I want to make a game where the player builds up, rather than tears down. You, the player, are in charge of leading a team of NPCs which is unfortunately stricken with some bad blood. It isn't any kind of fantasy setting, but rather you are given a group of human beings who have to work together. There is basically an "elephant in the room", some cancer to the group as a whole that is causing division, and you have some ground control to do. All you should really need to do is get the teammates to get over themselves and work together, but that might be either not enough, or not appropriate for the situation.

Setting. Over the weekend, I was driving a dump truck for a construction project. That was my first time driving a dump truck, using the PTO, etc. It was awesome! I think this game could work in a school project kind of setting, but the idea of a construction site is a little promising. If things really come to blows on a construction site, someone can be badly hurt. You don't want that. And plus, the player can have something to show for his hard work as the team is visibly accomplishing something on-screen.

Display and Input. Simple 2D graphics are fine. I have never been interested much in 3D, and I tend to use computers with some on-board graphics chip. All I need is 2D. As to how information is displayed on the screen, I just imagine a scrolling game where the player literally controls an avatar that he moves around the construction site. When you're working, you're all over the place. You're not just in one location the entire day. So, imagine the player has to run around to everybody and supervise how they're doing, ask how they're doing, and also give them some command.

The important thing to remember is that these are people, and when people work together, a lot of personal tension can evaporate if the right attitudes are shown. Former enemies can become friends. Egotism, on the other hand, is the pig-headed antagonist of the entire game. If you can get your teammates to forgive and apologize and work together, you can you build up your team, repair some damage, and actually get a winning team on the construction site.

Another idea is that, while the game is mostly single-player, it should allow for multiple players, too. What if you had an actual friend helping you lead the team, maybe as an assistant or a partner? The game should work just as well, but this might not be necessary.

What do you think? My wife says it sounds like the Sims in a way... That's not what I'm going for, but if it works, it works.

edit: Changed the title of the thread, because I hated it.

I want to make a game where the player builds up, rather than tears down. You, the player, are in charge of leading a team of NPCs which is unfortunately stricken with some bad blood. It isn't any kind of fantasy setting, but rather you are given a group of human beings who have to work together. There is basically an "elephant in the room", some cancer to the group as a whole that is causing division, and you have some ground control to do. All you should really need to do is get the teammates to get over themselves and work together, but that might be either not enough, or not appropriate for the situation.

Setting. Over the weekend, I was driving a dump truck for a construction project. That was my first time driving a dump truck, using the PTO, etc. It was awesome! I think this game could work in a school project kind of setting, but the idea of a construction site is a little promising. If things really come to blows on a construction site, someone can be badly hurt. You don't want that. And plus, the player can have something to show for his hard work as the team is visibly accomplishing something on-screen.

Display and Input. Simple 2D graphics are fine. I have never been interested much in 3D, and I tend to use computers with some on-board graphics chip. All I need is 2D. As to how information is displayed on the screen, I just imagine a scrolling game where the player literally controls an avatar that he moves around the construction site. When you're working, you're all over the place. You're not just in one location the entire day. So, imagine the player has to run around to everybody and supervise how they're doing, ask how they're doing, and also give them some command.

The important thing to remember is that these are people, and when people work together, a lot of personal tension can evaporate if the right attitudes are shown. Former enemies can become friends. Egotism, on the other hand, is the pig-headed antagonist of the entire game. If you can get your teammates to forgive and apologize and work together, you can you build up your team, repair some damage, and actually get a winning team on the construction site.

Another idea is that, while the game is mostly single-player, it should allow for multiple players, too. What if you had an actual friend helping you lead the team, maybe as an assistant or a partner? The game should work just as well, but this might not be necessary.

What do you think? My wife says it sounds like the Sims in a way... That's not what I'm going for, but if it works, it works.