Game idea.

[Rusty pumpkin]

Fair enough, I just recommend not disregarding simple elements of sound design (such as spatial awareness, panning etc.) when they could really enhance your game. It's something that sometimes gets overlooked and you have a perfect chance to make it in some way important to your core gameplay.

On that note, I had an idea for a "sound physics" mechanic. For this, the device would project a nearly limitless sound wave, and objects nearby would receive an immediate and almost clear definition of placement, space, and design. At the same time, far objects have a delay, moving objects get an intense blur, sort of like a trailing image effect, and the sonar would do a pulse, so there'd be momentary complete blindness.

To make this more coherent, imagine a giant strobe light that flashes on and off every 2 or 5 seconds, so everything within the range will appear for a second, vanish to darkness, then appear again at any position possible within the delay. I've done this with a cousin before, the effect was terrifying, slightly hilarious, and completely exhilarating.

EDIT: This could be simple darkness, but there can be moments where other noises interfere, creating a mirage effect, possibly sending the player into a panic over a car crash outside.

 

[Rusty pumpkin]

If I recall right, there was a game exactly like this, a while ago. I don't know if it actually came out, but you're game sounds a lot like what you describe. Its name had the word hell in it. Thats really all I can tell you.

I can't say what that game would be, but I assure you that for all intents and purposes this idea was original.

 

[MortalKomic]

Cool idea, although sense I be a little baby, I would not buy it.

 

[GiantRaven]

On that note, I had an idea for a "sound physics" mechanic. For this, the device would project a nearly limitless sound wave, and objects nearby would receive an immediate and almost clear definition of placement, space, and design. At the same time, far objects have a delay, moving objects get an intense blur, sort of like a trailing image effect, and the sonar would do a pulse, so there'd be momentary complete blindness.

To make this more coherent, imagine a giant strobe light that flashes on and off every 2 or 5 seconds, so everything within the range will appear for a second, vanish to darkness, then appear again at any position possible within the delay. I've done this with a cousin before, the effect was terrifying, slightly hilarious, and completely exhilarating.

EDIT: This could be simple darkness, but there can be moments where other noises interfere, creating a mirage effect, possibly sending the player into a panic over a car crash outside.

I like that. Especially the ideas of interference.

 

[Brandiferous]

Fair enough, I just recommend not disregarding simple elements of sound design (such as spatial awareness, panning etc.) when they could really enhance your game. It's something that sometimes gets overlooked and you have a perfect chance to make it in some way important to your core gameplay.

On that note, I had an idea for a "sound physics" mechanic. For this, the device would project a nearly limitless sound wave, and objects nearby would receive an immediate and almost clear definition of placement, space, and design. At the same time, far objects have a delay, moving objects get an intense blur, sort of like a trailing image effect, and the sonar would do a pulse, so there'd be momentary complete blindness.

To make this more coherent, imagine a giant strobe light that flashes on and off every 2 or 5 seconds, so everything within the range will appear for a second, vanish to darkness, then appear again at any position possible within the delay. I've done this with a cousin before, the effect was terrifying, slightly hilarious, and completely exhilarating.

I love this strobe light idea. I think the idea of seeing something not really move much but just shift is really unsettling. If you've ever seen the movie The Descent there are a few scenes where the lighting is really dim so you can't really make out what's going on in the background but a shadow or something will change and you know something's there and it really adds a ton of suspense. That movie is one of my favorite horror films and they play a lot with lighting so you should definitely try looking it up.

 

[Rusty pumpkin]

The strobe-pulse idea seems to be gaining a lot more likes then the original field, and to tell the truth that was the first idea, but I thought it may have restricted the ability to survive appropriately. Keep up on the comments/suggestions, I just wished this could be easily published.

 

[Drake_Dercon]

Because I have a terrible habit of pestering friends with my myriad of ideas, I will go to people who can ignore me without making me sad.

Horror game, the basis of which is about the player character being blind. Not completely, as somehow a technology was made to essentially allow the character to see as a bat would, using sonar. Now, this makes the enviroment colorless and short ranged. Reasons this is a good idea somewhere below.

1: The reason a horror can be a horror and not action is because of a mystery. Most games have a terrible habit of making a rather grotesque or bizzare enemy the mystery, shortly revealed by the neccesity for a danger. See Resident Evil, Silent hill past 1 and 2, and Dead space, for the most part. With the colorless, short ranged, in-distinct world of a sonar-seeing blind man, the mystery is ever present. When the apocalyptic-doo-dad happens, you're forced to flee from blurred outlines of something, plus the short range ensures every corner and distance could have an army of enemy outlines waiting to munch you.

2: A rather common aspect of all horror is darkness. For good reason of course, but it isn't really implemented sometimes. Dead space did this well, darkness could be a haven for necromorphs, Amnesia made the game as dark as graphicly possible but added a lantern and candles. Since, in this game, you can't see things X distance away, it would be shrouded in darkness. To be nice, the outlines could still exsist at such distance, but even more blurred.

3: By all means possible, this destroys any chance for it to be labeled action game. You can't see, likely since you were small, so combat skills are minimal, and if anything you would rely on a gun thats neigh impossible to aim properly. Also, because of blurred outlines, a enemy could be a normal human, or vice-versa. Also adds to the mystery, as there may be no true enemy but only humans and your own insanity.

Constructive criticisms appreciated, and I apologize to anyone who felt that reading this was waste of time. Good day, happy hunting, whatever.

