What solo dev game do you want to make?

[Zed Clampet]

So what solo developer game do you want to make? For the purpose of this discussion, assume you are an ace coder and brilliant at art.

The game I used to want to make was an SP paranormal investigation game, but this was before Phasmophobia. Now if I made it, it would seem like a copycat game (although my SP version was going to have an in-depth economy/management side to it). But yeah, a thousand Phasmo clones have kind of ruined this dream.

So now I want to make a first person automation/colony/management/space game. Kind of a cross between Satisfactory, Colony Survival and No Man's Sky plus business management.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I'm sure I'll come up with some more ideas later. But back on the C64, there were a few games I loved made by the Dougherty brothers. The Questron games, Legacy of the Ancients, and The Legend of Blacksilver. They were top-down adventure games that were lightly considered CRPGs at the time, although they weren't as heavy on the RPG elements as much as adventure. I'd love to recreate those games with more modern graphics, audio, and game mechanics. They were some of my favorite games of all time.

I'd also like to create a complete 3D reimagining of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, which is my favorite 2D Zelda game. (I wouldn't mind it if someone else did the work for me, too.)

 

[Alm]

All I can think of are recreations of games from my childhood. A modern Zelda on 4k capable hardware or a new Wipeout game would be pretty cool.

 

[Pifanjr]

I can't think of any concrete ideas I've had, but there's two things I've always wanted to try to incorporate into a game. The first is just a massive amount of content, including monster varieties and (random) events. I love the sense of discovery in games and typically more content means more stuff to discover.
The second is a crafting system where you aren't bound to specific recipes. The magic system of Two Worlds II was amazing to me because there were so many combinations you could make with relatively few ingredients. I'd love to make a similar system where you can freely combine ingredients to create new effects.

 

[Frindis]

Am I an ace coder and brilliant at art? Absolutely. That is why I asked my AI friend to write me a story that I can program and make exquisite art for.

Spoiler: This is the story of Portal of Dystopia:

In a world where technology has advanced far beyond our wildest dreams, the government has created a secret program known as "Project Portal." The program's goal was to create a portal system that would revolutionize transportation and communication. But something went wrong, and the portals became a means of control and oppression.

You play as a test subject, awakened in a mysterious laboratory with no memory of your past. As you explore the facility, you quickly realize that something is off. The scientists, who are supposed to be your handlers, are gone, and the only thing left behind is a series of mysterious portals.

As you step through the portals, you find yourself in a series of twisted, dystopian worlds, each controlled by a different faction. Each faction is vying for control of the portal system and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even if it means sacrificing you.

One faction, known as "The Enforcers," is a ruthless military dictatorship that uses the portals to maintain control over its citizens. They will stop at nothing to capture you and use your unique abilities for their own gain.

Another faction, called "The Resistance," is made up of rebels who are fighting against the Enforcers and the other factions to take back control of the portals and restore freedom to the people. They offer to help you escape the facility and join the fight.

As you journey through the different worlds, you will have to make difficult choices that will affect the outcome of the game. Will you join the resistance and fight against the oppression or will you succumb to the temptations of power and join the Enforcers?

As you progress through the game, you will uncover the truth behind the portal system and the shadowy figures who control it. But be warned, the deeper you dig, the more dangerous the game becomes.

In the end, it will be up to you to decide the fate of the portal system and the world it controls. Will you be the savior of humanity or its downfall?

"Portal of Dystopia" is a first-person puzzle-adventure game, with mind-bending challenges, a thrilling story and a world that changes based on your decisions. It's a game that will test your problem-solving skills, your courage and your ability to make the right choices in a world where the line between good and evil is blurred.

 

[mainer]

It would definitely be an RPG (surprise), mostly likely in 1st or 3rd person perspective, party/companion based, and single player only. The world itself might be medieval, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, steampunk,, or maybe a combination of those elements. Nothing new or unusual at first glance, but my main goal would be in the creation of the AI system for every living creature; potential companions, NPCs, wildlife, or whatever else happens to inhabit the world.

I'm talking a true living, thinking, reacting artificial intelligence for every living creature (even the "undead" if those types are in the game). No programed routines or responses, every creature learns, responds & reacts on its own. When it comes specifically to companions or NPCs (or speaking enemies), there are no conversation screens where you "click" on a response you want. No standard responses. No cut scenes. All dialogue for the player is done through a microphone (preferably on a set of headphones), a voice recognition system, where the various AIs respond & react to what the player says. Conversations of varying length can happen at any time, and not necessarily initiated by the player, as various AI packages "learn" they may become more assertive.

