Game Development Community

Adventure game idea

by MSW · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 11/23/2007 (1:46 pm) · 4 replies

I've had this idea for quite some time now. Just putting it out here to gauge feedback.

This is a single player 3rd person action/adventure type game. Idealy it would be non-linear, allowing multiple pathways to achieve goals. Its also largely non-violent, much more cartoony in nature than realistic.

Basic premis of the game is that the player is a little green alien out exploreing the galaxy with his little green alien girlfriend. While exploreing Earth, your saucer is shot down and captured by the military.

You start the game in a holding cell inside the imfamous Area 51. Your goal is to rescue your girlfriend and escape in your repaired saucer. Simple as that.

To do this you use your special ability to posess humans (as in the shiny Messiah game) and along the way there are other abilities you can gain. camoflauge skin, magnetic limbs, energy beam grappleing hook, and gravity invertion.

The game is part stealth and part puzzle solveing. Much of it depends on UFO mythology. for example the military personnel are trying to dig a tunnel under Area 51 inorder to flank the supposed aliens useing the earth as a base (hollow earth theory). also you cannot posess humans wearing tin foil hats. also as the game takes place during the big UFO scare (read red scare) of the 1950s; a lot of the details come from that time period.

much of the game depends on you posessing humans. there are several types:

Military Police (MPs)- these guys have two main abilities. First they can capture anyone and lock them in a cell. Second they can sound the alarm indicateing a human is posessed by an alien (other humans have to see you, or witness you possessing a human). when you control a MP you can shine your flashlight on anyone, sounding the alarm, and all the NPC will try to capture that person allowing you to escape (as long as you don't run into another MP).

Construction Workers(CWs)-these guys can operate cranes and other construction equipment located in the levels. thier special ability is climbing scaffolding and being able to move shipping crates.

Secretary - these are the only women in Area 51. they alone have access to fileing cabnets and message boards...for example a fileing cabnet could contain a order to shut off the security cameras on a certain level. So the player can get the order and post it on any message board instantly turning off the camers, instead of finding some other method around them. These characters, being female, also can stun the men they encounter just with thier sexuality. this allows the player to buy time as the men stop to stare at her drooling.

Scientists - these guys in lab coats can operate scientific equipment (much like construction workers). Thier main job is to perform experiments with the captured alien technology.

Military Technian - if the MPs are the grunts, these guys are the officers. they mainly run the security systems.

Beasties - there is a machine the scientists use to combine a number of animals into mutant hybrids (most commonly involveing cows captured by your sacuer in the opening cinematic) these creatures can allow you to reach some remote areas (like underwater) that you cannot reach otherwise. however once they leave thier cage the MPs will try to capture them.

How this all works together...One of your new abilities requires you to undergo electro shock treatment. there are a couple of ways to do this...

1) gain control of a scientist, find the electro shock machine, turn it on, then hop in.
2) gain control of a secritary, find the fileing cabnet with the "captured aliens get electro shock treatment" order and post it on a blank message board, then hop out of the secritary and try to get captured by the MPs.

The player doesn't die, and neither do the humans technicaly (they can, but are near instantly replaced). the game is much more about interaction than collecting kills/loot/stuff.

Anyway, sorry for how disjointed this all sounds. Just wanting to know if it has potential.

#1
11/23/2007 (2:17 pm)
I like the idea. Its kinda like splinter cell and destroy all humans combined. I think you could make some great puzzles based on controlling different people and their abilities. (It already sounds better than the usual move blocks, get key, and open door type puzzles you get in most games.) Being able to do a mission a couple different ways does a lot for the replay value too.
#2
11/29/2007 (7:27 am)
"These characters, being female, also can stun the men they encounter just with thier sexuality. this allows the player to buy time as the men stop to stare at her drooling."

Sexual harassment anyone? ;} i guess she gets replaces for that then?

How are you suppose to posses the humans?
by touching or messiah style? (never played messiah so not to sure how that workes out)
What happens to your alien body?
do you dual controll the posseser and the possese?
Or maybe the alien stays in the same place like a lump of yello untill you abort the process?

Are there any limmits in the possesing ability? like if you run out of range or maybe a time limmit?

Magenetic limbs? i can already imagine getting sucked to the metal ceiling when hideing is necessary.
messing with gravity is pure evil in a fun way *evil grin* imaging a room full of people and you alter the gravity. They would get so pissed of to see you walk around in the floor while they are floating in the ceiling.

Sounds like a fun game to play. I would buy it.
#3
11/29/2007 (12:55 pm)
That sounds amazing. I think the 1950s style would definately work to your advantage.
#4
12/04/2007 (12:26 pm)
And to add to the feel of it... make the whole game either black and white... or sepia tone... except for any futuristic or alien-related items...

And for another level... if possible, some dust/scratches like they have on film... have all display/overlays a little jittery too. Or at least as an option to turn on/off...