Koenig and Smirky's Project: "FPS Party" (Kinda Secret)

Trading is a feature that we should definitely add to the game, as otherwise it could become very difficult to get some items simply because of bad luck; but it would be a good idea to make some special cards untradeable. In the case of untradable cards I think it should be limited to event and award cards, all other cards would be fair game.

The more I think about it, the more it seems like giving this game a "toy" themed aesthetic would be better for it. Granted I still want to keep some things more semi realistic looking(Map terrain for example) but characters and their equipment would be far easier to create and program with a consistent design; likewise it would be easier to keep a E/12 rating.

I got another idea, how about around holidays there are special holiday themed items a player can earn for do certain things

I like it, That is exactly what I had in mind for the holiday events.

yeah like for Halloween the player can get Halloween costumes for their characters and have rock candy as weapons/grenades and for Christmas maybe explosive candy canes

Easter-egg grenades for Easter, Firework-rockets for the 4th, Gift-wrapped gear for Christmas etc. It would be a great reward for players who still play the game through-out the year and might encourage other players to pick it up again.

yes it would and maybe you could also have special unlockable stuff for if a player plays for a certain amount of time or something like that, like maybe bronze, silver, and gold gear depending on how much time they spend in the game or spend doing certain things in the game

I would like to implement a rarity system to the cards. Generally speaking rare cards would not be better than their more common counterparts, but would simply be something along the lines of bragging rights or a display of luck. "Golden" items and some of their variants would be an ideal example of this.

Reward Center:

The reward center would be an addition option available across the three primary modes. Selecting it would load a special menu screen with an organized list of options and rewards. Players could spend their various tickets here to buy specific rewards, unlock new features, trade cards, buy booster packs, and the like.

While the reward center would still maintain a menu like format, it would be stylized and designed to resemble a store counter and its shelf's to display various content. The rewards and features of the center would have to be selected by the player (Rather than displaying it all at once) after which the player could highlight the objects in question to get a brief description of the object and its function.

The Reward Center would be manned by a NPC character who would roam the menu screen depending on what part of the menu was being accessed. This NPC offer advise about how to best use some equipment, alert the player about new rewards, and start general (one-way) conversations with the player that may or may not yield other useful information. One little touch I would like to add would be the ability to trade the NPC directly for a discount on certain rewards; the card in question that the NPC wanted would be picked at random, however rarer cards would be valued higher.

Adventure mode:

Adventure mode is a collection secondary modes that cross the room based progression of games like Metroid Prime with the generated elements of rougelikes.  Dungeons and maps would be generated by taking a number of pre-built rooms from programming list and arranging them in a randomized design, connecting them with various hallways and sub-rooms that can reach long distances and subsequently fill out dead space.  Each of these rooms would also have a number of locations and assets that use randomized assets, meaning that the rooms could also be randomized.

Players would be tasked with raiding these randomly generated dungeons and use the resources found in them to progress through it.  Along the way players would come across cards and upgrades like those used in battle mode, which they can then use to power up their character and allies while in the dungeon.  The cards they actually get to keep would vary from mode to mode. Various things would affect how the play completes the dungeon, from puzzles that open doors, hidden bonus rooms, dropped keys, devices that needed repair, etc.

There would be a small handful of different modes for players to choose. Some modes would task beating a single dungeon, some a set of dungeons, some a never ending stream; while other modes might use a pre built dungeon for a cross between a horde mode and tower defense game (As players could pay money to upgrade traps in the dungeon)


I will admit right now that Adventure mode borrows heavily from other rouge like games, and in this case is very similar to the "Dungeonering" skill in Runescape. However I believe that this mode will set itself apart from other rougelikes with its unique content, rewards, and inherent FPS design.

This is an ambitious project indeed. I am seeing that with all the little collectibles and customization, it could be something worthy of the TF2 player collective...*reads more

Thanks!  It is overly ambitious for a first time project, but all of these concepts are well within the realms of what should be possible by the hands of a talented studio.

hey do you think you'll have a special steamlords set of items?

