first, i think it is very true that while graphics (3d vs. 2d) can make a difference to a game, it is the idea of the game that makes players play. however, don''t downplay graphics, either.

i personally got very bored with fps games after doom (and wolfenstein 3d before that) that''s right. i haven''t logged more than..maybe 20 hours of fps gaming since doom(quake II, a few others i forget) sure, maybe they all are very innovative, and beautiful as well, but the fact is, i got off the bandwagon before everyone else got on.

when everyone else was playing quake II, i was playing GTA (the original!) this was a game that, despite crummy graphics compared to quake, was much MUCH funner. ok, so i bought GTA3, and i still play it occasionally, but the idea of the game which has got the world in a frenzy was original several years ago. as much as it sickens me, though, it was the 3d nature that made it a bestseller. truly, it''s not much different from GTA1 other than that (ok, 1 had bikes, 3 has hookers, etc...)

if you are looking for nonviolent, though, and you insist on 3d, there are many things other than fps and sports games (btw, these are my two LEAST favorite genres of games!) look at ICO. rent it if you haven''t played it before, it only takes about 8 hours to beat, so it is a little short, but it is simply beautiful. the "violence" comes from a boy, Ico, who fights off shadows with a stick/sword/mace/etc to protect a girl, Yorda. these shadows are..well, the best way i can think of describing them is like the shadows that took the bad guys in the movie Ghost. oh, and there is a shadow queen, too. it''s really a qiant puzzle game, similar to prince of persia, but in 3d. and the castle is like a real castle, laid out symmetrically, giant doors, hidden passages, etc... it''s beauty lies not in the violence or competitive nature of the game, but simply in the architecture and design of the world around you.

there are many other nonviolent GREAT games that have been mentioned, such as parappa. i don''t know if it is fair to ask people to come up with ideas for you, but we can point you in the right direction.

btw, i never thought mario was violent - just that it was full of hippie/drug references (mushrooms, flower power, leaves that make you fly.....)
--paul

quote: Original post by Barn Door
Hi,

Does anybody have any ideas for a good 3D game which..

a. doesn''t simulate a sport
b. doesn''t involve moving about and killing things

Cheers,

BD.

I think that to meet those criteria, you''re limited to silly violence, which as someone mentioned is the bugs bunny sort, or puzzles or board games. Puzzle games can mean just about anything, from mazes to Myst.

I believe that the silly violence sort would probably do well. Everyone loves Bugs. Ok, not the Coyote, but most everyone does. The antics alone are usually worth it to play the game. If you combine a maze, with Myst, with a cartoonish violence, I think you could have a decent game.

Here''s your scenario. You are a mutated fish that has legs and you''re in a laboratory(don''t ask. It''s supposed to be rather non-sensical). You need to get out before the scientist and his cronies catch you. In order to get out, you have to traverse the ACME laboratory complex where each room is a level and rescue all of your animal buddies. Each level has one or more buddies that you have to resuce and you need certain items to succeed.

For one level, you might have to go get a hammer to open the fire extinguisher case. Then, you hop on the skateboard and propel yourself across the room. Why? If you don''t use the skateboard, the cat will get you because you can''t move fast enough.

There are different silly ways for you to not make it(lose, die, whatever you want to call it) in each level. For example, one level is a laundry room where your buddy the grasshopper is hanging out. You open the wrong door, and you get clocked with an ironing board. But you can set traps for the cronies who are chasing you. Put a hammer in a jack in the box, and leave it behind. There''s a chance they stop to check it out. If they do, WHAM! The ''jack'' jumps out with the oversize mallet that could never have really fit in the box and knocks him silly for several seconds, allowing you to walk right past him.

There are lots of things you could do with this idea, and I''m sure other people will have other ideas. The most important things are to do something that you want to do, and to make it fun for you. If you find it entertaining, then other people will as well. If you don''t, then it will show in the way that you program it. Good luck, and I hope you find an idea that you like.

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quote:
i don''t know if it is fair to ask people to come up with ideas for you, but we can point you in the right direction.

Of course! I didn''t intend it that literally. I just wanted to stimulate some discussion because, in my opinion, there aren''t enough non-violent games.

In the light of what people are saying though, perhaps its me who is fixated on violent games....

What do you think of my suggestion of putting chat bots in a game?

BD.