I've always wanted to see a game made that was either a monster battle simulator or turn based RPG but at least gives you the ability to customize your animal. It would have to be in 3D to make it easier to customize your animal/monster.

Basically, with this "evolutionary editor", you should be able to make any kind of animal, from quadrupeds to bipeds, from tiny orb things to large behemoths,<although the maximum size should be maybe 13' and smallest size 0'5. For the sake of balance.> With this editor, it should be possible to make any of these animals.

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/animallife.png

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/ANTAGONISTS.png

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/Protagonists.png

Similar to how mech games allow you to customize your mech, except for animals, and in such a way that great extremes in forms can be made.

This game's main focus would be multiplayer, although there would be a story mode.

Also the story behind your monster is that it starts out as a featureless soul trying to turn into something, the world is inhabited by monsters covering a wide range of animals and themes for their forms<Mammals, birds, inanimate objects, or a mix of different things are some shapes animals have taken on.>

Your able to fully edit your monster from the beggining, although things like techniques and stats are stuff you have to gain through out story mode.<If its the battle simulator, the difference in stats between when you start and when you max out is somewhere between 50% and 200%, while if it where a turn based RPG, that difference would be even greater.<Its lesser for the simulator due to the limitation of the human senses, I don't think anybody would be able to control something thats half a foot tall and moves at 500mph.>

In the story mode, those that never picked a form end up looking like this.

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/BLAND.png

Some kind of organism with no theme. They fight in large numbers and are probably minions for evil animals with ambitions to rule the land/world. Or are just unfriendly looking village dwellers or something.

I've also written down a design document that explains how the battle system works and focuses on trying to balance it by devising a formula that would regulate attacks and determine what their cost is<so that no attack is greater than any other if it has the same stats.> In this way, there will be diversity of attacks, <or if this formula proves to really solve balance problems, then their should be a technique editor so people can make their own attacks, determine their power, speed, and other attributes without worrying about it being overpowered.

Either that, or I'll just make a story about the idea<either sequential/text/other> and make the game later.

Anyways, this is an oversimplified explanation of it. I have devised many ideas and plans that will keep things in check and many of these balances stem from the idea that their is a trade off for everything<numerically.> So even if somebody attempted to make a "glass cannon" type character, they wouldn't have the form to support their attack. If they were used in team play, they would be nothing more than an "artillery" if anything.

Also, this project is overly ambitious, because for it to work, it would need a physics engine that would allow somebody that made a ball with eyes to experience the lack of friction with the ground from having made something with no legs.<The engine should be good enough to at least do that, even though anybody who plays competitively wouldn't make a ball with no legs that can only roll around on its own inertia with no promise of stopping.>

Anyways, I may seem torn between making it a simulator and a turn based system. I personally am more excited about the simulator version. Although the turn based version would allow greater differences in power and doesn't require you be at 100% to play it or have tick reflexes if your character does a lot of dodging.

Anyways, realistically, I lack the resources to make the 3D version and even if I attempted to do the turn based version on my own, it would probably take several years.

If this game comes to fruition, depending on the version, it might either be a niche success or an extremely entertaining game with great replay value and a strong online portion.

EDIT: Some features of the universal meter system explained in the 3rd post. Unless I should put that information in the initial post?

[Edited by - Fulgent on July 6, 2010 6:12:52 AM]

Ohhhh, sounds like Spore. When I read the title of this topic, I just laughed and laughed. Close call...

After much thinking about both the simulator version and "turn based" version, I think I'll be going with the latter. I find it to be more user friendly while still retaining the complexity of the former<without none of the frustrations involved with missing the timing of a dodge or attack.> The more days that have passed, the more I find that this game idea would go best with the "turn based" game. I say it with quotes since I don't think it doesn't treat turns the same way an orthodox turn based would, although that probably isn't for me to decide.<The gurus of game design would have to assign it to whatever genre it belongs to when its fleshed out as an actual working engine.>

I made this illustration to celebrate having picked which route to take this with. A simulator would require far more resources for far less enjoyability to the average player, although hardcore gamers would have probably liked it. I find playing the "turn based" version in my head to not only be more exciting, but it's far more epic<if done in 3D too.>

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/game/animals.png

Anyways, here are some concept sketches of how the game's engine would work. It's a somewhat simplified version of this "turn based" system. For example, not all the stats of attacks are shown, as some like "inertia", and "volume" are stats pertaining to attacks that are not shown in the examples below but are standard in all offensive techniques.

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/game/GAME2.png

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/game/GAME3.png

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/interrupt/GD1.png

I won't explain it all for now, but its stat base is organize into 3 categories that branch out into several sub stats. It's thanks to these sub stats that techniques such as power ups and defense types can be equally balanced with attacks as well as preventing them from being overpowered or leading to some kind of imbalance. PHI, POW, and PSI are the main categories. Both versions use this stat system.

Something it has that makes dynamic use of stats like speed, energy limits, and stats related to reflex are "interrupt", a "feature" that is a given in the system. There are also attack collisions and aside from defensive techniques, even attacks can be used to repel other attacks<or weaken them if the other is more powerful>.

Part of the reason I designed this system was because of my dissatisfaction with many rpg systems I have played. For example, a turn in a normal rpg is wasted if a weak attack is selected vs the enemies strong attack. An attack that weak should have an upside to it and not fall into obscurity late game. If an attack is weak, it should have the advantage of being able to hit before the stronger attack, having lesser energy use, or at least the person should be able to fire 3 of those attacks in the same turn as the stronger attack.

My main reason is to make a game that is both smart and entertaining as well as visually appealing to watch<although that's a luxury that can go if there isn't enough budget to afford dynamic camera angles and 3D graphics that would be a great compliment this games particular game engine.

I named this system the universal meter system due to "turns" being determined by a combination of "things" along with the "universal meter". With this system, turns are more fluid,<okay, I'll say it, it's determined by attacks, speed/time related stats, energy limits and reflex related stats.> I don't want to give too much away. I feel that this engine will really surprise people. They will be excited to play. If I have to, I'll cut out all the graphical features just to have a working version of it as soon as possible<no 3D, no visual customization, etc.> And if it turns out to be a great system, start adding all the non-essential features to it.<Non-essential being things that aren't needed in competitive play although would be a nice luxury and add to the enjoyability of the game.>

Anyways, here are some of the animals that would be "build able" in the editor of the game.


http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/interrupt/GD2.png

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/game/GAME7.png

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/game/GAME8.png

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/game/GAME9.png

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz337/FragrantX/game/GAME12.png

Of course, the customization system isn't the main feature of this game. The "universal meter" system is what would take top priority if done under a bugdet/limited time and resources. A fun game with little in the graphical department is better than a game full of dazzling visuals and features but absolutely horrible, non-fun, tedious game play.