Cooperative Single Player Games
2019-06-21 in Game Theory
A game theory based around one player being the active player, while other players are either queued to play, or somehow benefit from watching. Thinking back to the days where we would take turns on player death. Empathetic learning.
In-game currency systems are almost always "cash" based. You go out, get gold, spend it. Therefore, the value of gold diminishes toward the end-game, as item values inflate. In a cyberpunk world, maybe the player has credit established. They can borrow up to a certain amount, but then there is the expectation of repayment. Ideas of minimum monthly, better rates, or some real investment opportunities depending on "credit score". Likewise, a real serious penalty for late or non-payment. Corporate death squads from the betrayed bureaus, forced to find shady dealers "off-cred"
Rush the Center
2019-01-11 in Game Idea
i wanted to try to do a multiplayer game -- just 1v1 -- where a player side-scrolls from the left toward the center while simultaneously another player side-scrolls from the right toward the center. when they meet in the center they fight. whoever wins flips to the opposite direction, is match-made with another person, and the same thing repeats. in the meantime, players are collecting stuff to provide abilities (like, the ability to throw a Hadoken, for example) while trying to balance the damage they might take from the NPCs en route to the arena. If a player makes it to the arena before the other player, their health regens. this is the only health gain, so there's incentive to make it to the center first, but there's also incentive to explore
Cat Decoder
2018-07-11 in Game Idea
Inspired by stupid cat memes, I wondered whether there was a way for us to crowd-source cat speech -- you know, for a giggle. The idea would be a cat gif with noise would appear on screen. Below the image are player-suggested captions. People choose the caption they agree with, or submit their own. Eventually the best sift to the top. Eventually, the submitters of images with most engagement get "points," and likewise the highest voted comment creator too. Look for the sequel, Dog Decoder in stores near you
As a raid leader and healer for World of Warcraft during the 40-man Blackrock days and through the Burning Crusade, I found a completely separate game experience than as a Rogue DPS. Being a healer meant managing your position in addition to the rate of health loss of the raid, as well as your mana. Different healers had different philosophies, and as a Priest I really hated Flash Heal snipes. This Healbot game idea is borne from my experience in Warcraft
Courier Mechwarrior
2018-01-18 in Game Idea
** IN ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT ** Players are couriers, tasked with moving resources from point to point in a near-future environment of scarcity. While in the world, a player is met with random encounters reminiscent of a typical RPG. Most encounters are opportunities to gather resources for the courier run. However, some of these encounters could include other players. The vehicle each player pilots is at risk of being hijacked while unattended. Players will have to customize the layout of their vehicles' cockpits to balance usability with defensibility. Other players may seek to avoid confrontation, and others may seek it out. Attention to audio cues and surroundings are critical to success. This game is also exploring the high concept of catharsis and pacing: one should always feel on the verge of escape, detection, or similar
Most humans perceive the world primarily through a visual lens. I am not trying to understand a world viewed by humans without sight, but rather imagine a world comprehended by animals whose primary sense is something other than sight. I figured it would be easiest to choose Dogs and olfactory representations. What would it like to "breathe in" a level's room? How does the dog's sight limit the game, but how does the player's utilization of scent change their ability to navigate?
Dungeon Underwriters
2017-11-03 in Game Idea
I find it interesting to blur the lines of reality with games. Sometimes the absurdity of the blend makes us reflect on the absurdity of the reality. What would it be like to underwrite Diablo-esque dungeons? What would the risk pool entail? Absent an adventurer, what sort of other things go wrong? Should goblins have unions? What about workers' rights? Could we explore the vetting process of Evil Masters -- that is, how does an underwriter decide whether the evil Wizard can be insured compared with the evil Warlord?
This is my first solo Unity project, and it is technically limited by my coding ability at that time. I tried to create something where the daily grind was acceptable, but not a reward in itself. There is quite a bit of design space available to improve the gameplay aspects of both shop management and adventure combat. Ideally, players will realize their path through life should be looking for adventures that support their growth, rather than succumbing to a daily grind.
Death Cycle
2017-08-11 in Game Idea
Thinking about a typical RPG, but that death is both inevitable and required. Kinda thinking of FF2 on SNES (with Cecil) where you think you're done, but then there's a whole under world. Well, much of the time the NPCs are over-leveled for the players. When PC dies, goes to spirit world type place (like link to the past). In order to resuscitate, player must either succeed someway in the dead world, or arrive at an uplink type spot to get pulled through by players in the light world. Certain powers or abilities are learned while spending time in either light or dark realms. Spending too much time in either affects the story design (e.g. corruption by staying in the dead world for too long)
Patience
2016-03-23 in Game Theory
Patience as a resource that is an extension of the actual player's ability to be patient. It is somehow a "stat" or power bar or whatever for the game itself. Design around the idea of spending or gaining patience by forcing interactions in the games… ones that take patience, ones that reward patience, ones that require no patience… In other words, the player *is* a stat for his own avatar = himself
Future Fiction
2015-03-10 in Game Writing
Part of the story follows a member of the corpo world, and focuses on his struggle within the ranks. No glamour, just "business drama" -- something very real and necessary in the mundane ranks. However, this character's struggle to do well smacks of Eichmann and the Banality of Evil. He is integral in furthering the corporate agenda, which results in "bad things" and therefore is just as necessary as the large figure-heads of the fiction narrative
Bring it down!
2014-06-20 in Game Idea
It seems like every movie with big monsters has this team where they have to "try everything" before they just simply send in the hero and he does what the plot needs. I want to make a light-weight game, perhaps like Papers Please, where the player has to do this analytical work.