High Concept: The player needs to collect as many badges as possible. Each badge gives them a single power. As they level up they get more badge slots. The entire game is about collecting, optimizing and having the best combo powers.
Platform: Facebook / XBLA Title
Why it needs to be made: Collect, collect, collect! People love things, people love more things! This game is about collecting things and getting powers. Fun!
Description: This game is all about being the best! The only way to be the best is to get all the badges! Every badge grants you a power. When you level up you get a new slot and a new place to add the badge. Badges grant all kinds of powers. They can be persistent effects like a damaging aura of fire, or they can be things that need to be activated like a double jump.
The player needs to explore the candy colored world to find all the badges! A thin story lays over the collecting dynamic because the whole game is about collecting, optimizing and collecting. Multiplayer levels pit players against one another by making them choose a badge combo and locking that in and running through a course.
Never again will you want to play another collection game. The direct effect of each badge combined with a platforming style game gives the player enough good input that they'll want to collect and use all the badges! The feedback the player gets from using the badges will make him come back for more.
Why it will be fun: COLLECTING!
Final Notes: I'm tired and have jet lag. The game speaks for itself. Its meant to be a look at those super fun collect games.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Game Idea #6 : Towers of Babel
High Concept: Try and construct a tower with a friend, against an enemy team, without the use of words.
Platform: Facebook Game
Why it needs to be made: Co-op competitive games are fun. Team vs team. Often times, however, you can easily communicate with each other. This game takes away that ability to communicate, and has the players try and complete more of their tower before the other team.
Description: You and a partner have been put in charge of building a tower that will reach to the Celestial Realms themselves! Of course, the town next door must do the same and so they've begun to erect a tower as well! If that wasn't enough, as you begin to make some real progress, a celestial deity has taken offense to this tower building and has taken away your ability to understand words! How are you going to build the tower now?
There are four players split into two teams of two. The two roles on the team are the Spotter and the Builder. The Spotter communicates to the Builder what to do and the Builder responds by doing it. This could be the Spotter telling the builder to place a box in a location, tie a rope to another rope, pull up a heavy load or tear apart a wall. The partners are randomly matched online so they won't be able to communicate.
The tower is built in square sections and each section has objects randomly generated in it. As sections are completed another square is placed on top and the players move up. The players either play for four minutes or until they finish ten levels of their tower.
At first its easy. A room is generated at the bottom. A rope and wench, boards and hammers, decorations and a concrete like mixture. The Spotter is given an instruction such as: "Lift the supplies to this level". This means the Builder will need to tug on the rope until the supplies are lifted up. The Spotter can choose an action to perform, like a movement, or type a message to the builder. A Builder is unable to perform an action until the Spotter says or does something. After that, the Builder is offered three pictures of actions. One of them is the action that needs to be completed. The builder would click that action and preform it.
As the levels rise, anything the Spotter types becomes garbled. By the fifth level it is completely indecipherable. Now when the Spotter is given a command they need to communicate in a new way. With the above instruction, this may mean moving over to the rope and winch and making a motion that looks like pulling. The Spotter will have a set motions that they can do. After doing a motion the Builder is given the same thing as above, options to choose from. With the increase of the levels more options are added until the end there is five actions.
Why it will be fun: I'm a fan of abusive gameplay as well as a subtle themes. This happens to be a game about communication and how important it is for teamwork and success. It would be fun to have bragging rights to building a tower the fastest with a partner.
Final Notes: This game has a lot to expand on if it is meant for Facebook. Re-playability is major, or figuring out a way to keep making the players play. Its a start.
Platform: Facebook Game
Why it needs to be made: Co-op competitive games are fun. Team vs team. Often times, however, you can easily communicate with each other. This game takes away that ability to communicate, and has the players try and complete more of their tower before the other team.
Description: You and a partner have been put in charge of building a tower that will reach to the Celestial Realms themselves! Of course, the town next door must do the same and so they've begun to erect a tower as well! If that wasn't enough, as you begin to make some real progress, a celestial deity has taken offense to this tower building and has taken away your ability to understand words! How are you going to build the tower now?
There are four players split into two teams of two. The two roles on the team are the Spotter and the Builder. The Spotter communicates to the Builder what to do and the Builder responds by doing it. This could be the Spotter telling the builder to place a box in a location, tie a rope to another rope, pull up a heavy load or tear apart a wall. The partners are randomly matched online so they won't be able to communicate.
The tower is built in square sections and each section has objects randomly generated in it. As sections are completed another square is placed on top and the players move up. The players either play for four minutes or until they finish ten levels of their tower.
