Disclaimer: All the names in this post suck, and are temporary. I'll describe a game idea that has been floating around my head for some time now. I'm eager to see what you guys think of it, how you would improve it, and generally watch you having fun trashing and spitting on it. [smile] The high-level concept : Picture Hermione, Road Runner, Kofi Annan and George Bush having hot four-way sex. Well, do NOT picture it, but imagine the result. Enter Cartoonland, a cartoony, magical world in the midst of a political crisis. After years of useless debate and democracy, it was agreed between all the major factions, political or ideological, that the problem should be solved with an all out battle between their leaders and themselves. The winning faction will decide Cartoonland's future. Gameplay : Each player is a faction leader. Diplomacy is important, as taking everyone at the same time is impossible. Ultimately, however, it will all end in a huge blood bath. Each leader has access to a lot of cartoony spells and abilities that reflects its political opinions. Magical Energy is acquired by having followers and by other ways unique to each character. The maps are relatively small. In addition to pre-made maps, maps can be generated procedurally. The maps will have typical cartoony features: cliffs, high-traffic roads, unstable boulders… The view is third person, and the only way the player can interact with the world is by setting the diplomatic relations his follower should obey and by casting spells to hinder or destroy his opponents or their followers. The gameplay is fast-paced and the games are relatively short. Sample characters :Bigot Biblethump Bigot is enamoured with Angelica Sunbath and follows her father blindly, despite the fact that none of them give a damn about him. He hates science and, therefore, Fatty Scififreak with a passion. Allies :

• Angelica Sunbath
• Kapi Thalist

Enemies :

• Diabolo Hellbringer
• Fatty Scififreak

Accumulates energy :

• By preventing premarital sex

Sample abilities :

• Un-evolve causes target follower to regress to animal state.

Fatty Scififreak Fatty Scififreak is a typical nerd who has wetdreams about Star Trek. He couldn’t care less that his theories are far fetched. At least they don’t involve God. Since he was beaten up a lot in high school, he hates children in general. Allies:

• Komu Nist
• Diabolo Hellbringer

Ennemies:

• Bigot Biblethump
• Angelica Sunbath

Accumulates energy:

• By helping people having abortions

Sample abilities:

• Teleport quantum tunnels target follower to a more or less targeted location.

Kapi Thalist Kapi Thalist fell off a tree when he was young. As a result, he hates nature and want to convert all of it to furnitures so he can finally have its revenge. Since he hates Komu Nist and what she stands for, he seeks uneasy alliances with Angelica and Bigot. Allies:

• Bigot Biblethump
• Angelica Sunbath

Ennemies:

• Komu Nist
• Diabolo Hellbringer

Accumulates energy:

• By destroying wildlife

Sample abilities:

• Global warming allows Kapi Thalist to raise the temperature.

Komu Nist Komu Nist is a girl out of the seventies. Greenpeace, Volkswagen van and disrupting public order are its priorities. She promises her followers a happy and healthy life, but often force them to work their ass off for greater good. Allies:

• Diabolo Hellbringer
• Fatty Scififreak

Ennemies:

• Kapi Talist
• Angelica Sunbath

Accumulates energy:

• By protecting and growing wildlife

Sample abilities:

• Strike causes the target follower to go on strike for a few minutes.

Angelica Sunbath The daughter of God, Angelica is a nice, beautiful and intelligent girl. That means everyone either hates her or want to screw her. Despite her holier-than-thou attitude, she loves to show cleavage. Allies:

• Kapi Talist
• Bigot Biblethump

Ennemies:

• Diabolo Hellbringer
• Fatty Scififreak

Accumulates energy:

• By arousing male followers

Sample abilities:

• Sunbeam heals target follower.

