Google SketchUp Game World - "Sims Clue"

My game world is based in a mansion I found in the models database created by another user. The premise of the game combines the elements of the board game "Clue" with the "Sims" aesthetics.

Physical Dimension:

1. Does my game require a physical dimension? What is it used for? Is it an essential part of gameplay or merely cosmetic?

Since Clue is originally a board game, it doesn't particularly require a physical dimension, but a playing space or indicator of "rooms" and sorts is essential to gameplay.

2. Leaving aside issues of implementation or display, how many imaginary spatial dimensions does my game require? If there are three or more, can objects move continuously through the third and higher dimensions, or are these dimensions partitioned into discrete "layers" or zones?

The game can be 2D, but in the screenshots above, for aesthetic purposes, the different rooms are in 3D.

3. How big is my game world, in light-years or inches? Is accuracy of scale critical, as in a football game, or not, as in a cartoon-like action game?

The game world does not need to be scaled critically and can be cartoon-like, as all the gameplay occurs inside a mansion with different rooms.

4. Will my game need more than one scale, for indoor versus outdoor areas, for example? How many will it actually require?

There are no outdoor areas. Gameplay is strictly indoors to investigate rooms for clues.

5. How am I going to handle the relative sizes of objects and people? What about their relative speeds of movement?

People can select an avatar, but it'll be more of a point-and-click "find clues" in different areas, so the avatar will not be seen on screen. The speed of their movement is user-customized.

6. Who is my world bounded? Am I going to make an effort to disguise the "edge of the world," and if so, with what? What happens if the player tries to go beyond so?

Because gameplay occurs within the mansion, the "edge of the world" will be the walls. The player will not be able to go through the walls.

Temporal Dimension:

1. Is time a meaningful element of my game? Does the passage of time change anything in the game world even if the player does nothing, or does the world simply sit still and wait for the player to do something?

Depending on the number of players, a time limit can be set, so inactive players don't need to wait forever for another person to take their turn. Otherwise, the world will stay still and wait for the player to do something.

2. If time does change the world, what effects does it have? Does food decay, and do light bulbs burn out?

N/A

3. How does time affect the player's avatar? Does he get hungry or tired?

The player's avatar is unaffected by time.

4. What is the actual purpose of including time in my game? Is it only a part of the atmosphere, or is it an essential part of the gameplay?

The purpose of time is only for multiplayer mode, so players don't need to sit around waiting endlessly on one person.

5. Is there a time scale for my game? Do I need to have measurable quantities of time, such as hours, days, and years, or can I just let time go by without bothering to measure it? Does the player need a clock to keep track of time?

There is no time scale. The player need not worry about keeping track of time.

6. Are there periods of time that I'm going to skip or do without? Is this going to be visible to the player, or will it happen seamlessly?

N/A

7. Do I need to implement day and night? If I do, what will make night different from day? Will it merely look different, or will it have other effects as well? What about seasons?

N/A

8. Will any of the time in my game need to be anomalous? If so, why? Will that bother the player? Do I need to explain it away, and if so, how?

N/A

9. Should the player be allowed to adjust time in any way? Why, how, and when?

In multiplayer mode, before the game begins, the players will decide if a time limit per turn is set and for how long.

Environmental Dimension:

1. Is my game world set in a particular historical period or geographic location? When and where? Is it an alternate reality, and if so, what makes it different from outs?

The game world is based in a mansion.

2. Are there any people in my game world? What are they like? Do they have a complex, highly organized society or a simple, tribal one? How do they govern themselves? How is this social structure reflected in their physical surroundings? Are there different classes of people, guilds, or specialized occupations?

There is a dead person due to foul play and the only other people are the other players, one of which is the murderer.

3. What do my people value? Trade, martial prowess, imperialism, peace? What kind of lives do they lead in pursuit of these ends? Are they hunters, nomadic, agrarian, industrialized, even postindustrial? How does this affect their buildings and clothing?

My people value the truth in "whodunit".

4. Are my people superstitious or religious? Do they have institutions or religious practices that will be visible in the game? Are there religious buildings? Do the people carry charms or display spiritual emblems?

No.

5. What are my people's aesthetics like? Are they flamboyant or reserved, chaotic or orderly, bright or subtle? What colors do they like? Do they prefer straight lines or curves?

Players get to customize their avatars to their liking.

6. If there aren't any people in the game, what are there instead, and what do they look like and how do they behave?

N/A

7. Does my game take place indoors or outdoors, or both? If indoors, what are the furnishings and interior decor like? If outdoors, what is the geography and architecture like?

The game takes place indoors in a furnished mansion.

8. What are the style and mood of my game? How am I going to create them with art, sound, and music?

There can be unlocked styles ranging from wacky, contemporary, cultural, etc. stylings. The mood of the game will be suspenseful, but light-hearted with a touch of dark humor (after all, we are trying to find a murderer).

9. How much detail can I afford in my game? Will it be rich and varied or sparse and uncluttered? How does this affect the way the game is played?

The gameplay doesn't require too much detail. There will be different areas with interactive spots where clues can be sought to uncover the truth.

Emotional Dimension:

1. Does my game have a significant emotional dimension? What emotions will my game world include?

No.

2. How does emotion serve the entertainment value of my game? Is it a key element of the plot? Does it motivate characters in the game or the player himself?

There isn't much of an emotional element in the game.

3. What emotions will I try to inspire in the player? How will I do this? What will be at stake?

If in multiplayer mode, a sense of competition can be invoked because the first to uncover the truth wins.

Ethical Dimension:

1. What constitutes right and wrong in my game? What player actions do I reward and what do I punish?

It's wrong to commit a murder, but no punishment is appointed because the point of the game is to find out who did what and where. Wrongful accusation will result in disqualification. Correctly identifying the who, what, and where first wins the game.

2. How will I explain the ethical dimensions of the world to the player? What tells him how to behave and what is expected of him?

There will be a set of rules to abide by prior to gameplay, much like the board game.

3. If my game world includes conflict or competition, is it represented as violence or as something else (racing to a finish, winning an economic competition, outmaneuvering the other side)?

The first player to discover who, with what, and where the foul play occurred wins.

4. What range of choices am I offering my player? Are there both violent and nonviolent ways to accomplish something? Is the player rewarded in any way for minimizing casualties or is he punished for ignoring them?

The choices are based primarily in searching for clues and asking questions. Violence is not a part of the game (besides the foul play plot).

5. In many games, the end -winning the game- justifies any means that the game allows. Do I want to define the victory conditions in such a way that not all means are acceptable?

As mentioned in the answer to #1, a wrongful accusation will result in disqualification, so the game cannot be won.

6. Are any other ethical questions present in my game world? Can my player lie, cheat, steal, break promises, or double-cross anyone? Can she abuse, torture, or enslave anyone? Are there positive or negative consequences for these actions?

Players cannot lie, cheat, steal, or double-cross anyone. It's a fair, level playing field.

7. Does my world contain any ethical ambiguities or moral dilemmas? How does making one choice over another affect the player, the plot, and the gameplay?

N/A

8. How realistic is my portrayal of violence? Does the realism appropriately serve the entertainment value of the game?

Besides the foul play at hand (at highest, rated "PG"), there is no portrayal of violence. It only serves as a plot point to aid the main objective of discovering "whodunit".