Nothing overly ambitious. I can also see obstacles that might need to be overcome to make the system work. What about players who may be either deaf or mute? There're no on-screen dialogue choices that a player can choose, everything is spontaneous, reactive, and verbal. I'm not certain how I'd be able to overcome that obstacle, but it's still a game that I'd love to be able to make if I were intelligent enough.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Am I an ace coder and brilliant at art? Absolutely. That is why I asked my AI friend to write me a story that I can program and make exquisite art for.

Spoiler: This is the story of Portal of Dystopia:

In a world where technology has advanced far beyond our wildest dreams, the government has created a secret program known as "Project Portal." The program's goal was to create a portal system that would revolutionize transportation and communication. But something went wrong, and the portals became a means of control and oppression.

You play as a test subject, awakened in a mysterious laboratory with no memory of your past. As you explore the facility, you quickly realize that something is off. The scientists, who are supposed to be your handlers, are gone, and the only thing left behind is a series of mysterious portals.

As you step through the portals, you find yourself in a series of twisted, dystopian worlds, each controlled by a different faction. Each faction is vying for control of the portal system and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even if it means sacrificing you.

One faction, known as "The Enforcers," is a ruthless military dictatorship that uses the portals to maintain control over its citizens. They will stop at nothing to capture you and use your unique abilities for their own gain.

Another faction, called "The Resistance," is made up of rebels who are fighting against the Enforcers and the other factions to take back control of the portals and restore freedom to the people. They offer to help you escape the facility and join the fight.

As you journey through the different worlds, you will have to make difficult choices that will affect the outcome of the game. Will you join the resistance and fight against the oppression or will you succumb to the temptations of power and join the Enforcers?

As you progress through the game, you will uncover the truth behind the portal system and the shadowy figures who control it. But be warned, the deeper you dig, the more dangerous the game becomes.

In the end, it will be up to you to decide the fate of the portal system and the world it controls. Will you be the savior of humanity or its downfall?

"Portal of Dystopia" is a first-person puzzle-adventure game, with mind-bending challenges, a thrilling story and a world that changes based on your decisions. It's a game that will test your problem-solving skills, your courage and your ability to make the right choices in a world where the line between good and evil is blurred.

Holy Crap! An AI wrote that???

I'm going to become an AI Director (Um, I just made that up, but I think it's self-explanatory). Forget your ace coding and brilliant art. I'm going to put three AI together and have a game ready by dinner.

Okay, make that by dinner tomorrow. I have to deal with a sudden existential crisis first.

 

[Zed Clampet]

What about players who may be either deaf or mute?

Could you not just include the options for closed captions and typing responses?

I've thought about this type of game a lot, myself. It would be an RPG in the truest sense. Imagine a world of NPC's interacting with one another and you are just another person in this world (or the Chosen One...I'd be good with that ha).

Imagine if you made the game have NPC permadeath, and one of your companions, with whom you've had many conversations, dies in an encounter. That would be absolutely crushing.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I was watching a skit-type video on YouTube about what happens if one of the lower guys ends up killing the main protagonist in the game (the player) before he gets to the final boss. Somebody in the comments had a genius idea for a game, and I don't know why it's never been done.

Imagine as the player, you're the hero of the game, but you get killed before the end of the game. Then you morph into the guy who killed you and take over from there as that guy. Then if someone else kills you before the end, you morph into them, and they become the hero continuing the story. You could end up becoming any of the enemies, whoever it is that kills you, and just continuing the game as them until you make it to the final boss. That would be awesome.

 

[Brian Boru]

What about players who may be either deaf or mute?

Won't be a problem by the time what you want is possible 🙂

AI Director (Um, I just made that up

No, it's a thing, I knew one decades ago at the local veterinary clinic.

But yeah, @Frindis c'mon guy, spill—an AI didn't write that… surely 😱

@mainer @ZedClampet That immersive autonomous interactive world you're talking about—apart from combat & injury, could that be an advancement of sims like Second Life? Mainer wants SP, but surely that is the definition of made-for-multi?

 

[Brian Boru]

Word Game—probably Hangman

I've always loved 'em since way before PC games, and they're horribly underrepresented in the gaming inventory, so that's where I'd aim first—with the benefit that it should be much easier to code than the blockbusters you guys are making 🙂

Since good ones are so scarce, I'd go for my fav of all, Hangman. I don't know if I'd go for an offbeat presentation like Amazing Pyramids Rebirth—the best Hangman I've found so far, where I still top the leaderboard, woohoo!—or a simpler classic look.

First thought is to go for phrases and quotes, rather than just single words. That could be themed to provide multiple categories, or multiple DLCs 😈

I used to compile crosswords once, so that's another possibility to look at. Not the standard kind of course, there are loads of those already, have to dream up some unique variation like Scrabble—the game pulled out of Butts, if you didn't know 😀

Board Game

Been a board gamer forever too, and I think there are a lot of possibilities in some of the ancient games like Royal Game of Ur, Mancala etc. No ideas at the moment, have to dive into it first to explore what's already there.

