Inspire me!

[Mogri]

Guys! Help me choose a project to work on. Only you can motivate me!*

Here's what's up for grabs:

OHR
DYWTBAH? - I have all the graphics and stuff for the next world. I just haven't done it yet. Not really feeling it, I guess.
Sidescroller - I alluded to this in another thread. It's inspired somewhat by Super Meat boy. The engine works great - I'd go so far as to say it's the smoothest sidescroller the OHR has seen. Needs levels. Lots of them. (Note: I might also accept volunteers to do this dirty work )
Phantom Tactics - Somehow I forgot about this! I have a really hard time deciding where to take this.
Something new - It would be a traditional RPG.

Not OHR - Online Site-Integrated Stuff
Arena - To be honest, I think the arena has reached sort of its natural conclusion. The exciting battles are and have always been at the lower levels, and any new content I make for the higher levels is only accessible by about three people. Feel free to disagree with me.
Tactics - This project has been under development for over a year. It's nearing a playable state, but will probably have a million bugs when it is first launched. Only one person in the community even knows this exists. Mysterious!
Dungeon - I posted some screenies of this in the Hype Your Game thread some months ago. I really really like the concept for this. There is a lot of work to be done here, though. A lot of the infrastructure is there, though, and you can actually wander around the empty dungeon at this point. Thrilling!


I'm not making this a poll. The most compelling argument will win my favor and become the focus of my efforts over the next month or so.

I will secretly acknowledge that I did a good chunk of work on Project Tactics today after abandoning it for some months.

*this is not strictly true

[Mystic]

Traditional RPG. I don't really have a good reason for it. I think you can pull together good ideas from all of your games to put something really good together.

Or just Phantom Tactics...

As for site games, I have no idea what to tell you. I've literally started dozens of web games and never went through with them. Just by finishing the arena you've gone way ahead of me - I actually started a similar project last year that's just sitting around. I also started and more than half finished an online version of Fire Emblem which I also gave up on (especially since that exists already)

And I just have a million more ideas in my head. But actually doing them is impossible. It's impossible to be motivated for web games I think because traditional text based PBBGs are dying out, and good concepts generally need a fair number of players.

I kind of went off topic but I think I'd like to see a traditional RPG from you. Or, again, Phantom Tactics.

[The Wobbler]

DYWTBAH? - I have all the graphics and stuff for the next world. I just haven't done it yet. Not really feeling it, I guess.

I want to say this just because it's one of my favorite OHR games of the last few years but if you don't want to work on it you shouldn't force it.

[ajguy93]

Phantom tatics, it would be a good thing if someone could pull off a tatics game.

[Spoonweaver]

I'm interested in the site tactics thing. That sounds interesting, plus since it's close to playable, you can do something else after, like phantom tactics.
Site things = tactics
Game = phantoms tactics

[Bob the Hamster]

* DYWTBAH?

I'll admit I didn't play past world 4 when it was released before. The new Heart of the OHR release will change that.

* Sidescroller

iiinteresting. This has my curiosity

<b>* Phantom Tactics

I really love Phantom Tactics, and I think this has my biggest vote. Where are you feeling stuck on it? Graphics? Level design? Story?</b>

* Something new - It would be a traditional RPG.

You would not have listed this if you didn't want to do it. What do you have in mind?

* Arena

As one of the three people who has easy access to new content, I agree that the Arena feels like it has run its course. The structure of the Arena rewards tanks too much, and fails to reward little fish who team up.

* Tactics

I am not the one person who knows about this, but I am guessing this must be a tactics game played in a turn-based manner like the Arena is. If that is true than that sounds *awesome*

* Dungeon

What is this?

[Mogri]

I am not the one person who knows about this, but I am guessing this must be a tactics game played in a turn-based manner like the Arena is. If that is true than that sounds *awesome*

That is correct. It's not going to use Slimebucks or anything, so everyone will be on a level playing field. This might lessen the appeal for certain kinds of people, but I think it's the right direction to go for something like this.

* Dungeon

What is this?

It's a massively single-player roguelike with the hook that everyone gets the same dungeon.

* Something new - It would be a traditional RPG.

You would not have listed this if you didn't want to do it. What do you have in mind?

An old-school dungeon romp with emphasis on interesting player character mechanics.

Where are you feeling stuck on it? Graphics? Level design? Story?

