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seeking theme ideas

5 replies [Last post]
Fri, 11/04/2011 - 09:26
NewbieDesigner
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Here's a pic of a prototype I've come up with that is based on popping balloons.

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=41d024e7124795db&sc=photos&id=41D024E7124...

I submitted it to one publisher for consideration but wanted to come up with other theme ideas that might have a different appeal.

Players play cards and move their pieces from left to right across the lower row on the grid and move their piece up a specific column (ignore the outside rows of cards in the pic, I've since ditched them). In the case of the prototype, you are a person walking in front of the balloon counter and then throwing and popping a dart that sticks to the wall. Scoring is based on what row you land in as well as forming certain patterns on the wall.

Can you think of another theme that this mechanic might work for? Thanks for any ideas you might have.

-Eric

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Fri, 11/04/2011 - 09:37
#1
ilSilvano
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Wild West barmans?

Hi,
you know the *very* old videogame Tapper?
The columns can become long rows of saloon customers, while the pieces are barmans that throw beers on the bar to the thirsty customers.
Instead of full/popped balloons the cards should show thirsty (with a comics balloon on their head with the "beer" icon) and drinking (with a beer in their hand) customers.

(have a look at the old Tapper videogame here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSUBIySAb9c)

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Fri, 11/04/2011 - 10:22
#2
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Very interesting, thanks for

Very interesting, thanks for the suggestion. I think I'd have to tweak the scoring a bit since I'm not sure how formations of satisfied beer customers would work thematically.

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Mon, 11/07/2011 - 05:51
#3
ilSilvano
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tips?

Well, maybe something like "customers give tips to the barman, and large groups of customers of the same color/type are friends and give biggest tips"?

It would be fun to have any sort of wild west stereotypes in the saloon, from gunmen to indians to squaws...

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Thu, 11/10/2011 - 08:23
#4
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Can you think of anything

Can you think of anything that involves shooting? The grid layout is kind of like space invaders without the aliens progressing downward. More quirky ideas are great too.

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Thu, 11/10/2011 - 09:12
#5
sounde
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I can think of lots of things

I can think of lots of things involving shooting (archers moving along the castle wall picking off invading forces/goblins of different colors) -- but since the targets neither approach nor evade (space invaders that don't actually invade :/) -- anything like that could easily feel pasted on and fall flat.

Even in Tapper there is a threat. Customers that aren't drinking inch closer and closer... when you hit them with a Beer you push them back and you lose when they reach your end of the bar without being served. Angry customers beat you up. :(

So you're going to end up with suggestions like what you have here: baloons... fish in a barrel :P

If the game is something of an optimization exercise against another player then the tension won't come from the targets... but from the race/battle with the other guy.

It might help to understand the mechanics better.

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