anyone wants to make a game with me ? :D

[kiriri]

Hey guys,
I'm bored and so I thought I'd ask whether anybody here wants to create a small commercial game with me. I was thinking of subgenre of 2D casual (maybe a puzzle game or something) which could be done by one person in maybe 2 months. Depending on how many people are interested, this could be a rather short project

As for my motivation, I'm kinda low on job offers now that I had to refuse some because of my finals. So I thought it might be nice to actually work in a team again instead of (like apparently every boss prefers) working on parts of projects without even knowing the names of your coworkers .
Furthermore I'd like to manage a team driven project that makes it into the store. I still hope to found a small studio somewhere in the future, and that might be a good start I think.

Anyone who's interested and who has either a very good understanding of PlayMaker and/or a secondary skill like real programming, 2D art (heck, if you know how to render your 3D stuff properly, then 3D is just as acceptable), sound, etc, just comment here or send me a mail
Revenue is of course split by merit.
Let's see if this works

(PS: yeah I know this is all a bit vague, since it's such a small project I haven't even thought of a real concept, but I'm open to everything in that timeframe, so shoot )

[Sjones]

not now, but maybe next month, something quick and simple would be nice, no promises though.

[kiriri]

great, depending on who else will join the fun you can of course also join in after the initial stages too.
I'll also ask on the normal unity forums tomorrow or so (got to put my floating playmaker licenses to use afterall), but I don't think my chances are good since I'm pretty unknown over there. We'll see.

[escpodgames]

Interesting, I could be keen depending on the idea and how long it would take. I'm currently working full time on my own game but if the game is right I'm sure I could squeeze something in.
If you want to get an idea of what ive done .... I was Lead artist on
https://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1920&bih=1032&q=Monster+Ate+My+condo&oq=Monster+Ate+My+condo&gs_l=img.3..0j0i5j0i24l8.1329.5595.0.5840.20.16.0.4.4.1.310.2416.5j3j7j1.16.0...0.0...1ac.1.7.img.PAmQ8MLq2Wk

[jeanfabre]

SHOCKING COOL!

 

I launched your link, then went to do something else, and kind of stumbled upon the search results! I Was like what is this!?! 

man, that's powerful graphics! congrats

Bye,

 Jean

[Flying Robot]

Hey, if this means more play with playmaker, I'm interested.

Please check my profile at my website.

Ideas, how about something like super hexagon? Not a clone, but something that combines speed with simple puzzles.

@LampRabbit : Crazy artworks man!

[kiriri]

nice art LampRabbit! If you've got a good game concept just post it here, I don't believe in "idea stealing" ,so we can just discuss this in public.

also, nice game FlyingRobot! I played your quiz safari and it feels well executed.
As for the super hexagon-like game, what did you have in mind?

---

So I lent the android device of a friend who plays these kinds of games all the time and tested a couple of them.
A gaming style that seems to sell very well and which is rather simple is 2D simulation. Examples of this genre I've played were things like Game Dev Story or some zoo simulators, city simulators etc.

So here's my concept #1 (just a suggestion and it's not a puzzle because I couldn't think of one)

The game concept would be very similar to "Hot spring story".
You're simulating a lone martial arts dojo in the late Liao Dynasty (=> a time when a lot of "great warriors" were needed). Your dojo has an entrance along a well travelled road. Each time someone walks by your gate there will be a trigger check which throws a dice based on the look of your entrance to decide whether the passer by may walk in. If the person walks in, there's a chance that he'll either stay as a student or that he's just looking for some food (which gives you money). Lateron there may also come spectators or fans.

The goal of the game will be to found the strongest martial arts school in China. To achieve this you need to build and upgrade buildings (very simple stuff) like housings for your pupils, training halls etc.
This system would allow us to build layer on layer of complexity, so that only some few foundations would be needed (basic buildings, AI) and everything else is for the fun of it. Such a modular setup would then help us manage the time better.

So just like in any other simulator you'll have reviews or competitions from time to time which decide how good your pupils are.

Of course, everything's without age restriction, so no blood etc. Evertything's held in a simple 2D style where characters can only face 4 directions.

What do you think. It's just a suggestion and I need to test the specs of this project (hours needed etc). Just post your concepts too if you have some and we'll take one everyone's content with in the end

[Flying Robot]

Nice concept Sven!

Sounds like it'll be fun to do.

As for my concept, super hexagon is a kinda temple run like game. Procedural levels and challenges. But super hexagon made it graphically wonderful and innovative with concentric hexagons and all that.

