Hi There!
The western era is perfect for adventure games as I have been scteching on a Lucasrt style cartoon Adventure game taking place in the classic West, actually you travel all across America in the search for your gal. The name is Wilde in the west and it would make an exellent game...
Here I am, on the road again
The Western: FPS? RPG? RTS?
Set places outside the map that can''t be reached, one way or another. Sure, you can get on your horse and try to cross the Mexican border, but you will be prevented one way or another.
You can''t go too far South, because once you''re about fifty miles into Mexico, you stumble onto a big chunk of Santa Anna''s army and they perforate you for seeing their secret troop movements. Too far north, you "accidentally" walk into some kind of Cherokee holy place, and they ask you to go back. If you refuse, they respond by chopping you to bits. The mountains have strange weather systems that always seem to point unsurvivable storms at players who try to cross them, forcing you to go back down.
Ever see "The Truman Show"? Remember when he tried to get out, but all sorts of increasingly weird things happened to prevent him? That could happen in the game. Make it clear that if they don''t stay in the areas defined (which would of course be massive and dynamic) then they''re going to run afoul of the higher authority who keeps order.
GTA III just had rigid boundaries that you couldn''t cross, usually represented by some half-assed geographical boundary. It was hokey, but nobody really complained, since what you did have access to was so cool.
You can''t go too far South, because once you''re about fifty miles into Mexico, you stumble onto a big chunk of Santa Anna''s army and they perforate you for seeing their secret troop movements. Too far north, you "accidentally" walk into some kind of Cherokee holy place, and they ask you to go back. If you refuse, they respond by chopping you to bits. The mountains have strange weather systems that always seem to point unsurvivable storms at players who try to cross them, forcing you to go back down.
Ever see "The Truman Show"? Remember when he tried to get out, but all sorts of increasingly weird things happened to prevent him? That could happen in the game. Make it clear that if they don''t stay in the areas defined (which would of course be massive and dynamic) then they''re going to run afoul of the higher authority who keeps order.
GTA III just had rigid boundaries that you couldn''t cross, usually represented by some half-assed geographical boundary. It was hokey, but nobody really complained, since what you did have access to was so cool.
Set places outside the map that can't be reached, one way or another. Sure, you can get on your horse and try to cross the Mexican border, but you will be prevented one way or another.
You can't go too far South, because once you're about fifty miles into Mexico, you stumble onto a big chunk of Santa Anna's army and they perforate you for seeing their secret troop movements. Too far north, you "accidentally" walk into some kind of Cherokee holy place, and they ask you to go back. If you refuse, they respond by chopping you to bits. The mountains have strange weather systems that always seem to point unsurvivable storms at players who try to cross them, forcing you to go back down.
You know, Chef, once again you make a valid point. Plus, if you do this, there is always room for an expansion. Say in the expansion, you can go to the East and go up to old New York or run smack-dab into the Civil War!
Then again, someone could always remake The Oregon Trail that we used to play on those old Apple IIs into a 3d adventure.
[edited by - smiley4 on December 11, 2002 3:31:42 PM]
[edited by - smiley4 on December 11, 2002 3:54:10 PM]
You can't go too far South, because once you're about fifty miles into Mexico, you stumble onto a big chunk of Santa Anna's army and they perforate you for seeing their secret troop movements. Too far north, you "accidentally" walk into some kind of Cherokee holy place, and they ask you to go back. If you refuse, they respond by chopping you to bits. The mountains have strange weather systems that always seem to point unsurvivable storms at players who try to cross them, forcing you to go back down.
You know, Chef, once again you make a valid point. Plus, if you do this, there is always room for an expansion. Say in the expansion, you can go to the East and go up to old New York or run smack-dab into the Civil War!
Then again, someone could always remake The Oregon Trail that we used to play on those old Apple IIs into a 3d adventure.
[edited by - smiley4 on December 11, 2002 3:31:42 PM]
[edited by - smiley4 on December 11, 2002 3:54:10 PM]
I''d like to say that I''m realy excited about starting a project like this based on this theme. And I take all you guys input into concideration. As for my experience making games, I have little, but by playing games I think I can learn a lot about what content I''d like to see based on the content of game history. I believe that I can take my professional art skills and put them to work on the concept art for such a game. If anyone is willing to join me in taking this idea further (instead of just talking about it), just say the word. I''ll be watching the forums.
