Digital Game Book - the future of gaming!

Alright, so it's not the future of gaming. In fact, it's down right archaic. It is basically a "choose-your-own-adventure" type program that uses a computer to kept track of the player's progress. It uses text to portray the game world, and simple buttons to direct the player's actions. The reason I call it the future of gaming is because the version I'm developing works via browser using a mix of HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and XML. The future of computing seems to be regressing towards the old "main-frame/dumb-terminal" mindset; where the computer is nothing more than a way to access the Internet, where all our personal files and programs rest in the "cloud".

Anyways, the program uses HTML5 to create the basic template and glue everything together. CSS3 is used to make everything look pretty (which includes centering the program and animating the buttons). JavaScript is used to actually run the meat of the program - it's used to read in the XML file and fill in the HTML5 template, and in the XML file too. The XML file actually defines the game proper; it defines the individual pages, including the textual output and the buttonal input as well as altering variables and making logical decisions.

I'm going to post bits of code here as I work on it, but for now the beach calls for me! Later.

EDIT: This was written a few days ago while in Virginia Beach on my iPod Touch, and due to constraints I chose to wait and post it later... mostly because I put it on the wrong blog. Whoops. Anyways, I've rolled up the HTML, CSS, and JS files into one "engine/user-interface", and learned that XML was bad for what I was wanting to do. So, I moved the "game content" to a separate JavaScript file, and except for the saving/loading to/from localStorage everything's peaches!

Run 'n' Gun

So yeah! New games ideas are always fun to explore, and this one's pretty simple - as in totally do-able fairly easily!

Basically, we have a guy. Probably some sort of robot or mega-person. He's on the run from a giant robot/monster, which is chasing him through a very uneven area - most likely a ruined city or some sort of underground military base. Anyways! As he runs, he can shoot back at the big robot, which damages it. After he's taken enough damage, he dies. However! The guy *is* running for his life - the killer robot is armed with weapons, and isn't gun-shy. The guy will need to avoid enemy fire while navigating hazardous terrain and returning fire in the meantime. Oh, and the big monster isn't the only target either...

Okay, so, we control the PC by using WASD+Mouse - W jumps, S slides, A moves left, D moves right, the mouse aims your gun, left-click shoots, and right-click fires your alternate gun, which is chosen before the mission. Or is picked up from weapon-crates scattered about the level. I think I like that one better.

The PC takes damage from colliding with hazardous terrain - things like spikes or lava (real video-game hazards). He also takes damage from colliding with enemy fire or with the big guy. Little enemies don't hurt him unless they lash out at him with a weapon... or some sort of defense system, like spines or a fire shield.

So the primary fire should be a rapid-fire deal - some sort of assault rifle or machine gun. The secondary fire will be whatever weapon you've picked up as you run away - this'll include flamethrowers, grenade launchers, laser-cannons, bazookas, etc. The ammo will be limited for each alternate weapon - once it's gone, you'll revert to a basic melee attack.

The first idea is a guy escaping from a giant robot, but this has merits for expansions. For example, that same guy could be running from a giant ogre, a dinosaur, or whatever. Each "level" could feature a different monster, level-layout, and weapon selection. But let's start with the basics first.

Just some quick weapon ideas:

Machine Gun - fires a steady stream of bullets in a straight line. Default primary gun.
Shotgun - shoots a cone of pellets that cover a wide arc, hitting multiple targets multiple times. Alternate primary gun.
Ricochet Gun - shoots a projectile that bounces off walls, only stopping when it hits a target. Alternate default gun.

Grenade Launcher - shoots a bouncing grenade that explodes on contact with an enemy.
Bazooka - shoots a slow-moving rocket that causes major damage to whatever it hits.
Laser Cannon - shoots a laser that cuts through everything it hits.
Flamethrower - shoots a constant stream of billowing flames.
Lightning Rod - shoots a lightning bolt that arcs off a target and strikes multiple foes.
Missile Pod - shoots a barrage of missiles that home in on the cursor.
Boomerang - shoots a blade that travels in a looping pattern before returning to the PC.
Mine Layer - shoots an explosive that sticks to a surface and detonates on contact.

Also, forgot to mention: The PC automatically runs away from the monster, and the screen automatically scolls to the right, so moving only really adjusts the PC's position on-screen.

Game Story Idea

So, I watched King Kong tonight, and was really interested in the concept of giant monsters invading large cities. So here's a game concept:

An alien life-form crashes into a fledgling planet. The friction from the impact greatly injures the creature, and so it spreads it's spores outward to infest every available living creature. The life-form wishes to use the creatures of this planet to re-build itself through natural selection. It beefs up the infected creatures to try to improve their odds of survival. So, the planet is now populated by powerful mutated creatures and highly evolved beings (namely, humans). Those beings have built settlements using advanced technology, and using that same technology fight for dominance over the other species.

