriors
Unlike the typical side-scroller, this game is played by moving from the bottom of the screen towards the top. Your ‘Rambo’ character crashes a plane into a jungle full of … um… ninjas? Supposedly you are on a secret mission to invade that nation. Nothing says secretive like a muscle-bound action hero shooting his way across an entire country with guns, tanks, and helicopters after crashing a massive military plane into the border.
The game booklet isn’t super helpful since it mostly talks about how to use the different weapons and terrain. Still, I see some things and will get back to those later. Watching game play, I have a few things catch my eye. A few things catch my eye. ABBA is a command you end up using constantly to revive. The game is pretty glitchy at times, spawning you into rocks or otherwise locking you. Everything seems to explode. Enemies look like they dance as they die. (Linkara: Dancing Ninjas!) Yellow and green pipes play a big role in one level. One of the bosses is just a corpse at a desk that doesn’t fight back. In the same room with that boss is a secret stairway. Land mines proliferate.
Some other random notes I jot down include; purple enemies, and Ikari means angry. In the margin, I jot an image down from one of the weird boss-enemies that is a sort of robotic wall skull. Okay, looks like I have a bit to work with here. On to the next.
Joe and Mac
Congratulations, you are now a caveman. A traditional side-scroller with mostly just throwing things at enemies. Your character is friends with another caveman for 2 player, but apparently is largely hostile to other cave folk. Your village is ransacked while you are away and now you need to get things like the berry juice and cavewomen back.
The booklet offers some of the standards like a short backstory or how to use the controls. One interesting element here is it keeps offering prehistoric facts in blue sidebars. Five levels, ten total area types, and a big boss at the end of every set. We get a list of different collectables (weapons) and I make note that one of them is fire. Strangely the ultimate weapon is the wheel, but you can accidentally downgrade by touching something else. Enemies tend to get recycled so several bosses are the exact same head in different colors.
I make a few very special notes. Some items are found in eggs. One of the levels is inside a dinosaur’s body. The final boss of that body is a devil (of all things). Okay, I have a pretty good idea of what I am working with for this game. On to the next.
Ducktales
One of the better platformers of the time, you play as Scrooge and while it might have been easy to just make it a generic shooter where he’s throwing coins or something, they did better. They spent time to understand the character. I am not sure where the pogo comes from, but clearly it is just an excuse to let him jump higher. He also does a golfing swing with his cane. Scoring is all about treasure hunting rather than active kill counting.
There’s a diversity of level designs in the 5 areas. A broad range of monster types. Killer plants, skeletons, and yeti are all options here. There are a ton of treasures to find, with 5 legendary treasures as well. Diamonds come in two colors, there are magic coins, and of course the Coin of the Lost Realm. Spike logs and bolder traps get noted. I also make special note of the teleportation mirrors for transportation methods.
Shadowdark
I already did the research here, but you will find some common things showing up. Many supplements will include a new race or new profession/class. The most popular ones will include some new enemies you might add to other games. I’ve not found one yet that didn’t include either a loot table or new item (often both). Several make good use of random tables to create a dynamic mapping situation for areas where a traditional map isn’t required.
The resource management for light is vital to play. Some extra tables for things to allow quick creation of NPCs or other things go a long way too. The aesthetics are simple and clean.
General NES
Game books of the era sometimes feel like they included items just to cover a page count. An entire page of a 10 page book might be nothing but a single bland art piece. Many have amazing artwork on the cover with very little visually in common with the game. They evoke an idea so when you get to the more simple 8-bit graphics, your mind fills in the details. No matter what the game was, it often is a matter of up, down, side to side, and shoot. Maybe jump. Color contrast plays a big part in a lot of the games. When you’re working with a limited palette, best to be clear.
However clean the pages were back then, surviving copies are worn. Many times you can see print from a opposite page through into the next. You get an introduction to the concept in a paragraph or two and a quick rundown of controls. Sometimes they explain enemies. Sometimes they explain weapons/tools. Usually they give you an idea of the areas of the game. Many offer hints!
Other things I note to myself are how the tiny print indicates NES-<Abbreviation for Game Title>-<Abbreviation of the Country of Origin>. So in Ikari Warriors made in the US is listed NES-IW-USA. This might be something small to put in there later that doesn’t use much space and adds to the vibe.
Conclusions
Research phase is about jotting down everything that catches your eye. Locations, enemies, items, concepts. If it at all is interesting, make a note. You won’t be able to use most of it, but some of it will be golden. Also, you will start to notice overlaps in your titles. Colors, locations, effects, etc. Overlap points can be very useful in conveying your inspiration later. I had several elements in mine overlap. All three had a jungle level. Two involved fire/explosions. Two involved skeleton monsters. Things like this can be valuable in the next phase. Next post will be all about getting ideas and starting to work out some options. It will not be restricted by the space allowed for actually making the game.
Narrowing things down happens later. More importantly, if you get really inspired you can always do an expanded edition. I did an expanded edition for my entry last year and was quite happy with it. The game jam edition is always free, but if someone really liked it or just wanted more, the expanded edition is a decent little book for a reasonable price. This might be your chance to start doing what you love for a side-hustle! Some former jam entry creators went on to be successful game designers as a primary activity.
