You've just opened a game studio. Describe your first AAA game...

[ZedClampet]

You loved your new job as CEO of Ubisoft. You sold everything from your IPs to the nic nacs your employees had on their desks (there were a number of scuffles surrounding this, but you always managed to prevail). You kept 10 percent for yourself as commission and then deployed a parachute made of 24 karat gold, and off you went, a job well done.

Surprisingly, none of your employees followed you to your next venture, establishing a proper AAA development studio, so you went to universities across the country and hired 800 unpaid interns. It will look great on their resumes. Now all you have to do is make your first game. Describe this game.

Note: I thought of the question, but not the game. I'll think about it for a bit then post my answer.

 

[DXCHASE]

Looking at whats popular (makes money) and not, the games i would want to make would just fold my company right under lol

 

[ZedClampet]

Looking at whats popular (makes money) and not, the games i would want to make would just fold my company right under lol

Same, that's why I'm struggling to come up with ideas that would be AAA

 

[ZedClampet]

How about this for a basic AAA style idea?

You work for a major crime fighting government body. You have been asked to attend a meeting with the president and your boss. You are in the Oval Office in the meeting when a portal opens in the room (there is currently no known tech for this) and a man steps through. He says something cryptic then pulls an unknown weapon out and shoots the president and your boss. The weapon makes only a slight sound...

Er, to summarize you end up chasing the assassin through the portal. He can't close portals behind him, so he can't fully cover his tracks. The portals lead you around the world and even to other planets, going both forward and backwards in time. His organization has used the portals to create sympathetic organizations through time and space, so you are mostly fighting those people as you attempt to understand the technology and this criminal organization and to track down the assassin and his boss.

There would be a lot of future tech that you would find and use...

Hmm, maybe I've been too influenced by the fact that there is a new Assassin's Creed out

 

[February's Ghost]

I honestly think there is disconnect about the meaning of "triple A" in gaming. I don't think triple A means popular and what makes money and trend chasing. Triple A is about production quality.

The basics are gameplay, visuals and sound, and story. To be a triple A title you don't necessarily need an A in all of those categories, just most of them. Though even a C in one of them will likely take away it's feel of triple A quality.

-Visually, triple A titles have detailed environments, rich textures, high poly geometry, and smooth animations.

-In sound they have quality voice work, a variety of music, and variable sound effects.

-With gameplay they need a good execution loop that offers variety and depth. Not necessarily just combat, but gathering, crafting, puzzle solving, and exploration. A game can ruin itself by trying to be something and half-assing it, like having simplistic crafting (or in some case a convoluted crafting system).

-Of course with story it needs an interesting premise and sensible progression, interesting characters, well written dialog and info-dumps (notes, letters, books, and the like).

Other factors that can boost the quality of a triple A game would include a clean interface, intuitive inventory (has any game ever achieved that?), a lot of sound and visual options to name a few.

One thing a triple A game doesn't need is a huge open world. I thinks it's backwards thinking by the big studios thinking they have to constantly keep going bigger and better. AC Valhalla is one of the more recent examples that bigger isn't better.

Ultimately it doesn't matter what your game is about. Most non-triple A games fall short because they just don't have the manpower to achieve those levels. If you have the manpower to achieve it, then do it.

 

[ZedClampet]

I honestly think there is disconnect about the meaning of "triple A" in gaming. I don't think triple A means popular and what makes money and trend chasing. Triple A is about production quality.

The basics are gameplay, visuals and sound, and story. To be a triple A title you don't necessarily need an A in all of those categories, just most of them. Though even a C in one of them will likely take away it's feel of triple A quality.

-Visually, triple A titles have detailed environments, rich textures, high poly geometry, and smooth animations.

-In sound they have quality voice work, a variety of music, and variable sound effects.

-With gameplay they need a good execution loop that offers variety and depth. Not necessarily just combat, but gathering, puzzle solving, and exploration.

-Of course with story it needs an interesting premise and sensible progression, interesting characters, well written dialog and info-dumps (notes, letters, books, and the like).

