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If you don't know what a MOBA stands for, I included the wiki link:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/gaia/redirect.php?r=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMultiplayer_online_battle_arena
I don't have a name for it yet, but I do have concepts for 9 characters (with 2-3 more on the drawing board) complete, and wanted to have a total of 26 (I'll post them here later, and will increase the number if there's enough support). My ideas for features in this game were as follows(a * before then number denotes the volatility of the subject):

1. 16-bit graphics
-Personally, I think that those old SNES and Genesis era graphics have a really nice charm to them. They might not be as detailed as graphics today, but they are still colorful and fun.
2. A map with the bases set vertically
-This one is more for practicality reasons then anything else. Its just easier to edit, would fit in with the 16-bit graphics better, and should help gameplay wise.
3. Minions for everyone
-All of the players would have access to their own, exclusive minions which either reflect their strengths or off-balance their weakness. It costs gold to upgrade the total number that can be on the field, and they can either be set to go down the lanes, or follow the player.
*4. Underground tunnels
-Still something I'm debating, these things would be in addition to jungles, but filled with tougher creatures (and maybe a boss or two). They'd offer a "safer" alternative to traveling over land, but wouldn't contain any buildings.
5. Barracks
-Instead of having minions spawning at base, have them spawn at forward points that can also double as weak towers. Within a given lane, the minions will always spawn at the farthest one forward, or even at:
*6. Re-spawning points
-Control towers set symmetrically across the land, and allow the player to gain a small income boost and have a place closer to the front (with extra spawn time depending on how far from the main control point) to appear at. They can't be destroyed (only captured), but it should be possible to win the game without being in control of them.
*7. Bosses
- Instead of having a nexus, having some sort of final boss type creature (like a dragon, lich, or something entirely different). Like I said, it's something that'd I'm not entirely sure on doing however, if we could do that, then it would work with number 8.
*8. Weekly challenges
-Having a weekly challenge team. A preselected, normally impossible, computer controlled team with a special boss, or on a special map. Beating this challenge would gain twice the (whatever the players get normally) that would normally be obtained, or maybe something else.

Any thoughts, comments, suggestions, etc. would be appreciated. If you'd like to help on this, either post here (or PM me if it's sensitive) with what you'd want to do, and I'll get a list together. If we get enough people that communication becomes difficult on this post, we'll think of something then.

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.

A boss would make for a very interesting modification to the genre. If you could go a step further, and tie the bosses powers or abilities into control of various portions of the map, it would be really cool. Imagine diverting your limited forces from offensive actions to gain a power for your Commander as the enemy rushes them- or eschewing the tower control altogether in order to assault the weak basic commander and end the game early. Balance would be very awkward, but it could be very entertaining.

Let's not. there are already too many.

3 seems tricky to balance, and taking your minions with you is probably a trap: You're rarely unopposed in lane, so extra minions won't help too much on pushing objectives (especially against a champ with decent AoE), but having a lane without minions means that your towers will vanish in record time.

Not sure 5 is a good idea. It leads to snowballing fairly quickly: Destroying the other team's barracks pushes the minion wave's natural resting place towards them, giving the destroyer more map control than just taking out a tower would. It also makes ignoring minion waves much harder for the defender, which again leads to "Win More" gameplay, which is generally bad.

7 is probably a bad idea. It bakes the defenses typical to the nexus into the nexus itself, but makes it extremely vulnerable to being leashed. Look at what high skill players in LoL will do with Dragon or the buff monsters, and you can see how kiting and proper positioning renders such things harmless. On the flip side, NOT making the bosses leash means that the other team will just kite them back to their base.

8 isn't bad for new players, but is basically pointless for competitive players as giving them more IP equivalent is rather pointless (they already have all the champions they care about, most likely), and letting them increase their ranking that way is pants-on-head slowed. Could be neat for teaching mechanics however.

Laughing Man wrote:3 seems tricky to balance, and taking your minions with you is probably a trap: You're rarely unopposed in lane, so extra minions won't help too much on pushing objectives (especially against a champ with decent AoE), but having a lane without minions means that your towers will vanish in record time.

