A game idea

[CeeeJ]

Hi,
My name is C.J. Warne, and I've recently came up with a game design that I think could really change the way people play games.

Its something, that could only be done, at a major publisher, but it would allow them to engross the player to an extent thats never been done before.

In short, the idea is to create an Alternate Reality Game, but not in the way that it is currently done. Instead of using the internet to make websites, and send users to various places, the game would make a 3d world for the player to "live" in. In this world there would be clues, and mini-games that the player could use to help solve the mystery of who a secret killer is. But the thing that makes this different from other ARG's is the fact that the player would never know what to expect. This is because my design illustrates how to make it, where parts of this game, are hidden in other games also developed by the publisher.

Take for example, you have my game loaded on your hard drive, you put in Halo 2 and start to play. My game reconizes that you've got a game its compatiable with in, and loads a level thats not in the original. So you think you're about to play a normal level of halo, when in fact you're getting a secret level, that you can only play by having my game.

I go into this a lot more in my design document.
http://ceeej211.tripod.com/Ghost_in_the_Box.doc

I'd be honored if you guys would take a look at it, and tell me what you think. It still needs a little of work, but I really believe in this idea, and I was just wanting some criticism on it.

I am tring to get it into the hands of a couple of publishers, but  I don't really know how to get them to look at it. I am currenty a senior in college and could actually start work on this project if one would give it a chance.


Thanks for your help guys,
C.J.

[Josh1billion]

Do you have any prior game development experience?

[DigitalJake]

That really isn't a pratical idea. Not trying to be an ass but the time and energy to do something like that and the man power alone would cost so much money.

[CeeeJ]

"Do you have any prior game development experience?"

Nothing formal. I have two books on game design and I am currently a business major with a specialization in computer management information systems.

So I've had several programming classes (VB,C++ and assembly language) but I am by no means a master at programming, and I've never programmed anything more then a few simple games. But I understand the concepts even if I can't really do anything super complicated. A long with those classes, I've had some on how to design computer systems (hence the DFD's in the design document)

I've also done my research, I've read a lot about game design and how companies work. I've got a subscription to gamasutra.com/game developer magazine, and I've read a lot on the internet. I've even got a copy of "masters of doom" that I read in two days (if I wouldn't have had class, I would have read it all in one day)




"That really isn't a practical idea. Not trying to be an ass but the time and energy to do something like that and the man power alone would cost so much money."

Don't worry about being an ass man, I asked for comments. Thanks for taking the time to even look at it!

I do disagree with you though. I don't think it would really take that much man power. Other then the core group working on the software to recognize that someone is online, and to create the "game world".

The "game world" doesn't even really need to be very complicated, just something, to keep the player entertained, and provide clues as to what they should be doing, since most of the game, will involve other games and media.

As far as the other media, the extra levels in the games wouldn't be that hard, with their respective teams already working on the game, it wouldn't take that much to make an extra level and a couple of characters. It would tack on an extra two weeks at most, since the extra levels don't need to be super big or dazzling, just something to make the player go "WOW, I never expected this"

The cell phone technology already exists, I get plenty of unwanted spam text messages to my phone all the time

In my view the most difficult part of this would be the logistics, and just getting everything together. Since you would have to work with other studio's to make sure they we're doing what their supposed, and to test to make sure your code works with theirs.

It would take a lot of planning, and really good management, but I think its actually a very feasible idea, that wouldn't take that much man power at all.

[DigitalJake]

I do disagree with you though. I don't think it would really take that much man power. Other then the core group working on the software to recognize that someone is online, and to create the "game world".

Well how about all the issues between communication and making sure ones code doesn't mess up the game the player is playing or vice versa?

[CeeeJ]

Well how about all the issues between communication and making sure ones code doesn't mess up the game the player is playing or vice versa?

Middleware software could do it. All you would have to do is write a uniform piece of software for all of the developers to go buy. The software wouldn't actually have to do much, just check to see if the game is a game for that publisher, if so, then instruct the game to load the "bonus" level randomly.

All the code for that level, would be code from the developer of that that game, so there shouldn't be any issue's with that aspect of either game.

This kind of stuff is already being done, take for example the latest version of windows messenger. Whenever someone uses itunes, messenger automatically puts it with their user name so others can see what their listening to. Both programs interact together, but do different things. What I am talking about doing is something along the same lines.

[DigitalJake]

I will give you credit and it is something you strongly believe in. I personally think it will be more difficult in application. That would have to come from a big publisher which you already have stated but I have a very distasteful view on big publishers.

When I make it big with my games I plan on doing something different I like to call it comware because well I am not that good with coming up with creative names. It has been done but not to the extent that I would like to pursue it. Basically comware is episode based game play. Gameplay would be around 5 hours per episode and a new episode every 3 to 4 months and a new series every year. You charge a small fee for each episode to make money. Two things I hope to achieve by this 1. leave the player wanting more kinda like back in the shareware days or when it is the season finale of a show and 2. Have the freedom to explore different avenues of game play through story. If one episode doesn't work out for whatever reason you know you can change it for the next. The short version is game sitcoms.

The first episode would be free to get the audience and each episode after would be charged. Then when the episodes are done with a new game story would start. You would use game technology in 2 to 3 years cycle and then upgrade to the next gen technologies and then start a new series on the engine. So on and so forth.  There are flaws in the theory but it is the basic.

[CeeeJ]

That sounds like a really cool idea, if I were you I'd look into developing your games for the psp, since you can download files to the memory card.  It may just be me, but I think that the psp really lends itself to freeware/ shareware. I think it is something you're really going to see a lot of indie developers making games for. It'll be really exciting.

Best of luck man, and once again, thanks for the comments!

