Idea Depot

Design Notes:

Have characters start with nothing (equipment).

Easy to identify that new things found feel like upgrades.

Have choices of skills/equipment/abilities that are clearly better than others, have player able to hide/sell unwanted options.

Some things aren't as good as others; players have to figure out what is good.

On the surface, don't have too many numbers, but make the numbers available deeper in the GUI if the player is interested.

Have effects happening off to the side without numbers.

Player-driven story

Use accurate names of real-life weapons and ammunition

Character builds have more of an impact on play than equipment. Good ammunition shouldn't be very rare, but it is quickly consumed so it's value should organically increase (NPC vendors sell it at more modest prices, but keep a small inventory, better to buy from players or forage for bulk.)

Setting Notes:

Don't provide all the lore up front. Players are not going to remember a barrage of names.

E.g. "Powers of this world" not Mr. A and Ms. B, etc.

General UI Notes:

Isometric view

Point and click to move to location

Click on a target to trigger default action (e.g. attack)

Difficulty Notes:

Make it obvious that some areas are more challenging than others. Players should know when it is appropriate to run. (Can still award some small, partial amount of exp for survival from challenging encounters without complete success).

When a player enters an area with monsters/NPCs dramatically higher level than themselves for the first time, a popup is shown that states this fact. The pop-up can be flagged to not appear in the future. This will also appear if the player enters an area for the first time that is dramatically lower level than the player.

Two modes, two styles of servers.

Casual: Available selection of pre-designed viable character builds (player guided with a "recommended" choice on level up based on their play style. (Like Civilization games on recommended military/domestic/economic advisors for buildings and tech, except: Melee/Ranged-Militant, Diplomat, etc.)

Survival: Work hard to survive, most detailed customization options for characters, skills

Environment/Area Design Notes:

Design maps so that the player returns to areas that they saw earlier to engender a sense of connectedness/continuity/non-linearity.

Have areas that can be seen, but can't be accessed until later.

Have breakables; these provide a refreshing change of pace between challenging encounters.

Random world-effecting events.

As simple as weather effects (ranged weapon accuracy decrease, etc)

Solar flare; increased O2 output by F solaris = more endurance

At random locations, new (challenging) "dungeons" will appear and last for finite duration. Players/groups to arrive and complete get special reward. Lower level, and end-game style content.

& events that effect factions' holdings

Wandering NPCs re-stock lootable containers (from junk to belongings).

Lootable containers can be accessed by multiple players simultaneously. If an item is selected to be removed, all players currently accessing the container have the ability to "roll-off" for the item (group loot).

Items left on the ground will be picked up periodically by NPCs (they won't simply time out).

Areas where the number of active NPCs is inversely proportional to the number of players.

Collect data on player locations and travel routes to learn desire paths across Calydon.

Instead of zooming in for indoors, have buildings cut away (like Diablo, not like WoW)

Quarrying of materials and artifacts (such as the Roman Colosseum)

Areas where scrap spawns (such as landfill of Sebastopol)

Can auto-harvest (and combat)

Preferences: find unpopulated sector

if anyone enters (at level >= #), leave for new sector

Enemy Design Notes:

Swarm robotics

A great beast whose insides are an endlessly descending whirlpool.

Logical loot from enemies (no money spiders)

Social Notes:

Encourage group assembly; bonuses to Exp, loot find. Item drops are for the group, distribution of items elected, if contested, then a randomly weighted distribution based on the net gross value distribution of the group's historic loot..

In GUI have one dedicated panel for chatting, a different dedicated panel for graphical game content.

Writing:

Something that seems like it could be a disaster; but what actually planned with calculated results.

A post-apocalyptic heist mockumentary based on a children's book.

Lost space arks might dock at Calydon at later stages of the game

Sequel, or for game world balancing

As we develop renewable energies we can stabilize at a higher level, another plateau of "balance"

See Lagos Nomads balance with nature.

Character Options:

Make it possible to run a non-combat character (alternative ways to get exp)

Have player skill contribute to effectiveness, not just itemization. Make it obvious that a player is getting better at playing the game.

Quest Notes:

Class-specific quests

Journey-based quests

Training-based quests

Economy\Item Notes:

Consumables from different areas that can only be gathered effectively with highly specific gear or skills. These kinds of goods would be ideal for trade in the market place.

crafting by different classes have globally useful items, as a method to balance the number of classes

Gamification Framework

Gene drive

Location names:

Abyssinia

servers with different pace? (AP recovery or animation speed?)

"Red air" - enemy air superiority

Calydon pandemic event (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrupted_Blood_incident

Display health bar and status effects on screen of currently engaged foe. Mouseover their effects will provide a description. Combat should not be so fast that these things can't be appreciated, and so noxes are actually useful. (Instead of hack hack, dead, more miss, dodge, tactical retreat, etc.)

Make simplistic AI followers (healer, ranged DPS, tank)

ammunition should be limiting (if market is saturated with ammunition at low prices, NPCs like Chestonites may buyout and horde; press players into crafting/bartering for ammo.

items: nice to find upgrades, but also nice to build attachment with specific items (it isn't immediately trash after finding an upgrade; how/what is it's new purpose?)