I liked that. So, I was toying with idea of lateral scrolling/concentric scrolling BW optical illusion images as levels and you can only survive in the white zone while scrolling.

While this is sounding like cliche this gave me another idea :

Concept #2 :

There are two characters in this game, a pencil and a eraser. 2D gameplay.

Pencil can draw impenetrable lines and eraser can erase. They both are player controlled character. Like an rpg sort. Now they move through levels infested with AI creeps that tries to kill them. And their only protection is the line that pencil draws as a border between them and the creeps. The creeps can't cross the lines drawn by the pencil. Then again, pencil himself can't cross the line. He can be bound/surrounded by his own creation. Here comes eraser to the resue. He can erase any lines created by pencil.

So, they move forward through the levels and creeps looking for them. Pencil and eraser both working together in tandem. Keeping the creeps at bay. Sometimes creating traps for the AI creeps and locking them inside a boundary.

Don't know how this sounds? Just came to my mind and I jot it down in this post.

[kiriri]

interesting idea, can you describe the controls you would use? I cannot imagine how to control 2 characters at once with only my fingers. And since you used temple run and superhex as examples, I suppose the game would run very fast?

Could you perhaps mock up an example controller in the webplayer? Or maybe draw some examples? I'll do the same for my concept to see how hard it'll be. I think this may be the best way to find out which concept to pick in the end.

[Flying Robot]

No, the game wouldn't be that fast as temple run/superhex. More like an action rpg. Diablo kind of isometric or top view 2D. You can select one guy, point and click on the map to make him travel there. Select the other, to control him. You can select and drag a character to draw/erase. Creeps coming from all direction to kill them. May be they will face bosses. Remember, they have no weapons, no armors.

I know it's sounding a little vague. I'll draw something up. A prototype would be perfect though.

[kiriri]

Ok, before my PoC gets too complex, here we go :

http://twisted-pantheon.com/blogging/media/ManagerGame/WebPlayer.html

click + drag to pan the view

white cubes mean strangers walking around
blue means stranger sleeping
yellow stands for idle apprentices
red stands for training apprentices

Build an open training ground to give your apprentices a chance to train. If you click at the black rectangle building you see that that's your burned down dojo.

To make more people enter and sleep at yours, add some trees close to the gate. This will make your place look nicer, and since so far only poor orphants walk by, it needs little more to make them stay overnight. After each stay there's a small chance for them to want to become your apprentice. People from higher stations will offer gifts to become apprentices.

Each time someone sleeps in the open you get 1 money. Lateron you could also buy an inn for them. If they have enough money they can stay there then.

While training your apprentices become better based on their talent, which is generated when they become apprentices. You can click on them to see their current state in each discipline. You can't see their talents though, only the results.
Lateron there could be different training facilities for each talent and experience which could give boni.

There would also be the need to implement more buildings, like dorms, baths, and of course a dojo.

All in all by the amount of time this PoC took I would think that the entire layMaker side, including menus etc may take around 150-200 man-hours. Then depending on the amount of buildings, activities and people the art part may take another 200mh perhaps.

Since only one finger (maybe 2 to rotate buildings, dunno) is needed, the controls could fit any gadget.
I see the most problems in displaying a reasonable amount of information on a small screen, while not cluttering the screen.
Both the learn and fun factor of this project may be very high because it requires quite a bit of logic and abstract thinking to create a nice AI, which would be the technical heart of the project.

So yeah, that's that. Let's see what FlyingRobot draws up. I like both concepts so far I think. Rubber and pencil sure sounds more innovative

[Flying Robot]

Jeez, you're fast as bullet man!

I couldn't find time to work today, will put some time tomorrow. I just found time to illustrate the twin controls. Please check this Webplayer

Click to select the object and arrow keys to move.

Will add the spawning of the sketch marks of the pencil and the Astar creeps as enemies. Probably tomorrow.

Anyway, looks like your idea is much more extensive. Mine is kinda trivial. But could be fun. Have to try a prototype.

[kiriri]

Haha, I told you I was bored. Btw. nice thing you're planning to use Astar. It would be a good thing to show it off a bit 

 I think WASD is in any case a bit much for a casual game... how would you like something like this?

twisted-pantheon.com/blogging/media/example%20controller%20rubbergame/WebPlayer/WebPlayer.html

This might be simpler and may appeal to new gamers who are a bit overwhelmed by using multiple keyboard buttons at once ( ). The rigidbody driven setup you made fits well I think. I hope you don't mind this alternative, I like to give constructive criticism and I'd prefer to be critiqued by others as well 

And yes, my idea is a bit extensive, barely fitting the 2 months timeframe. I think it may be better to start with something smaller and then see how that turns out, so let's just take your idea if it turns out to be fun, and take mine otherwise ok? That way we save time discussing.

