Hero Generations Public Beta Now Open!

It's been a long road getting here, but I'm excited to let you know my first title as Heart Shaped Games, Hero Generations, is now in public beta!  I'm really excited to see what you think of this early version of the game.  Please head over to the Facebook application page (http://apps.facebook.com/herogenerations) and check it out!

If you haven't been following along with the development of the game on twitter (@brodiegames), here is a little bit more info on the game.  Hero Generations is a unique turn-based strategy adventure about legacy, family, and achievement. You play as a rapidly aging hero who must achieve as much fame as possible within a single lifespan. At odds with that goal of achievement is the need to find a mate to start a family with before your hero dies. If you are able to start a family, you can then continue on adventuring as your child, who inherits your traits and lives in the world you built for them.

In practice, the game plays like a casual version of the classic strategy game Civilization, mixed with the adventure and depth of games like The Legend of Zelda and Jason Rohrer's Passage.

I'm proud of where the game is at already, but in many ways this is just the beginning for Hero Generations. Expect constant updates and discussion on the game throughout the public beta period.

I look forward to hearing what you think! See you in the game.

Take care,
Scott

Announcing Heart Shaped Games!

I'm excited to finally reveal that I've formed my own independent game company, Heart Shaped Games. The two weeks or so I've been living the indie life have thus far resulted in incredible productivity and one joyous beard that is, perhaps, in need of grooming. Beard aside, I'm really looking forward to sharing more about the projects I'm working on soon. But before I get ahead of myself, I thought I'd share why I made the leap, and some of the goals I have for my new company.

The Company
I've always been somewhat of a Jack-of-all-Trades. My background is Computer Science, I live and breathe game design, and I have played the role of producer, designer, programmer, and 3D artist throughout my short career. I've found that I'm at my best when I can take this diverse background and apply it in a "creative hub"-type role that interprets between all disciplines.

As well, over the past four years I've had the great fortune to work closely with some of the world's top Indie game developers on the best platform for independent games out there (Xbox LIVE Arcade). That experience allowed me to develop a deep understanding of the business of games, and exposed me to the challenge and joy inherent in leading small teams.

Heart Shaped Games is my attempt at building a company culture that takes full advantage of my personality and professional experience. In practice I plan to build and source projects for online and mobile platforms, with the hope of partnering with talented, like-minded developers to bring those games to market.  In many ways, the goal is to build an organization that excels at that type of creative leadership role I most enjoy.

Design
From a design standpoint, Heart Shaped Games is about developing new IP born from personal visions that, in some small way, can speak to the human condition.  In essence, I'd like to put the Truth in Game Design process I've written about into practice.  It's about putting care into the game systems I author, such that meaningful and memorable choices result. I want players to fall in love with my games.

I've summarized my goals for the company in a simple (and somewhat hokey) mantra: Healthy Casual Games. Healthy is an odd word to use to describe a game, but I think it fits into what I want Heart Shaped Games to be known for. Healthy for me means offering meaningful choices that result in opportunity for growth in the player. It means offering real value instead of filler and leveling treadmills. It means building social in from the start; making relationships between people a part of the core mechanic. And it means providing this experience in a way that fits into player's lives; in the time they have, in the places they already are.

Reach and Business Model
I'd also like to take the spirit many of my favorite game designers have in the flash/experimental space and marry it with a business model that can help these types of games find an audience. Though many of the current titles that represent Facebook, mobile, flash portals, etc. are the antithesis of the vision I've laid out, these platforms nonetheless represent one of the biggest business opportunities for independent games in history.  The barrier to entry is at an all-time low, and the addressable audience is at an all-time high. Though I may not always succeed, my hope is that Heart Shaped Games can find a balance between creativity and business in order to harness these new platforms for good.

Happiness
On a personal note, my goals for the company are secondary to a personal desire to live without regret. I've come to the conclusion that there is no reason to spend another minute not doing exactly what I love, if there is a way to manage. What I love is designing games and spending time with my family.  There is much risk to the indie life, but the personal freedom it affords me is well worth the risk.

So here's to happiness, and to an exciting new venture! Time to get to work.

-Scott

P.S. If you'd like to get in contact with me about anything regarding the new company, please drop me a line at scott@heartshapedgames.com. You can also follow along with me on twitter and facebook.

Truth in Game Design on Gamasutra

An article I'm very proud of was featured today on Gamasutra.com. It's called "Truth in Game Design", and I'd love to hear what you think.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4263/truth_in_game_design.php

-Scott

Music of The Beggar by Jack de Quidt

After releasing The Beggar, I was floored by a piece of mail I received from a talented musician and avid game player named Jack de Quidt. Jack was inspired enough by the game to author some alternate music, and I think it's fantastic.

