Games from Nothing: Conference Post #2 — A Cup of Rain

My inspiration for the game “A Cup of Rain” comes from my window in a rainy day: small rain drops were sliding slowly, and when they ran into other drops, they would form a flow . Besides seeing this beautiful process taken place naturally, you can also use your finger to connect raindrops and create a flow

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I had this idea of simulating rain from very early on, but I did not think of turning it into a game. During the most part of this semester, I have been working on other games and prototypes. The only thing that came close to this idea is a game I wrote at the beginning of the semester called “Color Rain.” Though it is also a game about rain, the concept was very different.

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Color Rain, version 1

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Color Rain, version 2

When I started conceptualizing this game, the playing mechanics was totally different. I imagined the play drawing lines from drop to drop, and, through color matching, create some special effects. When actually coding, I became interested in other forms of interaction, so I gradually changed the mechanics. Now tapping is the major game play mechanics, and through tapping, several different effects will take place.

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Author: Shiyuan He