Daily Design is a series of game concepts devised daily through all of 2016. These are just basic concepts, designed based on three randomly generated words. Today, they are;
Debug, Murder and Steering.
As such, the game I’ve designed today is…
Wreck Ignition
Wreck Ignition is a demolition derby multiplayer game. It’s also set in 2040, which means your car is largely driven by a computer – one that can be hacked.
Put simply, the goal is to be the last car intact. Ignoring the hacking mechanic, the game is very straightforward – using typical car controls (triggers for accelerating and breaking, analogue sticks for steering, etc) players try to smash the opponent/s and avoid damage to themselves.
However, players can also fire hacking darts at one another. On a successful hit, the player is forced to solve a small randomly generated puzzle before they can remove the hack. Hacks start out annoying, but not devastating – however, the longer they’re left alone the worse the effect becomes.
For example, the initial hack may reduce speed or increase incoming damage. If left alone, it will not only increase these effects, but may even take complete control of your car and start driving it into walls.
Hacks can be fixed at any point, but in order to do so players have to stop driving their car while they solve a small puzzle. These puzzles are essentially “pipe puzzles”, as made famous by Pipe Mania, and more recently Bioshock. These are randomly generated and can be solved quickly by skilled players.
It’s a simple concept, but I like the idea of mixing light puzzle elements with simple destructive gameplay, and it’s an idea I’d like to develop further. Unfortunately I’m out of time today, and so…
That’s it! Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow with another quick game concept.
Rowan Ryder 