When I put the original music together for The Beggar, I made a decision to keep the first half of the game devoid of music, so as to offer a contrast to the up-beat music that emanates from the castle area (representative of the difference in wealth core to the game's theme). While I am happy with the current implementation given my limited musical background, Jack's version shows what is possible when you let a trained ear interpret a mood. If you have any need for original music in your indie project, I would highly recommend contacting Jack at jack.dequidt+AT+googlemail.com or on twitter at twitter.com/jackdequidt!

For your listening pleasure, I have made Jack's version, as well as the "Castle Theme" that can be found in the game, available for download:

Download: Jack De Quidt - "The Beggar"

Download: Scott Brodie - "Castle Theme"

The Beggar Coverage

I am humbled by the positive response to The Beggar, which was released this past week. It's great to see that players and reviewers alike are discussing the themes, and sharing their experiences playing. Here are a few of my favorite write-ups. I highly recommend checking out the comment sections of each as well:

Jay Is Games (Kyle E. Moore) - http://jayisgames.com/archives/2009/07/the_beggar.php

IndieGames.com/blog (Michael Rose) - http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2009/07/browser_game_pick_the_beggar_s.html

Fly Trap Games (Edwin) - http://www.flytrapgames.com/2009/07/30/political-sim-portrays-life-on-the-streets/

Rock Paper Shotgun (Alec Meer) - http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/07/31/gaming-for-change-the-beggar/

I'd also like to take a moment to thank a few people who gave me critical inspiration and feedback while developing The Beggar. Thank you to Daniel Cook, J Epps, Jason Rohrer, Brandon Furtwangler, Brian Murphy, and my lovely wife/seagull artist, Kate :). I don't know if I could have pushed through and finished without your support.

The Beggar Released

I've just released my new game The Beggar. While I have a lot to say about the game and what it is exploring, I'd like the game to speak for itself for now. I hope you enjoy it and take some time to consider what your choices have meant. (The Shockwave plugin can be a pain, so if you are having trouble simply grab the download version)

I'd absolutely love to hear your comments about your experience playing, and I've tried to make it as easy as possible for you to do that. You can provide feedback directly on the game's comment page, use the "Post Stats to Twitter" function available on the end game screen, send a message to @brodiegames on twitter, or if all else fails, just drop me a note at scott+AT+brodiegames+DOT+com.

UPDATE: new version (0.91) with some minor tweaks and bug fixes now available.

Preview: The Beggar

I've been working on a new experimental web/downloadable game in my spare time. By its form and goals you might call it indie, casual, or even "art game." I don't know if those labels are appropriate, but I'm excited to finally be able to share it with you soon nonetheless. I'm calling it The Beggar, and I'll be releasing it free sometime next month. More details coming soon.

Trust Emotion in Aegis Wing

Trust was a key moment-to-moment emotion in the play of Aegis Wing, the first title I designed for Xbox LIVE Arcade.  I thought I'd post briefly on how the game mechanics were setup to support this unique experience for players.

What is it?
Abstractly, trust can be described as a feeling of confidence or certainty attributed to something else. In games, it is often expressed most intensely in multiplayer games, where some aspect of the game requires reliance on another agent.

Because games are based around choice, games require a spectrum of an emotion to be explored.  In the case of trust, this mean the game system must also allow for mistrust as an option.  Thus, a "trust mechanic" is an encounter that asks a player to interpret to what degree they have confidence in something else.

Trust Mechanics
In Aegis Wing, there were two key mechanics that involve exploring the concept of trust.

Mechanic #1: Separate management and usage of a resource - In Aegis Wing players were given the option to attach to another player's ship, which forced them to give up the management of their ship movement in exchange for added attack power. The decision to attach asks the player to make a vote of confidence in the other player's ability to manage their ship movement for them. A mechanic such as this does not need to involve multiple players, however the meaning generated from this interaction will resonate more when a human relationship is layered on top of it.

Mechanic #2: Hide or partially expose game information - Many mechanics that have hidden information ask players to make a vote of confidence in their own understanding of the current game state. The classic game of memory is a simple example, where the player makes a decision based upon confidence in their own memory to find a matching card. A more resonant example is Poker, where players must decide how much they trust the other player's betting patterns and tells.

The hidden information in Aegis Wing is a bit different, given that it is a cooperative game.  Players have the ability to communicate at their disposal.  To start, a player has little information to build their model of confidence from.  But by engaging with players, forming plans, and watching other's past successes, the player can build an imperfect but improved model to inform their decisions about who to collaborate.

Resonance Knobs
Here are some useful lessons learned that can be applied to make these types of mechanics resonate even more:

• Make both the manager and user of the resource human players. Human relationship decisions almost always resonate more because of the built in complexity of human communication.
• Repeat the choice cycle often so that the player has a long history to evaluate when making a vote of confidence.
• Offer players the ability to shake other's confidence in them by offering incentives to betray. By offering this option, when players do not take advantage of it, it can build a stronger trust bond.  The point is to not ignore the sometimes negative side of an emotional spectrum.  Doing so degrades the value of achieving the positive.

What other mechanics can generate trust? I'd love to hear your thoughts.