Creating a process game

[NMe]

Long post incoming without a TL;DR. You were warned. :P

Right, after over 7 years of mostly being a leecher in this community, I finally figured out how I could do something back for all of you guys. The problem I have though, is that I need help. And probably lots of it.

In the real world, I'm a developer. I earn my keep mainly by making websites. However, I want to get back into native application development before I grow too rusty. A great way to get back up to speed would be by making a game. And if I'm making a game anyway, wouldn't it be great if it involved process?

What I need
This is where you guys come in. I'm no good as an artist, and depending on what the game is going to be like, I will need an amount of artwork done. Big scenes (backgrounds and foregrounds), sprites (animated objects), logos/menus, the works. I'm looking for any amount of artists that can work together on a common artwork style who can create the world that we as a team would agree upon.

Less work, but equally important: sound. A proper game needs sounds and music as much as it needs graphics. Though I'm okay as a musician, I'm not much of a composer. Neither do I have a special effects studio or software that can simulate one. For the game to be as optimal as possible, I will need a composer/performer who can provide some music, someone who can make decent sound effects and depending on what type of game we agree upon, even some voice actors might be called for.

Lastly: although I'm convinced I can create a game on my own (I've got over 15 years of experience as a developer, 6 of which are as a professional), I would not turn down an offer to help on the actual programming bit as well. The game will be written in C# using Microsoft's XNA toolkit. If you've got any level of experience with those tools and want to help out, you're more than welcome.

What would the game be about?
Quite frankly: I'm not fully sure yet. I've got a couple of vague outlines in my head including how gameplay in both variants would work, but I'm open to suggestions on this point. I'll list my ideas:

Idea 1
A point & click adventure style game, much like the well known Monkey Island franchise. The main character (most likely a girl) will find herself in a situation she has to get out of (mad scientist's lab? mysterious island? haunted house? not sure yet ) by solving puzzles and using items available to her. Obviously, many of the puzzles would involve transforming the character. Though this idea has my preference, it has a bigger requirement in terms of story, artwork, sound and voice actors, so this will only work out if enough people volunteer.

Idea 2
A bit more straightforward and more easy to make, artwork wise: a classic platform/action game, probably most easily compared to this game. Though instead of trying to prevent transformations like in that game, I would like the transformations either to happen before a "level" or puzzle starts, either as a means to finish the level (the usual "transforming into a frog means higher jumps" and the likes), or maybe the main character could be cursed to keep transforming (randomly? one specific creature per level? at will? not sure yet ) until she finds an antidote. This would make the transformation the reason for actually playing.

More ideas
Any more ideas or suggestions would be welcome. You could either help out by replying in this thread with your idea, or you could join the team as a story/scenario writer.

What kind of process can you expect?
I myself prefer animal transformations, but as this is a team/community effort, I would not like to limit the game to only that kind of process. Any kind of transformation that can fit into whatever story line we agree upon could be added, if an artist would be up for making it. This is why, for now, this thread is here in the General Discussion forum for everyone to see regardless of preference.

What can I offer you in return for your help
Realistically? Squat. I would like the game to be free for everyone on this board to play. However, included with the eventual download link there will be a donation button; any donations made through that would be shared with everyone on the team in a fair way. It might also be possible to release the game to Steam or the Xbox Live Arcade, but that mostly depends on how the game works and whether or not those two organizations find the end product worthy of their support. Artists may want to note that releasing a game to either platform would require a non-adult version of the game, so possibly some alternative artwork should the game we release here contain nudity.

In summary
This will (hopefully) be a big project and as such it will take a relatively long time to complete. Anyone offering to help will have to commit to nothing, though I would prefer it if you only offer your help if you're fairly sure you can in fact commit to it until the end.

So...any thoughts?

[OhZone]

Sounds like a great project. Wish I had some talent to share.

[NMe]

Just a simple suggestion might be a bigger contribution at this stage than you realize.

[vincent_richter]

Here's a thought, though I'll admit I'm just spitballing here.

Every puzzler game these days seems to fall squarely into Idea 1 or Idea 2 territory, so - and I'm well aware that this will be a pain in the ass on the programming side - what's the really compelling reason not to fuse the two? Something like having the player figure out which transformation will best fit a certain puzzle, or even more unique - tailoring the puzzles to the player's current transformation. Even the order could be dynamic, based on which transformation is chosen at which time; rewards could then be used individually, or combined to solve progressively more difficult puzzles, or at least drastically cut down the solving time (a la Mega Man).

IMO, anything that makes the game more unique could only be a good thing for the project in terms of talent draw.

[Revan.Prodigal.Knight]

I could probably help with the programming, though I'm going into my senior year of a Computer Science degree, so I don't know how much time I'll really have (plus I have to teach myself the syntax for C#, but I hear it's not too different from Java). I also have some experience in audio editing, so I could help with post-production on sound effects and music. I'm not too good with art (though I've worked as a redrawer for several scanlation groups), so I won't volunteer to help with that, but I've got a few ideas for stories bouncing around in my head that my friends keep telling me are pretty good, so I'll take a shot at helping to write that.

