Lucid Dream Game Idea

Hey sandman! I happen to be a games programmer, which should be good for the team. I'm willing to take part in this, because I have always wanted to make a decent 3D game, related to lucid dreaming. I have some ideas too.

My ideas:

- When you load up the game, there will be a nice background with soothing breathing noises coming from somewhere. There will be the usual Start/Load, New, Options, ect...
- When you enter the game by pressing new, a character creation system will load up, giving you a variety of male/female options.
- After making the character, you will see a cut scene of this character slowly drifting off in his/her bed. (maybe a loading screen?)
- When you enter a dreamscape, which is randomly generated (similar to minecraft, but not all blocky). We can decide on the different terrains/environment objects that will occur randomly.
- There will also be a huge range of enemies that randomly occur with random colors and weapons. For example: a green rabbit with a gun appears in a yellow cloud place at one point, then a blue dog appears with a sword in an ocean village.
- The player could be able to find random weapons and armor lying around the dreamscapes. (The whole randomness helps create a dream feeling, where every time you enter it's something unique and different to explore.
- There will be a gradually decreasing bar on the screens somewhere. This wil be the lucidity bar, which is basically a time limit to each dream. You may increase this time by finding reality orbs located randomly around the dreamscape. Each orb would increase the time available by around 30 seconds. When you collect a reality orb, you perform a reality check of your choice. When the time completely depletes, the player will wake up and you can buy certain things.
-When killing an enemy, you will acquire an item called a control orb. This item lets you unlock powers in a menu that appears when you wake up. You can 'buy' powers like fireball, ice blast, ect...
- Finding items called ability orbs will let you unlock actions like flying and fast running. They will be available in the same menu as the powers.

That's about it for now, but when I have more ideas, I will post :). Thanks for reading and i hope you like these ideas.

{EDIT}

More ideas will be posted here.

-Upon killing an enemy you will get XP and level up to make your player have more health, dream power (basically mana/magic points)
-Dream power will be consumed when an ability or power is used.
-The player will have an option to wake themselves up if they want too. This is similar to 'quit game' or 'exit to menu'.
- There will be an option to close the game when awake.

Lunatide,

If you haven't already applied, please do. We could really use someone with your ideas and experience!
In reply to the ideas, many factors of the game have already been decided; for instance, rather than orbs giving you lucidity, I believe the current concept is that you have to reality check and stay still to make your lucidity recharge, which may also be causing a blur effect depending on how low it is. Anyhow, come on over and we can get you caught up with everything that's going on.

On a side note, I'm not sure that we've gotten our company name out there; most of our signatures say "Lucid Dream Video Game Project." For a while now, we have been known as AstralSoft Entertainment Arts! :D

Thanks for the feedback, I will apply tomorrow ASAP!

I would love to help work on this. I sent in an application if you guys need help.

This is intriguing. Sent in my application!

The AstralSoft website looks pretty awesome.

@icebird3 & BrandonBoss
Thanks! An admin will review your application, and get back to you soon. :)

@Waterknight
Thanks! Credit goes to Micah and Oggy (aka Winamp)! :P=D

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Originally Posted by Waterknight

The AstralSoft website looks pretty awesome.

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I'm glad you like it :)

All waiting on responses to applications: Look for a response tomorrow.

This sounds like an absolutely incredible idea. you have my full support.

Been a couple of months and no new posts here. I cannot login to the dev site anymore. Any activity or progress?

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Originally Posted by Artie J

Been a couple of months and no new posts here. I cannot login to the dev site anymore. Any activity or progress?

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Artie, I'll get in touch with you.

Just out of curiosity (and lack of motivation to read the entire thread) what "feel" is this game going to have?

Arcade Smash and grab? Like Mario64. Coin/orb collecting.
Arcade Beat-em-up? Button mash, levelup, button mash, levelup, button mash, quit-highscore.
Light hearted yet stable. Fable 1&2
Serious and immersive. The Witcher and 2
Grind fest with a story. Diablo 1&2
Grind fest with a story (other). WoW
Serious attempt but manages to be laughable due to idiotic decisions. Anything by Bethesda:cheeky:

To my understanding it is/will be an RPG and as such I have made assumptions. Technically S.T.A.L.K.E.R was an RPG so I really shouldn't.

Just wondering what you all are actually making. . .

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Originally Posted by TheRealTenman

Just out of curiosity (and lack of motivation to read the entire thread) what "feel" is this game going to have?

Arcade Smash and grab? Like Mario64. Coin/orb collecting.
Arcade Beat-em-up? Button mash, levelup, button mash, levelup, button mash, quit-highscore.
Light hearted yet stable. Fable 1&2
Serious and immersive. The Witcher and 2
Grind fest with a story. Diablo 1&2
Grind fest with a story (other). WoW
Serious attempt but manages to be laughable due to idiotic decisions. Anything by Bethesda:cheeky:

To my understanding it is/will be an RPG and as such I have made assumptions. Technically S.T.A.L.K.E.R was an RPG so I really shouldn't.

