A bunch of left-field ideas I had

Escape!
A game concept by Adam McDonald
written 11/26/07

Escape! is a ground based, third person, on-rails shooter. To give an idea of what this might play like, imagine the gameplay of Star Fox, Contra, and Sonic the Hedgehog combined. The player character (PC) is constantly running forward, escaping from an exploding airship. The gameplay consists entirely of dodging and destroying obstacles while gaining momentum. If the player does not maintain a high speed the explosion will catch up with them and it's game over.

-High adrenaline, reflex based gameplay.

-Competitive scoring system.

-Quick, satisfying experience.


Premise

You are a prisoner on a heavily armed airship soaring high above your homeland. A malfunction in it's central reactor causes a fire, which quickly spreads to your nearby cell block. By the time you are out of your cell the ship's crew has already begun to evacuate and you need to get out of there. Fast! You find a guard's discarded weapon and start running, blasting everything that comes in your way.

Graphics are bright and colourful. Cartoony, but not cutesy.

The entire “plot” will play out in one level, which can be replayed for high scores. This is not meant to be a “demo” of a potential game, but a very short complete game.

Key Features

-Difficulty scales based on player performance, offering greater rewards and risks for well-played games.

-Simple movement and aiming with keyboard/mouse.

-High-pressure, intense, and satisfying gameplay.

User Experience

The core gameplay is literally running and gunning. The camera will be a free-aiming third person view. The PC runs automatically forward at all times. The player can move left and right, jump, sprint forward, and slow down as well as aim at things with the mouse. The “sprint” and “slow” functions are limited, with a bar draining as you use them and filling slowly once you stop.

The player is trying not to get engulfed by flames that follow them through the corridors of the airship. As the player destroys obstacles and enemies they earn points and begin to move faster and gain stronger weapons (since they will have less time to shoot things that take more than a couple shots with the default weapon). When this happens points begin multiplying rapidly, but a large amount of damage will be taken if the player runs into anything, possibly resulting in player death.

The explosion that follows the player will typically not be on the player's heels throughout the game. It simply serves as a sort of “mercy rule” for particularly poor players, ending the game permanently once it catches up. Hitting obstacles may result in the loss of lives and points, but the player will respawn instantly.

Game Controls

Keyboard and Mouse

A – Move Left
D – Move Right
W – Sprint
S – Slow
Space – Jump

Mouse – Cursor Aim
LMB – Shoot (unlimited shots)
RMB – Bomb (limited shots)

Lucid

Overview

“Lucid” is an action RPG/puzzle game. The gameplay is a combination of elements borrowed and elaborated on from games such as Ico, Super Mario RPG, The Legend of Zelda, and Final Fantasy XII. The gameplay will take place across multiple environments, each offering an environmental puzzle (pushing, pulling, jumping, climbing, etc.) and several enemies to defeat. It is playable with up to 4 players, with difficulty scaling with each additional player.

-Mind-bending puzzles and intuitive turn-based combat.

-Relaxed but engaging pace.

-Scalable and competitive multiplayer mode.


Premise

“Lucid”, as the title suggests, takes place in a dream world. Bizarre characters, enemies, environments, and items are numerous. There is very little consistency in theme beyond an overarching weirdness. The fourth wall will be broken, NPC's will come out of nowhere and provide you with information that is irrelevant (but obviously so), enemies will be things such as household appliances, etc.

Influences on this style include Earthbound (especially Poo's vision quest and Ness's nightmare), the conclusion of Metal Gear Solid 2, Super Mario Bros., and various old Japanese games with plots and themes lost in translation.

The playable characters are somewhat strange, to match the wold they're in. Perhaps pajama-clad warriors armed with household objects (rolling pins, pieces of furniture, musical instruments, electrical cables, pipes, etc.).

Key Features

-Interesting and humourous game world.

-Simple and non-threatening gameplay, requiring thought moreso than hand-eye co-ordination.

-Engaging environmental puzzles.

-Turn based action combat.

User Experience

Environments will appear somewhat natural and logical, but completely out of context. An example might be bedroom furniture in the middle of a forest, or maybe a jungle gym on the side of a cliff. Puzzles will be integrated into these environments, requiring completion to progress. Each area will have a few enemies that pose and immediate threat, as well as some that are revealed as progress is made.

