The Design Philosophy of SpiritWars®

By Randy Chase
Creating a computer game, as many of you are aware, is a long and titan_02.jpg (27539 bytes)arduous process.  More than five years ago, my son and I  started drawing squares on a white board and playing around with 3x5 cards.  Little of what you see now would have any visible correlation to those earliest drawings and experiments.

However, from that earliest concept to what is now a living and evolving game, there have been a few long term goals and beliefs that have remained constant and that have played a major role in the evolution and creation of SpiritWars..

I'll outline each briefly here, and you can follow the links of those that interest you.
True Internet Design

The initial motivation began from a frustration with the industry's trend to migrate old software to new platforms.  In the old days, when operating systems and computers were introduced a couple of times a year, we called this "shovel ware."

The Internet isn't just another delivery medium for software (i.e. a bigger or differently shaped disc).  The Internet represents a radical deviation from the technological base that preceded it; and entertainment products for the Internet need to be designed for that new technology.

Level Playing Field

Most of us on the design team have played one or more of the various trading card games.  And, like thousands of other fans of the genre, have grown tired of trying to compete in a "he who has the most money wins" playing environment. 

We feel we have captured some of that dynamic design and atmosphere that make the card-based games so popular, but done so in an original way way that also delivers a fair and equitable playing environment for you or your child.

Evolving Game Design
Having grown tired of the process of working for two years on a title, onlyGUARDI_SEAPORT.jpg (23332 bytes) to disband the team, regroup and start over again, it seemed much more productive to develop a dynamic and flexible game concept that could grow over time.

A Different Direction
In an on-line world that seems dominated by first-person shooters and real-time graphics-intensive action epics, we've obviously opted to go in an entirely different direction.  Wonder why?

No Free Lunch

Yes, this is going to be a "pay to play" game.  And, yes, I know that there are many of you out there who believe that nothing on the Internet should ever cost money.  For you, Kellogg Creek Software does offer both a free and a pay version of SpiritWars.  For the rest of you, here's a look at the rationale for our business model.