At first its easy. A room is generated at the bottom. A rope and wench, boards and hammers, decorations and a concrete like mixture. The Spotter is given an instruction such as: "Lift the supplies to this level". This means the Builder will need to tug on the rope until the supplies are lifted up. The Spotter can choose an action to perform, like a movement, or type a message to the builder. A Builder is unable to perform an action until the Spotter says or does something. After that, the Builder is offered three pictures of actions. One of them is the action that needs to be completed. The builder would click that action and preform it.
As the levels rise, anything the Spotter types becomes garbled. By the fifth level it is completely indecipherable. Now when the Spotter is given a command they need to communicate in a new way. With the above instruction, this may mean moving over to the rope and winch and making a motion that looks like pulling. The Spotter will have a set motions that they can do. After doing a motion the Builder is given the same thing as above, options to choose from. With the increase of the levels more options are added until the end there is five actions.
Why it will be fun: I'm a fan of abusive gameplay as well as a subtle themes. This happens to be a game about communication and how important it is for teamwork and success. It would be fun to have bragging rights to building a tower the fastest with a partner.
Final Notes: This game has a lot to expand on if it is meant for Facebook. Re-playability is major, or figuring out a way to keep making the players play. Its a start.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Writings and Other Creative Work
No, that is not the name of this week's game. It is an aside where I'm going to talk about other creative projects I'm pursuing or wish to pursue.
First is using Twitter as a medium to tell stories. I was bouncing around the idea of trying to write a short story using the popular web service for a while, but after getting one and actually experiencing the limit 140 characters have I almost wanted to give up. Then I had an epiphany. A story told by three different characters in the same world, experiencing the same story over three different time spans. I also wanted to be able to justify only using 140 characters or less to tell the story. The story is chronologically out of synch. Sounds too confusing? Bear with me.
Its a sci-fi horror story about an alien invasion. The three characters are the Decaying Astronaut, the Infected One and the Operator. The Decaying Astronaut is floating out in the black, devoid of ship and hope. His oxygen reserves are running low and he is fairly certain he is going to die. He is trying to preserve what oxygen he has left and thinking is getting more and more difficult for him. He'll be telling the origin of the invasion, when he isn't having flashbacks to happier times in his life. His story is told over the course of the few days he has left to live. The pain and lack of air justify the 140 characters.
The Infected is a man in the woods of Michigan infected by the alien parasite. His story is what is happening on Earth during the now. It is told over a longer time period than the astronaut, as he is going to be experiencing weeks and possible months as the infection's host while the Astronaut only has a few days left. The justification of 140 characters here is his frantic thoughts as he tries to piece together what is going on and the reader is likely to gain insight into the parasite's mind as well.
The Operator is locked down in a secure government facility. He is trying to monitor whatever broadcasts are left after the invasion. He is our eye on the rest of the world. If the Astronaut is the past and The Infected is the now then the Operator takes on a kind of future. His posts are days, weeks, months and years apart, don't worry it'll say when. He is keeping a log. The lack of power in the facility he is in is why he can't use the computer for long and justifies the 140 characters.
Yeesh. I've created the Twitter accounts and I want the story going for a while before I release them. Lets see if I can pull this off.
The second, smaller and easy bit, is that I recently wrote a page for a Horror Anthology comic called Horror Haikus. It needed to be a one page, seventeen bubbled or captioned story. Its a little rough grammatically speaking and there are few typos, but it gets the message across and it will be cleaned up soon. You can read the draft here:HorrorAnth1.2
Alright. That sums this up. I'll be back Sunday with another game. I know you just can't wait.
First is using Twitter as a medium to tell stories. I was bouncing around the idea of trying to write a short story using the popular web service for a while, but after getting one and actually experiencing the limit 140 characters have I almost wanted to give up. Then I had an epiphany. A story told by three different characters in the same world, experiencing the same story over three different time spans. I also wanted to be able to justify only using 140 characters or less to tell the story. The story is chronologically out of synch. Sounds too confusing? Bear with me.
Its a sci-fi horror story about an alien invasion. The three characters are the Decaying Astronaut, the Infected One and the Operator. The Decaying Astronaut is floating out in the black, devoid of ship and hope. His oxygen reserves are running low and he is fairly certain he is going to die. He is trying to preserve what oxygen he has left and thinking is getting more and more difficult for him. He'll be telling the origin of the invasion, when he isn't having flashbacks to happier times in his life. His story is told over the course of the few days he has left to live. The pain and lack of air justify the 140 characters.
