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Game Idea

Started by lemonk9 Apr 9, 2008 at 3:06 PM 7 replies 1.4k views

Original Post

Apr 9, 2008 at 3:06 PM

I wanted to share an idea for a video game that I would like to create. I came up with the idea roughly 3 years ago, but put it on the backburner. But, recent changes in pop culture has brought it back to the forefront of my mind. As a new member, I haven't read all of these posts, so forgive me if someone has already posted a similar idea. The idea is for a paparazi video game. Yep. Those "scumbags" who torture those poor celebrities who "just want to be left alone." In essence, it would be a free roaming game... very much in the tradition of GTA. You'd start off as a lowly paparazi with the cheapest equipment at a cheesy gossip magazine that sells and buys celebrity photos. There's also an RPG element to it as well. As you build a reputation for yourself, you get money to buy better equipment (cameras, lens, listening device gadgets, hidden pen cameras, etc ). You also get to go to more exotic locations ('nude beaches' for example) to get that perfect celebrity photo. Reward payment is based on the rating of the picture... so, again, equipment is key. Take, for example, shutter speed. The wrong camera could spell the difference between getting that britney spears shot as she gets in/out of her car ('does the carpet match the drapes?')... or just a picture of her knees. You'll also be able to bribe doormen at the coolest clubs for access. They'll even call you if they know of a celebrity who will be coming to their establishment... giving you time to stake out the area and get the perfect location for the shot. The game is meant to be funny... light-hearted... a parody on pop culture, so the graphics could be cartoonish to display that fact. With all of the crazy stuff going on in the world with celebrities and politicians, the subject matter is never-ending. Imagine getting the scoop on a seemingly uncorruptable politician who frequently gets sends for an escort by train. Or getting the photo of a c-list celebrity being denied entrace at a club and then seeing your photo in the paper the next day. Or even getting a request from a fading celebrity who would like to reignite their career by staging a fake rescue or something. There would even be opportunities to use vehicles, such as helicopters to get photos as well... like at an exclusive wedding. I know this could be touchy, with the controversy around Princess Di...but I'm throwing the idea out there. I was also thinking that there could be a marketing angle to this as well. Let's face it; most times it's all about the money. There could be potential to link up with shows like "TMZ" or "Dirt," for co-marketing. So that's it in a nutshell. Not necessarily a groundbreaking new idea... but a game that's fun... incorporates the free-roaming and shooting aspects of GTA (with a camera... not a gun), and has potential for marketing... especially with parodies of recent exploits of celebrities and politicians. Thanks for your consideration.

Limdallion

Apr 9, 2008 at 3:59 PM

I actually like this idea. I didn't at first, but the more I thought about it...

It shouldn't be mission-based. Instead each celebrity (of diverse levels of fame) should have path AI. So part of the game is learning where people are going to be and when. Of course, special events that can occur will change this from time to time.

Final level - you crash the wedding of two celebs at a secret island location where the private ceremony is taking place.

As long as it's supposed to be tongue-in-cheek

MeshGearFox

Apr 9, 2008 at 5:34 PM

I think this has been done before, but never particularly well. Try out some of the other games and see where they went wrong so you know what not to do.

lemonk9

Apr 9, 2008 at 8:34 PM

Thanks for the input.

I'll definitely do a bit of research on games that may have tried to tackle this subject.

I like the idea of Path AI. I always imagined the player "camping out for mods," just like gamers do in MMORPG's... but with more frequency.

I'm thinking that it may be possible to combine Path AI with a mission-based approach. Of course, a big obstacle would be avoiding a very linear game. But like you mentioned, there could be event-handlers which could affect the flow of the game, thereby providing replay value... since every game has the potential to be different.

Thanks again!

MagWheels

Apr 9, 2008 at 9:02 PM

I like this idea. I think it could be fun, with a light-hearted tone and over-the-top celebrity personalities and situations.

I think you need to add an element of risk/reward. Like, do you hang around outside the club and wait for the "safe" photo or do you crash the club for a better photo and risk getting kicked out and losing some equipment/paying a fine/going to jail. Every mission/situation should involve some risk.

lemonk9

Apr 9, 2008 at 10:09 PM

@MagWheels

That's great! I like it!

There definitely should be risk in the form of reward/penalty. Thanks for the constructive input!

krez

Apr 10, 2008 at 12:25 AM

There should definitely be the risk of a celebrity punching you in the face or having their bodyguard break your camera and push you down the stairs.

Sandman

Apr 10, 2008 at 5:03 AM

Quote:
Original post by Limdallion
It shouldn't be mission-based. Instead each celebrity (of diverse levels of fame) should have path AI. So part of the game is learning where people are going to be and when. Of course, special events that can occur will change this from time to time.

I disagree; I think that would limit the game rather too much to the hardcore crowd, whereas this idea strikes me as something that has more casual gamer appeal. The gameplay should be accessible in small (half hour or so) discrete chunks. I also think original, scripted missions would help to keep the gameplay fresh, whereas relying too heavily on AI behaviours will probably get stale fast.

Of course, you could combine the two; have missions, but also the ability to do some self-motivated jobs on the side for extra bonuses.

shurcool

Apr 14, 2008 at 11:12 PM

Quote:
Original post by Sandman
Of course, you could combine the two; have missions, but also the ability to do some self-motivated jobs on the side for extra bonuses.

That's exactly what I was thinking after reading the OP. It could be very much like a mix of GTA and Test Drive Unlimited, in the sense you can always go for missions from the guys/contacts you know (like in GTA), or just roam around and find opportunities on your own (sorta like in TDU).

I like this idea very much because it seems to have a lot of potential to be fun and expansive, on a GTA3 scale I would say, yet it can manage to do so without you ever shooting a single... bullet. Although there could be some violence (people pushing each other, bodyguards shoving you, blocking roads with a car, etc.), it wouldn't be anything like in GTA of course. That's pretty rare nowadays, as you see violence as a meaningless substitute for fun gameplay quite often.

Another thing to mention is I think it could make a very good use of those so called 'next-gen' crowd technologies that we're starting to see in games like Assasin's Creed or Kane and Lynch (not sure on this one), as getting through a frantic crowd to be the first to take a picture, or predicting where to be at what time to get the best should could be interesting.

P.S. I dug this post up after looking at your Tenth Sphere post btw hehe.

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