A Steampunk Sandbox Crime Game

[Kollega]

For about half of a year, there was one idea - an idea to make a top-down GTA-clone in steampunk aesthetic, which was dubbed Grand Theft Locomobile (a placeholder name, obviously). There was a lot of positive response to that idea in the thread i've made, wild initial enthusiasm from a couple of members. Then said idea died untill April 23th, when i've decided to reanimate it. But of course, i've procrastinated for more than a month before actually getting to it. Again.

Anyway.

The basic premise is simple. You play as a mad scientist in a 2D world, there are lots of crazy weapons to be used, steam-powered cars to be jacked, and goals to be fulfilled. You can free-roam, play through missions. There are top hats, goggles, and a pretty vast system to construct and upgrade your weapons. But now it's all just an idea.

Now, why am i posting this? Because maybe someone knowing how to program or do pixel-art (or even someone who has good ideas) will be intrested enough to join and maybe there will be some kind of a result. In short, "Help Wanted". The Escapist usergroup is HERE. And if you want details or even care enough to register, the small forum set up for ideas is HERE.

***

I hope that won't be counted as advertising. And please note: if you just like to say how stupid it is and that it'll fail, you probably shouldn't post here. Just because we don't even have anything to fail with yet.

 

[Irridium]

This sounds fairly interesting. I would love to see something like this take off.

Sadly I can't do much of anything, otherwise I would gladly help. Hope it gets done though!

 

[frocob]

I think this hypothetical game would be easier to make and better if you modded an existing 3D game rather than building a 2D one from scratch. Source or GECK could be good.

 

[lasersandbearsohno]

just wait four years until I get out of my RTIS program, then I can help....

 

[Kollega]

I this hypothetical game would be easier to make and better if you modded an existing 3D game rather than building a 2D one from scratch. Source or GECK could be good.

You see, 2D was chosen because making a 3D sandbox game with unique mechanics, models, and worldmap is a lot of work.

Actually... what about taking a 3D engine and making 2D gameplay? Zombie Driver did this, and it's pretty good.

 

[Big Max]

Sounds like an awesome idea, it would certainly be unique.

I used to have some very, very basic pixel art skills a few years back, but I probably wouldn't be any help at all. Only really capable of very simple things or recolours. I've also got a touch of experience in map design. If thats helpful to you then I'll happily help out.

Just a few questions about this:
> Have you thought at all about the possibility of multiplayer?
> Will you use paperdoll for the sprites?
> How would flying vehicles work in a game like this?

Also have you thought at all about an engine/game maker thing that you will use yet?
>For something sprite based RPG Maker XP/Eclipse (For MMOs really) should be fairly good.
>If you wanted something 3D then you could use the Unreal Development Kit, I've seen top-down hack and slash games made with that so its quite likely that this idea would be possible. However I imagine you'd need someone with some form of modelling skills.

 

[Strategia]

I used to have some very, very basic pixel art skills a few years back, but I probably wouldn't be any help at all. Only really capable of very simple things or recolours. I've also got a touch of experience in map design. If thats helpful to you then I'll happily help out.

Right now, we don't have any artists at all. We're planning on making it 2D anyway, and even if we go for a 3D engine, we're still gonna have a lot of flat textures. If you could do pixel art for us, even small things, that'd be grand. Doesn't even need to be that complex, just doodads and small pipes and gauges and such that we could re-use over and over again as background detail would at least give us something more than bright (and/or dim) ideas, which is all we have now.

And as for map design, we're mostly planning a city AFAIK, but if you'd be willing to help us, pweddy pweddy pwease? =) Right now, we have idea guys and, well, more idea guys, so if you have actual experience, we could definitely use you on the team.

Just a few questions about this:
> Have you thought at all about the possibility of multiplayer?
> Will you use paperdoll for the sprites?
> How would flying vehicles work in a game like this?

1.) Not yet. We still haven't really decided on a lot of gameplay aspects either, I for one will be pushing to make the game quite story-driven but if we actually get the game working, multiplayer is a definite possibility. Perhaps missions would be turned off for MP, but you could cause some serious mayhem together and thus get money and equipment that could carry over to the single-player portion, but that's just idle speculation on my part. (Or you could fight each other. Always fun to snipe the other guy from three blocks away, only to have him creep up on you with an elephant gun. BOOM - headshot indeed.)
2.) What's a paperdoll?
3.) We haven't exactly decided yet. We haven't even talked about it much. But we will most definitely have flying vehicles, yes. Mini-zeppelins and gyrocopters ftw.