I came up with this half-assed idea last year. It still has no real direction and it isn''t fleshed out at all, but I just thought the coincidence was amusing. It''s a sort of a hobby of mine to write these one page synopsis when I think of game elements, I have tons of them. I see a lot of good ideas in this post.
Project: Gunslinger
Character Selection/Creation:
Designed like a standard RPG, the character selection screen will allow a player to select male or female, hair color and style, face, facial hair, physique, clothing style and color. Players will start the game with a standard “kit” consisting of a single handgun, some bullets, a knife, and some money.
Further customization is allowed throughout the game, since a player will be allowed to buy clothing, weapons, items, a horse, and possibly a room or even a house for storage.
Gameplay:
Most easily described as an open-ended action RPG, the player will be given the freedom to interact with various NPCs in the towns and gain quests from them. There will be a primary plot and story that exists and the player will be able to “end” the game, so some of the quests will be related to the main quest, but some might not be related at all.
The game is primarily driven by combat. Most quests will revolve around possible combat of some sort, like jailbreak, robbery, assassination, etc. The viewpoint will be 3rd person, and the player will have a crosshair to shoot and aim weapons in real-time.
The RPG elements are present in the player’s ability to customize character appearance, buy upgraded weapons, ammo, and items from doing quests, as well as a faction system being in place to track a player’s actions so the world will respond to them.
Location:
Consists of one huge map, with unique locations scattered throughout. Besides several towns of varying sizes, unique locations may include abandoned buildings, mines, farms, ranches, train station/railroad etc. There will be roads connecting all the major points.
The setting will also be persistent, with day/night cycles and various weather effects. There should also be travelers going from town-to-town occasionally, people walking about, children playing, dogs barking, bar fights breaking out, etc. basically anything that could be scripted at certain times to give the town a lively feel.
The benefits of the setting are realized by not having to recreate heavy vegetation and a huge cluster of modern buildings. The Torque engine is better suited to mainly outdoor, sparse environments. Generally, the art assets will be part of one main set and can be re-used again and again. More concentration and resources can be directed towards better textures, detail such as swaying prairie grass, rolling tumbleweeds, dust clouds, weather, etc.
Quests:
Instead of directing a huge chunk of development time and resource to level design, it will instead be aimed at creating quests of varying length, difficulty, reward, and the accompanying scripted sequences to compliment them. The assets for each quest should be designed so that most are not “spawned” into the world until the quest is accepted by the player. They will subsequently be “de-spawned” when done.
Quests will have to be accepted by the player to be activated, and it is then placed in their “quest journal” to keep track of vital details like names, locations, and times. Some quests will be based on time, meaning they either will not start or be available until a certain time or will be on a time limit. Almost all quests will garner a reward of some type, be it money, an item that can be pawned for money, useful unique items, or valuable information.
Faction:
Completing certain quests will have the important result of modifying the world’s perception of the player. If a player decides to play the outlaw and accept bank robbery and assassination quests, the townspeople will be increasingly wary of the player, sometimes retreating in fear when they see him or withholding information and/or quests from her. By the same token, the player may decide to take the path of justice and collect on wanted posters, defend the town from certain attacks, or bring lawbreakers to jail, eventually gaining the respect and admiration from everyone in town. Who knows, maybe even a sheriff’s job would be possible.
Weapons:
A wide variety of weapons from the era will be available at the local pawn/gun shop. Some weapons and items will only be available in certain towns. Ammunition is a depletable source, and will have to be bought and replenished (money sink). The player will be limited in how many weapons he can carry, generally to two handguns, a knife of some sort, and one rifle. More items and weapons can be kept on the player’s horse if she owns one, or in their storage space (rented room, house, or bank).
Mini-games:
If time allows, mini-games such as poker and blackjack will be set up in the town’s local brothel or bar to create a diversion for the player and an alternate way to make money.
Project: Gunslinger
Character Selection/Creation:
Designed like a standard RPG, the character selection screen will allow a player to select male or female, hair color and style, face, facial hair, physique, clothing style and color. Players will start the game with a standard “kit” consisting of a single handgun, some bullets, a knife, and some money.
