)
I''ve just been thinking about (and writing bits down of) a new game design. At a glance: it''s a sort of 3D puzzle game.
The story:
--------------
In the middle of the night, the small English village of Greater Piddlington will sleep through one of the most historic events of human history: alien contact.
In the field next to Farmer Brown''s house, Daisy the Cow stands chewing grass (It''s midnight, but she''s a cow, so what does she know?). There is a quiet *swoosh*, and suddenly, a very large, dark object is in the field next to her. A very large, dark hatch opens, and two very small, green figures come out. They grab Daisy and cart her back off into the spaceship.
In his house, Farmer Brown has been awakened by a feeling that something is wrong. He looks out of the window, and comes face to face with Daisy, who is looking (fairly unconcernedly) out of a window in the ship. Suddenly, the ship begins to take off. With a cry of "Ooarr!" Farmer Brown runs out of the house; but he''s too late, the ship is gone. Daisy, his favourite cow, has been abducted by aliens.
Not being the kind of farmer to stand for that, he grabs his pitchfork, jumps onto his tractor, and goes to NASA, where (after holding his pitchfork to various people and making threatening ''Ooarr'' noises) he manages to board the space shuttle. In space, the shuttle docks with the alien spaceship, and Farmer Brown boards the ship, in search of his Beloved Cow.
So, armed with only a pitchfork, the player must control Farmer Brown and guide him through the alien spaceship, find Daisy, and somehow get back to earth alive.
I''m thinking of doing it in 3D, in a third-person view. The emphasis is completely not on shooting all the aliens - not at all, although spearing them with the pitchfork may be possible - but more on thinking your way around problems. It turns out that this spaceship is full of farm animals, so the player must use them to achieve the goals. Big gap that needs crossing? Jump over it on a horse! Beefy alien blocking your way? Stampede him to death with a flock of sheep!
I''ve got a more in-depth storyline worked out and written down (including a reason for why all these animals are onboard an alien spaceship, if anyone really wants to know), and I''m just thinking about how the whole thing will work. Given that most of the environment will be static - you''ll be able to poke a few panels and computers with your pitchfork, yielding interesting (sometimes fatal) effects - I expect that the majority of the work will need to go into the AI, especially for the animals.
I can''t see any way that a game like this would work in multiplayer, though. I know games don''t need to be multiplayer, by any means - but that seems to be the popular thing to do in today''s market. Can anyone see a way this could work multiplayer?
Well, I guess ultimately I''m looking for feedback. I know that the first impression you get of the game is ''crazy'' - but what do people think?
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
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Fun with Farm Animals
June 15, 2002 03:03 PM
(No, not what you think... )
I''ve just been thinking about (and writing bits down of) a new game design. At a glance: it''s a sort of 3D puzzle game.
The story:
--------------
In the middle of the night, the small English village of Greater Piddlington will sleep through one of the most historic events of human history: alien contact.
In the field next to Farmer Brown''s house, Daisy the Cow stands chewing grass (It''s midnight, but she''s a cow, so what does she know?). There is a quiet *swoosh*, and suddenly, a very large, dark object is in the field next to her. A very large, dark hatch opens, and two very small, green figures come out. They grab Daisy and cart her back off into the spaceship.
In his house, Farmer Brown has been awakened by a feeling that something is wrong. He looks out of the window, and comes face to face with Daisy, who is looking (fairly unconcernedly) out of a window in the ship. Suddenly, the ship begins to take off. With a cry of "Ooarr!" Farmer Brown runs out of the house; but he''s too late, the ship is gone. Daisy, his favourite cow, has been abducted by aliens.
Not being the kind of farmer to stand for that, he grabs his pitchfork, jumps onto his tractor, and goes to NASA, where (after holding his pitchfork to various people and making threatening ''Ooarr'' noises) he manages to board the space shuttle. In space, the shuttle docks with the alien spaceship, and Farmer Brown boards the ship, in search of his Beloved Cow.
So, armed with only a pitchfork, the player must control Farmer Brown and guide him through the alien spaceship, find Daisy, and somehow get back to earth alive.
