Your Dream Video Game

Atomic Postman

Atomic Postman

Vault Archives Overseer
Stupid idea for a thread but fuck it let's do it. Say you were visited by the Magic Video Game Genie™ and were able to wish your dream video game into existence, what would you choose?

For me, my dream game would be an isometric RPG adaption of the OSR tabletop system Stars Without Number by Kevin Crawford.

In effect the basic premise of the setting is human civilization reaching an incredible height of technology and power under the guidance of AI overlords, to the point of dyson sphere type technology. Supernatural powers were commonplace in the setting, ranging from your more typical telepaths, telekinetics to Resident Evil style biopsionics and Minority Report style precognitives. Something unknown occured, called "The Scream" which effectively wiped out 99% of galactic civilization and hit the reset button. (There's a spin-off system called "Other Dust" which is post-apocalyptic and set on a singular planet during the two centuries after The Scream) and now the galaxy is segmented into thousands of isolated "Sectors" containing dozens of systems, cut-off from eachother. Campaigns in this system typically start about 500-600 years after the Scream, and technology levels vary wildly from solar system to solar system.

Skills work on a 2D6 + Modifier basis whereas the combat runs on your more typical D20+ modifier. Despite the existence of all the different psionic classes, there are also "Technical"/expert characters and martial combat characters are all equally as viable (In fact in the campaign I played my martial character was one of the stronger and was the only one not to die).

I digress. Anyway, I'd love to see this as an isometric, turn based game that marries the system of Stars with gameplay similar to that of Fallout. You'd effectively have a whole sector to explore as you form a crew of people and run your ship, forming a small faction. Ship management and combat would be similar to that of the game FTL.

The game would be quite lethal at earlier levels, for example in the actual system your health at the beginning is based on a 1d8 roll where standard ballistic rifles deal 1d12 damage.

Aesthetically I'd aim for a "Folk Sci-Fi" aesthetic, think of retro 70s sci-fi art. Lots of nice pre-rendered backgrounds and stylized sprites.

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The kind of setting where star-pilots burn incense and wear beads because they believe in superstitions or myths about space goddesses that guide good travellers. The kind of setting where this music would be made:




Anyway, what would be your dream game?
 
A modern Myth [4], fully 3D/Iso-style, with support for large (and giant) monsters, giant siege machines, and full terrain distortion/ destruction; with full mod support tools, and user LUA scripting.

 
Always meant to give Myth a try. I'm a fan of Marathon and Halo and I'd heard Myth was one of if not Bungie's best work. I've never played an RTS though.
 
Myth is a brutal —first RTS, but terribly addictive and fun.





The game is played on a 3D landscape terrain, using 2D sprites. Each unit is a named character who will auto-level-up if they survive the map/battle.

*It is not sold on Steam, (or other digital distributors that I know of).
 
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My dream video game? Personally I would just like for video games to go back the way they were pre 2014. No social justices activism, no pandering to every demographic there this, no corporate interference, developers valuing good writing and characterization over representation, no lootboxes or selling parts of the game that should have been in the game upon release as dlc and taking creative risks. I think I am asking the Magic Game Genie too much...
 
It's hard to say what my dream video game is, It would probably be a survival kit for fucked up teenagers that subconsciously teaches them things that are useful.
 
Well, it's not "the" dream video game but one of mine would be Minecraft except the developers stop beating around the bush and being outclassed by modders and finally start properly fleshing out the game.

Minecraft has such amazing potential but even after everything they've added it still feels underdeveloped. It needs more mobs, passive and hostile for all biomes. Every biomes needs an update to make it stand out more from one another. Just copy that Chisel mod that adds in a shit ton of variations to block textures so places can look good. Add in a painting option or whatever that allows you to basically change the hue of a texture. More set piece locations to find. More bosses spread around. Other dimensions like Nether or The End. Expand on the magic system. Add in life cycles for animals. The sky's the limit when it comes to Minecraft and it feels like they're not doing anything with it.
 
