Video game ideas?!?

poofyperson
Forum Rookie

Posts: 2

Video game ideas?!? Feb 1, 2013 17:43:45 GMT -5

Quote

Post by poofyperson on Feb 1, 2013 17:43:45 GMT -5

Hey all! As I respect all of you as fellow gamers, I figured this would be a good place to ask for a little help with something.

I really want to try making a video game or two, but I'm having trouble getting started. See, I have some ideas, but they are all way too complicated for a first game attempt. I will probably be using UDK (Unreal Development Kit), and possibly doing modeling in Blender and texturing/detailing in Photoshop. Also, I do not have the resources to actually voice a game, but music and sound effects are not an issue. So, here is what I'm looking for:

I just want an idea for a fairly simple game (2D or 3D is fine) without complicated AI. A puzzle game, for example, would work well, or an arcade-style game, or even a simple RPG (turn-based is a nice easy one) or action game. Basically, I want to have a reachable goal in mind when I am learning the engine so I can have a direction to go in. I'm just having trouble coming up with something simple enough that hasn't already been done a billion times. The platform would be PC, or if you have a good touchscreen idea I could do something for Android or iOS, which could be really fun.

My own ideas are too complicated and just intimidate me out of learning anything. I am a decent artist, but not much of a programmer. While I do have programmer friends that will help me, I would like to keep AI limited the first time around until I feel comfortable trying to realize my own game ideas.

Whatever my first game ends up being, if I ever release it I will be sure and credit whoever came up with the idea! If you really wanna get involved, I would even share profit, if there is one... (most likely released for free if at all).

Well, thanks in advance or your ideas!

~Poofy

Vecuu
Administrator

rough and uncut diamonds

Posts: 660

Video game ideas?!? Feb 2, 2013 9:41:02 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Vecuu on Feb 2, 2013 9:41:02 GMT -5

When I was in High School I took a programming class, the main focus of which was Visual Basic (which is extremely simplex compared to the languages I know now), but the point being: even with little to no programming knowledge, I wrote a simple puzzle game.

It was a spoof off of Zelda, and I drew everything in MSPaint. There were ten levels, and on each level you would have to walk down corridors until you got to the key, and then get to the door to the next level. Thing is: the corridors were the same width as yourself, and the game forced you to step on spikes/fire. Spikes took off 1-Heart, while fire took off 2-Hearts, but then extinguished itself. Naturally there were Hearts on some maps as well, which you could use to refill your 3-Hearts.

Some other things I added were things like Blue-Fire, which hid what was on a certain corridor square, and Levers, which would alternate a number of Blue-Fires to Red-Fire (which illuminated the squares). And on level 10, rather than get to the door to the next level, you had to traverse the traps to the Blue Wizard, slash him with your sword, at which point he would teleport away, and you'd have to traverse the traps differently to get to him (for a total of three sword-slashes).

Super simplistic. 2D. No keybindings (just clicking UI Buttons).

It was fun though. I made just about every person I knew at the time play it, and most of them died on level 10 the first time (levels 1-6 or so were mostly tutorials).

My ramblings were probably completely unhelpful.

I hear simple fighting games are a really good place to start. 2D style, such as Street Fighter. Maybe do a fighting game with MMO-Style Fighters?

shira
Administrator

This'll be a slaughter

Posts: 212

Video game ideas?!? Feb 6, 2013 2:49:22 GMT -5

Quote

Post by shira on Feb 6, 2013 2:49:22 GMT -5

I have looked into this a bit before as it seemed really fun. One program you might look into trying out would be Cry Engine 3. It is a freeware game development software. One notable series it is used for is the Far Cry series. It has many aspects and a lot of the heavy coding is already done for you to allow for a simpler design in the game. However, i will say it is hard to learn to use at first but the results are simply amazing.

As for an idea, I know Cry Engine is heavily based in Island terrain, you could always do a game similar to James Bond or CoD with weapons strewn around at spots and either ai or human players get to face off for kills. Or a simpler version would be like that but in a more bomber man fashion with a maze and little 2d style guys with guns.

Epicenter
Forum Rookie

Posts: 17

Video game ideas?!? Feb 6, 2013 13:24:07 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Epicenter on Feb 6, 2013 13:24:07 GMT -5

Its has been a couple years since I have played around with UDK. My first recommendation would be to do the tutorials you can find on the UDK forums. They cover all the basic stuff and there are ones for AI and environment routine programming.

If you plan to try to make money on anything you make, read up on their current policy for a license. If I remember right, you can't collect any money, even in the form of donations, for anything made using their engine. There may be a minimum limit of 2 or 3k before you have to pay them, but I'm not sure. You can either give them a percentage of income from the game or buy a license for a good chunk of money if I remember right.

As for the type of game, something like a escape game would be easy and could learn to do a lot in UDK. Make it so you start in a room in the basement of a bunker and have to find items to make you way up to freedom. Things like picking locks and shorting electronic locks, each lock can be a mini puzzle to get the locks open. Can add guards that are programed to patrol certain areas, set up cameras that can trigger alarms, some button or lever sequence interaction to open things and basic traps along the way. Something simple like this would cover level design, a simple story plot, some basic AI, level programing and if you want to could even add some simple in game cut scenes.