I''m thinking of doing it in 3D, in a third-person view. The emphasis is completely not on shooting all the aliens - not at all, although spearing them with the pitchfork may be possible - but more on thinking your way around problems. It turns out that this spaceship is full of farm animals, so the player must use them to achieve the goals. Big gap that needs crossing? Jump over it on a horse! Beefy alien blocking your way? Stampede him to death with a flock of sheep!
I''ve got a more in-depth storyline worked out and written down (including a reason for why all these animals are onboard an alien spaceship, if anyone really wants to know), and I''m just thinking about how the whole thing will work. Given that most of the environment will be static - you''ll be able to poke a few panels and computers with your pitchfork, yielding interesting (sometimes fatal) effects - I expect that the majority of the work will need to go into the AI, especially for the animals.
I can''t see any way that a game like this would work in multiplayer, though. I know games don''t need to be multiplayer, by any means - but that seems to be the popular thing to do in today''s market. Can anyone see a way this could work multiplayer?
Well, I guess ultimately I''m looking for feedback. I know that the first impression you get of the game is ''crazy'' - but what do people think?
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
)
I''ve just been thinking about (and writing bits down of) a new game design. At a glance: it''s a sort of 3D puzzle game.
The story:
--------------
In the middle of the night, the small English village of Greater Piddlington will sleep through one of the most historic events of human history: alien contact.
In the field next to Farmer Brown''s house, Daisy the Cow stands chewing grass (It''s midnight, but she''s a cow, so what does she know?). There is a quiet *swoosh*, and suddenly, a very large, dark object is in the field next to her. A very large, dark hatch opens, and two very small, green figures come out. They grab Daisy and cart her back off into the spaceship.
In his house, Farmer Brown has been awakened by a feeling that something is wrong. He looks out of the window, and comes face to face with Daisy, who is looking (fairly unconcernedly) out of a window in the ship. Suddenly, the ship begins to take off. With a cry of "Ooarr!" Farmer Brown runs out of the house; but he''s too late, the ship is gone. Daisy, his favourite cow, has been abducted by aliens.
Not being the kind of farmer to stand for that, he grabs his pitchfork, jumps onto his tractor, and goes to NASA, where (after holding his pitchfork to various people and making threatening ''Ooarr'' noises) he manages to board the space shuttle. In space, the shuttle docks with the alien spaceship, and Farmer Brown boards the ship, in search of his Beloved Cow.
So, armed with only a pitchfork, the player must control Farmer Brown and guide him through the alien spaceship, find Daisy, and somehow get back to earth alive.
I''m thinking of doing it in 3D, in a third-person view. The emphasis is completely not on shooting all the aliens - not at all, although spearing them with the pitchfork may be possible - but more on thinking your way around problems. It turns out that this spaceship is full of farm animals, so the player must use them to achieve the goals. Big gap that needs crossing? Jump over it on a horse! Beefy alien blocking your way? Stampede him to death with a flock of sheep!
I''ve got a more in-depth storyline worked out and written down (including a reason for why all these animals are onboard an alien spaceship, if anyone really wants to know), and I''m just thinking about how the whole thing will work. Given that most of the environment will be static - you''ll be able to poke a few panels and computers with your pitchfork, yielding interesting (sometimes fatal) effects - I expect that the majority of the work will need to go into the AI, especially for the animals.
I can''t see any way that a game like this would work in multiplayer, though. I know games don''t need to be multiplayer, by any means - but that seems to be the popular thing to do in today''s market. Can anyone see a way this could work multiplayer?
Well, I guess ultimately I''m looking for feedback. I know that the first impression you get of the game is ''crazy'' - but what do people think?
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
Richard "Superpig" Fine - saving pigs from untimely fates - Microsoft DirectX MVP 2006/2007/2008/2009
"Shaders are not meant to do everything. Of course you can try to use it for everything, but it's like playing football using cabbage." - MickeyMouse
135
June 15, 2002 04:17 PM
Instead of infiltrating NASA with a pitchfork, you could have Farmer Brown dressing up as a cow so that the aliens will abduct him the next night?
