Wii Game Idea- Creative Challenge! If you dare...
by Brian Wolf · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 01/12/2007 (4:41 pm) · 16 replies
Like many people, I was able to get my Wii on the launch day, and have been ecstatic ever since. Even when the system isn't turned on, I love playing around with the controller, trying out different motions to see what would be more interesting in a game. Which brings me to this challenge: What kind of game would you make for the Wii? My challenge is deceptively simple: To create a game design for the Wii that is innovative, fun, and, most importantly, uses as little buttons as possible. Oh, sure, the analog stick and the A button are given, if necessary, but how deep and complex of a game can be built around these motion controls? The less buttons used, the more kudos. Ready? Start!!
#2
The game would be called Bubble Wrap.
You are a piece of bubblewrap seperated from his parents in the mail. Navigating the levels as a piece of bubble wrap you must avoid obstacles for the ultimate goal of finding your parents.
Bubble wrap can be tough , so you have the ability to :
A) Fly at certain wind current points, allowing you to fly and glide around the level
B) Float on water
C) Roll in any direction and build up speed
Using the Wiimote , you will be able to glide, jump , stomp on enemies,roll and paddle in water. This could use all motions of the wiimote (twisting for rolling, up movement for jumping,circle movements for stomping.
Powerups might be collected along the way, including multiple (more and more bubblewrap pieces attach to you to give you extra life points,shield to protect your bubble from popping plus plenty of other possibilites
With some decent artwork i think it could be a very fun 2d side scroller game.
01/13/2007 (2:54 am)
My idea :The game would be called Bubble Wrap.
You are a piece of bubblewrap seperated from his parents in the mail. Navigating the levels as a piece of bubble wrap you must avoid obstacles for the ultimate goal of finding your parents.
Bubble wrap can be tough , so you have the ability to :
A) Fly at certain wind current points, allowing you to fly and glide around the level
B) Float on water
C) Roll in any direction and build up speed
Using the Wiimote , you will be able to glide, jump , stomp on enemies,roll and paddle in water. This could use all motions of the wiimote (twisting for rolling, up movement for jumping,circle movements for stomping.
Powerups might be collected along the way, including multiple (more and more bubblewrap pieces attach to you to give you extra life points,shield to protect your bubble from popping plus plenty of other possibilites
With some decent artwork i think it could be a very fun 2d side scroller game.
#3
A clone or remake of Worms.
There would be one type of action for your bazookas, shotguns and other "aim and click" or "aim and power" attacks.
There would be another for throwing objects such as grenades, where the angle and speed of the wiimote motion would affect trajectory.
Then there are a few extras, like fireball and dragon punch.
Not sure what to do about airstrikes and teleports, mind...
01/13/2007 (3:07 am)
We were actually musing about this at work yesterday (though none of us have actually played on a Wii yet, so not sure of any controller limitations other than the obvious):A clone or remake of Worms.
There would be one type of action for your bazookas, shotguns and other "aim and click" or "aim and power" attacks.
There would be another for throwing objects such as grenades, where the angle and speed of the wiimote motion would affect trajectory.
Then there are a few extras, like fireball and dragon punch.
Not sure what to do about airstrikes and teleports, mind...
#4
01/15/2007 (4:55 pm)
Hey, just had an idea of my own, so I'll throw it in there: If anyone's played a game called Michigan, you'll get the concept immediately. The character will be a cameraman, with the Wiimote seerving as the handheld camera. The game will be entirely in first-person, and holding down the A Button and moving the controller back and forth will zoom in and out, accordingly. I thought aout the setting, and I think it would be perfect for a survival-horror game- Anyone ever seen The Blair Witch Project?
#5
You would have to compete against other players in different cooking competitions.
By using controllers in competitions like "throw the pancake" or "peel the potato" etc.
The game would be fun and it would have some kind of educational value.
But Nintendo would have to face many problems...
the parents would sue them, because their kids burnt down the kitchen, when trying to practice in reality ;)
01/16/2007 (11:26 pm)
I would make a Party Game called "Mario's Crazy Cooking Party"You would have to compete against other players in different cooking competitions.
By using controllers in competitions like "throw the pancake" or "peel the potato" etc.
The game would be fun and it would have some kind of educational value.
