Games (designs) you'd like to see

[Phil Steinmeyer]

First, thanks to Mike and the others who admin this forum for the work they put in generally, and specifically, for adding this design forum.

I thought I'd help kick things off with a nice open-ended thread.

What games would you like to see made, that:

1) Are realistic for indie/smaller developers
2) Would have a reasonable chance of commercial success (i.e. not a game based on your favorite sci-fi author's last book which sold 12 copies).

At the risk of letting somebody else get the jump on an idea I might do in the future, here's mine:

I'd like to see a well-done game in the style of the classic "The Fool's Errand". That game was in some senses a pre-cursor to Myst. There was a fairly well-told background story, which wrapped around the player having to solve about 100? puzzles, which in turn advanced the story and led to a final solution to one big meta-puzzle.

The 100 puzzles were not all 'levels' of a single puzzle mechanic (i.e. match-3 or whatever), but rather, there were perhaps 10 basic puzzle types, all fairly different (jigsaw type stuff, various word puzzles, etc), and about 10 instances of each of the types.

Since the developers here have proven adept at making good puzzles, the main difference would be to wrap it up in a larger story with more puzzle types. I think the casual audience would really enjoy this kind of thing, and it would convert well (users would want to finish the story).

So, what games would you like to see?

[mahlzeit]

A sequel to The Fool's Errand is supposed to be coming soon (http://www.thefoolandhismoney.com/05-the-fool-and-his-money/index.htm). (More about the original (http://www.fools-errand.com/01-the-fools-errand/).)

[Phil Steinmeyer]

He's had that sequel under development for years, AFAIK - I'm not holding my breath for it to actually ship in the imminent future.

[Bmc]

i'd like to see a casual game like Wario Ware. There was a few sort of like it, but they were executed poorly.

[papillon]

Things that are realistic? Um... more *different* old arcade game ideas being modernised and polished? :)

Mr.Do! was a game I was *really* fond of back on my coleco vision. I've played some emulations since then, and the coleco one was now too easy, and the arcade one is now insanely hard, and neither is really 'complete' as a moden casual game. Adapting that theme to use the same principles as your typical casual game (new shiny graphics, multiple play modes so you can EITHER slowly progress through levels OR play a single random round....)

Don't know if it's realistic and commercial, though. Most of the things I *want* to play aren't. :)

[Hamumu]

Papillon, you already said what game you wanted me to make you - breakout where you bounce a thief instead of a ball. It's on a long long list.

I want to see every game at http://hamumu.com/idea.php get made. Some of them are realistic, some not. I presume none are commercially wise, but I don't care.

[papillon]

I still like that idea, just didn't see the need to mention it again. :)

Another idea I've mentioned in past threads is a game about figure skating (pull off tricks and jumps, dance to the music).

Things I've started at some point but given up on:

a rotated-by-mouse platform/maze thing, in which the player collects different characters with slightly different abilities as you go along and can choose which one to use in each new maze

a Popstar management/simulator thing - take classes, buy equipment, and hold concerts to raise popularity

Far down in my long list of projects to maybe do someday:

a parenting sim - think Alter Ego + Graduation set in the 1980's, with historical events and Homework Mini-Games! (Not likely I'll get around to it, but you never know.)

[Ska Software]

Zombies?

How about a summer camp game? Tons of minigames. With zombie kids. Adorable!

[Hiro_Antagonist]

a Popstar management/simulator thing - take classes, buy equipment, and hold concerts to raise popularity
This is under development, but I can't say where (yet). It will probably be publicly announced within a month or two.

I've had my hands on an early beta/late alpha of it, and it's pretty cool.

-Hiro_Antagonist

[soniCron]

a Popstar management/simulator thing - take classes, buy equipment, and hold concerts to raise popularity Check this thread (http://forums.indiegamer.com/showthread.php?t=3055) out.

[papillon]

Yes, I already know Morph (on another board). I quit my project before he even started his. :) Just wasn't passionate enough about the idea to keep going with it when I had so many other things I wanted to do with my time...

[Hiro_Antagonist]

What games would you like to see made, that:

1) Are realistic for indie/smaller developers
2) Would have a reasonable chance of commercial success (i.e. not a game based on your favorite sci-fi author's last book which sold 12 copies).

I still say there's a huge vacuum in the 'casual strategy' and/or 'casual hard-core' spaces.