So, it's a lot like our world, only if dinosaurs, giant insects, and "mythical" creatures (like dragons, manticores, and griffins) wandered the vast unexplored wilderness. Occasionally these creatures wander too close to human settlements. When this happens, these settlements typically deploy armed brigades to hunt them down to ensure the safety of the citizens.

...to be continued...

Another Level Up!

So, I was thinking about a new way for characters to progress in level throughout a game. Here are the basics:

*You gain Milestones instead of levels, which are shared amongst all party members.
*You gain a Milestone after decisive battles against tough foes.
*Each Milestone improves your Health and Damage - nothing else.
*You possess, initially, 1 Status Slot, and you gain a new one every odd-numbered Milestone.
*At Milestone 2, you get an Ability Slot, and another one every even-numbered Milestone.
*You can only have 8 of each slot - at Milestone 16, you no longer get slots.
*Status Slots are filled with Status Cards, which are earned through fights with enemies; they can also be purchased in stores.
*Ability Slots work similarly.
*Status Cards adjust your character's statistics.
*Ability Cards give you new abilities you can use in battle, as well as altering your personal abilities.

Level Up!

So, an idea for a leveling system came to me in a dream, so I'm writing it down here.

As you gain EXP, you can spend it to progress along one of 6 axes:

-Body: Increases Strength and HP.
-Mind: Increases Magic and MP.
-Soul: Increases Luck and Potential, which unlocks new abilities on other axes.
-Offense: Abilities that involve damaging enemies above all else.
-Defense: Abilities that involve helping allies.
-Tactics: Abilities that involve hindering foes and empowering allies.

As you progress along these axes, you'll unlock new abilities and improve abilities you've already learned. By increasing your Soul, you'll increase Potential, and if your Potential is high enough you'll be able to learn special abilities on the other axes.

Oh, and the last three axes aren't set in stone - they may be replaced with practically anything, as long as they remain distinct from each other.

Time Travel

Okay, RPG mechanic time.

A battle system that plays out in "ticks", each tick representing an arbitrarily short amount of time (about a second, but eh). You can move forward and backward through the battle, tick by tick, and assign new commands to your team. So, unlike a normal RPG system, you can rewind the fight a few ticks and have your character heal an ally instead of attacking a foe, and the game will allow this. This means that the ultimate goal in each fight is to find an efficient method of defeating your foes while taking as little damage as possible.

Now, the problem lies in the RNG. Because you can simply rewind and try an action again, it wouldn't behoove us to use an RNG to determine if you hit or not and how much damage you deal and so on. So, the game uses a system wherein the song playing during the fight corresponds with the "tick bar" in a sinusoidal pattern - at the peaks of this pattern, damage and accuracy are increased, while in the valleys attacks are weakened. Different songs have different patterns - "Practice Round", for example, has a very small amplitude and a very long frequency, which results in smaller bonuses and penalties less often. "All or Nothing", on the other hand, has a very large amplitude and an extremely short frequency, which results in frantic battles where attacks alternate between very powerful and very weak. On a final note, the player gets to choose the battle song at the start of a fight except during boss fights.

Also, to spice things up, there is this thing I like to call the "Gambit card" system. Items called Gambit Cards (or just GC) are obtained throughout the game, and allow you to mess with the rules of battle. During a particular tick, you can play a GC to do something like double the damage dealt that tick or poison a creature who starts their turn on that tick. GC's have many uses, and have many durations - many common GC's only last 1 or 2 ticks; the uncommon GC's last about 3 to 5 ticks; and the rarest GC's last about 8 ticks. GC's can also act retroactively or proactively - a retro GC ends its effect on the tick it is played on, but it reaches backwards in time and affects all ticks prior to it until it reaches another GC. A proactive GC works similarly, but it reaches foreward until it reaches another GC. Certain enemies get GC's as well.

RPG Classifications

So, when I was designing Veneficus, I decided that all skills should be Physical, Magical, or Technical. This was based off of a system I had designed for a Final Fantasy RPG, where all classes fell into one of three types - Fighter, Mage, and Specialist. Here's the whole spiel:

Fighters are characters who fight using physical strength and agility. They use their weapons as extensions of their bodies, and are highly trained individuals. They wield powerful weapons with a practiced ease, and their armor, although heavy, slows them down naught at all. Their attacks tend to target individuals (such as single enemies and themselves), and tend to be very hard-hitting. Some examples include Fighters, Dragoons, Paladins, and Dark Knights.

