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New to forum - want to show my game concept (Forums : Ideas & Concepts : New to forum - want to show my game concept) Locked
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Oct 30 2013 Anchor

Hello all.
At first I put my concept on Steam and one of users recommended me this forum.

About me:
I live in Israel, 28 years old, not a programmer, but learnt a few programming languages.

Short version of concept:
The game is naval Adventure/RPG in a fictional world. The idea is to sail between islands trading all kind of goods, possibly I'll add there quests on later point.

Graphics engine: I am using Campaign Cartographer to render backgrounds for most of game screens. (I have authorization from owners)
I am planning to use 3d models from turbosquid to make characters and ships (no screenshots yet).

To assemble all in one piece I will use GameMaker Studio.

What I don't need:
I am not going to recruit people or ask for money. If I will need money, I'll open campaign on IndieGoGo.
I will also not ask to give me models for free.

What I need:

I want to know if there is any possible interest in this kind of game.

Copy from Steam:

1) Concept isn't interesting, no matter the graphics, so it's better to cancel it before I spend more money.

2) Concept is good, but graphics is too bad, so need to be replaced. In that case I'll have to spend money on better graphics source (possibly 3d models from turbosquid) and spend much more then planned.

3) Concept is good, graphics is more or less playable. In that case I'll use only a few 3d models and backgrounds will have same style. Relatively not that much money.

The full version of concept:


World and lore:

Imagine a sea. No, a larger one. No my friend, even more larger. As huge as you can even imagine! Oh, that’s still not large enough. I know what bothers you my friend, that’s the mistake everyone does at this point. You are trying to imagine a sea limited by shores. Am I right? Yes, a sea is a large body of water that has natural borders of land. But what if there is a sea not limited by a land? Sargasso Sea that is located in the middle of Atlantic Ocean? No my friend, I am not talking about this one. I guess it’s better to stop asking and start explaining.

An Infinite Sea – A sea that is actually the whole universe. The whole world full of salty water! But even in this world there is sentient life. As a landmass usually has inner seas and lakes, so the Infinite Sea has inner bodies of land – islands. So far no one ever found an end of the Infinite Sea, but as long as you keep sailing in one direction, you will find new islands. Their exact number is unknown, but new islands are discovered all the time. Islands are rather small and neither of them can fully sustain itself. And that’s where people like you appear on the scene. Infinite Sea Traders – a unique caste of people who belong to neither of islands, but also to all of them. Their endless work is sailing from an island to an island bringing the so much needed resources to them. Without those Traders every island will sooner or later perish and traders do know how important they are. And they are not altruists, they all want to make money from it. You are one of them. A young trader who starts from zero but hopes to become the richest person in the explored part of the Infinite Sea. Will you succeed or your fate is to stay poor for the rest of your life? Play the Infinite Sea Traders and find out!

Planned Features:

- A large and random world:

Many islands in seemingly infinite sea. Every time you start a new game – you will have new geography, order of the islands will be different each time!

- Random town inner look:

Every time you start a new game – the very look of towns and cities will be different!

- Ultimate Trade:
Unlike some other games who have “generic” trade goods, in Infinite Sea Traders you’ll find more real approach. Every type of trade good will have a few variants of it. Want examples?
• Food: You won’t find “standard” cargo named “Food”. No, you’ll have an option to buy meat, bread, salt fish, vegetables, fruit and possibly something more. Each type of food will be bought separately. If you feel lucky you can try to catch fish for food and if aren’t lucky but feel yourself really, no REALLY EVIL, you can “convert” your own sailors into food.

• Furniture: Another “generic” good? Not in this game! You’ll have chairs, cupboards, tables, workbenches and many other items. Still doesn’t sound too intriguing? But the furniture will be made from different materials! Yes, black wood, red wood, standard wood, ivory and possible other materials – you’ll have furniture from them all.

• Alcohol: Every nation living in an Infinite Sea is thirsty for an alcoholic beverage. And those traders offer a plenty - wine, beer, pure spirits, whiskey and other strange drinks you haven’t even heard of before. Make a fortune by trading them!

And of course many other goods you can trade!

- Smuggling: Every item, including even a few food types may and will be outlawed in some cities. But there are always people who want to buy or get rid of something forbidden. If you encounter such a person, you can get good money, but if you are caught or betrayed, you can lose much more – your valuable ship or maybe even the very life itself! Decide what’s more important to you, dear Trader.


