Evil Genius (game idea)

[Akatosh]

No idea where else to post this. At the moment, it's just a game idea; I haven't started working on it yet. And I don't feel like making up two rooms just "for the hell of it" to be able to post it into GIP.

In many (most) adventures, you play as the generic "good guy", mainly against a generic evil genius. But what if you could play as the evil guy?

There was a game a friggin' lot of time ago with that topic, called "Dungeon Keeper". The idea was great, but unfortunately, they only used the fantasy setting and the resulting game was, to be honest, shit. Really, it was fun throwing the good and honest knight into your torture chamber, always healing him when he was near death, then throwing him into the prison and letting him nearly starve to death, then throwing him back into the torture thing... until you broke him. But the game itself was crap. Boring crap. And RTS. Kinda.

And now, I'd like to bring a game like this into the adventure genre. Here is some concept art: (sorry BaRoN for stealing your avatar, but it was just too perferct to resist)



So, now to the ideas.
* You create your own villain, picking nationality (German - Russian - Asian - N/A), the type (Genius - AI - General - Alien), gender (Male - Female - N/A  :o) and the name. Perhaps you'll also be able to adjust the portrait, but the walking-around character will, depending on type and nationality, always look the same (for example, the german general will always wear a Pickelhaube).

* Your task: Develop an evil plan to be able to REIGN OVER THE WORLD!!!1(one)

* You can choose the plan (Drugs in the water - Ion cannon in the orbit - Deadly virus - a.s.o.) quite freely, but, for example "take over the internet and threaten to fire the US nuclear weapons" is only available to AI.

* The plans need resources (money) and time. Expensive plans work faster, cheap ones take longer.

* The money is also needed to purchase defense for your fortress, bribe the hero agency, buy traps, employ disposable minions...

* Once you started your plan, your fortess will be under constant attack of heroes. If you somehow got your hands on the hero agency employment plans, you can somewhat predict which heroes will attack you and adjust your defense (for example, the Ninja pictured above is a superb melee fighter but helpless against Van Berg's V2 rocket).

* A timer runs out in the background. If it reaches 0, your evil plan succeeds and you win.

* Mainly, you can just watch how your defenses are destroyed by the attackers/ how they tear the hero apart, but you *can* actively control some defense systems such as the V2 and some minions such as the "disposable assassin".

* After one hero is dead, the next will be send. All destroyed traps remain destroyed, and all dead minions remain dead.

* If a hero makes it to your base, you get a last chance to fight him in direct combat. Note you're a quite weak fighter, this is only good for winning some time.

* If you are killed before the victory timer reaches 0, you loose.

---

Additionally, many things will be randomized whenever you start a new game, such as the availability of some traps (e.g. the Tfosorcim Troop Teleporter) or the heroes. There will always be different ways to get your hands on the hero list, defend your base... also, every villain type/nationality has a "special ability"; for example, the Russian general can use the "Overkill Rocket Strike" ONCE, which will immediatly kill the hero.

So, not really an adventure, coming to think of it... anyway, what do you think? Any graphics / sound artist willing to help me with this?

/NOTE: Sorry for my English. Guess I just got too excited  .

[Ghormak]

I don't know if I have bad or good news for you, but... http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/evil-genius

[Akatosh]

Not what I'm aiming at. Related, but not the my target. Also, that isn't freeware.

/EDIT: Okay, let's point out the differences.

* The other thing only has 3 geniusses altogether, bringing the total possible combinations to three. This one has 4 nationalities, 4 types and 2 genders, bringing the total to 512 possible combinations (if I didn't miscalculate).

* The other thing's world domination works different.

* There: Governments, Here: Agency.

* Here you can watch the heroes struggling to break your defenses.

* The other thing works completly different in a lot of points.

* It costs money.

And now what they have in common:

* The "Evil Genius" thing
* World domination
* The name

[Baron]

They laughed at me when I didn't change my avatar for three years -but who's laughing now?!?  Buwuhahahhahah!!!


  It sounds like a very interesting game concept.  I'd recommend keeping the graphics pretty simple, since multiple agents dying multiple ways will exponentially increase the amount of animation work.  That Pitfall kind of look that you have already could work with just a few embellishments, but then I've got a soft spot for the old-old-school that isn't necessarily shared by the gaming community in general.

  I guess what I'm really saying is that the lazier you are, the more likely my lifelong dream of being a template for a computer game super-villain will be finally fulfilled.  I say: MAKE THE GAME!

[Eggie]

I thinkn it's a great idea. If you got some code working for it; I'd love to do the character graphics.

[Ashen]

* The other thing only has 3 geniusses altogether, bringing the total possible combinations to three. This one has 4 nationalities, 4 types and 2 genders, bringing the total to 512 possible combinations (if I didn't miscalculate).

One of us is definitely miscalculating, because I make it 32 options (48 if you have the 'N/A' gender option): 4*4*(2 or 3). (Oh, unless 512 counts hat, face and plan options?)
EDIT, after Akatosh: Ah, good. Not that I'm glad you got it wrong - 512 possible Player Characters would've been interesting - it's just good to know my maths hasn't atrophied that much.

