My First Game Brainstorm
I have put a lot of thought into several genres that I want to explore for my very first game. I have some that definitely interest me more than others but I will definitely explore each of my ideas and see where it takes me!
I began my research by exploring my personal favorite games that I have played and found that there were a lot of ideas to develop on. My four genres that I have decided to explore are RPG's, Stealth games, Platformers and a simple horror game. There are many free assets here that could spark other ideas as I develop my chosen game.
First Idea: RPG
My first idea is a Role-playing game. This is one of my favorite genres and I am inspired by many games that I really like. Some examples of these games include Skyrim, World of Warcraft, The Witcher series and also the Fallout series. Medieval games have always been of interest to me so I think it would be great to develop a game that I would have fun playing myself. I did a lot of research into looking at medieval-like textures for unity that I could use that are free on the assets store. I found a very basic tutorial that I thought was very helpful.
Either of these ideas should definitely be achievable as there are lots of helpful videos on anything that would be essential for a horror game. Creating several jump scares that work would definitely be challenging to pull off but it would be a great way of getting a better understanding of Unity.
I would be excited to work on any of the games above. My main thoughts at the moment are making sure I don't try and over achieve with a game and ending up needing to spend too much time on it every week. I also worry about how Unity would run on my laptop as the game gets bigger with more terrain and objects as I much prefer working at home rather than on the macs in college. This might push me more towards creating more basic games of each genre I chose. I'm looking forward to designing my first game!
I began my research by exploring my personal favorite games that I have played and found that there were a lot of ideas to develop on. My four genres that I have decided to explore are RPG's, Stealth games, Platformers and a simple horror game. There are many free assets here that could spark other ideas as I develop my chosen game.
First Idea: RPG
My first idea is a Role-playing game. This is one of my favorite genres and I am inspired by many games that I really like. Some examples of these games include Skyrim, World of Warcraft, The Witcher series and also the Fallout series. Medieval games have always been of interest to me so I think it would be great to develop a game that I would have fun playing myself. I did a lot of research into looking at medieval-like textures for unity that I could use that are free on the assets store. I found a very basic tutorial that I thought was very helpful.
Source - GameGrind
I am considering something like this style. I may mess around with textures to see if I can create a harsher environment for more of a medieval feel. A possible story that I thought about to reach an end goal was to have a quest. The quest involves going behind enemy lines to save your brother who has been captured and imprisoned. I would try and figure out if I could potentially put chests for different loot to help out on your quest or maybe even choose your gear at the beginning.
An alternative idea but similar to the basic idea, you could be on a path to finding an important family heirloom that is passed down through generations, maybe like a sword, daggers, armor or anything of importance in that genre. I may explore trying to create a random loot pool if it's not too difficult as I feel that this is a big part of great RPG games. I found an interesting tutorial on Youtube that emulates the movement of World of Warcraft which I think would be great to test out. It is also built on the most recent version so the UI is a lot easier to follow.
Source - Soupertrooper
Overall I feel that this would be something I would enjoy creating and know I will have a little extra motivation to make it enjoyable as it's a genre I love.
My second idea is a stealth game. There are a couple ways that I could go about this game type. I looked online for examples of tutorials to get a better understanding of how these games actually work and I found some really informative videos.
The first way is a very basic game where you control an object and try to strategically maneuver away from the line of sight from other objects using arrow keys. I think this would be an easier idea in terms of reaching a goal. For this idea, it would be more about reaching a destination without getting caught and it would be more code based, it also wouldn't be as full of texture as other games. I have watched some of the tutorial and it actually looks very interesting but the coding behind it does look a little tricky. Here is the tutorial I am talking about.
Source - Sebastian Lague
The second way is more complicated. If I did choose to develop a game like this one I would definitely have to find my own way of creating it to a much smaller scale. This would also need more of a story behind it. I could do a game similar to Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell where you are infiltrating a base and trying to reach a goal without alerting enemies. Maybe something like trying to find private files or collect a virus before it is distributed among the population.
With this design, It would be a lot more about the hiding aspect and would have more human movement like ducking and sneaking. Here is a little trailer I found that shows what is included in the tutorials to help develop all of this different movement.
Third Idea: Platformer
My third idea is to create a Platformer. Some good examples of 3D Platformers I looked at were Super Mario Galaxy, Ratchet and Clank and Crash Bandicoot. I discovered some tutorials on Youtube of how to create a basic Platformer with good character movement, a player model, a health system and much more. From this I can build my own simple terrain that would match the style of the game. Here is the tutorial that I discovered.
I really like the simplicity in both the look of the character and the world created. It could be a similar game to Human Fall Flat when it comes to the basic map design. I would try and design some simple costume changes so you can pick your own outfit at the beginning and will look further into figuring out if I can make a basic character customisation option.