Not sure 5 is a good idea. It leads to snowballing fairly quickly: Destroying the other team's barracks pushes the minion wave's natural resting place towards them, giving the destroyer more map control than just taking out a tower would. It also makes ignoring minion waves much harder for the defender, which again leads to "Win More" gameplay, which is generally bad.

7 is probably a bad idea. It bakes the defenses typical to the nexus into the nexus itself, but makes it extremely vulnerable to being leashed. Look at what high skill players in LoL will do with Dragon or the buff monsters, and you can see how kiting and proper positioning renders such things harmless. On the flip side, NOT making the bosses leash means that the other team will just kite them back to their base.

8 isn't bad for new players, but is basically pointless for competitive players as giving them more IP equivalent is rather pointless (they already have all the champions they care about, most likely), and letting them increase their ranking that way is pants-on-head slowed. Could be neat for teaching mechanics however.

3. I was thinking of having 2 types of minions: state sponsored minions (who don't do all that much, and lane naturally) and private minions (who are extremely tough, ave naturals buffs, can be sacrificed for certain abilities, etc.)
5. ...I honestly didn't think about that. We could have the re-spawn times decrease the closer to base they are as a compensation (from maybe every 30 seconds to every 10).
7. I said it was a tentative idea. At the same time, Gitzbitah seems to like it, so it can't be all bad.
8. We could have special awards for beating it within a certain condition (maybe an exclusive skin, more points, or something), and could be made similar to Last Stand from Dawn of War. Either way, it would make a better tutorial then I've seen in Dota, Smite or LoL(especially LoL).

Gitzbitah wrote:A boss would make for a very interesting modification to the genre. If you could go a step further, and tie the bosses powers or abilities into control of various portions of the map, it would be really cool. Imagine diverting your limited forces from offensive actions to gain a power for your Commander as the enemy rushes them- or eschewing the tower control altogether in order to assault the weak basic commander and end the game early. Balance would be very awkward, but it could be very entertaining.

Again, tying the boss' power to certain points wasn't something I thought of. I don't suppose that means you'd be willing to help with this then?

Let's not. there are already too many.

Which ones in particular are you talking about?

 jaggedjaw wrote:
*4. Underground tunnels
-Still something I'm debating, these things would be in addition to jungles, but filled with tougher creatures (and maybe a boss or two). They'd offer a "safer" alternative to traveling over land, but wouldn't contain any buildings.

I would suggest implementing this as a second map which disables team vision in both directions - players underground can't see what other players see, and other players can't see what underground players see. The PCs themselves could still show up on the minimap, but not their vision.

You could even have one champion who can see what is directly above him, with an ability that lets him burst from the underground to attack without needing a tunnel entrance.

I would be delighted to help with the ideas, but I have no technical game creating skills.

That being said, let's consider your barracks option- give players the option of switching the most forward spawn point to a commander buff instead, increasing the minion travel time in favor of improving defense. Perhaps have 3 points that are able to improve the commander, and unlock powers in a set progression- a stun, attack speed boost, aoe, and summoned defense force if all 3 are held. Put a large enough cooldown on this power to restrict it to a conscious choice and not just a hearth back to base reaction.


For that matter, these barracks or forward spawn points could take the place of the neutral monsters in the jungle. Call them mercenaries, and allow players to choose when they'd like to take the risk of moving their supply. The tradeoff is that once you switch spawn points, there will inevitably be a gap between waves.

There's plenty of game engines you could use to make this cause of the graphics style and low complexity. I'll find some for you.

AlexHolker wrote:

 jaggedjaw wrote:
*4. Underground tunnels
-Still something I'm debating, these things would be in addition to jungles, but filled with tougher creatures (and maybe a boss or two). They'd offer a "safer" alternative to traveling over land, but wouldn't contain any buildings.

I would suggest implementing this as a second map which disables team vision in both directions - players underground can't see what other players see, and other players can't see what underground players see. The PCs themselves could still show up on the minimap, but not their vision.

You could even have one champion who can see what is directly above him, with an ability that lets him burst from the underground to attack without needing a tunnel entrance.

That would work well. Maybe having the normal tunnel entrances in the jungle, or just outside of bases would allow a large amount of movement in freedom, but not enough to completely bipass all the defenses.

Gitzbitah wrote:I would be delighted to help with the ideas, but I have no technical game creating skills.

