Hi,

I woke up this morning with the most incredible new game design idea!!!

what was it, well im not saying here thats for sure, and thats why im writing. Ive got a great idea and Im not even a programmer, I am an artist though.

I signed up here on this forum so i could ask the question to you guys, what the hell do i do with this new idea? ... 1. I dont want to tell anyone cos i know it will be made asap if i do. 2. I have no way of making this game myself without leaving everything else in my life for maybe a year which im not prepared to do. 3. dont know anyone who would be willing or even capable of giving justice to this idea.

what the hell do i do?

Best idea ive got is to try to find a programmer or two looking for a great new idea and perhaps get a non disclosure agreement signed, then share the idea in the hope that they will want to make it.

Oh and the Final point of interest for anyof you out there. This is not a hard game to make at all! Id say a small team of 4 - 6 people could make it in 6 months. and ... YES it is VERY commercially viable, this game would sell like hot cakes on Xbox live arcade, PS network, steam etc, even do ports for ipad/phone for sure too.

please write me personally for any expressions of interest, or for general feedback post here in forum.

garthvidler@hotmail.com
http://taricktds.carbonmade.com/

I'd say write it down first and come up with lots of concept art, being as detailed as possible. Not detailed drawings, but detailed as in have everything that the game will encompass all thought out and put into a design document. User interface layout, enemy types, gameplay, etc. You may have a great concept, but can you turn it into a game? Then try to get programmers. Can't speak for all of us, but I (as a programmer) like knowing what I'm signing up for. No suprises. The devils in the details, my friend.

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Original post by TarickTDS a. I woke up this morning with the most incredible new game design idea!!! b. what the hell do i do with this new idea? ... 1. I dont want to tell anyone cos i know it will be made asap if i do. 2. I have no way of making this game myself 3. dont know anyone who would be willing or even capable c. what the hell do i do?

a. Congratulations. Now write it down, then come up with another one. So do you want to become a game designer? Design games for a living?
b. That depends on what you want to achieve. Do you want to get a job in the game industry? Or do you just want to get rich and retire to a South Pacific island?
1. Forget about that. Just write it down and copyright it. "Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats." - Howard Aiken, Computer Scientist (http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson47.htm)
2. Why are you telling us this? We don't know yet what it is you want to achieve.
3. Same question as #2.
c. Same answer as b. Read http://www.sloperama.com/advice/idea.htm

Dear Tom,

A. I do not want to become a games designer no. I have written it down, and many others too. I just seem to think them up naturally. Im currently studying to become a games artist, environment artist in specific.

B. What i want is this game to get made, and to get recognition for the idea as to date i believe its definitely mine. Im not interested in the money all that much but i do believe in being rewarded proportionately to the success of your work, so im not going to give it away thats for sure. ill say it again, I want this game made, and i want recognition for being the one who thought it up.

Note: in regards to the actual game design, this game isnt typical in any sense of the word, it could include enemies etc but that is not what would make this game a success, its success would lie firmly in the one premiss that this has never been done before, is interesting, unique and fun. So dont think its just, another crazy FPS or RTS with my uber leet characters that will make everyone buy this. This is a genuinely unique idea, never been done before. Think "Portal" i.e. has a unique mechanic still entertains many common game play features.

1. Ok so its written down. And under national copyright laws, its mine. But i tell truth when i say, this idea will be stolen by large company if its not protected. And i disagree with that quote completely and here is why. Ever see a games studio get their employees to sign an NDA ??? there is a reason for this, correct me if im wrong but good games, good ideas, good IP of any sort needs to be protected, especially when its unique.

2. & 3. Im telling you i have no way of making this game myself or with anyone i presently know because im hoping to find a solution to my delemar and wanted to stop someone replying with... "If its so good then why dont you just make it yourself, or find someone who can." So I intended to open the door to communication with those who may have the power to make this game. Btw if you think you have the power to make a game of the scale mentioned please contact me so we can discuss it further.

C. Agreed!

Dear Zero

I agree putting this into a GDD is the first step, regardless of how unique it is, if its ever going to get anywhere it must be described accurately.

Question... pause for emphasis ... Has anyone out there ever had someone propose them a game to be made under an NDA and how did it pan out?

I am interested to hear from anyone who may have even heard about something like this, im sure it happens all the time, I just want to hear from people who actually know anything about what can, might, does often, happen under these circumstances.

Finnally: About me. I have a Bachelor Of Interactive Entertainment from Qantm, completed in 2005. Currently working on a games project tactical assault, worked at Auran Games a few years back on Fury. Wanted you guys to know this to give some background on who i am, what i know and what you can expect from me.

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Original post by TarickTDS What i want is this game to get made

Read http://www.sloperama.com/advice/idea.htm

I know you're worried about people stealing your idea, and not to discourage you, but your idea is worthless.

Ideas are a dime a dozen. It's all about how well the idea is executed. You could be the first guy to come up with the idea of a platformer game, and you end up making something awful, and then someone plays your game and says "hey I could do this better!" and makes Mario Bros and ends up making millions of dollars. If your idea is really unique, you can't possibly know that it will be a commercial success, because there isn't any successful game to compare it to. Also, don't mistake a unique idea for a good one, or a successful one. Maybe it's never been done before for a reason.

I mean just listen to this sentence "I have a game idea that has never been done before that will be a huge success!" It's like one big contradiction. It's like saying "I just came up with a flavor that has never been tasted before, but it will be a huge success and everyone will love the taste"

As for working with NDAs... all I can say is that you're going to find it really hard to get your game made if people don't even know what it is they are going to be working on until after signing multiple documents.

