Post-AMPU Game Ideas

[vcczar]

13 minutes ago, jnewt said:

I really like this idea too, or at least something similar to it (though I did read your follow-up comment @vcczar).

Another idea not on this list that you might actually be interested in could be something similar to ESPNU College Town. It was a facebook game made by ESPN where you built up your own college and its campus, focusing on sports (though I don't think it was 100% sports exclusive). It was really addicting but was ultimately discontinued years ago.

I'm not interested in college sports, only professional and really only the NFL at this point. 

Also not ever going to make a game unless it's something I really want to do because I want to play it. The only reason AMPU was made was because I was waiting forever for someone to make it and no one ever did.

So basically, I won't make any games unless it's my idea. It's my idea because it's a game I both want to play, and it covers some areas in which I'm interested. If I'm not interested and don't want to play the game, I won't have the drive to make the game. 

However, I am open to ideas, feedback, help, etc. in fleshing out my ideas. 

[DakotaHale]

Shakespeare

AMPU 2

Republic Trading

Comedy Game

Coffee Game

I used to dabble in game dev shit in High school. The closest I ever came to actually finishing one (that was more than a minigame) was this game called 'GymSim' which was basically a sandbox tycoon where you ran a gym in America and have to deal with the financial (buying equipment, adjusting cost of membership, etc.) and personal aspect of the game, where there'd be tons of different personalities to come across, like the following:

Chads: They lift for aesthetics; can attract others to your gym. Harsh on noobs.
Powerlifters: They don't give a shit about aesthetics. They lift to lift. You can sponsor them in weightlifting competitions to win money/attention.
Influencers: Mostly women who will hog equipment to take selfies. Can attract others to your gym but piss off regulars.
Creeps: They prey on the women in your gym and you need to get rid of them.
Resolutions Plebs: Noobs who sign up for a full year, hog equipment and only go in the first month (pissing off your regulars; but free money).
Cross Fitters: They quickly bounce from equipment to equipment doing various exercises. Get hurt a lot. Will probably sue your ass. Will annoy your regulars occasionally.
Normies: The majority of your gym's population. They might not fully know what they're doing and could use your (or a hired personal trainer's guidance)

Each person would have their own unique stats like a strength/stamina etc, and also body fat % (and character type, like those listed above). 

Basically, your choices decide what type of gym you have. You can have an easy-going Planet Shitness style gym, a boxing gym, a ghetto gym, an exclusive gym for the super-rich, and whatever. Also the ability to attract special characters to your gym (probably with very similar fictional names to avoid copyright). Hasbulla, Kyriakos Grizzly, Daddy Noel, the Rock, Joe Rogan, Logan Paul, etc. come to mind. Never finished it though, but I'd play it.

[pman]

19 hours ago, vcczar said:

Economics is my worst area--

Haha, Econ gets a bad wrap. I think business and marketing classes seem more fun and less math focused (they are). Econ is just one of those subjects that very few people seem to enjoy. Even more the reason for a game to make it more assessable. However, even I would struggle to develop it and I teach it at the high school level. You'd really need someone with a Ph.D. in Economics to develop the Fed game at the appropriate level. Though I do think every Econ teacher in America might buy it simply to make their class more interesting!

[vcczar]

16 minutes ago, pman said:

Haha, Econ gets a bad wrap. I think business and marketing classes seem more fun and less math focused (they are). Econ is just one of those subjects that very few people seem to enjoy. Even more the reason for a game to make it more assessable. However, even I would struggle to develop it and I teach it at the high school level. You'd really need someone with a Ph.D. in Economics to develop the Fed game at the appropriate level. Though I do think every Econ teacher in America might buy it simply to make their class more interesting!

I think another issue is that I'm just not interested in money. I understand the practicality of it, but it isn't a driver for me. I think people that like money or want money are more likely to be interested in economics. If I were interested in money I'd probably be a millionaire by now. I value time to work on projects more than I do money. As such, I've never made a lot. 

However, I do find economics MUCH more interesting than business or marketing. If I gave letter grades to areas of interest, I'd give Economics a D, and Business and Marketing both an F. I think of all economic categories, the only one I'd give a C to is Trade (with moments of B). I'm interested in what goods a country has and what it sells and who it sells it too. I'd say this is somewhat comparable to Physics. Most of physics I find D or F. However, Astronomy is a B (sometimes an A) for me. In about every subject, I can find a sub-subject I'm interested in, but I am rarely interested in the total package. For instance, I hate math, but I love statistics and I find geometry alright. If logic falls into mathematics (it does include probability and algorithms, etc), then that's another area I like. Logic for me is a B (sometimes an A). 