That being said, let's consider your barracks option- give players the option of switching the most forward spawn point to a commander buff instead, increasing the minion travel time in favor of improving defense. Perhaps have 3 points that are able to improve the commander, and unlock powers in a set progression- a stun, attack speed boost, aoe, and summoned defense force if all 3 are held. Put a large enough cooldown on this power to restrict it to a conscious choice and not just a hearth back to base reaction.


For that matter, these barracks or forward spawn points could take the place of the neutral monsters in the jungle. Call them mercenaries, and allow players to choose when they'd like to take the risk of moving their supply. The tradeoff is that once you switch spawn points, there will inevitably be a gap between waves.

That sounds interesting. However, with the barracks being like that, it does raise the question of whether or not they would be destroyable, and also the effects that would have on junglers.

The Dark Apostle wrote:There's plenty of game engines you could use to make this cause of the graphics style and low complexity. I'll find some for you.

Thank you. Also, great comic in your signature.

An excellent point... perhaps a simpler solution would be to add a third option for the use of personal minions- defend the king. Some champions may be able to upgrade their minions in ways that would be more beneficial when using them to defend than to attack.

Buildings that may be razed for a time or captured would add an unnecessary layer of complication to balance.

 Gitzbitah wrote:
An excellent point... perhaps a simpler solution would be to add a third option for the use of personal minions- defend the king. Some champions may be able to upgrade their minions in ways that would be more beneficial when using them to defend than to attack.

Buildings that may be razed for a time or captured would add an unnecessary layer of complication to balance.

That would be a good option for late game, or if the inner turrets get breached, and would allow a team to hold out for longer. They'd still be able to surrender if they really felt at a loss, but it would give more rebound time for a team with a bad start.

As for the timed/razed towers, that would become oddly complicated. We could have that option in special modes, but not the main one.

Also, should I post some of the character concepts here?

Absolutely! We can't work on a game without characters.

 Gitzbitah wrote:
Absolutely! We can't work on a game without characters.

Well, here are the character sketches I completed, plus a very primitive/not going to make it in the game, map of the arena, with some possible turret designs:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-33557-40283_Moba%20Sketch%20Dump.html

I only have profiles done for 2 of the characters, but even these are WIPs and don't include stats/abilities yet (some prototype attack names are in the pictures):

Name: Thanos Okre
Race: Human
Place of Origin: Duchy of Okre
Age: 23
Gender:
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 97pds
Minions: The Lifeless Soldiers
Backstory: The 4th child of the poorest man in all of his village, Thanos was never expected to amount to more then fertilizer on some distant battlefield at best, and raising a family at worst. Instead, Thanos was proven to be a great healer, as he cured the village elder when he came down with a horrible case of Blood-Pox, a previously incurable disease. Almost instantly, Thanos was swept up by the nobles and sent around to cure any noble who came down with any illness or injury, with a success rate of nearly 100%, and trusted Thanos' whole family into wealth. Eventually, Thanos was tasked with curing Queen Estelia, to whom the Duke of Okre owed his very existence to, of blood-pox, and was promised great treasures upon her returning to health. Instead, Thanos was lead into the room, took one look at her, and turned around, declaring her beyond his skills.

For four days straight, Thanos was begged, promised, and outright threatened to save the queen, but to no avail. In the end, the Queen died, and all of Thanos' family was executed as punishment. When it came to Thanos' execution, the executioner fell violently ill, and began lashing out at everyone else in his fever filled rage, allowing Thanos to escape. Though many manhunts have been sent after Thanos, the mysterious rage always fills those sent, and Thanos is now, essentially, free roam the world.

Name: Lord King Captain Colonel Pierce
Race: Human
Place of Origin: City-Kingdom of Muindl
Age: 47
Gender: Man
Height: 6'
Weight: 172 pds
Minions: Warrior-Hunters
Backstory: Just 30 years ago, the City-Kingdom of Muindl was another worthless name among the hundreds of dominions within the Deserts of Jiskaum just waiting to be conquered. Instead, those cities now nervously gathered around Muindl, as Lord King Captain Colonel Pierce bravely leads them to some new glorious future, while also hunting down the greatest creatures to ravage the world. How did Lord King Captain Colonel Pierce accomplish such a feat?