But Nintendo would have to face many problems...
the parents would sue them, because their kids burnt down the kitchen, when trying to practice in reality ;)
#6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ-ALJYcIM8
Comming out in a few month here in Europe. I think its already released in Japan
01/17/2007 (1:05 am)
@Kristian - Cooking Mama!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ-ALJYcIM8
Comming out in a few month here in Europe. I think its already released in Japan
#7
When it came out on the Nintendo DS i thought it would be cool to see something
similar on the Wii... looks like i was not the only one :)
01/17/2007 (3:28 am)
What? For the Wii? Damn.When it came out on the Nintendo DS i thought it would be cool to see something
similar on the Wii... looks like i was not the only one :)
#8
Although most of what I decided to do with the Wii's features were based on the intuitiveness I felt inherent to the Wii, I did take advantage of one particular feature in such a way that the game would be essentially unplayable on other platforms.
Though without doubt, I'd rather this game be made for a direct successor to the Wii than the Wii itself. Based on how long it's going to likely take me to get into the game industry, that may not be so implausible.
01/17/2007 (7:32 pm)
The Wii turned out to be quite compatible with my design style, though perhaps unintentionally. I've been hoping to create designs that wouldn't be inherently more difficult to play through than reading a book or watching a film. Waving your hands about, when the context is to do so, goes a long way towards that. I ended up creating a design that was perhaps a little on the complex end for Wii design, uses the analogue stick and three buttons as well as various pointer/motion capabilities, but I felt that the Wii afforded me great opportunity to have all my design decisions make sense to the player. I think that anybody interested by the concept would be able to pick it up, and be able to figure it all out.Although most of what I decided to do with the Wii's features were based on the intuitiveness I felt inherent to the Wii, I did take advantage of one particular feature in such a way that the game would be essentially unplayable on other platforms.
Though without doubt, I'd rather this game be made for a direct successor to the Wii than the Wii itself. Based on how long it's going to likely take me to get into the game industry, that may not be so implausible.
#9
Imagine if you will, two Wiimotes.
Hold one wiimote in each hand at all times. On-screen, your hands are represented by, well, real hands. The game knows where your hands are thanks to the wonder that is the wiimote.
The balls are virtual, represented on-screen only. Now juggle stuff :-).
Perhaps pulling the trigger would be a catch/release, but I imagine it's probably easier to just hold your hand under the falling ball and magically "catch" it. Simple body-accellerating-under-gravity kind of physics implies that if you move the hand with the ball in it up really quickly, then stop moving, then the ball will leave your hand.
ZERO buttons and no nunchuck required... I think this satisfies the original poster's requirements?
Simple, huh?
Bonus awesome stuffs [of varying seriousness]:
Try juggling under lower gravity, which would rock. Juggling seven would no longer be completely out of my reach!
Go for nine!
Try juggling under higher gravity! How fast can you juggle three balls?
Get four wiimotes and pass with a friend!
Tutorial mode, where you could learn to juggle starting with one ball and moving up!
Feel the joy of juggling tennis balls dipped in kerosene and set alight without the unpleasant side effects!
Bounce juggling would be cool. Try bounce juggling in varying directions! Clubs no longer bounce stupid!
Contact Juggling! Experience a Michael Moshen show first hand!
Experience juggling in zero gravity. What cool tricks can you think of?
Can *you* do that stupid triangle thing Michel Moshen did that EVERYONE has seen and tells me about?
Turn the lights out and find out what it's like to juggling hideously overpriced globalls from Aerotech!
Put together whole juggling routines, stored on your computer's hard drive, and set to music!
Try out other people's juggling routines! It's guitar hero, but with less sweaty people in leather jackets and more patchouli!
For whatever it's worth, some extra, legitimate, Wii developer information:
1) I contacted the nintendo development people, and while devkits may only be 2k, indies and hobbyists won't be getting their hands on them.
2) She suggested I try contacting someone else, about the opportunities that the virtual console present. I did. He told me that they had no plans for hobbyists for now.
Basically, I got the cold shoulder from nintendo about getting my hands on a devkit, and not from lack of trying.
In other news, I STILL don't have a Wii, but while I was in england I did manage to lay my hands on a wiimote, so I have been experimenting with Darwiin-remote. Awesome toy. Can't wait to get a Wii so I can immerse myself in Twilight Princess. *hops up and down in an irritated fashion*
Gary (-;
PS Actually, I'm dead serious. I'm working on something like this at the moment, at least on the Mac. The allure of being able to juggle under lower gravity is just too strong.
01/17/2007 (8:42 pm)
Personally, I'm thinking of a juggling game.Imagine if you will, two Wiimotes.
Hold one wiimote in each hand at all times. On-screen, your hands are represented by, well, real hands. The game knows where your hands are thanks to the wonder that is the wiimote.
The balls are virtual, represented on-screen only. Now juggle stuff :-).
