What now?

[Trumgottist]

The following is just some thinking out loud. I don't have a blog, but if I did, this would be a suitable post there. I'm not yet ready to start my next game-making project. It's nice with a break, and get to play some of the classics that are waiting for me. I've played through Myst for the first time and have now started on Riven. Nice stuff. But I have started thinking about what my next project will be, since I do want to continue making games. Writing the thoughts down is a way to focus them, and so this post was born.

Games I've been thinking of making:

1) I have the beginnings of a game design document, with a 1998 start date on it. "John Ohlsson, P.I." This is a pure adventure game. (Frasse got started when I removed things that were out of place - too silly - from this game.) Some of the ideas here might work best as a 3d game. In that case I'll have to look into 3d engines - I'm not going to write my own. It might be doable in 2d, in which case I'll use Sludge. After making Frasse, I'm very familiar with it, and I like the way it works.

2) I want to make a work of IF (text adventure) some day. I'm not sure my writing skills are capable of producing one, but I really like the genre. (I might consider teaming up with a writer/designer for this one.) For this I'd use Inform, which I've looked into a bit, or possibly TADS 3.

3) I've been kicking around ideas for updating my action game Rocket Duel and make a Rocket Duel 2. I'd make it use OpenGL hardware acceleration, possibly with some 3d rendering. The gameplay would stay 2d, though. It's complicated enough already. (Maybe some round playfields like in Lemmings revolution?) Some kind of AI opponent would also be nice. This I'd make in C using the game programming library Allegro, just like the original Rocket Duel.

4) A 3d platform game. Rayman 2 and 3 are among my favourite games (as is Psychonauts, and I've had some fun with Prince of Persia - Sands of Time), and I think Frasse could work as a hero in such a game. This would require research into 3d engines, since like I said in 1) above, I'm not going to write a complete 3d engine on my own. Learning to use an exisiting one is enough work.

5) Before Frasse, I started on another game with Sludge, about a photographer on a newspaper. Slightly noir-ish. It was a collaboration where another person did the design, plot and puzzles, but he got short of free time so we put it on hold. He's not ready to pick it up today either, but I have his permission to complete the game without him. Together with a new collaborator or on my own.

6) Some other form of adventure game collaboration. When starting to make Frasse, it was my intention to make that game so that I'd have something to show when looking for people to collaborate with. What I really wanted to do was something like point 5), since I didn't think I'd be able to do decent story/puzzles on my own. Imagine my surprise when some people playing Frasse state that they thought the characters and puzzles are the strengths of the game, while they describe the graphics and music as so-so or even annoying. This means that I won't be looking as desperately for a collaboration now, but I'll probably do some looking. It'd be fun to try.

7) A direct sequel to Frasse. A possibility, but I don't think I want to do that as my next project right now.

Well, that's my unstructured thoughts. Feel free to comment if you want to. Or don't - either way, I've now written down what thoughts I have on my future game development.

[Squinky]

Despite my usual misgivings about working on amateur team projects, I'm going to volunteer to collaborate with you, if you still want someone to collaborate with you, that is. It'll have to wait a few months, of course.

Doing stuff in 3D interests me in particular...

[Trumgottist]

Wow, that was unexpected! And flattering. I'm a big fan of your work, you know.

So yeah, I'd be interested to talk about a possible team project with you. 3d in particular interesting? I'll start researching 3d engines, and then we'll see what happens. (I have your mail address, and you have mine.)

[ad7venture]

Have you thought about the Blender game engine?  It's making improvements.  It uses ODE for physics now.  On the downside, you have to include the game runner with it, but most people making adventure games should be used to that.  Anyway, for a small team, it's a fast way to get a game out, especially if your just starting in 3d because there is a huge amount of things to do, modeling, texturing, animation, and programming.  

[Trumgottist]

No, I'd forgotten about that one. Thanks.

Ogre is looking quite nice, though. I'm currently working my way through its tutorials.

[Erwin_Br]

Ogre is nice. I think ''Ankh'' utilizes it too.

--Erwin

[Squinky]

I happen to know a bit of Blender... haven't used it to make games yet, though.

[ad7venture]

One problem with Ogre is that it's not a game engine, only graphics.  This means adding your physics engine, sound system, etc.  If you check out the creators of Ank or however it's spelled, your probably going to find a fairly large team.  It can be done, definately, but it's work to get there.  

[Squinky]

By the way, Trum, did you get the e-mail I sent you yet? The mailer daemon told me it was delayed...

[Trumgottist]

Squinky: No, I have received no mail from you. Please re-send. (You got my mails, I hope?)

(FWIW, the Ankh credits list two programmers.)

[Squinky]

I got yours, and I sent you two e-mails: one regarding the collaboration, and the other regarding TGTTPOACS beta testing. I've re-sent them both.

[ad7venture]

Well, I convinced my self to use the Blender Game Engine and convert a 2d adventure game about bugs I've been working on.  There are some problems with the engine.  It doesn't do real time shadows being the biggest.  I think I figured out a way to do texture shadows if it's not implemented by the time I finish the game.  Probably some time in the next decade at my current pace.