Thread: Lucid Dream Game Idea

I believe we've already chosen an engine.

This is a fantastic idea. I have often seen the results that thinking about lucid dreaming can have on actually achieving your goals. Not to mention it has the potential to be a very interesting story, but still have some basis in fact. I do think that an RPG type backing would be ideal for character/story development. I unfortunately do not have any experience with programming, but I'd love to help with the testing phases. I alpha tested minecraft and beta tested starcraft 2 and some other games. If someone can manage to break a game, it's me. I look forward to seeing what comes of this.

Also for the love of god make sure whatever it is it's PC. I realize major consoles are a harder venue anyway but i don't own any of them, lol.

Hi guys,

This is a fabulous idea, and I'd be happy to help if you'll have me. Is there still room on the writing team?

a suggestion, if it's gonna be an RPG PLEASE DON'T MAKE PLAYERS SIT THERE AND LEVEL GRIND.

I don't see any reason why levels would be needed.
You could get EXP every time you do something, as opposed to getting one large chunk when you level.
With the experience, you could unlock new abilities to use.

Just my two cents

I looked up the unreal engine 3 on wikipedia. lol at already saying it supports Wii U and PSVita. Anyways, it certainly is portable to wherever we need it.

Anyways, saying we've decided on an engine is not entirely accurate. I think we are going to use OGRE for rendering 3D. Wikipedia page: OGRE - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anyways, OGRE supplies ONLY the 3D graphics. I think we're also hooking it up to SDL for keyboard, mouse, window, sound, timing, etc. SDL does have graphics, but it is the simplest of 2D graphics. Both of these are basically taking care of communicating with the player.

Anyways, that still leaves the majority of game engine stuff on us. Physics and objects happening. I think this game doesn't need very large physics engines. A compact and robust engine that I envision the "layered 2D" approach to be will make it easier to run on smaller devices such as phones.

By the way, if it hasn't been mentioned here, there has been some discussion of doing an iOS and Android port.

Also older computers.

Anyways, what we're doing now: Well, a bunch of story brainstorming going on. And learning how to program with OGRE for the programmers. Once I do the OGRE wiki basic tutorials, I'm making a demo of the layered engine bit. It's gonna be something simple like controlling a cube to jump around a small 3D platforming demo course.

I haven't been really keeping track of what the story writers have been discussing. Sorry. >.<
But it's probably a secret anyways. I don't want to spoil it for you.

Also, I think there's a general consensus that this is going to be released commercially. For the consoles and all that, too. I'm not really on board with that idea, but whatever. Oh, another good thing about a small custom engine. We don't have to pay anybody for using their engine.

Anyways, that's what's happening.

Originally Posted by Rawracookie

I looked up the unreal engine 3 on wikipedia. lol at already saying it supports Wii U and PSVita.

That wouldn't really matter to us would it? To develop for the consoles you have to be a professional company that demonstrates that they can be trusted with development hardware. Even then some people have trouble getting into a development contract. And if you do, to get the development hardware costs a lot. I remember it being 5-10 grand for an xbox dev console. Then it costs a few more thousand to get your game rated, and if it is declined they still keep the money and you have to pay again upon re-submitting.

We don't even know each other, we have never met. We are a small development team that met on a website due to a common interest.

With all that said, I can get it on the X-Box console when the game is completed, by porting it myself. But that would be through the indie games marketplace, the place where Microsoft and all gamers laugh at you. Where there almost no advertisement of such games. Where people usually only get about $500, even from an amazing game.


More on the positive side:

We don't need to use any game engines or anything. Just build a bunch of it from the ground up, make our own engine. Just start with a cross-platform rendering engine, like openGL. Get a physics engine, like JigLib. Then build the engine from there, it isn't really too hard.

Originally Posted by MIIISTERNEUGIT

More on the positive side:

We don't need to use any game engines or anything. Just build a bunch of it from the ground up, make our own engine. Just start with a cross-platform rendering engine, like openGL. Get a physics engine, like JigLib. Then build the engine from there, it isn't really too hard.

We've already taken care of that. If you guys wish to help. You should visit our website and contribute to
our local discussions. Everything that has been brought up in this thread has already been taken care of
on our dedicated forum. This is old news to us.

what's your website address?

I would love to help. I have no coding experience. I may be able to write some songs but I have no recording equipment. So I could send you guys the notation for it and you guys can record it.