Just wondering what you all are actually making. . .

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That's boring! Why not a dream about world domination you-are-the-villain style! Next goal, steal that pretty experimental cold fusion reactor in Siberia... :cheeky:

I would apply if I knew java. Or had any idea on how to make games.

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Originally Posted by Miguelinileugim

That's boring! Why not a dream about world domination you-are-the-villain style! Next goal, steal that pretty experimental cold fusion reactor in Siberia... :cheeky:

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DLC anyone? :lol:

From what I did read ITT their game is an rpg, your idea sounds more like an RTS or TBS (and their tactical equivalents), 4X or it could even work as a Text-based game(how horrifying)

I hope you played Syndicate(1994) and Syndicate Wars (1996). You take over the world by force in those, including a large reactor of some kind in the pacific ocean. If I remember correctly it is one of the last missions in Syndicate.

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Originally Posted by TheRealTenman

DLC anyone? :lol:

From what I did read ITT their game is an rpg, your idea sounds more like an RTS or TBS (and their tactical equivalents), 4X or it could even work as a Text-based game(how horrifying)

I hope you played Syndicate(1994) and Syndicate Wars (1996). You take over the world by force in those, including a large reactor of some kind in the pacific ocean. If I remember correctly it is one of the last missions in Syndicate.

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I was inspired by this game:
theswain.com/Flash/MWC.htm

Though I don't like the protagonist, is stupid and not crazy enough for me :) The idea for the game would be a mix between two, that is, you play turns of a month or so, but after every month you appear with 3D graphics (3D graphics are quite easy in dreams :cheeky:) and you can interact with your minions and tell them orders, or maybe talk with the recently kidnapped president of France for a ransom :D

Though, I don't think it's serious to start complex games before having so much control of your dreams that eventually you have to discover new ways to have fun! Though if I ever become a game programmer I could use that script! :mrgreen:

@ TheRealTenman and Miguelinileugiminalelgumemagellin'namellon:

Thanks for your interest in the game. I know the thread is really long. Here and there are posts that update everyone on the progress of the game, and advise as to the direction of the story. It is more of a "save the world" rather than "take over the world" idea, though that doesn't tell you very much. While there will be plenty of fighting, I imagine more visceral conflict to guns and bombs. Again, let me reiterate there will be plenty of fighting.

I'll let another team member--a gamer, describe it in gamer terminology.

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Originally Posted by The Sandman

Thanks for your interest in the game. I know the thread is really long. Here and there are posts that update everyone on the progress of the game, and advise as to the direction of the story. It is more of a "save the world" rather than "take over the world" idea, though that doesn't tell you very much. While there will be plenty of fighting, I imagine more visceral conflict to guns and bombs. Again, let me reiterate there will be plenty of fighting.

I'll let another team member--a gamer, describe it in gamer terminology.

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I could have described it with some technical details, but I'm still confused about what sort of game do you want to do, I mean, it's not like you can connect your mind to a playstation and lucid dream your way to the victory, so, how do you want to make the game? Most of the new people (included me) aren't going to read the entire thread, so could you explain it a little in the first post please?

Thanks :)

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Originally Posted by The Sandman

*post*

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It is more of a "save the world" rather than "take over the world" idea

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That's cool but I meant gameplay, not story.

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While there will be plenty of fighting, I imagine more visceral conflict to guns and bombs. Again, let me reiterate there will be plenty of fighting.

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May I bring up "The Force Unleashed" for inspiration for half of the combat system. Bear in mind I have no idea what point you are at in design.

Let me run through the basic controls for xbox:
*Lightsaber
*Force push
*Force lightning
*Jump
*Force Grip
*Block
*Dash

Count them 7. Plus movement and camera.

These could all be mixed into a plethora of different melee combos, like smashing targets into the air then impaling them on the way down or charging towards opponents and releasing an electrified burst.
as well as ranged attacks, from saber throws to environmental projectiles to impaled human bombs.

With all of these godly powers, the player was still in a vulnerable position.

Whether the enemy had a crazy block and needed to be shocked before any other attacks.
Or an electric absorption field and couldn't be zapped at all.
By being outnumbered by flying units or outgunned my an armoured vehicle.
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The point I am trying to make is that the system used in TFU was fluid, easy to learn and most importantly, balanced.

These can easily be translated into dream based powers and counters.

For example:
Melee can't be used on shadow beings. Known for paralyzing dream bodies and delivering extreme pain upon touch.
Mental powers could be limited by a reserve pool. Possibly "Clarity", "Belief" or "Focus". The more you do weird shit the more you don't believe it is possible.
Telekinesis would be negated psychics.
Pyrokinesis would be useless againts fire atronachs.
A level ground would be met when fighting other dreamers through either both being powerful or negating each others power.


