I have an idea for an RTS that will change the way all RTS’s are played forever more. Iv been sitting on this idea for 20 years. I don’t have any programming skills and I don’t know how to protect my idea from being stolen? Because it would be. Iv spoke to Developers 15-20 years ago who said the technology isn’t there yet for what you are suggesting.. but now it is!

This idea came to me when I was first playing Dune2000, it is quite ironic that the game Dune2 was the first real RTS that we all know today. It changed everything.. my idea will do the same.

But how do i move on this without loosing my USP?

Currently i'm putting together a pitch for my game but i don't want share it until i have some sort of protection. i know i have made a grand statement here that i'm sure everyone has heard one million times before but this is the real deal.

Moving this to the appropriate forum: Business and Law.

Stu, you can copyright a game design document. You can trademark a game title. Maybe patent might apply to your concept that'll change RTSes going forward, but probably not. Maybe somebody with a law degree will be able to help you better than me.

In case it's of any help, I wrote this about your question: https://sloperama.com/advice/lesson39.html

@Tom Sloper thank you for taking the time to get back to me Tom, very good of you. sorry for not replying sooner, this site doesn't work very well on my mobile phone. i'm a full time dad and i don't get much time to myself to sit at the PC. i do most of my writing sat in the dark rocking the baby to sleep.

anyways iv also been deep into writing my script for my game and once I get into the flow i cant stop and if i was start looking into Law biz id lose my inspiration. but i will now. great link by the way.. legend.

id still like to hear from anyone else that has any suggestions.

i think what i need is a team behind me. i don't mind sinking a little money into this to get things moving. maybe a little artwork and a small basic demo of my USP.

could i please ask. what would be my next move? approach an established company with my pitch?

-Stu- said:
i think what i need is a team behind me. i don't mind sinking a little money into this to get things moving. maybe a little artwork and a small basic demo of my USP. could i please ask. what would be my next move? approach an established company with my pitch?

When you say “established company,” you have to mean “publisher” (not “developer”), because publishers are the ones that have money to spend on development. I wrote articles on this concept too (FAQs 1, 11, and 21). Publishers are not going to buy your idea or spend money on developing it. You're unlikely to get a team behind you, unless “a little money” is a lot more money than what “a little money” means to me! Experienced professional development talent wants to work for experienced professional leads who have a real shot at getting the game published so it makes real money (not just a little). But if you want to try, go to our Hobby Project Classifieds and try to recruit a team there. Here in the Business forum, you'll find threads where others have discussed getting funding through Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites. But recruiting for money is not permitted in Hobby Project Classifieds. I think a lot of your questions are answered in the articles on my site, and it wouldn't hurt to read more of them.

@Tom Sloper my “novice” idea was to get a very basic animation maybe and some artwork. just something a little tangible to help my pitch. i thought if its showed that id spent £1-2k putting this pitch together i be taken more seriously. i have money but obviously not the amount that would be needed to put this together. id want it to be to starcraft quality and that was what like $100 million give or take.

Maybe a smaller version of the game is what is needed to test the ideas but that is a conversation for another time and forum

I watched this video “30 things i hate about your game pitch” i found it very useful.

I kinda know a publisher wouldn't be interested in just me, a guy with a well thought out game document and no team. i don't have the skills to make it myself. So i thought my only way to get this made and to make some money would be to sell it to a team that would be considered by a publisher. i would hope that i could work with that team regarding the story and creative side of things, like an adviser of my own vision.

ill read everything you have. 1 , 11 n 21

ill finish my game doc and get it copyright. then if you like ill run it past you see what you think.

-Stu- said:
my “novice” idea was to get a very basic animation maybe and some artwork. just something a little tangible to help my pitch. i thought if its showed that id spent £1-2k putting this pitch together i be taken more seriously.

Yes, you need to prepare a lot of that sort of thing, but it'll take more money than that. So, you're in the UK. You can ignore the US-specific info I posted before.

-Stu- said:
Maybe a smaller version of the game is what is needed to test the ideas but that is a conversation for another time and forum

Yes. A POC (proof of concept) or vertical slice are also needed. Those things cost money too. If you want to make it yourself, post your questions in the For Beginners forum.

-Stu- said:
So i thought my only way to get this made and to make some money would be to sell it to a team

Yes, well, you know now that that doesn't work (no dev team needs to buy ideas - they already have their own).

-Stu- said:
i would hope that i could work with that team regarding the story and creative side of things, like an adviser of my own vision.

You'll have to pay a lot of money, and they won't want your constant “novice” questions. It's a tough world. It doesn't work the way you were imagining it.

-Stu- said:
ill finish my game doc and get it copyright. then if you like ill run it past you see what you think.

I charge a lot of money to do game design doctoring for professionals. I don't offer that service to novices. You can always post your design in the Game Design forum, I'm sure plenty of people will happily offer feedback.