"I think programming it and seeing everything come to life probably would have meant more than the actual play value."
Waverider


Thats why I`m into this (programming). The pleasure of making something.

I've seen things come to life already. I'm convinced I can do that now, in any way I like. My next goal was to make an actual game.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough.

Promit - If you don't have any ideas of your own you should just find someone else who has an idea you like and work with them - goodness knows all the visionaries on this site could use good staff. Creating a game design is really hard work, and most of us are driven to it by an idea that just won't leave us alone - why subjec yourself to that if you aren't compelled to?

I think every single one of my ideas has come from thinking about the sort of game I'd love to play, then realising it didn't exist. Some of them are linked to music (in that I hear a song, and imagine a game to fit), but that's my hook - you might be clicked by something else. Find the art you like outside games, and use that as your muse.

perhaps you could check out the "help wanted" forum. there are a bunch of projects there looking for help, where they already have the idea... that is, of course, if you want to make an MMORPG.

What I usually do is pick a style/genre/game that I particularly like and go from there. Usually that involves extracting the core gameplay (eg. "fast platformer" or "insane shooter") and figuring out some kind of unique twist or variation.

The twist is obviously the hard part, but I find it helps to question the established style or rules (like, er, why does a scrolling shooter never allow you to fire backwards?) and see where you end up. [grin]

I carry a dictaphone with me (as recommened by the Game Design Workshop book). Whenever I have an idea or partial-idea, I record it, and transcribe everything into my Wiki later on.

Some of the current files in my 'diccy':

"A game where you are a gooseberry and have to ripen through some undetermined process."

"A race of people who seek to understand god through collecting, cataloging and archiving all things that they percieve to have godly qualities."

"Turntablism."

For the most part an idea isn't something you can just sit down and come up with (though if you're well-trained, it's possible - though if you were well-trained you wouldn't have needed to post this thread [smile]), it's something that'll come to you any time (usually when it's most inconvenient to get the dictaphone out). I collected about 25 ideas across two weeks.. on the bus, while in bed, while watching TV, while walking along Cornmarket.

Just go out and let your mind spin out of control, making crazy connections in a twisted train of thought, and take a notepad and pen or a dictaphone with you. It'll come eventually.

1 You make what you like and add 4times more what the game does not have.
2 If you want to make a certain theme try to combine every aspect of that theme the best way you can.
3 Dissect games and chart them out to see what is missing.
4 Give yourself a challenge and restrict yourself to think what you can do with very little then add more flexibility when you get more ideas. Kind of like evolving in that you should make the best pong game without specials then make it only with specials, then only with art, etc. to have it that each aspect of your game attracts the person and not 1 cheep gimmick.
5 If this is hard then mix categories like having a fighting/adventure/rpg to build up your fighter to be able to do every move eventually.
6 use abilities form other game categories
7 You should not be content and always be critical of games to point out many little things and see how you can improve it.
8 look for home made games or new games and read the review and let your imagine come up with thing that someone else might have done, and then play it and see how they came up short.
9 ignore mmorpg since many are not advanced enough to make anything original yet and should learn how to walk before they learn how to run so they should make a good small and medium game then make a big game to learn more.
10 And many more which have been stated in old posts.

Where i get my ideas from

1) Other games, if i find a game that had a good idea but a horrible implantations of it, I some times will absorb the features that i liked and improve on the ones that i hate. (This is why there are so many FPS out there)
2) Dreaming, every night its like a walk thou my subconscious i come up with 10-20 ideas a night only one or two ever make it to paper/notepad
3) Sharp blows to the head, when I’m sitting there in a pool of my own blood i seem to come up with my best ideas, (My Current project came from a tree branch cracking me in my skull, and 2 stitches)


Never force an idea but write down every one you get they might not help you with your current project, but an idea forgot is completely worthless