A diverse fighting system can be made with few controls with the use of combos.

The main problem I see is the sheer diversity of dreams. You simply cannot fill everybody's experience of dreams.

The solution to that is constant updates/content packs.


Or you could ignore this post :cheeky:

Still I would prefer the game to be more turn-based and dramatic, a game about zombies would be great, you would have to fight zombies, to plan for the future (food, antibiotics, guns, ammo etc. ) and the most important, there would be a lot of drama due to the zombie disease, the end of the human civilization and all those things that occur in that sort of world.

That's what I call an epic dream, just fighting alone without too much strategy nor drama would get boring very fast...

@Miguelinileugim - I would certainly alter my first post, but after 24 hours, you can no longer edit a post.

@ TheRealTenman - Ignore the post? N-a-a-a-a. You have some very good ideas, and well spoken. We may use combos in our controls; that would be determined, I suppose, by necessity. I want the player to focus on intention. While having to manipulate combos would take some mental capacity, kids would probably be able to remember all the combos very easily, and that would force attention, which is another factor in my belief system leading to lucid dreams, so that the combo issue may be a positive for my purposes.

I say my purposes because I am not necessarily speaking for the team. I would have to discuss my theories with the team individually before speaking for them on any give point. You see, inducing lucid dreams is my paramount goal. Story and technique are only secondarily important to me; speaking to the issue of story however, I'd like one of our writers to chime in and give you the 411 as pertains to all of the issues that both of you bring up.

Setting is not important to a dreaming game like this, except that it be true to dreaming. That is my point of view. We do have themed settings, but this is not a new concept to gaming. I expect this game to go far beyond playing a game with cool settings and predictable game controls. These can be expected. I want to go far beyond this. That is not to say that the points you guys bring up are not valid points.

I like the ideas on "Clarity," "Belief," and "Focus." The more you do weird shit the more you don't believe it is possible. Frankly, I want to be able to learn to do weird shit and have it get easier, not harder, but that is the kind of thing that I am interested in. Just to let you know, we have considered these concepts. They are integral, and as far as I'm concerned, one of the most important aspects of the game. Putting attention to Belief and Clarity-->Focus is what it's all about for me.

Did I ramble? I'm a pro at that!

Still I don't know how gameplay works, do you connect your mind to a game machine or what? :cheeky:

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Originally Posted by Miguelinileugim

Still I don't know how gameplay works, do you connect your mind to a game machine or what? :cheeky:

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Sorry about that. No, you don't hook up to a machine. It is "just" a video game. The idea is to be more than a typical game, but we aren't using any special hardware. I just thought that since people tend to dream of the game they played the night before, we could take advantage of that.

Does that make sense?

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Originally Posted by The Sandman

I want the player to focus on intention.

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Would you mind explaining that further?

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...remember all the combos very easily...

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A categorized menu would help ease the problem. TFU uses three menus. Powers, Stats, Combos.
These double as where you assign points from leveling up.
While I hate to continually reference TFU it has a lot of good, functional mechanisms.

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...inducing lucid dreams is my paramount goal.

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To help with that may I suggest including subliminal sounds (iso's and Binaurals etc)
Though somehow I think having a label with "This game uses subliminal messages" would be bad.:)

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I like the ideas on "Clarity," "Belief," and "Focus." Frankly, I want to be able to learn to do weird shit and have it get easier, not harder, but that is the kind of thing that I am interested in.

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Well if it is an RPG you could use stat points to help in all aspects.

Clarity would be the players connection with the dream world. This could act as health or something.
Belief is how much the PC is convinced that the world is "real". Get this too low and you could start losing Clarity. Basically a "mana" bar.
Focus is mental strength/concentration. Used for powers, like flying and the many kinesis etc, and is disturbed by damage, panic, shadow beings etc. Simply a limit for power of powers.

The basis for this system is:
(1) You need focus to do anything in dream, if you are distracted you have a hard time.

(2)Belief is how "immersed" you are. If you don't believe you surroundings are "real" or "actually there" you lose lucidity. Usually to the point of waking up.
Remember the first time you flew in a lucid dream. If you don't believe in yourself/dream the dream will begin to fall apart. This speeds up the loss of clarity.

(3)Clarity is another tether to the dream world. Losing clarity is a sure sign you are losing lucidity, or even worse, waking up (I assume in game death?)

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Putting attention to Belief and Clarity-->Focus is what it's all about for me.

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With my suggestions focus is just another limit, similar to stamina. Belief and clarity are far more important to dreaming.



P.S.
I hate being an "idea guy"
P.P.S
I like helping more though