Another One for the Idea Bucket

Sorry about this, entirely new topic in an entirely new post. Still on the topic of Spore, I was thinking into various engines and games that let you make games. Things like RPG Maker. With the recent improvements in technology, I think it’d be very possible to create the same general concept for an RTS Maker. Spore creates animation for anything you can make. So why not apply this same idea to an RTS engine?

So why do this? It’s simple: you’d rake in plenty of cash. So Average Joe goes out to buy an RTS game. But what should he buy? Command and Conquer 3? Company of Heroes? There are a myriad of titles avalible, but Joe only has enough money for one because, like most Americans, he works at a toothpaste factory screwing on tops. Why not just buy one game that allows him to create millions?

So here’s the basic idea: you can make ANYTHING at all into an RTS. Want a sci-fi humans vs. aliens game? Make it. Want a Medieval chivalric war? Make it. Want to play as Rocky Balboa in the ring? Make it. The game should be epic. You’re provided with everything you need: building blocks for units, tanks, buildings, and even debris. All of this organized into a nifty little project file. Users can publish (but not sell) their games with the game, (possible) online play, and possibly a map editor (or not if you don’t want Rocky Balboa fighting in Iraq… lemme write that down.) This way, players can make professional games with no scripting experience.

Okay, so you’re selling a DIY game to some kid in his basement. It’s single payment, so where’s all this money come from? Let’s say this kid makes the next Starcraft. Hire him. Put him on as a project lead and let him build his own actual RTS. Not looking so dull now, right? And if that’s not enough, think of how popular you’ll be after someone uses your software to release Rocky in Iraq 2. It’s like free advertisement.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Project Based

I don’t want to have to rebuild my game for every map in the campaign. The whole thing should be in one project. Players should be able to just put all their crap in one file, then build everything off that one file. It keeps everything relatively organized.

Building/Unit Building Blocks

I don’t want to be given four or five models to use in my game, I want something like Spore (see, I was going somewhere with that.) I want to be able to click and drag blocks onto a foundation and make a command center. Let’s break this down further:

Building Editor

Okay, so you can make any building you want. First you should be able to determine its size in tiles. There have to be an assortment of primitives to use. A rectangle for your normal crap, spheres for domes, triangles for… uh… stuff, and various crap like sattalite dishes. All of this has to be freeformable. Now we need more stuff: a door that can open to let units inside (garrisons) or deposit your trained units, windows that units can fire out of (also garrisons,) and the ability to break the building’s destruction down into as many parts as you want.

Now that we have geometry done, let’s move onto statistics. Players should be able to determine some simple things, like health and function, but also more complex things, like if it nukes part of the map when it blows up. Players can also determine if it’s garrisonable, and how many units it can store.

Unit Editor

I want Godzilla to fight against legions of storm troopers! That should be buildable. Players need to be able to determine everything about units, like with buildings, but more like Spore’s build a creature. You are given a simple person that you can mishmosh in any way. Move his arms around, make his head as big as a skyscraper, you get the idea. Now he needs things like guns. Oh! And a backpack. Let’s put on a cape for good measure. And let’s give him a peg leg for the heck of it. Now he needs clothes. Camo pants and a pink shirt. And a ninja mask to balance the peg leg.

If I can’t do that, then this isn’t an RTS maker. I want to be able to make anything that pops into my head. I want a tank with a sword! I want a midget that explodes! Anything I can think of should be buildable.

Map Editor

Let’s start putting my things in a map. I need to be able to determine what terrain I can add around the map. I also want to be able to determine the debris scattered about. Now I need some water and some UFOs. Finally, let’s have the UFOs deliver some witty dialogue. That’s all there should be.

Publish

Click a button and an installer is built for your program, complete with every unit, skin, map, and random hoo-hah you made. Just put it on the internet and tell everyone that you made Rocky in Iraq 2. You’ll be the next internet sensation, or a failure. Possibly the latter.

And that’s all I want to have to do. One, two, three done.