Tank game idea
by Isaac Dutton · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 11/12/2008 (11:59 am) · 15 replies
I always hate posting game ideas here not because I am worried about people stealing them haha, but instead you only relise how completely un orginal and lame your idea sounds after you have read it in the form of a forum post.
So one of my fav childhood games and introduction to online gaming was a game put out by sony called "Tanarus", in which you were on 1 of 4 teams in an arena style setting. You got to pick from various tank chasis and weapons. The goal was to get one of the other teams flags back to your base. There were side goals like capturing power stations and the like.. it was an awesome game for its time and one that I played for a very long time.
So what I want to do as a first serious project in torque is attempt to recreate something like this with out waking up to a letter from sony saying that I owe them my soul!
I know theres not much of a game design here or anything, but yeah.. I am just ranting really.. I figured I would pick up the tank pack friday and give it a go and see what I can create!
So one of my fav childhood games and introduction to online gaming was a game put out by sony called "Tanarus", in which you were on 1 of 4 teams in an arena style setting. You got to pick from various tank chasis and weapons. The goal was to get one of the other teams flags back to your base. There were side goals like capturing power stations and the like.. it was an awesome game for its time and one that I played for a very long time.
So what I want to do as a first serious project in torque is attempt to recreate something like this with out waking up to a letter from sony saying that I owe them my soul!
I know theres not much of a game design here or anything, but yeah.. I am just ranting really.. I figured I would pick up the tank pack friday and give it a go and see what I can create!
#2
Tanarus was a nice and simple concept. And man did lateny win the game back in those days... I think you have quite a few motif's that would work quite with with that style of game. You could run it anywhere from early 1900's, to modern day, or super futuristic. You could probably even get away with a steampunk style.
11/12/2008 (1:37 pm)
Quote:So one of my fav childhood games and introduction to online gaming was a game put out by sony called "Tanarus"Did anyone else just instantly feel really old after reading that? lol.
Tanarus was a nice and simple concept. And man did lateny win the game back in those days... I think you have quite a few motif's that would work quite with with that style of game. You could run it anywhere from early 1900's, to modern day, or super futuristic. You could probably even get away with a steampunk style.
#3
Just be really, really careful of scope creep.. Happens to the best of us :)
11/12/2008 (1:38 pm)
I agree, sounds like a fun first game. There are a lot of resources here to really get you a leg up as well. Teams implementation, the tank pack, and capture the flag. Having the projectiles be ballistics would add a strategic element, and is a built-in feature of Torque. Just be really, really careful of scope creep.. Happens to the best of us :)
#4
yeah there is alot of resources to help me out, so I might just make a pretty decent prototype in next to no time!
Some of the weapons will be ballistic but some will simply be projectiles.. Tanarus used lazers.. I dont think I am going to use lazers haha!
Aww sorry brian didnt mean to make you feel all old n stuff, was simply stating thats all.
So yeah... I was thinking about doing it super futuristic with how I have it kind of planned....
I really loved Tanarus man I used to spend hours on that game like kids do WoW now a days!
11/12/2008 (2:05 pm)
Ok first off, please explain scope creep just so I know what to avoid!yeah there is alot of resources to help me out, so I might just make a pretty decent prototype in next to no time!
Some of the weapons will be ballistic but some will simply be projectiles.. Tanarus used lazers.. I dont think I am going to use lazers haha!
Aww sorry brian didnt mean to make you feel all old n stuff, was simply stating thats all.
So yeah... I was thinking about doing it super futuristic with how I have it kind of planned....
I really loved Tanarus man I used to spend hours on that game like kids do WoW now a days!
#5
"Feature creep is the proliferation of features in a product such as computer software.[1] Extra features go beyond the basic function of the product and so can result in baroque over-complication rather than simple, elegant design."
Basically, you keep wanting to add new crap that doesn't need be there. Like, ooh! a.i. turrets would be cool! Or, now I want lasers ;) Or now I want a full fledged tank customization 3d gui!
Keep it simple, get some fun gameplay going on, then polish polish polish!
11/12/2008 (2:31 pm)
Scope creep, feature creep : from wikipedia: "Feature creep is the proliferation of features in a product such as computer software.[1] Extra features go beyond the basic function of the product and so can result in baroque over-complication rather than simple, elegant design."
Basically, you keep wanting to add new crap that doesn't need be there. Like, ooh! a.i. turrets would be cool! Or, now I want lasers ;) Or now I want a full fledged tank customization 3d gui!
Keep it simple, get some fun gameplay going on, then polish polish polish!
#6
11/12/2008 (2:54 pm)
Ahh ok.. yeah I understand!
#7
So I started downloading a fresh copy of tge 1.5... and sense I dont have the cash yet to buy the tank pack I am going to start with team stuff, capture the flag, you know all the other stuff.. and then phase the tank stuff in after I get the pack.
I also own alot of content packs that will really help this project out! Tim Astes content packs, as well as various sound effects and what nots..
Wish me luck!
I also plan on creating a blog here with my progress so hopefully it will go well!
*edit*
you know this could also be a good escuse to put the AFX system to good use outside of something rpgish.. it would look good for lasers and missiles, and shields and stuff!
