computer games forum

Currently I'm messing around with a replacement for the failed Puzzle Quest gameplay for the Roger Steel remake

So I was thinking if anyone has any kind of gameplay or reference games, feel free to post / suggest either here or on social media. Basically if any other game (indie or not) has a gameplay system you think is fun, feel free to show it to me. I try to keep up and play many games but it's not easy (too many games around!).

I guess mostly RPG but also card games or even strategy/sim or more casual stuff. Anything is good.

Even if are big games is fine - I mean with PSCD I took a lot of inspiration from Hearthstone but of course I couldn't exactly copy that (also because I'm just one person and not a full team of 20+ coders haha) so I could just take some ideas and make them mine / mix them with other gameplay. Thanks

Slay the Spire style deckbuilders (Neoverse, Deck of Ashes, etc.) are pretty popular right now, but I guess you already know that. You can have fairly simple art on the cards and still have fun gameplay.

First person dungeon crawlers are always fun (to me), like ye olde Eye of the Beholder or Sakura Dungeon (made with Renpy).

I've had a lot of fun with simple walking-around-maps-Fighting-Fantasy-adaptation Deathtrap Dungeon Trilogy.

In a dream come true world, you'd make a tactics fighting game, like Final Fantasy Tactics, XCOM, perhaps more like chess such as Into the Breach, or even a hybrid card/tactics game like Children of Zodiarcs (just better writing). That's probably a liitle bit ambitious though.

Resource allocating dice game such as Elder Sign: Omens?

Some kind of turn based base building game? I have no example, but turn based Sim City with nasty disasters, turn based Frostpunk, or turn based castle defense, something like Widenyo, sorry, that's a pretty obscure game, but you can read a bit about the gameplay here.

I also wouldn't mind seeing a straight up visual novel (maybe with stat rasing) that was more hardcore in its gameplay, with lots of dead ends (not as hardcore as Hanako's Long Live the Queen, but a little of that). Maybe some point and click adventure style gameplay in there, like you always talk about, which can be done pretty simply as first person in Renpy.

Anyway, just dropping ideas that I think are within your capabilities. Or how about a massive choice driven third person adventure game like Detroit: Become Human?

Haha is good that I played about 80% of those games already
Yes stuff like XCOM/FF tactics are definitely out of my reach, but RPG combat with a map (like SOTW but not just with rows, with a real map where you can move anywhere) should be possible once I feel like working on bigger stuff again (probably a few years though!).

Dungeon crawler are on my to-do list, since I enjoy them a lot too

I had planned a horror game with many dead ends, however the cold reception of Vera Blanc always makes me wonder if is worth it, but on the other hand that game had the curse of non-manga art (or not good enough art in general). I have a basic plot outlined for this including final plot twist and some adventure sequences.

I was even thinking to use appropriate "horror" art style in black and white, something like this: So I might do it for real, since it's probably the easiest kind of game for me to do right now.

Meanwhile I think I also have brainstormed a good card-battle system for RS, it's similar to Slay the spire but rather simplified since that is still a simple game, but I believe should be fun. Will try to do a prototype next week

jack1974 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 10:16 am Yes stuff like XCOM/FF tactics are definitely out of my reach, but RPG combat with a map (like SOTW but not just with rows, with a real map where you can move anywhere) should be possible once I feel like working on bigger stuff again (probably a few years though!).

Yes, I was not saying make 3D graphics like XCOM, just the general idea of units moving on a map, fighting tactical battles. Maybe Shining Force is a better example of what I mean.

Yes seen top down or something. That's definitely doable in Ren'Py, though the biggest difficulty will be to make decent AI. I could start with a game with zombies so even if they're not smart is not a problem

Rock paper scissors

Heh that might be a bit too simple though

Do you have a story in place or will anything do with as long it can fit in a steampunk setting?

When I think of steampunk, I think of manufacturing. If you want to go for non-combat gameplay, perhaps you can create a puzzle game where players can design an assembly line; where raw materials are processed, shaped into components, and assembled into the final product. The factory mini-game in Rogue Galaxy is one of example.

Franka wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 9:40 am
Maybe some point and click adventure style gameplay in there, like you always talk about, which can be done pretty simply as first person in Renpy.

It's definitely doable. Exogenesis~ Perils of Rebirth had point-and-click elements and the demo was created with Ren'Py. Unfortunately, the jump to Unity, among other things, led to troubled development.

Unfortunately how the plot is made there has to be some kind of combat so assembling stuff like you mention wouldn't work.

I've come to realize that certain kind of gameplay that seems easy are instead complex and vice-versa. For example the match3 was much harder than it seemed, while for example a town-builder sim would be much "easier" (maybe done in a single map like Frostpunk indeed).

First person click are super simple, even 3rd person (not sure who remembers the Vera Blanc 3 demo I made years ago, I coded it in 2 days ) but to do a good looking 3rd person game I'd need to invest a lot in pixel art, so that's more risky (I know it well since I'm friend with Wadjet Eye).

Next Jump:Schump Tactics has turn-based combat with elements of shoot-em-ups and roguelikes.
Enemies and their projectiles will move move each turn, it's up to the players to make the most optimal move into a safe position and/or attack your foes. There are random drops that can allow the player more moves per turn, but otherwise the combat is deterministic.