Big Game

Ok, just to humor those of you with lamentably limited game diversity—yes, looking directly at you! 👀—let's think about one of those AAAs.
*yawn*
Uh, where was I? Oh yeah… just a few design parameters for now:

♣ Single Player
♦ Open World, procedurally generated
♥ Separate Strategic & Tactical layers
♠ Play as 4 separate characters—Ruler, General, Lieutenant, Commando

Strategic layers for Ruler and General, with turn-based diplo, economy, tech and world map control. Make deals, plan attack and defense.

Tactical layers in real time for Lieutenant's mostly intel recon squad, and Commando's FPS missions to act on intel to impact the operational theater.

Or if one of y'all wanna mash C&C, Civ and Far Cry together, that's do in the meantime 😀

 

[Zed Clampet]

Won't be a problem by the time what you want is possible 🙂

It's borderline possible now. Chatbots are basically here, and that's the hardest part. I bet you Saucer's cat pee carpet that we have a game pretty much as he described within 5 years.

 

[Pifanjr]

Oh, I'd also love to make a spiritual successor to Black & White. I would have to change the way you build new buildings though, that part was terrible.

Nothing overly ambitious.

Excuse me? You basically want to make an artificial general intelligence, what could be considered an alternate form of sentient life, and you think it's not overly ambitious?

I think you vastly overestimate the capabilities of AI nowadays. If you try out AI Dungeon, it becomes apparent pretty quickly that AI is still very bad at keeping any kind of consistency throughout a story.

Just look at Frindis' AI generated story, where it mentions that every world has its own faction, then mentions two of them and continues as if those are the only two factions.

 

[Frindis]

@ZedClampet & @Brian Boru It did. While I agree with @Pifanjr that it is not the greatest text ever made, the sheer speed (the site was a bit "slow" that day, so it took a couple of seconds) is what impresses me, especially since we are still at the early stage. Just imagine how advanced neural networking will be in just a few years!

 

[Zed Clampet]

Excuse me? You basically want to make an artificial general intelligence, what could be considered an alternate form of sentient life, and you think it's not overly ambitious?

And you accused me of being snarky lol. I think he was being sarcastic when he said it wasn't overly ambitious. But I think you can do something very similar to what he suggests without AGI using a chatbot and traditional game AI. That's not exactly what he meant, but it would be close.

@Pifanjr and @Frindis I was judging the AI story based on it being written by an AI, which I think is pretty solid. Had I been judging it as a human written story, I wouldn't have been as impressed. I still think it's a great story for an AI and even not bad for most humans.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

It's borderline possible now. Chatbots are basically here, and that's the hardest part. I bet you Saucer's cat pee carpet that we have a game pretty much as he described within 5 years.

I'll have you know, every bit of our old carpet has been torn out, thankfully. It helped my allergies tremendously, too. 😀

 

[mainer]

Excuse me? You basically want to make an artificial general intelligence, what could be considered an alternate form of sentient life, and you think it's not overly ambitious?

I think he was being sarcastic when he said it wasn't overly ambitious

Zed nailed it. It was my subtle attempt at a bit of humor, as my sense of humor leans heavily on the sarcastic side of things. I've been accused by some friends & coworkers of being overly sarcastic at times, but it's just my nature, it's how I see things. I thought about putting one of those smiley face things at the end of that statement to emphasize the sarcasm, but I decided not to.

I think you vastly overestimate the capabilities of AI nowadays. If you try out AI Dungeon, it becomes apparent pretty quickly that AI is still very bad at keeping any kind of consistency throughout a story.

Could a game like I envision be released in today's market, in 2023? No. But I don't feel that I've overestimated the potential by any degree, of a learning & adapting AI when applied to any sentient being or creature that inhabits a game world. For me, assuming I'm wealthy and brilliant (of which I'm neither), the development starts now using the present tech of AI and voice recognition and pushing it, evolving it, into that AI I envision being possible.

Ten years from now, those tools we use today will probably seem antiquated, but they will evolve, and it's my job as project manager/creative director, to channel that progressive development into living, thinking, and reactive AIs.

Mainer wants SP, but surely that is the definition of made-for-multi?

While I respect your opinion, I've got to say no, no, no, and no. Multiplayer would defeat the purpose of creating all those individual, unique & adaptive AI personalities. The purpose of my game is to create a single player (RPG) experience where sentient beings/creatures evolve & react to you, the environment, and even the weather. No hard coded responses, reactions, or routines. And no punks running around trying to kill everything, including you, yelling, "Dude, git gud!".

