If you could make a game...

[Russell of Los Angeles]

OMG check out this idea:

Two different online games. They could be almost anything for this to work, as long as they have the some shared theme. In one, let's say it's a farming simulation with a fantasy twist, the object is simply to grow and harvest vegetables or flowers or whatever. Players play the role of farmers.

The other game could be some kind of rpg where players play pixies and build little fae cities. They can visit the World of Men to play jokes, or grant wishes to farmers and cityfolk, or some such.

The secret twist is that the games overlap. While it seems that the farmers in the second game are just controlled by the computer, it turns out they're actually the players of the first game! And in the farming game, players would be led to believe by the instructions and interface that the pixies are just NPCs.

heehee

Anyway, I think it's an experiment in interactivity. There would not be any direct communication between the games; i.e., no in-game chat between farmers and pixies, no common forums between them. So the behavior of the supposed NPCs would hopefully be surprising, intelligent, unpredictable.

The games could even be similar in game play, but with very different goals.

One game could be a PvP conquest game, and another could be a simulation sandbox god game.

[joo]

Heh, that's a pretty good idea... would save on AI development time.

[Ryaga]

Though, not to burst anyone's bubble or anything, but gimmick games like that usually don't work. Very few experimental/gimmick games even make it off the ground.

Games like Cantr II, Dwarf Fortress, and Wurm Online are the 1/1000s that actually make it off the ground. If you're going to design a game that's not going to appeal to the mainstream gamers, you've got to make sure it appeals VERY MUCH to the indie/casual gamers or you're in trouble.

[Caesar]

Though, not to burst anyone's bubble or anything, but gimmick games like that usually don't work. Very few experimental/gimmick games even make it off the ground.

Games like Cantr II, Dwarf Fortress, and Wurm Online are the 1/1000s that actually make it off the ground. If you're going to design a game that's not going to appeal to the mainstream gamers, you've got to make sure it appeals VERY MUCH to the indie/casual gamers or you're in trouble.

Luckily for us the makers of the first two fantastic games (Do not know Wurm Online, but I am checking it right now.) didn't feel discouraged by that.

[joo]

Though, not to burst anyone's bubble or anything, but gimmick games like that usually don't work. Very few experimental/gimmick games even make it off the ground.

That doesn't mean it's not a good idea.

[Ryaga]

Though, not to burst anyone's bubble or anything, but gimmick games like that usually don't work. Very few experimental/gimmick games even make it off the ground.

That doesn't mean it's not a good idea.

Oh no, it sounds like quite the awesome idea, actually

[Ryaga]

Though, not to burst anyone's bubble or anything, but gimmick games like that usually don't work. Very few experimental/gimmick games even make it off the ground.

Games like Cantr II, Dwarf Fortress, and Wurm Online are the 1/1000s that actually make it off the ground. If you're going to design a game that's not going to appeal to the mainstream gamers, you've got to make sure it appeals VERY MUCH to the indie/casual gamers or you're in trouble.

Luckily for us the makers of the first two fantastic games (Do not know Wurm Online, but I am checking it right now.) didn't feel discouraged by that.

Wurm Online is something like 3d Cantr without the roads and roleplay. (Crap so used to automerge sorry.)

[Mr. Black]

Thirded, right up in there.

So wait, we're indie gamers, then?

[Ryaga]

Cantr classifies somewhere in the indie/casual area, so it all depends on if you're wanting to label yourself that way.

[joo]

It should be "Indeh" because of the pronounciation... but that's aside from the fact that it doesn't really mean anything.

[Mr. Black]

Yes! I love being labeled! I am now OFFICIALLY an indie gamer! Woot!

[Ryaga]

It should be "Indeh" because of the pronounciation... but that's aside from the fact that it doesn't really mean anything.

Well games that tend to stay indie are of a certain genre/style. Because the mainstream stuff usually gets picked up, or evolves into something larger, while indie games have a MUCH more limited potential than a mainstream game. For instance if someone were to make a more or less flat-out WoW clone, most gamers wouldn't call that an indie game, because it's extremely mainstream.

For comparison think of the terms 'Unsigned' and 'Indie' as they're used in music.

[Caesar]

Can't we be labeled 'insane'?

[joo]

As far as I'm aware, "independent" in this context refers to musicians who do not sell themselves to record companies/game developers who do not sell themselves to publishers/investors/other companies, which has nothing to do with genre or style. Thus it isn't that relevant apart from the ethics and philosophy involved.

[Ryaga]

As far as I'm aware, "independent" in this context refers to musicians who do not sell themselves to record companies/game developers who do not sell themselves to publishers/investors/other companies, which has nothing to do with genre or style. Thus it isn't that relevant apart from the ethics and philosophy involved.

Indie is a sub genre of a few genres referring to a common type of music shared between that type of artist. Other than the traditional meaning. That's just about how it's classified with an indie game. IE. Indie Rock