Level Up.pdf

The Music of Mechanics 341
Gaming website Old Man Murray 5 created a review system called “start to
crate” that gauges the time it takes a player to encounter a crate in a game.
While the article is meant to be satire, I find it to be a good gauge to
determine just how creative your game is. Rather than reinvent the wheel …
err, crate, here is a list of 50 breakable objects you can populate your game
with other than a crate:
Barrel, treasure chest, vase, urn, trash can, mailbox, newspaper stand, baby
carriage, metal drum, cargo container, cardboard box, cage, lantern, lamp post,
filing cabinet, fish tank, toy box, keg, hay bale, pile of skulls, dog house, bird
house, Tiki idol, statue, fortune - telling machine, church donation box,
suggestion box, ATM, hollow tree stump, attach é case, safe, suitcase, TV
monitor, fuel tank, refrigerator, oven, breadbox, bureau, wardrobe, parked car,
coffin, arcade machine, soda machine, fire hydrant, vending machine, oxygen
canister, filled shopping cart, one - armed bandit, copy machine, and toilet.
There. You never have to have a crate in your game again. You ’ re welcome.
There is one more type of mechanic, which is the rarest one of all. It ’ s the
mechanic that ’ s “ just for fun. ” This can be the player piano that plinks out a
tune as you approach it or the toilet that flushes if you interact with it. Don ’ t
be afraid to include these just- for- fun props in your own game.
The Music of Mechanics
In the great chili pot that is video game design, hazards are the beans. Just
like beans, they act as filler when you don ’ t have enough meat to go around
5 See http://www.oldmanmurray.com/features/39.html for the article in question.