Project #1, Initial Post -- Untitled Arena Game
by Gareth Hewes · 10/18/2008 (11:42 am) · 4 comments
Hello everyone! My name is Gareth Hewes, and this is my first blog here. I have been a member of the community for over 2 years now, and in the past month or so have finally started really buckling down and working on game development stuff, probably because I don't have money to keep buying new games (and there's really not that much good out there anyway). So what I have come up with is not a masterpiece, and will not likely go down in the annals of Indie Gaming History, but there's a reason for that.
They say your first 10 games will be bad, and if that is true--and I have no reason not to believe it--I don't want to risk my "masterpiece" ideas on odds like that. So I wondered to myself: "What game would be a good introduction into game development but also be disposable when it turns out bad?" So I thought, I should do something like the old Unreal Tournament games I played--all I would have to do is design a set of arenas, a set of characters, and a set of weapons, and all the rest of my time can be spent refining the running of it. Yes, I thought, arena-based combat is the way to go. And so my idea was born.
UNTITLED ARENA GAME!!!
It was going to be called "ArenaMaster", but I found out there was an add-on to World of Warcraft by that name, so I didn't want to do that. Here's the basic concept:
The premise is simple: two people or teams go into the arena, one comes out. Granted, it's simple, but it's worked all the way back to Rome, so there must be something there. There are different game modes, with all the FPS conventions--capture the flag, team combat, etc. Or at least, there will be, when I get to the point where I know how to implement that.
Some of the different modes I was thinking:
Deathmatch style (kill or be killed)
Team Deathmatch style (teamwork, flanking and maneuvering)
Capture the Flag (or the rubber chicken, or the blue placeholder, or whatever)
Foot Races (around trap-filled arenas, like American Gladiators with more cojones)
Strategic Games (where players have to outsmart opponents with traps)
Master Battles (Arena combat on suspended platforms over lava, etc.)
Some of the characters I was thinking were mostly FPS go-to's: the Strong but Slow ones, the Fast but Weak ones, etc.
And for weapons, well, I'll start with the basics and open the floor to the community for more outlandish (and therefore interesting) ones.
The gameplay rules are simple because I can polish them better with the time that I have. In addition, getting from start to a playable state faster will allow me to concentrate more on the things that draw more people to games like this: better weapons, better arenas, better avatars. Because, let's face it, without a story, it's that stuff that makes or breaks a game's fun factor.
I know I've got a long road ahead, especially for a project that I plan on releasing for free (or at most something negligible, like $5 or something if I really think people would actually be willing to pay for it). But it should be a fun road (aside from the headaches from banging my head on the keyboard when scripts don't work) and the journey is half the enjoyment of going anywhere anyway.
Let me know what you think, and I thank all of you in advance for the support I am undoubtedly going to need.
-Gareth, 10/18/08
They say your first 10 games will be bad, and if that is true--and I have no reason not to believe it--I don't want to risk my "masterpiece" ideas on odds like that. So I wondered to myself: "What game would be a good introduction into game development but also be disposable when it turns out bad?" So I thought, I should do something like the old Unreal Tournament games I played--all I would have to do is design a set of arenas, a set of characters, and a set of weapons, and all the rest of my time can be spent refining the running of it. Yes, I thought, arena-based combat is the way to go. And so my idea was born.
It was going to be called "ArenaMaster", but I found out there was an add-on to World of Warcraft by that name, so I didn't want to do that. Here's the basic concept:
The premise is simple: two people or teams go into the arena, one comes out. Granted, it's simple, but it's worked all the way back to Rome, so there must be something there. There are different game modes, with all the FPS conventions--capture the flag, team combat, etc. Or at least, there will be, when I get to the point where I know how to implement that.
Some of the different modes I was thinking:
Deathmatch style (kill or be killed)
Team Deathmatch style (teamwork, flanking and maneuvering)
Capture the Flag (or the rubber chicken, or the blue placeholder, or whatever)
Foot Races (around trap-filled arenas, like American Gladiators with more cojones)
Strategic Games (where players have to outsmart opponents with traps)
Master Battles (Arena combat on suspended platforms over lava, etc.)
