Recently, after creating and releasing my Wall Jump Mod, I've become a little bored with Minecraft's system of working. Therefore, I'm looking into creating my very own game, in Java and OpenGL, which I will release and even possibly sell (that's a long way away though. :P).
My single problem is that I need ideas. I never really was that good at coming up with ideas, and all the ideas I come up with would either make really boring games, or would take a large company years to create. I'm only a single person, so I need something along the middle. However, I can do both programming, texturing, storylines, map-making etc. so the underlying idea is all I need.
my limitations:
3D graphics equivalent to Minecraft with spheres added in (I'd prefer 2D)
Certain OpenGL graphics effects (my own graphics card can't even run most of 'em)
Super hi-res graphics (ATM 64x64 is the biggest texturing job I've done)
Anything which any big company would take years to make (or probably even months :/)
So, here's where you come in: I need you to com up with an idea for me. Any idea at all. You'll be credited for your idea if I make the game, and if it's possible I will arrange some way of payment (if I do ever get round to selling the game, which is unlikely).
Thank you for reading, and if you have an idea, please tell me below!
A game where the object is to last as long as possible with Zombie's attacking. You have to run around and collect resources from the wilderness and villages. There should be a way to make your own base, and customize it however you want. If you're bored of zombies, add in other things that can kill you. Something that is silent and explodes is cool.
A game where the object is to last as long as possible with Zombie's attacking. You have to run around and collect resources from the wilderness and villages. There should be a way to make your own base, and customize it however you want. If you're bored of zombies, add in other things that can kill you. Something that is silent and explodes is cool.
I really like this idea. Sounds like a really fun game. I'll give it a go!
Write a MMOG voxel game where you can craft from the stone age to medieval times. Add human evolution, intercourse (creates new spots for players to join the game) and language evolution.
Interesting, what do you mean by craft? You sort of build up inventions and styles as time goes on? Maybe you have to keep up with everyone else or you get negative effects?
lol... I dunno what these guys are thinking... Every idea I saw posted here is either a generic game idea (that either is not fun or is simply cliche), or requires a 'large game company' which you already said you didn't want ideas for.
My suggestion:
Create a simple puzzle game.
Start with a very basic idea, like a "matching" game, design some basic rules (doesn't matter what these rules are), and then add in unique elements for a twist.
For example, the popular game "Bejeweled" is a very simple 'matching' game that basically fills the entire screen with blocks and the only 'rule' is that you can only swap two blocks and at least one of these two blocks must form a combo of 3-in-a-row or greater or else they go back into place.
There are added in bonuses and few other game-objects to make the game a little bit more 'fun', and a few different 'modes' which simply change the rules slightly... Like adding a timer and whatnot.
Then they add some fancy graphics 'explosions' when you match combos and that's an entire game right there... And it's sold millions.
This is how the majority of game developers get off the ground these days... Creating extremely simple ideas and merely expanding on these ideas with very basic rule sets.
Your idea does not necessarily need to be a 'matching' game, nor copy Bejeweled... Think of your own 'puzzle' type (it can borrow from another game) and add your own unique twists. Write your idea down and think it out. Play it in your head and decide whether it would be fun or not to play.
And most importantly when writing down your idea, think about and answer things like:
What is the goal? Top score? Completing a goal? Solving the Puzzle and moving to the 'next level'?
What makes the game 'fun'? Repetition? Novelty? Intellectual Stimulation?
You should be able to answer these things.
Now you could ask someone else for the ACTUAL 'idea' for your puzzle game... but that sort of defeats the point of wanting to make a game. If you want to make games for someone else then there are probably tons of start-up groups looking for a programmer.
It may take a while to create your own unique game idea like this from a basic element of gaming... but in the end, I think you'll find it's worth it and that it will pay off for you.
Do something fun and unique that will keep you going instead of making you feel like "this has already been done to death by every other aspiring game programmer in the world". Or take a break, and explore other programming languages and paradigms, and reevaluate your choice of Java for game programming.