Konidias

i disagree, an idea is a very important element in a successful game!

Making a successful game takes execution that's exactly right but without an idea you have nothing but another been done before game, you need an edge whether its the 2011 version of a successful series of an off tha planet look at an existing genre or an entirely new idea. A good idea is the edge you need to be a success, that's business 101.

re it being a success, your right you dont know if it will be a success through your hands, but that is the reason i wrote here, i want help from people who are involved in game design, i dont want to hear that my idea is worthless, what you are saying may have truth but it doesnt matter, im not here to say, look at me ive got an idea, im gonna be rich. read my first post mate, looking for advice / idea on how to approach development.

re comparing its chance of success. There is a way to compare it, because if my idea is of a similar vein to others that ive seen but is unique in its own right then you can indeed compare it and say you have a good chance of success. ever heard of a calculated guess? Besides the fact that just because your dictionary say "success" means "the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors." http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/success
Does not in anyway take away from teh basic principal that anything said in teh context of speculation is always open for some flexibility in definition. Sure i might be wrong, may never make a dollar but at least give me the freedom to hope for something.

Thank you for your concern about not mistaking a good idea with a unique one. Good advice. I did have that in mind though and in this case i believe it will be great! Yes again right, Maybe there is a reason its not been done before but again, thanks for the advice, ive thought that through and it looks good to me.

Your post seems like more of an interrogation on the idea itself, not sure why you are going there when as stated above that was not what i posted for! I posted for advice, comments etc on the sensitive nature of my game idea not an interrogation of my ability to think clearly about a game design.

Re my contradicting words. Its only a contradiction if you choose to read into it that the only thing im basing the "success" on is the fact that its unique. If you read the quote again it says, "I have a game idea (could be unique could be old, could be anything) that has never been done before (just simply means ive never seen it, which is another tick) that will be a huge success. (obviously in my opinion) It does not actually imply what your suggesting at all. If i wrote it like this " I have a game idea that has never been done before and >so< it will be a success" then you would be right, but i didnt write that now did i. See so its more about what your reading into it and less about what i actually said and meant.

Re NDA's It is common practice amongst many creative industries to have NDA's signed before sensitive material is disclosed. It may be hard to get people to sign one but if its the only way to get some sort of legal protection then perhaps that is why it is so commonly used. Its usually not multiple docs either, doest even have to be complicated, just state that the idea is yours and that you wont share it for a period. Agreed it may be hard though especially in a non commercial setting. Perhaps i will need to consider a commercial pitch rather than an indie one for that reason as they will most likely be more used to the idea and also have far more to loose if they break it.

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Original post by Tom Sloper Quote: Original post by TarickTDS What i want is this game to get made Read http://www.sloperama.com/advice/idea.htm

Looks great man, will read soon. would like to add another to the list though, looks like he only states 2 major options, to add a 3rd id say.

"get a group of people together to work volunteer on it"

like this one http://tactical-assault.com/

no one gets paid, everyone just pitches in, i work on this game at present and man its awesome! some great work going in. Must admit though it missed having a proper art director so kinda lacking some continuity but the premise is still there.

what do you guys think? kinda like a wiki game (sorta but not)

im pretty sold on the idea actually even without anyone's response, by the way we all signed NDA's before we were allowed to access the games content

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Original post by TarickTDS im pretty sold on the idea actually even without anyone's response, by the way we all signed NDA's before we were allowed to access the games content

If you don't mind me asking, how did the designer of this game attract your interest to a point where you made the effort to contact them and jump through the legal hoops, without revealing anything about the game idea itself? It seems that once you have answered this question, you will have the answer for your own game idea as well... (At least the name "Tactical Assault" gives some indication of the style of thing we are talking about).

I imagine it would be very difficult to get talented people interested in your idea without revealing at least some specific titbits or vague overview - not to be personal, but people saying "I have a great idea but won't reveal anything - interested?" are a dime a dozen and a daily occurrence on this forum... The talented indie developer only has so much time to spend looking into these things, and by not providing any information you effectively ask them to "gamble" their time and effort on a "mystery idea". When there are hundreds of people trying to form teams and providing plenty of details about their idea (some of which are clearly solid ideas), where is the motivation to look into one of these "lucky dip" proposals? Each one claims to be a game changing idea which is just too hot to reveal, none of them come from people with any kind of track record and there is simply no way of knowing which one, if any, can live up to its own hype.

I got interested in tactical assault by seeing quite a bit of the games development yes. BUT that is quite an irrelevant point considering what im generally asking in my original post.

Im looking for ideas about how to move forward.

and i guess you have given me one (granted i have already thought of that) to describe some more about the game to get peoples interest.

I am not posting here to get a team together, i did put a line in there just in case, but that is not the main purpose of this thread.

I disagree again, talented people who are interested in making a game, who may be looking for ideas, may be more than willing to sign an NDA so they can see the GDD. Granted track record of the person does play a part in whether or not they would be bothered. Which is a good point and one that i will take on board for sure. :D

The motivation however for one of the lucky dip proposals is that if you are willing to spend a measly $0 and a few moments to read over and sign an NDA you may get in on the ground level of a great idea. And it is a gamble, but man get a grip dude, its not like im asking them to divorce their wife and sell their house before they can take a look at the details.

Guys, Im more than willing to educate you dudes about this stuff but please if there are any other writers out there can you please try to be a little more forgiving with what you read into my post and a little less critical. It would really make the world of difference.

And last of all can i just say again man, This is not my pitch post, as you suggest it is. Im not here trying to sell my idea, to gather a crew or any of that, im just asking simple advice on where to go with my useless luckydip waste of time idea :p