Some of the characters I was thinking were mostly FPS go-to's: the Strong but Slow ones, the Fast but Weak ones, etc.
And for weapons, well, I'll start with the basics and open the floor to the community for more outlandish (and therefore interesting) ones.
The gameplay rules are simple because I can polish them better with the time that I have. In addition, getting from start to a playable state faster will allow me to concentrate more on the things that draw more people to games like this: better weapons, better arenas, better avatars. Because, let's face it, without a story, it's that stuff that makes or breaks a game's fun factor.
I know I've got a long road ahead, especially for a project that I plan on releasing for free (or at most something negligible, like $5 or something if I really think people would actually be willing to pay for it). But it should be a fun road (aside from the headaches from banging my head on the keyboard when scripts don't work) and the journey is half the enjoyment of going anywhere anyway.
Let me know what you think, and I thank all of you in advance for the support I am undoubtedly going to need.
-Gareth, 10/18/08
#2
10/18/2008 (10:09 pm)
I think it would be a great game. I had once upon time thought about making a robot arena game, but that idea suddenly turned into Dark Horizions Lore. I had other ideas for a "mini" MMO involving arena play. It was basically Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion's arena system. Two players would battle while other players could place bets, watch the event, and socialize with other players. Players that were "Sponsors", could use winnings to help fund any player of their choosing. I know that making the economy stable would be the hardest part. Anways, Good Luck!
#3
@Britt: I didn't consider the possibilities of something like that! That would mix things up because then if you got tired of playing, you could go online as a sponsor, and watch action-packed matches and bet on winners. The more money you got from that, you could either use it to get better equipment and add-ins (much like Perks from Call of Duty 4) when you go back into the arena yourself, or stack odds in your favor when betting (getting better stuff for your fighter). Can you imagine in a major tournament, stacking advantages from multiple sponsors, turning the fighter into a juggernaut of power? At that point it becomes a strategy among sponsors, too, because you have to choose the weapons and add-ins that are best for your fighter (both balance and fighting style).
This is obviously too difficult to implement at this time (for me), but I do like the possibilities it brings. The main problem is that it would change the game from a one-off start up/shut down to needing some way to make the person's current holdings persistent. I suppose it could be done with a save file that then uses version control, but it seems like doing it per client is still lacking in security. But that's all for future discussions.
Who knows, maybe if this game becomes some miraculous underground cult hit, then we can team up and work out the wagering system. Until then--I'll keep you all posted!
10/20/2008 (10:47 am)
@Konrad: Thanks for the support! I'm hoping it will be pretty good, I'm kind of blurring the FPS and casual gaming crowds by making a shooter that you can just kind of pick up and put down easily. I'll worry about story in a later project.@Britt: I didn't consider the possibilities of something like that! That would mix things up because then if you got tired of playing, you could go online as a sponsor, and watch action-packed matches and bet on winners. The more money you got from that, you could either use it to get better equipment and add-ins (much like Perks from Call of Duty 4) when you go back into the arena yourself, or stack odds in your favor when betting (getting better stuff for your fighter). Can you imagine in a major tournament, stacking advantages from multiple sponsors, turning the fighter into a juggernaut of power? At that point it becomes a strategy among sponsors, too, because you have to choose the weapons and add-ins that are best for your fighter (both balance and fighting style).
This is obviously too difficult to implement at this time (for me), but I do like the possibilities it brings. The main problem is that it would change the game from a one-off start up/shut down to needing some way to make the person's current holdings persistent. I suppose it could be done with a save file that then uses version control, but it seems like doing it per client is still lacking in security. But that's all for future discussions.
Who knows, maybe if this game becomes some miraculous underground cult hit, then we can team up and work out the wagering system. Until then--I'll keep you all posted!
#4
10/20/2008 (12:08 pm)
Yeah I would keep it simple at first. But it's also nice to know where you're going, so you can build the game's foundation accordingly. 
Associate Konrad Kiss
Bitgap Games