Mages are characters who fight by manipulating reality through the force known collectively as magic. They cast powerful magics at their foes, and can cast spells as easily as they swing a stave. Though they can wield simple weapons, they choose to arm themselves with proper magical implements and vestments instead to empower their magics. Their spells tend to hit many targets at once, and their effects can be long lasting. Some examples include Black Mages, White Mages, Red Mages, and Time Mages.

Specialists are characters who fight using specialized or unorthodox methods. They may use a variety of specialized tools or none at all, preferring their own unique gifts over all else. They can equip a number of simple weapons and armor, which are stronger than those used by mages but weaker than the ones held by fighters. Their abilities differ greatly depending on who uses them, but they have a myriad of effects and uses. Some examples include Monks, Ninja, Bards, Dancers, and Thieves.

Since this was being done for a Final Fantasy RPG, I used FF classes as examples - if I wanted to use more common (i.e. D&D) examples, I'd say Fighters are like Barbarians and Paladins, Mages are like Wizards and Clerics, and Specialists are like Rogues and Bards.

So, when you create a character, you start by choosing which of the three Classifications you want to embody the most. Then, you get to choose a couple of abilities from that Class to keep for your own (in other words, if I chose to be a Mage, I could choose any spell I wanted and add it to my spell-book - I could have Fire, Cure, and Haste at the same time, despite each being from a different school). Each Class's skills are divided up into Schools - each School has a particular theme behind it, and is crucial to Classification Specializations.

At any time during character creation or at level-up the player can choose a Specialization. A Special is a sub-set of one of the three Classes, and changes what the character can do and how well he does it. For example, Black Mage is a Special of the Mage Class. You can only have one Special at a time - when you level-up, you can drop a Special and pick another.

A Special has certain rules surrounding it - break those rules, and you lose all bonuses that the Special gives you without losing any of the penalties! Continuing our example, Black Mage has the stipulation that if you learn any spells over level 3 from a School that isn't Black Magic that you will lose your Black Mage bonuses until the spell is forgotten. As a bonus, a Black Mage gets to add twice his INT modifier to his Black Magic Spells. As a penalty, he cannot cast spells from the White Magic School. As you can see, being a Black Mage makes you a more formidable opponent, but limits your ability to recover from enemy attacks.

In addition, at each level you are allowed to choose new powers to add to your repertoire. You must qualify for the appropriate skills to take it, which usually means having the proper prerequisite powers. In order for a Mage to learn Ultima, he must first learn Firaga, Blizzaga, and Thundaga, and must be a Black Mage. To learn Firaga, Blizzaga, and Thundaga, he must first learn Fira, Blizzara, and Thundara respectively. And to learn these three, he has to learn Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder first. Typically, the most powerful abilities require a Specialization and multiple prerequisites to prevent new characters from obtaining them early on.

Each ability is placed into one of three groups - Fundamental, Advanced, and Final Techniques. Fundamental Techniques are the first abilities your character can learn, and are the easiest to perform. When you use them, you build up power needed to perform more powerful abilities. Advanced Techniques are a bit trickier to do - they cost some power to use, but they return just as much, meaning the only requirement is to have enough power to use them initially. Final Techniques are some of the most powerful abilities you can learn. They cost power to use, and don't return any!

This "power" that I speak of changes depending on the character - a Black Mage may use Mist, a Paladin may use Prayers, and a Monl may use Ki - so it is merely easier to call it all by the same name: MP. You start a battle with some MP - an amount equal to your level. At high enough levels, you may be able to start a fight with a Final Tech! Because of the flexible way MP works, you automatically heal outside of a fight to full health - of course, there are some stipulations here...

You can lose maximum HP. When you are hit by a critical hit, knocked out, or hit by certain abilities, you will lose max HP. Character abilities cannot heal this - you'll have to depend on magic potions and city doctors to fix it.

Combos - Attacks with '+' signs next to them. Which each successive combo attack you use, your damage increases by 1. If you miss or attack a target that isn't one you hit with your last combo attack, or use a non-combo attack, this damage bonus is reduced to 0.

Anyways, this post has gone on long enough.

Another RPG

Here are some quick notes on an RPG that I am designing.

Characters:

Rain - Shaman Princess. She is to be the leader of her people, but her youth and inexperience are problematic. She has left her tribe behind to see the world and gain wisdom. She uses Nature-based Magic and Animal Transformations in combat, and she fights with a spear. She has dark skin, dreadlocks, and her clothes are amazonian in make. She is based off of Lilika from Rogue Galaxy, Jade from ANTM, and Moondog from D20 Modern.