I think ultimately, I can find anything interesting if I have the time and a way to make it more engaging for me. I imagine myself learning higher level math, physics, etc when I'm 90.  

[vcczar]

@A man from Colorado @Arkansas Progressive @Beetlejuice @bradleyg223 @Cal @Cenzonico @ConservativeElector2 @DakotaHale @Dobs @Edouard @Eugene @Fbarbarossa @Hestia @Ich_bin_Tyler @jnewt @jvikings1 @Kitten @Lars @Mark_W @mark2 @matthewyoung123 @Murrman104 @MrPotatoTed @OrangeP47 @pilight @Pringles @pman @Rezi @Rodja @Sean F Kennedy @ShortKing @SilentLiberty @The Blood @themiddlepolitical @Timur @vcczar @Vols21 @Willthescout7 @WVProgressive @Zenobiyl

And I guess my next question for this is, which of my game ideas are you most likely to volunteer to help with spreadsheets and playtesting?

[OrangeP47]

Just now, vcczar said:

@A man from Colorado @Arkansas Progressive @Beetlejuice @bradleyg223 @Cal @Cenzonico @ConservativeElector2 @DakotaHale @Dobs @Edouard @Eugene @Fbarbarossa @Hestia @Ich_bin_Tyler @jnewt @jvikings1 @Kitten @Lars @Mark_W @mark2 @matthewyoung123 @Murrman104 @MrPotatoTed @OrangeP47 @pilight @Pringles @pman @Rezi @Rodja @Sean F Kennedy @ShortKing @SilentLiberty @The Blood @themiddlepolitical @Timur @vcczar @Vols21 @Willthescout7 @WVProgressive @Zenobiyl

And I guess my next question for this is, which of my game ideas are you most likely to volunteer to help with spreadsheets and playtesting?

I mean, that question isn't exactly the one I'll respond to, but basically, I'm up for helping, as my ability allows.  I know a lot of things, but some of these things are outside my wheelhouse.  Like the Shakespeare game.  I agree, it sounds really cool.  I'd play it, but I don't have any knowledge of the subject.  I have extensive game-mechanics knowledge and know how to balance games, but on the topic of Shakespeare? I'm clueless.  If it was a more historical or political game I'd be able to contribute more on the "general knowledge" front.

[Timur]

I'd say "Creating the Bible." I used to take a great interest in the Apocryphal writings

[themiddlepolitical]

in order

AMPU 2

colonial Massachusetts

coffee shop game

Victorian game

[vcczar]

3 minutes ago, OrangeP47 said:

I mean, that question isn't exactly the one I'll respond to, but basically, I'm up for helping, as my ability allows.  I know a lot of things, but some of these things are outside my wheelhouse.  Like the Shakespeare game.  I agree, it sounds really cool.  I'd play it, but I don't have any knowledge of the subject.  I have extensive game-mechanics knowledge and know how to balance games, but on the topic of Shakespeare? I'm clueless.  If it was a more historical or political game I'd be able to contribute more on the "general knowledge" front.

The spreadsheet work wouldn't really require anyone knowing anything other than following my specific directions. The only fun thing about it would be learning a lot about, say Shakespeare, as you get the information, according to my instructions, and placing it in the spreadsheet. However, I've done like 75% of the spreadsheet work already when I was making the game as a board game about 3 years ago or so.

[ConservativeElector2]

6 minutes ago, vcczar said:

@A man from Colorado @Arkansas Progressive @Beetlejuice @bradleyg223 @Cal @Cenzonico @ConservativeElector2 @DakotaHale @Dobs @Edouard @Eugene @Fbarbarossa @Hestia @Ich_bin_Tyler @jnewt @jvikings1 @Kitten @Lars @Mark_W @mark2 @matthewyoung123 @Murrman104 @MrPotatoTed @OrangeP47 @pilight @Pringles @pman @Rezi @Rodja @Sean F Kennedy @ShortKing @SilentLiberty @The Blood @themiddlepolitical @Timur @vcczar @Vols21 @Willthescout7 @WVProgressive @Zenobiyl

And I guess my next question for this is, which of my game ideas are you most likely to volunteer to help with spreadsheets and playtesting?

