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[BattleBeard]

 

Now after a few months of refining my old "Detective Johnson" idea, I am ready to release my mainly finished story and design! HERE WE GO MANGS. I will need help to make this game though.

Plot

An alarm echoed across a medium-sized, cluttered room. "Ugh, morning already, isn't it...
" a man lying in a bed mumbled, hitting the alarm to turn it off. He got up from the bed, with his boxers. Opening his clothing drawer, full of brown trenchcoats, brown undershirts, and khaki pants. After putting a set of those clothing sets on, he sat at a large computer.

Looking at the online newspaper, he sees something that catches his attention.

"Blueshark Gang strikes again!" the article's title said. The contents read about the gang robbing at a local store, stealing televisions, game consoles, and hundreds of dollars.

"These guys again? I'll have to stop them for sure this time, going to have to get up to their base." he declared.

 The local detective rushed at the door leading out of his room, which when opened, showcased a ladder. He lived underground! Once climbing up and out, he was in a building that nobody would suspect he built his secret detective base in. He began running after a few gang members around the neighborhood, beating them into a pulp. He wasn't a passive detective--he'll beat answers out of jerks.

Meanwhile, another person in the shadows, was watching in an alley. "Detective Johnson...he doesn't even suspect the truth." the person said in a soft whisper to himself, then dissipated in a rush of shadows leading into themselves.
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Design
The game is a beat-em-up. The gameplay would be like "Streets of Rage", or "Final Fight". It would involve things like picking up key-items as well, and finding them, which, depending on the amount you find, will change the ending. I would prefer C++ programming. The style of the game is 16-bit, like Genesis, with that type of music to match.

I'd love to have groove/jazz type music. Think "Spanky's Quest ~ City" or "Sludge Mansion". The game would have different options of colors, like color, sepia, or black and white.

There would be no pay if anyone did wanna help out, yet, if it wound up on Steam or something with much more features, then the money would go out of the whole team. There is seven stages, each with either 2 or 3 parts to them, it depends.

There would be a staff for melee which is decently strong, and a gun with limited ammo, yet breaking things like trashcans, or crates, can get you more ammo--even rare ammo! The rare ammo can be like piercing bullets, fire bullets, but they would come in only about 5 for each pack. You can also buy ammo and such at the shop at the end of each level, using money you get from killing enemies.

Might add even more characters, even cameo characters from other indie games?

Anyhow...  

If you read it all, critque! I'd LOVE advice.

Also, I need team members like spriters, programmers, and music producers. With all of these I could help out, but none of those are my main mastery. I'm good at being creative, and helping...stuff. I'm only 13, but I'm in the 9th grade, and will be having my AA degree in Computer Science by the time I'm 18, so I could do programming then, but...haha, I'm getting off-topic. Anyhow, thanks for reading. If this gets attention, I may post further plot points, that are unlockable by figuring out passwords, like an ARG leading up to the production of this game. And also, more gameplay things.  

[tergem]

Ah yes, I take it you are an 'idea' guy right?

My advice is to pick a trade and learn it well. I started programming when I was 12, I started out with a very basic (and extremely easy) programming language called scratch. After two years on that language and producing things like this (an arcade scroller) and this (a simple rpg), I moved onto an actual programming language called C#. I read a few books and made some simple games, each of which took at least a few weeks. Then I took up a partner and went about creating a game for the XBOX 360, it worked and it passed review. It sucked, had low ratings/reviews, and it took 4 months (4 hours per weekday) to make, I have yet to see a check for this game. I then entered a trade school with some spare money and took college level CS courses. The completed projects from those courses you can see in my Sig. I now am working on a top-down shooter that has lower aspirations than your idea and it will most likely take months of full-time work.

Then again, I am a simple programmer, knowing only three languages (scratch, Java, C#, the last two I actually still use). And I have multi-year experience in creating games. I still think that I am an amateur.

You have potential in all fields, you're thirteen, it takes about ~10 years to get to "be good" with a single programming language. Even then you are still learning, you always will be. That last bit is true with all trades.

I suggest you read this thread, it may offer you some help if you want to go into programming. There are many, many threads around here that will talk about people in your position and what they should do.

Feel free to take on becoming a writer (you are better than me at thirteen, so I see that as a possibility), a musician (mandatory beginners manual for music), or even an artist (page I started with).

Last words: Your goal is pretty high, it will take you years with your level of experience, with the Alternate reality game and such not added in. I suggest you pick up game maker, or scratch as mentioned before. If you want to really program games, then Basic might be good. Java and C# are good as well (I am a bit biased there of course).

There's my thoughts, live your dream, but give it time.

[WelcomeToAwesomeness]

^ this guy pretty much covered everything, and I would reccomend starting with Gamemaker to, it's a great tool for begginners and pro's alike.

[BattleBeard]

 Wow, thanks for the advice. I've ran about four different ARGs already, so I have heavy experience with that. I probably would take the musician route. I'm...slowly learning C++ on the console, though.

[tergem]

^ Would you mind telling me about those ARG's? What they were about? What were the plots? How many people played?