Other factors that can boost the quality of a triple A game would include a clean interface, intuitive inventory (has any game ever achieved that?), a lot of sound and visual options to name a few.

Ultimately it doesn't matter what your game is about. Most non-triple A games fall short because they just don't have the manpower to achieve those levels. If you have the manpower to achieve it, then do it.

That's, IMO, a pretty good description of AAA (see other discussions where we talked about this). It essentially means that you have production levels that lessor studios can't achieve. It used to encompass complexity and scope as well, but thanks to modern tools, even solo developers can mirror and even exceed AAA games in that area.

You can't escape, however, that most customers have certain expectations about the content in a AAA game. So when we say our AAA games would sink our studios, we're talking about something other than the quality of the games. We're talking mostly about customer sentiment. I could make a AAA retail simulation game, for instance, and it would almost certainly not make back its budget.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

A hybrid between Dying Light and Elden Ring/Souls. You have 2 forms which you can instantly switch between at will, first form its always in first person and you can parkour around the open world environment at running speed maybe using ranged weapons. In the second form it switches to third person with deliberate souls style melee combat, parry and a dodge roll, big boss fights where both forms are effective at different stages.

No idea on setting and tone or anything else, sat here dealing with the flu and havent really thought this through. Its an elevator pitch I'd be into though.

 

[ZedClampet]

A hybrid between Dying Light and Elden Ring/Souls. You have 2 forms which you can instantly switch between at will, first form its always in first person and you can parkour around the open world environment at running speed maybe using ranged weapons. In the second form it switches to third person with deliberate souls style melee combat, parry and a dodge roll, big boss fights where both forms are effective at different stages.

No idea on setting and tone or anything else, sat here dealing with the flu and havent really thought this through. Its an elevator pitch I'd be into though.

As a game pitch, yours is much better than mine. I didn't even mention gameplay.

 

[February's Ghost]

IDK, you'd probably have the best reviewed retail simulation game of all time and it would probably do better than you'd think. Maybe not enough to make back costs, but the next one you make might.

Anyway, I'm keeping my secrets. No one is going to steal my idea for an award winning ghost story with unique gameplay and the greatest twist and jump scare ever.

 

[ZedClampet]

IDK, you'd probably have the best reviewed retail simulation game of all time

Probably. If you are talking about professional reviews, it might be the first retail simulation game ever reviewed (at least by PCG), so I guess it would automatically be the "best reviewed".

User reviews would be another matter entirely. For instance, TCG Card Shop Simulator has 35,000 reviews and is Overwhelmingly Positive at 97 percent.

All I know is that if I want to sell it for $70, I'm going to need to expand this to some sort of world-wide retail tycoon sort of thing, and then it's going to lose much of its charm.

 

[February's Ghost]

All I know is that if I want to sell it for $70, I'm going to need to expand this to some sort of world-wide retail tycoon sort of thing, and then it's going to lose much of its charm.

You wouldn't have to sell it for $70, it's much smaller in scope than your typical triple A game. Your costs probably wouldn't even be 1% of the usual. Well unless you wanted it to be.

For instance, TCG Card Shop Simulator has 35,000 reviews and is Overwhelmingly Positive at 97 percent.

Things like that make me wonder what is wrong with people.

 

[Frindis]

Maybe a game where you play as a bouncer at a night club. Whenever there is trouble, you'll get into some type of side scrolling combat (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles style) with a bunch of different bad guests trying to start trouble with you.

Could be different stages as the nightclub get's more floors and there would be a boss on each one, like someone being a total kakapo you have to fight. A theme on each floor, like a rich boy, trailer park, spoiled princess and emo/punk theme. They fight you with stuff like expensive champagne, broken beer bottles, ripped dresses and spiky bracelets.

You have your own private locker at the night club where you can find new silly upgrades/weapons and as you progress each level you get more skills, perhaps stealing some from bosses also.

 

[ZedClampet]

Things like that make me wonder what is wrong with people.

Why? Because they have different tastes than you? It's a great game.

