Game Ideas (2023)

[vcczar]

I haven't posted this in a year. Here are my game ideas for post-AMPU. Same ideas from 2022 for now:

1. Ornithology Game.
   1. This will take place between 1865-1928. Civil War to the Great depression. It's an exploratory, science-based game. Players will seek birds, collect them, identify them and try to be the top ornithologist in the US. This is inspired from my great-great grandfather who was one of the top ornithologists during this time. Game would include him and other top ornithologists. 
2. Colonial Massachusetts Game. 
   1. "city building" game. You will try to keep a Massachusetts colonial settlement afloat. I would use actually historical colonial people. Game would likely take place between 1630-1681. The focus is on the Massachusetts Bay Colony, not the Mayflower colony. The latter is more well-known because they were first but they had a very minor influence on Massachusetts as the MBC brought the population and power. 
3. English-language Game
   1. The game is basically a language history game. Players will take on the English language from it's origins and make decision on key events that altered the language, ultimately creating a language they recognize or do not recognize. I think it would be cool if I could somehow create it in such a way that players create their own language that they can understand. If done properly, the architecture of the game might be used to learn any foreign language. 
4. Build London
   1. The game is a city building, history game in which the player builds London from it's Celtic era through the present. 
5. James Joyce' Ulysses
   1. Basically, the same as the book. It take place within 24 hours. Player will play as either Leopold Bloom or Stephen Dedalus. The game will be in real time, so the game would last 24 hours. Like the book, I would hope it would be the most compelling, plotless meandering anyone's every read. Basically, one explored Dublin, gets caught in a lot of interesting daily events, and just waits for the day to pass. 
6. Dada and Surrealism game
   1. This game would use the art, literature, music, and film of these movements for graphics, text, and plot. The plot would be around the formations of the movements. The game would allow the player to contribute to these movements in one or all of these forms. 
7. Shakespeare game
   1. Player owns one or more theatres in London and attempt to rake in more money and more fame than the other theatre owners. Game takes place between 1580-1642, although I may narrow this time frame. Game includes a bunch of famous plays, actors, playwrights, and events in England. 
8. NFL Football game
   1. This is basically a simulator. Player owns a team and builds the team. The game will quickly simulate the seasons, and so the focus is on team building in the offseason via trades, free agents, draft. Game will go from 1920-present. 
9. Geneolagy Game
   1. Player will start in the year 1350. It's a decision-based game with the goal of a lineage surviving to the present. Game will only focus on England and the US only. 
10. Creating the Bible
    1. The game is a strategy game in which one hopes to influence the canonization of the New Testament. The Bible includes 4 gospels, but there were many more competitors for inclusion. Bishop Iraneaus argued that there should only be 4 gospels because there are 4 corners of the earth and 4 winds. On such flimsy logic was the New Testament formed. Can you build a better Testament?
11. Anxiety of Influence
    1. Player plays as a writer who is under tremendous influence of the great writers that have existed before him. The game is a kind of RPG of someone struggling with this influence and hoping to be part of the great writers. Based on Harold Bloom's literary criticism book Anxiety of Influence. 
12. Coffee Shop game
    1. Sort of a fun plotless game. One builds friendships, has conversations on life, philosophy, etc. Sort of a fun, thinking-based casual game. 
13. Early Republic Trading game
    1. Sort of like Uncharted Waters but set c. 1800. One tries to be the leading shipping merchant in their city. Player can select Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Charleston.
14. London 1888
    1. You play the chief of police and try to catch and/or identify Jack the Ripper. To keep the game replayable, the suspect and non-canonical evidence will change each time one plays. 
15. Western Philosophy
    1. Kind of a card game in which one hopes to old the leading philosophers and ideas of Western Philosophy in their hands. I haven't thought too much more about it at this point. 
16. Queen Elizabeth
    1. The goal in this game is to prevent her assassination. You basically play as Sir Francis Walsingham. I want this game to be as interesting and stressful as possible. When it's all over, you'll think, "How they hell did I keep her alive?!"
17. Golden Age of Hollywood
    1. Player runs one of the major film studios of the 1920s-1940s. You try to outdo the other major theatres. Include historical movies and actors, etc. 
18. Baroque Music game
    1. Player plays as a historical or fictional composer from c. 1650-1750, hoping to be the greatest composer of their era. The game is based someone on Principia, which is a game in which one can be Sir Isaac Newton or another historical scientist who tries to out-Newton Newton. 

