Can ANYONE here come up with a FRESH game design?
Author
Pardon my flame :-)
99% of game designs I see around here seem to be variations of RPGs (kill troll with sword+3) or action games (Shoot monster with gun).
A whole slew of commercially popular games fall outside the above spectrum. For example:
(1) Lemmings
(2) Tetris
(3) Puzzle Bobble / Bust-a-Move
(4) Magical Drop
(5) The SIMS
(6) You don''t know JACK
(7) Dance, Dance Revolution
(8) Word Whomp (See www.pogo.com)
(9) Civilization
None of the above games rely on the "kill troll with sword+3" or "Shoot monster with shotgun" dynamics. How come more of such fresh game designs aren''t seen more often on these boards? Heck, I''m yet to even see a good Trade Sim design!
In my opinion, a good game designer should be able to design games all round the gameplay spectrum: inability to do so indicates a lack of talent.
For what it''s worth: I personally find high quality game design INCREDIBLY difficult - more difficult than programming even!
Prove me wrong if you can. Post your awesome game designs!
This post comes off to me as somewhat irrelevant, but I''ll reply none-the-less.
Yes, most game designs are variations of RPG''s or shoot-''em-ups. Why? RPG''s and FPS''s are awesome. They''re fun, and if that''s what people like, that''s what people are going to want. Furthermore, if I was going to create a game, I''d want to create something I would want to play. What do I care if other people hate it when I don''t? In my opinion, they can bitch at me for my lack of originality when I''m killing a troll with a sword+3 and shooting monsters with a gun and having fun doing it.
Yes, most game designs are variations of RPG''s or shoot-''em-ups. Why? RPG''s and FPS''s are awesome. They''re fun, and if that''s what people like, that''s what people are going to want. Furthermore, if I was going to create a game, I''d want to create something I would want to play. What do I care if other people hate it when I don''t? In my opinion, they can bitch at me for my lack of originality when I''m killing a troll with a sword+3 and shooting monsters with a gun and having fun doing it.
I have to say, I definitely prefer more original ones.
There are lots of types of games which are NOT FPS or RPGs (or in fact, both at once).
It''s just they''re a little less mainstream.
Resource management is one - the likes of "Pharoh" (4-5 years old now I think) springs to mind.
One of the best games I''ve played recently is Pontifex II, where you build bridges. There are no guns, spells, it isn''t set in Narnia, middle-earth or anything
Strangely addictive.
On the other hand, there are always more variations on word-games to be made, and some quite interesting puzzlers come along from time to time.
As soon as I think of a killer one, I won''t be telling you though
Mark
There are lots of types of games which are NOT FPS or RPGs (or in fact, both at once).
It''s just they''re a little less mainstream.
Resource management is one - the likes of "Pharoh" (4-5 years old now I think) springs to mind.
One of the best games I''ve played recently is Pontifex II, where you build bridges. There are no guns, spells, it isn''t set in Narnia, middle-earth or anything
Strangely addictive.
On the other hand, there are always more variations on word-games to be made, and some quite interesting puzzlers come along from time to time.
As soon as I think of a killer one, I won''t be telling you though
Mark
A lot of us hear are hobby game dev''rs, including myself. I''m making my RPG for the thrill of the challange, and to give life to something that emerses the player into a world of it''s own. RPGs are great on both of these points. My personal favorite game genre, as well as 90% of my friends, is the age-old RPG. Having my friends play my game will give (and has given) me great joy...and I KNOW that my buddies are always up for playing old-school RPGs. If it makes me a few bucks, great! If it gives my something more to show at interview, great! But if it''s fun to make and play, mission accomplished!
RPG''s and FPS''s are common game designs because any game idea that begins "You play a guy that..." ends up in one or the other category. That''s not to say that such games cannot be innovative or interesting (see the thread about honor in games).
For what it''s worth, I don''t like 6 of those 9 games (3-8), so I''m certainly not going to design something like them.
The games I tend to enjoy are of the type "You play a _____ that _____" and "You command _____ who _____ by doing _____." which end up being role-playing (although what sort of role you play is a more open question in my mind than some others) and strategy games.
For what it''s worth, I don''t like 6 of those 9 games (3-8), so I''m certainly not going to design something like them.
The games I tend to enjoy are of the type "You play a _____ that _____" and "You command _____ who _____ by doing _____." which end up being role-playing (although what sort of role you play is a more open question in my mind than some others) and strategy games.
The action games out now have not been improved yet and still suck, but that’s my opinion and preference since most games are not challenging. Also games that you mentioned don''t sell well since why bother designing them since many want violent or sexual content game.
I have a few ideas for games that aren’t violent like games that deal with color mixing, games that deal with reflecting light from mirrors kind of like puzzle bobble but in a bigger scale, more advanced memory games, more fun comprehension games, physics games, and others but these are some simple examples.
As for posting an entire game design, why? There is a site online that let people post their game designs at www.gamediscovery.com which you can see some design documents in a way.
"Profanity is for those who lack intelligence and imagination to otherwise express them selves." "You are what you repeatedly do; Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle
I have a few ideas for games that aren’t violent like games that deal with color mixing, games that deal with reflecting light from mirrors kind of like puzzle bobble but in a bigger scale, more advanced memory games, more fun comprehension games, physics games, and others but these are some simple examples.