- Curiosities:
Sometimes in your travel you will come by mysterious items. Unlike the regular goods that you keep in a cargo hold, those items are usually small and better to keep in a safe place. Some of those items just look odd, but a few of them can help you in your travels, acting like amulets of some kind. But again, every such an item can be sold for hard coin – if you succeed to find the buyer who will offer enough to satisfy your greed.

- Real role playing trading:

Unlike many other games, you won’t trade by simply clicking on “BUY” or ‘SELL” buttons. Instead, you’ll trade with other merchants through conversations! You will have options to change the bargain in your favor, like haggling, intimidating and convincing. With time and success, your skills will even increase!

- Rich conversations:

You can talk with all NPCs you meet and get real looking conversation options with everyone of them. Both yours and NPCs will have many options of possible phrases. Talk to someone and you’ll see possible conversation options. Talk to the same person again, and you’ll see new options.

- A story and a background:

While the game is a sandbox, there is lore behind it. Although the world changes every time you start a new game, there WILL be limits in what you can do on islands and those limits will be based on world lore. For example you probably shouldn’t sell meat in a city whose inhabitants think that animals are sacred and must not be harmed!

Screenshots can be found at my Steam page:

Steamcommunity.com

EDIT: for some reason "spoiler" tags don't work. How can I fix this?

Edited by: Edreyn

Oct 31 2013 Anchor

I read through everything but the lore because it is to me irrelevant until gameplay is there, (at least in the majority of all games). If you are going to develop this game I suggest you try to break down all of these features into cores. Try to remove everything that is just bonus and extra, like the Rich Conversations, Random Generation, Furniture and all those different trading goods - there might be more that isn't necessary for gameplay to happen. Break it down like this and try to evaluate how important a feature is for the actual, core gameplay.

After that try to create some very basic gameplay and start adding all these extra stuff as you go. If you won't do it this way you might risk ending up with an abundance of features but no core that keeps everything afloat. Don't be afraid of removing a majority of all the features you planned to narrow it down, you can add them later and you'll most definitely get more ideas.

People like trading, exploring and open seas, I see potential in this but as all ideas it needs to be put in practise.

Good luck! / Sjonsson

Oct 31 2013 Anchor

Thank you for reply. I guess I'll start by making a demo with just basic features. This way I can limit money investments and still check if there is interest.

Oct 31 2013 Anchor

The blanket of visuals and story is largely irrelevant. What you have is a trading simulator. What experience do you have with these types of games or in the real world?

I'll just say that I don't think you don't have the skills necessary to provide something to the hardcore/serious crowd and might want to dial down on planned features and take a look at recent management/simulation games - expecially Android/ios ones - that have done well: Game Dev Story, that alchemy shop one, stock market games, others.

Oct 31 2013 Anchor

Thank you for reply. I have no experience as developer, but I do like business games. Game Dev Tycoon was one of my favorites.
Anyway, I am also considering other game ideas, maybe I'll open another thread for another concept in the future.

Nov 3 2013 Anchor

I just love the lore and concept, but I'm worrying how it ends up with all the random generation. I would LOVE to have one unique universe, that doesnt change. That way players could chart the uncharted waters, share information, maybe share "maps online" to open up different locations with each other. I'm scared as shit with the random generation that I end up sailing the wrong way for 4 full days and end up finding shit... I mean water.

I'm very intrigued with this kind of concept and idea, but it would need to be "infite" as in still made by people, but the world would be infinite in a way that it would be impossible to sail. Ocean and Islands are easy to produce and place, it's a whole lotta different story than modelling logical terrain with mountains, rivers, hills, lakes etc, so that shouldn't be a huge problem.

Played "Pirates!" some 20 years back and remember that was also quite pain in the ass sailing relatively huge seas at that time... But why not, just hope it don't get boring...

Nov 5 2013 Anchor

I am now making a prototype demo, I'll notify on Steam and this forum when it's ready.

Nov 5 2013 Anchor

I'm sorry, I just recently made a post talking about my idea which is very similar to your game, as it is a naval trading simulation. I hope you won't think I tried to copy your idea, merely a little coincidence. Great minds think alike I guess.

Good Luck

Edited by: Ausländer

Nov 5 2013 Anchor

Don't worry, as long as you don't try to steal the game itself, I won't object. I think every idea was copied at least once. Also there is a trading aspect in many sandbox games, so nothing really new in it.

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