[Josh1billion]

That sounds like a really cool idea, if I were you I'd look into developing your games for the psp, since you can download files to the memory card.  It may just be me, but I think that the psp really lends itself to freeware/ shareware. I think it is something you're really going to see a lot of indie developers making games for. It'll be really exciting.

Best of luck man, and once again, thanks for the comments!

Yeah man, PSP development is pretty cool.  Unfortunately, I've run into a few bumps along the way, but I can say I have tried out PSP coding a little.  It really is quite a powerful piece of hardware when you consider all the possibilities we as homebrew-software developers can do with such a powerful (and handheld) device.   I love the PSP.

[CeeeJ]

Yeah man, PSP development is pretty cool.  Unfortunately, I've run into a few bumps along the way, but I can say I have tried out PSP coding a little.  It really is quite a powerful piece of hardware when you consider all the possibilities we as homebrew-software developers can do with such a powerful (and handheld) device.   I love the PSP.

Yeah, I read the post you made about developing for the psp, I am really interested into looking at what can be done. I'll probably start reading the articles you posted on it soon, so I can see what all can be done for it. I really like the idea of being able to program for it. I think that it is going to give independent game companies a real chance to show what they can do, once all of the nuances are figured out.

One of my co-workers (who is a computer science major and has a psp)  and I were talking about how difficult it would be to transfer final fantasy 8 (my favorite game) to the psp. I haven't had a chance to look into it, but I think it would be possible, with storage being the main issue.

That's also the issue I see with homebrewed games. As people start to figure out how to make them, I see the memory cards becoming a problem. But it'll be exciting none-the-less.

You know what would be real cool, since you can run an snes emulator on your psp. Is if we took chrono trigger, and modded it, to make a tribute to Mr. Romero. Make it take place in that world, and have a game where he is the hero, and the rest of the people on the board are his sidekicks. He could rescue his wife and save the world or something

It would be a nice little tribute, and something for him to do, when he's taking a break from his current game.

-Thanks,
     C.J.

P.S: If you have msn, send me a message sometime, my msn is "ceeej21@hotmail.com” I’d like to discuss this kind of stuff with you!

P.P.S: How's breakout going?

[Josh1billion]

One of my co-workers (who is a computer science major and has a psp) and I were talking about how difficult it would be to transfer final fantasy 8 (my favorite game) to the psp. I haven't had a chance to look into it, but I think it would be possible, with storage being the main issue.

Well.. your co-worker is right that it would be very difficult to get FF8 (great game by the way, my favorite FF) playable on the PSP.  The reason though is that it would be way way way way way too slow.. you see, homebrew-software developers for the PSP don't actually have an official SDK or anything, so most of the functions are slower makeshift ones, you could say..  Someone (username: PacManFan) has been working on a PSX emulator though.. and I think it runs at less than 1 FPS.  There isn't a lot of hope in PSX-on-PSP emulation right now, and there might not be for some time if ever.. even GBA emulation is too slow to be playable.

You know what would be real cool, since you can run an snes emulator on your psp. Is if we took chrono trigger, and modded it, to make a tribute to Mr. Romero. Make it take place in that world, and have a game where he is the hero, and the rest of the people on the board are his sidekicks. He could rescue his wife and save the world or something

That's a pretty cool idea.  I would love to be a part of the project too if this happens.. maybe the storyline could be taken from (and similar to but not exactly) Masters of DOOM?

Though the project isn't much related to the PSP (the mod would probably be played more on PC because more people would be able to play it that way), it sounds like a great idea..

P.P.S: How's breakout going?

Basically, what happened was I needed to use a math library to handle the ball bouncing.. libm is the name of it, and when I included libm into the project I got a ton of errors and shit.. and I can't really update my SDK because I get errors when I try to do so (in Cygwin).  It'd be much easier to develop on Linux, which PSP homebrew software development began on.

I think I'm pretty much done with PSP development for now though, unless/until someone releases a newer version of a binary of the PSP toolchain or something.. you know, so it would be easy to get working (a pre-compiled toolchain is one method I got it to work)and it would be updated so more features like libm would work.

I have added you to my MSN list.

[CeeeJ]

That's a pretty cool idea.  I would love to be a part of the project too if this happens.. maybe the storyline could be taken from (and similar to but not exactly) Masters of DOOM?

How would the gameplay work on that. I mean its a novel idea, and I really like the idea of getting a project together to put the book in game form, but I don't know what you would do for actual gameplay.

I honestly don't know how we could do this, but what we could do, is create a 2d world that our romero character walks around in. And instead of having to make games, when it gets to that point in the story, you have to play the games. That way its more like a chronicle of his games. It doesn't have to be all of them, just the major ones.

I think that's a cool idea, but I don't how hard that would be, you'd have to get a copy of all those games, and then you'd have to figure out how to make a 2d game, that's really a launcher for each of those games. It sounds like it would be a pretty difficult task, but I think it would be sort of neat.


I was just thinking about creating a fictional world that we could all particpate in, but if you have other ideas about what we could do, as far as making "masters of doom" a reality, I am more then game!

-C.J.

[Josh1billion]

Stuff like go from place to place (Louisiana, Texas, etc.) but on the way you run into monsters from your games.  Aliens from Keen and stuff early on.. then the boss: Keen himself!

Then, later on, a lot of fun with DOOM enemies.. and maybe a DOOM-like maze.

[CeeeJ]

That sounds really awesome.

What engine do you want to use to make it in? Rpg Maker? or something else?

We need to make a list of what areas we're going to use, and what characters we're going to use from each game. I say, we use the abonibal(sp?) snowman for when they have to go to michigan   !

-C.J.

[Josh1billion]

RPG Maker would be easiest.. I thought you were talking about a Chrono Trigger mod, but yeah RPG Maker would be much easier to do..

Hmm I have some ideas boiling right now!  Sign on MSN sometime!