Launcher Game Idea
I don't know how many of you share my addiction to free flash games, like those found at Kongregate. Those of you who play them probably are familiar with the class of games known as "Launchers".
For the uninitiated (and for clarity's sake), I'm referring to games where you have some sort of launching mechanism, like a cannon or a giant sling-shot, from which you fire a projectile, which you then control in flight in order to hit targets, collect score items, and ultimately reach some goal such as escape from the planet or a specific distance/height.
Most of these games feature a living projectile, such as a hedgehog, a penguin, or a game forum troll. Mostly, these beings are shot straight up, only to come crashing down at the end of their abortive flight. After landing, miraculously without harm, you generally get the option of using points earned during the flight to level up your launch mechanism and the quality of your projectile.
My idea stems from the issue I have with showing some living creature being shot into space, only to land somehow unharmed after a fall of several thousand feet. If you're going to launch a living being, it should do what livings beings do upon their reintroduction to the earth: Go Splat.
My idea is that you should have to name each projectile before you launch it. The name you give it will affect, not it's performance, but the public's perception of you launching a poor, defenseless whatsit into the stratosphere. Each round, you name the poor hapless cannonball de jour, and the game calculates the "Cuteness" rating for the name. The cuter it is, the more points you get for the launch (ratings!!), BUT the more backlash there is for making such a cute thing go splat!
I imagine the leveling up mechanism would work much the same as in other games, using the money garnered from the publicity of each flight going towards making better and better launch attempts in the future. However, if the public becomes too outraged, your funding will get pulled and the project will be disbanded (you lose the game) [the author just lost the game, by the way].
So, if any of you out there are into designing games, feel free to use this concept, so long as you list me as having a hand in the creation. If you happen to sell it and make more than your production costs, I wouldn't say no to some profit sharing!
For the uninitiated (and for clarity's sake), I'm referring to games where you have some sort of launching mechanism, like a cannon or a giant sling-shot, from which you fire a projectile, which you then control in flight in order to hit targets, collect score items, and ultimately reach some goal such as escape from the planet or a specific distance/height.
Most of these games feature a living projectile, such as a hedgehog, a penguin, or a game forum troll. Mostly, these beings are shot straight up, only to come crashing down at the end of their abortive flight. After landing, miraculously without harm, you generally get the option of using points earned during the flight to level up your launch mechanism and the quality of your projectile.
My idea stems from the issue I have with showing some living creature being shot into space, only to land somehow unharmed after a fall of several thousand feet. If you're going to launch a living being, it should do what livings beings do upon their reintroduction to the earth: Go Splat.
My idea is that you should have to name each projectile before you launch it. The name you give it will affect, not it's performance, but the public's perception of you launching a poor, defenseless whatsit into the stratosphere. Each round, you name the poor hapless cannonball de jour, and the game calculates the "Cuteness" rating for the name. The cuter it is, the more points you get for the launch (ratings!!), BUT the more backlash there is for making such a cute thing go splat!
I imagine the leveling up mechanism would work much the same as in other games, using the money garnered from the publicity of each flight going towards making better and better launch attempts in the future. However, if the public becomes too outraged, your funding will get pulled and the project will be disbanded (you lose the game) [the author just lost the game, by the way].
So, if any of you out there are into designing games, feel free to use this concept, so long as you list me as having a hand in the creation. If you happen to sell it and make more than your production costs, I wouldn't say no to some profit sharing!