Ideas Needed for New Clone
Posted: Sat May 03, 2003 8:40 am
Hi. My next game project is going to be a first-person adventure in the nature of Dungeon Master (which is why I post this here). I've played through both DM and its sequel (DM2 is still one of my all-time favorite games --- I started a new game just this morning), though I didn't have the patience for CSB, and I've never played Theron's Quest or Nexus (although I'd certainly like to). So, I've got as much DM experience as anyone.
My engine is 2D, and the messy parts are already finished as I'm currently working on a puzzle game that will be completed very shortly. I'm planning in advance for my next project to keep my motivation high. The engine uses DirectX 8 and takes advantage of 3D acceleration to display the graphics, but otherwise it's designed specifically for 2D. Gamepad support works great, but I still need to throw in sound.
What I need from you good folks is some ideas for the game itself. Dungeon Master has typically been confined to a single world, usually a dungeon but sometimes (in the case of DM2) a small region outside the dungeon. I want to make a huge world, not all at once of course, but a world that can grow enormously over time. Forests, swamps, mountain fortresses, floating cities, fiery caverns, icy tundra --- I want to give the player as vast a world to explore as possible. More importantly, I want the world to be unique.
If you've ever seen any of Hayao Miyazaki's films or read his manga, then you probably know what I'm talking about. His world are tremendously creative, fantastic, and always exciting to see. If you need examples, you ought to watch such films as Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, and my personal favorite, Spirited Away.
Anyway, I want ideas. Places to go, people to meet, quests to complete, things like that. Basically, anything you'd like to see in a game of this type --- the things you wish were in Dungeon Master.
Before you begin spewing ideas, I need to mention that my setting is techno-fantastic, which means it's a cross between fantasy and modern (or futuristic) technology. Things like guns and grenades exist, as do computers and robots. I believe merging these two contrasting themes can make for a very exciting combination (like sweet-and-sour chicken). In general, any idea that applies to one genre can be slightly modified to suit the other. I've got a lot of experience in this department.
Anyway, post those ideas! I appreciate the input.
My engine is 2D, and the messy parts are already finished as I'm currently working on a puzzle game that will be completed very shortly. I'm planning in advance for my next project to keep my motivation high. The engine uses DirectX 8 and takes advantage of 3D acceleration to display the graphics, but otherwise it's designed specifically for 2D. Gamepad support works great, but I still need to throw in sound.
What I need from you good folks is some ideas for the game itself. Dungeon Master has typically been confined to a single world, usually a dungeon but sometimes (in the case of DM2) a small region outside the dungeon. I want to make a huge world, not all at once of course, but a world that can grow enormously over time. Forests, swamps, mountain fortresses, floating cities, fiery caverns, icy tundra --- I want to give the player as vast a world to explore as possible. More importantly, I want the world to be unique.
If you've ever seen any of Hayao Miyazaki's films or read his manga, then you probably know what I'm talking about. His world are tremendously creative, fantastic, and always exciting to see. If you need examples, you ought to watch such films as Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, and my personal favorite, Spirited Away.
Anyway, I want ideas. Places to go, people to meet, quests to complete, things like that. Basically, anything you'd like to see in a game of this type --- the things you wish were in Dungeon Master.
Before you begin spewing ideas, I need to mention that my setting is techno-fantastic, which means it's a cross between fantasy and modern (or futuristic) technology. Things like guns and grenades exist, as do computers and robots. I believe merging these two contrasting themes can make for a very exciting combination (like sweet-and-sour chicken). In general, any idea that applies to one genre can be slightly modified to suit the other. I've got a lot of experience in this department.
Anyway, post those ideas! I appreciate the input.