 

[ZedClampet]

Maybe a game where you play as a bouncer at a night club. Whenever there is trouble, you'll get into some type of side scrolling combat (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles style) with a bunch of different bad guests trying to start trouble with you.

Could be different stages as the nightclub get's more floors and there would be a boss on each one, like someone being a total kakapo you have to fight. A theme on each floor, like a rich boy, trailer park, spoiled princess and emo/punk theme. They fight you with stuff like expensive champagne, broken beer bottles, ripped dresses and spiky bracelets.

You have your own private locker at the night club where you can find new silly upgrades/weapons and as you progress each level you get more skills, perhaps stealing some from bosses also.

This gave me a thought (probably a bad one). What if you made an asymmetrical co-op game for people with different tastes. For instance, one person doesn't like the side scrolling type fighting, but loves the tycoon part of running a nightclub, and the other person is the opposite. How you do in your part of the game impacts the other part. You could probably figure all sorts of ways to tie them together.

You might have to have dynamic balancing to make sure that one player isn't exclusively responsible for failure,

 

[Pifanjr]

An family-friendly game that's perfect for children but also includes a nostalgic element for the older demographics. It has an innovative story (we're already in talks with Netflix about an animated show) and a distinct visual style (perfect for merchandising. We're talking action figures, stuffed animals, clothes, stickers, etc.).

Of course we'll have an in-game store as well, selling cosmetics based off of partnerships with other popular media (really whoever we can get) as well as a premium subscription model featuring exclusive content.

As a game pitch, yours is much better than mine. I didn't even mention gameplay.

If I'm going to be a CEO, I don't need to worry about silly things like gameplay, that's what I'm paying I hired a bunch of other people for. I just need to sell the concept to investors while I make grand promises to drive up the stock price so I can hopefully sell it all to Microsoft or TenCent in a couple of years. And even if it all fails, at least I've been paying myself a multi-million dollar salary.

 

[ZedClampet]

An family-friendly game that's perfect for children but also includes a nostalgic element for the older demographics. It has an innovative story (we're already in talks with Netflix about an animated show) and a distinct visual style (perfect for merchandising. We're talking action figures, stuffed animals, clothes, stickers, etc.).

Of course we'll have an in-game store as well, selling cosmetics based off of partnerships with other popular media (really whoever we can get) as well as a premium subscription model featuring exclusive content.



If I'm going to be a CEO, I don't need to worry about silly things like gameplay, that's what I'm paying I hired a bunch of other people for. I just need to sell the concept to investors while I make grand promises to drive up the stock price so I can hopefully sell it all to Microsoft or TenCent in a couple of years. And even if it all fails, at least I've been paying myself a multi-million dollar salary.

I asked for game ideas not social commentary!

Just kidding. It was your social commentary that sparked the thread. I feel like you should become a venture capitalist.

 

[BeardyHat]

Maybe a ww2 multiplayer coop game about being a tanker, something in the style of Hunt: Showdown (which I've never played.)

Most tanks generally have a 4-5 man crew, but we're going to limit it to 3 players on a team because no one wants to be the Loader and just staring at the inside of the tank their entire game.

So we'll have the following crew positions for a team:

Commander: you'll be responsible for sighting enemies and marking them for the gunner, as well as communicating with the rest of your platoon (maybe we'll also make you be the Loader, so you have a little extra to do, since we'll be breaking up jobs a bit anyway). You can go unbuttoned, which will allow you to spot enemies and mark them at greater ranges, but will somehow leave you more vulnerable (no infantry in this game probably?).

Gunner: you'll be turning the turret, aiming and firing at the enemies the commander spots. You'll need to take into account range and try to compensate for drop and fire on the move, assuming the driver is not stopped. You can choose what kind of ammunition you'll be firing as well.

Driver: You largely get to be autonomous, but you'll need to listen to your Commander about where and how to move. Given your limited sight, you're going to need to rely on the Commander to let you know of any potential hazards and how to position your tank to be most effective. You'll also have access to the bow machine gun (maybe there will be AI infantry, so you have something to shoot, should they be encroaching on your position).

