The two ideas I had sprang from a common thread of following the paths of molecules/atoms. Bang is about the first atom to escape into space after the Big Bang. Drip Drip follows a water droplet from a leaky faucet all the way through many uses of water and its power on our planet.
Bang
Emptiness, nothing and everything at once. You decide to break the silence. It all began…with you.
Bang
BANG – Accelerating as fast as possible, the brink of light, time stops around you as your journey begins.
Alone Collision Course
ALONE – The edge, surrounding particles speed farther and farther away. You can see it now all set in motion. You won’t be part of it. Their brilliant light fades to a dim and then darkness. Can you find something new…you wont see any of them again.
COLLISION COURSE – Fusion, together with a counter part. Mass times two and growing exponentially. Transforming from gas to solid. Growing to a new energy state.
Internal External
The idea I am exploring here is the possible journey of the very first atom out of the big bang. Does your atom fly into nothingness or can you grow into a devouring black hole, resetting the events that you began. There is always the option to stay small. Maybe initiate life on a new planet or spend your eons radiating as a giant red dwarf. Choose your path. Combine with your surroundings. Slow down or keep your energy up.
Drip Drip
The sink is leaking again. Drip drip. Where do you fall?
Down the Drain Onto the Floor
DOWN THE DRAIN – Thru the pipe works and out the house. You are swept away into the filthy sewer system churning. The stream diverts.
I smell salt I smell chlorine
ONTO THE FLOOR – You splash there resting for hours. Slowly you loose weight and eventually drift upwards and out the window. The suns warm rays pulling you higher.
Into the Stratosphere Caught in the breeze
The life of a water molecule. Think about it, water does not have one life, it is versatile. Liquid form, gassy clouds, frozen polar caps. Or it can be filthy, fresh or salty. Water can be destructive, corrosive and erosive. While also nourishing and beneficial. Water is a powerful element that could potentially have many narrative elements if applied to a game structure.
Hey Will, I think that I like the Drip Drip idea more because it seems to be a more “build your own experience” than a “chose the options below”. The Idea of experiencing the actions and repercussions of a water droplet is intriguing as water is precious, abundant, simple, wasted, etc.
I’m really loving your idea for Bang. The science nerd in me thinks it would be awesome to follow the life cycle of an atom after the Big Bang, and I love the way you presented the choices. I feel that there are so many routes you could take with this game, as you mentioned. Exploring the idea of starting new life would be fascinating.
Drip Drip seems to have more of a set structure and I think it would be easier to imagine and write the different branching journeys of the water droplet. However, following the life of a water droplet just doesn’t pique my attention as much as your ideas for Bang.
As a side note, I like how both of your games have an educational component to them!
I love both of these ideas, but I’m leaning towards Drip Drip over Bang because it seems more feasible/expandable as time allows. Drip Drip could easily become a looping narrative through various parts of the water cycle which makes it less likely to abruptly come to an end if you run out of time. Bang seems like a larger project that really could go on forever without looping which could lead to abrupt ends if you run out of time.
I feel as though both your games are pretty educational and I like that and you approach it from a very well written way from what I read so I think you could make it pretty interesting.
For me they are pretty even, you could go either way and both seem to be the same idea just different content.
The possibilities of Bang are endless, and I appreciate the way it’s worded so far. Have you considered not explaining that the player is taking the perspective of an atom. I think there could be something fascinating about letting them experience the adventure without being sure of what they are, or allowing them to figure it out.
Drip Drip also has various possibilities, but I’m not sure how unexpected or ‘adventurous’ it may feel. From the beginning the paths split tremendously; ending up either in another water system or in the air. There may be huge value solely in replayability.
The first idea is really intriguing. I think you could try to cram as much scientific jargon/content as possible and educate the reader. Each choice the player makes should be followed by a detailed explanation of what processes and reactions resulted from it. How long are you planning to make the game? It could be interesting to follow it to the end of the universe.
I like drip drip better because I’m more curious about the water than the big bang. The big bang seems uninteresting and leaves no room for existing ideas and cultural understandings that can be inserted into drip drip.
I like the first idea a lot. I think it is a good basis for creating a non-chronological narrative because you can intertwine information and choices about where the atom ends up with where it started and come up with an interesting interplay that will eventually show the atom’s path up until now.