Diabolo Hellbringer Diabolo is the devil’s son. He likes to screw women and generally have a fun time. He listens to rock and roll, plays dungeon and dragons, and have a fantasy about Angelica Sunbath. Allies:

• Komu Nist
• Fatty Scififreak

Ennemies:

• Kapi Talist
• Bigot Biblethump

Accumulates energy:

• By arousing female followers

Sample abilities:

• Undead Baby Army causes the aborted babies in the vicinity to turn into vicious undead fighters.

Zak Thornton Zak Thornton is a lawyer who believes that games shouldn't be used to solve such problems. He believes that this all-out battle is wrong and does everything possible to stop it. However, the others have so much fun that they all hate him.

Maybe this is in the league of Conker's Bad Fur Day, but I'm sorry to say that it sounds very gauche at first glance. You may be able to ride the anti-Political Correctness meme and throw in enough humor to make players forgive the utter bizarreness of the concept, though, and perhaps that could give you an ardent cult following.

What I do like is the attempt at trying to create gameplay out of symbols and non-sequitor concepts. The worry I'd have is that players won't be able to make a logical link between the gameplay and the symbols. Are you supposed to be running around and pushing boulders onto people using Marxism or the social contract? That makes me a bit confused.

In other respects it sounds a bit like a taste of Populous, which is a game I liked. Perhaps more detail is needed to explain the actual gameplay. (?)

Quote:

Original post by Wavinator Maybe this is in the league of Conker's Bad Fur Day, but I'm sorry to say that it sounds very gauche at first glance. You may be able to ride the anti-Political Correctness meme and throw in enough humor to make players forgive the utter bizarreness of the concept, though, and perhaps that could give you an ardent cult following. What I do like is the attempt at trying to create gameplay out of symbols and non-sequitor concepts. The worry I'd have is that players won't be able to make a logical link between the gameplay and the symbols. Are you supposed to be running around and pushing boulders onto people using Marxism or the social contract? That makes me a bit confused. In other respects it sounds a bit like a taste of Populous, which is a game I liked. Perhaps more detail is needed to explain the actual gameplay. (?)

I have toyed with the concept a lot, and, as a result, I sometimes have trouble explaining it well.

It would indeed play a bit like Populous, which was an inspiration. Just like in Populous, your followers are your main ressources. They fight for you and do your bidding (as long as you don't piss them off).

Unlike in Populous however, your followers are les anonymous (~20 max) and play a much more important and active role. You are not a God, merely a leader.

The viewpoint would be a Morrowindesque third-person view and all gameplay would revolve around you fighting with your special abilities and your fists against your enemies. The game is very action oriented.

The gameplay and symbols can be connected in two areas: The characters' special abilities and the way they gain magical energy. Also note that humor is a goal, much more so than political incorrectness, which is merely used for the sake of humor and fun abilities.

The only real issue, I think, would be play-balance. It would literally be a nightmare, as the game stands, to balance the different characters abilities.

This game at first glance seems an awful lot like Sacrifice, especially the cartoonish nature and the over-the-top leaders. Is that an inspiration for the game? Sacrifice was a fine game; reminded me a bit of Magic Carpet. Both of those games were awesome.

However, I agree with Wavinator that the personalities as they stand are a bit too gauche; while the concept has potential at the moment you're just asking for trouble. You're almost bound to tick off everyone with the present character set, which I'm sure is the intention, but if I assume this idea is to be taken seriously as a game concept then as it stands it's getting in the way of the gameplay.

I'm not sure whether linking up everyone with two allies and two enemies would be best. For example why would "Komu Nist" ally with "Diabolo" and "Fatty" since her ideology doesn't really mesh with theirs? If it's a game about diplomocy it might be better to have fleeting pacts of convenience, similar to the storyline in Sacrifice. Using Sacrifice as an example, there were five leaders who didn't really get along with anyone else, but who would occasionally side with one another (and the player, who started off neutral) to defeat a third party.

And how the heck are you meant to play this game with the methods of "accumulating energy" that you've listed there [smile]? Actually, I'd like to read a walkthrough of how you expect this game to be played.

Can the players use they powers to set their own traps?