Lord King Captain Colonel Pierce spent his entire childhood always out hunting whatever monsters happened to be nearby. At the age of 17, his father was assassinated, and Lord King Captain Colonel Pierce was forced to defend a city on the brink of panic due to the unexpected death, while an invading army was marching at their walls. Instead of organizing an army of loyalists, Lord King Captain Colonel Pierce sat on the wall and began shooting at the invaders from long range, with his every shot killing one of the soldiers. The casualty rate the invading army suffered was so great, that they were forced to retreat to a safer distance to reinforce. When they were just out of sight, Lord King Captain Colonel Pierce went down from the wall decapitated each of the corpses, and ordered the royal taxidermists to preserve and mount them on the walls before dawn. With dawn came the invading army's return, and the shock of seeing so many heads mounted on the walls caused them to do something which had not been done to these types of cities before: sending an envoy asking for a cease fire.

Such successes had been repeated countless times, and now, the walls of Muindl are festooned with the heads of all those who have threatened it, or resisted Lord King Captain Colonel Pierce's advances. Additionally, the boundaries of Muindl have extended far beyond their walls, as numerous other cities entered pacts with it out of either fear from being mounted on the walls to a respect of the city's new power.

Also, anyone else who has character ideas, feel free to chime in.

Interesting- so will this setting be high fantasy, low fantasy, steampunk, or some mixture of them? The monk and cartwrights almost look low fantasy, which I don't believe has been done before. The walking tank device looks much more steampunk, and indeed, that is essentially LoL's niche.


I'd slim the Lord King Captain Colonel down to two titles at most, and one rank tops.

Okre is an ugly word, but that seems appropriate if this character serves as a debuffer as well as a healer. Define the illness he inflicted upon the executioner, some variant of mind controlling fungus, brain worms, targeted bacterial infection or parasites. Whichever explanation you choose, it should serve as one of the powers, and probably define how the character fights.

 Gitzbitah wrote:
Interesting- so will this setting be high fantasy, low fantasy, steampunk, or some mixture of them? The monk and cartwrights almost look low fantasy, which I don't believe has been done before. The walking tank device looks much more steampunk, and indeed, that is essentially LoL's niche.


I'd slim the Lord King Captain Colonel down to two titles at most, and one rank tops.

Okre is an ugly word, but that seems appropriate if this character serves as a debuffer as well as a healer. Define the illness he inflicted upon the executioner, some variant of mind controlling fungus, brain worms, targeted bacterial infection or parasites. Whichever explanation you choose, it should serve as one of the powers, and probably define how the character fights.

I honestly didn't feel like there should be a set tech level in the world, and that it could very from region to region. It would allow for a combination of the fantasy types to exist, and there would also be more variety in hero choices.

What if we abbreviated it to L.K.C.C. Pierce? I choose Lord King Captain Colonel because it has a nice flow to it.

Okre is supposed to be a dirty word, from a person who works in a dirty business. The illness he uses is unnamed, since it only seems to happen around Thanos, and doesn't seem to be related to any other disease. It might have something to do with Okre's base(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfather_Death), but that's besides the point.

do you want a basic or more advanced engine?

Also, thanks, the comic isn't mine and I didn't know you play warframe, post your ign on the warframe thread

 The Dark Apostle wrote:
do you want a basic or more advanced engine?

Also, thanks, the comic isn't mine and I didn't know you play warframe, post your ign on the warframe thread

I guess just give us both and we can decide.

Also, I can't play warframe because my computer crashes whenever I try to load it (it was medium of the line for 5 years ago, I'm surprised I can run tetris) but a lot of people I know play it, so I have a good idea what's going on.

This design seems well suited to minion focused combat- although I still am trying to get a grasp on the mythos of your world.

Piper, the Rat king

There are rats in any city. In larger metropolises, they grow to tremendous size and power. With size grows their savagery and cunning- the largest were gods amongst their kind, before the coming of the King.
Younger children have little hope in feudal cultures, and are often apprenticed to the worst and most disreputable professions. So it was with the son of a minstrel who would crown himself the King. The minstrel still sings somewhere, but his son has forgotten the face of his father as well as his name. The charcoal burner he was enslaved to - he refused to glorify this with the term apprenticeship- drove him harder than his horses. Beatings were frequent, and without reasons or remorse. Piper had passed out as he fell to the ground, laid low from hunger and fatigue. The enraged charcoal maker grabbed a burning stick from the fire and beat him out of the hut and into the streets, pursuing him until he could flee no more and finally casting the smoldering brand upon the prostrate form in the street.

