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[GuyP]

What's your Dogme2005?

[maxim]

I have to say, there's some great ideas in there. Maybe you should make an ARG?

<edit> My ideas:

Good:

• Throughly fascinating and believable characters, not necessarily likeable and not too many.
  
• Good strong mystery plotline
  
• No inexplicable plot twists
  
• Close to real life, but not so close that you feel ordinary taking part
  
• Set out in such a way that when the 'solution' is presented it was always in full view and possible, just not discovered, and all the necessary clues to solve it were there (both the final whodunit, and individual puzzles). Otherwise people feel cheated.
  
• PLENTY of red herrings
  
• References to things that a range of people can notice, and smile at (and not just alice in wonderland). Should also be in sync with the mood of the story
  
• Reaches out to all players, involves everyone
  
• Some out-of-internet play
  

Bad:

• Too many speciality puzzles (eg. mathematical)
  
• Convoluted plot that crosses the line from confusion (which is good) to utterly impossible to follow, where all but the most dedicated are lost
  
• Lots of very rapid updates (hard to keep up, easy to give up)
  
• Not many and slow updates (not worth checking forum/website)
  
• Takes blurred lines and suspicion to the point where people actually run away scared (see project emotion at the moment)
  
• Alienation of any sort, including geographical (should be matched to audience, like perplex city should make sure it caters to the US people)
  

I'll probably think of more, but those are some thoughts for now.

[imbri]

As a PM:

• Create experiences that impart new skills and encourage a sense of community as well as challenge the way we look at the world around us.
  
• Be aware of the intended audience but to not exclude others.
  
• To cater to players outside of the ARG community. I love you guys, but I really don't care to make a game specifically for you all.
  
• To be flexible and understanding when things go in an unintended direction.
  
• To challenge myself and the genre by attempting new things each and every game. LJ - first time PM; MU - following the "Beast Model" to see if it could draw in a new audience as well as my first attempt at fan fiction; 5S - replayability, different platform; SMB1 - Corporate training & small mainstream audience; SMB2 - variety of real world events; SMB3 & SMB4 - test on replayability and limited PM intervention.
  
• Play to the team's strengths. For example when designing MU: I knew that Wolf's time was limited but that he could rock with a comic relief character so he wrote for Wongmo even though, I think, Steve & I concieved him and Steve drooled over him; as much as I loved Dina, I knew that Krystyn's writing would shine with the emotional lead bringing her to life far better than I could; while I focused on the Beth plots, I didn't have the technical knowledge to write CG/GC/Strange Man effectively and so Andy did the vast majority of his stuff (basically anything and everything beyond the PDA communication)
  

The Game:

• The game world is consistant and, while distinguished from the real world, appears very real
  
• The game does not know that it's a game, the players do (TINAG)
  
• Players interact with the game world on a variety of levels yet the game world encourages players to come to it instead of forcing itself on the players. When I read a book, I'd rather be compelled to read it than be hit over the head with it.
  
• No "interaction" just for the sake of "interaction" - every email, phone call, chat, live event must make sense within the story and game world
  
• Steady 'down time' to allow the players time for 'spec', community development, and to implement player resources
  

The Story:

• Writing & voices that are consistant and resonate with the players emotionally
  
• Challenges existing assumptions
  
• Generally, presented in a non-linear fashion
  
• Subplots that could stand on their own but that are well integrated into the main story
  

The Characters:

• Engaging and with actions and writing that makes sense to the story, the game world, and to the players.
  
• Resonate with the players on a variety of emotional levels
  
• "someone for everyone"... not just a story led by some hot twenty something chicky
  

The Puzzles:

• Puzzles that are obvious but not overt and consistant with the nature of the character and story
  
• Puzzles that cater to a wide range of styles and abilities
  
• Puzzles that encourage community as well as puzzles that can be solved on one's own
  

[FLmutant]

Dogme!

[bill]

The lovely thing about rules is that they can and should be broken. But only with conscious intent and for specfic purpose.

To break them out of ignorance or laziness is just wrong.

As for 'rules', aiding and abetting the suspension of disbelief sums it up well for me. Anything beyond that is a matter of style.

[Katsurame]

I have but one rule:

Make people talk about you or your game months after it has finished.