Lotte - Adventurer Errant. He left his home to find a cure for a deadly plague, but lost his way home after a storm sunk his ship. He is now looking for a way home, but along the way he has built up some rather large debts with some shady types. He uses his natural Sorcery and Tricky Gadgets in combat, and uses a scimitar. He is based off of Link from Legend of Zelda, Jack from Jack and Daxter, and Garth from Fable 2.

Wan - Demon-Possessed Berserker. Born into wealth, he was kidnapped as a child and ransomed for money. But his parents refused to pay, and he was sold into slavery. As a slave, he was used as a vessel for demonic possession, and became a demon himself. He is now searching for a way to exorcise this demon, but he enjoys its power too much to search in earnest. He uses Demonic Magic and Savage Attacks in combat, and wields a greatsword. He has a dark, brooding air about him, an he is only happy while fighting. He is based off of Sol Badguy from Guilty Gear and Orson from Record of Lodoss war.

Cecilia - White Knight. She uses Faith-based Magic and Precise Attacks in combat, and wields a flail. She is blonde, blue-eyed, and very beautiful - and yet, she is very harsh and rarely smiles. She is based off of Lenneth from Valkyrie Profile, Deedlit from Record of Lodoss War, and the Paladin class from Dungeons and Dragons.

I would like to have 6 to 8 characters total.

Spelunky

I have been obsessed with this game lately. It is called Spelunky. Basically, it is a RL-platformer based around being an archaeologist. You enter this colossal cave system, fight monsters, grab treasure, avoid traps, and rescue damsels, all while going deeper and deeper. It is a fun game.

It has also inspired me to collaberate with a close friend of mine on making a game that follows similar logic, but acts as an expansion on the idea. Instead of Derek Yu's more "arcade"-esque RL, I'd want something that the player can beat over the course of several play-throughs.

So, a non-permadeath RL with unique classes (each with their own unique abilities and play-styles) set in a side-scrolling environment. I'm thinking that, when the character dies, his soul drifts back to his corpse at the start of the cave and re-inhabits his body. The reason his body is at the start to begin with would be that his soul is placed into a temporary body at the cavern's entrance (basically, class choice).

I would want to include an inventory system. The player presses a button, the game pauses, and the inventory opens. From here, weapons and armor can be donned, potions can be administered, tools can be equipped, and so on. Items have both weight and volume, and the player is limited by his strength when it comes to carrying things (although pack quality also determines carrying capacity).

Each class starts with a set of items useful for that class. Thieves start with throwing knives and lockpicks. Warriors start with an axe and a suit of armor. Sorcerers start with an energy bolt spell and a magic potion. So on, so forth. New items will be found while exploring, and can also be purchased from shoppes. Items can also be unlocked and placed into a class's permanent inventory, although I haven't considered the situations under which this might be possible.

As far as why the character is there... I need to think about that. I want to go with "ancient machine keeps the world alive, but needs servicing - hero sets off to do just that", and it just so happens the machine's service tunnel is out-of-order, so he'll have to go in through the long and dangerous way.

As far as classes go, I'd like there to be the fantasy trope classes initally, and new classes unlockable during play. At the beginning, there will be:

1) No Class - The player has directed his avatar right into the ruins without choosing a class. Versitile, but has no special talents at first. As player grows more proficient in other classes, he will be able to access the powers from those classes while a member of this one.

2) Warrior - A strong class with emphasis on melee combat and general studliness. He begins armed with an axe and a suit of armor, which makes him ideal for close encounters. His special ability is Charge Attack, which powers-up his melee strike when the attack is charged. He has no talent for ranged combat nor magic. He wears a viking helmet.

3) Wizard - A magically talented class. He doesn't weild weapons to fight - instead, he uses his magical training to overtake his foes, although he is rather frail. He begins armed with a fireball spell and a Levitation spell. His special talent is the ability to memorize scrolls instead of consuming them, adding them to his repitoire. He wears a steepled hat and robe.

4) Thief - A dodgy sort of class. While not being too well-suited to close range fighting, he is quite good at layig traps and fighting from afar. He can easily replicate traps that he has seen before, and uses this ability to help him progress. He begins armed with some throwing knives and a set of lockpicks. The bandanna he wears over his face helps to conceal his identity.

5) Cleric - A holy class. Though not as strong as a warrior, he is armed with healing and protection prayers that help him stand out. He weilds a mace and a Heal spell initally, and can Pray for help when he is in dire need. His tabbard helps mark him as a man of the cloth.

6) Archer - The long-range class. Armed with a bow and light armor, the archer is quite capable of handling himself from a distance. By charging his attack, the archer can notch several arrows onto his bow. His feathered hat is an icon.

