This thread is for sharing your favorite implemented design idea. I'd primarily like this thread to be primarily about ideas that you have thought of (or "borrowed" from other games), and successfully implemented in your own game. I suppose if you haven't implemented any game design ideas yourself, you can share an idea from another game that you really like. You can use the template below to make your mark. [smile]

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Brief description of ideaWhere it is usedWhy I think its a great idea

Here's mine. Its an idea I thought of myself, but that's not the only reason that I like it so much. [grin] Brief description of idea Damage blending: In 2D games, create several images of characters/enemies that reflect various levels of damage, and then blend two of the images together based on their current health percentage to provide a gradual depiction of damage being dealt. Where it is used In my 2D RPG, Hero of Allacrost. It is used in the battle sequences, which are like SNES Final Fantasy's in nature. See the screenshot below. Both the character portrait on the bottom left and the enemy sprites have damage blending applied to them. The character sprites don't, however, since they are animated and it would take a heck of a lot of work to provide damage blending there. Here's a short video showing it in action and some artwork snapshots. ===> Video exampleWhy I think its a great idea Several reasons: > It gives the player a visual idea of how much damage has been afflicted on an enemy, instead of traditional RPGs where you would have to no idea unless you casted a "scan" spell or similar > Its easy for the artists! After creating the original sprite, its really simple to make 3-4 additional frames reflecting damage of that sprite. So there's not a huge cost with supporting this feature > The gradual damage blending looks cool [grin]

Idea:
Set game in a mall, add zombies

Where used:
Dead Rising

Why great:
The atmosphere of the game is like no other. Anytime I hear mall music, I think of the time I spent playing the game. No other game gives me this feeling.

Idea:
Portals, changing gravity

Where used:
Narbacular Drop (portals), Prey (portals and gravity), Portals (portals)

Why great:
Shakes the players sense of how the world works, how to transition from point A to B, and apparently made some people nauseated (Prey).

Description:
Using a movement value to determine an effective radius in a tile based strategy game rather than a fixed radius.

Where:
My as of yet incomplete turn based strategy game for localizing food, determining effective area of certain buildings, calculating trade...

Why I think it's a great idea:
This provides a carrot for players to build their infrastructure. It provides an effectiveness delay to new colonization. It provides more weight to terrain. It allows for automatic effectiveness boost for technological advances in transportation without some arbitrary bonuses (that means you Civilization railroads). It allows for sieges and supply route disruption in a way which isn't arbitrary. And last of all, it lends a bit more reasoning behind some of the numbers so the game plays more like an empire simulator and less like a spreadsheet.

arg, I hate releasing things from my DD, but:

Brief description of idea:
Multiple firing modes on almost every gun, mixed with multiple ammo types.

Where it is used:
I got the idea from planetside. It was also implemented fully in one of my old demos. Not yet implemented in my game engine. :(

Why I think its a great idea:
Adds a lot of extra strategy to games. Forces players to continuously adapt to what they are fighting by changing firing modes and therefore changing strategies. Same goes with multiple ammo types. (Not gonna release the true idea as I haven't implemented it to show I was the first to do my new idea).


Brief description of idea:
2D portals.

Where it is used:
In my game engine.

Why I think its a great idea:
Without them it is impossible to realistically and seamlessly go up stairs in a 2D game environment. Also it's fun opening portals and looking through to see someplace very far away. Also gives ships with a "warp engine" to open portals in front of themselves and seamlessly teleport kilometers across a map.

Brief description of idea:

Turn based combat broke into 1/2 rounds. During one 1/2 round you may use primary attacks and in the other half you can use secondary attacks (or 2 secondary attacks). The primary attacks are stronger and include melee attacks, range attacks, and spells. The secondary attacks include items, potions, special abilities, and skills.


Where it is used:

The game is a turn based fantasy tactics/card game hybrid. So the idea is used in combat and is a key strategic element.


Why I think its a great idea:

It allows for the use of of more powers and varying degree of powers. IN many games I have played potions and weaker abilities just aren't used because you have to choose your best power each round. This idea allows for more depth of strategy.

Idea: FPS Acrobatics

Where: UT2K4

Why: FPS controls are basically camera controls, and it starts to feel very simple and limited. Adding the double jumps, wall jumps and "dodge" maneuvers, and allowing us to combine them to get around in new and artistic ways gave UT2K4 a nice "Metroidesque" feel to navigation, as well as lending an unpredictable edge to playing "chicken" with an oncoming Hellbender or getting away from a salvo of missiles.

Standard plugin formats, used in absolutely massive numbers of games (e.g. Unreal Tournament). Why are they a good idea? If you've made a reasonably useful engine (and a decent base game), then the people who buy your game will make more content for free! This encourages other people to buy your game (since they're getting more bang for their buck) and allows you to see what other people can do with what you've made available, thus giving you more fodder for any sequels you might make.

Idea:
Giving the enemies a visual representation in an RPG
->Avoid enemies by sneaking past them.
->There are no random encounters, you dont lose your orientation once you come out of a battle
->You can sneak behind them and get attack bonus
->Not all enemies respawn
Where used:
Xenosaga
Why great:
Its so much better than random encounters because it makes sense


Idea:
->Power suites that store energy, lose energy (passively)
->Enemies that drop energy on death, can only be damaged in certain areas
Where used:
Lost Planet
Why great:
There is a reason to kill the enemies (energy for suite), you have to keep moving (energy loss), and enemies cant be killed unless you hit there hot spot. It blends well to give you a great experience.

Brief description of idea: Realistic interactions in RPGs.


Where it is used: Nowhere yet.


Why I think its a great idea: It would open up whole new worlds of gameplay, and greatly increase replayability. Imagine an NPC that didn't spout out the same phrase and quest over and over, and instead they had new phrases and new quests at every encounter based on storyline occurances, reputation, environment, etc.

Or the possibility to reach every nook and cranny in the game, either by stealth or by force. There would be no more shops and inns with backrooms that you can't enter, no more huge closed up ships and castles, no more forests and mountains that can't be crossed.

Or the possibility of being rewarded for simple acts like having an ale at a pub and chatting it up with the bartender, or helping an old lady with her gardening, or building a kite for a child.

Or the possibility that instead of hacking up all of the wolves that have been getting near town, you could go out and pick a lot of plants, which would cause rabbits and rodents to look elsewhere for food, so that the wolves have to look elsewhere for food too.

I could play that game forever. :)

Quote:

Original post by Omegavolt I could play that game forever. :)

How fitting, since it'll take ten times as long to make.