Design and Realisation - Early Inspiration Part 1, City Builders

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As spoken about in the previous entry, I am looking to create a game with various interactive UI elements that will showcase what I can do.

There is a genre of strategy games that I adore called Management Sims. And/or Resource Management games. I love these to bits. Some of them are nice and relaxing, some of them are challenging, some offer hours of replayability, and some of them pressure you to deadlines that force you to learn the mechanics of the game and quick.

Typically, a lot of these games cover a very broad idea. Take the old school Sim City.
Wow. How far we have come. Sim City Classic, 1989.
City building is a type of management sim. A very popular one, as a matter of fact. With the recent Sim city release, it's also become a target for indie developers, releasing Cities Skylines and Banished. These games are typically slow paced, relaxing, and yet fun, with goals to create a thriving metropolis and watch your own creation come to life. Or be set on fire, invaded by aliens, nuclear fallout, Sim City 3000 was pretty crazy.

I do enjoy these games but given only a year and an extremely limited knowledge of programming, plus the fact we have to always be searching for a unique aspect that will set our game apart from the rest, I won't go too into detail about city builders. It's a very good option to consider however.

Banished (Shining Rock Software LLC, PC, 2014)


Somewhat similar but unlike Sim City or Cities Skylines is a recent indie gem titled Banished. 
I really would urge people to try this game out! Banished, 2014
Similar to the previous games, Banished is all about city building, but with a small survival twist. A small twist that makes this game rather unique. It adds a huge challenge. Suddenly, instead of trying to build more casinos so that you can attract tourists in your huge nightlife district, you're trying to cut more wood and forage for medicines for the disease currently running rampant through your village. Yes, you are still ultimately trying to build your population whilst seeing to the needs of your people, but this game will throw more curve balls at you that require pre-planning, such as Seasons. People will be colder and food won't grow during Winter, so you had better plan for it! 

This game tackles strategy a lot more than a simple City Builder. And simply by mixing the current trend of survival into their game, it has become unique and sold thousands of copies. This is the sort of thinking that I need to create a worthwhile project!


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