Educational > Discussing Game Design

Self-imposed design limitations to stimulate creativity

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dacharya64:
For me, the biggest self-imposed limits I've used to finish pieces are limits on time. It's even better when someone else gives you the deadline. Although not CYOA-related, time limits through NaNoWriMo/Script Frenzy are probably the only reason I finished (and sometimes the only reason I started) those pieces. One script was one where I had to switch the genre every scene. It at least turned out quite interesting, and certainly kept the ideas flowing.

Sometimes limits can do the opposite, though, and feel a bit stifling (for instance I can't imagine how I could have finished my story with a limit on passage #s).

Villain Mastermind:
Sometimes limits can backfire, but it might depend on the person.

I tend toward grandiose, bloated, out of control projects that never get completed, so placing a hard limit and sticking to it is one of the only ways that I can actually finish anything.

What I am trying to say is this: People that do not see their limits (or ignore them) seem to benefit from imposing limitations, while people that see limits everywhere may be hindered more than helped.

dacharya64:
I'd say rather than depending on the person, it depends more on the project. For instance, the IF piece I completed was meant to be a sort of organic work, growing as I came up with different concepts, ideas, and innovations. I know that if I had tried to set really strict limits on its development it would not have turned out the same, and probably would not have turned out the way I wanted it.

Sometimes limitations are just that.

Chris:
This sounds about right. I was thinking that limits can help when a project can grow in any direction and no end in site, but when a limitation starts to feel like a handcuff, that's a sign that you're ready to do something that goes beyond it.

I could use some good limits for future projects. Time is a big one for me. Perhaps a project that I have to work on for ten minutes (and only ten minutes) a day?

dacharya64:
That does sound like an interesting limit. I'm sure it'd affect the story in all sorts of ways you couldn't even be able to predict.

I've been trying to think up different limits that might apply to interactive fiction... forced looping after a certain point/# of passages, or limiting the ability to use variables might result in some interesting improvisations.

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