[UbuntuWomen] What makes a video game "female friendly"?

[Thierry]

On Thursday 28 February 2008 08:58:14 Kathryn wrote:
> Not having to kill the enemies is a commendable idea, but that is typically
> the method by which a player can add to their skills and 'hit points'.  I
> guess there might be other (more creative) ways to strengthen the
> protagonist and their team, as the enemies gain power.
>
> I love the idea of sneaking around enemies or trapping them... make sure
> you leave those elements in.  I much prefer the covert style of gameplay to
> confronting a room full of enemies at once.  I'll abandon a game if the
> adrenaline rush is excessive.  I guess that's why I prefer turn-based or
> other strategy to first person games.
>
> Some games (e.g. Evil Genius) offer characters who can distract or divert
> enemies, for example with charisma or by confusing them somehow.  If
> there's a magical element to the game, you could lure enemies to "dummy"
> (mirage-like) characters and trap them that way.  In Alpha Centauri,
> Dierdre can 'harness' the native locusts and flora and turn them against
> her enemies.  I really liked that idea, and it offered a kind of attack
> that the (human) enemies couldn't match.

We have a weapon that can confuse enemies into attacking a certain target. 
When the player gets it, is not sure, but it will probably be halfway the 
game. There's one gun for general purposed, which can be used in almost all 
fights, and a number of weapons for those who prefer strategy. :)

> I really like this thread of discussion.  I've never before met anyone
> involved in game design.  I'll stay keenly tuned to any further posts. :)

I'm not planning on using this mailing list as a marketing tool, so I probably 
won't send updates here unless I have questions. ^^
But you can always follow the blog. As soon as production starts, it'll get a 
better lay-out and will be updated more often. :)

> Kathryn
>
> On 28/02/2008, Thierry <psyping at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I was originally hoping for gameplay where no enemy hat do die, but that
> > idea
> > was quickly thrown away, as it would take too much scripting and
> > planning, and because killing stuff is something of a standard in games.
> > Enemies crawling away at the last moment might still be something good
> > for the
> > creepier levels, though - the "I know something is here, but I can't see
> > it"
> > factor. :)
> > However, I don't think I should worry about this all too much - the
> > player always (again, except for boss battles) gets the choice between
> > sneaking past
> > enemies and attacking them, and there are a lot of puzzles, especially in
> > the
> > middle of the game.