Hey folks,

Thanks for checking in on Garden of Moving Things. The last four months have been quieter on the development front due to the birth of my daughter, but things are beginning to ramp back up now. So, in honor of today (which is apparently national video game day depending on who you ask), I thought I'd share some thoughts about my personal approach to creating what I describe as a narrative point-and-click adventure.

One of the first games that I fell in love with was the original Zork text adventure. As a kid, the idea that you could type commands into a computer and the computer "understood" you was nothing short of amazing. In fact, I credit Zork with my love of coding and my eventual career choice as a software engineer. But what struck me the most was how it triggered my imagination. As I played, I wanted to know more about this place I was exploring even though I could only "see" it through the words on a screen. Despite being limited to a certain number of choices in each room and having a definitive questline to follow, it felt as though I could go anywhere I wanted. 

The day I really had my mind blown open was the day I first played The Manhole. To me, The Manhole encapsulated what I loved about Zork, except now I could actually see it. I was there. I could look where I wanted, go where I wanted. There was no one telling me I was going the wrong way. Every time I sat down to play, I could make different choices and find something new. That sense of freedom and escapism is what I've come to cherish about video games over the years, whether we're talking about Silent Hill, Final Fantasy, or World of Warcraft, and it's one of the core tenets I've tried to infuse in GOMT.

As I said, GOMT is a narrative point-and-click adventure, which means there is a definitive questline to follow with a start to the story and an ending (or two, or three). But I want GOMT to buck some of the other trends set by other games in the point-and-click genre -- games that I LOVE, but that ultimately don't exude the sense of exploration and freedom I want to afford players. In other words, even though GOMT makes it clear which way is "forward", I want players to feel like it's okay to get there in their own time and just explore the world for a while if they want, because chances are there's something worth finding. 

To better illustrate what I'm talking about, here's a snippet from the design bible for GOMT:

1. If there's a door on the screen, there should be a way through it eventually.
2. If there's an NPC on the screen, you should be able to talk to them.
3. If there's something to be picked up, there should be a reason why we need it.
4. If there's a place being described, we should be able to go there eventually.
5. If we've already been somewhere, we should be able to return there.

My intention is to avoid some typical genre tropes that hinder that sense of exploration. So, while you will encounter locked doors, they can all be opened somehow and will always lead to something, even if that thing is off the main questline. Places you've been will never be completely inaccessible, so you don't have to worry about missing out on secrets or achievements/trophies. As the world gets bigger and you explore more, a fast travel option becomes available -- a feature atypical of this genre, but one that makes sense from a narrative standpoint. Puzzles may have more than one solution depending on how you got there, so you should never have to wildly combine everything in your inventory just to see what works and what doesn't. Objects you've found or looked at previously may take on a new context later in the story, so sometimes re-examining them can reveal new information. NPCs that seem like they might have an opinion on a situation probably do, and asking them about it can lead to side quests that offer more details about the story or the character.

So while it'll be possible to just keep your head down and barrel through the story, there will be a whole lot more to see and do for those interested in finding it. Whether it's befriending an NPC, finding a customizable reward, learning more about the story, discovering a secret location, earning a hidden ability, or just pausing to soak in the atmosphere, Garden of Moving Things will hopefully provide the same sense of exploration and freedom as the games that inspired it.

Thanks again for your interest in Garden of Moving Things. If you enjoyed the free demo I have up, please consider rating or commenting cause it truly does wonders for my ego :D  I'll be in touch!

-Steve