Unlockable classes would include:

7) Sorcerer - This class is a cross between Warrior and Wizard. A sorcerer has learned to tap into ambient magic energy, and thus no longer needs to study to learn new spells. He automatically learns new ones as he grows stronger. This has enabled him to spend more time practicing his melee combat skills. He begins armed with an Energy Bolt spell and a magic potion. The white hair and glowing aura reveal his magical talents.

8) Engineer - This class requires building and disarming a certain number of traps as a Thief. The engineer can use various bits and pieces his finds throughout the ruins to construct new tools that help him defeat foes. He begins armed with a toolkit and a rifle. He wears goggles on his head and a pair of overalls.

9) Shapeshifter - A class that requires exposure to certain materials found deep within the ruins. The shapeshifter has very little use for the items found within the ruins, as he is capable of reshaping his body into whatever he needs. He cannot wield any weapons or armor, but as he levels up his claw attack and natural armor grow more powerful. He begins with the Claw

*note that I stopped typing this a while ago. I'm just posting it for completion's sake.

Dynamic Duos

Picture this. A game featuring a duo wherein one of the two protects the other from harm, and the other supports the first. The player plays as the Guardian, and an AI (or second player) picks up the role of the supporter (or visversa, where the player supports the AI). I just realized I described ICO, where the player plays as the Guardian, and must protect the supporter. Only she does nothing but open doors (both literally and in reference to the plot). But I am picturing a game (maybe an RL or an action RPG) where the player must keep their charge safe from the slathering horde of monsters waiting to feast on them. The player is the Guardian - strong and swift, he or she races around the battlefield, hacking monsters to bits and disarming traps (sometimes with his or her face). The AI is the "Innocent", a pacifistic character who weilds powerful magical potential. His or her purpose is to drive the story, as well as to support the Guardian with healing, status boosts, and other various enhancements. Maybe the player should be allowed to choose his or her partner, like an Archer or something like that, instead of being forced to drag around "dead weight".

The new Prince of Persia game has a similar idea, but instead of a guard and guarded set they instead work as one complex character, which isn't the idea I've thought of.

Final Fantasy RPG

So, I like video games that have extensive universes to them - especially when I have been privileged to witness their growths over the past two decades. Franchises like Super Mario Brothers and Legend of Zelda have had many entries over their existences, and each new title helps to expand upon the universe created by the previous titles. So, when a new Super Mario Brothers game comes out, I'll gladly buy it to see what new things could be included in the canon, as well as cameos from previous games.

Final Fantasy. I used to play these games a lot when I was young. So, when I heard my friend Ben was going to run a Final Fantasy RPG, I became very excited. I feel like a bit of a heel for leaping at the mention of the game, especially since I wasn't told by him directly, but I want to be part of it and don't want to risk being left out because I didn't say anything.

I spent a few days coming up with a character I thought would be fun to play. I started with the idea of the DnD defender archetype and built him to protect his allies. But I don't feel that he has evolved naturally into this world, because I really don't know what exactly Ben is going to choose to use from the canon.

Final Fantasy has had well over 20 titles in its lifetime, and each title brings up new continuity issues. Simply put, each game is original, but has cameos from previous titles to help set it as part of the canon. The universe is difficult to comprehend, as each game does not flow naturally from the others, and instead nullifies elements from previous games.

In Final Fantasy V, each character needed a shard of crystal to access various different "Jobs", which granted them powers such as magic and ninjitsu. In Final Fantasy VI, each character had a job initially, and could only use magic if they were born/infused with the ability to do so, or had possession of "Magicite". Final Fantasy VII had "Materia", which did not teach magic to it's bearer, but instead learned magic on it's own. Each game's mechanics contradicts the previous game's.

So, when I talked to Ben, he said he was going to draw on elements from FFVI (my favorite, by the way, and his too), but set the game several decades (centuries?) earlier. Cid is in, but all I know is he is a young man involved with Airships somehow (which is based on my conversation with Ben and my knowledge of Final Fantasy canon). Magicite is in, but rare and an achievement to acquire. I call dibs on Seraphim.

He talked of Base Classes, Advanced Classes, and Limit Breaks, and got me interested in writing up some rules myself, so this is me bouncing ideas off of myself.

Limit Breaks - designed with character concept in mind. Each character gets 3 - the character starts with one, and earns the other two.

The first is designed to be a signature move for the character. Its effects are based on what the character is. A Fighter-type character would have something like Braver (Cloud's first Limit Break from FFVII), whereas a White Mage-type character would have something like White Wind. This would be set according to what class the character is.

The second is designed around what the character stands for. A character who stands for Justice would have a Counterattack-style ability. A character who stands for Hope would have the ability to prevent one ally from perishing. And so on. This should be based on a character's nature, and should be unlocked when they overcome some sort of emotional challenge.