A waning moon shone down washed over him, and his hand clenched upon the brand. He swore vengeance with everything he had, lips moving soundlessly. Resolving to end it, he rolled down the gutter into a storm drain, wrapping himself and his sorrows in filth. As the unmentionable slurry closed above his head, the boy Bruce breathed his last.

He came to in a nest, deep within the sewers, looking into glowing eyes that possessed all of the fire and strength that he lacked. The creature facing him could have stared down the charcoal burner and torn him asunder. He rose, unsteadily finding the brand still clenched tightly in his hand. It had been chewed, burned and corroded until it was covered with holes. As the days wore on, he worked on it with tooth and claw, muttering vengeance, learning to survive in the society of the rats. They began to take their cues from the tortured sounds emerging from his ruined throat, and later the piercing notes of his pipe.

The new King under the city did not discriminate- urchins, rats, strays- the unwanted and unloved were embraced by him, and unwaveringly, when a mistreated child disappeared it was soon followed by the bloody death of its former master. The King has emerged to the tournament as his desire to topple all who oppress another escalates, and mere slave owners have lost their challenge. Now he seeks those who allow the slave trade to persist.

...yeah, I just realized that having a summary of the world would help...My bad. Again, this is WIP, but it should help give a basic idea:

Five-thousand years ago, the world was controlled by a forgotten race, remembered only in the darkest shadows of our collective nightmares. They were cruel, capricious, and powerful beyond belief, capable and willing to level mountains and raise valleys on the slightest of whims. Their rule was absolute, their lives were eternal, and their empire was perfect. To this day, no one knows how they fell. In fact, to this day, no one remembers they exist.

Their slaves had to start over from the beginning, with only the distant memories of these creatures to serve as their template. Eventually, their memories were either worshiped as gods for their order and eternalness, or damned as Daemons for the destruction and violence they wielded, until they simply became equal in importance to those gods based on barbarian chiefs. To this very day, all the kingdoms, republics, confederations, and empires combined have achieved less than a hundredth of the power those ancient beings held. The races which pollute the world have barely grasped the use of black-powder, murdered over the slightest of provocation, and often mistake any artifacts they come across as of a divine or magical nature.

(Not sure what to add next)

Also,

 Gitzbitah wrote:

Piper, the Rat king

There are rats in any city. In larger metropolises, they grow to tremendous size and power. With size grows their savagery and cunning- the largest were gods amongst their kind, before the coming of the King.
Younger children have little hope in feudal cultures, and are often apprenticed to the worst and most disreputable professions. So it was with the son of a minstrel who would crown himself the King. The minstrel still sings somewhere, but his son has forgotten the face of his father as well as his name. The charcoal burner he was enslaved to - he refused to glorify this with the term apprenticeship- drove him harder than his horses. Beatings were frequent, and without reasons or remorse. Piper had passed out as he fell to the ground, laid low from hunger and fatigue. The enraged charcoal maker grabbed a burning stick from the fire and beat him out of the hut and into the streets, pursuing him until he could flee no more and finally casting the smoldering brand upon the prostrate form in the street.

A waning moon shone down washed over him, and his hand clenched upon the brand. He swore vengeance with everything he had, lips moving soundlessly. Resolving to end it, he rolled down the gutter into a storm drain, wrapping himself and his sorrows in filth. As the unmentionable slurry closed above his head, the boy Bruce breathed his last.

He came to in a nest, deep within the sewers, looking into glowing eyes that possessed all of the fire and strength that he lacked. The creature facing him could have stared down the charcoal burner and torn him asunder. He rose, unsteadily finding the brand still clenched tightly in his hand. It had been chewed, burned and corroded until it was covered with holes. As the days wore on, he worked on it with tooth and claw, muttering vengeance, learning to survive in the society of the rats. They began to take their cues from the tortured sounds emerging from his ruined throat, and later the piercing notes of his pipe.