What do you guys think?
* end edit *
11/12/2008 (3:42 pm)
OkSo I started downloading a fresh copy of tge 1.5... and sense I dont have the cash yet to buy the tank pack I am going to start with team stuff, capture the flag, you know all the other stuff.. and then phase the tank stuff in after I get the pack.
I also own alot of content packs that will really help this project out! Tim Astes content packs, as well as various sound effects and what nots..
Wish me luck!
I also plan on creating a blog here with my progress so hopefully it will go well!
*edit*
you know this could also be a good escuse to put the AFX system to good use outside of something rpgish.. it would look good for lasers and missiles, and shields and stuff!
What do you guys think?
* end edit *
#8
I think AFX would be really useful for the laser and FX. Before I came to GG I was going to use AFX for survival horror FX, not RPG =)
11/13/2008 (10:49 am)
@Isaac - I like the concept.I think AFX would be really useful for the laser and FX. Before I came to GG I was going to use AFX for survival horror FX, not RPG =)
#9
AFX is nice, but I am not sure I know enough about it at the moment to really prototype with it, so what I am gonna do is see if I cant get a prototype done in normal 1.5 and then when I come to polishing and effects I will merge it all into AFX and use the yummy AFX system to polish it up!
11/13/2008 (11:19 am)
Yeah!AFX is nice, but I am not sure I know enough about it at the moment to really prototype with it, so what I am gonna do is see if I cant get a prototype done in normal 1.5 and then when I come to polishing and effects I will merge it all into AFX and use the yummy AFX system to polish it up!
#10
BTW - Tanarus is still running and is free
11/14/2008 (3:37 pm)
Isaac, I'm also working on a tank game similar to Tanarus.BTW - Tanarus is still running and is free
#11
Awesome I hope later we can compare our games haha!
Yeah I know Tanarus is online and free still haha!
11/16/2008 (6:08 pm)
@Joseph R. Awesome I hope later we can compare our games haha!
Yeah I know Tanarus is online and free still haha!
#12
11/17/2008 (9:39 am)
Isaac, maybe we can team up on the game, at the very least we should compare notes. I'm going to contact you via IM. Try my running prototype and let me know what you think.
#13
11/17/2008 (9:47 am)
I agree fully, I mean if we are both doing pretty much the same thing. Lets get together and see what our overall ideas and plans are and maybe we can end up working together.
#14
11/17/2008 (9:58 am)
@Joseph, Have you ever run into any lag issues with the tank? Like in 3rd person mode, or even first person, where the camera jitters a bit? I'm concerned for you guys that if you are making a multiplayer tank game, Torques networking might have to fiddled with to get it working properly. Though, if the tank are only going 45mph'ish it may not be an issue. I came across this when working with wheeled vehicles.
#15
I started with the tank pack which does not use the vehicle classes but because of getting stuck issues I reworked much of the code to use parts of the wheeled vehicle class. Now I'm progressively "dumbing" down the physics because the game doesn't need realistic wheeled physics. Currently I'm debugging network problems I introduced that coincidentally are shaking jittery problems because my client-server synchronization is screwed up. But I'm pretty sure I can work that out given time. Somehow I made one of the calculations non deterministic such that readpacketdata() is being called on the client all the time...
I'm more concerned with collision issues since tank to tank collisions are crucial part of the gameplay. I currently have a random very difficult to reproduce collision hang that I'm pretty sure I brought over when I switched to the vehicle collision code. The collision code is more of a mystery to me and I'll be putting off diving in just yet. I probably should dive in sooner since this is a high risk area but I'm very good at procrastination :)
The tank speeds in general won't be that great but there is one weapon, impulse weapon, that results in a large impulse being applied to the tank that could generate high speeds and thus high speed collisions.
When and if I ever work out all these issues I would be happy to share what I found especially if it affects all vehicles. I also keep my eye on posts concerning vehicles for obvious reasons.
11/17/2008 (10:39 am)
I've run into many issues with my tank ;)I started with the tank pack which does not use the vehicle classes but because of getting stuck issues I reworked much of the code to use parts of the wheeled vehicle class. Now I'm progressively "dumbing" down the physics because the game doesn't need realistic wheeled physics. Currently I'm debugging network problems I introduced that coincidentally are shaking jittery problems because my client-server synchronization is screwed up. But I'm pretty sure I can work that out given time. Somehow I made one of the calculations non deterministic such that readpacketdata() is being called on the client all the time...
I'm more concerned with collision issues since tank to tank collisions are crucial part of the gameplay. I currently have a random very difficult to reproduce collision hang that I'm pretty sure I brought over when I switched to the vehicle collision code. The collision code is more of a mystery to me and I'll be putting off diving in just yet. I probably should dive in sooner since this is a high risk area but I'm very good at procrastination :)
The tank speeds in general won't be that great but there is one weapon, impulse weapon, that results in a large impulse being applied to the tank that could generate high speeds and thus high speed collisions.
When and if I ever work out all these issues I would be happy to share what I found especially if it affects all vehicles. I also keep my eye on posts concerning vehicles for obvious reasons.
Torque Owner Timothy Castagna
TK Games LLC