Charmify? Have a Mystic permanently shrinkydink it and use it as an accessory?

Pharma sutra

A longstanding hero turned villain

Consumable items for teleporting; transponders

Lethal joke items

In order to equip some item, must have the skill "whatever"

Calydon-wide voting system to affect some global setting/variable. (one vote per IP)

Also voting within factions (weighted by experience, etc)

NO RETRAINING see character death

As you get more injured, your avatar shows it, also move slower

In Fallout limbs get injured, but there's no visible, no "feel" of woundedness.

This was encountered upon when disabling UI in WOW; if you knew your keys well enough, then you could play with no UI for a while, as long as you could see things like your health / energy. (These could be optionally persistent in the UI toggle)

Reference the Encyclopedia Galactica

Efficient Scavenging of Solar and Wind Energies in a Smart City

visual and sound effects for item use

loot system is two panels: character & ground/other char

drag & drop, loot all

to the right of each stackable item (up arrow, question mark, down arrow) to edit quantity. Question mark opens up a dialog box for numerical input.

Use complex vocab for special item names

most special item are classical items crafted by specific npcs

these npcs may be hard to find, and they only have one of them in stock sporadically (better chance to find them on the second market)

high level mechanic:

reverse engineer: destroy a physical item to learn how to craft it

(not possible on npc specific items)

custom crafting:

craft an item and put your mark on it (see special items above)

Item has some kind of stats, but when you reach a certain level, other stats on it unlock.

or negative stats that disappear after the character reaches a certain level

Dark Wanderer (reference D2)

Video games: Oh look, an enemy! That must mean I'm heading in the right direction. vs real world.

stargazing as an origin of geometry

Agamemnauts

Bots legal realm / no-bots realm?

Nothing should be advertised as fast & easy. Advertise effective. Personalities drawn to fast & easy wont be sucessful (learning a language), so the product will never do well.

killing spree out of context https://i.imgur.com/PlFlQvi.jpeg

Trigger on hit effects

Critical

Elemental damage

some attacks that split into three lower damage attacks, min damage 1

Some things increase dam based on base dam

quest giver will seek out player, if they're in the same neighborhood

(asking other NPCs where they have seen them)

Echidna Complex

Well hello there how much oil are you trading in today?

About 8 galleons.

8 gallons? He chuckled. I think I could give you about 25 silver for that.

I'm sorry I think you misunderstood me sir. That would be 8 galleons g-a-l-l-e-o-n-s.

The man looked at him dumbstruck and said oh.

Defy instant gratification

deep and thick

never break, everlasting

In the beginning/tutorial, the player has a temporarily high "appraise" ability, or ability to judge an opponents strength. this is granted by some mentor, who later dies / player loses communication.

A crying child calls to his mother

Fog waxes and wanes off the ocean

Preparation of a feast

Gathering of friends

passion

An uplifting coincidental crossing

crude and banal sport worship

time flying furiously

missed and lost

heart pounding through the trees

fill the gnawing emptiness with numbers

resolute to be aloof

time waits for no one

moonlit somber

tumultuous hiccough

Sweet smells of aromatic disinfectants in clinics and hospitals help to improve everyone's mood, putting everyone at peace, enhancing work environment and healing

Technology as a means

increasing diversity

linen pants

understanding of the universe (of ourselves)

forks over knives

learning social "appropriate" behavior

exact revenge

savage rapacity

trimming cuticles with a razor blade

TV commercials to brainwash children

"Children of Peace"

Children of every nationality shout, "We love you!"

"I want to be your friend!"

"Mom, can Siddhartha come over?"

"Why sure son, if its okay with his parents"

"Okay, thank you!"

"See you soon!"

Wabisabi joke - The wooden fountain flows and falls into the toilet bowl, producing a soothing sound.

Stir crazy

stir = slang for prison

Ouch, that smarts!

To figure out an equation based code to access a computer, pricked with a knife on the shoulder

Guy on a Buffalo

Cessarianism

Necessitarianism

Determinism

Deism

Harem of feral horses

Lowest of the lowest demonic denominators

show items that the player can craft with the items they currently have. greyed out if they dont meet pre-reqs

whetstone, metal spear -> sharpened metal sphere

as sharpened metal spear is used, its durability decreases, when it decreases enough, it becomes a metal spear, and dull metal spear. the whetstone too loses durability as used.

I ain't no damn shitizen!

Sheeple

Bio vine tower to space

進撃 - shingeki. advance

Dyson spheres as the map basis (inverted globe!)

Mechanism of colonization

"... that just doesn't quit"

The element of first person in video games

Seeking knowledge is self destructive; The more we know the sadder we become.

