John
Doran


10/5/09

GAT211



Game
Building
Mechanics:
Azure
Dreams




Azure
Dreams
is
a
role‐playing
game
in
which
the
player
plays
a
young
man
of


the
player’s
own
naming
(though
the
default
name
is
Koh,
and
I’ll
use
that
to
refer
to


him).
The
area
the
game
takes
place
in
is
a
town
in
the
middle
of
the
desert
called


Monsbaiya.
This
town
exists
only
because
of
the
Monster
Tower
that
is
connected
to
it,


for
reasons
the
game
doesn’t
go
into.
This
tower
is
home
to
many
different
creatures


where
special
people
have
the
ability
to
go
into
the
Tower
and
bring
back
the
eggs
of


monsters
to
hatch
into
capAvity
and
raise
to
work
for
humans.
Koh’s
father
is
one
such


trainer
and
is
considered
by
many
in
the
town
to
be
the
most
talented
one.
However,


one
stormy
night,
his
father
disappears
in
the
tower
never
to
be
seen
again.
His
family


struggles
for
the
years
following,
but
puts
all
of
their
faith
in
the
future
of
Koh,
his
son


and
heir
to
his
father’s
power.
Upon
Koh’s
15th
birthday,
in
which
the
game
considers
to


be
the
age
of
adulthood,
he
gets
permission
from
the
temple
to
go
into
the
Monster


Tower
in
which
he
plans
to
get
to
the
top
and
find
out
what
happened
to
his
father.


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DigiPen
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 John
Doran

10/5/09

GAT211




This
game
is
very
unique
in
the
fact
that
it
has
the
visible
building
mechanic
of


the
player
deciding
exactly
how
he
wants
to
play
the
game;
thus
building
his
game


experience
as
a
whole.
This
creates
a
different
experience
for
most
people
that
play
the


game.
For
example,
while
one
player
may
focus
on
just
geZng
to
the
top
of
the


Monster
Tower
as
soon
as
they
can,
there
are
many
distracAons
that
can
enable
to
the


game
to
have
a
much
more
lasAng
and
interesAng
experience
for
the
player;
but
there


are
no
penalAes
for
not
doing
it,
so
the
player
is
never
hindered
by
what
they
choose
to


do,
in
that
regard.


The
Monster
Tower
is
the
main
part
of
the
storyline
and
most
things
Ae
into
it.


The
Tower
itself
is
50
floors
tall
and
contains
the
visible
game
mechanic
of
most
of
the


levels
in
the
dungeon
being
built
randomly.
However,
it
is
a
covert
mechanic
to
the


player
how
the
levels
are
built,
similar
to
how
dungeons
in
a
rouge‐like
are
built.
The


algorithm
used
to
create
the
levels
made
sure
that
certain
monsters
only
appeared
on


certain
levels,
as
well
as
placed
traps,
doorways,
and
other
elements
one
would
find


throughout
the
tower
so
a
player
will
have
somewhat
of
an
idea
of
what
to
expect.


While
in
the
tower,
the
player
also
can
obtain
items
useful
to
his
quest.
He/she
may
as


well
find
eggs
that
monsters
lay
which
can
be
taken
with
the
player
to
hatch
in
his
hut


upon
his
return
to
town.


The
game
also
uses
strategy
in
the
fact
that
the
player
may
only
bring
5
items


into
the
tower,
a
visible
building
mechanic
in
the
way
that
the
player
has
to
build
his


inventory
to
be
suited
to
what
he
is
planning
to
do
in
the
tower.


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All
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2009
DigiPen
(USA)
CorporaAon,
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 John
Doran

10/5/09

GAT211



Aside
from
the
Monster
Tower,
in
which
players
a]empt
to
get
to
the
highest


level
they
can,
there
are
many
other
things
the
player
can
do.
The
city
that
the
player
is


in
has
plenty
of
people
the
player
can
interact
with,
and
many
he/she
can
become


friends
with.



The
player
may
also
pay
a
blacksmith
in
order
to
build
new
areas
in
the
city,
thus


increasing
the
value
of
the
town
and
people’s
opinion
of
the
player.
The
player
also
has


the
choice
of
where
to
build
the
buildings;
a
visible
building
mechanic.
However,
it
is
an


invisible
building
mechanic
in
what
the
buildings
actually
contain
as
it
is
already
created


prior
to
it
being
placed
in
the
town.


The
priest
is
one
of

the
many
people
you

can
build
a

relaAonship
with
in

the
game




The
temple
is
of
the
buildings
the
player
may
choose
to
expand.


 Building
new
areas
is
only
one
of
the
things
that
the
player
can
do
within


the
town.
One
of
the
unique
features
that
this
game
has
(at
least
for
Western


audiences)
is
the
fact
that
the
player
may
build
relaAonships
with
people
and
try
to
woo


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DigiPen
(USA)
CorporaAon,
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 John
Doran

10/5/09

GAT211



the
young
ladies
of
the
town.
This
is
done
through
various
means
in
an
covert
building


mechanic;
as
the
designers
made
the
ways
that
each
girl
finds
the
main
character


a]racAve
to
them
and
how
they
gain
their
affecAon.


The
result
of
your

hard
work
in
the

town




Koh
creates
relaAonships
with
many
of
the
people
in
the
game
in
which
the
player
may
even

start
gaining
girlfriends,
someAmes
to
the
point
where
the
player
have
a
harem
of
sorts.




Monsters
are
used
in
many
different
mechanics
that
can
be
done
throughout
the


player’s
Ame
with
the
game.

Firstly,
they
are
the
only
part
of
Koh
that
will
stay
the


same
throughout
trips
to
the
tower,
as
Koh
gets
set
back
to
level
1
each
and
every
Ame


he
goes
back
into
the
tower
and
will
have
to
work
harder
each
Ame
he
travels
up
the


dungeon.
His
monsters
will
always
be
the
same
strength
as
they
were
the
last
Ame,


though.
This
creates
the
covert
building
mechanic
of
building
the
best
monsters
that
the


player
possibly
can
in
order
to
go
up
further
in
the
tower.
This
is
because
players
will
do


it
even
though
they
don’t
realize
it
is.
Monsters
are
also
used
in
the
very
cleaver


exposed
building
mechanic
of
fusing
monsters
together
in
order
to
create
stronger
ones.


It
is
however,
covert
in
how
the
game
actually
uses
the
two
monsters
to
create
the
new


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©
2009
DigiPen
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CorporaAon,
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 John
Doran

10/5/09

GAT211



one.
These
things
make
Azure
Dreams
an
excellent
game
to
consider
when
thinking
of


ways
to
use
various
building
mechanics.


You
also
build

your
inventory

and
decide

what
to
keep


Building

staAsAcs
help

your
character

up
the
tower


Koh
goes
back
to
Level
1
when
he
goes
into
the
tower,
so
it’s
important
that
the
player
build
up

the
player’s
characters
before
going
to
higher
levels
(exposed
building
mechanic).






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DigiPen
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