The Infected is a man in the woods of Michigan infected by the alien parasite. His story is what is happening on Earth during the now. It is told over a longer time period than the astronaut, as he is going to be experiencing weeks and possible months as the infection's host while the Astronaut only has a few days left. The justification of 140 characters here is his frantic thoughts as he tries to piece together what is going on and the reader is likely to gain insight into the parasite's mind as well.
The Operator is locked down in a secure government facility. He is trying to monitor whatever broadcasts are left after the invasion. He is our eye on the rest of the world. If the Astronaut is the past and The Infected is the now then the Operator takes on a kind of future. His posts are days, weeks, months and years apart, don't worry it'll say when. He is keeping a log. The lack of power in the facility he is in is why he can't use the computer for long and justifies the 140 characters.
Yeesh. I've created the Twitter accounts and I want the story going for a while before I release them. Lets see if I can pull this off.
The second, smaller and easy bit, is that I recently wrote a page for a Horror Anthology comic called Horror Haikus. It needed to be a one page, seventeen bubbled or captioned story. Its a little rough grammatically speaking and there are few typos, but it gets the message across and it will be cleaned up soon. You can read the draft here:HorrorAnth1.2
Alright. That sums this up. I'll be back Sunday with another game. I know you just can't wait.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Game Idea #5 : Crying in the Bathroom Stall
High Concept: This is an angst filled game with angst filled things. You play as a highschooler who has locked yourself in the bathroom stall. Its a puzzle / art game about figuring out what to do, while the player figures out why they are there.
Platform: PC Title, really small Indie Game.
Why it needs to be made: Its an art piece as well as a game. It needs to be made because often small events like these shape who we are, or where we'll go. The hard part will be hitting the sweet spot between making the player's remember moments like these, and giving them a satisfying game without being too contrived.
Description: You've been crying and its your lunch break. Class starts in 45 minutes and you don't want to go. The player has 45 minutes to come to a decision about staying in the bathroom, going to class, going home, or a few other "endings."
You explore the bathroom, your backpack, skin and reflection to figure out what is keeping the character down and what decision you need to come to. The game would play like a mystery game where the player puts clues together and solves problems.
At one point in the game you would have to interact with someone entering the bathroom, or you could hide. The interaction could lead to clues as to why you've been crying and colors the ending choices.
Since I love the weird, this game will have to have an element of the weird as well. I'm thinking it takes place in a Orwellian style dystopia, or one the last survivors of a school torn apart by some awful creature. The idea behind this is to offset some of the utterly reprehensible idea of playing an emo style game. I want to give it a tangy sci-fi flavor while trying to keep a very serious narrative about decisions and being a teen.
Why it will be fun: High School had such high points and low ones. Experience them again! With a twist! Solve the mystery and try not to be moved to tears.
Final Notes: This idea was vaguely inspired by the pen and paper game Misspent Youth.
Platform: PC Title, really small Indie Game.
Why it needs to be made: Its an art piece as well as a game. It needs to be made because often small events like these shape who we are, or where we'll go. The hard part will be hitting the sweet spot between making the player's remember moments like these, and giving them a satisfying game without being too contrived.
Description: You've been crying and its your lunch break. Class starts in 45 minutes and you don't want to go. The player has 45 minutes to come to a decision about staying in the bathroom, going to class, going home, or a few other "endings."
You explore the bathroom, your backpack, skin and reflection to figure out what is keeping the character down and what decision you need to come to. The game would play like a mystery game where the player puts clues together and solves problems.
At one point in the game you would have to interact with someone entering the bathroom, or you could hide. The interaction could lead to clues as to why you've been crying and colors the ending choices.
Since I love the weird, this game will have to have an element of the weird as well. I'm thinking it takes place in a Orwellian style dystopia, or one the last survivors of a school torn apart by some awful creature. The idea behind this is to offset some of the utterly reprehensible idea of playing an emo style game. I want to give it a tangy sci-fi flavor while trying to keep a very serious narrative about decisions and being a teen.
Why it will be fun: High School had such high points and low ones. Experience them again! With a twist! Solve the mystery and try not to be moved to tears.
Final Notes: This idea was vaguely inspired by the pen and paper game Misspent Youth.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Game Idea #4: Fantasy Football
High Concept: In the same vein as Battle Ball or Blood Bowl, Fantasy Football takes the sport its named after and turns it on its head. The game allows players to call on their teams totems, summon powers during the game, and take Football to a whole new level.