The third and final Limit Break should be very heroic and powerful. A Third Tier Limit Break would probably be earth-shattering to use. I can't think of a good way to describe these. A side quest would be a good way to get this.

Trance - a powerful state a character enters. While trancing, a character grows much more powerful, and is capable of accessing certain extra traits inherent to that ability. The ability would have an added section, "While Trancing:", and some added bonus (like, "+1d6 fire damage").

Each Limit Break costs one Limit Counter per tier, and Trancing costs one Limit Counter per round. Also, each Limit Break can only be used once per encounter, and Trance can only be accessed once per encounter as well.

A Limit Counter is earned under certain circumstances. The first time a character becomes bloodied in an encounter, he or she earns one (additional bloodied statuses garnered within that encounter do not accrue more Counters). When a character undergoes some sort of mental, physical, or emotional trauma, they get a Counter. A character who spouts a successfully heroic soliloquy can earn a Counter, but only once per game. Other "heroic" efforts can earn these. Each player starts the day with 1.

Base Classes - Ben is using these as starting points. When you've progressed in one far enough, you can change class and work towards an Advanced Class. I would have all classes initially available, and build them according to their role in combat. Using DnD4e roles, each class would be a Defender, a Striker, a Leader, or a Controller.

Fighter - Defender role. Heavy Armor and Any Weapons. No innate magical ability. Abilities include Cover, Power Break, and Armor Break. Based around protecting allies and attracting attention.

Monk - Defender role. No armor and Martial Arts Weapons. No innate magical ability. Abilities include Pummel, Throw, and Chakra. Based around focusing attention on single foes and preventing them from acting.

Thief - Striker role. Light Armor and Light Weapons. No innate magical ability. Abilities include Blind, Poison, and Steal. Fast and dangerous, fights dirty.

Red Mage - Leader role. Light Armor and Light Weapons. Some innate magical ability. Abilities include Magic Sword, White Cantrips, and Black Cantrips. Can use magic of both Black and White schools, as well as some weapons. Jack-of-all trades class.

Black Mage - Controller role. Mage Armor and Simple Weapons. Lots of magical ability. Abilities include Blizzard, Fire, and Thunder. Damaging magic!

White Mage - Leader role. Mage Armor and Simple Weapons. Lots of magical ability. Abilities include Cure, Haste, and Protect. Healing and Helping magic.

Blue Mage - Controller role. Light Armor and Light Weapons. Lots of magical ability. Abilities are learned from monsters, so some combat proficiency would be necessary.

Berserker - Striker role. Heavy Armor and Heavy Weapons. No magic. Abilities include Swing Wide, Overwhelm, and Rage! Built around finding foes and smashing them.

...and so on. Maybe I'll write more later...

Chroma Spirits

Chroma Spirits is a 2D platform puzzle game for the Nintendo DSi. The game is designed to appeal to a young casual audience, and is rated E for Everyone. You are charged with guiding a boy named Art as he attempts to overthrow an evil king. To do so, he needs to collect 7 pieces of a magic canvas. Each piece is hidden in a separate part of the kingdom, and is protected by cunning puzzles, deadly traps, and the king's minions. Art has a secret weapon - a magical paintbrush that can draw out the latent powers found in ordinary paint. Armed with this tool and a few pots of paint, can you help Art overthrow the evil king and return peace to his world?

Art is a young and athletic artist, dressed in an artist's smock and beret. Underneath, he dresses like any modern middle-school youth, save for the tall climbing boots. He carries a number of paint pots on his belt, which fuel his brush's powers. Art is upset over what Chroma has turned his homeland into - a military machine, where magic paints (formerly used to create beautiful works of living art) are being misused. Chroma is using Artista to build an army to conquer the world, and he has thus far squelched any and all resistance. Art is all that remains, and he is resolute about his mission.

Each world that Art visits has it's own unique style. The first world resembles a water-color painting, with light colors and occasional smudges. As Art journeys through the worlds, he'll encounter ones made from oil paints, magazine clippings, comic book inking, and more. Each world is designed to be visually different from the others, giving them personality. Art himself clashes with these worlds - he is drawn in a "manga"-esque style. Chroma and his minions resemble old video-game sprites, and clash heavily with all but Chroma's palace, which is pixel art themed.

Each world presents a new set of challenges that must be overcome to progress. The first world acts as a tutorial - it is designed to teach the player how to use the powers given to him to progress. Each new world improves upon lessons from earlier worlds - the puzzles are built around the same concepts, but require different approaches that challenge the player to think creatively.