As for posting an entire game design, why? There is a site online that let people post their game designs at www.gamediscovery.com which you can see some design documents in a way.
"Profanity is for those who lack intelligence and imagination to otherwise express them selves." "You are what you repeatedly do; Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle
quote:Original post by GemuhDesayinah
Pardon my flame :-)
It''s fine to vent, but I think you''ll get more mileage out of your stay here if you try to see why people are motivated as they are, rather than just assuming they''re not interested in new ideas. Many of the RPG and action designs I''ve seen here over the years stem from frustration with existing designs or limits of existing games. This can be as creative as new concepts.
quote:
99% of game designs I see around here seem to be variations of RPGs (kill troll with sword+3) or action games (Shoot monster with gun).
Well, I''m famous here for whining about the lack of science fiction RPGs-- course, that''s not what you''re talking about, right?
quote:
Prove me wrong if you can. Post your awesome game designs!
Anybody on this board can come up with half a dozen wild game designs at the snap of a finger, all of which are seemingly new and innovative. But the devil is in the details.
If I tell you of a design that features being a profiler tracking serial killers, or one where you build things with the emotional energy of a civilization, or one where you construct an environment in 3D and navigate it at the same time, it may sound innovative. We can both congratulate ourselves for being oh so creative and non-derivative. But lurking inside every great design are actual problems with implementation, interface, balance, gameplay mechanics, etc, and those problems can be severe enough to quash any idea.
On this board I''ve seen designs that involve playing a lion managing a pride of lions; I''ve seen posts on making a romantic adventure game; I''ve seen ideas for a sports game where the players have real lives; and I myself have posted ideas on a non-combat RTS
Now, maybe for all our innovation, we all deserve a cookie. Goody for us. The real work isn''t coming up with the idea, it''s the execution and follow-through.
--------------------
Just waiting for the mothership...
"Anybody on this board can come up with half a dozen wild game designs at the snap of a finger, all of which are seemingly new and innovative."
See, that''s *my* problem... of course, I also need to limit the ideas based on my technical skills and free time... but still, I always have problems comming up with ideas for a game.
-Greven
See, that''s *my* problem... of course, I also need to limit the ideas based on my technical skills and free time... but still, I always have problems comming up with ideas for a game.
-Greven
Author
I''ve read the responses to my original article: Most people on these boards specialize in RPGs or Action games (I''ll henceforth refer to these as RoAgs) because that''s where their interests lie.
That''s perfectly fine. I just wish there was more idea diversity on these boards, given that:
(1) I think it''s EASIER for a hobbyist designer (like most of us are) to actually create, complete and make money off a non-RoAg than it is to compete with the big boys in the RoAg market.
(2) I don''t think RPGs and Action Game lovers (myself included) form the mainstream: we''re a NICHE!! The SIMS series is the highest selling PC series of all time! Games like Deer Hunter and Myst kick the butt of most action games at the game "box office" (so to speak). Sports games and racing games and RollerCoaster Tycoonesque games do fairly well also. I can''t help but feel that the vast majority of gamers out there have no desire for violent RoAGs. We''re a big niche, but a niche nonetheless.
Still, we''re mostly hobbyists with no allusions to professionalism in game design, thus there''s no need to design comprehensively or stretch our conceptual horizons. Hence, we design what we like :-)
Peace out.
markr wrote (about non-RPG and non-Action games):
------------------------
It''s just they''re a little less mainstream.
------------------------
Warsong wrote (about non-RPG and non-Action games):
--------------------
Also games that you mentioned don''t sell well since why bother designing them since many want violent or sexual content game.
--------------------
That''s perfectly fine. I just wish there was more idea diversity on these boards, given that:
(1) I think it''s EASIER for a hobbyist designer (like most of us are) to actually create, complete and make money off a non-RoAg than it is to compete with the big boys in the RoAg market.
(2) I don''t think RPGs and Action Game lovers (myself included) form the mainstream: we''re a NICHE!! The SIMS series is the highest selling PC series of all time! Games like Deer Hunter and Myst kick the butt of most action games at the game "box office" (so to speak). Sports games and racing games and RollerCoaster Tycoonesque games do fairly well also. I can''t help but feel that the vast majority of gamers out there have no desire for violent RoAGs. We''re a big niche, but a niche nonetheless.
Still, we''re mostly hobbyists with no allusions to professionalism in game design, thus there''s no need to design comprehensively or stretch our conceptual horizons. Hence, we design what we like :-)
Peace out.
markr wrote (about non-RPG and non-Action games):
------------------------
It''s just they''re a little less mainstream.
------------------------
Warsong wrote (about non-RPG and non-Action games):
--------------------
Also games that you mentioned don''t sell well since why bother designing them since many want violent or sexual content game.
--------------------
All these are human game ideas. Thought up by humans, made by humans for humans. We''ve pretty much explored the thought space on these ideas. What we need for new games ideas is to introduce non-human game forms. I suggest evolving AIs whose sole purpose is to entertain us, or use animals. Give a monkey a board of checkers, see what they do with it, after they poop on it.
Introduce your dog or cat to the finer point of chess or uno.
You get the idea, just mix it up.
Good Luck!
-ddn
Introduce your dog or cat to the finer point of chess or uno.
You get the idea, just mix it up.
Good Luck!
-ddn
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement
