3D Willy
Okay, I'll admit that title came out a lot more lewd than I'd intended, but at least it does describe the content.

First off, I have to apologize both to you, the discerning reader, and to myself, because I promised I wouldn't let this happen. It's been more than two days since my last post. Sorry about that, but I actually have been really busy recently.

I have already mentioned that I was working on a video game textbook, and that's kinda fun. However, I'm working with an engine that I had never even seen two weeks ago. I've had to immerse myself in this engine (the Torque engine, if you care), so that I can write intelligently about it. The downside is, while I'm writing, I'm constantly second-guessing myself.

It takes three times as long for me to write a sentence like "Dynamic objects must be instantiated through script or through code." Because I keep thinking to myself, "Is there some way to do that with the editor? I should check the forums to make sure. Nope. No listing. But, does that mean nobody's done it, or that it can't be done?". Then I dive back into the documentation and forums to check again.

My wife says that I'm worrying about it too much, then adds that she's proud of me for being so thorough. Somehow, I feel like I'm being thorough in a Woody Allen sort of way, where I'm overanalyzing every minute detail, giving each two minutes of angst, then going ahead with it anyway.

So anyway, I was thinking about a game, combination FPS and third-person shooter. I'd like to combine the environment of Willy Beamish with the gameplay of GTA (where there are lots of little missions to choose from). Picture this: You play an ordinary kid in the suburbs. You want to go to the local QuikMart to get a smoothie, but the entrance is blocked by three big bullies. You know that the only way to really stop a bully is by getting a bunch of your friends with you (positive proactive message saying that friends working together can always beat the bad guys). So, you have a list of icons on your map that tell you where you can find each of your friends.

You go talk to Skippy who says, "Mom won't let me go until I pick up all the trash in the front yard. Thing is, she wants me to get the whole yard done in the next thirty seconds, or I'm grounded!" So now, you go running through the yard, picking up all the trash, and when you beat that level, Skippy will follow you.

Next you go to Butch's house (BTW, you could pick which ever missions you want in whatever order, I'm just using this as an expedient). Butch says, "I'd love to help, but my Dad wants me to help with fixing the car. He gave me these four tubes, but I don't know where to put them to fix the car. Can you help?" So now we have a puzzle game.

You get the idea, you gather up all your friends, go to the QuikMart, and have a quick FMV not-violent confrontation. You and all your friends are enjoying your smoothies when suddenly there's a bright flash of light from inside one of the freezers. A weird, wacky alien (picture Doc Brown from "Back to the Future") comes out of the freezer and says, "You must help me, the future of your planet is at stake!"

He explains to you that there are enemy aliens pouring onto your planet. He says they can camouflage themselves to look like anything, and the only way to see their true nature is to look at them through these glasses (hands you a pair of "X-RAY specs"). The alien tells you that the "bad" aliens are deathly afraid of water, so if you shoot them with a water gun, they will retreat to their spaceship.

So now, armed with your new specs, you go out and start looking for the bad aliens. Thing is, there are adults all over the street, and when one of the adults looks in the direction of an alien, it turns into something else (a tree, bush, fire hydrant, mailbox, etc.)

You should be able to walk into any house on the street (although people will indignantly shout, "What are you doing in here?"), and there should be other hidden games/puzzles all around the street.

Of course, there would be more storyline leading to more environments (Downtown, Airport, Spaceship interior). It's just an idea that's stuck with me for the past few days. It would certainly be fun to do.

Video of the Day: Talking Dogs
- posted by BrandG @ 1:12 AM