Twisted was my least favorite theme, but after some thinking I came up with a game concept which fits the bill well enough and can hold my interest. It's quite experimental and it will be a challenge to see whether I can turn it into a fun game, but here goes.

I wanted to regale you with a screenshot of what I did so far, but the pyweek site wasn't cooperating (said I didn't put in the required file, but that was the screenshot itself!). I've uploaded it on my own server for now, and here it is:

It may be the screenshot isn't entirely obvious. :) The game is intended to be simulating the development of countries on a planet in a period of over hundreds of years. Country borders change over time.

Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to upload a completed game. My idea for the game was too ambitious. I did suspect that from the start, but I tried anyway. I ended up with a nice simulation that has no game component whatsoever.

I had a good time and some useful things were learned (pgu GUI stuff) and written (a cellular automaton implementation in C with Python bindings, not integrated with the game yet). Plus, I have a reasonably nice simulation framework!

The simulation currently looks like this:

It has population dynamics, wild plant domestication, war and peace. New maps can be generated using an external tool (not written by me) called fracplanet and then plugged in. I hope to extend the domestication system and also allow animal domestication. Then I need to add technology, add trade, and basically tweak it endlessly.

After this I can figure out some god game mechanics that allow people to twist the fate of the world. So far the only "game" is the game I've been playing myself - tweaking the rules of the simulation and seeing what would happen.

If anyone is interested in learning more, please let me know. Next pygame I'll get less ambitious and actually finish a game again!