After feedback from the community, the Build, Expand, and Manage (Socially) Challenge is now live.

This challenge focuses on a theme of building and managing finite resources and economic constraints while introducing social gameplay elements where the definition of social is up to the developer.

Learn more from the Challenge page at https://gamedev.net/challenges/11-build-expand-and-manage-socially-challenge​.

This is the first Challenge on the new GameDev.net platform, and this thread will serve as the official comments and questions thread for this challenge.

@khawk Just for clarification on “Create a Management game that incorporates at least one social gameplay element.” Does the social gameplay element mean a real live person has to be able to interact in same way? Or can this be AI based?

I already have a basic idea for the city builder and how to incorporate co-op elements, but I wanted to know if I have to actually require a real person or I can “simulate" a person by having AI as the co-player.

Rutin said:
Does the social gameplay element mean a real live person has to be able to interact in same way? Or can this be AI based? I already have a basic idea for the city builder and how to incorporate co-op elements, but I wanted to know if I have to actually require a real person or I can “simulate" a person by having AI as the co-player.

Yes, I intentionally wanted to leave this open to the possibility of simulating the social element. For example, a game may be single player only but encourage social behaviors through AI agents in its game design.

I really wanted to avoid narrowly binding social gameplay to only include live people since social elements - or maybe a “social feel” to the game is a better way of saying it - can also be driven through AI.

Works for me! ? Thanks!

fleabay said:

khawk said:
Build, Expand, and Manage (Socially) Challenge is now live.

For some reason I'm not logged in on that page. What's the deal?

@fleabay Not sure what you mean? You're logged out when visiting that page?

I can report that no issues are happening on my end. I remain logged in as per usual when visiting that page.

Alberth said:

When I open that link at a new tab, the site reverts back to white theme, and says “log in” at the right, so yeah ?

EDIT: It also asks for cookie permissions at the bottom.

Here, can still type this message and post it, but no idea if being logged in works across different tabs in the browser.

Ok, that is just strange. I have no explanation.. cookies and sessions and such have been an issue lately (and why clearing the cache might help), but for one specific page to be a problem is baffling.

Turns out that was an editor bug with links, so thanks for reporting it. ? Also now fixed (might still need cookie clears).

Now, back to the Challenge!