The Platformer would either be a more casual adventure, puzzle type game or it would be something that involves combat to get to your destination. I think that a puzzle would be a much easier option and would let me be a bit more creative in terms of map design rather than adding a load of combat. I do love combat in most games so I would definitely look into seeing how I can add that into the game.
If I decide to make a puzzle game, I would try create something like a difficult large maze where you have to reach the end. Another idea would be similar to Crash Bandicoot, a map that involves parkour and quick movement to reach the end of the level. Maybe at the end of the puzzle would be something similar to the gem that is created at the end of the second tutorial by Jimmy Vegas.
For a game involving combat there would have to be much more coding and would take way more time. As long as it's fun and the game feels as good as possible for a beginner, a little more effort and time won't matter as it will be more rewarding.
Fourth Idea: Horror Game
For my fourth idea for my first game I decided on a horror game. Something similar to Slenderman in terms of story plot would definitely be achievable. The map design also shouldn't be too difficult as it would mostly be very dark and the character would have a flashlight as they go around. A forest would be the best idea for this type of game as it's a much more basic terrain for beginners.
Here is a tutorial on how to create objects like pages throughout the map that you would have to collect.
You wake up and you look around to discover you are alone in a dark room and you have no idea how you got here. You see a door with a note on it that says "You can't escape" (or something like that). The door is unlocked and from then on you have to try and escape the unfamiliar building, around the building you can find different weapons to help you out. You soon discover you are not alone as you hear footsteps down a dark hallway. The goal here is to find a way out of the building without being discovered. Alternatively, you can be discovered several times with jump scares and you have to get away from the enemy by getting out of their line of sight and hiding.
Source - gamesplusjames
I really like the simplicity in both the look of the character and the world created. It could be a similar game to Human Fall Flat when it comes to the basic map design. I would try and design some simple costume changes so you can pick your own outfit at the beginning and will look further into figuring out if I can make a basic character customisation option.
The Platformer would either be a more casual adventure, puzzle type game or it would be something that involves combat to get to your destination. I think that a puzzle would be a much easier option and would let me be a bit more creative in terms of map design rather than adding a load of combat. I do love combat in most games so I would definitely look into seeing how I can add that into the game.
If I decide to make a puzzle game, I would try create something like a difficult large maze where you have to reach the end. Another idea would be similar to Crash Bandicoot, a map that involves parkour and quick movement to reach the end of the level. Maybe at the end of the puzzle would be something similar to the gem that is created at the end of the second tutorial by Jimmy Vegas.
For a game involving combat there would have to be much more coding and would take way more time. As long as it's fun and the game feels as good as possible for a beginner, a little more effort and time won't matter as it will be more rewarding.
Fourth Idea: Horror Game
For my fourth idea for my first game I decided on a horror game. Something similar to Slenderman in terms of story plot would definitely be achievable. The map design also shouldn't be too difficult as it would mostly be very dark and the character would have a flashlight as they go around. A forest would be the best idea for this type of game as it's a much more basic terrain for beginners.
Here is a tutorial on how to create objects like pages throughout the map that you would have to collect.
Source - RyanDome
A much more challenging yet fun horror game to develop would be a survival horror game similar to Resident Evil and Silent Hill. This game would be a lot more important when it comes to terrain as it would involved either being stuck inside a large building with lots of detail or just being in a large area outside that's not just a simple forest. This would involve a lot more important lighting and coding. Jimmy Vegas also has a beginners guide to horror games in Unity and so far he seems to be very easy to follow along so this would be a very helpful tutorial.
Source - Jimmy Vegas
Either of these ideas should definitely be achievable as there are lots of helpful videos on anything that would be essential for a horror game. Creating several jump scares that work would definitely be challenging to pull off but it would be a great way of getting a better understanding of Unity.
I would be excited to work on any of the games above. My main thoughts at the moment are making sure I don't try and over achieve with a game and ending up needing to spend too much time on it every week. I also worry about how Unity would run on my laptop as the game gets bigger with more terrain and objects as I much prefer working at home rather than on the macs in college. This might push me more towards creating more basic games of each genre I chose. I'm looking forward to designing my first game!
Hey Dylan,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the idea you had for the horror game because I really enjoy games such as Slender-man and Silent Hill and I agree that the terrain in a game like that is a lot more important to the game itself as there is a lot more to the plot of the game. A horror game like Silent Hill would be a more difficult one to make but I think that you could do it. You mentioned in your RPG idea that you would mess with the textures to try and make them look harsher, what if you left the textures the way they are, the textures don't have to look harsh and gritty for you to convey that the game is set in medieval times. Either way I think the game would be great.
-Casper :)