Platform: Xbox360, PS3,
Why it needs to be made: Sports games sell like hotcakes, which I think are pancakes, and fantasy games are abundant. Rarely have these two genres gotten together and made a baby. Fantasy football is it.
Description: The player forms a team, like you would in any football game, made of running backs, quarter backs, linemen, etc, and chooses a totem for their team. The totem, which may be a Boar, Lightning, Gold or something else, gives the team powers that help them during the game.
The idea is that all this weird kooky magic is occurring in modern day. That means games have modern sponsors, modern announcers and modern...cheerleaders/priestesses. The strange mundane archaic combo would make for great visuals.
The game itself plays like traditional sports games. The player takes to the field and gives plays and plays as members on the team. The change comes with the pregame rituals to summon the totem and the ability to use the points garnered by the totem to deliver benefits in the game. The ritual itself would be a mini-game that took place before the game and would be different depending on the totem.
For instance players who play as the Chicago Boars would do their ritual before the game and be rewarded points. These points could be distributed to pregame buffs, in game powers or saved. At the half time another ritual is preformed and more points are accrued.
Different totems unlock different abilities. Boars are aggressive, so offensive linemen become a bit better at breaking the defense. A power that could be used is Razor Back. As a receiver catches the ball, and is leapt on by an enemy player, quills grow from his back and press the player off before receding. The way the player activates the power would be instantaneous.
Powers would be assigned before a match. For the Boar team, a buff that would be assigned that would last through the match may be a set of tusks on a offensive line man. These tusks help throw the other team aside. An activatable power would be the Razor Back one mentioned above. Powers could only be assigned to particular units. That is only one man may have tusks and only one may have Razor Back.
A totem also has flaws. Like boars have bad attitudes, so to do the Chicago Boars. This would result in occasional false starts by the offense, going only towards the nearest target during a throw and unnecessary roughness.
As the player progresses through Season Mode they get to draft players, level up their totem and unlock new powers.
Why it will be fun: What isn't there to love about cool powers and America's most brutal pass time? This game takes fantasy game elements and mixes them with Sports to attempt to draw in two types of consumers. Of course hardcore sports and fantasy fans will not like the game, but its meant to appeal to both audiences.
Final Notes: The Super Bowl was tonight. Can you tell?
Platform: Xbox360, PS3,
Why it needs to be made: Sports games sell like hotcakes, which I think are pancakes, and fantasy games are abundant. Rarely have these two genres gotten together and made a baby. Fantasy football is it.
Description: The player forms a team, like you would in any football game, made of running backs, quarter backs, linemen, etc, and chooses a totem for their team. The totem, which may be a Boar, Lightning, Gold or something else, gives the team powers that help them during the game.
The idea is that all this weird kooky magic is occurring in modern day. That means games have modern sponsors, modern announcers and modern...cheerleaders/priestesses. The strange mundane archaic combo would make for great visuals.
The game itself plays like traditional sports games. The player takes to the field and gives plays and plays as members on the team. The change comes with the pregame rituals to summon the totem and the ability to use the points garnered by the totem to deliver benefits in the game. The ritual itself would be a mini-game that took place before the game and would be different depending on the totem.
For instance players who play as the Chicago Boars would do their ritual before the game and be rewarded points. These points could be distributed to pregame buffs, in game powers or saved. At the half time another ritual is preformed and more points are accrued.
Different totems unlock different abilities. Boars are aggressive, so offensive linemen become a bit better at breaking the defense. A power that could be used is Razor Back. As a receiver catches the ball, and is leapt on by an enemy player, quills grow from his back and press the player off before receding. The way the player activates the power would be instantaneous.
Powers would be assigned before a match. For the Boar team, a buff that would be assigned that would last through the match may be a set of tusks on a offensive line man. These tusks help throw the other team aside. An activatable power would be the Razor Back one mentioned above. Powers could only be assigned to particular units. That is only one man may have tusks and only one may have Razor Back.
A totem also has flaws. Like boars have bad attitudes, so to do the Chicago Boars. This would result in occasional false starts by the offense, going only towards the nearest target during a throw and unnecessary roughness.
As the player progresses through Season Mode they get to draft players, level up their totem and unlock new powers.
Why it will be fun: What isn't there to love about cool powers and America's most brutal pass time? This game takes fantasy game elements and mixes them with Sports to attempt to draw in two types of consumers. Of course hardcore sports and fantasy fans will not like the game, but its meant to appeal to both audiences.
Final Notes: The Super Bowl was tonight. Can you tell?
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