RangerBoo said:
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Click to expand...

For me pretty much the same but I would more put the point of decline around 2007/2009.


My dream game...
I was thinking first of mentioning all the games I would like to make sequels to but that is probably not what the original poster who made this topic had in mind. Rather what kind of original games I for example would like to make.

For a couple of years now I have been walking around with the wish to do some kind of science fiction action-adventure game but I have nothing solid in mind regarding setting or gameplay and I feel that would have to read more science fiction books and stories to get some proper inspiration.
I do know that I would like to reduce the cyberpunk elements such as mega corporations basically running the government, an over networked over interconnected society, a world that is basically a playground for the rich and the powerful. I don't hate these elements but I feel that they have been overused too much and any optimism for the future is overshadowed with the pessimism of present day reality regarding these subjects.

Edit: oh I recently had been reading about this micro game called Star Smuggler (old Single Player PNP RPG from the 80s), the player being a space trader that has decided to become a smuggler to make ends meet and strike it rich eventually.
The player has to make decisions that can result in various path with multiple outcomes, a little Rogue like.
Technically this has already been done by games such as FTL, Freelancer, Wing Commander Privateer and several other space games but I think there is room for another game if some extra elements are included like for example on planet movement in vehicles or on foot.
An important key part would be the visuals, the ships, space installations, weapons, objects, cities etc having the aesthetics of something that would appear in the original Star Wars movies, original Battlestar Galactica, and Glenn Larson's Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
I don't know how to describe it, there are sleek and streamlined looking ships but also a lot of tech that the designers never bothered with to make it look pretty, and also tech that looks quite used, having been fixed over and over again with various parts and modifications such as the Millenium Falcon.

Check this link for more details on what I mean: https://dwarfstar.brainiac.com/ds_starsmuggler.html

(I confess coming with this after reading up on the Atari ST classic Sundog Frozen Legacy and its planned remake Sundog Resurrected Legacy: http://www.sundogresurrectionproject.com/)


There is something personal I would like to have made but I have not figured out completely how I would like it to play and there are certain elements I want to keep private for now but it would be action-adventure and involve paranormal investigations.

Well I am thinking about something that would be sort of a cross between a modern Zelda game (think Breath of the Wild) and Resident Evil with the setting taking a lot of influences of pulp sci-fi, supernatural, and shows like the X-Files (cryptids, secret societies, cults, fringe science, alien conspiracies)
A relative open world to explore with various plotlines to pick up and to get deeper involved in.


Sorry, I feel really upset I can not write down a more clear vision of what I would like to see. This is a question that should really speak to me and now for several hours I have been trying to think on what I really would like to see but nothing wants to come up.
 
An RPG with the meticulous and incredibly deep concern for complexity and realism that only a savant mathematician stuck with obsession like Tarn Adams could produce, the world and ambient design of a genius environment artist like Gary Platner, the intelligent writing dealing with profound and somber themes typical of 19th century russian literature, the type of gameplay design that values substance and depth over trends and impressions seem in TES 3 Morrowind, the respect for player freedom and expressivity only found on the best of classic RPGs, and with a setting that was of equal measures hopelessly dark and eerily beautiful. Something that I could immerse myself in for weeks on end and forget I and the real world even existed.
 
I have notes for a RPG much like the original Fallout but you would hop between a post apocalyptic world, a Dystopian world controlled by Nephilim, and a Diablo inspired world where the humans possess magic based technology which they use to fight off hordes of Lovecraftian Demons. The Deity of the multiverse (much like Giygas in form and nature) is slowly going insane due to existing forever so it has decided to merge all existence into one to make it's job easier. Of course it's your job to stop it, so you must collect pieces of a special artifact (composed of particles of the original creation) while hunting down the other Chosen that have the skills to stop the Merging of the Multiverse. There is more to the story than that but that is the gist of it. If it was a real game I am sure one of the worlds would need to be a DLC for the size to be done justice. Each world would get a map just like in Fallout 1. On the map there would be Rifts that could connect to other worlds. It goes without saying that there would be other worlds than the three but they would not be fully featured.
 
A bit like that at least in regards to there being tears in reality.
 
I don't know? I never read RIFTS. All of my magic is based on real occult lore though so I doubt it.

Basically not your average Demons and magic is not casting fireballs.
 
So... more like Pumpkinhead, and Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Rifts is magic, bionics, robotics, techno-wizardry with emphasis on the wizardry part, psychics, definitely the occult, but also cybernetic dragons, and casting fireball spells against power armored infantry.

They designed it as a setting of its own, but designed the rules to be either compatible or adaptable with almost every other game they make... so the portals in Rifts can lead to other source book settings, and different RPGs. While characters from those other RPGs can step out of a portal, and adapt the the world of Rifts.

____________

Believe it or not, but I wouldn't mind Bethesda picking up the Lands of Lore IP and/or the RIFTS IP, and making games for them. Not that they would though... Lands of Lore is too close to Elder Scrolls, and there is already an unrelated a video game IP with the name RIFTS.

But they could do a good job of it. Rifts as a video game by them is basically an Oblivion style Shadowrun game, crossed with Prey.
 
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I did like how accurate the Pumpkinhead witch was in regards at least pagan black magic. My system would feature plenty of recruitable characters. One would use the ritual magic and the other that style. The ritual style would probably entail some spells only working in certain worlds or during certain times since it draws from the stars. The witchcraft kind would draw power from the earth so it would change depending on the world as well. Green based magic would not work on the Nephilim world since it is totally consumed with evil.

The post apocalyptic world would feature your standard mutants and whatnot but the entire world would not be a desert like off Mad Max. Just parts of it that were bombed especially bad. Plus aliens use the planet as a pit stop so they are a minor player but in no way the "bad guy" or trying to take over. Kinda like a UN type role. The backstory on Earth is all the conspiracies were true about the government trying to wipe out most of the population. The Illuminati now control many of the major megacities but they do not control the Pacific Region due to China and Japan being a major power and free from their influence from the most part.

The second game would feature the three worlds going to war over the artifact since whoever holds it can control reality and shape the multiverse as they see fit. This would be after the main character destroys the Godthing in the first game and assumes it's spot.
 
Toront, you once told me a bit how you had magic in mind for a game. Something that would go beyond throwing a fireball or a lightning bolt.
Unfortunate I kind of have lost the details. Could you perhaps describe again how magic would work?
 
It would depend on the character. Some would use magic infused weapons, some would use the astrological based ritual magic which would need to be cast before battles, others would use nature based magic which might entail herb based potions or nature spirits summoned vie various totems. Magic practitioners would also be able to see various spirits while the average person could not. There would probably be scripted portions where you could astral project inside peoples dreams to solve various quests. I think the talking to ghosts mechanic in Arcanum was great.

So you have a calendar that has various planets and days. Each day and planet would have a certain Deity of sorts over it which would have it's own attributes. That spell would be available on any day in which those attributes are in power. So you might have a spell that is only usable for a week in a month. Naturally the other planets would need to be accounted for as they go overhead. Hermetic Correspondence charts could be ripped off wholesale so not much design work would be needed in that regard.

Special one off spells would be available that would be very powerful but only useable once a year on certain holidays. Creating your own spells would be possible. Shrines would help you to attune to certain Deities to learn their magic. Another unique thing is the magic users would not necessarily wield a wizard staff. The ritual magician for instance would use a gun in battle while using the ceremonial tools only for spells.

Also the magic users would benefit from praying when the sun rises and when it sets as a Loyalty bonus towards their Deity or Deities. Might use candles, salt, and incense in those cases as a consumable item. Those would be in many of the rituals minus the Shaman character which would need drugs and dreams to do his work. Animal bones and various other totems would be used in that work.
 
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