Thread: Lucid Dream Game Idea

This is intriguing. Sent in my application!

The AstralSoft website looks pretty awesome.

Originally Posted by Waterknight

The AstralSoft website looks pretty awesome.

I'm glad you like it

@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)! =D

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?

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?

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

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. . .

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

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. . .

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...

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...

DLC anyone?

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.

Originally Posted by TheRealTenman

DLC anyone?

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.

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 ) and you can interact with your minions and tell them orders, or maybe talk with the recently kidnapped president of France for a ransom

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!

In its current stage, the game is planned to be a kind of adventure RPG in which one of the key elements of gameplay is keeping your player lucid in a dream, or, if you are not already, becoming lucid by recognizing flaws in the world. As you progress through more and more dreams and discover your purpose in the dream world, you learn new abilities common to lucid dreaming such as flight and control of the elements. I'll admit I've never played NiGHTS or LSD, but hopefully that clarifies a bit on what the game will be like.

whatis, there is in fact already plans to make a lucidity gauge in a manner quite similar to what you've suggested. According to what we have now, the lucidity bar will accompany your health, and you'll periodically have to RC/stabilize to prevent it from going down too far and causing you to weaken.

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

@ 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.

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.

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

Originally Posted by The Sandman

*post*

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

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

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.

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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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?

Originally Posted by Miguelinileugim

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

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?

Originally Posted by The Sandman

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?

I think that lucid dreams are too unstable for that, also, there are sooo many ways to lucid dream (apparently) that a game seems one of the hardest and less interesting ones...

Of course, for advanced lucid dreamers without imagination or who just love videogames... then for they that's fine


But be sure to make your game open to imagination, one of the advantages of lucid dreams is that you can be extremely creative

Originally Posted by Miguelinileugim

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

Like Sandman said, there's no special hardware, just the player and the console. While the exact details of the gameplay aren't set in stone, from what I understand it's going to be a real-time RPG. You pick up new skills as you go, but the defining factor through the whole game is your Lucidity meter. If you're in a dream and you go too long without reality checking/stabilizing, it'll go down and you'll lose access to many of your offensive powers, and the dream will become blurry and unstable and potentially collapse.

It's true, though, that each member has a slightly different game in mind, which is exactly why "idea people" still remain invaluable. We're constantly presented with new ideas from our members, and we're hoping that we can take all the best ones and make an amazing game.

Originally Posted by TheOneirologist

Like Sandman said, there's no special hardware, just the player and the console. While the exact details of the gameplay aren't set in stone, from what I understand it's going to be a real-time RPG. You pick up new skills as you go, but the defining factor through the whole game is your Lucidity meter. If you're in a dream and you go too long without reality checking/stabilizing, it'll go down and you'll lose access to many of your offensive powers, and the dream will become blurry and unstable and potentially collapse.

It's true, though, that each member has a slightly different game in mind, which is exactly why "idea people" still remain invaluable. We're constantly presented with new ideas from our members, and we're hoping that we can take all the best ones and make an amazing game.

(Even more confused) So, we're speaking of a real game, that is, with software inside hardware played by real people without requiring any actual lucid dreaming skills right?

Originally Posted by The Sandman

I want the player to focus on intention.

Would you mind explaining that further?

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

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.

...inducing lucid dreams is my paramount goal.

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.

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.

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?)

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

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