Universe Building 101

However good a concept may be, limitations to design should always be factored into a project’s development before it begins. If the technology to implement your design does not exist and cannot feasibly be developed and implemented during a game’s development life-cycle, you should not design for such a system. This seemingly logical rule is often broken, with perhaps no finer example than Maxis’ 2008 release, Spore. Will Wright’s design followed an organism’s evolutionary progression from a simplistic cell structure, to a unified galactic entity. Every facet of the game’s design had unique quirks, and as such, relying on undeveloped technology to implement. This situation was further worsened by the fact that each phase (with the exception of the RTS phase) had never been done as a standalone, much less seamlessly integrated.

The game’s flagship technology, procedural generation, was too intensive for many of the game’s more intricate and interesting features. Maxis’ only solution to release a polished game was to remove key elements of the game’s design. Resultantly, the release build of the game was heavily lacking features, many of which were key selling points heavily promoted throughout Spore’s remarkably extensive life-cycle. While professional critics regarded Spore as a milestone for the games industry, the public was far less receptive, and Maxis’ reputation has likely faltered as a result. Ultimately, ignoring design limitations resulted in redundant development expenses, a prolonged development life cycle, and unsatisfied players.