But I like the idea, for sure. Kind of reminds me of a 'Tower Defense' style game (manage resources and defend your base), but with added evil and nifty hats.

[Akatosh]

Oh, yeah, I miscalculated. Sorry. I for some reason used 4^4 instead of 4*4 

Nice to hear you like the idea (and there actually is someone willing to help me so I won't have to rip the sprites off the The Kingdom of Loathing).

BaRoN - don't worry, I'm the laziest intelligent being in this half of the universe. I think I have a certificate somewhere, but I wasn't able to bother and hang it on my wall. 

[Dan_N]

Akatosh, you keep surprising me with each new project!
First _Access and now Evil Genius! If you don't finish both, I'll flail you myself .

Heh, I actually wanted make a game like this, after playing Dungeon Keeper and reading about Evil Genius on wiki... It was called CybEvil... Looks like you beat me to it .

Now get to work!

[Akatosh]

This, of course, leaves me to decide whether to finish _Access first and let this lingering around some time or to immediatly start working on it and freeze _Access.

[Fabiano]

heheeh I was doing something like that (stealed idea from evil genius game) but for mobile phones. Stuck on paying 5K to get in the market.
My ideas was something like the base control of UFO: Enemy Unknown, with evil genius.

Go 4 it. I will gladly play!!!

but finish _Access first 

[Akatosh]

Great. This leaves me just as wise as before 

[Dan_N]

Yeah, Akatosh, finish what you started, finish _Access first.

Then, start on Evil Genius.

Although, if you do a bit of Evil Genius before you can't work anymore, and then return to it when you can, you'll probably look at it and say it's crap, and will have to redo it. That's at least what happens to me...

So, finish _Access, slouch around until you can't work anymore, wait for that period to end, and then get to work on Evil Genius.

Or else, I'll flail you!

[Fabiano]

sry about the off topic, I'll put [OFF] in here

[OFF]
I guess there are a lot of people like me in teh world. I just CANT finish a project b4 starting a new one. I organized my pc files and created a folder names "Fabiano Projects". Each project has a folder. I have 19 folders and 1G in files inside all 19. From AGS games (3), Boardgames (2), Rpg books (2), RPGmaker2K game (1), Fiction Book (2), Php/Flash Game (1)...and others that I couldnt comment here withou being beaten with a spoon.
[/Off]

SO PLEASE, finish _acess =))))))

[Ashen]

Work solidly on _Access, but during any blocks you have flesh out the ideas for Evil Genius. Then recruit someone else to 'project manage' it (i.e. get it made) for you while you can't do the work yourself. That way we get both games to play, and you don't get a flailing from Dan.

[OFF]
I'm also in the 'Can't finish a project before wandering off to another' club. I haven't even finished re-decorating my room properly, and I started this time last year.
[/OFF]

[Akatosh]

Okay, I'll note down everything about Evil Genius that comes to my mind on my trusty Yakumo Delta and start working when _Access is finished. By the way, does nobody know someone who would do the music for _Access? Will I have to use non-licensed music from popular/not-so-popular bands?

[off]I know that "Can't finish a project before starting the next one", too. This has vanished a bit ever since I started using AGS, but in the times before, I had about 4 projects at once at least (for example, Papaya Wars, Metachaos, Maage, Winertia Drive, ... - the names are the only things the public will ever see of them).[/off]

[Dan_N]

[off]
Hehe...

* looks in folder oddly named "work" *

12 projects in Pascal I've started and still haven't finished and 3 novels I've also started, wrote a bit, and went on to do something else. Not to mention about 7 other smallish projects I've started and decided they were too small...

I vowed never to do the same with AGS games as I've done with my Pascal ones, so when I'll announce an AGS game, expect for it to be completed.

Maybe having lots of ideeas is a good sign... But if you manage to stay on track, that shows remarkable self-restraint. Or if you'd get an ideea while working on another project, you could write it down, and keep it for later.

Wait a second!

* scribbles ideeas for a game called CybTyrant *

Oh great.

[/off]

[Play_Pretend]

Curse you, Baron!  If I ever get back to working on Henchman again, I now appear to be a plagiarist!  Behold one of the League of Evil, Baron Funhausen!



He's, like, one of those evil toy villain type-guys.  *You* know how they are.

[Akatosh]

Do it like me and directly rip off the images. There is something about the human brain that lets it recognise plagiat-like stuff more often like ripoffs.

[Baron]

Jeez, I'm beginning to think that I should start a game featuring my avatar, just to retain emotional ownership.  I'll name him Klaus Schlichter and -oh wait, that's the MAGS guy.  Ah, what the heck....

[Akatosh]

Ahahahaha! You vill never be able to invent anozer german name! Zey all vill be dependent on us germans if zey need anozer german name! Zat miztake vill cost zem dearly! Ahahahaha!