Further customization is allowed throughout the game, since a player will be allowed to buy clothing, weapons, items, a horse, and possibly a room or even a house for storage.
Gameplay:
Most easily described as an open-ended action RPG, the player will be given the freedom to interact with various NPCs in the towns and gain quests from them. There will be a primary plot and story that exists and the player will be able to “end” the game, so some of the quests will be related to the main quest, but some might not be related at all.
The game is primarily driven by combat. Most quests will revolve around possible combat of some sort, like jailbreak, robbery, assassination, etc. The viewpoint will be 3rd person, and the player will have a crosshair to shoot and aim weapons in real-time.
The RPG elements are present in the player’s ability to customize character appearance, buy upgraded weapons, ammo, and items from doing quests, as well as a faction system being in place to track a player’s actions so the world will respond to them.
Location:
Consists of one huge map, with unique locations scattered throughout. Besides several towns of varying sizes, unique locations may include abandoned buildings, mines, farms, ranches, train station/railroad etc. There will be roads connecting all the major points.
The setting will also be persistent, with day/night cycles and various weather effects. There should also be travelers going from town-to-town occasionally, people walking about, children playing, dogs barking, bar fights breaking out, etc. basically anything that could be scripted at certain times to give the town a lively feel.
The benefits of the setting are realized by not having to recreate heavy vegetation and a huge cluster of modern buildings. The Torque engine is better suited to mainly outdoor, sparse environments. Generally, the art assets will be part of one main set and can be re-used again and again. More concentration and resources can be directed towards better textures, detail such as swaying prairie grass, rolling tumbleweeds, dust clouds, weather, etc.
Quests:
Instead of directing a huge chunk of development time and resource to level design, it will instead be aimed at creating quests of varying length, difficulty, reward, and the accompanying scripted sequences to compliment them. The assets for each quest should be designed so that most are not “spawned” into the world until the quest is accepted by the player. They will subsequently be “de-spawned” when done.
Quests will have to be accepted by the player to be activated, and it is then placed in their “quest journal” to keep track of vital details like names, locations, and times. Some quests will be based on time, meaning they either will not start or be available until a certain time or will be on a time limit. Almost all quests will garner a reward of some type, be it money, an item that can be pawned for money, useful unique items, or valuable information.
Faction:
Completing certain quests will have the important result of modifying the world’s perception of the player. If a player decides to play the outlaw and accept bank robbery and assassination quests, the townspeople will be increasingly wary of the player, sometimes retreating in fear when they see him or withholding information and/or quests from her. By the same token, the player may decide to take the path of justice and collect on wanted posters, defend the town from certain attacks, or bring lawbreakers to jail, eventually gaining the respect and admiration from everyone in town. Who knows, maybe even a sheriff’s job would be possible.
Weapons:
A wide variety of weapons from the era will be available at the local pawn/gun shop. Some weapons and items will only be available in certain towns. Ammunition is a depletable source, and will have to be bought and replenished (money sink). The player will be limited in how many weapons he can carry, generally to two handguns, a knife of some sort, and one rifle. More items and weapons can be kept on the player’s horse if she owns one, or in their storage space (rented room, house, or bank).
Mini-games:
If time allows, mini-games such as poker and blackjack will be set up in the town’s local brothel or bar to create a diversion for the player and an alternate way to make money.
Cool idea, and well thought out for a draft, but I think that the pistols should be Smith & Wesson 6-shooters, the rifles should be Remingtons, and the knives can be homemade. All the firearms should have re-load time. (I know it sucks in the middle of a gunfight, but that''s what gives it a challenge.)
As for faction, you could go to a noutorious person''s house and prove yourself to become part of a local gang or you could collect the bounties on them instead.
I''ll be working on the layout for Tombstone, and one of the Miner''s Towns. And I''ll post a draft when I can. Peace.
As for faction, you could go to a noutorious person''s house and prove yourself to become part of a local gang or you could collect the bounties on them instead.
I''ll be working on the layout for Tombstone, and one of the Miner''s Towns. And I''ll post a draft when I can. Peace.