The new King under the city did not discriminate- urchins, rats, strays- the unwanted and unloved were embraced by him, and unwaveringly, when a mistreated child disappeared it was soon followed by the bloody death of its former master. The King has emerged to the tournament as his desire to topple all who oppress another escalates, and mere slave owners have lost their challenge. Now he seeks those who allow the slave trade to persist.

I love it. Do you have any sketches for him?

Haven't been able to work on most of the definite characters yet, but I have come up with some more (very volatile) concept characters:
1. Tene Eabe (Exiled of Umdya)
-The exiled king of Umdya, cast out by his subjects after they saw him die valiantly in a duel with the enemy's leader during a battle against the Idishler. Ever since, he has been forced to watch his Kingdom slowly degrade into filth.
2(3?). Mou Dell-wun (The forgotten guardian) (Might combine with Senga Charlaville)
- A relic from an unknown empire, considerably more advanced than anything made today. Abandoned by it's master hundreds of years ago, "she" was "fixed" after being discovered in the Mountainous regions of Juti'k.
3(2?). Senga Charlaville (Imperial Knight) (Might combine with Mou Dell-wun)
- Personal body-guard to the royal family of Thalmen, and widely considered one of the best fencers in all the continent. Currently questing around the other dominions, searching for an unspeakable goal.
4. Alod (The thing in black)
- No one knows what Alod is, only that he wears an incredibly long, and thin, set of black robes, that is topped with a wide brimmed hat and angular mask. Alod is a literal gun for hire, and his strange gun and long sword allow him to kill foes many times his size.

And now, the detailed ones:

Name: Utla'hon
Race: Human
Place of Origin: Guti'k
Age: 51(+/-9)
Gender: male
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 267 pds
Minions: The Bees of Guti'k
Backstory: Utla'hon is one of the strangest men to ever live, and all one has to do to judge his oddity is simply look at him. While his exposed muscles are not entirely out of place, the wrought iron basket fasted upon his head is one of the distinct features he boasts, but still not the first anyone would notice. No, the first thing anyone would notice is the six foot beehive that is held in place on his back by his arms, which is bound by leather straps, iron pins, and the slow expanse of the hive. As is implied, the hive is alive, filled with thousands of the Bees of Guti'k, who each carry a venom powerful enough to kill a full grown man with a single drop. And yet, despite having lived with them for nearly twenty years, not a single bee has ever touched him in anger or scorn; only providing him with sustenance and defending those attempting to harm him.

As with any strange situation, there is always the simple question of: how did that happen?

Through painstaking effort, those who were intensely interested in Utla'hon have barely managed to piece together his story, but his general reluctance to answer has made it just as difficult as the inability to understand his words. It was guessed that, at one point, Utla'hon was a servant member of Guti'kohn, who's main task was the bringing and tasting of food for the Chief and his family. One of the family members (Utla has been infuriatingly vague/contradictory on which one it was) took a liking to him, and he either refused or accepted their advances, resulting in the Chief becoming infuriated, and ordering him to suffer Utla'hon-Guti'k (death by bees of Golden, tall, and lively mountains) with the results being an iron helmet to cause starvation and the bees to kill him should starvation not be fast enough. After further prying (and apologies), his true name, and if he had anything to do with the disappearance of Guti'kohn, have largely remained the source of baseless speculations.

Name: Cult of Isenwald
Race: Various
Place of Origin: Various, though Goutenyar is their base of operations
Age: various
Gender: various
Height: various
Weight: various
Minions: Lesser cultists
Backstory: Within the backwards Marshlands of the far north are only dozens of tribes, barely a score of notable cities, and not even a single nation worth conquering. In such lands, life is short and unjust, with the only measure of artificial worth for most being the number of dead to their sword. Quite often, the only comfort of the commoners is the empty promises of religion, with many members only following the religion that their lords think suites their tastes best at a given time. If anything, the religions tend to emphasize what virtues the lord deems best for the subjects to subvert themselves to, even if it goes against their best wishes. This strange cycle had continued unbroken for centuries, with only the occasional bad choice leading to a lord's death.

And then began the Cult of Isenwald.

