BRAINSTORMING (in a park)I'll skip the chart I made because I don't have a scanner right now... Maybe I'll do a powerpoint and save it to jpg later.
ID: SPY(menu based)
- Infiltrate an organization.
- Find low level contacts. Manipulate them so you can join, get info.
- Gain trust. Officially join the Organization.
- Get to a position of power. Collect info. Set up a raid. Sabotage. Cause havoc.
- Operate in case of need. Terminate key members.
- Mission Report in the end.
There could be a similar approach but with a hitman character instead of a law enforcement spy.
ID: PSYCH(menu based)
You're a counter-Intelligence operative. You must find threats inside your organization (military, special forces). You have to analize them (talk to them, interact with them, watch them) gain experience as a "mind-reader" and finally choose those who are a liability to the project and terminate them (kill, imprison, brain wash, interrogate).
There's an ongoing war and the longer it takes you to elimite the threat the bigger the chances to be sabotaged, suffer assasinations, stolen (information, technology) or attacked in many other ways that may diminish morale.
The objective would be to win the war.
It could be extended to send in your own spies, not knowing if they were turned over, etc, etc.
ID: ANGEL(Roguelike or menu)
You're an angel with a gift to control minds. You have to prevent this world from destroying itself (yes, humans). You must make this a happy world.
by performing different divine acts (that may or may not have a cost) aimed at key people/locations you must try to reach your goal.
There will be a lot of different roles/professions in different countries that will develop in a self-simulating world. Each country will have particular people who you will be able to influence and particular problematics (war, hunger, crime, etc)
Professions: Imagine a proportional amount of people per country. 1 President, ministers (of various things), thiefs, cops, poor, middle class, firemen, teachers, murderers, soldiers, etc.
You may use Special Miracles granted by God in certain situations (a big crisis, earthquake, etc or when you've achieved an important temporary objective)
ID: INSANE (roguelike)
You are mentally insane and must travel on a journey to regain your sanity before you go totally berserk and do something terrible where there will be no coming back.
You start with the knowledge of most of the world (Your brain) in some kind of subjective way and you have to fight different kinds of evil to destroy insanity before it consumes you. If you make wrong choices more and more parts of your brain may be attacked by insanity agents or blocked by darkness spreading over time. Imagine a game where tiles are blocked forever (or almost) limiting your world until you have no possible escape and you're consumed by madness.
Flavour would be very fun to write for this game... Just call Barbarosa the seal god and some other bay12-ers-
ID: PRISON:(roguelike)
Survival game in a military prison from wich you have to escape (maybe sci-fi). There should be a series of tasks to perform to ensure you have a chance to do so. There should be different ways to reach your goal or your doom (a time constraint could help here to make it a more daunting task). You should be able to interact with several NPC's that can aid you or even betray you so you should be careful who do you trust and why based on attitudes and connections.
Short ideas:- (Menu Based) Minister of Propaganda in a dictatorial system
- (Menu Based) Shrink of a goal oriented team (Sports, company, organization, etc) that has to try and keep the team toguether facing not only the teammates difficulties but also handling managers, presidents, his family life and the pressure to get make sure that the goals are met.
- (Menu Based) you're a political advisor. YOu have to choose amongst a number of political wannabes and help him rise on the political scene making your own rep as you go. If said candidate is taken down you can always go for another, just make sure you're not blamed for his fate.
- (Roguelike) Animal Gift: Animals suddenly gain rationale like humans (either by a deity or by human intervention). Choose an animal and start trying to overcome any threats against your newly formed civ until you exterminate the rest or reach an equilibrium. Earth may suffer in the process. Each race has it's own abilities.
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Some general thoughts that don't involve an idea straight away (never mind this for brainstorming, give any ideas that come up to you no matter how incomplete, crazy, whatever they are):
Practically every game you come up with can be related to a good or interesting existing game so we can take ideas from them and decide what are the hig and low points of these games to take into account.
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Basically my thoughts are that there must be some kind of problem to solve or goal to achieve. Purpose is what drives us. I think we can not afford the luxury of making an exclusive sandbox game right now unless it has a spectacular and complex design.
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Menu based games would allow graphics because we could maximize the re-usability of said graphics.
Roguelikes should not use graphics in my opinion (I'm talking specifically about THIS project, not in general)
Menu's may also allow real time mini games wich are a bit harder to implement convincingly in turn based roguelike systems.
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I'm a fan of replayability. That usually involves balanced (increased difficulty) and pseudo-random systems.
Interesting games (concepts) we could look at (feel free to add more):
MadTv
Middle east Conflict
Floor13
Covert Action
Sim City
Hidden Agenda
And so many others...
PS: Sorry if there are typos. I just wanted to post this.
LEAVE THE WATERFALL OF IDEAS OPEN! EVERYTHING WORKS IN BRAINSTORMING... WE NEED IDEAS!!!