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[Gauss Jordan]

3... 2... 1... GO! Run like hell, because there are bandits and monsters chasing you, and they are out for your items! Umm... no, not with your natural gamepad, I meant with your own natural legs, you lazy gamer!

Runners Grinders is a game about running, aiming towards motivating people to go out and do so! The idea is to use achievements and other addictive game mechanics as an base for motivation. This, packed in a pixel-art style and typical game theme, to reach typical gamers that might really need this motivation.

I'll uncover more of the gameplay as I make progress. I'm writing this topic right now mostly because I need it to clear things up for myself and to kick-start my programming day :D

As of now, I have a working communication with the phone GPS, and a functioning path logging. I'm currently working on the rendering of chunks, so I might soon have some screenshots worthwile of uploading. In the mean time, here's a mockup:

[leonelc29]

interesting concept, but i still can't imagine how this game played. goodluck to you 

[Gauss Jordan]

Yes, I can understand that

In the game you'll play as the "runner" (don't have any name yet, so what do you think he should be called? You can see what he looks like in the first post ). He syncs with your real world position and starts running as soon as you begin to move.

While running, you generate a path. The game will also generate a virtual procedural world with the path as an basis. In some places (like in crossroads) tiny villages will appear. In these villages you will find characters with their own stories and needs. They will give you quests like sending a letter to a dear friend or sending medicine to a needing village. Heh, those quests might have sounded boring, but I'll figure out some more interesting quest stories when the time is right

Anyway, when you complete quests by helping villages they will start to develop into larger and larger cities. There's a lot of possibilities

Right now I'm working on path generation. It looks like this right now:

[Starflier]

Thank you, there need to be more games like this.
Won't there be an issue though, if a virtual-world path is not traversable in real life? like if there's a building or river in the way of a player, where his character only sees open road?

[Gauss Jordan]

Thank you, there need to be more games like this.
Won't there be an issue though, if a virtual-world path is not traversable in real life? like if there's a building or river in the way of a player, where his character only sees open road?

There wont be a problem like that. The thing is that you generate the paths yourself. The game will never place any goals where you haven't been before. I might add a feature that generates sacred ruins with bonus objects a bit outside of the generated path's, as long as it doesn't ruin the gameplay if you can't reach it.

(The reason the path in the screen looks so angular is because I had to input the gps coordinates manually when using the simulator )

[Destral]

Colour me intrigued. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.

[Belimoth]

Right now I'm working on path generation. It looks like this right now:

I don't know what's going on there, but this is a great concept!

[Gauss Jordan]

-Weekend update-
All is going well!

I have been working on a algorithm for merging two or more paths. It should be able to handle situations where the paths take separate ways too.
This is the result:




Also, I finished a running animation for our little main character:

[Belimoth]

I think this game is going to get me back in shape.

[Gauss Jordan]

Hi all!

I've been busy with the graphics lately (you might have seen some of it in the "Art" forum) and other projects (such as First Lego League :D ) so the coding have been on hold for a while.

Stuff is happening though. I've found two teammates. The graphics I've been doing is at first hand promotional for our crowd-funding campaign. You should check it out and support us by pre-ordering the game already
http://www.indiegogo.com/Runners-Grinders

I will still post here for technical updates and the unique and competent feedback that one can only get from TIGSource. <3

[Majestic]

hm this sounds like a very innovative concept for a game

let me know if you need game music, I am a composer/musician

[george]

This is a great idea.

So does it work such that if you always run in the same route, you basically don't get to see more of the game story?

[Gauss Jordan]

This is a great idea.

So does it work such that if you always run in the same route, you basically don't get to see more of the game story?

Nope. The story will center around the routes you run along most often. Of course, you'll still be able to enlarge the map and discover new areas, but the story will progress by helping the villages develop.
Dungeons, ruins and such places could be removed and added on the fly in the central area to provide with new fresh content to visit There could also be lots of temporary locations to visit such as camps, places with mysterious sightings and so on.

Keep the feedback and ideas flowing! We are very open to input from outside and haven't really decided for the final features and game mechanics.

[Ashking]

Weird. I had a dream that I was playing a test buid of this game.
It was pretty cool.

[Gauss Jordan]

Weird. I had a dream that I was playing a test buid of this game.
It was pretty cool.

That's awesome! I want to know what it's like too, I can only imagine!

What was it like?