Finding the fun
I've been thinking a lot about what makes a game fun.
As my friend put it, a game succeeds when it makes a task feel less like homework, and more like a moment of joy.
Last night I was trying to move the little beaver character around the map, and get a feel for what would make it worth playing.
For one, I've decided that he's probably safe in the water, so when a predator comes to chase him down, he has the ability to dive in and swim away.
But land is where he needs to get things, what he'll need to store up for the winter, and make it through the year.
I think we have a potential for tension, a reason to play, a reason to keep trying.
I also don't want a death mechanic. This is more like Stardew Valley or Sneaky Sasquatch, and less like a roguelike in this regard. My thought, is that you'd be able to revive. Right now I've created an owl that picks you up if you've been hurt, and carries you back to the lodge. That's actually quite delightful.
What I'm looking for, though, is a piece or mechanic or loop that makes it fun to keep trying things.
One breakthrough I had was with the water mechanics. When I placed a dam, the water started filling up along the sides of the river banks. When I broke the dam, the water receeded. That's not a game yet, but boy is it fun to see that happen in slow motion.
Something about the beaver waddling onto land, diving into the water, moving slowly then zipping around—I think there could be something fun in those movements.
The simplest idea I have is to make collecting sticks important for storing up for food. But that doesn't quite feel like enough, and the payoff might take too long. I'm wondering if there should be a purchasing element, some kind of merchant, or some kind of trading with other animals.
So far this is a ton of fun, and I look forward to continuing to explore.