Transplanting
So we have our seed, what are we going to do with it? We considered a mobile platform – something that could get us on to the up and coming portable gaming devices (iPhone, Zune, Palm, G1). In its current state, it would be quick, simple, and relatively easy to transplant, given that we had the code already written. (For anyone wondering – Processing is basically JAVA).
My first initial concepts were to try and get Influence on the G1, as the studio had been working on several small G1 games. The name “Influence” came up swiftly – it just made sense. It was exactly what you were doing. It was concise, easy to understand, and hinted at the psychological strategy element. I loved the idea of a pastel game for the G1 to keep in touch with the original – and the despair when the whole screen turned black. Below are a few concepts for the “Look & Feel” of Influence on a mobile platform. Instead of being drawn to the mouse cursor, player-controlled ids would move in the direction the player tilted.
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Before we could even get a working prototype on the G1, we ran into a huge issue – G1 processing power. 150 independently controlled boids on the screen wasn’t going to work – in fact, we couldn’t even get to 50, which I dictated as the “minimum amount” we could have and still maintain the integrity of the game. As quickly as it had come into existence, designing for the G1 was out.