june gloom on 27/7/2009 at 21:34
... Wow.
demagogue on 27/7/2009 at 21:39
I thought about that concept when I saw that flash game "battlefield medic", where you're pulling out the bullet and stitching up wounds while the guy screams in pain ... put it in FPS and add a few more humanizing elements like him whimpering "I don't wanna die; I don't wanna die, oh God..." while one of his compatriots holds his hand and shouts at him "You stay in there, you hear me! You're gonna be just fine! You hold in there!" and the grim-faced medic does what he can with no illusions about the chances.
Going back to Stitche's time-travel idea for a second, it reminds me of a variation of that (alternate but related worlds, which is one way to think of time travel as a game-mechanic) is the cyberpunk theme of levels of virtual reality, like the movie Existenz if you've seen it. Also Matrix, yes, but that misses the potential for nested worlds. So you have VR worlds nested inside of other worlds, possibly themselves VR worlds (plugging into a new "VR world" inside a VR world) ... So it's not even clear when you jump up a level that you've arrived at the "real world" at the base, or your still inside a VR world. And then, because two worlds could both be inside a bigger VR world setup, you can get other things crossing worlds, too, so it looks like VR things are leaking into what you think is the real world.
And of course the plot and game are spread across worlds, so you need to do different things at different levels to come to terms with the "whole" (i.e., the "real" story going on in the base real world, what you're ultimately after; if only you could be sure you're really getting there and it's not just part of the illusion. Separating the "reality" from the "illusion" is part of the plot progression.)
N'Al on 28/7/2009 at 12:48
Quote Posted by Sulphur
In FC2 there's the so-called 'buddy' system, etc.
I had a similar situation where my buddy croaked after repeated administrations of morphine; I had Warren Clyde, though, who's a bit of an idiot, so I didn't mourn his passing quite as much.
Also, I believe Josip is Kosovo-Albanian. ;)
Sulphur on 28/7/2009 at 18:55
Ah well, you got me there. I just assumed his accent to be Russian. And you're right, Warren Clyde is a bit of an idiot, and fairly annoying to boot.
Taffer36 on 28/7/2009 at 19:09
Quote Posted by Brethren
Back to the topic at hand, if I may...
Here's what I want - a huge sandbox first person game, in a space setting where the “world” is actually a galaxy and the player has access to dozens of planets (as opposed to just different areas of a city). A Blade Runner/Firefly type setting would be ideal, most civilizations are rough and raw, with minimal authority.
You play a scavenger/pirate/mercenary Han Solo type who takes jobs from various crimelords or leaders of certain factions, either smuggling goods, stealing info, assassinating scumbags, delivering/dealing arms, destroying bases, rescuing hostages, escorting passengers, etc. You can also do some freelance "treasure hunting" if you choose. This is not a true RPG with hitpoints or any skill point system, but you would be able to upgrade your equipment and modify your ship so you could reach new locations further out in the galaxy. Actual space combat would be minimal, the game would be more centered on the different worlds you visit rather than the distances between them. There may be some outrunning of the “Government” as they try to crackdown on pirates, or maybe trying to break through a blockade if a planet is on lockdown.
Mostly, you perform missions, odd jobs and errands - gaining cash, with the reward being access to more areas and more complex things to do. There are also at least two or three central plots that you can engage in, but they are not required (similar to the Guild quests in Oblivion). You are always on your own time and agenda, and can do what you want whenever you want to, you have no destiny and are not “the chosen one.” But it would be cool if the actions you performed did in fact visibly affect the “world” around you, be it from opposing factions gaining control of certain areas of the galaxy, or gaining friends and allies who are suddenly available to give you new jobs.
You “finish” the game by attaining a certain amount of credits and retiring. This will of course require the completion of several endgame type missions with huge payoffs. Some type of ultimate heist or major score.
So, basically part Kotor, Freelancer, Thief, Stalker, Oblivion, Red Faction Guerrilla, and Hitman. Not too much to ask.
Quote Posted by nicked
See, I think this idea would also make a fantastic MMO. My ideal MMO is halfway between World of Warcraft and EVE Online.
Granted, you didn't say MMO RPG, nicked, but what I like so much about Brethren's idea is that it's a non-RPG FPS. My problem's just that pretty much every game that has a large scale like that or is interesting in its non-linear setup ALWAYS has to be an RPG or an MMO.
I think the idea sounds fantastic. I still think that there should be a main story tying it together, but something like the story in GTA 4 would be cool, where the plot's basis is built up thru all of the side missions, but the focus of the side missions is on the missions themselves. The plot doesn't conflict with the game, but it eventually comes to fruition at the very end.
Kroakie on 6/8/2009 at 06:27
Quote Posted by Stitch
One is barely even a concept: the game presents a smallish world in which there are a limited number of variables that interact with each other and can be revisited and manipulated from different perspectives. A game of time travel? A city block in which you play through a small set of events as various people who all interact? I don't really know what the "game" hook would be, but I find the idea of revisiting scenes to manipulate a different outcome interesting.
I am currently in MIT taking part in the (
http://gambit.mit.edu/) Singapore-MIT Gambit Summer Program, and your idea is somewhat similar to one I pitched and subsequently fleshed out (and then discarded :( ) by the team during the brainstorming session.
My original idea has the player plays as the ghost in a haunted mansion, in which lives a family with a sick child. The player is basically a spirit of raw emotional energy with the power to inject emotions into everyone in the house, with the exception of the child, to affect their interactions with each other. The player's actions will determine the kind of ending he'll get, but in all endings, the kid dies, though the manner of his death will differ. Hints will be dropped throughout the game that reveals that the player is actually the kid himself. So in a manner you are the agent of your own death. Play as a sadistic, malevolent spirit, and you'll cause your own violent, tragic death, which in turns made you into the angry ghost that you are. Like some kind of twisted karmic cycle.
The idea then evolved to incorporate collecting emotions which you can then use on the people, the mechanic of which is tied to memories you'll recover throughout the game, and replaying the scene in order to break out of the karmic cycle.
Later iterations of the idea led to you playing as a dead baby ghost revisiting your still-mourning parents years after your death to help them come to grip with your death. For a while this seems like the idea we'll go with, until the product owner decided that the theme was too heavy and serious and decided to scrap it. In the end we went with the idea of a newly-awakened god manipulating two rival kings who are fighting over your resting place. Production on the game just finished today. When it's released I'll post a link here.
glslvrfan on 7/8/2009 at 01:57
I would love an RPG using the storyline of Dragon Lance Chronicles.
addone on 7/8/2009 at 10:47
A post-apocalyptic stealth fps! A short-length'd game, kinda like Portal where you sort of wake up, kidnapped. You wake up on the cold, wet floor wearing very little clothing, with no weapons or anything, and you can hear raiders nearby, talking about you (they've captured you, and they're gonna kill you!). Your objective is to escape and get back into the open.
nicked on 7/8/2009 at 12:28
Just play Fallout 3 with no weapons.
catbarf on 7/8/2009 at 14:39
Quote Posted by addone
A post-apocalyptic stealth fps! A short-length'd game, kinda like Portal where you sort of wake up, kidnapped. You wake up on the cold, wet floor wearing very little clothing, with no weapons or anything, and you can hear raiders nearby, talking about you (they've captured you, and they're gonna kill you!). Your objective is to escape and get back into the open.
Penumbra: Black Plague.