Author
quote:Original post by smiley4
I'd like to say that I'm realy excited about starting a project like this based on this theme.
Excellent!
quote:Original post by smiley4
I'll be working on the layout for Tombstone, and one of the Miner's Towns. And I'll post a draft when I can. Peace.
Perhaps you could just hold your horses for a moment, and let me have some say here...
Roles to be filled for the development of a first class Western RPG are, or could be: (Note that one person might fill several roles, and more than one person might fill one role)
- Weapons and fighting mechanics designer
Create a fighting system which works. Build a large and diverse roster of weapons which are as accurate as possible with regard to real weapons of the era. Minimally, the roster should include:- Pistols
- Rifles
- Shotguns
- Gatling guns
- Bow (and arrow)
- Spear/Javelin
- Tomahawk
- Axe
- Cannons
- Liquor bottles
- Rocks, bricks, lumber, etc.
- Chair
- Hammer
- Fist
- Feet
- Poison
- Dynamite
- Molotov cocktail
There should be detail with regard to guns. There is no such thing as a generic gun. Within the subcategory of pistol, there should exist a set of different pistols, each a recreation of a real pistol, with specs such as caliber, velocity, range, accuracy, etc. All methods of fighting should be addressed and detailed. - Pistols
- Map and terrain generation
The map should, at the very least, capture the spirit of the area, with regard to terrain features characteristic of that area. Vegetation must be selected which is appropriate for the area. As an example, saguaros (the classic cacti) grow in the Sonoran desert, but not in the Colorado Plateau. The map might be pieced together from USGS digital elevation maps (DEMs) available for free. From there, it is the responsibility of the map designer to effectively place vegetation densities, roads, trails, and so on. - Prop designer
Naturally, this designer works closely with the weapons designer and the architecture designer. All of these designers work closely with the 3d modelers and shader writers. An attention to detail is a must. An example of typical props might include:- Carriages
- Stagecoaches
- General handtools
- Lockpick tools
- Barrels
- Furniture
- Cash registers
- Gallows
- Food
- Letter openers
- Clocks
- Safes
- Portable telescopes
- Packs
- Rope
- Crates
- Books
- Glasses (both for eyesight and drinking)
- Anvils
- Carriages
- Costume designer
This is a very important role to be filled. Like all of the prop designing roles, attention to detail is a must, and an appreciation of the era is required. Diversity is to be expected. Some costumes might include:- Hats
- Trench coats
- Vests
- Pocket watches
- Shirts
- Ties
- Dresses
- Pants
- Boots
- Bandanas
- Longjohns
Additionally, all prop designers must work together to create items such as holsters, bandoliers and scabbards. - Hats
- Horse system designer
It is the job of the horse system designer to effectively integrate horses into gameplay. All of the features I have mentioned previously in this thread and the thread associated with horse riding would apply if possible. Some of the key elements with regard to the horse system are:- Saddlery and tack: saddles, bits, bridles, saddlebags, reins, etc.
- Horse coloring: bays, buckskins, chestnuts, appaloosas, paints, grays, sorrels, palaminos, etc.
- Horse breeds: Arabs, Pintos, thoroughbreds, Morgans, quarters, etc.
- Conformation: stance, base wide/narrow, balance, eyes, nostrils, muscular build, etc.
- Health: conditioning, lameness, etc.
- Training: past and present.
- Skillset: gaits, backing, turning, stopping, pirouettes, jumping, catchability, cutting, etc.
- Demeanor: spookability, experienced events vs. unexperienced events.
- Fair treatment syndrome: sense of justice, revenge, etc.
- Rider skills: gaits, backing, turning, stopping, pirouettes, jumping, catching, rearing, mounted firearm use, etc.
- Saddlery and tack: saddles, bits, bridles, saddlebags, reins, etc.