Also have you thought at all about an engine/game maker thing that you will use yet?
>For something sprite based RPG Maker XP/Eclipse (For MMOs really) should be fairly good.
>If you wanted something 3D then you could use the Unreal Development Kit, I've seen top-down hack and slash games made with that so its quite likely that this idea would be possible. However I imagine you'd need someone with some form of modelling skills.

We haven't decided yet. You seem to know a lot about these things, if you sign up on the offsite forums [http://z6.invisionfree.com/GrandTheftLocomobile/index.php?act=idx] and provide input, that'd be greatly appreciated.

 

[Big Max]

We haven't decided yet. You seem to know a lot about these things, if you sign up on the offsite forums [http://z6.invisionfree.com/GrandTheftLocomobile/index.php?act=idx] and provide input, that'd be greatly appreciated.

Already signed up for a count a bit ago. =)

I only know about this sort of stuff because I used to hang around the Eclipse forums. (Eclipse is a free MMORPG making thingy, its pretty good.)

 

[Strategia]

C'mon, anybody else? Surely there's gotta be more sandbox steampunk supervillain crime game enthusiasts out there! Anyone? [/shamelessbump]

 

[Naheal]

If a steampunk sandbox game gets made it needs to be Shadowrun. Sandbox RPG please. Perfect fit.

You have steampunk and cyberpunk confused.

 

[Poketom]

I'd love to help with this but I don't have much to offer in any particular departments. I love the idea though definitely keep it 2-D.

The only thing I have to say is maybes some kind of weapon or weapon/item combination system.

 

[Icedshot]

hi, i program in c++ quite a bit, and would be interesting to try this if you're interested..
would most likely be built around the sdl library if thats alright?
ill err.. sign up at the forums

 

[Strategia]

I'd love to help with this but I don't have much to offer in any particular departments. I love the idea though definitely keep it 2-D.

The only thing I have to say is maybes some kind of weapon or weapon/item combination system.

We're gonna have a ton of firearms, and a lot of quirky, "classic" steampunk weapons (death rays ftw). And the firearms have a ton of customisation options. We haven't really gone into the weird weapons yet. Oh, and we'll also have melee weapons (think swords, sabres and clubs), that can at least be electrified so they have a chance to stun, and maybe we can think up more modifications. However, be mindful that the first post of the "Weapon ideas" thread is ridiculously out of date, read the rest of the thread first before replying.

Please, visit our forums, sign up and drop an idea or two =)

hi, i program in c++ quite a bit, and would be interesting to try this if you're interested..
would most likely be built around the sdl library if thats alright?
ill err.. sign up at the forums

I..... have no idea. =P I'm an idea dog, basically. (What? I like it. It's grown on me.) I'll spout crazy, out-of-this-world ideas all day long (like the Incan empire going strong and being armed with, well, Incapunk lasers, using their ubiquitous gold to reflect and amplify a beam of light - and yes, you'll be able to get your hands on these Lightbeams in the game), but when it comes to implementing them, I'm pretty much stumped. Please do sign up, if this is gonna get off the ground anytime in this century we're gonna need programmers. And we fully intend to go through with this.

 

[Orbot_Vectorman]

Sounds like steambot chronicals... to be honest

 

[Strategia]

Sounds like steambot chronicals... to be honest

I'm going to try my very hardest to keep the art "Western" (i.e. not Japanese-style), if that should become a point of contention (but what we have so far indicates otherwise). Also, you're not some amnesiac do-gooder with a harmonica, you're a nefarious supervillain with revolvers and guns and goons and web launchers and wolverine cannons (literally, it fires wolverines) and gyrocopters and such. (Do note that I've never played Steambot Chronicles, I only know it from a quick Google and Wikipedia.)

 

[Strategia]

Obligatory one-hour bump. Sorry, sorry, but I want to keep this alive. Or die trying. (Well, perhaps suffer derision and mild moral discomfort from trying.)

 

[PopeJewish]

If a steampunk sandbox game gets made it needs to be Shadowrun. Sandbox RPG please. Perfect fit.

Shadowrun isn't steampunk and never ever should be steampunk. it's cyberpunk

cyberpunk is way better than steampunk, imo

 

[Starnerf]

I have a copy of Torque GameBuilder that we could use. And, like I've said before, I can draw/write/code if needed.