Hey guys

As you'll probably know I'm working on a new version of TubeRunner for the IGF. The gameplay will be different from my PGD annual entry. Originally, I had different plans like opponents, weapons etc... but due to a lot of delay and failure (yes, even the winner makes big mistakes ) these could not be implemented. Now that I'm given a new chance, I would like to try this again.

I'll briefly describe my idea's for this game

Enemies and weapons: I would really like to include this. My game will make a shift from the arcade-ish feeling towards a more combat oriented gameplay. This means that there will be less powerups on the track. I might even remove the coins completely.
Instead, there will be a number of opponents and there will be weapons which you can use to eliminate them while racing at high speed. Overall, the game will be more like wipeout:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxblW_OKHPY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnCn3yra2jQ

Race-tracks: I'm not sure how important these are for the gameplay. I could make a lot of really simple tracks (with simple tools, I also have to make). These will have less obstackles and they will look simpler. I could also make a few of them, each having more detail, obstackles and decorations.
I definitely want to keep the same atmosphere in the game (e.g the colored lights in the tunnel). Also, racing up the walls and ceiling will still be possible.
Easy to learn, hard to master: When people fire up my game for the first time, I want them to be able to play it without any problems. The whole game must be intuitive, yet challenging.
Keep it small, Keep it fun: I think this is also very important. Having loads of options doesnt make the game better. For example, I don't want 10 different weapons and 8 different vehicles to race with. Just a few carefully selected weapons could make the game just as much fun. I'll only add extra vehicles, If I have extra time or when they could really increase the fun-factor.

These are just rough ideas. A lot of important questions haven't been answered. This is something I'm gonna need help with:

  • How can a player win the game?
  • Which aspects of this game should make it a fun game?
  • What kind of role should combat get in this game?
  • Also, what kind of role should racing get in this game?
  • What kind of role does the race-track itsself get in the game? Is it more than just a tube?
  • What kind of additional concepts should I introduce (like, lives, energy, armor, spawn points, check points, weapon-powerups, bonusses, score... you name it).
  • What could be the "unique" feature of this game? We don't want a wipeout clone.
  • When I'm having planning issues, what would be the feature(s) to drop out?


I hereby invite you to think about this for a bit. Consider this a brainstorm thread for my IGF entry. I really need all your idea's. The more the better!

Thanks a bunch!