You'll notice a lack of political games. It's because I'm kind of burned out (severely burned out, actually) on doing anything resembling AMPU at the moment. The next game won't be heavily political. However, after doing one of the above, I have ideas for Victorian Prime Minister, French Revolution & Napoleonic political game, 30 year war political game, War on Terror geopoltical game (based on Zbigniew Brzezinski's books), and a Long War game set from 1914-1992 and based on Philip Bobbitt's Shield of Achilles Book. 

Some of my future ideas will require graphics, so I"d have to make enough from AMPU to hire someone that can make a graphics-based game. 

These are only brief descriptions, so let me know if you want to know more about them. 

[WVProgressive]

My top five in terms of both excitement, and likelihood to purchase would probably be:

1. Evolution of the English Language

2. Golden Age of Hollywood

3. Dadaism, and Surrealism 

4. Anxiety of Influence

5. Western Philosophy

[Imperator Taco Cat]

Although question 2 asked which ones I would likely buy I will instead list the ones I wouldn't likely buy (not to be confused with being unlikely to buy, I'm on the fence for most of these):

 

The Coffee Shop game, London 1888 and the Early Republic Trading game. 

 

 

 

[ConservativeElector2]

I would buy all of them. Probably I am most excited for the Shakespeare game.

A few days ago, I had a similar idea like the Golden Age of Hollywood game. However, I have no real clue about movies from the 1920s to the 1940s, aside from Gone with the Wind. My movie knowledge mostly starts with the 70s, around the time Star Wars came up, so my idea started in this era.

Additionally I would like to mention my other game ideas I had a while back. A conclave game, to create a history of fictional popes and a peerage game, in which you can award real peerages. Though nothing of this is fleshed out yet.

 

[vcczar]

6 minutes ago, ConservativeElector2 said:

I would buy all of them. Probably I am most excited for the Shakespeare game.

A few days ago, I had a similar idea like the Golden Age of Hollywood game. However, I have no real clue about movies from the 1920s to the 1940s, aside from Gone with the Wind. My movie knowledge mostly starts with the 70s, around the time Star Wars came up, so my idea started in this era.

Additionally I would like to mention my other game ideas I had a while back. A conclave game, to create a history of fictional popes and a peerage game, in which you can award real peerages. Though nothing of this is fleshed out yet.

 

I might have mentioned to you that I had made a conclave game using notecards. It worked out well. It used the historical Cardinals, however. 

[ConservativeElector2]

4 minutes ago, vcczar said:

I might have mentioned to you that I had made a conclave game using notecards. It worked out well. It used the historical Cardinals, however. 

Yeah you said something like that I believe. I would prefer historical Cardinals, but I would be fine with fictional cardinals if the game could be done quicker that way.

[DakotaHale]

1. Shakespeare
2. Geneaology
3. Hollywood
4. Elizabeth
5. Coffee Shop

[10centjimmy]

Hollywood game is probably my favorite. Then genealogy and Shakespeare. 

[Murrman104]

Hollywood and Geneology personally 

[Euri]

I liked the look of the Genealogy game that was run a while back, the London 1888 and Queen Elizabeth games sound interesting, and also as a committed classical music nerd I feel obligated to give a special mention to the baroque one

[MrPotatoTed]

Of all that you listed, the War on Terror game is the most appealing to me.  I actually just bought the War on Terror version of Twilight Struggle on Steam.  Still learning it...I've lost every game so far...but enjoying myself.  

Of the 18 that you actually have an interest in doing next, the NFL game is probably the only one that would really grab my interest.
 

[MrPotatoTed]

Also, even though you've rejected it every time I've previously proposed it (haha), the world yearns for a television station simulator.  Specifically, I'd love a game where you play as a Director of Network Programming, deciding your station's schedule year to year (or month to month?) competing against the other TV networks.  Deciding which shows to renew, etc.  

