I was quite pleased with our latest group client meeting. Each of our prior interactions left me with the impression that despite the significant amount of work that has gone into our project before we were introduced to it, the current developers don’t have a solid vision for the final product. While this cold be disconcerting (and indeed did feel like a source of tension for the lead), I find the notion freeing. I would be satisfied with, and likely perform admirably on an assignment that had a very clear, set-in-stone blueprint, but now with the revelation that the final concept is a little foggy it gives our group some wiggle room to implement our own ideas.
I’ve worked in several software development firms, and have noticed a bias in many senior engineers that has always rubbed me the wrong way. Many professionals dislike association with the game design industry, and will balk at the notion that the work they do could be compared to such frivolous hobbies. Attempts to argue for the innovations in intuitive systems, or out-of-the-box design that is prevalent throughout the industry have only served to frustrate my coworkers and alienate myself as an unprofessional enthusiast. Despite this, I maintain that there are many lessons that game design can teach to not only software engineers, but any professional from just about any field. Now that we have been given free reign to implement our own ideas, I have expressed the ways in which our project shares similarities with games, and am pleased that my group agrees.
with all the talk of simulating workers running to and fro, moving equipment, and completing tasks, I am reminded of a lesser known game called Dwarf Fortress. The game is the project of a small group of developers, that originally released it’s first (and very alpha) version in 2006. While seeming to be at first glance an incomprehensible mess of ASCII gibberish, the game utilizes a very simple interface of letters, numbers, and symbols to simulate a very complex and vibrant fantasy world. The game is a sandbox where the player is given control of a merry band of dwarves that set out to find their fortune and tame the wilderness by building a mighty fortress, mining valuable ores, and crafting wondrous treasures. The simulation itself is incredibly intricate, and even subtle attitude changes, or physical statuses are registered and can impact the gameplay. One only needs to look up “Dwarf Fortress Stories” to find a flood of shockingly descriptive tales depicting player’s experiences overseeing their dwarven workforce.
“Simulated workers engaging with their environment to complete tasks and maintain a workspace constructed by user design”- sounds kinda like a description of our factory design project, doesn’t it?
There are plenty of obvious things that anyone could point out as being unrelated to the task at hand. I would justifiably receive incredulous looks if I suggested using an ASCII interface, or attempted to implement the ponderous (and a little insane) psychology of fantasy creatures, however I maintain that there are many lessons in the design of this game that we can apply to our project. For that matter, Dwarf Fortress is only one example. The Sims, Minecraft, and many other games have lessons that can be applied to the very professional and no-nonsense utility us engineers are contracted to create. Now that we have some leeway to implement our inspirations, I fully intend to use my knowledge of game design to make the best utility I can.