The combat will be turn-based but take place in the main gameplay environment. Enemies will not stray too far from their starting points, each one in an area suitable for combat. When the player approaches an enemy they will be locked into place at a decent distance from the enemy and begin a turn based battle. All attacks can be dodged by both the player and the enemy.

One of the main hooks of this game will be the ability to play with up to 3 other human players in a network game. When more players are involved, enemies become more difficult and numerous and some puzzles are modified (either physically or simply in rules) to better suit the larger party.

In multiplayer games there will be a “metagame” score attached to each player, encouraging friendly competition. This will work similar to Xbox Live achievements, attaching points to sometimes arbitrary accomplishments. Players will also receive points for defeating enemies.

Game Controls

Keyboard and Mouse

Exploration/Puzzle solving:

W – Move forward
S – Turn around
A – Sharp left turn
D – Sharp right turn
Space – Jump

Mouse – Turn left/right, look up/down
LMB – Interact with object (grab, read, climb, etc.)
RMB – Enter free-look first person perspective

For objects that are interacted with by making direct physical contact, the player will click on the item with the LMB to highlight it and then walk up and touch it to interact with it. This applies to things such as rocks that can be picked up, blocks that can be pushed, etc.

Combat:

W – Attack
S – Step back, Flee (hold)
A – Step left
D – Step right
Space – Jump

The “step” actions are used to dodge in-coming attacks and to add modifiers to the player's attacks. For example, if you step right (D) then attack (W) you will attack your opponent's left side. If your timing is off, however, your attack will be much weaker.

Shafted
A game concept by Adam McDonald
written 12/19/07

Overview

Shafted is a first-person adventure game with heavy platforming overtones. The player will navigate environments using different items (fired like guns) to traverse and manipulate their surroundings.

-3 tools – Blast Cannon, Grapple Beam, and Flare Gun.

-Non-violent yet engaging gameplay.

-Puzzle solving and platforming executed with first person perspective in mind (i.e. no jumping onto tiny platforms or obstructed the player's view while moving objects)


Premise

You have just punched in for another day working down in the mines, but on your way to your current work site your mine cart is knocked off course down a deep chasm. Astonishingly, you survive without a scratch. The great irony is that you will get to enjoy every moment of your slow and painful death. Don't be so pessimistic though, you have a way out. Your blast cannon can clear some of the rubble that blocks your way, and maybe it's the way up to that platform just out of your reach...

The setting is a mine on an alien world. The game begins in an underground/industrial looking locale, but there is room for making the environment more interesting. Other miners could be in the environments to give advice to the player.

Key Features

-Three tools needed to navigate environments.

-Standard Unreal movement, perhaps with double-jump removed.

-First person platforming that is actually fun.

User Experience

There is no combat in this game, just puzzles and platforming. The three tools will be the core gameplay devices.

Blast Cannon:
-Pretty much the shield gun, only more powerful and it doesn't hurt you.
-Blast rocks and rubble out of your way.
-Point at the ground and press jump to jump extra high.
-Fire at walls while airborne to ascend even higher.

Grapple Beam:
-Operates based on different nodes:
--Pull node: Grab and pull object toward you.
--Swing node: Shoot this to swing Tarzan style.
--Sling node: Shoot this to get launched towards it. Hold mouse button to keep traveling towards it and stop once you hit it, let go to keep going in whatever direction using nothing but forward momentum.

Flare Gun:
-Shoot flares at explosives to set them off, preferably not anywhere near you.
-Shoot distant targets to trigger various events (open door, lower bridge, etc.).
-Futuristic flares that can ricochet really well for some reason. Players will need to sometimes bounce flares to hit targets.

Objects that can be interacted with will need to be fairly obvious. Glowing, flashing, whatever. Just noticeable and distinct (all of the Grapple Beam nodes need to be similar but distinct).

LINE OF SIGHT is really really important here. The player will be doing things like swinging then bouncing off a wall and then slinging themselves up to a higher point. The next objective needs to enter the most likely field of vision just in time to allow the player to react properly.

Game Controls

Keyboard and Mouse
W - Forward
A - Left
S - Back
D - Right
Space – Jump

Mouse – Cursor Aim
LMB – Use Tool
Mouse Wheel – Change Tool
RMB – Check (click on something to get a short descriptive pop-up)