C++ Is good in that it works for EVERYTHING, but it is commonly regarded as one of the more confusing languages.

Also, there are never enough musicians in this field of work. You'll have plenty of business. I can't wait to see what you create, you have potential.

[BattleBeard]

^ Would you mind telling me about those ARG's? What they were about? What were the plots? How many people played?

C++ Is good in that it works for EVERYTHING, but it is commonly regarded as one of the more confusing languages.

Also, there are never enough musicians in this field of work. You'll have plenty of business. I can't wait to see what you create, you have potential.

http://topturnersmile.wordpress.com/

That's one of my current ones based around a haunted Pokemon game--about 20 people play, but on the other recent one that was finished, I had about 30.

 I'm only learning C++ when I go to college for that computer science degree, in terms of the hard stuff. I know the basic functions, like

int main();
{
 cout >> "Hungry";

and eta, but that's easy stuff. What about the idea though, of the game?

[tergem]

I think it would make a nice arcade game, but it is above your level *pop quiz below*. Once again, your idea would take months if not years to make.

You gave me ideas for a possible future project, but my backlog of 6 games to make has to be finished first. It is a beat-em-up idea, not really related to yours in any other way.

Also people hate it when they work on a game that isn't 'theirs', so if you find other people let them put their own ideas into the game. Basically you are wanting people to create your idea with no compensation whatsoever (except the infamous 'if it gets on steam' clause). The 'no pay' thing gives people no incentive to work on a game that isn't 'theirs'. What are you offering that they won't get by working on their own projects? Everything you describe in your compensation paragraph can be just as easily gained by people working off of 'their' own ideas. However if you gather some people together and groupthink what you would all like to make, then the idea belongs to everyone. Then you can be a cohesive team, just make sure you all pull your own weight... or else people feel cheated out on it. So you would still need a skill to add to the group.

Now for your pop quiz, to see more of what you are thinking about this game.
1.) How will the levels be structured?
2.) Do you plan on creating a level editor, using a free one, or not using one at all?
3.) Would those alternate colour schemes be set up as different 'skins', or a pallet swap caused by your Draw() method?
4.) How would the game tell what level you are on? There are multiple ways to do it.
5.) How many FPS do you think would be good for this type of game?
6.) What platforms do you want this on?
7.) What about the User Interface? Did you give this any thought, how will it look?
8.) Would there be seperate classifications for each type of bullet or would it all be determined in a single class (via an enumeration, interger, ect.)
9.) How will the enemies find their way to the Player Character?
10.) How long do YOU think this will take to make?
11.) Have you made any computer games before?
12.) How long have those taken to make?
13.) If you have to make this yourself, what language will it be in? Everyone here recommends Game Maker for people at your skill level.

[BattleBeard]

1.) How will the levels be structured?

(Depends, the area changes the structure. If you're in a city, it'll be busy, but you'd probably be entering and crashing through buildings often. In a sewer, it could be somewhat like a maze to find a way out.)

2.) Do you plan on creating a level editor, using a free one, or not using one at all?

(Yes, level editor is important. It'd be unique too, with the idea of having a beat-em-up level maker.)

3.) Would those alternate colour schemes be set up as different 'skins', or a pallet swap caused by your Draw() method?

(Well, in classic beat em up style, changing the pallete of things to make them "different" is the best thing to do.)

4.) How would the game tell what level you are on? There are multiple ways to do it.

(I kinda don't understand what you mean. You mean, the game telling what level you're on? I'm not sure of that one.)

5.) How many FPS do you think would be good for this type of game?

(A fluid 60 or 50 fps, so you don't have to worry about choppy movements killing you.)

6.) What platforms do you want this on?

(PC. Simply that. If this game is successful, maybe there would be a sequel or a special version for sale on Steam or Xbox. That's a maybe though, I personally don't my first game selling out.)

7.) What about the User Interface? Did you give this any thought, how will it look?

(Yes, think of Streets of Rage, but with ammo added on, and when picking up weapons, weapon health.)

8.) Would there be seperate classifications for each type of bullet or would it all be determined in a single class (via an enumeration, interger, ect.)

(Seperate classes, as each bullet would cause different status effects, so I'd need them very seperate.)

9.) How will the enemies find their way to the Player Character?

(I dunno. Not that far in programming yet, which is why I need a team. Haha. But I'm guessing through some type of way to determine x and y of the player?)

10.) How long do YOU think this will take to make?

(Not counting making the engine, a few months, depending on how fast we would work.)

11.) Have you made any computer games before?

(Yes, a few DOS games, and I helped out with an Earthbound fangame.)

12.) How long have those taken to make?

(With DOS text adventures, about a week. That Earthbound game was never finished, but it was close. About three months for the RPG engine to finish. That was Game Maker.)

13.) If you have to make this yourself, what language will it be in? Everyone here recommends Game Maker for people at your skill level.

(Game Maker, but the limitations might be a problem from personal experience.)

Kay, pop quiz answered!

[BattleBeard]

Locked until I get some practice, maybe make a small game or two with a bit of help.

 This project will appear, stronger than ever. Just wait...