It is an interesting idea, but I doubt it considering Steamlords story is unfinished and the scope of its game would be significantly larger than this one.  There would be no point in going out of the way to create assets for it when they represented a non existent game.

Random Idea: Player Plaza.

In addition to collecting cards for their characters and gear, players could also earn cards that could be used in a custom map that was accessible in all modes. These cards would be used to unlock content to customize the map to the players preference like on would decorate a house. The map in question would be the player plaza; a place where players and those playing with them could go for goofing around, testing out new gear, interacting with basic NPC's, etc. While ultimately a side-attraction to the main game, it would offer a change in pace and some slight bonus's for those willing to use it.

*Pokes thread* Anyone still here?

hey Koenig why not also add shops in the player plaza that is run by npc and maybe even have an auction house as part of it?

That is actually a pretty neat idea. It would have to facilitate a few changes, but if done right it could work well and tie together the different game modes.

hey Koenig, have you thought of anymore ideas for the game?

Sorry for the very late reply; I did not notice your post.

So far the only idea's I have had are simple refinements to previously mentioned mechanics, so nothing particularly "new".

I came up with some mock concept art for the games aesthetic style and emblem. Essentially a Crash-Test icon merged with a tilted gun-sight.

NPC Characters:

Every match in Battle mode is overseen by NPC characters that guide and interact with the player and each other in various ways over the radio and com chat. The activation of NPC guidance is determined by player performance, and non useful information is triggered on rare occasions to reduce repetition. There are three tiers of NPC's:
-Judge
-Team Leader
-Partner

The Judge NPC is a neutral AI that acts as referee and announcer during the matches. It's words are law and subsequently alters the flow of the game accordingly and can subsequently reward or penalize players for their actions during the round. The Judge can be one of three AI characters, the selection of which is determined by the game mode, map, and players present.

The Team Leader NPC is an actual character who is aligned with one team or another and subsequently provides objectives or advice to the team that he or she commands; either creating secondary goals to assist the team, calling out enemy positions to provide intelligence, or placing bounties on specific enemy players. Team Leaders can interact with other NPC's such as the Judge or Partner and will provide context and exposition during the match; often arguing with the former or laid back conversation with the latter. In some cases they will even argue with NPC's from the other team providing further characterization for each NPC. The Team Leader can be one of the twelve different NPC's, the selection of which is determined by the team the player is on and the players present.

Partner NPC's act as the players personal assistant and provide specific advice for them during each round. They can interact with both the Judge and Team Leaders but not other Partners. A Partner NPC is selected by the player and must be unlocked prior to doing so.

I finally came up with some context to pit these robots against each other:

"These Robots exist for the sole purpose of being smashed, crashed, crushed, shot, sliced, diced, and all around blown apart; effectively negating any moral concerns some players may have about rationalizing their actions. The organization responsible for creating them is also the one who hosts and sets up the various maps, dungeons, situations that pit these robots against insurmountable odds and each other. Their Goal? Well that's for the player to find out. Could be to improve safety features and technology? Or could be to create militarized robots of mass destruction? Could be for the betterment of mankind? or it could be for our own selfish entertainment? Regardless of the reason, it is the job these robots were built for and they will follow it to the letter, whether they want to or not."

Woah... It's been a while since I seen this. Now I feel bad for not responding to this for awhile even though my name is in the title. Okay! I will contribute what I can for now. I'll have to back and read to refresh my memory on this project.

What this game needs is an EYE CATCHING TITLE!
throwing ideas for titles:

Technical Difficulties
Shot Bots
G.U.N.R.S. (Globally United Nerdly Robotic Soldiers)
Mad Bots
Warriors of Metal
Better than Call of Duty
Robot House!
Sci-Fi-Friday

Good to have you back, Smirky.  Yes, the game needs a better title; I like Technical Difficulties and Robot house though I doubt that name would stick.  Ill throw in a few more:

Robotallion
Crashbots
Battle Dummies
Robot inc
Crash inc
Crash Iron
Iron Epic
Mock Epic

...
yup, those names suck.


PS:  Here is the Link to the improved thread I have been working on:
http://nintendoenthusiast.com/forums/threads/project-fps-party.2349/