Developer diary · 6 March 2017 · Mark McKinnon
The beginnings of Wreck and Ruin
I’m starting a diary to follow the making of Wreck and Ruin, my first game project. Each week, I’ll share more of the thinking behind it and the steps along the way. Come along — I’ll be your guide through the wasteland.
I’m Mark, the creator of Wreck and Ruin. I left school without going on to study art, design or game design. As a child, I played Space Crusade and Warhammer 40,000, but eventually drifted away from the hobby. Moving back to my mum’s house two years ago brought back a wave of nostalgia. A quick search on eBay showed me how much the games industry had grown since I last looked, and my gaming obsession was rekindled.
It’s a long way from playing games to making one, but most players have already experimented with the idea: a new scenario or a house rule can become a fresh version of a game before you even realise it.
My own story began in January 2016. After playing Fallout 4 until I’d had my fill, I wanted a break from the screen. I woke early one morning after a dream I can no longer remember and began writing — not because I planned to make a game, but simply to give my brain something to do.
First came the history of a wasteland no longer ruled by humanity. Then I started thinking about who might survive there, what they wanted and what set them apart. With cities in ruins, people would need shelter and ways to travel. That led to the idea of roaming convoys.
The world of Wreck and Ruin had taken shape. The next step was to work out the rules that governed it.