 

[Sarafan]

So what solo developer game do you want to make? For the purpose of this discussion, assume you are an ace coder and brilliant at art.

Something rather humble. I'd love to make a Doom 1993 remake. In fact I already bought access to a VOD course of Unity engine which should result in a working prototype of Doom clone, but with more modern graphics. Too bad I don't have currently time to sit and take it seriously. 🙁

 

[Brian Boru]

I thought about putting one of those smiley face things at the end of that statement to emphasize the sarcasm, but I decided not to.

I try to emoji my also sarky humor these days, after getting caught a couple of times and misleading people, causing them to whack me 🙂

I bet you Saucer's cat pee carpet that we have a game pretty much as he described within 5 years

Oh I forgot, I do have suitable currency available too! Ok I'll see your Saucer of pee and raise you a streak from Zloth's carpet!

Multiplayer would defeat the purpose

My bad, I knew yours was SP for your purpose. I meant your idea is tailor made for a multi implementation, such as Second Life or metaverse implementation or whatever.

PS no need to respect my opinion—most opinions are rubbish, all that needs to be respected is the right to hold and express 'em 🙂

ETA: Hang on a tick: "no punks running around"

Are you saying none of "all those individual, unique & adaptive AI personalities" will become punks? Eh, good luck with that 😀

 

[Pifanjr]

And you accused me of being snarky lol. I think he was being sarcastic when he said it wasn't overly ambitious. But I think you can do something very similar to what he suggests without AGI using a chatbot and traditional game AI. That's not exactly what he meant, but it would be close.

My bad. I didn't mean it to be snarky either, I should have added a 🤨 at the end or something.

@Pifanjr and @Frindis I was judging the AI story based on it being written by an AI, which I think is pretty solid. Had I been judging it as a human written story, I wouldn't have been as impressed. I still think it's a great story for an AI and even not bad for most humans.

That's where we'll have to agree to disagree then, it just seemed like a list of clichés to me.

Zed nailed it. It was my subtle attempt at a bit of humor, as my sense of humor leans heavily on the sarcastic side of things. I've been accused by some friends & coworkers of being overly sarcastic at times, but it's just my nature, it's how I see things. I thought about putting one of those smiley face things at the end of that statement to emphasize the sarcasm, but I decided not to.

Been there done that 😅

Could a game like I envision be released in today's market, in 2023? No. But I don't feel that I've overestimated the potential by any degree, of a learning & adapting AI when applied to any sentient being or creature that inhabits a game world. For me, assuming I'm wealthy and brilliant (of which I'm neither), the development starts now using the present tech of AI and voice recognition and pushing it, evolving it, into that AI I envision being possible.

Ten years from now, those tools we use today will probably seem antiquated, but they will evolve, and it's my job as project manager/creative director, to channel that progressive development into living, thinking, and reactive AIs.

I have my doubts it will be possible in 10 years, but I do agree it's a great idea for a game.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I try to emoji my also sarky humor these days, after getting caught a couple of times and misleading people, causing them to whack me 🙂

I'm thankful for emojis. They're basically your "Get out of jail free" card. Let me give you an example:

Brian, you're probably the biggest moron I've ever seen. You're pretty ugly and stinky, too! 😆 😆 😉



(just joking, man)

 

[Brian Boru]

We definitely need a 'Boo' option in the Like button set.

(just joking, man)

That's only cos you haven't met me!

 

[Zed Clampet]

the best Hangman I've found so far, where I still top the leaderboard, woohoo!

Challenge accepted!

No, but seriously, that looks fun. May grab it.

 

[playingnamakagravity]

I would like to make a narrative-driven adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic world. The goal of the game would be to explore the world, uncover secrets, solve puzzles, and progress through the story. In order to do this, the player would need to interact with various NPCs and objects in the world, while also using their own wits and problem-solving skills to progress. The game would include interesting characters, challenging puzzles, and an engaging plot to keep the player invested. Additionally, I would like to experiment with procedurally generated elements of the game world to add an extra layer of unpredictability.

 

[Brian Boru]

that looks fun

The one 'off' bit is some of the categories will have you scratching your head—not as bad as a cow is a plant, but let's say 'strange' 🙂

I played the original long ago—maybe a decade—and it was fairly poor, you had to love word games to keep going with it. This Rebirth sequel is way better—if you like it, don't bother with the original is my advice.

Challenge accepted!

Took me a second playthru to get on top. First time just getting familiar with the game, and surprised to end up in the top 10—second run aimed specifically at seeing how high I could get.

Don't ignore the side mini-games, those are quick fun too—I was also top in 2 of those 3, but sadly have been toppled since 🙁 May have to try again… look out world! 😀