I'm not decided on if it should be strictly PvP or if there will be a PvE component. But you'll platoon with up to 4 other tanks and be assigned missions, such as defending a bridge crossing (where you'll sit in ambush) or taking a critical objective and assisting infantry (guess we will have them) by taking out machine gun nests in buildings with your HE rounds or trying to keep them safe from enemy tanks without being killed yourself.

At the beginning of the game, you'll need to decide what and how many rounds you're taking with you. Take enough HE so you can effectively assist infantry and root out enemy infantry in dug in positions, but don't forget to leave room for AP and ACPR because you may be called upon to kill an enemy tank.

Teams will be allowed to choose from a few different tanks depending on their side, but each will somehow be weighted differently, after all, Tigers were relatively rare in the grand scheme and so should be encountered infrequently, but also be a challenge to deal with, assuming the opposite team is running a majority of Sherman 75s.

 

[February's Ghost]

Why? Because they have different tastes than you? It's a great game.

Don't worry, I wonder what the hell is wrong with me too.

 

[February's Ghost]

This gave me a thought (probably a bad one). What if you made an asymmetrical co-op game for people with different tastes. For instance, one person doesn't like the side scrolling type fighting, but loves the tycoon part of running a nightclub, and the other person is the opposite. How you do in your part of the game impacts the other part. You could probably figure all sorts of ways to tie them together.

You might have to have dynamic balancing to make sure that one player isn't exclusively responsible for failure,

So, Hotline Miami combined with Viscera Cleanup Detail? One team makes the mess and the other cleans it up.

 

[Zloth]

Silly Version

Make a game based off of Zelazny's Amber series. That is a multi-verse style series of books where the primary characters can move from one universe to another simply by walking or any other form of movement. They do this by concentrating on some part of the landscape and imagining it changing. "On the other side of that hill, the grass will be purple. Now there will be two moons." and so on. The further they travel, the crazier the universes can become. The laws of physics can be altered. They can travel to a universe where the "stars" are all flying penguins if they wanted.

And I would set up an MMO where everyone has those powers! You can find monsters to fight, a sphinx to play riddling games with, whatever you want, it will be there. There will be some limits on pornography, but that will be about it.

Want to be a part of it? Of course you do! Got a great idea for a universe? Start planning out how to change things. Mind you, it will take some time to make all those changes, and some of the more difficult ones will require you to gain several levels. If you don't want to wait, you don't have to! Just send us $1970 and a detailed description, and we'll set up a special Tarot Card for you that will be in each of your characters' inventories. Concentrate on the card for 10 seconds, and you'll be transported directly to your custom universe! SOME companies charge more than that just for one fraggin' space ship! Whatta bargain!

Naturally, this game will be quite impossible to make. Responding to creativity like that is exactly what computers are completely terrible at. But we've got something new! We've got a VERY proprietary new form of AI that will make it all happen! Really, we do!

The name of the game: 9 Figures in Amber.

P.S. I'll see if I can come up with a proper, not silly answer. That's a lot harder than a silly answer, though!

 

[February's Ghost]

Silly Version

Make a game based off of Zelazny's Amber series. That is a multi-verse style series of books where the primary characters can move from one universe to another simply by walking or any other form of movement. They do this by concentrating on some part of the landscape and imagining it changing. "On the other side of that hill, the grass will be purple. Now there will be two moons." and so on. The further they travel, the crazier the universes can become. The laws of physics can be altered. They can travel to a universe where the "stars" are all flying penguins if they wanted.

And I would set up an MMO where everyone has those powers! You can find monsters to fight, a sphinx to play riddling games with, whatever you want, it will be there. There will be some limits on pornography, but that will be about it.

Want to be a part of it? Of course you do! Got a great idea for a universe? Start planning out how to change things. Mind you, it will take some time to make all those changes, and some of the more difficult ones will require you to gain several levels. If you don't want to wait, you don't have to! Just send us $1970 and a detailed description, and we'll set up a special Tarot Card for you that will be in each of your characters' inventories. Concentrate on the card for 10 seconds, and you'll be transported directly to your custom universe! SOME companies charge more than that just for one fraggin' space ship! Whatta bargain!

