One day I was hit by a sudden revelation, a ground-breaking idea. A whole new, _unique_ story formed in my head. Now I need means to represent that story, to produce it so that it would be able to be viewed by the masses. I don''t want to write a novel, that''s too... well, it would not be as vivid as I think the plot would be in a game. I know also how to code, and I think I would be able to code the engine to run the game. I love the way Baldur''s Gate is made, and it would be the best possible alternative for me to make it look and feel somewhat similar to it... Too bad my only artistic talents lie more on the musical than the visual side - so I would need an artist or two for the project. The other alternative would be to make it a little more modest - a basic tile-engine which would have similar looks to old SNES games such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 3, etc... For this I would also need an artist, although he/she wouldn''t have to be as talented as if I chose to strive for the BG-look. Also it would be tremendously less trouble to do it this way (a lot higher probability of ever finishing the project). So what do you think? Could I ever get a skilled artist to join a team? Would it be too ambitious to strive for perfection with a team of amateurs (at least I''m an amateur when it comes to games of this scale)? Anything else to say? Ideas, comments, flames, me-toos and anything else you can think of are welcome... as long as it is at least somewhat related. rk

The easiest thing to do would be to write a simple prototype - top down view, graphics as shoddy as you like etc... after all the emphasis is on getting the gameplay and story across. If people like it then it may be worth rewriting with higher production values.

Word of caution though.... it sounds like you want to tell a story, but games are not the best medium for story telling - if games are too rigorously story based they just become crappy interactive movies that nobody wants to play. You might be better off writing a book, or telling the story in another non-interactive way.

Sandman,

The idea about writing a simple prototype has some merit to it. If I programmed it in a way that the game mechanics parts could be reused in the possible better version, it would be the most efficient thing to do. If the idea turns out to not work, at least I won''t have spent that much time on nothing. And if it works however, I won''t have to start the whole project from scratch.

And yes, it''s true I want to tell a story, but I have adapted my story to fit a game - now I''m thinking how difficult it would be to compose music and draw graphics that would create an atmosphere that I would hope the game to have. Such atmosphere with the story is something that I personally like in a game, but so far there are only very few games that I have encountered that create such an emotional landscape. And hey, don''t many games tell a story and still people play them like madmen? The Final Fantasy series, both Baldur''s Gates and many more act as examples of what I have in mind. Do you count those aforementioned games as "interactive stories" that you spoke of?


rk

Reusing prototype code is a bit of a no-no, but the prototype is never a waste of time. Once you have coded it once you know where the pitfalls are and you can make a better job of it next time around. Furthermore, if the idea is as good as you hoped, you have something you can show to people to inspire them to help you develop the whole thing properly.

As for the story, I wasnt trying to discourage you. I merely meant to point out that some games tell a story at the expense of giving the player freedom, which ultimately results in a crap game. Provided you allow the player some flexibility in how he plays out the story line, you have a game story. If it is rigid and the player has minimal impact on the events, you may as well do it in a non-interactive way.

Good luck!