Perhaps pulling the trigger would be a catch/release, but I imagine it's probably easier to just hold your hand under the falling ball and magically "catch" it. Simple body-accellerating-under-gravity kind of physics implies that if you move the hand with the ball in it up really quickly, then stop moving, then the ball will leave your hand.
ZERO buttons and no nunchuck required... I think this satisfies the original poster's requirements?
Simple, huh?
Bonus awesome stuffs [of varying seriousness]:
Try juggling under lower gravity, which would rock. Juggling seven would no longer be completely out of my reach!
Go for nine!
Try juggling under higher gravity! How fast can you juggle three balls?
Get four wiimotes and pass with a friend!
Tutorial mode, where you could learn to juggle starting with one ball and moving up!
Feel the joy of juggling tennis balls dipped in kerosene and set alight without the unpleasant side effects!
Bounce juggling would be cool. Try bounce juggling in varying directions! Clubs no longer bounce stupid!
Contact Juggling! Experience a Michael Moshen show first hand!
Experience juggling in zero gravity. What cool tricks can you think of?
Can *you* do that stupid triangle thing Michel Moshen did that EVERYONE has seen and tells me about?
Turn the lights out and find out what it's like to juggling hideously overpriced globalls from Aerotech!
Put together whole juggling routines, stored on your computer's hard drive, and set to music!
Try out other people's juggling routines! It's guitar hero, but with less sweaty people in leather jackets and more patchouli!
For whatever it's worth, some extra, legitimate, Wii developer information:
1) I contacted the nintendo development people, and while devkits may only be 2k, indies and hobbyists won't be getting their hands on them.
2) She suggested I try contacting someone else, about the opportunities that the virtual console present. I did. He told me that they had no plans for hobbyists for now.
Basically, I got the cold shoulder from nintendo about getting my hands on a devkit, and not from lack of trying.
In other news, I STILL don't have a Wii, but while I was in england I did manage to lay my hands on a wiimote, so I have been experimenting with Darwiin-remote. Awesome toy. Can't wait to get a Wii so I can immerse myself in Twilight Princess. *hops up and down in an irritated fashion*
Gary (-;
PS Actually, I'm dead serious. I'm working on something like this at the moment, at least on the Mac. The allure of being able to juggle under lower gravity is just too strong.
#10
Gary (-;
01/17/2007 (10:01 pm)
Just for those interested, starting with my original email [original contact I found on http://www.warioworld.com/:Quote:Date: 12/14/06
Sandy,
I'm curious about the Wii development kits. I'm just a humble hobbyist who's seen various comments in the news that the Wii development kits may be on the order of two thousand dollars, which is within my reach.
Having viewed this webpage: http://www.warioworld.com/apply/wii.html [which by the way is where I found your name], I see that hobbyist developers such as myself are unlikely to be able to ever try development on a Wii without joining a larger development house where Wii development is done in earnest.
Is there anything I can do about this? I would love to try working with a Nintendo Wii for homebrew applications, that I'm not really interested in giving out to anyone else, it's just for my own interest.
Thank-you very much,
Gary
Quote:Date: 12/16/06
Hi Gary - sorry, but for those games sold at retail, we do only authorize established development studios. We are talking to independent developers for virtual console, however. You are welcome to contact Dan Adelman atfor further information.
Best regards,
Sandy Hatcher
Licensing Manager
Nintendo of America Inc.
Quote:Date: 12/18/06
Heya,
I'm interested in experimenting with development on a Nintendo Wii; I don't intend to ever release anything commercial, just to experiment at home and maybe show friends when they come over.
Attached below is my original email, and a reply from Sandy Hatcher - basically, she said you might be a good person to contact about this.
Is there any information you might be able to send me about potentially licensing some sort of Wii development kit for personal/hobbyist use?
Thank-you very much,
Gary
Quote:Date: 01/08/07
Hi Gary,
Sorry for the slow response. We had a 5-day blackout in the area, which, along with the holiday, put me far behind in my e-mail.
Right now there is nothing officially announced or released for hobbyists. I think we will continue to look at that, as it's something we definitely want to support in the future, but right now, we don't have anything tangible planned.
Sorry I don't have better news,
Dan
Gary (-;
#11
01/17/2007 (10:52 pm)
Can you take advantage of the Wii's motion sensitive features for a Virtual Console game, or is it strictly a traditional controller thing?
#12
On the other hand, without the accellerometers, a wii's just another console, but with crappier hardware in it; I'd be fairly disappointed if you didn't have access to that stuffs.
