Design Goals VI: Longevity

Before finishing this series of posts, I want to talk briefly about the last design consideration that should be a guideline for our new game:  longevity.  In a way this is redundant to some of my other posts, but while previously I covered longevity with regards to game enjoyment, I'm referring here to longevity in the sense of eventual upgrades and expansions.

Usually, a game has a definite lifecycle;  Its engine starts to seem primitive, its graphics look dated.  My hope for our new game is that it can be designed with sufficient modularity to keep extending its life indefinitely.  In a previous post I talked about how a modular design can allow greater customization and flexibility for the game features.  But conversely, it also allows the core pieces of the game engine to be replaced while retaining compatibility with any secondary modules.  So, for example, if there is some exciting new breakthrough in graphics, the 3D engine can be upgraded without rewriting the simulation engine.  The same thing can be applied to expansions:  The game could be expanded by new modules, or by improving the core engine, but in either case a modular design would make it relatively easy to change parts of the game, or add new elements.

With that I think I've covered all the basic design principles (at least for the moment).  I believe that a game built around the precepts I've outlined so far will be able to surpass Sim City 4.  A base game along these lines, even unpolished, even with some features unfinished, would still give us a solid, open platform from which to implement every feature the community has the talent and desire to include, which, as far as I can tell, includes just about anything.

Following on from these posts I'd like to look at more specific features in detail, with the understanding that I'm only speculating and not suggesting that they be "official" mandates;  In the meantime, let me know if there's any broader principles I've neglected and I'll try to talk about those as well!