@CosmicSpore, which of the two do you consider my idea to be? Maybe somewhere in the middle?
I honestly thought yours was a joke it was so unrealistic.
You don't learn to be a good chef by never making something that someone else has cooked, you learn by cooking the same crap for years and using the fundamentals you learn to make new recipes.
In fact you learn just as much if not more from making something you don't want to make as making something you do, because it forces you to think outside your comfort zone and solve problems.
lol... I dunno what these guys are thinking... Every idea I saw posted here is either a generic game idea (that either is not fun or is simply cliche), or requires a 'large game company' which you already said you didn't want ideas for.
My suggestion:
Create a simple puzzle game.
Start with a very basic idea, like a "matching" game, design some basic rules (doesn't matter what these rules are), and then add in unique elements for a twist.
For example, the popular game "Bejeweled" is a very simple 'matching' game that basically fills the entire screen with blocks and the only 'rule' is that you can only swap two blocks and at least one of these two blocks must form a combo of 3-in-a-row or greater or else they go back into place.
There are added in bonuses and few other game-objects to make the game a little bit more 'fun', and a few different 'modes' which simply change the rules slightly... Like adding a timer and whatnot.
Then they add some fancy graphics 'explosions' when you match combos and that's an entire game right there... And it's sold millions.
This is how the majority of game developers get off the ground these days... Creating extremely simple ideas and merely expanding on these ideas with very basic rule sets.
Your idea does not necessarily need to be a 'matching' game, nor copy Bejeweled... Think of your own 'puzzle' type (it can borrow from another game) and add your own unique twists. Write your idea down and think it out. Play it in your head and decide whether it would be fun or not to play.
And most importantly when writing down your idea, think about and answer things like:
What is the goal? Top score? Completing a goal? Solving the Puzzle and moving to the 'next level'?
What makes the game 'fun'? Repetition? Novelty? Intellectual Stimulation?
You should be able to answer these things.
Now you could ask someone else for the ACTUAL 'idea' for your puzzle game... but that sort of defeats the point of wanting to make a game. If you want to make games for someone else then there are probably tons of start-up groups looking for a programmer.
It may take a while to create your own unique game idea like this from a basic element of gaming... but in the end, I think you'll find it's worth it and that it will pay off for you.
I like this idea, I always enjoyed those unique puzzle game but could never think of my own idea for one
Maybe I'll do some research into other games which are popular, and try to make a similar sort of thing, with a different underlying idea, of course.
What you stated above is the recipe to become a better programmer. Mine is more for being a more motivated programmer, which can be an issue for those of us who don't have real-life friends who program.
It's always an issue, a lot of people want to be great programmers but hate the process, I know i do. I hate getting stuck on things only to know them like the back of my hand later. I end up forcing myself to do things I just don't want to do because I see reward from it at the end.
All games follow the start-loop(update-render)-stop process, so deep down, they're all the same anyway.
That's like saying every car is the same because it has two states: stop and go. Or that every car is the same because they have an engine or some kind of propulsion like an engine. That's very vague.
In my experience the game loop is the smallest part of the game and one I abstracted away pretty quickly, it's everything that happens past that loop that can grow incredibly complex.
@CosmicSpore, which of the two do you consider my idea to be? Maybe somewhere in the middle?
The idea about evolving humans? I thought that was definitely on the 'needs large company to do this' list.
Technically I think it could be done by indies... but they would need some good ideas and lots of game-development experience... and lots of money (resources) to do right.
Also, I have no idea what you meant by "language evolution"... That sounds.... pretty complex... Doesn't sound feasible at all for anyone.
Make a Dating Sim / Fighting Game where you get into fights with characters that determines how your relationship with those characters changes.
