Possible Game Idea - 'Epic vs Awesome'

I put this in a General topic since I didn’t want people to assume I am definitely making this yet, it’s likely dependent on my skill with Choicescript and time factors and such, but I liked the idea so I wanna get people’s opinions on it.

Basically I’ve been thinking about the sorts of games I could create with a interesting plot and I know that there’s a lot of games with a specific enemy type - Zombies and Aliens usually. But I was thinking about these famed ‘vs’ fights where we debate who’d win in a fight between two types of character. Pirates vs Ninjas, Zombies vs Robots, Vampires vs Werewolves, Dinosaurs vs Aliens etc. And I heard about this card game called Smash Up which effectively is the gaming version of those arguments - you pick two factions with a twenty card deck, shuffle them together and create a merged group like Zombie Pirates, Alien Ninjas or Dinosaur Wizards who battle each other as they try to conquer bases.

And I suddenly had a thought - what if there was a Choice of Game like that? Something zany where you have about sixteen different types of being from different genres and realities, all brought to a single weird dimension where a powerful force is getting them to battle it out? And kind of like Monsters of Haven High you’d pick a character type from about six different groups, and maybe a rival group for the game which initially attacks your world - say you’re a perfectly nice Robot whose home is suddenly attacked by either Pirates, Wizards or Zombies.

It’s a little hard to explain but I could imagine something a bit tongue in cheek where you’re tasked with helping your comrades defeat your enemies over a course of chapters, getting down from the sixteen starting groups to the final challenge against the rival group. I’m curious what people might think of a game like that which covers a range of genres but doesn’t take itself too seriously. My only niggle is that it might take a lot of work to make for someone learning Choicescript, but it would be fun too, especially getting to have you play a group of badass Pirates or Robots or Ninjas or Aliens taking on the others. What do you guys and gals think?

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It sounds interesting, but a lot of things do. Go ahead and make a demo. That will give you a good idea how hard it might be to make and I think you’ll get a lot more responses if it’s playable.

@Crotale That would probably be the best course of action, provided I can get something functional down just fine. Might be a while though. Would be keen to know what sorts of character types people would like to see or play as, since there’s scope for that. So far I have the following possible ones in mind…

  • Aliens (Think Mars Attacks style Martians)
  • Dinosaurs
  • Robots
  • Zombies
  • Pirates
  • Ninjas
  • Wizards
  • Dragons
  • Vikings
  • Cowboys
  • Vampires
  • Werewolves
  • Gangsters
  • Amazonians

Among other possible options. You’d probably only be able to play as about six possible groups though, but the others would factor in somewhere. Oh and there’s probably a shard of an Elder God like Cthulhu powering the whole thing, wacky thought there.

How would even get a zombie to try and fight a robot? The robots would just slaughter them!
Great concept, though some of the pairing seem unfair.

What I would do is keep everything from a single era, and set them up in a gladiatorial arena, or thunderdome, or something relevant to the time period, the reveal all 12 or so possible characters to pick from first thing.
(I.e., Diablo style: an amazon, a barbarian, a sorceress, a necromancer, and a paladin are all standing outside the gate… which are you? But with your own characters of course.)
Then you could have like a sort of tournament system like you see in the superbowl where you fight so and so while x fights y. If you win you fight the winner between x and y, then just set every fight you’re not a part of to a random value type deal, so every time it’s unique, and you’re fighting someone who maybe you didn’t have to before.

Again that’s just what I would do with this idea.

@Doctor Well Zombies vs Robots is an ongoing range of comic series by IDW and whilst the Robots are usually the superior beings - and consider themselves superior to the handful of surviving meddling humans anyway - the Zombies do give them a run for their money, they can even infect the Robots with a ‘Virus’ which affects them too. But I would debate if you’d get to play as a Zombie anyway, though some achievements where you’d become a Zombie Pirate or the like could be entertaining.

