your vidja game ideas

futurebird · 2019-03-31 23:53:23

I imagine if you make games people coming to you with “cool game ideas” is a lot like being an author and listening to everyone’s plot for the great american novel. (oddly no one ever comes to me with ideas for a killer proof when I tell them I do math...anyway) But, I like to hear about such ideas, and of course I have one myself.

It’s similar to OHOL in that it is a farming resource management type game. I didn’t start working on it when I had the idea about a year ago because I was convinced, given the success of pokémon go, someone would make it. It’s it just seemed so obvious. That hasn’t happened so either it is harder to make than I think (very likely) or it’s not that “obvious” but seeing another game “auteur” do rather well makes me think “you should try this”

So, I want to make a GPS farming and resources discovery game where you plant crops and build in real locations on the map. And you can’t just sit at home and play you have to go to each spot to plant harvest and gather.

Should I stop being lazy and try to make it? what sort of mood should it have? a lot of mobile games feel ... exploitative, like casinos or skiner boxes they are there to get you hooked and take your pocket change. can’t put my finger on what the difference is though.

Last edited by futurebird (2019-04-01 04:30:26)

BlueDiamondAvatar · 2019-04-01 02:13:45

Hey, futurebird,

I like pokemon go and looked recently for other gps-based mobile games. There's one that is a resource management game, but it's graphics suck and it wasn't farming so much as building a giant resource-grabbing corporation. Not that I'm one of the "corporations are evil" folks, but this was a bit much. Also the gameplay seemed super simplistic, especially at the early stages.

https://www.resources-game.ch/en/

As to whether or not you should go make a farming/gathering resource management game with a real world GPS element... I would definitely play something like that. But the larger question is - do you have the coding and graphics design skills and/or project management skills to finish something like that, and would you enjoy putting tons of time into working on developing this idea?

Best way to find out is to spend some small amount of time working on it - maybe a week or a month? and see what kind of progress you make, and if you enjoy the process.

You may not actually be "lazy", you may just be appropriately cautious about diving into something that is not entirely the right kind of work for you.

Potjeh · 2019-04-01 16:27:02

Mobile games are not my cup of tea, but it sounds like a decent idea and the scope seems managable for a novice developer. Unity has fairly good support for mobile development, plenty of resources for learning, and it allows for rapid prototyping which is really good for keeping your motivation up. You should definitely give it a go, even if you fail you'll certainly learn something.

Anyway, I started working on a game of my own about a month ago, mainly to build a portfolio and refresh my C++ knowledge so I can look for a gamedev job. Starting from scratch so there's nothing to show yet, but I think it's an interesting concept and might get some niche audience on Steam. Still, it's impossible to be objective about your own work, so I was wondering if people here think it sounds like a game they'd pay ~$10 for:

Guiding Spirit is a single player god game where you take care of a prehistoric tribe as it's supernatural protector. The tribespeople require food, water and protection
from elements to survive. They take care of these needs autonomously, in accordance to available resources and technology. However, as they exploit resources, the tribe
angers local spirits. Angry spirits can cause harm to the tribe via diseases, animal attacks, natural disasters etc. Hostile spirits can be evaded by moving the tribe,
appeased with sacrifices or fought. The player has indirect control over tribespeople and can instruct them via visions to move camp, perform sacrifices etc. Fighting is
done in the spirit world by manifesting a player avatar and engaging the hostile spirits with spells. Both visions and combat spells expend mana, which is
passively generated by each person in the tribe at a rate dependant on their morale. In addition to giving instructions to tribe and combat spells, mana can be expended
on buffs for the tribe and inspiring tribespeople to create new technology. The player starts with a limited selection of these abilities, and unlocks new ones by
defeating various spirits. Player skill is tested in picking a good migration path that provides plentiful resources to the tribe, avoids dangerous spirits and unlocks
useful technologies. The game is won when the tribe unlocks agriculture and no longer needs to migrate, and the game is lost if the tribe dies out.

Kinrany · 2019-04-01 23:27:22

futurebird wrote:

oddly no one ever comes to me with ideas for a killer proof when I tell them I do math

Posting here so I'll be able to find this thread later

One Hour One Life Forums

#1 2019-03-31 23:53:23

your vidja game ideas

#2 2019-04-01 02:13:45

Re: your vidja game ideas

#3 2019-04-01 16:27:02

Re: your vidja game ideas

#4 2019-04-01 23:27:22

Re: your vidja game ideas

Board footer