So Many Resources...

[Maidlyn]

I'm trying to focus on my one main game, a survival/futuristic/post apocalypse sorta game. And my first task to tackle is the database. I want to have the player be able to make different weapons, tools, and vehicles, etc. But I don't know where to start with the basic materials. I have a couple of them down: wood, rubber, and then some different kinds of minerals and metals. The problem is getting the other basic resources, the complex resources, figuring out which resources create which item, and where each resource can be found/grown in the in-game world. And I'm having a terrible, uh, mapper's block, I guess you'd call it, on the side. (Sorry for the ranting)

 

[bgillisp]

My suggestion would be to see how other such games did these items, and go from there. If your game is in a fantasy world, I think you can find recipes for Rune Factory and Harvest Moon games in any FAQ for the game for ideas. Not sure where to go if you want more realistic recipes though.

 

[mlogan]

I would recommend either writing it on paper or in a spreadsheet before actually tackling the database in MV. Think about the items you want to craft and some common and not common parts they would need and just make lists/speadsheets/flowcharts - whatever it takes.

 

[Wavelength]

I mean this with a lot of respect, but if you are having a lot of trouble coming up with resources to gather, ways to use them, systems to tie them together, and interesting places to explore and find them in, then a crafting-heavy survival game is probably not what you should be trying to make.  It might pay to hone your focus on a tighter, more controlled experience.


What is it that you don't have trouble coming up with - that just comes to you naturally?  What kind of experience are you just burning to offer your player?  Figure that out if you haven't yet, and craft your entire game around it.

 

[Celianna]

I would suggest that you remind yourself that this is a game, and you can have any wacky number of items create an entirely different item. So two pieces of a fish with a rubber band? Totally okay in a game!


But mostly, remember every item has a purpose.

 

[Canini]

There are also several neat apps you can use to map out crafting system.

 

[Allinardo]

Draw out some kind of chart. Put the name of a craftable item in one box, then draw some arrows going out from it showing the stuff that you'll use to craft it. Something like this.

Unless you want to have to keep moving back and forth between menus. That'd be a bit of a pain for me personally, but different people work different ways.



And as for resources...bgillisp put it well when he said look at how other games did it. Take the kings of all crafting games: Minecraft and Terraria. What resources are most common in that game, and what uses do they have?

And if you still don't know, I will strongly advise you to check this out.

 

[LaFlibuste]

In general, I'd say "simpler is better" (or "less is more", or "KISS"). In a post-apocalyptic futurist setting, "scraps" can be a very elegant and efficient solution as a catch-all resource type.Add in "food" (and possibly "water" if you are so inclined) and you have the survival aspect down.