Ninjas vs Pirates and Werewolves vs Vampires are pretty much tradition of course. I’ve considered Dinosaurs vs Aliens too (also a comic series) but like the Zombies playing as a Dinosaur would be a touch ambitious. I have thought of Cavemen who RIDE Dinosaurs as a playable faction though. Or Wizards with a Dragon. And I was trying to think of a suitable male dominated group to battle the Amazonians (who would be all female). Knights? Gangsters? Vikings? (Though the last lot have Valkyries so…)

A gladiatorial style arena is sort of what I’m thinking, though the battleground might change accordingly. But I like the premise of people and creatures snatched from different locations and times across reality, taken to this strange location where rules don’t apply. Oh and like I said I like the idea of this all being enpowered by some remnant of an Elder Thing, so perhaps your final challenge is to escape the wrath of an emerging tentacled monster. Thanks for your suggestions though, I’ll bear them in mind.

Some more you could use, samurai/ronin, Zulu’s Army, Apache/Comanche, Mongols, Persian Immortals, Romans/Spartans, Aztecs, or Gurkhas so that you sample more than the few cultures you’ve noted.

@TheMeek Hmmmmm, I do like the idea of more historical groups, or at least some variation of them. Spartans are definitely in, Apache could work nicely too. Of course I don’t want to turn the thing into Deadliest Warrior: COG so there would be weirder types too.

As it happens I’ve been having some thoughts about this possible game whilst walking and I did come up with the following ideas…

  • Since there’s some appeal in having the factions fighting a rival group to begin with I was thinking that in the prologue you select a place in time and space where two specific groups are already fighting in some world where their conflict is established. That way you have some action to begin with and then select which of the two factions you’re playing as, with the other becoming your rival group before you get transported to the arena/elsewhere.
  • For these I was thinking of five to six different situations with twelve groups, possibly expanding to eight with four other factions as later updates. If I stick to what I have in mind this will be Zombies vs Robots, Pirates vs Ninjas, Vampires vs Werewolves, Dinosaurs vs Aliens, Spartans vs Amazonians and Steampunkers vs Wizards, with Vikings vs Mummies and another faction duo. Maybe with Cowboys or Apaches, maybe with Gangsters.
  • I want Dinosaurs and Zombies to be playable somehow, so I am toying with the idea that the Dinosaurs are sentient and can communicate (but still are very dangerous) or else they are controlled by someone like Cavemen or Cowboys. Or are savage to the naked eye but have some secret level of intelligence, maybe via smarter dnosaurs like Raptors. For the Zombies I also had an idea that that have retained some of their intelligence or humanity but are compelled to seek for tasty human flesh. Kind of like Marvel Zombies.
  • I want to have factions battling but I also want alliances if possible.
  • You can become a Zombie or Vampire or Werewolf or get infected with Alien DNA even if you aren’t from those factions, leading to some weird combos. This one is a maybe but it could result in some interesting endings or achievements if I can make it work.
  • You’re controlling a group of characters rather than one, though it might be that you’re the leader and you have options with your surviving team mates, kind of like Marine Raider? There’s about four or five characters in each faction, I don’t imagine a whole Amanda of Aliens say but a single Flying Saucer, or a line of the Robot Production Facility, or the survivors on a Pirate Ship and a Ninja Dojo.

All sketched out ideas though, so I think I’ll try and craft a prologue with some of what I have in mind once I have Choicescript down? Getting the right tone is the first step, I want this to be a bit playful and fun with how each faction appears.

Can I be a ninja viking vampire pirate gangster? I mean if so good game everybody else. No one could be able to defeat my monster.

Hmm, if the dinosaurs weren’t the rival group, and you were playing as something more human, could you tame them and ride with them into battle like in Jurrasic World? Because, I would play this game purely for that alone, and if not, it’s still sounds really fun, there’s a lack of over-the-top humour here (In my opion). I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes, good luck!

