I’ve received several responses to my solicitation for help with my pie-in-the-sky dream of making a video game, and I do so appreciate it. Who knows if I will ever actually make any headway on this ludicrous ambition! Probably not! But I really need to take a moment to write everyone back. I’m glad there are people out there willing to throw in with a venture even if they know it will likely never fly.
Literally! The idea behind The Venture involves exploring the wreckage of a crashed starship. I like to think of it as a symbol for all my futile ambitions. I was going to describe a general outline of the game plan here, but now that I try to verbalize it I realize that it closely resembles a mass of insipid clichés, and I’m actually embarrassed to talk about it now.
Yeah, this is gonna go well.
Oh well. At least we can always talk about good video games — I’ve added an Etrian Odyssey discussion to the Fun Club. “Say, Parish, isn’t that three game discussions going on at once?” you ask, and rightly so. But RPGs will be on a monthly rotation, so it’s not too crowded. We can chat about the weekly topics and use the RPGs as a bit of a breather. It’s a genius idea, really. Wish I had though of it myself.
Good luck with that. I would have responded to your solicitation, but it seemed like you wanted art and music while my game-making expertise lies in programming.
I recall you talking to me about an idea you had for a video game shortly before you moved to San Francisco. Is this an extension of that idea, or something entirely new?
JR
Hey, if you want to make the game, the only way it’s going to happen is if you actually work on it. Don’t worry about anything else.
And when you say “game plan,” are you referring to game play style or story? I’m interested to hear about it, simply because I’m sure it’s better than anything I’ve come up with so far.
I’d offer to lend my services as a freelance concept artist, but seeing as Jeremy already draws (and pretty well, at that) I suppose it’d be a pretty redundant offer. Bah!
Spaceships are awesome. Wreckage is very cool as well. If the game never comes about, I’d still like to read your designs! Just don’t make the mistakes that Daedalus Encounter did. That means no disembodied player consciousness contained in stupid floating robot pods.
What was the core mechanic going to be?
Marathon meets System Shock meets Metroid…
If you hit ache tee tee pee colon slash slash tvtropes dot org (man your antispam is tough), you can read about all sorts of mainstays of TV and video game plots. If you realize you’re headed toward Insecurity Cameras or the Trauma Inn, you can avoid or subvert the cliche.
PS: Don’t do Guide Dang It.
Wait, what are you spelling!? Do you have candy?
Actually, I was going to build the game around Stripperiffic and Gag Boobs.
Hey why not make it about insipid clichés? Turn it around, instead of it being a hypocrisy, turn it into a celebration! Maybe self-aware ? Break the 4th wall? Maybe none of that and turn it all emo? I don’t know, it will be good as long as it is fun.
Ah, the Rockstar route then.
Please do not break the fourth wall. NO WINKING! Remember Stay Tuned? “Where have you been?!?”
if you can hack together a development team, you’d probably have a good shot as a wiiware title.