I've had an idea for a game for a long time that I don't believe I'll ever see made 100% how I want (on the PC with high end graphics, the depth of EvE Online, and the arcade controls of Crimson Skies), but that's ok because I think a version of it could be an incredible iOS game (with great hit and money making potential). ! WARNING ! Rather long post incoming... ((The following is a saved draft I post on 4chan's /v/ (video game) board from time to time)) Picture the following it's my dream game >A somewhat modernized 1950's world, at least in style and architecture >A combination of EvE Online and Crimson Skies gameplay Gameplay: >Direct control of your plane, arcade style. Like Crimson Skies or the PC racer Sky Drift >Massive open world >Some cities where you can walk around, talk, but these are small are mostly used to go to the auction house and various other shops >Combat is like Crimson Skies, you fly about, shoot down other planes. >Higher level areas are totally open to you if you fly there, but you'll get shot down quite quick if you're not able to take their hits >Like any MMO (which this is) item drops are randomized >Leveling system is like EvE Online in that you select a skill (rockets, machine guns, engineering, mechanics, etc, etc) and it takes X time to train >You can also, once day, do some sort of quest type thing to get a skill point boost for a few hours if you succeed. Example would be: training your gunnery skill, you do a target shooting challenge, if you manage to beat it, you get a 1.5x boost to your skill training for the next 2 hours >Boss fights might be sea monsters, large planes, zeppelins, ground tanks, armored trains, or the like >The Holy Trinity exists to a degree in that you can fly heavily armored planes (tank sort) that take a ton of damage, slow moving, and are able to hold aggro >Smaller more agile planes can 'tank' too, but by dodging the incoming attacks of the enemies, and this is determined by player skill; if you're bad you're going to get hit and die >A healer sort of plane and pilot type exists too; this role can tank as well by repairing the damage it takes >Player driven economy >Maybe F2P with the devs / publisher receiving income from cash shops limited to cosmetic stuff ONLY, ZERO pay-2-win as it'd ruin a game like this Now, like I said above that's my dream game. One that I doubt will ever be made. So let me turn this into an iOS game that I think could very much be made. What would it look like? Like the following: No skill system No multiplayer Not open world (we need to make this simple). What we have left (in my mind) is something of a combination of the newly released Shogun, the U.S. game of the year Tiny Tower, and the acclaimed Flight Control. Here's what I see: >On Start up you select a male or female avatar >Art style is something akin to the dripping with charm and style Baseball Superstars 2012, yet this game would be set in the 1940's (that's the look at least, pin-up girls, bomber jackets, gals wearing garrison caps (like Cammy from Street Fighter), and guys looking dapper). >You're running a plane field, a hanger, a diner, some apartments or barracks maybe, and a shop >Gameplay consists of three elements: >What you actively play is 2 parts while the somewhat background part is #3 >#1 The Shogun-like bit; this is you in your plane out shooting down enemies, collecting goodies, and earning one of two types of in-game currency >#2 The flight control bit; this is how your field gets new people, new tenants for the housing, new people to run the shops, and such >#3 The Tiny Tower bit; this is what determines how well your shops do. As new people come in (thanks to you successfully land planes) you'll be able to have them move-in (if you have the room for them) or if not they just go about some business and mozzy on their way Now I'll elaborate a bit and do so in text form of what gameplay might look like >You boot the game up >A cute gal slides onto the screen, "Hi -your name- (that you entered when you first started playing) "looks like we've got some inbound planes looking to land >You accept and are in #2 mode. You're landing planes >You draw lines like flight control >This lasts either after a certain number of planes come in, or after X time >Now in #3 mode (which #2 seamlessly transitions to) you're looking over the 20 or so folks that just got off their flights (this number of 'tourists' depends on how well you did in #2 mode, the more planes you land, the more folks to look through). >You have enough room for 3 people >You really want 5 of these folks, but... you don't have the room for them (you make a mental note, 'build more apartments when you have the money, space, and once that shop is finished). >Of those 5 you pick the best 3 >One is a good mechanic (she'll allow you to upgrade one aspect of your plane (for use in #1 mode) a new level >One is a good cook (he'll go to the diner and cook food a bit faster than your current cook (who is soon to be out of a job!) and increase the income for the diner) >The last is runway supervisor, a notch better than your current (he'll allow you to land one more plane in mode #2, or give you some more time to land them). >That gal that told you about the incoming planes slides back onto the screen (she can do this any time, be you busy or not). "-name here-, the radar (another thing to be upgraded and a job that people found in mode #2 can fill) is picking up a squadron of type hostiles. Can you help?" >You agree >You're in mode #1 now >Direct control of your plane (which can be upgraded in nearly every way). >This is the part like Shogun. Only instead of a sci-fi theme it's 1940's with a modernized twist ala Crimson Skies alternate 1930's >How well you do during #1 is based on the player's skill and how good his plane is >If the player is very good at this sort of gameplay his ship's current upgrade status won't matter as much as someone that isn't so hot at this kind of game >[We'll assume the player is good and he completes this section] >Items are dropped during #1 and if the player picks them up can be sold in mode #3 >The boss drops a very, very rare set of mini guns >You're back at the field and are now in mode #3 >During mode #1 you earned a fair bit of money (in-game currency type 1) and found some new items >The guns, rare and good as they are still aren't quite as good as those you found the day before. Instead of swapping them out you decide to sell them in the plane upgrade shop >Depending on the level of your gun mechanic (there are specific types of mechanics), assuming you have one, these can be sold sooner than later >The guns needs to be modified (which takes a varying degree of time based, again, on your gun mechanic's level) from the enemy configuration to use for allies (an in-game reason (excuse) for there to be any time at all >If your mechanic is really, really good (we'll say the best in the game) it'll take him an hour (real time, based off a server's time and NOT your in-game clock as to make cheating impossible) for these rare guns (the rarer the item, the more they'll sell for, and the more time it takes to modify them). >Once that hour is up for can sell them for X amount of type 1 in-game currency >!OR! You can use type 2 currency >Type 2 currency is an in-app-purchase >!OR! >Type 1 currency can be traded for type 2 So now you get an idea of what I have in my head It combines the very passive sort of game of Tiny Tower or Derby Days with a very active shmup. The game caters to all gamer types: -Not a fan of shmups? You don't ever have to fly your plane once, not ever. You could simply play the mode #2 and #3 parts. Land planes, manage the field, bring new people in, and never even bother with your plane. -Love shmups, but don't like micro-managing a town? Not a problem! Just boot the game up when you like. I'm not a game dev (if that wasn't obvious by now, I'm sorry). I just have been dreaming of a game akin to this for years now and only today realized what a good fit on the iOS platform it could make. If you're a dev and are actually interested in this idea I could expand a LOT more. Shoot me a PM and maybe we can chat? If you're a player and think this is a good idea, let me know!
I can make it but not online and in 3d, I can make it in 2d! It's a nice idea, but it takes very much time to make it!
No online No multiplayer No 3D (I think it would be bad for this game). I think 2D would be much, much better! Art style like Velocispider or Game Dev Story, maybe. Simple art, but crisp, sharp. The art in Baseball Superstars 2012 is VERY good. Maybe like that?
I would try out something soon, I can't guarantee that we make it. What must be the camera view? I think top-down would be nice!
I agree. Top down for the flying and shooting (like Shogun) part. Top down for the landing part (like Flight Control, to get new citizens). And maybe just menus for the building part (the Tiny Tower kind of part). There's an app called Path. You can swipe the main 'path' part left or right. I was thinking that adding this could be good. In the middle you have the Tiny Tower part (menus, shops, where you select new people for your shops and such). Then if you swipe to the left you get to the flying Shogun part, top down shmup. And if you swipe to the right you get the landing planes part. You could move between all three with swiping maybe? That might be too complex.
I would try to make something as your concept. I can't promise it's the same as your concept. Its very difficult to make this. For further contact mail me: [email protected]