I'm surprised by the amount of love this is getting. Yes, I'm stuck on the story. Lately, I've been thinking about having Janus march on the capital in chapter 2 and taking the story somewhere completely different from there, which would be an interesting twist and simultaneously obsolete the issue of what to have the party do in the meantime.

[Twinconclusive]

Give me a holler if enough people get you to want to work on Phantom Tactics.

[Bob the Hamster]

That is correct. It's not going to use Slimebucks or anything, so everyone will be on a level playing field. This might lessen the appeal for certain kinds of people, but I think it's the right direction to go for something like this.

That would certainly not lessen the appeal for me. The arena is about encouraging people to write reviews for deadly delicious Agi points. I would be happy to see Tactics just be about the game-play.

It's a massively single-player roguelike with the hook that everyone gets the same dungeon.

So when you die, you leave a lootable corpse in the dungeon that others might find? Or is there any more interaction between players than that? Are there other things you can do to alter the dungeon that would affect other people's playthroughs?

I'm surprised by the amount of love this is getting. Yes, I'm stuck on the story. Lately, I've been thinking about having Janus march on the capital in chapter 2 and taking the story somewhere completely different from there, which would be an interesting twist and simultaneously obsolete the issue of what to have the party do in the meantime.

As soon as I get a chance (post Heart of the OHR playthroughs) I will run through the current version again and see if I can come up with any story suggestions for you.

But really, the gameplay is so cool, that it doesn't even matter much if you come up with a good story ;)

[Mogri]

So when you die, you leave a lootable corpse in the dungeon that others might find? Or is there any more interaction between players than that? Are there other things you can do to alter the dungeon that would affect other people's playthroughs?

Some extra interactivity could be cool, but the current idea is very close to the MSORPG system that Kingdom of Loathing uses. You're not going to leave a corpse for others to loot because that would change the dungeon experience for others.

It's only semi-roguelike. The Daily Dungeon generates each day, and your character persists from day to day. If your character survives, he'll probably get some bonus XP or something (as well as access to the next dungeon level, if you made it to the down stairs). Either way, you can try again tomorrow. Eventually, I'll throw in KoL-style reincarnation, where you can run through the game again starting from level 1, but you have the option to keep all of your items/abilities or suspend them for that playthrough.

But really, the gameplay is so cool, that it doesn't even matter much if you come up with a good story ;)

Chapter 2 also introduces a lot of new gameplay elements, so that's another incentive/obstacle for me

[Bob the Hamster]

*goes to read about Kingdom of Loathing*

That explained very little :)

But I am understanding that there isn't any in-game interaction between players, and you can't affect other players' copy of the world, but you do all compete for the highest rank, right?

Chapter 2 also introduces a lot of new gameplay elements, so that's another incentive/obstacle for me :gonk:

What new gameplay elements? And do you have to do all of them in chapter 2? Can some wait for chapter 3?

[Mogri]

*goes to read about Kingdom of Loathing*

That explained very little :)

The basic idea (at least the part that I'm using) is that players don't interact directly, but you do compete indirectly. There will be scoreboards for who can beat the game the quickest, who got the most XP yesterday, and so on.

The part where this game is going to resemble KoL most strongly is in the reincarnation -- or, in KoL's terminology, ascension. Your character is persistent, but you have the option to withhold the power gained in past lives. All of your accrued stuff that goes away if you do a hardcore ascension is still there for you if you do a regular run later on.

What new gameplay elements? And do you have to do all of them in chapter 2? Can some wait for chapter 3?

Hiring new units, class changes on existing units, and a world map. Honestly, the world map is the biggest mental roadblock and I might just do away with it entirely for that reason. If I do, I will need to think of a reasonable alternative (i.e. when are you allowed to shop?). I am definitely going to include the other two.

[Mystic]

Between chapters like Fire Emblem Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn...? Don't need a world map for that and it makes sense. And shouldn't be hard to do at all.

[Bob the Hamster]

Yeah, either do shopping only in-between levels, or have a merchant unit somewhere on the level who you have to move in-range of, then he "attacks" you with a special skill that triggers a shop.

[Momoka]

Yeah, either do shopping only in-between levels, or have a merchant unit somewhere on the level who you have to move in-range of, then he "attacks" you with a special skill that triggers a shop.

He attacks you? That's an unusually pushy shopkeeper!

But I like the idea of telemarketers aggressively trying to sell you stuff during the battle.

But then the enemies will have to be able to buy things too. Fair's fair.