A war game:
- The player begins as a lowly private but has the ability to advance to higher ranks, even to command the whole army if he so wants. Or maybe he can start at a higher rank, I don't know. Doesn't matter, the point is that you can either stay as a soldier who goes through battles or become a high-ranked officer, essentially turning the game into a strategy game.
- Battles are dynamic and don't have strictly pre-determined results. Combine this with a big game world.
- RPG elements: I like them so they're in. To what extent, no idea atm.
- There should preferably be a plot of some kind. I don't want a war game that's only about war and its horrors.
- Gameplay is realistic enough to make the game challenging. NPCs are on equal level with the player, I hate it when the rules are different for the player and the NPCs.
Yeah, I think that's about it. I haven't looked into more exact details because obviously creating such a game would be quite challenging. It would require combining two genres succesfully in a big, dynamic world. On a side note, I haven't placed any requirements for the setting because it doesn't matter that much. There are some eras I absolutely hate but overall, the basic idea isn't dependant on any specific setting.
Another idea, a semi-realistic RPG:
- Big, dynamic game world here too.
- Needs a fantasy setting, magic is pretty hard to explain otherwise. Besides, I like fantasy in games :P
- A grand plot including scheming and threat of war, possibly even war. Plot is dynamic and can respond to what the player does.
- The player can ignore the plot if he/she so wishes. Freedom is an important aspect.
- Magic is based on concentration and spells taking some time to cast instead of MP. Obviously resting, including not casting spells, makes it easier to concentrate.
- Spells can be extremely powerful but learning them can be quite hard.
- Mages are generally weak physically to a point where they are almost doomed if a melee character gets close. Shield spells help but require a lot of concentration.
- Melee isn't necessarily anything special. It's more like an action RPG or a God of War style fighting game with some RPG elements (strength affects damage, you can learn new skills, etc.). Player skill is a big factor instead of stats determining everything.
- You're probably wondering about that semi-realistic part already. It's simple: you don't become a demigod simply by grinding. Experience and levels (or something like that) do make the character better but player skill should remain an important factor at all times. Battles should typically be lethal and quick, not something where you beat the enemy for minutes and he doesn't even seem to care.
- Dunno if I have any other ideas for this one. I think you can get the idea already.
Yeah, this one shouldn't be that easy to create either. Still, not as hard as the war game idea either. Besides, right now I like this idea more :P
Oh, and I also like the mythology of Stargate a lot so something inspired by it could work too. Something with advanced races that existed before humans, their technology scattered all over the galaxy or even the universe. I haven't really given this one much thought yet. Obviously space is a huge thing for this though.
