Please help me pick out an idea...

[ShiverMeSideways]

Hello.

I'm having a small crisis in that I've been trying for a month or so to get into a project. Any project. I've written design docs, I've tried to start something, but I just can't get into anything, so I'm going to just ask people to choose for me, and I'll just do it.

This is because I quit working on my music game, 'cos there're enough projects like that around here...

I'm going to throw in a bunch of my not-so-ordinary old projects on the board, and you guys will just discuss and vote which project you'd like to see me do.

So, here goes:
* Bomber Planes - A tactical arcadish sort of game in which you control a bomber and complete certain missions. Features allies & baddies, each with their own special AI, different objectives (not just kill, kill, kill), and also nifty special missions like close-up bombings and fighter fight-offs, and whatnot.
* Castle Wars - A simple TBS game in which two opposing castles duke it out. Features castle management with all that that entails (subjects, buildings, etc.), armies, external castle management (a.k.a. resource management), a basic province map to fight over, and Heroes of Might and Magic-esque fighting (hopefully).
* CybRailroads - Manage railroad networks. Set up routes, trains, etc. in a strategy/sim fashion. Features lots of trains, different route types (single-rail, double-rail, electrified, etc.), detailed managing and upgrading of routes and stations, three big scenarios (which have randomly generated maps).
* Zombie Attack - Probably my first arcade shooter idea. Fairly straight-forward, top-down shooter. But, the main selling point and feature of this game is its editor. Basically, you can select a number of tiles, or import your own (hopefully), create simple scripts, and so on, and so forth. Probably the most cinematic top-down amateur arcade shooter ever !

Right, so get down with the sickness and discuss. Not just midlessly pick one. Discuss. Please.

[Radiant]

I like the railroad one. It sounds the most intriguing of the four.

[ThreeOhFour]

I agree - railroad one - depending on how you do it.

The "detailed managing" section has me thinking that it will either be a good challenge or just plain annoying trying to keep everything upgraded/running. I loved Transport Tycoon, and the rest of them sound like something I'd play for an hour and move on.

[twin-moon]

"Bomber Planes" and "Zombie Attack" don't sound too interesting. A level editor doesn't do it for me, unless you got lots of people contributing, like with Dink Smallwood.

Out of the other two I have a slight preference for Castle Wars since I don't like sim games.

[ShiverMeSideways]

Well, mind you, CybRailroads won't feature building like in the Tycoon games. You'll have to set up routes by selecting settlement A and settlement B, and they'll just be linked together.

[ThreeOhFour]

Still sounds fine to me - I do not see the point in just making another version of a game; you may as well do it your own way. This fact does not affect my vote.

[twin-moon]

You'll have to set up routes by selecting settlement A and settlement B, and they'll just be linked together.

I've never played Railroad Tycoon, but I'm guessing it's like Simcity with railroads.
What willl CybRailroads be like? Is it like playing with a model train or do you have to make money?

(if you make a computerised version of model trains you won't have much competition. Google could only find one, and that's still in the beta stage)

[ThreeOhFour]

(if you make a computerised version of model trains you won't have much competition. Google could only find one, and that's still in the beta stage)

Well, commercially speaking there is Auran's Trainz games, but they don't actually try to look like a model train set - they try to make everything look like real trains. The concept is close but.

I feel that a game like this could become dull if there wasn't a running the business aspect to it.

[ShiverMeSideways]

Well, there's not only Trainz. There's also Microsoft Train Simulator and whatnot. There aren't that many games, but there are some. The selling point (aside from putting trains, rails etc.) is that you can actually step in the trains too and drive them.

I agree with Ben, the concept never attracted me either, I still love playing Locomotion or Transport Tycoon, 'cos else it would just become dull.

Well, CybRailroads will be a train company managing sim, really. You set up routes from settlement to settlement and then you set up trains to service those routes. The type of rails you use (single, double, with signals, electrified etc.) affects the type and number of trains you can use on that route. Then, transport passengers and cargo. Settlements will continue to grow and new industries will come and go, so you need to keep an eye on your routes, to make sure they're not obsolete or the stations will be overcrowded.

That's basically it, in a nutshell. Not incredibly diverse, but might be fun for a while, since there'll be three campaigns (easy, medium, and hard) and every time you start a campaign, a new map is generated randomnly.

[twin-moon]

Well, there's not only Trainz. There's also Microsoft Train Simulator and whatnot. There aren't that many games, but there are some. The selling point (aside from putting trains, rails etc.) is that you can actually step in the trains too and drive them.

I generally ignore all Microsoft products From their screenshots Trainz didn't look right, that's why I discarded it.
Probably games like these are not very exciting, unless you could race on the tracks you make. But that raises the question: why don't you do it with cars?

Well, CybRailroads will be a train company managing sim, really. You set up routes from settlement to settlement and then you set up trains to service those routes. The type of rails you use (single, double, with signals, electrified etc.) affects the type and number of trains you can use on that route. Then, transport passengers and cargo. Settlements will continue to grow and new industries will come and go, so you need to keep an eye on your routes, to make sure they're not obsolete or the stations will be overcrowded.

That's basically it, in a nutshell. Not incredibly diverse, but might be fun for a while, since there'll be three campaigns (easy, medium, and hard) and every time you start a campaign, a new map is generated randomnly.

Ah, I see what you mean. (I guess that's what you get for not playing a lot of games.) It's like Settlers with trains!

This is a great idea. I change my vote to CybRailroad.

[ThreeOhFour]

Probably games like these are not very exciting, unless you could race on the tracks you make. But that raises the question: why don't you do it with cars?

Out of fairness I would like to raise this point - no matter what you do, there will almost always be an audience for it. Trainz has a number of sequels - and I happen to have a father who is keen to get a copy of it (but not until computer upgrade happens ) and a friend who is considering buying it. There are the Flight Simulator series - how fascinating, fly slowly in planes with no weapons from one airport to another with different weather conditions. Yawn. And yet the games sell - there is an audience because there are enthusiasts. I remember even playing a sailing simulation once. Oh my word - how terribly boring. You get to drive (heh) your boat really slowly through checkpoints that are around the water. There are people interested in this sort of game (somewhere).

Sorry to rant or get offtopic, but I feel it is important to remember that for any single game out there, no matter what it is about or how the gameplay works, there will be someone who enjoys it.

With this as my proof, I hereby pronouce FSi's Simdefecation a work of visionary art.