The big twist is this: It's not just the result of the fight (whether you win or lose) that affects your relationship, it's also the style of fighting that you used. The game will analyze what actions you performed during the fight and then compare those parameters against the disposition of the person you're fighting in order to determine how it affects your relationship.
So say you're fighting against a girl you want to like your character. She's a softer, quieter type, so you don't want to go and do some aggressive rushdowns and punishing combos. The game will notice that you used a lot of forward agressive movements and chained many strong attack together. In short, she's gonna think you're a jerk and run away crying. If, on the other hand, you refrain from rushing her, you block and back up a lot, perform mostly weaker attacks and wait out the round timer, she'll think of you as more caring and sensitive.
Or if you change up the girl to one with a stronger personality and you go all soft on her, she's gonna think you're weak and pathetic, she'll laugh at you. At the same time, though, she doesn't want to get dominated by a rushdown strategy as it'll hurt her pride. In order to win her over, you have to put up a good fight with a strong, confident fighting style but not go too hard.
Etc. etc. There's tons of possibilities for character dispositions.
And the story can go on like a typical dating sim game with multiple branching paths depending on which character you're focusing on. There should also be some way to change up your character's moveset based upon what relationships/paths you're pursuing.
I think that would be an interesting and innovative type of game, a unique twist on two genres at once. It'd be difficult to do well, though. You absolutely need to make it a competent fighting game in its own respects or else it'll end up all awful.
Did anybody catch on that my idea was basically Minecraft...?
Haha, I can't believe I didn't even notice. I was thinking more about a sort of tower defense gam, but instead of following a fixed path zombies would attack from all round. You would have to distribute guards well, build up walls and stuff.
And MrQuizzles, interesting concept but I don't think I really want to make a dating sim at all, although I guess the fighting aspect would introduce some action. it's definitely an idea to consider, although it would be complicated to code.
And MrQuizzles, interesting concept but I don't think I really want to make a dating sim at all, although I guess the fighting aspect would introduce some action. it's definitely an idea to consider, although it would be complicated to code.
If I weren't so lazy, I'd have made the game myself. I think it'd be really cool, but I do agree that it'd be a challenge. Dating sims are relatively easy to code. Fighting games are not.
My single problem is that I need ideas. I never really was that good at coming up with ideas, and all the ideas I come up with would either make really boring games, or would take a large company years to create. I'm only a single person, so I need something along the middle. However, I can do both programming, texturing, storylines, map-making etc. so the underlying idea is all I need.
my limitations:
Thank you for reading, and if you have an idea, please tell me below!
"Programmers never repeat themselves. They loop."
I really like this idea. Sounds like a really fun game. I'll give it a go!
Interesting, what do you mean by craft? You sort of build up inventions and styles as time goes on? Maybe you have to keep up with everyone else or you get negative effects?
My suggestion:
Create a simple puzzle game.
Start with a very basic idea, like a "matching" game, design some basic rules (doesn't matter what these rules are), and then add in unique elements for a twist.
For example, the popular game "Bejeweled" is a very simple 'matching' game that basically fills the entire screen with blocks and the only 'rule' is that you can only swap two blocks and at least one of these two blocks must form a combo of 3-in-a-row or greater or else they go back into place.
There are added in bonuses and few other game-objects to make the game a little bit more 'fun', and a few different 'modes' which simply change the rules slightly... Like adding a timer and whatnot.
Then they add some fancy graphics 'explosions' when you match combos and that's an entire game right there... And it's sold millions.
This is how the majority of game developers get off the ground these days... Creating extremely simple ideas and merely expanding on these ideas with very basic rule sets.
Your idea does not necessarily need to be a 'matching' game, nor copy Bejeweled... Think of your own 'puzzle' type (it can borrow from another game) and add your own unique twists. Write your idea down and think it out. Play it in your head and decide whether it would be fun or not to play.
And most importantly when writing down your idea, think about and answer things like:
What is the goal? Top score? Completing a goal? Solving the Puzzle and moving to the 'next level'?