Tower of babel story

anti-intellectualism

divergence of species

Construction vs deconstruction

restrains vs indulgence

Self-defeating

remove the dead growth

alarming frequency

freedom within boundaries

Positivism - behavior based on natural science, scientific Method. No free will

Time travel through dreams. Replace self in past

Offensive tree planting by druids (gladiator)

Something repetitive from a living thing:

Funny -> annoying -> frightening

CDs as currency, spools to hold CDs (vs bottle caps)

Nausegen nausegenic

Daikon Orochi

Renkon derecha

Equipment with negative stats

An area in which there is a tree so tall that it reaches the upper limits of the atmosphere, were there is a settlement. Goods/people are transported up and down the stalk/trunk of the tree by massive organic creatures.

Xlate: A networked information resource that can still be accessed from some vestigal terminals.

Look @ dev blogs of EVE online for server architecture

Lotka-Volterra model

Custom gene children

pick traits for next gen from current char

plot where this technology is only in the hands of evil technologists

Hedonic treadmill

Futurist (speculatist)

Cancer, aging, autophagy

Current events:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070105003810/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1135368.stm

Conformity vs Insanity (are those that don't conform restricted to the fringe as insane?)

When idling, skills improve

"I'd like to fundamentally change the way things work"

fickle +

optimization -

mistrust +

contentment +

Items have weight, and take up space. Some items stack. Diablo/BG inventory style, crossed with encumbrance.

People in game encouraged to specialize in something, require to work with experts in other areas

Npcs have two (assigned traits/special abilities)

Draw pictures, list diagram of how combat works

vanishingly large surface

standing right in front of it, the surface of the sphere was vanishingly large.

Intro:

Char on a field

Left click to move to a location (checkbox to disable tut popups)

Abilities have cooldown time

Abilities have cast time

Cast/cooldown

Attack cooldown 1/2

Defend cooldown 1/1

Magic missile 1/10

Summon angel 5/20

Drag abilities into hotkey bar, in order of priority for automated activity (5 slots)

(if abil is avail, it will be used, if not use next)

(5 slots for non automated abilities, hotkey able)

Hotkey (or click to warm up ability)

Click on target to add ability to queue

different game idea:

Scale zoom

Zoom in and out to accomplish goals

Ie; attack guy with sword

Zoom in, see metal/armor interface

Zoom out, direct the whole battle

something so intuitive it doesn't need a laborious tutorial synthesis of seemingly contradictory perspectives The main quest has elements of journey, not just grinding. Randomly generated item stats/monsters keeping a group together that is walking in a line with different paces Hoechst so good I Hoechst myself again, to see if I still feel You got Hoechst counterpoint Idle NPCs come seeking out player (think Fallout 3) time mages - can expedite game speed (not by much individually) through coordination can have expedited periods for some time. secrets/exploitable "glitches" Agnosta Double rainbow Mother and child reunion Kalad survives against all odds, black slime Bow when shoot, glowing arrow (mystic) Hit target, exit wound targets to next target (yeah, its magic) Umm, does this encourage real-time combat somehow…? Pre programmed combat tactics, so it happens in real time But still need some kind of player interaction So choice between pre-program and live action (like chrono trigger, will pop up menu, but if wait too long, the mons will go. However, if idle, the player will be gathering AP AP combat system (like Fallout, but AP come back over time, wait when enough AP to do something) Can click a button when you don’t have enough AP, and will automatically wait till player has enough AP (AP recovery rate in AP/sec) Attack speeds of weapons in AP -- Names: Hedgehog Notch Unknown provenance Make something really simple, like the text and button game. Make it modular, add features and graphics later --Things players can’t do until they are stronger

-- Paint a picture but don’t show it. Talk it up. Reveal one piece at a time. Something you can see, but that you don’t have access to. When idling, skills improve (select skill to improve, icon will appear to show; click icon to change skill) AP combat system (like Fallout, but AP come back over time, wait when enough AP to do something) Can click a button when you don’t have enough AP, and will automatically wait till player has enough AP (AP recovery rate in AP/sec) Attack speeds of weapons in AP -- AP daily system AP set to do what each person will do daily -- Have something that is active and fun to do to, not just management & end day Mouse control only, keyboard shortcuts Scenario: Survivors “screw this, I’m not staying in this rat hole any longer. I’m going to go get a gun and you’d better pray I don’t find you.” Hull breach SC map

A war front where the two sides are descendents from the same family (some interconnection)

At the site of one major conflict, the battle generals meet; "Why are we fighting?" ---

spend points to unlock queue slots for actions (able to play idle/animated if you focus on it. not able to be as point effective as active control however, due to distribution of skill points)

Oort Cloud

Homo economicus vs Homo reciprocans - game theory

There must be comedies and dramas, too, at every scale

bacteria to galaxies

stars born, die, collide

astronauts hopping from planet to planet, not unlike bacteria from host to host

Anthropic principle - "We see the universe the way it is because we exist"

App/database of all product review

submit new product

name

purchase price / volume / location / date / image

rating

Idea Depot

Unless otherwise noted, all content (C) 2007-2024 Shigeki Miyake-Stoner: shigekims+ephemeral.respite at gmail dot com