I welcome 'competition' to LOL, because I think that the next few entries into that space will grow the space and create more sales for everyone, rather than fighting for sales.

I'm kind of surprised you haven't gone that route yourself, give your background...

-Hiro_Antagonist

[Martoon]

i'd like to see a casual game like Wario Ware. There was a few sort of like it, but they were executed poorly.
I second that one. And entirely mouse-driven.

[TimS]

I really want to see a remake of Agent USA for the Commodore 64... Good casual time-wasting fun. (wish I had the time to make it m'self).

[tunca]

I'd like to see a platform vampire game. There used to be an old PC vampire game. I can't remember the name but one clue is it used only 16 colors (EGA). You were to control a vampire who was able to morphe to a bat, a classic vampire or a wolf. Each state had its special pros/cons. It was a classic find keys and open doors game with excellent vampire themes. Anybody remember a game like that?

[Reactor]

TimS, I believe there is an Agent USA remake available... not that it's that great, but...

[dislekcia]

i'd like to see a casual game like Wario Ware. There was a few sort of like it, but they were executed poorly.

I built a framework for something like that for a South African forum that I run. It's our second attempt at a collaborative game, the first was a platformer. This is working much better because we don't have versioning issues ;). The idea is that the standalone files can be integrated into whatever the final game framework looks like with no effort at all.

http://www.nag.co.za/community/index.php?topic=2651.0

You guys are welcome to add to it, it's a lot of fun doing warioware style minigames.

-D

[dislekcia]

I'd love to make a game where you play a standup comedian, linking various concepts together to make jokes, using (and levelling) different forms of humour, playing off the audience, etc.

I can't shake the idea of people playing the game and then telling their friends the jokes they came up with... Pie in the sky, I know, but it's a fun concept to design around when I'm bored.

-D

[GBGames]

I'd like to see a platform vampire game. There used to be an old PC vampire game. I can't remember the name but one clue is it used only 16 colors (EGA). You were to control a vampire who was able to morphe to a bat, a classic vampire or a wolf. Each state had its special pros/cons. It was a classic find keys and open doors game with excellent vampire themes. Anybody remember a game like that?

No, not for the PC. There was a Castlevania game that allowed you to play the role of a few characters, one of which was a vampire who can turn into a bat.

[cheese_phantom]

I'd really like to see a good basketball coaching sim. One that is more than just a game where you watch the numbers go up. I want one where you get some good feedback about your coaching decisions. Where success is not based on the players with the higher numbers that you draft or transfer, that make you win each game because of the simple scoring mechanism, but where scoring depends on many factors, where you can develope clever tactics that can beat high numbers, where you can make effective in-game decisions and lead even a team of players with weak numbers into long-term success.

[Bmc]

I'd like to see a platform vampire game.
check this out
http://www.robotduck.com/games/load.pl?id=vampireboy

[Raptisoft]

I'd like to see a game where you're a guy with a camera, and you have to sneak around a sorority house and

WHOA! Wrong forum!

[botman]

I'd like to see my game made. I wish I wasn't so lazy^H^H^H^Hbusy.

[C.S.Brewer]

I've always wanted to do a Crime and Punishment style [edit: based] rpg.
just read this interview (http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050825/sheffield_01.shtml), and it looks like the story for Silent Hill 2 was inspired by it, so I'll have to check that out.

[C.S.Brewer]

and on another note...
a game I've wanted to make since I was a kid:
you are in disneyland, there are huge crowds, you have a rocket launcher.
at the end of the levels you get to ride the rides.

[ErikH2000]

I've thought for a while that something like RoboRally (a popular board game) on a computer would be really fun. The basic idea is that you plan the movement of robots with cards that are drawn each turn. The tedious work of determining the robots movements would be gone from the game since the computer would do it for you.

-Erik

[Bmc]

I built a framework for something like that for a South African forum that I run. It's our second attempt at a collaborative game, the first was a platformer. This is working much better because we don't have versioning issues ;). The idea is that the standalone files can be integrated into whatever the final game framework looks like with no effort at all.

http://www.nag.co.za/community/index.php?topic=2651.0

You guys are welcome to add to it, it's a lot of fun doing warioware style minigames.

-D

pretty cool!

[dislekcia]

pretty cool!

Thanks, you just made my day :)

I'm going to add in a downloadable exe every week that contains all the minigames made up to that point so that people won't have to download GameMaker to play. It'd be really great if we had a couple of hundred games after 6 months or so...