@Razgriz I don’t know if things will get quite that crazy, though I have toyed with the idea of some sort of mad scientist who tries merging Vampire, Werewolf, Zombie, Alien, Dinosaur DNA with Robot Upgrades during the game and the result is… well, not great for anyone concerned. But I think for your character you’ll stick to being of your faction unless you ally with another or gain elements of one other later on.

@Martymcchew I did have the Jurassic World scenes in mind when I thought of including dinosaurs! As for that question I’ve debated it a little and it’ll depend on how things go. I’m glad you like the over the top concept though. I think the premise isn’t supposed to take itself too seriously, though I’ll be trying to include an engaging plot though.

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Seems like, if you did it well, it could be hilarious and entertaining for sure.

I think you realize already though how much work it is going to be. For a good estimate of the workload I would times the number of groups times itself…if you take on allies, times it by that number as well…that’s how many story lines you will have to think of.

Seems like a funny idea enough that I’ll be keeping an eye on this. o.o

@colliecollie Why thank you! It isn’t the first idea I’ve had for a COG story which would likely prove complex, especially with me being relatively new about it, but since I see how Monsters of New Haven utilises a mechanic of five possible races with unique strengths and weaknesses, and a range of interactions and possible personalities, I figured a game in a similar vein with Aliens, Dinosaurs, Pirates, Ninjas etc could be interesting and fun.

Presently I have the first two scenes in my head. The prologue, which has you select an initial rivalry and which side you’re on, plus some stuff to set up stats, which will be the hardest thing to determine with so varied character types. And then the captive scene, where you find yourself or yourselves prisoners of some mysterious force, and meet and interact non-violently (for now) with some of the other factions prior to battling or allying with them.

I say yourself vs yourselves because I am toying with single characters vs a group. Single ones would allow for more developed and unique character traits, especially when you encounter them. Groups however seem more impressive and lead to various types of character each faction might have. Of course one option might be to introduce your own group (and your rival’s) in the prologue, have you separated from them to start with and then have them appear about two thirds of the way in, say.

I am also considering whether to limit the (playable) faction duos between four to six, since eight would likely be a lot of work with devising sixteen races and characters. So any suggestions for factions mentioned above by myself you’d DEFINITELY want to see would be nice.

So I’m thinking about specific characters at the moment, kind of in the same vein as MONHH, so as a result I’ve got about twelve NPCs with the faction rivalries (of which one will be replaced by you) and their default genders in mind.

  • Aliens vs Dinosaurs (Male Alien & Female Dinosaur/Raptor)
  • Pirates vs Ninjas (Male Pirate and Female Ninja)
  • Spartans vs Amazonians (Male Spartan and Female Amazonian - Duh.)
  • Steampunkers vs Wizards (Male Wizard and Female Steampunker?)
  • Zombies vs Robots (No defined gender at present for Robot, No gender designed for Zombie)
  • Vikings vs Mummies (No decided gender for either)

There’s scope for those to change but that’s what I have at the moment. Other factions like Vampires and Werewolves might be elsewhere but not playable.

Dragons vs Wizards.
Wizards are very quadratic afterall.

@faewkless Hmmmm, it’s interesting that I have considered dragons for a number of ways, mostly not having them as a specific group but the Wizards having one of their own, probably to deal with those pesky Cavorite powered airships of the Steampunkers and their inferior sciencecraft. By themselves those I think I would find them to be a little too similar to dinosaurs, though I have put thought to Zombie and Mummy characters declaring who is the superior undead corpse, so…

Just wanted to let people know I’m intending on working on this, gradually at ay rate, but the idea’s fun so I’m gonna try. Six conflicts, twelve character options, an array of possible alliances, maybe even sorta romance so an Alien and Ninja can hook up. Oh and Zombies and Mummies arguing over who is the superior Undead. And I’ve elected not to include Vampires and Werewolves, at least as playable, since I want some quirkier pair offs. Anyway when I have a demo - which might be some time - I’ll make a new thread for it.