Named after the supposed master of all creation, Isenwald determines the worth of his followers not by their strength, but by their adherence to his virtues, with the main goal of converting more followers, will receive bountiful gifts from him. And by bountiful gifts, it is meant scraps of Isenwald's power, the least of which is capable of fully incinerating one of those upstart lords. Normally, the lords would tolerate such a religion, as it does seem to keep them happy, but having self-fulfilling commoners who are supposed to be constantly suspicious of those in charge is simply something no insecure lord would ever allow. As such, it is an unspoken law in the north that any cultists are to be killed in whatever creative method the lord deems necessary, often resulting in witch hunts and festivals to celebrate and trivialize such things. In response, all of the cultists have been forced to don robes of various styles and deny their own identity in an endless shadow war to either unify the north

Final thing is a description of the World's tech level:

The wheel-lock is the cutting edge of technological development, only viable in the most industrial areas of the world. Even the Arquebus is in short supply, with the largest contingent of them being an awe-inspiring 3500 in the ranks of the 12,000 strong Muindl army. The rest of the world relies on time test blood and iron, with bows, swords, primitive magics, and simply the number of men deciding the victors of war. Even more primitive are the marshes of the far north, as they are simply too unsophisticated to understand such complex relations, and the venerable lands to the west, as their ancient magics have blinded them to technology's wealth.

So, any thoughts?

Just some general feedback - you are creating story characters here. That is backwards, since you aren't writing a story but instead trying to make a game.

Focus on what the game play is, what the game play mechanics are, what the interactions will be. If writing up a character design, a bit of fluff is fine, especially if you use it as a mental springboard, but the real focus should be on the PLAY.

With the following, please realize I don't mean this as harshly as it sounds, because I say it to encourage your efforts in a more solid direction - ideas are useless, execution is what matters. There are no "idea people" in game development, there are people that can do things. Game designers are not "idea people" - they are idea implementers. They might be implementing their own ideas, they might be implementing in collaboration (and SHOULD be - a game designer working in isolation is a terrible thing), the implementation might be creating a detailed plan that others can implement in a concrete way... something.

But just having ideas for character stories and backgrounds and worlds? That isn't game design.

And it isn't that those things aren't fun and aren't useful if it stokes your design creativity, but remember that it needs to lead to something that can be implemented.

So by all means continue, but with every post remember to answer - "What is the gameplay?"


(Just some observations from someone that has been working in the video game industry for 19 years.)

 cento wrote:
Just some general feedback - you are creating story characters here. That is backwards, since you aren't writing a story but instead trying to make a game.

Focus on what the game play is, what the game play mechanics are, what the interactions will be. If writing up a character design, a bit of fluff is fine, especially if you use it as a mental springboard, but the real focus should be on the PLAY.

With the following, please realize I don't mean this as harshly as it sounds, because I say it to encourage your efforts in a more solid direction - ideas are useless, execution is what matters. There are no "idea people" in game development, there are people that can do things. Game designers are not "idea people" - they are idea implementers. They might be implementing their own ideas, they might be implementing in collaboration (and SHOULD be - a game designer working in isolation is a terrible thing), the implementation might be creating a detailed plan that others can implement in a concrete way... something.

But just having ideas for character stories and backgrounds and worlds? That isn't game design.

And it isn't that those things aren't fun and aren't useful if it stokes your design creativity, but remember that it needs to lead to something that can be implemented.

So by all means continue, but with every post remember to answer - "What is the gameplay?"


(Just some observations from someone that has been working in the video game industry for 19 years.)

Yeah, I know I should do that, but for some reason, I keep ending up going that way. In terms of actual gameplay, I had some ideas up on the first post, and am just trying to figure them out. So far, it seems like one of these should work:


For stats, one of these should work:


For the HUD:


Then, if we wanted elements, we could do something like Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock with it, but that can be figured out later.

Thank you for reading and, as always, any thoughts on anything said so far would be appreciated.

Edit
Another possible map:

So, yeah, sorry about not posting here for a while...

On that note, I managed to sketch up another possible lane design:


And have about 4 more characters on the drawing/redrawing board. I'll post them as soon as I am able to, but, I do have a couple of serious question:


Thank you for reading, please feel free to respond, and have a nice day.