Art has access to 6 different colors of paint. Red paint creates billowing flames. Blue paint summons running water. Yellow paint calls forth gusts of wind. Green paint causes lush vegetation to spring forth. Black paint reflects projectiles and breaks Art's fall. White paint generates snow and ice. Art will need to make use of all of these (as well as his athletic abilities to run and jump) to defeat Chroma's puzzles.

Chroma Spirits is a treat for all ages, and challenges players to think critically and creatively. With it's unique play style and striking visual appeal, it's sure to appeal to any and all who pick it up and play it.

Classic RPG, part Deux

Well, the previous idea is too complex, so I'm gonna start over. The player will control a party of one Hero, who will participate in combat with one enemy at a time as he or she wanders the game world. The Hero will learn new abilities as he or she grows stronger, and each ability will have some sort of trade-off - either an MP cost or a balance change (like strength for accuracy).

Character Stats:

Health - Obvious.
Ether - Magical capacity.
Strength - Bonus damage to Weapon attacks. Add weapon power and excess coordination for damage.
Coordination - Bonus to hit. Add d20 to make an attack roll.
Evasion - Ability to dodge. Compare to attack roll - if evade is higher, the attack fails. If evade is lower, the excess becomes additional damage (oh, and attack succeeds).
Stamina - Damage reduction. Add Armor power and subtract from damage.
Willpower - Magical ability. Used in place of strength for magic.
Agility - Speed of Movement. Determines order in combat.

Some abilities:

Strike - Standard attack.
Piercing Strike - Accurate attack. Always hits despite the attack roll, but rolls too low to hit incur penalty to damage.
Etherized Strike - Magical attack. Add willpower to damage, but costs Ether.

Shield - Helping magic. Adds willpower to Armor, but degenerates as damage is incurred. Costs Ether.
Cure - Healing magic. Restores Health by (Willpower) points. Costs Ether.
Stun - Hindering magic. Reduces target's Evade by your willpower, making them easier to hit.


Items:

Short Sword - You know what this is. Relatively weak, but easy to use.
Long Sword - A longer version of the Short Sword. The "average" weapon.
Great Sword - Not a measure of quality, but size. Hard to handle, but wicked sharp.

Club - A bit of wood. Probably the weakest weapon ever.

...should I go down the path of Dragon Quest, or Dungeons and Dragons when it comes to weapons? There would be obviously "better" weapons, but should there be a wide selection of comparable weapons made available initially, or a few "weak 'n' cheap" weapons at first, with newer weapons being more powerful and more expensive?

Herbal Medicine - Restores Health by some small amount. Outclassed by Cure magic.
Herbal Remedy - Recovers from certain negative status effects, like poison and blindness.
Herbal Nostrum - Restores Health to maximum and Status to normal. Rare, and thus expensive.
Soul Crystal - Gem that will revive you when you fall. Must be used prior to death.
Flash Powder - Allows for quick escapes. Not always effective.
Lamp Oil - Refills your lantern when used.

Should I have a lantern? Dark caverns are always cool, but are they fun? They haven't been in Dragon Quest since the first game, and never in Final Fantasy. So, does that mean it's bad?

Cloth Armor - Lightest and cheapest armor; you start with it! Adds no significant defense.
Leather Armor - Lightweight and sturdy. Doesn't hinder agility at all, so buy it.
Studded Armor - Armor made from studded leather. Metal studs increase the weight and effectiveness.
Hauberk - Simple metal breastplate. Simple and unimposing.
Chain Mail - Middle-ground armor.
Scale Mail - Like Chain Mail, but with extra metal scales.
Plate Mail - Heaviest of all armor. Provides full-body defense!
Healing Plate - Breastplate imbued with restorative magic. Restores health as you walk and fight. Similar to breastplate.

etc.

I'll be playing around with these concepts for a while. I will probably want to go back and play through some of my sources again, like Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy 6, and so on...

Classic RPG

I'd love to work on an RPG. I would love to make Mulligan, WY, but... that may be too ambitious. So, I think I will start smaller and make a "classic" turn-based RPG. Fantasy theme. Simple 2D graphics. One-dimensional plot. And so forth. The point is to make a game that has the bare minimum graphical, aural, and narrative requirements so I can spend more time on the game's engine, scripting, and balance. I'm hoping to create a game that is on-par with the legendary RPG's of my youth - Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Pokemon, etc. Not on-par with their legacy, mind you, but on-par with their quality and style.

So, I'm thinking: Party of 5 - Hero, Strongman, Wizard, Healer, and Bandit. On a quest to uncover magical artifacts that keep the world alive. Each character has special talents they bring to combat and exploration. Character conversations are kept to a minimum. As characters fight enemies, they gain experience and grow stronger. New weapons and armor are purchasable in towns scattered about the world. Hmm... I'm seeing a cross between Dragon Quest III and Final Fantasy 6, and that may be too complex...

