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De TinyGlade à House Flipper 2 : Comment créer l'éditeur parfait ?
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Written by Clélie Amiot on 10/30/2024

PhD student in computer science - Lead Game Designer
Clélie is currently working on her thesis on chatbots. She is in charge of the GameDesign of VirtualSociety

From TinyGlade to House Flipper 2: How to Create the Perfect Editor?

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Hi folks, today we're going to talk about the design of construction editors! Construction and decoration editors have become highly sought-after features in video games, allowing players to express their creativity by shaping virtual spaces. Some games, like Makeroom or Summerhouse, focus exclusively on these aspects, where designing indoor or outdoor spaces becomes the very essence of the gameplay. However, decoration is not limited to cozy games; even in larger adventure games like Fallout 4 or Hogwarts Legacy, players have the option to personalize their base by furnishing and decorating it to their liking.

For VirtualSociety, a sandbox game, we are also developing a construction editor, which has required a lot of thought and design choices. In this article, we’ll present the challenges encountered during the creation of a construction and decoration editor.

Balancing simplicity and freedom

When designing a construction editor, it’s essential to find a balance between the level of detail and features offered on one hand, and its usability and simplicity on the other. Let's take the example of Tiny Glade, which adopts a minimalist approach with very few tools, but where the elements interact harmoniously to ensure aesthetically pleasing results almost automatically. The editor does much of the work, and players only need a general idea to achieve a beautiful structure, making the experience smooth and intuitive. However, when a player has a more specific vision of what they want to achieve, they must first master the nuances of the editor’s behavior to bring their ideas to life.

tiny glade

In Tiny Glade, it is possible to move an entire building, and the environment will adapt. Here, pillars are generated for the building that floats above the ground.

tiny glade

In House Flipper 2, the level of detail allows you to choose exactly which portions of the wall to paint.

In contrast, a game like House Flipper 2 focuses on a much more detailed approach and offers great creative freedom. The player can adjust every element, from wall colors to types of furniture, including finishing materials and the exact position of each decoration. This flexibility allows for nearly infinite customization, enabling users to achieve exactly what they envision. However, this freedom comes with a challenge: without a clear vision or design skills, achieving a successful final result is not guaranteed.

There is thus a choice to be made between guiding the player and giving them complete freedom to use their imagination. With VirtualSociety, we have opted for creative freedom, as our goal is to offer a tool that imposes no restrictions on the styles and themes that players can explore with their creations.

Curious to test the differences? Tiny Glade and House Flipper 2 are available in a bundle!

bundle tiny glade x house flipper

A myriad of implementation choices

Even with a clearly defined philosophy for the editor, many decisions still need to be made regarding its implementation. Here are some examples:

  • Construction mode
    Should we include an overhead view for the construction mode, or allow players to decorate while playing? For example, in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players can customize their homes in two ways: by moving furniture with their character or by entering a construction mode that disables character control.
  • Control compatibility
    It is essential that the features are accessible both via keyboard and mouse for PC players and via controllers for console players. While some options may vary in practicality from one version to another, it’s crucial that nothing is impossible to achieve, regardless of the platform.
  • Multiplayer interactions
    If construction is multiplayer, what happens to the other players? In many games, when you build, the area becomes inaccessible to others, so there’s not really any multiplayer construction. For example, if one player builds a wall over another, how is that managed? Who gets priority? Should construction be blocked while a character is in the way, or should the character be automatically moved?
  • Element functionality
    What to do when elements must be functional and not just decorative? This adds a new dimension to the editor; Sims players are probably familiar with their Sims being unable to access their oven because they’re inexplicably blocked by an empty space.
  • User interface
    A good editor must integrate an efficient but not overly restrictive snapping system to help players create a wide variety of structures. Clear visual feedback for every action is also essential to make the editor easy to use. Finally, the user interface must be smooth and well-organized to guide beginners without slowing down expert players.

Here, you can see how we chose to handle interactions between building tools and other players.

In conclusion, creating the perfect construction and decoration editor is a balancing act between creative freedom and ease of use, while also considering various technical aspects and the user experience.

What about you, as players? Do you prefer an intuitive approach with limited tools but guaranteed aesthetic results, or total flexibility allowing deep customization, even if it requires a certain amount of learning and aesthetic sense? What features or options do you consider essential for unleashing your creativity?

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Written by Clélie Amiot on 10/30/2024

PhD student in computer science - Lead Game Designer
Clélie is currently working on her thesis on chatbots. She is in charge of the GameDesign of VirtualSociety

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