I haven’t gotten into CS game development yet due to how daunting the source code looks, but when I do get into it, I have several ideas kicking around in my head.
- This is a world where magic technology coexist with one another, leading to startling advancements in every field. One institute was revered world-wide as the pinnacle of higher learning for those who wish to see this mingling of the arcane and contemporary. Sadly, this institute was involved in a massive explosion that has killed several hundred people and was officially dubbed as an accident. The reports indicate one person was not found among the bodies.
That would be you.
You wake up in a metallic room, and your whole body hurts. You phase in and out of consciousness, but you recall… people doing a procedure of some sort on you… gunfire… screaming… and strange feelings all over your body…
When you come to, you find yourself in an empty field outside a city. You are about to stand and head to it, when you realize that you’re not exactly the same as before…
Your body is changing itself at a rapid and unpredictable rate, and you need to find out why. The player would have the opportunity to [discreetly] explore the city and find out if there are answers within. Over the course of the game you’ll meet various people of factional affiliations who are interested in your “condition” and would like to examine/have you join them in order to help their cause, if you so choose. Loosely inspired by an amalgam of Geneforge, Crackdown, Deus Ex, and a few other things.
- You are an aspiring politician who has the opportunity to run for a position in the government. As you continue on and develop your resume, you’ll have opportunities to win more and more elections, climbing up the governmental ladder, and eventually heading into the role of Head of State (or whatever your country’s equivalent title is.)
I really, REALLY like the idea of making a CS game about being a politician, but sadly all the WIPs I’ve seen that are similar are either dead or never gotten off the ground. I’d want to see what it’s like running a position (or eventually a country) in a governmental position, but it can be pretty overwhelming if you think about it. Do I, as the developer, choose to have a made-up country (and thus have to come up with relevant laws from scratch), or use real-world countries that can have some pretty arcane laws under their belt? Do I try and follow it realistically or have players able to do more? It’s pretty huge. Still, the demo that inspired me is still up, and is really well done in my opinion.
- You are an all-powerful magician, you rule the lands with absolute authority, and you must make decisions regarding the populace that is under your control. You can choose to be a benevolent ruler, where your decisions as a whole benefit the populace and they’re happy. OR decide to be a totalitarian dictator where the people live subjugated, terrified, and resentful of your rule.
There’s a twist, though: Your powers get stronger or weaker based on whether people BELIEVE you are strong and powerful. If you’re too benevolent, people may think that you’re a pushover and demand to hand over concessions to them, and if you’re too totalitarian, people will rise up and demand that you leave the realm, no longer caring about the threat you pose to them. The populace is unaware of this little fact, however, so you must make sure that you can balance yourself and make hard decisions during your reign.
This just came to me an hour or so ago. I thought “power is based on people believing in strength” and I rolled with it. Looking at it on paper sounds really appealing, and I may even decide to give a shot at it someday.
That’s all, I guess. Cheers for all the bright ideas on this thread, folks! 