Why Make A Turnbased Game?

When we settled on the concept for Ctrl Alt Deal (you’re an AI manipulating humans to escape from an evil megacorp!), an important design question immediately arose. How do we immerse the player in the role of a hyperintelligent computer program?

After all, our protagonist, SCOUT, is more than a plucky little AI searching for meaning in its digital life. It’s an advanced spyware program designed to see into every aspect of humanity and exploit it. SCOUT’s computing power and cutting-edge technology means the humans don’t stand a chance!

How do we make the player feel that?

We came up with a few solid strategies for immersion. One was the unique “dollhouse” layout of the office. We wanted it to feel like a board game, as if SCOUT was “looking down” on the simulation it created by patching together all its camera feeds. SCOUT isn’t inside the office; it’s above it, looking down like a general studying a map, or a player manipulating pieces on the board.

The card-based action system also helped build the concept of the player as a self-aware program. Each card represents a “subroutine” or action SCOUT can take. The player can sort through potential strategies for accomplishing a goal based on what “programs” they have in their hand or what they think they’re likely to draw.

But the biggest design decision that helped sell SCOUT as this powerful artificial intelligence was the turn-based structure. By taking out the time pressure, we gave the player as much leeway as they needed to come up with the perfect strategy. As SCOUT, the player can take all the time they want to come up with a plan for achieving their goals. To the humans in the Paperclip office, time flows at a normal rate. But SCOUT’s brain works so fast, what passes as minutes for the humans can seem like hours.

This structure solidifies the role of the player as having a vast intellect and a keen ability to manipulate humans. Making the game turn-based also played in to our concept of a “complicated single player boardgame” and helped balance some of the card draw mechanics. Mostly, though, it lets the player really feel like this superior artificial intelligence.

This week, we’re thrilled to be participating in the Turnbased Thursday Fest on Steam. Try the demo and see how you, too, can become something more than human. (If only they’d stop wandering off, eating, and having friendships when you’re trying to manipulate them!) We’d love to hear your thoughts on our forums or our Discord. Happy plotting!