Sounds absolutely fantastic on paper, but I can see a bit of a problem. Say this were a AAA game. It would have to be long, right? have enough content to go for at least six hours on average. After six hours, blurred monochrome outlines can be a bit of a pain.

Also remember this: even if you can't see it, you know what the enemy is. It's scariest when you really can't figure out what you're running from (or worse, you don't know if it's friend or foe). Otherwise, fantastic idea. Now act on it. Devs are to busy making CoD clones, so I vouch someone stirs things up. I know I will as soon as I get the chance.

 

[Orcus The Ultimate]

it's funny how i got to this topic, i've recently installed Ghost Master again, a game that went -under the radar- that was about training ghosts and scaring peeps on frat houses maniac hospitals, a police station, a yacht etc, the only problem is it's politically correct policy, since it could have been so much more awesome with some blood + gore, and with some better interface mechanics, (like a pause button)...

 

[The Random One]

Make it, then we'll talk.

I think it'd work well as a grim flash puzzle game. Don't push it much further.

 

[Rusty pumpkin]

Sounds absolutely fantastic on paper, but I can see a bit of a problem. Say this were a AAA game. It would have to be long, right? have enough content to go for at least six hours on average. After six hours, blurred monochrome outlines can be a bit of a pain.

Also remember this: even if you can't see it, you know what the enemy is. It's scariest when you really can't figure out what you're running from (or worse, you don't know if it's friend or foe). Otherwise, fantastic idea. Now act on it. Devs are to busy making CoD clones, so I vouch someone stirs things up. I know I will as soon as I get the chance.

Call me when you find a way to get these ideas to big name companies, asides from a little mouthing off about most of them and their stupid decisions, it seems the only way to get the gaming train on the right tracks is to take a good step into the darkness.

 

[blankedboy]

For a game where the protagonist is blind, it saddens me that you immediately used sonar as a visual aid rather than remaining within the sound domain.

You should have a look at Papa Sangre [http://www.papasangre.com/]. It's not the same kind of idea but it does some really interesting stuff regarding the lack of visual content.

Well then you just wouldn't have anything on your screen. That'd be a pretty boring game in my opinion.

Also, there should be a sequence where your seeing-eye dog dies. That'd be awesome.

 

[Drake_Dercon]

Sounds absolutely fantastic on paper, but I can see a bit of a problem. Say this were a AAA game. It would have to be long, right? have enough content to go for at least six hours on average. After six hours, blurred monochrome outlines can be a bit of a pain.

Also remember this: even if you can't see it, you know what the enemy is. It's scariest when you really can't figure out what you're running from (or worse, you don't know if it's friend or foe). Otherwise, fantastic idea. Now act on it. Devs are to busy making CoD clones, so I vouch someone stirs things up. I know I will as soon as I get the chance.

Call me when you find a way to get these ideas to big name companies, asides from a little mouthing off about most of them and their stupid decisions, it seems the only way to get the gaming train on the right tracks is to take a good step into the darkness.

FREAKING MAKE IT. Sorry to be so blunt, but if you have the means and the will, don't just sit on ideas. There are lots of ways to get things done; ways which are only expanding. Big devs won't take too many risks and that's the freedom you have working indie. It'll just be a lot of work.

This is my plan for life, so try not to shoot me down with your realism *too* hard.

 

[Trolldor]

Drake, always approach something as being 'too hard', just remember to temper it with 'not hard enough'.
How I managed to get my short story published, it being the first and only thing I've ever submitted for publication.
I still think it was absolute shit and not worth publishing, but I had a healthy understanding of the difficulty facing me given my competition.

 

[Rusty pumpkin]

FREAKING MAKE IT. Sorry to be so blunt, but if you have the means and the will, don't just sit on ideas. There are lots of ways to get things done; ways which are only expanding. Big devs won't take too many risks and that's the freedom you have working indie. It'll just be a lot of work.

This is my plan for life, so try not to shoot me down with your realism *too* hard.

Indeed, I lack the means. This is why my current life goal is to find out what Yahtzee was using to make the trilby series. Otherwise, I suppose figuring out how to make a xbox indie might work... I don't particularly trust the xbox community, but a start is a start.

 

[GiantRaven]

Well then you just wouldn't have anything on your screen. That'd be a pretty boring game in my opinion.

Also, there should be a sequence where your seeing-eye dog dies. That'd be awesome.

It would be boring in the same way a game with all visuals and no sound would be boring - striking up a balance between the two is the best approach. It would be awesome if, whilst moving through the game with all these powers that helped you to see, you lost them for a short time meaning you had to rely solely on the sounds around you. I think it would be a memorable sequence.

 

[Drake_Dercon]

FREAKING MAKE IT. Sorry to be so blunt, but if you have the means and the will, don't just sit on ideas. There are lots of ways to get things done; ways which are only expanding. Big devs won't take too many risks and that's the freedom you have working indie. It'll just be a lot of work.

This is my plan for life, so try not to shoot me down with your realism *too* hard.

Indeed, I lack the means. This is why my current life goal is to find out what Yahtzee was using to make the trilby series. Otherwise, I suppose figuring out how to make a xbox indie might work... I don't particularly trust the xbox community, but a start is a start.

is a start is a start.

there's also correspondence courses, if you lack the experience and C++ if you want to start from scratch. I don't advise that last option unless you have a team.