If it turns out it works, can you put up an estimated timeframe and milestones (goals to work towards one after the other)? It might be a small game, but let's approach this properly and cleanly .

[jay.pis]

Hey guys I'd like to join the club! 

If it's not too late I'd like to throw out a game idea (2D or maybe even 2.5D) that I've just thought about recently either for web or mobile.

I call this one Planet Assault, it's somewhat a cross between Invaders and Missile Command with a little bit of RTS thrown in. Short back story, aliens have come to take over our solar system, first mission start on Pluto defending an outpost and makes way back to Earth as the last level.

Anyway the gameplay goes like this, roughly, an alien mothership is appointed on each level (planet), maybe even 2-3 depending on the chosen difficulty. The mothership starts deploying smaller attack ships that slowly make it's way down towards your base/s. Basically in order to win the level you must defeat the mothership/s.

You start off with one missile launcher and a base to defend and as you destroy alien attack ships and any attacks that they and the motherships throw at you which earns you points. These points can be used to build, repair, and or upgrade bases and other structures.

Here's where the RTS part comes in. Players can build new buildings such as a research facility which gives access to upgrades for your missile launcher/s, a shield generator which lets you create a shield around a specified area for a limited time, factory for upgrading armor on structures, etc. The RTS feature can be fleshed out more I'm sure but that's the basic idea.

Now here comes the other feature which is being able to rotate the 2D plane (like a turntable) so that players have more space to place structures. These other planes, 4 in total, will come under attack as well and they'll need to be defended. Clicking on the screen and holding the mouse button and dragging/swiping left or right to switch planes is what I'm thinking or swipe left to right on mobile.

Now to defeat the mothership, I've been thinking is to either have some sort of ultimate weapon on the ground that charges as enemies are defeated and once fully charged you'll need to have a clear line of site from the ground to the mothership, meaning you'll need to clear the skies  of smaller attack ships and position the ultimate weapon by moving it lef/right on the screen/plane. This weapon would be in all planes.

Or the missile launchers can be upgraded to be able to reach the mothership and do damage.

Anyway, I think that covers it for the most part, I'm sure questions are abound and I'll put something more visual for everyone to see.

In any case, both kiriri's and Flying Robot's concepts are awesome too.

[Flying Robot]

Haha, I told you I was bored. Btw. nice thing you're planning to use Astar. It would be a good thing to show it off a bit 

 I think WASD is in any case a bit much for a casual game... how would you like something like this?

twisted-pantheon.com/blogging/media/example%20controller%20rubbergame/WebPlayer/WebPlayer.html

This might be simpler and may appeal to new gamers who are a bit overwhelmed by using multiple keyboard buttons at once ( ). The rigidbody driven setup you made fits well I think. I hope you don't mind this alternative, I like to give constructive criticism and I'd prefer to be critiqued by others as well 

And yes, my idea is a bit extensive, barely fitting the 2 months timeframe. I think it may be better to start with something smaller and then see how that turns out, so let's just take your idea if it turns out to be fun, and take mine otherwise ok? That way we save time discussing.

If it turns out it works, can you put up an estimated timeframe and milestones (goals to work towards one after the other)? It might be a small game, but let's approach this properly and cleanly .

Wow! It looks much better with these controls. WSAD was not going with this at all.

It just needs a right click drag for drawing a line (for the pencil) and erasing them (for eraser). Well my idea was to spawn Astar creeps attacking them from all directions. The lines are acting as Astar colliders. Each time they are drawn/spawned from the pencil the graph is updated and the creeps will find their way through them. Creeps updates their path to target at a fixed interval. The pencil can't go through his own created lines. Only the eraser can come and erase them to make way. Basically, it's the Astar that's the hero of this gameplay .

All the ideas are cool. Although a lot can be learned from doing an extensive idea, I'm kinda biased with this idea because it's lesser art dependent and the full experience can be tested quicker than others. So, we can quickly test the fun factor and decide whether we go for the full one or trash it.

Let's do a GDD and a prototype/vertical slice first and see what it takes to do that.

First, we need to decide on how to work together. Is there something we can use for shared development? Shared dropbox? Then we need to settle on the team and fix the roles and responsibilities. Who does what. Let me work on the first GDD draft and a timeline.