Game Brainstorm

 Game 1

Screenshot from Explore Fushimi Inari official Steam page

For my first game idea, I was thinking of making more of an 'interactive experience' rather than a conventional Game. I have played a lot of different games in my life and I've watched an even wider variety but despite all the gameplay and stories I've encountered the ones that always seem to have the most staying power and the most impact in my mind have always been the more Interactive Story/Experience type games. Games with minimal or simplistic gameplay but with a major emphasis on either the story or the game world/environment.

The game could be in the 'Walking Simulator' genre or a simple task completion/treasure hunt game. It would probably either have to be a very linear based gameplay or set in a small open world. I want to create an experience that sticks in players minds either through overt story beats or preferably through discrete gameplay mechanics. 

I'd have to greatly consider the actual gameplay mechanics themselves as they need to be simple and intuitive enough that they don't take someone out of the experience but also not too monotonous as to leave people bored by the gameplay; this would possibly be mitigated by the story or environment around them though. The whole goal of this game is impact, either emotionally or as a game itself. I'd really need a compelling story or message for the game to achieve that main goal while also building the actual game itself. It will be challenging to both write a compelling story or create an impactful message and also figure out the technicalities of the games design and mechanics to incorporate it all.

It would be something along the lines of games like Firewatch or Explore Fushimi Inari for example of a more 'walking simulator' game or like A Short Hike for a more exploratory game. In a similar vein but less of a relaxing and immersive experience and more of an active journey and experience is The Stanley Parable which is relatively similar gameplay wise but has a completely different energy about it. This may serve as a helpful resource for this project.

Game 2

Image from the Wreckfest official Steam page

The second game idea I had was for a Car Sumo style game. This idea was inspired by just the basic Unity Tutorial tasks we've done so far. It will be a far more physics and reality based game than the previous idea. In essence it's exactly as it sounds, I'm thinking a battle arena style game where you have a dozen or so cars on a platform and the gameplay is exactly as you'd expect. I feel like this idea has a lot of room to be as simplistic or complex as my growing skillset will allow. It seems like it can be easily adjusted depending on my own capabilities as a designer and also the constraints of the module. I also feel that the simplistic premise works as a good hook to catch the attention of potential players. The simplistic nature will b attractive to both amateur players and also experienced players that just want some short quick fun. Unlike the first idea which is almost only possible as a Singleplayer game, this game has possibilities to be Singleplayer, Local Multiplayer or even Online Multiplayer theoretically. Each of these however carries increasing difficulties. I intend it to be a simple party game which would require me to either 1) Code AI opponents for single player gameplay or 2) Learn how to incorporate Multiplayer into the game. Due to the simplistic nature of the game I'd have to find ways to make it more dynamic as a game. I had the idea or placing the challenge in the stages instead of the gameplay, so having simple consistent gameplay with the challenge arising from both other payers and the stages themselves. Depending on how vastly my skillset grows it would also be interesting to be able to incorporate things like Power-Ups or Weapons into the game.

I'm thinking of pick up and play style games, the game would be an amalgamation of sorts of games like Wreckfest, Burnout, BeamNG.drive and something like Mineraft Sumotori. As a bonus feature this game could involve some collision destruction like in THIS video.

Game 3

Screenshot from Beyond Perception Itch.io page

For my third game I was thinking of possibly doing some sort of puzzle platformer but not like a Portal or Unravel or Spelunky but more so like the indie classic Fez or Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker and most importantly, the game that is the main inspiration for this idea, an indie puzzle platformer from 2013 that was made in seven days, a game called Beyond Perception which has stood as one of my favourite games of all time. Funnily enough I am not actually a big fan of puzzle games in general and  I have never actually finished the game in it's entirety but just the premise, gameplay and mechanics alone have astounded me for years. The entire game is based on Perspective, Parallax and Parallax error with the game presenting it's 3D environments as 2D images initially. I don't think I have the ingenuity to think of something of that calibre or the skillset to implement mechanics like those but I do want to make an unorthodox puzzle game that leaves some sort of impression on players; one with a similar kind of hook to it. Instead of a movement based puzzle platformer I personally seem to favour more, slow paced exploratory style puzzle games. I am really intrigued by the though of experimenting with Perspective, Scale, and Light much like Beyond Perception does and I feel like that would be more so a matter of level design rather than an intense gameplay design challenge. I feel like simplistic gameplay is a common theme in the more exploratory puzzle games and that the real challenge for designers mainly comes in the form of level design and mechanics rather than the actual player controlled inputs themselves which is an interesting path to take when designing a game. It's a more abstract idea than Idea 2 but I'm interested in maybe exploring it. With lighting possibly playing a large role in this project THIS video may be of use later.

Game 4

Screenshot from official Besiege Steam page

The final idea I had for my Unity Games is one that would be more self-indulgent than any of the other ones stated above. I would love to try to undertake the very vague and open ended task of creating an Open World, Sandbox or and Open World Sandbox type game. I have to admit, Sandbox/Open World games are one of my absolute favourite genres of videogames and creating my own would just feel like the natural progression of that admiration really. Although I am enthusiastic about these types of games I recognize the many challenge of making a game of this style. It would not be within my ability to create something as cohesive as Minecraft and I don't posses the resources to create something like Garry's Mod but I possibly I could create a simple sandbox style game with one main premise that could entertain infinitely or at least for a single play session. I'd have to really tone down my expectations of the scale of the sandbox and the players abilities in it while also providing an adequately entertaining space and experience for players. Conceptually I envision something like the default sandbox areas in games like the previously mentioned BeamNG.drive or a game like Besiege. My aim would be to provide the player with a simple playground style area with a certain amount of fixed 'hazards' and interactable assets. This would place the game design emphasis almost solely on the mechanics of the game, world/environment and also the player control. Games like these carry the risk of exposing your flaws and weaknesses as a designer but also inversely grants the chance to purposefully explore unfamiliar design while being granted the proverbial 'pass' of it merely being a sandbox and not a fully fledged game. It would require a good balance of focused design and work and open freedom and creativity. This video on Unity Physics may prove essential not only in this game but most of the others too.