Problem: Article: Choosing a theme will narrow your focus when planning and designing the game. To pick a genre, consider what types of games you like to play, what the goal or mission of the game will be, and what you want the user experience to be like. For example, if you like games you can play with a group of people, you might make a multiplayer online role-playing game. The most important part of a video game is telling a story that captures the interest of the player. Brainstorm the overarching problem that players are trying to solve and build off of that. Make sure there are multiple ways to "win" the game to provide more entertainment for the players. For example, if you want the goal of the game to be finding a pot of gold, create characters like an evil leprechaun who's trying to protect the pot and a storyline of events that might happen throughout the player's journey, like the appearance of a magical rainbow. You don't want the game to end as soon as a player accomplishes the first goal. Keep the game going by incorporating new challenges throughout the story, along with different levels that players can unlock as they go along. Having a beginner's level along with more advanced levels also means more people can play your game. It won't exclude any players. You can create different levels for the same goal, or make levels get progressively harder throughout the story. For example, you can have a beginner's option and an advanced option for trying to slay the evil leprechaun. Or you can make the first step, like finding the leprechaun, easier, then make the next step, like getting inside his lair, a little more difficult, and so on. Before you jump into coding and development, you need to have a clearly defined plan and vision for how your game will run and what it will look like. Create a storyboard by sketching out the major scenes of your game in each frame, along with details on what will happen in that scene. Place the images in order of occurrence in the game. Include details like what actions the characters will take in each scene, what the background should look like, whether there will be any special effects or sounds, etc. For instance, using the leprechaun example, 1 frame might be searching the woods for the leprechaun's cave. The storyboard would have a description of the woods, what animals or elements the character might run into, and whether the character can run, jump, or even swing from the trees. The more in-depth your storyboard is, the easier the development stage will be, since you'll be more prepared. You don't have to be able to code to create a video game. There are "drag and drop" programs available where you simply insert your storyline, characters, actions, rewards, etc., and the software writes the code for you. This allows your to focus on the storytelling and concept, rather than the technical details and coding. GameMaker Studio and Unity 3D are 2 of the most popular programs for video game development. Choose a free version of one of these programs if you're on a budget. Keep in mind that the free versions will have limited options and features. Coding allows you complete freedom as far as customization and unique features go. You can use online classes or tutorials to teach yourself the basics to start building your game. Some of the common programming languages used in designing games are JavaScript, HTML5, ActionScript 3, C++, or Python. After you master the basics, learn the application programming interface (API) for your coding language. This basically is a set of instructions for how your code will interact with other software or programs. Open-source game development programs also provide extra support and sample code for creating games. For example, if you want your character to climb the wall of the leprechaun's cave, you can find a pre-made coding sequence for a climbing motion, then tweak it to fit your game. Think of this like a rough draft of your game. Don't stress over tiny details, like what color the earrings your character is wearing are. Instead, work on building the main components of the game, like what happens when a player catches the leprechaun or how many pots of gold they have to find to advance to the next level. Keep your prototype as simple as possible if you're a beginner. You can always build on it later. Be open to new ideas that come to you as you build your game and also be willing to let go of things you thought would work but don't. Once you've built a prototype of your game, it's time to actually play it to see how it works. Go through each part and level thoroughly, checking all of the different features and player pathways. If something doesn't run smoothly or if you have ideas for improvement, jot them down so you can go back later and correct them. You can also have your friends and family to playtest the game. Ask them for honest feedback about their experience. Don't just test for functionality. Test for how fun the game is, too! If it's boring or slow, brainstorm ways to make it more exciting, like by adding more challenges or special effects. You can do as many rounds of playtesting as necessary until you're satisfied with your finished game.
Summary: Decide what genre your game will be. Create a compelling storyline that has multiple paths players can take. Add increasing levels of difficulty to keep players engaged. Lay out your video game with a storyboard. Download an easy-to-use program if you're a beginner. Learn how to code if you want a more custom or complex game. Create a prototype of your game focusing on the core features. Playtest the game and make any final tweaks.

Problem: Article: Use ground pork, chicken, turkey, or any meat you prefer. You can also mix meats for a more creative pie. Try cooking bacon and mixing it into your ground meat. Buy your favorite Italian sausage and cut it out of the casting to mix into your pie filling. You can try lamb, veal, or even tuna flakes. Make sure your meat is fully cooked before adding it to your filling. If you are looking for a sweet and savory pie, try adding some additional ingredients to your filling recipe. Add: 8 ounces of raisins. 4 ounces of dried figs (chopped). 2 ounces dried cherries (chopped) 2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped. 1 lemon zested and juiced. 1 orange zested and juiced. 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground clove 6 ounces dark brown sugar Bring some heat to your meat pie with the addition of a few ingredients and seasonings. Try mincing 1 jalapeno chili and 2 garlic cloves for your filling. Add 4 tsp of curry powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper. Use these seasonings when cooking your ground beef to create a delicious spicy meat pie. Use your favorite ingredients and flavors to influence your own version of a meat pie. For a Mexican influenced meat pie, add refried beans and cheddar cheese to your filling. If you are looking for a vegetarian meat pie, substitute 1/2 cup (90 g) brown lentils for ground meat. You can also try adding artichoke hearts. Get as creative as you'd like!
Summary:
Try different types of meat. Make mincemeat sweet pie. Make a spicy meat pie. Get creative. Finished.