I'm aware a couple games like this kiiiiind of exist from a thousand years ago, but the only one that particularly scratches that itch ends after just one year, and the others such as MadTV aren't really a realistic representation at all.

[vcczar]

8 hours ago, MrPotatoTed said:

Also, even though you've rejected it every time I've previously proposed it (haha), the world yearns for a television station simulator.  Specifically, I'd love a game where you play as a Director of Network Programming, deciding your station's schedule year to year (or month to month?) competing against the other TV networks.  Deciding which shows to renew, etc.  

I'm aware a couple games like this kiiiiind of exist from a thousand years ago, but the only one that particularly scratches that itch ends after just one year, and the others such as MadTV aren't really a realistic representation at all.

I'm not opposed to it. It's just something someone else has to do. All my game ideas are things I know enough about in advanced that I can make them relatively quickly. My TV knowledge is late 80s, early 90s, and then maybe the last 10 years, but I know nothing other than what has been on TV. My movie knowledge, and knowledge of the industry, is actually somewhat decent for 1920s through 1940s. I grew up watching Turner Classic Movies, when it showed only 20s, 30s, and 40s movies, which discussed the history of the films a lot in between movies. 

Your idea is good. I just won't make it because of a lack of knowledge and a much lower priority on my list of interests (although not a disinterest). 

[ShortKing]

My personal favorite would be the Massachusetts colony game, followed closely by the coffee shop game and the Shakespeare idea. 

I also am excited about the Jack the Ripper game and the old Hollywood idea. 

[MrPotatoTed]

21 minutes ago, vcczar said:

I'm not opposed to it. It's just something someone else has to do. All my game ideas are things I know enough about in advanced that I can make them relatively quickly. My TV knowledge is late 80s, early 90s, and then maybe the last 10 years, but I know nothing other than what has been on TV. My movie knowledge, and knowledge of the industry, is actually somewhat decent for 1920s through 1940s. I grew up watching Turner Classic Movies, when it showed only 20s, 30s, and 40s movies, which discussed the history of the films a lot in between movies. 

Your idea is good. I just won't make it because of a lack of knowledge and a much lower priority on my list of interests (although not a disinterest). 

Yep, I get it.  I'm kicking around the idea of making it myself -- not a computer game, that's beyond my abilities, but at least as a spreadsheet/forum game.  But it'll have to wait at least until I'm done with grad school in December before I start developing it in earnest.

[vcczar]

3 minutes ago, MrPotatoTed said:

not a computer game, that's beyond my abilities, but at least as a spreadsheet/forum game.

A spreadsheet/forum game can become a computer game, so I wouldn't say it's beyond your ability. I mean that's pretty much what I did. You just need to find someone to do the computerization. Most of my ideas above are all going to be spreadsheet/forum games first. 

[10centjimmy]

9 hours ago, MrPotatoTed said:

I actually just bought the War on Terror version of Twilight Struggle on Steam

Same! The bundle was too good of a deal

[MrPotatoTed]

1 minute ago, 10centjimmy said:

Same! The bundle was too good of a deal

Ooh -- play with me!  I'm tired of getting my ass kicked by the CPU.  It's time to get my ass kicked by a human! Haha.

[vcczar]

3 hours ago, 10centjimmy said:

Same! The bundle was too good of a deal

 

3 hours ago, MrPotatoTed said:

Ooh -- play with me!  I'm tired of getting my ass kicked by the CPU.  It's time to get my ass kicked by a human! Haha.

I got the original and the current version but it runs so slowly for me, despite having a top rate computer. I don't know how to speed it up. 

[vcczar]

I hope I can get some other responses on this because excitement might dictate what I put my energy into. 

[vcczar]

Another game idea is a newspaper industry game set during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. This was kind of like the Golden Age of newspapers.

[10centjimmy]

15 minutes ago, vcczar said:

Another game idea is a newspaper industry game set during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. This was kind of like the Golden Age of newspapers.

Muckrakers!

[DakotaHale]

On 5/30/2023 at 6:52 PM, vcczar said:

Another game idea is a newspaper industry game set during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. This was kind of like the Golden Age of newspapers.

Golden Age of trolling