I vote overall goal or storyline, such as: [...] you have to go through a strange land which has just been morphed. As you go through the land, you will meet people who will give you quests.
I think a central yet generic plot-line like that could work well. Esp. if we allow the creation of side quests.
Would be interesting to see a rogue-like with some sort of combat alternative for gaining experience/gear. This could be small mini-games like farming [...] anyone could code a short sweet mini-game which could be integrated fairly easily especially in terms of art.
This is one of the strong reasons I want to use HTML5+JS. Complete new game modes can be added via mods that simply load a JavaScript file in a certain section of the game. Imagine how you would do that with C/C++ or Java alone? You'd have to create an in-game language / API for creating mini-games, or at best, use Rhino or VP8 JS engines to provide scripting language support for mods -- suddenly the project gets a lot more complex.
Having such a mini-game in-built from the outset eliminates the need to allow folks to add custom mods to provide the feature, enabling the static C/C++ and Java implementations to support the feature w/o embedding a language like JS or Lua.
It's not a bad Idea to have some type of variation in leveling from kill = EXP, but as in D&D one could simply earn experience for anything you do, including mini-games. That would free the player from having to do the farming game if they hate it, or grinding away fighting enemies (they could do a minigame instead).
I think this adds an order more complexity to the game balance equation, so we'd need some concrete examples of good minigames to include, IMO. That means a full separate game design, coding, testing, for each minigame (a lot of work) so it better be an idea that many folks will enjoy if it's going to be central to the gameplay. If it's just optional one off mini-games that exist in various areas, then if we go the HTML5+JS engine route we can do that no problem through the mod & patch system.
Anyway just a thought. Also in terms of name it should be something obscure like Penny arcade's on the rain slick precipice of darkness. ...
Beyond the Mist Shrouded
Bulwark of Evil.
Once Upon a Temporal Anomaly.
A Path Surprisingly Circuitous in Nature.
Meh, don't be afraid to drop some name ideas.
Anyway sorry for the rambling, also how do I get involved. I know C++ and JS js mainly from unity though. I work in blender and photoshop too so I could create some basic art assets. Thanks!
TOO LATE! You're already involved now. Your mental seeds have been collected and added to our own.
We're in the planning stage right now, so I'd hold off on art or code specific to the game until the design is more concrete. You can help by posting your opinions in response to the above posts, and helping us to finalize the game design. After that we'll figure out a collaboration space -- Github, etc. and I can optionally host the files on one of my servers too / setup FTP accounts for contributors & whatnot -- Although, If Mason Engine is up to speed by then, then we may not need any additional collaboration platform, you'd just use the engine to build the game.
I'll paste here a post from the original thread:
Well, it seems most folks (including myself) like the idea of a Roguelike. However, that could cover a pretty broad range of gameplay. Assuming that's the genre chosen (not that I'm saying it is), the features would need to be proposed and decided upon before any real work is done, or even just to decide between this roguelike design, or another competing design.
It's not required that anyone have experience with a roguelike to continue, but just FYI here's what Wikipedia says about the genre:
The gameplay elements characterizing the roguelike genre were explicitly defined at the International Roguelike Development Conference 2008. Some of the "high value factors" used in this definition include:
Roguelike games randomly generate dungeon levels, though they may include static levels as well. Generated layouts typically incorporate rooms connected by corridors, some of which may be preset to a degree (e.g., monster lairs or treasuries). Open areas or natural features, like rivers, may also occur.
The identity of magical items varies across games. Newly-discovered objects only offer a vague physical description that is randomized between games, with purposes and capabilities left unstated. For example, a "bubbly" potion might heal wounds one game, then poison the player character in the next. Items are often subject to alteration, acquiring specific traits, such as a curse, or direct player modification.
The combat system is turn-based instead of real-time. Gameplay is usually step-based, where player actions are performed serially and take a variable measure of in-game time to complete. Game processes (e.g., monster movement and interaction, progressive effects such as poisoning or starvation) advance based on the passage of time dictated by these actions.
Most are single-player games. On multi-user systems, scoreboards are often shared between players. Some roguelikes allow traces of former player characters to appear in later game sessions in the form of ghosts or grave markings.
Roguelikes traditionally implement permadeath. Once a character dies, the player must begin a new game. A "save game" feature will only provide suspension of gameplay and not a limitlessly recoverable state; the stored session is deleted upon resumption or character death.
That said, it's OK (even encouraged) to diverge from previously designed games (see eigenbom's mention of
).
Here's some of the currently suggested ideas:
- on an island, based around survival?
- instead of always being in a dungeon you could explore a world.
- Roguelike... in spaaaaaaace!
- long range gun or laser based combat
- It has to be easy to mod.
- It can't really have a story ... without some sort of director.
- It has to be 2d.
- easy to make art for.
- tile based (my suggestion)
...
What level of randomization would there be? Randomized quests, randomized item effects vs descriptions / images? Eg: Green leaves could heal one game, then red potion could heal the next [and green leaves be poison, or some other effect].
...
Would there be permadeath? Would there be limited save/continue system?
...
Would the combat be turn based or real-time or some sort of time dialation while deciding the next action, etc. Real-time action would be more akin to Action RPGs.
...
do any tiles animate? Do the character, items, and/or enemies have animation. Is the character customizable? Can you level up? How? Do monsters level up / get harder or easier or stay the same as you return to a visited area? Do monsters spawn randomly, do THEY have permadeath? -or- do the monsters respawn each time you enter the area? Some mixture of these?
One of the things about rougelikes is that they have a steep learning curve and some have rather unintuitive controls. If a graphical engine is used you could have hotkeys as well as menus to make actions more discoverable. Even so, roguelikes with randomized item effects and monster weaknesses, etc, retain a steep learing curve each time you die and restart (this is even part of their appeal to some). Think on that when making design choices.
Once the particulars and the scope is better defined it will be easier to see what tools (if any) or engine must be created (or utilized) to build the game.
Still no word about permadeath (game saves that you can pause, save & continue, but not reload to undo your actions if you goof). Should we?
Is there one character or several? Are there character classes or are abilities chosen through gameplay; e.g., go to the magic guild and learn a spell, now you've got magic? Or, "sorry, you're a fighter class, fighters have no use for spells." ?
Should we setup a Wiki for this project so folks can collaborate on the design easier?
So, just keep posting what you think about stuff, the more input the better.
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