On time

I write a lot about time, and it seems like a good subject to write about, as it seems that it is the human condition to be obsessed with time. We live our lives calculating how long we have to complete a task, or how long it is until the next task arrives to complete. We are a race obsessed with time. Even the word 'race' which we use as a classification has time built into it.

With such a heavy emphasis that time has on our lives, I find it interesting that it isn't used as frequently in games as one would think. Sure there a puzzle games where you have to complete the puzzle before a timer runs out, and there are games where you have to do a timed trial or race, but what about in the aspect of narrative in games.

I haven't been working on game design for a while, because, hey you guessed it, I haven't had the time. But when I started designing the Wrath of the Scarecrow series back in 2007, time was put in as a major influence to the flow of the story. The game world would be setup to have triggers executed to carry the game in a different direction if a player was not in the right place at the right time. It is a very complex system that calls for dynamic branching that I have yet to experience in a game.

As I'm longing to get back to game development, I'm beginning to think more about specific elements that went into some of my designs that I would like to begin testing once Troglodyte is in a stable state, that can prototype and test out these ideas. If anyone has any good examples of time usage in a game, I'd love to check the out.

Later.