June 15, 2002 04:49 PM
Heh, maybe. I just have this image in my head of some security guard at the NASA gate looking up, a pitchfork appearing against his nose, and then him pressing the button. Shortly followed by a similar scene involving the personnel manager.
Farmer Brown will never say anything except "Ooar." (apart from at the end of the game, but I''m not going to spoil it for everyone )
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
Farmer Brown will never say anything except "Ooar." (apart from at the end of the game, but I''m not going to spoil it for everyone
) Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
Richard "Superpig" Fine - saving pigs from untimely fates - Microsoft DirectX MVP 2006/2007/2008/2009
"Shaders are not meant to do everything. Of course you can try to use it for everything, but it's like playing football using cabbage." - MickeyMouse
June 16, 2002 03:26 AM
No-one has any comments?
Richard "Superpig" Fine - saving pigs from untimely fates - Microsoft DirectX MVP 2006/2007/2008/2009
"Shaders are not meant to do everything. Of course you can try to use it for everything, but it's like playing football using cabbage." - MickeyMouse
236
June 16, 2002 06:08 AM
Like the hitchhikers guide influence
I can imagine multiplayer fun, a sort of beat-em-up but with pitchforks and the hilarious consequences of poking alien technology with large sticks
Maybe there could be some kind of controller ray or amulet or something which would allow you to control animals on mp levels to stampede other players into a corner.
Exploding sheep ala worms would be neat too, especially if there were non-exploding sheep too, players would end up running away from cute, cuddly little sheepies eheeheh
This sort of multiplayer would be good if the players werent very tough and projectile weapons were minimised/eliminated.
The weird thing is, I''ve been designing a game a little similar in storyline and gameplay (3rd person 3D), with things being taken on board a big spaceship, the hero running off to the university where he gets beamed (it''s comedy set on another planet in the future) on board and has to solve puzzles in the levels, often involving alien animals picked up from other planets.
I can imagine multiplayer fun, a sort of beat-em-up but with pitchforks and the hilarious consequences of poking alien technology with large sticks
Maybe there could be some kind of controller ray or amulet or something which would allow you to control animals on mp levels to stampede other players into a corner.
Exploding sheep ala worms would be neat too, especially if there were non-exploding sheep too, players would end up running away from cute, cuddly little sheepies eheeheh
This sort of multiplayer would be good if the players werent very tough and projectile weapons were minimised/eliminated.
The weird thing is, I''ve been designing a game a little similar in storyline and gameplay (3rd person 3D), with things being taken on board a big spaceship, the hero running off to the university where he gets beamed (it''s comedy set on another planet in the future) on board and has to solve puzzles in the levels, often involving alien animals picked up from other planets
.
June 16, 2002 07:11 AM
quote:
Original post by JuNC
Like the hitchhikers guide influence
Oh yeah.
quote:
I can imagine multiplayer fun, a sort of beat-em-up but with pitchforks and the hilarious consequences of poking alien technology with large sticks
Exactly - I can feel that it would be fun, but I can''t quite figure out how it would work. Would it be deathmatch? Co-op? Maybe a game type which revolves around trying to herd all the sheep on the level into your own pen, while everyone else is trying to get them off you (all set on the alien ship, of course)...
quote:
Maybe there could be some kind of controller ray or amulet or something which would allow you to control animals on mp levels to stampede other players into a corner.
Hee hee... I''m more looking at poking the animals with the pitchfork to get them to stampede...
quote:
Exploding sheep ala worms would be neat too, especially if there were non-exploding sheep too, players would end up running away from cute, cuddly little sheepies eheeheh
HAHAHA... yeees... ''arming'' animals would be entertaining. Using fertilizer bombs, of couse.
quote:
This sort of multiplayer would be good if the players werent very tough and projectile weapons were minimised/eliminated.
