This one I'm working on from the programming side, since it's for a class, but I think it might be a cool idea to expand. Tentative name: MECHS (Massive exoskeleton Combat Hard Suits) Basic story: An archeology dig has found the remnants of an ancient civilization containing MECHS(cliche) This civilization dates back to the Age of dinosaurs and there is no know reason for this. Governments around the world have captured or found a few of these MECHS that can only be piloted by a single individual as long as they are alive. The Governments recognizing this as a problem which spurs them into separately and secretly to create mass produced models. (cliche 2!) These governments have also begun kidnapping people who are good candidates to become pilots and training them/brainwashing them to create a military branch of MECHS. (semi cliche 3) Characters: You - You have been kidnapped and are being trained to become a pilot. Dr. Yoko Tengen - The doctor that looks after you. Initially this is to be a text based game, that expands to a 2D sprite game, but I'd like to develop it into a 3D MMORPG so I'm going to present the rest of this as such. Character creation involves 2 sections... Character: Mainly focused on face customization, and body type. All players start out with a uniform from their faction. Though later they can buy other clothes. MECHS creation: The player starts by choosing a chassis which is simply skeleton for the MECHS that parts go on, a cockpit, and sensors. (this is to allow for quick selection from a larger amount of parts, and also to facilitate more variety of game play...these are not switchable later on, but new chassis can be bought and old ones can be sold...so they can but they can't) The player is then given the mid build of that chassis which allow for a nice beginner model and as the player gets more money they will be able to buy and sell parts to be able to purchase custom parts that adjust weight, speed, strength etc. Controls: I was thinking of a set up something like L2 = switch target R2 = Jump/Fly L1 = scroll through specials R1 = scroll through weapons L. analog = movement R. analog = camera D. pad = various (on/off) switches like after burners, shields, etc Start = map select = auto run 1, 2, 3, 4 button = Attacks with your various weapons. Basically if you had a sword it would perform low, medium, heavy, and special attack, while another palette for guns might just be one button per gun This would obviously change a bit on a KB as there is no need to have a "scroll through weapons button" just hit a number key and you'd switch. also you'd have to preload these selections as to in what order they would come up because obviously someone might want to use dual swords, sword+pistol, pistol+sword, or dual pistol and each of them would be an alternate thing...the way i'm thinking but that might be a bit too complex...and it might be easier just to have it where there is 2 scroll through weapons, one for either hand... Gameplay: As far as PvP and PvE. More or less you play as a merc of sorts to the militaries. You aren't on their bases so when an attack happens you're not there. So basically Player 1 gets a mission to take on a base or whatever and he goes and does it, and you are soft partied with those in your faction and the other faction your not in a mission killing right then. People of the faction your killing can join in and try to stop you, but if you are not you can engage in PvP through arenas or issued challenges (which can be explained as since your a merc you need to issue this challenge to get rewarded for it) you can also dock and board your MECHS as you please to move around cities and bases. yay? nay? Chewbacca?

Cliche is right. What kind of class is this for?
I like the idea of a Mecha MMORPG but isn't that kind of a far jump from a 2D Sprite game? How would you handle combat? Would it be similar to WOW? MechAssault? Or would this be more of a turn-based a affair? And if it were a MMORPG (keywords being Mass Multiplayer) you should think about giving the player a lot of options in customization, allow players to like an individual right from the start by giving them lots of choices in how they play and look.
MMORPG's are a lot of work. Is this supposed to be an idea pitch or are you actually considering an making a game?

Quote:

Cliche is right.

Basic stories are almost always cliche, and in this case people expect a bit of clicheness as is customary in mech anime/games.

Quote:

What kind of class is this for?

intro to Game Design class...I pretty much have to write, design, and program a game in 12 weeks >.> while learning Python.

Quote:

I like the idea of a Mecha MMORPG but isn't that kind of a far jump from a 2D Sprite game?

won't deny that, but that's not the point really. The 2D game will have in common the story, world, and various other things, but mechanics will be completely separate.

Quote:

How would you handle combat?

Something like PSU

Or would this be more of a turn-based a affair?

The 2D game will be, not the MMO

Quote:

And if it were a MMORPG (keywords being Mass Multiplayer) you should think about giving the player a lot of options in customization, allow players to like an individual right from the start by giving them lots of choices in how they play and look.

Everything will be available from the start of the game, but not in the char/mech creation screen, because story wise it wouldn't make sense for you to have such a selection. The player will have all facial and body options straight from the beginning, but the clothes and accessories will only be available after purchase, and have as much customization as CoX. After the creation of the character itself the player will get to ride the basic chassis before choosing. To counter the not getting it in the char creation screen, you get to keep whatever you get permanently, so you can switch between clothes without paying anything as long as you have it (parts for mechs you have to pay for switching though, but not as much as you would >.>)

i understand where you're coming from but i prefer story dictating certain things and this is ne of them.

Quote:

MMORPG's are a lot of work.

Yes they are.

Quote:

Is this supposed to be an idea pitch or are you actually considering an making a game?

This is a, "this is what I am thinking right now"... I've only worked on this for a few days, and more or less I'm forcing this. If I can do it or if I think the story is good enough for an MMO I'll go down that route, but that's to be seen. If I think I still want to make a mech MMO, but don't quite like the story, I'll scrap it and start over or simply change it to make it better. So this right here is just seeing what other think as this is long way from even being a complete thought.

Like I said before: I like the concept but it's execution is going to be somewhat difficult. The most poorly constructed games on the market right now were victims of developers biting off more than they could chew. Don't throw out the idea of the text-2D game just because the MMORPG is a cooler concept. Focus on which idea you could most successfully recreate. It's better to work on a plausibly decent game than a great game that's impossible to make.

