Hi everyone. I know absolutely nothing about gaming other than I like it. :) However, I am writing an Instructional Design Document for Grad school and I need some help. I have created an educational game. I have all the details down perfectly except one little thing.. Ok.. its a big thing. I have to include the hardware/software needed to run this game. I don't have a clue. I know what I want the game to do but I don't know what it will take to make it work. I want an interactive avatar that changes its physical appearance as a reaction to the choices the player makes. I want the game to be able to add and subtract and keep a log of selections the player makes. I want the player to be able to make the avatar look like they look, hair, skin, eye color.. clothes. etc. At some point I want the player to have to make selections quickly to beat a time limit. I want the player to advance levels at the end of so many appropriate selections. I want a diary or log of the players actions or selections. The avatar should be animated to do what the player selects such as read a book or swim. Can someone tell me approximately what kind of hardware/software or other technical stuff (php, java, C+ something) this type of game would have or use or whatever. I am very deficit in this area. So...Please don't scare me with too much tech language. Oh and one more thing. If you have a great idea for a game but you don't want to be the one to actually make it.. can you sell your idea or get someone else to make it for you and reserve the copyrights? How does all that work? Thanks in advance for all your help! ;) ~Sky [Edited by - skylark7k on May 23, 2007 8:08:05 PM]

I dunno. It's pretty close to impossible to give system specs without a running demo. However, what you describe is pretty simple so my shot in the dark is:

GeForce3 or higher equivalent
Pentium3 or better
512MB RAM

Since you don't have your game running, some marketing research looking at games with a level of quality like what you want is really the best way to approach this. Go buy/rent some games or look at screenshots online for a bunch of games until you find one that looks like what you want your game to look like.

Quote:
Oh and one more thing. If you have a great idea for a game but you don't want to be the one to actually make it.. can you sell your idea or get someone else to make it for you and reserve the copyrights? How does all that work?

You can't sell game ideas. There are literally millions of ideas that people have (almost all of them duplicates). Since what you have isn't property of any kind and since someone else (with money and skills) probably has the same idea no one will ever buy your idea.

If you don't have a working product (or at least 5ish years experience and 3 shipped titles) no one will even talk to you to hear your ideas. =)

-me

Thanks Palidine but I not sure if thats all I need. My instructor said something about php, java, C+ or something like that. Are those things used to create games?

Oh and Domarius.. what a friendly and helpful little person you are... I'm sure it will come back to you seven fold.

~Sky

php, java, and C++ are programming languages. I think what your professor might be asking for is what programming language should it/will it be in. This depends on what you are using to run it. PHP is normally for browsers. Java and C++ can be used to make programs that run on their own. This is probably the way you would be going. From what I know of C++, that would work for your game, but I am not entirely sure.

Do you have to create this game or are you just making the design document for it? If you are just designing the game, then I fail to see why you would need to determine what language you would use for the game.

If you need to make the game then there are a number of options that you can persue in that regard. I wouldn't recommend C++ as that would take quite a while to learn and results would be very slow to come.

If the game was to be web based then I would recommend Flash. It is very popular and it shouldn't be insanely hard to learn ActionScript if you bought a book or two on the subject and worked at it.

If the game has a downloadable client then I would investigate Torque Game Builder, Multimedia Fusion 2, BlizBasic, Python with PyGame, ect. There are a lot of options for creating 2d games without a ton of technical knowledge.

Anyway if you just need to know what typically would be used to make such a game then I would have to say C++ with DirectX or OpenGL as that is the "industry standard". Once again I have to recommend that if you must create this game for the project then using C++ is a bad idea.

Anyway I hope this was helpful and not too confusing.

Good luck.

Ok.. now we're getting somewhere. Thanks so much!

I have to write the technical considerations as part of my paper. I need to know the specifications and practically everything. It has to have the complete information so that if I were to give it to someone to actually make, they would know exactly what to do and what to do it with and how to do it. I also have to list my limitations. Such as I will need someone who can program games in C++ because I don't know it and the game will require it.

It has to be a stand-alone game. No connection to the Internet at all. I hate that but those are the requirements.

I don't have to create the game but I have to have all the details down so someone else could create it if I were to die (God forbid).

Someone else recommended I use Flash but being it is not a web based game is that wise or would Java or something else work better? It's starting to sound like Java is the way to go.

I can include all the "stuff" I need run the game on the CD but nothing can be downloaded.

I am hoping that my state will actual pay someone to create this educational game when I'm finished. It is greatly needed and will fill a void in their curriculum. I guess if they decide to do that, they will find someone to actually create it. Just hope I get a little pocket change from it, that certainly wouldn't hurt. But just getting credit for the idea would be awesome.
My instructor said once my document is published it will be copyrighted. I hope that will help me if the idea every did become a reality.

Thanks again shadowisadog and Dragonsoulj you have both been very helpful. =)

~Sky

How can you possibly write such a document not knowing the details? Research.. thats exactly what I'm in the middle of doing. I am collecting ideas on how to make this stand-alone computer game work and I am investigating all the possible options. I am not asking for anyone to do the technical design for me. I know exactly what I want the game to look like and do. I simply don't know what kind of program it would take to make that happen. I'm pretty sure now that Java is the way to go.

The requirements of my paper was to write an Instructional Design Document on a learning module. I made it much more complicated by deciding to use an educational game as my learning module. We are not being taught gaming. I am in the Masters in Education, Instructional Technology program. I would not consider what I want as a video game. I have completed all the requirements of my professor except for the hardware/software that the game might require. This forum has helped tremendously in that area.

This will definitely be one of my limitations. However, I need to know what my limitations are. I can't just say.. I don't know anything about gaming but..

I have to write what exactly it is that I need but are not skilled or knowledgeable in enough to complete the project. For instance. I now know that one of my limitations are Java programming. Before, I didn't know this. I can not fulfill my requirements for the IDD unless I know my exact limitations. I can't just say someone else has to do the tech stuff because I don't know it.

If the state wants it I would give it to a programmer indeed.. but what kind of programmer? The state wouldn't know. They would have to do research in order to find this out. Thats my job. I have to find this out and let them or whoever know what kind of programmer is needed to develop this game.

Thanks again for your help. I think I have enough to go on now. I really appreciate everyone who offered their assistance. You guys are great. =)

~Sky