Yep. Fast player ''throughput,'' frequent death/spawning.
quote:
The weird thing is, I''ve been designing a game a little similar in storyline and gameplay (3rd person 3D), with things being taken on board a big spaceship, the hero running off to the university where he gets beamed (it''s comedy set on another planet in the future) on board and has to solve puzzles in the levels, often involving alien animals picked up from other planets
Sounds like fun! My game is going to revolve more around ''conventional'' animals, but I bet you''ll have loads of fun coming up with alien creatures....
Thank you.. keep it coming people!
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
Richard "Superpig" Fine - saving pigs from untimely fates - Microsoft DirectX MVP 2006/2007/2008/2009
"Shaders are not meant to do everything. Of course you can try to use it for everything, but it's like playing football using cabbage." - MickeyMouse
135
June 16, 2002 07:42 AM
I think animals stampeding would be fun, except that you should have the cows *really* lazy, as they are in real life. I should think a jab with a pitchfork would be greeted by a ''moo'' and perhaps the cow taking 2 steps away from you and giving you a funny look.
Cows could be manoevred into position to block other stampeding animals, thinking about it!
Cows could be manoevred into position to block other stampeding animals, thinking about it!
June 16, 2002 07:56 AM
That''s exactly the sort of thing I''m looking for.... thank you, it''s gold.. *goes and adds to the design doc*
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
Richard "Superpig" Fine - saving pigs from untimely fates - Microsoft DirectX MVP 2006/2007/2008/2009
"Shaders are not meant to do everything. Of course you can try to use it for everything, but it's like playing football using cabbage." - MickeyMouse
146
June 16, 2002 08:54 AM
GREAT! :-)
A indirect FP???-FARMER? FPF :-)
I think you should stikk to the consept completely! That you only can do stuff trough the animals! Maybe switches or computers, and some minor weapon thing, but no strong weapons..
Something like:
Elephants(Farm Animals? :-) ) are afraid of mouse..
Monkey (Farm Animals? ) like banana...
Cat are afraid of dogs..
What i mean is that you use food / pitchforks / other animals to make the animals do something...
Birds dont like loud noises..
It would be a great level of interaction! :-)
....and its new! :-)
A indirect FP???-FARMER? FPF :-)
I think you should stikk to the consept completely! That you only can do stuff trough the animals! Maybe switches or computers, and some minor weapon thing, but no strong weapons..
Something like:
Elephants(Farm Animals? :-) ) are afraid of mouse..
Monkey (Farm Animals? ) like banana...
Cat are afraid of dogs..
What i mean is that you use food / pitchforks / other animals to make the animals do something...
Birds dont like loud noises..
It would be a great level of interaction! :-)
....and its new! :-)
-Anders-Oredsson-Norway-
June 16, 2002 10:20 AM
quote:
Original post by uncutno
I think you should stikk to the consept completely! That you only can do stuff trough the animals! Maybe switches or computers, and some minor weapon thing, but no strong weapons..
Something like:
Elephants(Farm Animals? :-) ) are afraid of mouse..
Monkey (Farm Animals? ) like banana...
Cat are afraid of dogs..
What i mean is that you use food / pitchforks / other animals to make the animals do something...
Birds dont like loud noises..
Yeah! Establishing a whole load of relationships between animals would be cool.... perhaps some unexpected ones, like between lions and platypuses, or something.
I''m a little limited to my choice of animals, due to the reason the aliens are abducting farm animals in the first place: They''re trying to make new planet for themselves habitable, and so they need livestock (and, hey, a couple of sheep here and there wouldn''t be missed, right?). Things like elephants would be a little harder to justify... but hey, I guess I can always make something up about what they aliens like to eat, or something.
I''m planning on using quite a lot of machinima - for example, setting up a sheep stampede will involve leading the sheep to the right place, then prodding them. Cut to a camera at a side view (where the near wall of the corridor has been removed) and you get to see all these sheep stampede along and crush everything in their paths.
Plus, sheep and cows are just really, really funny :D
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
Richard "Superpig" Fine - saving pigs from untimely fates - Microsoft DirectX MVP 2006/2007/2008/2009
"Shaders are not meant to do everything. Of course you can try to use it for everything, but it's like playing football using cabbage." - MickeyMouse
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