Okay, so after brainstorming, I've decided. The main party will be a Hero, three Support Fighters, and a Pilgrim. Basically, the three SFs will be chosen from a list of characters, and will help the Hero fight. The Hero is created by the player, and is his or her avatar - their persona in the game. The Pilgrim is a plot-relevant character, whose role in combat is non-existent. His or her existence is to further - nay, drive the plot. The quest is that the Pilgrim is attempting a pilgrimage to a holy place, but the journey and destination are full of monsters laying in wait. So, this pilgrim hires a group of travellers led by the Hero to protect him or her. The Pilgrim has special magical powers that will allow the team to progress further into the holy land, so protecting him or her is a crucial part of game play.

This would be simple to implement. There are 5 characters on the player's side. One of them is a Support character with no offensive abilities. This is the Pilgrim, and if the Pilgrim falls, the game is over. The Hero is an offensive character, whose powers are decided by the player, but who has a good mix of Offensive and Supportive abilities. This way, we are certain the party has the bare minimum of Good Party Balance.

The Pilgrim will always be the same in the game. She will start with no more than a Heal spell (which restores a target's HP) and a Defend spell (which reduces the damage a target takes). She will also have some abilities outside of combat (like opening Magical Gates), but these are just for flavor.

The Hero is probably going to be the most complicated character in the game. Custom built. Choose appearance, ability scores, and powers. I'll think a bit more on what the Hero needs later, once I've finalized details on the battle system. The Hero will *not* be equippable - his equipment automagically improves as he grows stronger. Magic Sword, perhaps?

The SFs (support fighters) are to be chosen from a list, so there are no custom elements here. The hardest part will be balancing them all so that each SF is as effective as the next, although each will have their own unique powers. They will not learn any new powers over the course of the game - that feature is only for the Hero and the Pilgrim. Instead, they will start with all their abilities and basic equipment. New items found in the field can be given to them to equip.

Bartle Test Games

The Bartle Test is a test that classifies gamers as a permutation of 4 different types of gamers: Hearts, who enjoy social interactions; Diamonds, who enjoy in-game wealth and power; Spades, who enjoy secrets and exploration; and Clubs, who enjoy killing and grieving. So, I've decided we need games that embrace and focus on these specific groups. So, here are mine:

Hearts: Two player tank game. One player steers and drives the tank, the other player aims and fire the cannon. Designed to be played at the same console.

Diamonds: ...

Spades: Metroidvania with no given instructions. The player will have to discover all the abilities given to them initially, and there are no descriptions given for anything in-game.

Clubs: ...

To be finished later.

Time Twins

So, watching Adam play Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask last night made me remember an idea I had a few years back. In it, you have only 24 hours before a bomb goes off and destroys your world, so you must set off to find and defuse it. Only, it is impossible to do so on the first try. Each time the bomb goes off, you start over, but here is the twist:

Your past selves still exist, and set off to do what they did in your past lives.

Choke on my Groundhog, YOU BASTARD ROBOTS uses this idea in a top-down shooter setting. Each time you die, you start the level over, but your previous attempts continue to play out their doomed lives as if you didn't exist. I have fun trying to save them by destroying the source of their deaths, a sort of time-paradox vendetta. Time travel is awesome.

Dreams make good games

Last night, I had a dream that I died when I saw the desecrated corpse of a priest crucified against a wall in the basement of a monastery. My body became a hungry ghost, and I sought out the others within the monastery to consume and assimilate with. Each person I ate became part of me, and I became stronger and more cognizant. But with each person consumed their consciousness joined mine, and they would try to move our body in different directions. The dream creeped me out, and I awoke before too long.

I think this would make for an interesting game idea. You play as a sticky blob that tries to assimilate with other players - think tag, but IT eats the runners, and in turn the runners become part of IT, and can exert some control over IT. The game averages the directional vectors from each person absorbed by IT and moves IT in that direction. Each additional person absorbed increases IT's maximum speed by a certain amount. In essence, IT becomes faster as it eats, but IT becomes harder to control. IT wins if IT eats all other players. The players win if they evade capture for a certain amount of time. My Game Studio class had us create a game like this - I should consider presenting this instead of my Team Fortress II knock-off.

So, I was thinking... Maybe no one starts as IT. Each player starts equidistant from the center of a circle. A ball sits in the middle. A whistle blows and each player rushes towards the ball. The first person to grab it becomes IT. Tapping the 'b' button allows you to run faster, so the game isn't too unfair. Once IT has benn declared, the level drops from above and the gane becomes tag. Now I just need to add a hiding element and I'll be set!