- Gambling sytem designer
An effective card playing system needs to be worked out, both in terms of presentation and AI. The allowable games must be documented, including all variations, and the provision for AI players as well as real players. The real mainstay here is poker, plain and simple. - Architecture designer
A study and replication of the architecture of the time is important. There are a few different designs which should be exploited, depending on the locale. These include refined clapboard sided structures, the rustic slipshod structures common in more primitive newly developed mining towns, adobe structures typically seen in towns such as Santa Fe, and stucco haciendas more common towards the Mexican border. The architecture designer must also work closely with the culture designers to produce structures which have purpose. Examples include banks, liveries, houses, jails, the sheriff's office, ranches, general stores, saloons, outhouses, the telegraph office, railway stations, assay offices, and so on. - Weather and sky designer
The Western United States, specifically the Southwest, is often arid and dry, and often at high altitude. Because of the aridity and high altitude, stunning sunrises and sunsets are commonplace. And despite the aridity, summer thunderstorms are commonplace. Big billowing cumulus clouds often precede a shortlived yet powerful thunderstorm. A system which allows for dynamic stunning yet realistic weather is necessary. With regard to nighttime skies, the high altitude, low air pollution, low light pollution, and dry air provide for sweeping starfields at night. - Western culture designer
The duties of this role are to gather together the ideas which western culture is comprised of. These include activities, occupations, operations, governmening methods, manner of speech, customs, and so on. Specific examples include: hangings, gunfights, law procedures, etiquette, etc. - Indian culture designer
Like the western culture designer, the duties of this role are to explore, refine, and describe how Indian culture can effectively be modeled and integrated into the game, including making suggestions to many of the other designers with regard to design: for example, the Indian culture designer will guide the architecture designer with regard to teepees. He will guide the Western culture designer with regard to how the law viewed Indians, etc. And most importantly, he will as faithfully as possible, provide detail on the different Indian cultures which might exist in any given area, including their rituals, attitudes towards the white man, their population, etc. - Mining culture designer
The mining culture designer's role is to detail and describe and integrate the operations of mining as it was often done in the Old West. Essentially, the components of gold and silver mines are to be discovered and described, including their functionality, social structure and phycical structure. - Railway culture designer
The railway culture designer must effectively exploit the concept of the railway to maximum effect, providing opportunities for gameplay. The types of railway cars and locomotives of the era should be detailed, along with the accompanying infrastructure, such as water towers, stations, spur design, etc. Naturally, it is the railway culture designer's duty to suggest to and work out details with the weapons and fighting designer and the character dynamics programmer the prospects of fighting onboard trains, such as chases and fights on the top of moving railway cars. - 3D Modeler
3D modelers must interact with the prop and culture designers for input, and they must interact with the programmers for limitations and requirements. - Terrain rendering programmer
The terrain rendering programmer naturally works closely with the map generation phase, as well as the architecure, railway and mining designers, as well as with the general systems programmer. Numerous methods exist for efficient and realistic rendering techniques, such as quadtrees, ROAM, etc. - Character dynamics programmer
More to be said... - Weather dynamics programmer
More to be said... - General systems programmer
More to be said... - Shader programmer
The shader programmer naturally works closest with the 3D modelers and the prop designers. - Sound effects and music creation and acquistion
More to be said... - Sound effects programmer
More to be said... - Technical director
More to be said... - General gameplay desinger
More to be said...
[edited by - bishop_pass on December 12, 2002 4:23:59 PM]
Author
Oddly, it only just occurred to me that my photo gallery is essentially themed around the landscapes which are the settings for Westerns. It includes ghost towns, gulches, canyons, mountains, deserts, and cacti of the American Southwest.
Smiley, as much as I love S&W guns, especially the older ones (Schofield, anyone? Sweeeeeet), everyone knows that only whores carried S&W''s in the old west. Get yourself a nice Colt.
I recommend setting it post-Civil War, to take advantage of the metallic cartridge and the better railroad system.
With regard to weapons, it is absolutely imperative that they be 100% based on historic gear. Nothing sucks more than a cowboy with a big old anachronism strapped to his thigh. No .44 Magnum, no .357, no swing-out cylinders or telescopic scopes, unless they''re hand-made by some engineer. These things just didn''t exist.
I recommend setting it post-Civil War, to take advantage of the metallic cartridge and the better railroad system.
With regard to weapons, it is absolutely imperative that they be 100% based on historic gear. Nothing sucks more than a cowboy with a big old anachronism strapped to his thigh. No .44 Magnum, no .357, no swing-out cylinders or telescopic scopes, unless they''re hand-made by some engineer. These things just didn''t exist.
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement
