Plane game prototype

Posted by Moikle on April 12, 2015, 3:11 p.m.

So I think everyone should try to prototype a game idea for the com-Unity game. As spike suggested. Like Nopycon said, whoever has the most appealing idea wins an army of workers.

If you can't make a simple prototype then write up the core aspects of your idea and try to sell it. Why do you think it would be a good game to make and what ideas for mechanics have you had?

The favorite idea I came up with was a multiplayer dogfighting/plane racing game, set in an alternate universe steampunk infused world war setting (yes, I was watching Porco Rosso at the time). here are the notes I have been writing before and during I began work on my prototype

Mouse movement to aim camera, plane angle and position lags behind but NOT distance (maybe)

mouseX/leftstick X: Yaw

MouseY/leftstick Y: Pitch

A-D/rightstick X: roll

S-slow

W-fast

shift-turbo

stylised biplanes and steampunk infused ww1-2 fighter planes

gravity and stalling is a possibility, have the effect of gravity exponentially decrease the HIGHER the speed, lift is a possibility, with wings pushing plane up if aligned to gravity, exponentially decrease the LOWER the speed. Thrust provided by engines at varying levels of power.

Guns are hitscan mostly, aimed from camera at crosshair, but bullet particles come from plane guns to meet the location of the hit. Increasing acuracy of crosshair.

Dogfighting in both more open areas (turning battle) and narrow dodgy passageways and canyons etc (better steering skill needed)

different weapons that players can attach as well as different plane gear, each has advantages and disadvantages. Guns, engine, body and maybe wings can be changed.

race mode? Kind of like mario cart? Or M.A.C.H.?

Camera recording from ground you finish, shakes as planes fly past, faces your plane, and replays the last few seconds of a race. Would give an epic feel to wining a race and seeing your plane come round the corner followed by the others, you cross the finish line, and as you speed off, you see all the other planes whoosh past after you. Maybe could record some kills in dogfight.

Play from either cockpit or third person.

Customise your ship in a hangar, stuff going on in background

all kinds of crazy particle effects from engine exhaust when turbo-ing, flames smoke and sparks when damaged

water splashes and dust blows in wind just behind a plane when it flies fast at low altitude.

fireballs when shot down, bits constantly falling off and burning up, spining out of control.

backstory wise I like the idea of taking real world explorers/famous historical figures and places/groups and putting them in a alternate universe (or at least the names of them).

now, here is a link to the prototype itself, try to picture some of the things I wrote down in the notes being added to it, while flying around at the different speeds, and imagine shooting down/racing each other online, through ruins and cities and tunnels and caves as well as in the clouds and out at sea, dodging cliffs and rocks. could be fun :)

also I am thinking about including joystick/controller support

So go make some prototypes if you have an idea and then we can make a decision on which one to take further

Comments

colseed 9 years, 7 months ago

Quote:
(yes, I was watching Porco Rosso at the time)
please take all my +1s

also this prototype is k

Nopykon 9 years, 7 months ago

I don't like the keyboard control scheme, change it!

A/D - Yaw

Down/Up Arrow - Pitch!!! with inversion

Left/Right Arrow - Roll (as is).

Edit: Nevermind, you can change it in the launcher. *Hides face in shame.*

Good Job! I'm hyped for this. Name suggestion: Sapphire Sky/Skies

Nopykon 9 years, 7 months ago

Moikle 9 years, 7 months ago

I am loving the ruins in the background

And that colour scheme/shading. Maybe we should get you to do some concepts for maps/planes

@steven love the idea, there could be a couple of variables for intensity/panic that can be raised/lowered by different things, like low health, dodging narrow passageways, getting a kill streak, game objective getting very close to the end. they would raise and lower the volume of different instruments. It would really get your heart pumping, assuming it can be done well.

Moikle 9 years, 7 months ago
Acid 9 years, 7 months ago

That is what the game should be.

Alert Games 9 years, 7 months ago

8/8 I'd play it.

Astryl 9 years, 7 months ago

I haven't got time to do any prototyping; got some really big things going on at work. But I did a few drawings.

Second image is unfinished plane concept (Flying upside down because I was starting an 'action' shot).

My ideas are:

> Floating islands. Islands can have caverns, caves, ruins and so on to fly/race through. Would be a bit easier to work with from a programming point of view, but a bit more of a pain with regards to level design.

> Steampunk and "Magitech" planes. Could be a faction vs faction type thing.

> Several basic game-modes for teamplay: Dogfighting, Racing and Resource Capture/Control (Probably involving those islands).

Feel free to shoot me down… when the game's finished, that is.

Castypher 9 years, 7 months ago

Quote:
> Steampunk and "Magitech" planes. Could be a faction vs faction type thing.
My interest just skyrocketed.

It'll be through the roof if you can customize said planes.

Moikle 9 years, 7 months ago

Now working on customisation. Entering different stats for different parts is easy, but I can't figure out how to swap out models that are children of the gameobject. Still very much getting used to unity's component system

floating islands with caverns is a really nice idea. you could fly into a building on top and come out the bottom. could also offer some cool opportunities to ambush people from below the clouds.

So are we all leaning towards this idea then? Since I am the one who proposed the community game, and I am the one who came up with the game idea, I don't want it to feel like I am just tricking you all into making my game for me. This is a community effort, so I am a little hesitant to say "yeah guys, we a re making this now".

If you are genuinely interested then pm me and I will start handing out github clone link thingies