Space Race
by Leonard · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 10/02/2007 (4:48 pm) · 8 replies
My Idea
OK, there is one type of game that is missing from game store shelves these days. Online
racing game based in space. There are so many racing games which you have to follow a
track and worry about crashing into a building. Whouldn't be cooler to worry about
crashing into a star? Here my idea.
Racing games have gotten to the point that you can pick different parts to add to
the body of the car. What if though you had a one of a kind ship that no one else had and
you could race against people.
Here how it would work. Months before the game comes out, the developer creates a
program that allows the user to create his own ship, like shape, color, engine, abilities.
What I mean by abilities like shielding, defense and offense capabilities, teleportation,
hyper drive, regeneration and many others. The user chooses what he wants and then sends
the specs to the developer. The developer then creates a group that only handles ship
creation. After the ship is created and the game is released, the developer sends the ship
to the user to use in the game. The developer can also have defaults ships for those that
just want to play the game regularly.
The story line is this, humans have spread throughout the universe. The point is
that there is no longer one central goverment. So the planet leaders decide to hold a race
every 10 years (in real time the developers could make it once a week). So this could
allow groups to be created for each planet. Also this would allow competition between
pilots of the same planet. Also throughout the week, there can be races between just a
couple planets instead of the 20 to 30 groups that would race every week. The races could
span from one part a galaxy to another.
What do you guys think?
OK, there is one type of game that is missing from game store shelves these days. Online
racing game based in space. There are so many racing games which you have to follow a
track and worry about crashing into a building. Whouldn't be cooler to worry about
crashing into a star? Here my idea.
Racing games have gotten to the point that you can pick different parts to add to
the body of the car. What if though you had a one of a kind ship that no one else had and
you could race against people.
Here how it would work. Months before the game comes out, the developer creates a
program that allows the user to create his own ship, like shape, color, engine, abilities.
What I mean by abilities like shielding, defense and offense capabilities, teleportation,
hyper drive, regeneration and many others. The user chooses what he wants and then sends
the specs to the developer. The developer then creates a group that only handles ship
creation. After the ship is created and the game is released, the developer sends the ship
to the user to use in the game. The developer can also have defaults ships for those that
just want to play the game regularly.
The story line is this, humans have spread throughout the universe. The point is
that there is no longer one central goverment. So the planet leaders decide to hold a race
every 10 years (in real time the developers could make it once a week). So this could
allow groups to be created for each planet. Also this would allow competition between
pilots of the same planet. Also throughout the week, there can be races between just a
couple planets instead of the 20 to 30 groups that would race every week. The races could
span from one part a galaxy to another.
What do you guys think?
#2
10/04/2007 (8:02 am)
Yeah, the idea of peopl writing off to the developer to have a ship custom-tailored really isn't a practical idea if you're talking about a commercial game. Ben's approach is far easier, and if you wanted more customisation, you could, instead of splitting the thing into categories and making choices within those, simply create a program that allows you to 'snap together' pieces of spaceship. For example, section 1 is a cockpit, section 2 is a generator, section 3 is a jet booster, section 4 is a weapons mount, and each section has 'nodes' that allow it to be atached to other sections. That way ships can be really small and simple (cockpit, engine, booster ;D ) or really big and complex. Then based on the sections, come up with a weight, power, etc., for the final creation, and use those characteristics to affect its handling, health, etc.
#3
10/04/2007 (10:54 am)
You could always make packs and patches to the game as people come up with new stuff too.
#4
10/04/2007 (1:01 pm)
More inspiration, you could hold contests for people to draw concepts of new engines, jets, cockipits and weapons, and explain how theyd balance them. Winner gets the first one made, free month or couple, and maybe special boosts? Thatd be awsome 
#5
1. The Space Race game. The user gets to choose one of eight predesigned ships. The other 7 are AI competitors. (This is similar to F Zero X on the old Nintendo.)
2. A Ship Construction Kit. Nothing too complicated. The user gets to design a semi-custom ship and import it into the Space Race game. You give the user a selection of hulls, a selection of superstructures, bridges, propulsion systems, and guidance systems, and they click on the ones they want to build their own semi-custom ships.
And weapons systems, of course.
And color schemes, er, skins. (Maybe give users the chance to make custom skins.)
10/05/2007 (2:16 pm)
How about two different products?1. The Space Race game. The user gets to choose one of eight predesigned ships. The other 7 are AI competitors. (This is similar to F Zero X on the old Nintendo.)
2. A Ship Construction Kit. Nothing too complicated. The user gets to design a semi-custom ship and import it into the Space Race game. You give the user a selection of hulls, a selection of superstructures, bridges, propulsion systems, and guidance systems, and they click on the ones they want to build their own semi-custom ships.
And weapons systems, of course.
And color schemes, er, skins. (Maybe give users the chance to make custom skins.)
#6
By what you guys have said on here, the Ship Contruction Kit sound like the best.
You can choose one frame or combine two or three frames together from hundreds of shapes.
Also there is requirements that every ship must have.
EX.
Restart Teleshield: In this game is it possible to destroy a competitors ship but the person can not die. If a ship is destroyed and the character died then the person who destroyed the ship would be excluded from the next race ( in the game time line it would be like a 20 year prison sentence). The Restart Teleshield protects the pilot as the ship explodes and then transports him to the to the last checkpoint. The pilot chooses a default ship and is allowed to continue to try to finish or win the race.
A trap that I was thinking about might be Part Magnet
Part Mgnet can disable another ship by stripping parts from it to help your ship midrace.
I really want to do this game but I am not sure where to start. I could try to sell the idea.
10/05/2007 (2:56 pm)
The name of this post is not what I want to name this game. The name would be "Universal Speed" or "Universal Race" By what you guys have said on here, the Ship Contruction Kit sound like the best.
You can choose one frame or combine two or three frames together from hundreds of shapes.
Also there is requirements that every ship must have.
EX.
Restart Teleshield: In this game is it possible to destroy a competitors ship but the person can not die. If a ship is destroyed and the character died then the person who destroyed the ship would be excluded from the next race ( in the game time line it would be like a 20 year prison sentence). The Restart Teleshield protects the pilot as the ship explodes and then transports him to the to the last checkpoint. The pilot chooses a default ship and is allowed to continue to try to finish or win the race.
A trap that I was thinking about might be Part Magnet
Part Mgnet can disable another ship by stripping parts from it to help your ship midrace.
I really want to do this game but I am not sure where to start. I could try to sell the idea.
#7
10/08/2007 (10:48 am)
Take a look at "Zelda: Phantom Hourglass" for DS. It lets you buy & customize your basic boat so it has different stats. That sounds like what you're looking for. the changes don't affect your ship a heck of a lot but they do do slight things. 
Ben Immel
1st) Chasis, each chasis is designed with certain equipment slots that say, maybe chasis A can hold a super high powered engine, but thats about it because the engine takes up so much energy,and because of the energy drain shields and hull are really weak. Chasis B can use either light or medium engines, shields are moderate and so is hull, but it can also equip an extra afterburner/booster. You get my point.
2nd) Engine, based onyour chasis selection, and maybe have some kind of monetary system so you can purchase upgrades. For that, youd need to be able to race AI and get spare cash so the game doesnt go stale between main event races and races between several planets.
3rd) Extra equipment, can range from extra burners, shields boosters (speeding toward an asteroid and cant move fast enough?) and can acquire weapons, traps, etc. Maybe gravity sinks? Worm hole generator?
4th) Races would player vs player, player vs environment (AI), and then the planet vs planet vs planet stuff.
Send me an email at bennikane@yahoo.com if you like some of the suggestions i gave, Id love to help you on this!