But I have a suggestion for a certain effect. Maybe if you lose health the dream gets blurry. When you lose health you leave the dream which is game over. But we could put checkpoints around.
Also DC's can give you challenges. You can use any dream ability you have to overcome these challenges. Optional it doesn't get boring after a while.
How do you guys like these ideas?
But for the music tell me what emotion is going on in that part of the game. Is it a sad part? Happy part? Mysterious? I'll try to write something.

Metallicuh,

I believe we're already incorporating a blur effect, but it's tied to a "Lucidity" bar, not health. We haven't really discussed it much.

However, I love the idea of DC sidequests, though I'm not sure how you'd go about getting a permanent reward from them.

Originally Posted by Wristblade56

what's your website address?

Yes, what is it?

We can't just post it here

Well, we have a forum. Nonmembers can only see part of the forum. After registering, you gotta apply with a thread in the "Newbie" forum.

Anyways, I think what's happening is the guys in charge of the forum are PMing people here with invites and such.

I don't think staring at the forum you're locked out of will do you much good.

We need dedicated members to work on the project. Not somebody who's going to stick
around for three days then disappear. So if you want to work on this project, you must want
to be here and stay.

Heres a status update in case you're interested:
We have about 4-5 people doing all the work. this won't do. But if its all we can get, we will
make it work.

We currently have six chapters of the storyline ( about 70 pages of script ) and are continuing to build that up.
We have some concept art and several music pieces set up. We will continue with that as well cranking out some final recordings.
We are starting to play around with OGRE ( the graphics engine we are using ).
And as always the ideas are flowing, even though we have a great deal of the game figured out.

Anyone who cares to join at this point will have a lot of catching up to do, but we could really use you.
So message me and I'll send you a link to the forum but make sure you are willing to put forward the
dedication that is REQUIRED for a project like this. If you drop out on us without reason, we will assume
you have quit. You're account will be deactivated and you will no longer be able to participate.

Thank you,
~Shadow / EVangel

That's awesome you guys. I just joined this forum and was reading this post and you guys are already on the way doing this project. Great initiative! Do you have a website where others can follow the progress?

I haven't had a lucid dream yet but my dreams are very often game related. Latest two dreams I was Master Chief from Halo and I had an intense realistic Call of Duty dream. After both I woke up amazed and thought about it for the whole week. They weren't lucid but everything did feel so real. I made it my goal to get lucid dreams and then try virtual reality gaming. But hey, one step at a time, first I gotta get lucid!

Hi maryachy,

It really is awesome too. Unfortunately, we don't have a website, though I imagine it is
coming together like any other game--collaboration, keeping the good ideas, tossing the
bad ones, and so forth.

Good luck on having your first lucid!

Thanks sandman and good luck with your project. By the way do you know the game swords and sorcery: EP? It's for iPhone and iPad and I always find it really dreamlike, with subtle humor, intuitive gameplay and a magic soundtrack. Maybe it is something to get inspiration from. When you guys need testers let me know!

Originally Posted by maryachy

Thanks sandman and good luck with your project. By the way do you know the game swords and sorcery: EP? It's for iPhone and iPad and I always find it really dreamlike, with subtle humor, intuitive gameplay and a magic soundtrack. Maybe it is something to get inspiration from. When you guys need testers let me know!

I don't know of the game maryachy, but I appreciate the information. I'll make a note that you would like to be a tester.

To follow up on progress, read this thread. Myself and others are willing to answer questions.

GREAT IDEA!
Seriously, this is like, THE most epic idea ever.. Lol
I'd really like to be a game tester. I've been around games pretty much all my life, and I'm quite a hardcore gamer.
I might even be able to help a bit.
But yea, message me if I can be one of the testers, cause I don't really know who to PM.. xD

Hi NightSpy2,

Sure you can be a tester. We appreciate your interest.
nice avatar btw.

I'll admit that I'm not normally much of a gamer. (I play The Sims 3 and that's about it.) But I enjoy lucid dreaming and I like the idea of this game. I think its different from a lot of things that are coming out these days and it ties in with one of my favorite things. If you are allowing people to volunteer as testers I would love to try the game as well. I'm thinking maybe you will post something perhaps when it gets to that point? I can't wait!

Malika,

I'm glad you like the idea. I'll be happy to add you to the testing team!