I do agree with Vincent on the idea of tailoring the puzzles to certain transformations or the player's current transformation, but we need to be careful to make sure that not all of them can be solved by Giantess/Shrinking transforms.

[vincent_richter]

Originally Posted by Revan.Prodigal.Knight

I do agree with Vincent on the idea of tailoring the puzzles to certain transformations or the player's current transformation, but we need to be careful to make sure that not all of them can be solved by Giantess/Shrinking transforms.

That seems simple enough to address though, at least in theory.

*complicated explanation follows, I can simplify if it helps anyone*
If the exemplar "jumping frog" puzzle were used, you could make that solvable by only making the frog ever jump at most to Y-1, where Y is both the vertical axis and a scaling axis that can set an instant death condition. The giantess transform, in this puzzle, could be set to any value Y or over, thus requiring the player to back up and try a different perspective. Plus, with a dynamic puzzle system, this puzzle could further be held back until the player receives the transform ability, or left in-play but unsolvable with the giantess ability.
*end of complicated explanation*

Really, it's all in the implementation; I was going to suggest Java for cross-platform compatibility, but I realize that that's an even bigger pain in the ass.

That being said... if you need anyone to handle text editing, grammar/spelling proofreading, or simply text flow... yo.

[NMe]

I like your idea, Vincent. Sadly, it rules out some (but not all) of the main elements of a point and click adventure game, unless we somehow make you have to learn each new transformation by solving a puzzle. Stuff like finding ingredients for a potion or making a wand out of cardboard and a paperclip maybe. Heck, we could even make you need to use a particular transformation you already know in order to solve a puzzle that will give you a new one. I'm liking this idea more by the second.

As for the extra effort it would take on the coding end, I'm sure the difference with either the first or second idea I mentioned is negligible. And if it isn't, I'll consider it a nice challenge.

Revan: thanks for the offer. Should we manage to attract a couple of artists, I'm sure we can find something for you to help out on if you're still interested by then.

Vincent, about your proofreading offer: sounds like a plan. I'm confident my skills with the English language suffice in everyday life, but I'm not a native speaker and neither do I have a degree in English or writing in general, so when the time comes we might take you up on your offer.

[vincent_richter]

NMe, I've always been more of an "ideas" man than a real "concrete effort" guy. It has its uses, but it sucks for modern job descriptions.

As far as proofing goes, there's a good chance that some colloquialisms may find their way into the game; they're great for writing effect, but lousy if you want an absolutely pristine English copy. For that matter, your English seems to be every bit as good as my own; on the other hand, I tend to be more anal (HA!) about perfecting nuances, so there is that in my favor.

[NMe]

Originally Posted by vincent_richter

NMe, I've always been more of an "ideas" man than a real "concrete effort" guy. It has its uses, but it sucks for modern job descriptions.

Right now, ideas are the biggest part of the prerequisites for this game, so that's great.

I've been thinking and there's actually quite a few ways to limit a certain puzzle's solution to a certain kind of transformation. For example, the frog vs. shrinking or growing situation would be simple: make the place you have to reach too small for a giantess to fit into, and make it too high for the tiny woman to reach.

Also, there might be a possibility for some fun mini puzzles. Let's assume a magic school or something where another student challenges you to a race. If you win, you get the recipe for another TF or something. She transforms into something fast and you have to beat her by transforming into something faster. Possibly you'd have to evade obstacles during the race.

Or another one: someone dropped some personal item into a lake and asks you to get it out. You could jump in without a TF, but you'd run out of air before you reach the item. You could change into a fish, but you wouldn't be able to pick up the item. Changing into a mermaid would help.

The trick, of course, would be to intertwine these puzzles. In the example above, maybe both "quests" are available at the same time, but the mermaid transformation could be the reward for winning the race. Figuring out the right order of finishing puzzles would thereby be half the fun of the game.

[blackshirtboy]

I wouldn't mind trying to help out with the art. I have some very basic experience with sprites and simple animations (sprite sheets, I guess) or I could do some backgrounds.
In any case, this sounds like a really interesting and cool project.

[NMe]

Awesome!

And yes, sprite sheets would be the way to go. For those of you who don't know the term: sprite sheets are single files (nowadays usually PNGs with a transparent background) on which all animations for a sprite (any kind of standalone object) are laid out frame by frame. This approach both makes it easier for the artist to compare frames to eachother and it makes it easier for the programmer to extract animations from the file.

[vincent_richter]

Lawl, it's actually funny that *I* know the term, given that I just got back into RM2k after abandoning it for the better half of a decade. Spriters were all the rage in the early 2000's, and it seems they're making a comeback of sorts. Good to know.