Naturally, this game will be quite impossible to make. Responding to creativity like that is exactly what computers are completely terrible at. But we've got something new! We've got a VERY proprietary new form of AI that will make it all happen! Really, we do!

The name of the game: 9 Figures in Amber.

P.S. I'll see if I can come up with a proper, not silly answer. That's a lot harder than a silly answer, though!

If you ask me that just might be the perfect type of game to make using generative AI.

 

[Colif]

I honestly think there is disconnect about the meaning of "triple A" in gaming. I don't think triple A means popular and what makes money and trend chasing. Triple A is about production quality.

Triple AAA is just related to how much money is spent on the game, and maybe size of studio. Its got nothing to do with quality of the game itself. That should be clear from the first ever AAAA game released last year. We have had this discussion here before. I mistakenly thought it was quality too... which it clearly isn't.

If people mistakenly think AAA means quality, its great for the industry as it can hype things up that aren't actually worth buying. The misconception is what the industry is based on. AAA sounds better than indie in peoples minds, but its all an illusion. AAA may have started out as a mark of quality but now its not.

AAA may look better as they can afford the best engines but really, underneath the wallpaper, are they really better? Have AAA games just got better looking and stayed the same, if not worse? Too many people taken in by what things look like. Games aren't meant to be movies, I don't want to spend 3 hours running between cutscenes with the occasional combat.

Maybe that is why people want a remastered Oblivion as they know the old games were better, they just don't look as good. If someone could make a way to have graphical upgrades for all the classic games, I doubt we would have a AAA industry now... they sure would have to try harder to be noticed.

Games are like headphones, just because its new doesn't mean its better. Some of the best ever are 20 years old now... and I wasn't even talking about Wow. that was actually headphones... lol, Still applies.

I don't have an idea for one as I don't play them. If I were to go with one, I would make it good enough that it doesn't need/have a shop built into its core design so that if players are good enough they can get all the cool gear in game without paying extra.

Maybe my best idea is create the way to upgrade all the old games graphics and make the industry try harder again.

 

[mjs warlord]

I would combine a few games that i had in the 1980's on the spectrum.

I had a game where you formed a band and started in small clubs and eventually end up touring the world as well as doing gigs you had to do other things that may or may not get you into trouble , as you can imagine all those years ago the graphics were very primitive but the one thing i remember was the language was xxx rated with no content warning on it , a lot of shops eventually refused to stock it because of the number of complaints about it.

I had some sort of primitive shopping sim and their was a sequence with a conveyor belt showing items of food on it. As it was written in basic you could get into it and change things. so i changed the food sprites to records. At the end their was a sales chart and i changed the food names to the names of my favourite music groups. As a final bit of fun i added Abba's money money money from another game when the chart was shown.

If all these things were combined i think it would make a pretty good sim but as it would have limited appeal it would probably have to be made by an indie company as the big guns would not be bothered with it.

FOOTNOTE..... records are black circles of plastic with a hole in the middle , you put them on a machine with a funny shaped arm and it lets you hear the music on the plastic circle.

 

[Colif]

FOOTNOTE..... records are black circles of plastic with a hole in the middle , you put them on a machine with a funny shaped arm and it lets you hear the music on the plastic circle.

Youth of today call those vinyls

They not so retro as you might think, some people still use them and spend stupid amounts of money on the turntables. Some people think they sound better... there are those who still listen to Cassette tape and I knew they sounded bad in the 1990's, they can't convince me otherwise... anyway, I digress.

 

[mjs warlord]

I had dozens of vinyl's and i am one those who though they would never return so i dumped them .... ouch.
I remember spending £2.50 on a records and the same thing now costs £40

On a chat show they set up some cd's and vinyl behind a curtain and challenged Elton John to say which was player and he got every one right as he always said he could tell the difference.