Gary (-;
01/17/2007 (11:05 pm)
You know as much as I do. And one way or the other, I suspect we won't know anytime soon.On the other hand, without the accellerometers, a wii's just another console, but with crappier hardware in it; I'd be fairly disappointed if you didn't have access to that stuffs.
Gary (-;
#13
03/05/2007 (11:26 am)
Jedi Knight. I think that says it all. 
#14
03/05/2007 (1:20 pm)
Why go for their dev kit when you can integrate the Wiimote into the Torque Engine? If it's just for hobbyist usage, you have 2 options for sure: The official resource here on GG from a community member, or GlovePie.
#15
My design for Nightmare Funpark could integrate using [i]only[/] the remote motions on a single Wii remote. Here's how:
Action - Response
-------------------
Forward - Move forward
Forward Left/Right - Move forward left/right
Left/Right (pointing in direction) - Turn left/right
Left/Right (pointing forward) - Sidestep
Backwards - Quick step back
Diagonal Forward/Up - Jump Forward
Up - Jump Up/Get Up
Hold Up - Jump Up and Grab
Down - Duck/Crouch
Hold Down - Lie down
Point Down, Hold In - Hug Wall
Hold Hand Out - Grab
Pull In - Pull Object/Take/Operate Lever
Twist - Twist Open/Closed
Hold Outwards and Down - Grab Low
Quick Jabbing Motion Outwards (forward/left/right) - Shove/Push
U Motion Down and Outwards to Left/Right - Trip left/right
Okay, so there are some other motions and actions to consider and the list is much bigger than this, but hopefully you get the idea. It's a game that focuses on fluid 3D movement through a gauntlet of traps and hazards in a race for your life with thousands of other players.
- Ronixus
03/06/2007 (5:14 am)
Okay, you asked for it...My design for Nightmare Funpark could integrate using [i]only[/] the remote motions on a single Wii remote. Here's how:
Action - Response
-------------------
Forward - Move forward
Forward Left/Right - Move forward left/right
Left/Right (pointing in direction) - Turn left/right
Left/Right (pointing forward) - Sidestep
Backwards - Quick step back
Diagonal Forward/Up - Jump Forward
Up - Jump Up/Get Up
Hold Up - Jump Up and Grab
Down - Duck/Crouch
Hold Down - Lie down
Point Down, Hold In - Hug Wall
Hold Hand Out - Grab
Pull In - Pull Object/Take/Operate Lever
Twist - Twist Open/Closed
Hold Outwards and Down - Grab Low
Quick Jabbing Motion Outwards (forward/left/right) - Shove/Push
U Motion Down and Outwards to Left/Right - Trip left/right
Okay, so there are some other motions and actions to consider and the list is much bigger than this, but hopefully you get the idea. It's a game that focuses on fluid 3D movement through a gauntlet of traps and hazards in a race for your life with thousands of other players.
- Ronixus
#16
I read the newspaper a while ago, and it mentioned a program named Glove Pie (Google it).
Actually it said some people made a robot play tennis using wiimote, but by looking on a videoclip on Youtube, i saw how stupid THAT was. They had simply made a pre-programmed move, and when the wiimote is tilted in a direction, the whole move, which is far more complicated, is performed. Second, it *didnt play tennis*, all it did was to hit a ball that was thrown at the racket, AFTER the move started.
Anyways, more serious things can be done without the limitation of physical objects, and even though i haven't checked Glove Pie out, since i dont own a wiimote, i think you can create rather serious stuff with it. Check Youtube for this clip showing a program that turns your wiimote into a lightsaber ;) just search some generic words, i dont know what it's called, so you figure.
03/15/2007 (9:01 am)
If you are interested in just playing around with a wiimote, you dont even need a Wii console.I read the newspaper a while ago, and it mentioned a program named Glove Pie (Google it).
Actually it said some people made a robot play tennis using wiimote, but by looking on a videoclip on Youtube, i saw how stupid THAT was. They had simply made a pre-programmed move, and when the wiimote is tilted in a direction, the whole move, which is far more complicated, is performed. Second, it *didnt play tennis*, all it did was to hit a ball that was thrown at the racket, AFTER the move started.
Anyways, more serious things can be done without the limitation of physical objects, and even though i haven't checked Glove Pie out, since i dont own a wiimote, i think you can create rather serious stuff with it. Check Youtube for this clip showing a program that turns your wiimote into a lightsaber ;) just search some generic words, i dont know what it's called, so you figure.
Torque Owner Thomas \"Man of Ice\" Lund