An Adventure Game map.

[matyko]

Yep, that's the plan.

I intend to make a map that'll resemble the adventure games of old, like Monkey Island and Grim Fandango!
...
Or something very much like it, I hope! ><

I already have the basic idea how the whole thing will work, but I have one HUGE gaping problem that I need you guys to help me solve:

The story.

I just cannot decide what to base it upon! I need your ideas and opinions to actually find a topic I can stick to!

I already have two ideas, but of course any new ones would be welcome as well!

1.) Greg the Gruesome Ghoul
-Played in a more-or-less generic fantasy world, our brave hero awakens to find himself knocked out of the daily routine of soldiering, and into the deep cells of the very necromancers whose army he's been conscripted against four years ago! While the undead he met on the battlefield were slavering idiots, he, however, seems to have got no problem thinking about more than where the next brain for lunch is.
Armed with nothing more then his wit, his cunning, and an insatiable hunger for brains, Greg is carried, prodded and chased around the world to uncover an evil plot, and meet all sorts of interesting people in his quest to find a place where the undead can live okay.

2.) Sniffer

-Vido Mathens is a yennork, a werewolf who cannot change. Right now he's knee deep in blood, and that's the least of it.
What with one of the greatest enemies of the patrician running loose, and Ankh-Morpork in chaos, Vido has one chance to clear his family name, not to mention his execution date. And the city might not be destroyed in the process.
To save his life, the yennork must go on a hunt leading all the way to far Omnia in search of a man who truly believes in walking a mile in someone else's shoes. He's rich, he's mad and he's not alone.
There are times, when even a degenerate werewolf would welcome a full moon.
//Based on the famous Discworld Novels by Terry Pratchett//

As stated before, any ideas, feedback, and suggestions would be welcome!

 

[foo_sharp]

I personally prefer the ghoul idea. It sounds more interesting to me.

 

[Goffterdom]

(first, amazing reputation points with not so many posts, it means you help at lot, thanks even if you dont even help me ).

Hmm if you want ideas, I never played the games you mentioned so first maybe answer my questions:
Did you plane to add some investigation aspect ?
Is there going to be battles ? If yes how many ?
Concerning duration of the game, on how many time you want to make your story ? (I mean does the end happens one year after the start ? or two months ?)
Is the story development going to be linear ? Or depending on what the player do ? (The choice of the player have to changes the story)
If yes you'll have to find different ways to continue story each time the player can make a choice.

Goff

 

[matyko]

Goffterdom, hello there.

1.) What do you mean by Investigation Aspects?

2.) Adventure games dont generaly have any actual fighting involved, so I really doubt that you will be an active participant of any combat scene that mgiht be in the game. It's all about the story and puzzles, 'right?

3.) The duration of the story is a good question, since I'm not completely sure yet. If you're asking for how long it will take me to make these maps, the question also cloudy.

4.) The story is definetly going to be linear all until the very end. After that, I'm not so sure

"thanks even if you dont even help me " uh.... what do you mean by this? How can I help ye?

 

[Goffterdom]

I said thanks because your rep means you help lots of people, and a forum is more active if the members help each other so...

1) Investigation -> Clues, proofs etc...
2) Ok.
3) I need to know how you want your story longs to give you story ideas
4) I think you should make different ways to follow.

 

[matyko]

1.) Adventure games are based on interaction between characters, and using the right item at the right time in the right place. While not detective-stories, I'm sure you'll have to look for clues for you to progress properly. It's kinda hard to explain, the easiest way for you to see what I mean is by firing up Grim Fandango, or, if you dont have it, just taking a peak via YouTube.

2.) Ok!

3. )Any idea you might have, no matter how long, no matter how short, is something I would love to hear. A mild disclaimer: I'm not promising to turn your full and complete idea into reality. I'm a tinkerer, and tinkering with ideas is one of my favorite pastimes. If it's an awesome thought, it'Ll stay more-or-less the same, that's for sure.

4.) The problem with multiple-choice stories is that you loose the grip of the narrative if you dont do it really well. At the moment, I have no desire to have (real) multiple decisions from the begining of the game (Exept when you have multiple ways to save a puzzle... It doesn't disturb the storyline, and it gives bigger flexebility to the player!)

As I already stated, there will probably be multiple endings.

 

[marlon919]

Man, i already tried something like this some time ago but give up because i got new projects.
And i have to say i love adventures.
so i if you need some help count on me.

Just tell me if you have an direction to the story by now.
I guess the starting scene could be in the prision, where he talk with other ghouls, that are a bit crazy, so only a few informations could been given. Something like dig an hole to other cell, where an abomination like monster is sitting, but he is too weak to do anything, so the player must atract an guard to the cell.

ok, but to do this he must first find an piece of rope on the straw, use his ghoul strenght to destroy an handcuff in the wall, combine them to make an graplle like item to catch the keys on the table.
Then the soldieres run in to look what's happening, in this moment the abomination charges and kill them! them the playr moves to a new scene on the corridor.


I guess that something too keep in mind is that players must no that no matter how bad is the situation, that is programed to happen, it's not their fault!

also start with VERY simple puzzles like the one i described, just to familiarize players new to adventure games on how they will proceed.

 

[matyko]

Well, since I got hardly any feedback, I'm making a test map for both Greg and the Discworld storyline. The layout of these two ideas are already pretty much set in my mind, so I'll get these done (hopefully) soon.
And about your idea... we'll see about that later.

....And yes, I know there has to be a gentle learning curve.

 

[Jsprat100]

You could have abilities like:

Interact: Uses a target object on the gameworld.

Talk: Talks to a target unit to get information.

Smell: Smells the air, revealing a trail to follow.

Strength: Uses strength to move/crush/dismantle/destroy an object.

 

[marlon919]

oh yeah, konw i remenber something.
it's about that unused itens that still in inventory after you use. But that's no more reason, they still there until the end of the game.
So if you could get rid of these situations XD

also there will be item combination? how? just drag 'n drop or it will need more tools, or even an particular place, all of these options maybe?