I think you could come up with something better than Massive exoskeleton Combat Hard Suits.

The words just seem really basic and not really thought out. It's like "hmmmm they are massive.... ummm and hard.... ummm used in combat... and they are suits...."

Is working with graphics part of the 12 week assignment?

     [V]      .[ ](\__/)        MODEL: SITE #3 REPLICA-X    [\ ]_/X \__/)/)   PILOT: "PATRIOT" #4  [( d)( xxx  (___)   HP:    100   \/_/ ]____|/\_|    ARMOR: 200         [|  |_[_]_/    AMMO:  800      //[__] \__\         /  | (    )     /___|  |____\ MISSION OBJECTIVE: >> Destroy this very evil enemy base in 15 turns                                      _                   | |    ,-._        _,-_       _   _| |   (____)   \ ______    /  (____)     | |_|   |_   ___    ,-: HOME :----.-,-_      ___|  _|_   _|_|   |__/ |VISI,--.__   \  _,--.-.._ _ )  _ /_|   /  \_\|  _____|__]__  ( _ _ _ )   \( _ _ _ _||||__((__|____|__|_/__/___________|__|||||||_=====||||||||              ** Mission Accomplished !! **              -,-_         (      (       (         ,--.__   (   _,--.-.._ _ )         )      )       )       ( _ _ _ )  ) ( _ _ _ _||||__xxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxxxx|||||||xxxXxx||||||||

[Edited by - Wai on January 28, 2009 3:18:23 PM]

More like:

    _____    \   /      [ ]     [ ]     [ ]     [ ]     [ ]     [---]     [ ]     [ ]     [ ]      [ ]     [ ]     .[ ](\__/)            [\ ]_/-.-\__/)/)     [( d)( xxx   (___)      \/_/ ]_____|/\_|             [|  |__[_]_/          //[__]  \__\         /  |  (    )     /___|   |____\ 

*giggle*

DASHAZAM: i don't intend to throw out the 2D game itself...just the parts of the 2D game that doesn't work with the mmo when shifting to work on that. No sense in using something that doesn't work when the mechanics of the two are, not completely different, but are different stylings.

Konidias: It's still taking on refinement but all the same it's a military term and often they are descriptive in their naming, but I agree..it is quite bland.

Wai: yes in the course we will be delving a little bit into graphics from what i understand, ascii and sprite at least, the next class after this i assume handles the 3D aspects, but not sure. Though you post seemed snarky so *aims shotgun* you say sorry or be sorry :D

There is always a varying degree of bias in every reply and
my bias originates from the fact I never experienced any roleplaying in the multiplayer games I played, cause of this I strip down games to the skeleton of gameplay mechanics.
So from a gameplay mechanics standpoint a mech game is a great oppurtunity, characters, in this case mechs, can be modified and varied to a greater degree then conventions usually allow with organic characters(well if we exclude mutants and bioengineered creatures).
Now letting these possibilities shine outside the building screen in actual combat is the difficult thing.
Its an old problem how do I support many varied ways of gameplay and still balance things, I can not predict how you handle this so I can not predict if it would be a good or bad game.
On the plus site I atleast always liked to tinker around with my character concept, build,then see how it works and try to optimize it.
On this level you will have to make a decision:

How much do you want the performance of parts dependant on other parts?
(energy supply/structure,synergy,heat creation,sensor information dependecy etc)

Because this is the hidden question how much emergence do you want in your game.
More emergence means much more balancing work,less emergence means more work coding the quantity of parts and effects, cause every not mundane effect has to be coded single handedly.

Quote:

Original post by Wush There is always a varying degree of bias in every reply and my bias originates from the fact I never experienced any roleplaying in the multiplayer games I played, cause of this I strip down games to the skeleton of gameplay mechanics. So from a gameplay mechanics standpoint a mech game is a great oppurtunity, characters, in this case mechs, can be modified and varied to a greater degree then conventions usually allow with organic characters(well if we exclude mutants and bioengineered creatures). Now letting these possibilities shine outside the building screen in actual combat is the difficult thing. Its an old problem how do I support many varied ways of gameplay and still balance things, I can not predict how you handle this so I can not predict if it would be a good or bad game. On the plus site I atleast always liked to tinker around with my character concept, build,then see how it works and try to optimize it. On this level you will have to make a decision: How much do you want the performance of parts dependant on other parts? (energy supply/structure,synergy,heat creation,sensor information dependecy etc) Because this is the hidden question how much emergence do you want in your game. More emergence means much more balancing work,less emergence means more work coding the quantity of parts and effects, cause every not mundane effect has to be coded single handedly.

See the thing about me is even though I take balance into consideration I think the best way to balance with a lot of my ideas is the players themselves for the most part once a basic balance is achieved. For example you don't want an armor that is too strong to the point nothing can get through, at least at too low of a point...so all one needs to do is really figure out the maximums and the minimums and balance from that point. Lot harder than I'm saying it, but I also think it is a lot easier than most make it out to be.

For example...for this game...I have the idea that you pick a designed (shape) part and then you can choose the type of armor it's made out of and the thickness of the armor, the greater the thickness the obvious stronger the armor but also thicker it appears as well as the slower that part might move and the whole MECHS would run slower as a whole. Obviously different parts have different things that get modified and how...further you also choose the type of armor, (there are 2 basic types as far as i know and i think they are each divided into a few categories) All this the player must weigh with each part to get the optimal result that they want...but their optimal result may not be very good against another optimal build or even a middle of the road one that's properly built.

I was also planning on having the player able to tweak their outputs from the generator, which means they could have an incredibly strong weapon, or more movement, or quicker regenning armor. Obviously all this together couldn't be altered on the fly very effectively but those that could would be extremely effective...so it rewards skill, but it also doesn't preclude regular people.