I'd try to help with any of them as much as I can. My preference still lies most with those similar to AMPU and the literature games (Shakespeare and Ulysses)

[Willthescout7]

I would love to help with the Bible idea. I enjoy researching that stuff and already have a base of knowledge. Whatever you needed I could help with. 

[Willthescout7]

I could help with any of the others, though my base of knowledge would be much less. I could help with research/playtesting or setting up a spreadsheet. 

[OrangeP47]

4 minutes ago, vcczar said:

The spreadsheet work wouldn't really require anyone knowing anything other than following my specific directions. The only fun thing about it would be learning a lot about, say Shakespeare, as you get the information, according to my instructions, and placing it in the spreadsheet. However, I've done like 75% of the spreadsheet work already when I was making the game as a board game about 3 years ago or so.

Heh, well there's no way I can argue against "you'll learn something by helping".  That's just my personality.  😄

Like I said though I can probably at least give game balance advice.  I don't know if Cal passed it along when I applied for the 1960 playtest, but I've actually playtested games (or mods) before AMPU so this isn't my first rodeo.  I'm a sucker even for the boring parts of this type of work.

[Ich_bin_Tyler]

War on Terror, Shakespeare, Long War, and French Revolution are the ones that stick out to me. There are a plethora of board games out there that you could draw on for some other mechanical inspirations. 

The Long War I'm thinking Democracy Under Siege and Rise of Totalitarianism (both designed by the co-designer of Founding Fathers).

French Revolution reminds of an old, old game called La Révolution Française: La Patrie en Danger 1791-1795. It models the internal politics of Revolutionary France and the rise and fall of the various factions controlling the government. Your victory condition is linked to which party is in power, so you could say find yourself a moderate but Robespierre and his crew are in charge so you need the government to be toppled by the powers outside France.

I'd honestly help playtest any game. I've seen the dedication and commitment you've had to this project and would love to help on another.

[MrPotatoTed]

;c)

Other than AMPU, this is the one game that there's so much demand for and zero real offerings available.  

[pman]

I’d buy a tv industry simulator 

[OrangeP47]

10 minutes ago, MrPotatoTed said:

;c)

Other than AMPU, this is the one game that there's so much demand for and zero real offerings available.  

You ever play Empire TV Tycoon?

[vcczar]

10 minutes ago, MrPotatoTed said:

;c)

Other than AMPU, this is the one game that there's so much demand for and zero real offerings available.  

I don't really watch TV, so this probably won't come from me.

[MrPotatoTed]

6 minutes ago, OrangeP47 said:

You ever play Empire TV Tycoon?

Yes and it’s crap.  Haha!

[ShortKing]

1 hour ago, vcczar said:

which of my game ideas are you most likely to volunteer to help with spreadsheets and playtesting

Def the five I mentioned in my first answer, but I’d be down to help however I could in almost any of these ideas. I actually have the Brzesinski books on my to read list, and for the war on terror game, I know John Lewis Gaddis has a book that more or less offered a defense of the Bush Doctrine, could be useful.

[Mark_W]

No no no we need a great music industry sim much more than a tv sim.

[OrangeP47]

Honestly, if we're just tossing out random ideas (I'm just saying this for fun, no other reason) the game I always wanted to make was basically AMPU, but the setting is early colonization of the Solar System and your nation is like the Lunar Republic or something.

Quite frankly, depending on just what "mod support" Anthony adds in, I might try to make it.

[vcczar]

3 minutes ago, Mark_W said:

No no no we need a great music industry sim much more than a tv sim.

Yeah, that's definitely not coming from me. I don't really listen to music and when I do it's classical music. I might make a Baroque Music game. 

[ConservativeElector2]

I like classical music as well.

But we also need a proper K-Pop industry sim!!! I enjoy Idol Manager very much but it could be made even better (especially including Korea).

[Mark_W]

These are the ones I'm most interested in/would be most keen to help out with

1. The Long War

2. Victorian Prime Minister (I would really love it if a good system could be created to allow the game to expand further into the future and allow for the formation of new political parties/death of older parties depending on how a game plays out)

3. A game set in 1888 London

4. Build London

5. Creating the Bible

Edited May 8, 2022 by Mark_W