What makes the game 'fun'? Repetition? Novelty? Intellectual Stimulation?
You should be able to answer these things.
Now you could ask someone else for the ACTUAL 'idea' for your puzzle game... but that sort of defeats the point of wanting to make a game. If you want to make games for someone else then there are probably tons of start-up groups looking for a programmer.
It may take a while to create your own unique game idea like this from a basic element of gaming... but in the end, I think you'll find it's worth it and that it will pay off for you.
I honestly thought yours was a joke it was so unrealistic.
You don't learn to be a good chef by never making something that someone else has cooked, you learn by cooking the same crap for years and using the fundamentals you learn to make new recipes.
In fact you learn just as much if not more from making something you don't want to make as making something you do, because it forces you to think outside your comfort zone and solve problems.
I like this idea, I always enjoyed those unique puzzle game but could never think of my own idea for one
Maybe I'll do some research into other games which are popular, and try to make a similar sort of thing, with a different underlying idea, of course.
Mainly because not everyone gets something out of cooking. If you cook you get to eat what you cook and everyone eats. Obviously a lot faster too.
It's always an issue, a lot of people want to be great programmers but hate the process, I know i do. I hate getting stuck on things only to know them like the back of my hand later. I end up forcing myself to do things I just don't want to do because I see reward from it at the end.
That's like saying every car is the same because it has two states: stop and go. Or that every car is the same because they have an engine or some kind of propulsion like an engine. That's very vague.
In my experience the game loop is the smallest part of the game and one I abstracted away pretty quickly, it's everything that happens past that loop that can grow incredibly complex.
The idea about evolving humans? I thought that was definitely on the 'needs large company to do this' list.
Technically I think it could be done by indies... but they would need some good ideas and lots of game-development experience... and lots of money (resources) to do right.
Also, I have no idea what you meant by "language evolution"... That sounds.... pretty complex... Doesn't sound feasible at all for anyone.
"Programmers never repeat themselves. They loop."
The big twist is this: It's not just the result of the fight (whether you win or lose) that affects your relationship, it's also the style of fighting that you used. The game will analyze what actions you performed during the fight and then compare those parameters against the disposition of the person you're fighting in order to determine how it affects your relationship.
So say you're fighting against a girl you want to like your character. She's a softer, quieter type, so you don't want to go and do some aggressive rushdowns and punishing combos. The game will notice that you used a lot of forward agressive movements and chained many strong attack together. In short, she's gonna think you're a jerk and run away crying. If, on the other hand, you refrain from rushing her, you block and back up a lot, perform mostly weaker attacks and wait out the round timer, she'll think of you as more caring and sensitive.
Or if you change up the girl to one with a stronger personality and you go all soft on her, she's gonna think you're weak and pathetic, she'll laugh at you. At the same time, though, she doesn't want to get dominated by a rushdown strategy as it'll hurt her pride. In order to win her over, you have to put up a good fight with a strong, confident fighting style but not go too hard.
Etc. etc. There's tons of possibilities for character dispositions.
And the story can go on like a typical dating sim game with multiple branching paths depending on which character you're focusing on. There should also be some way to change up your character's moveset based upon what relationships/paths you're pursuing.
I think that would be an interesting and innovative type of game, a unique twist on two genres at once. It'd be difficult to do well, though. You absolutely need to make it a competent fighting game in its own respects or else it'll end up all awful.
Haha, I can't believe I didn't even notice. I was thinking more about a sort of tower defense gam, but instead of following a fixed path zombies would attack from all round. You would have to distribute guards well, build up walls and stuff.
And MrQuizzles, interesting concept but I don't think I really want to make a dating sim at all, although I guess the fighting aspect would introduce some action. it's definitely an idea to consider, although it would be complicated to code.
If I weren't so lazy, I'd have made the game myself. I think it'd be really cool, but I do agree that it'd be a challenge. Dating sims are relatively easy to code. Fighting games are not.