Incline Survey - Most Compelling RPG Concept & Setting Not Yet Attempted

[MLMarkland]

Choices & Consequences

 

[agris]

You touched on it with a few of the options involving historical people and institutions, yet short of the disastrous Interplay title Lionheart, historical fiction is really untouched by cRPGs in any meaningful way.

Here's my pitch:

British controlled Cairo during mid-WW1 as a T.E. Lawrence type character with connections to the british and pull in the (arab) militia world. Cairo would be an Athkatla-style hub [BG2] where you engage in political intrigue, detailed quests, but have a small retinue of troops ala JA2 and engage in Silent Storm-style combat with fully destructible environments, with an overworld map of the sinai and levant similar to Fallout 1/2.

Non-combat town exploration / questing is done via third-person over the shoulder perspective, dialogue is cinematic in camera work yet with real dialogue trees - not dialogue scrub brush like we get these days. Actual combat causes the pull-back of the camera to proper isometric / silent-storm style presentation and goes heavy on the tactics side with fully destructible environments, sound locators, ballistic simulation etc. All or almost all combats would need to be set-piece style for this to work.

It's the environment, ww1-era levant, that I find so compelling. So many different factions vying for regional control, while a greater conflict continues on outside of everyone's immediately reality yet always present. The limited communication and logistics possible due to ww1-era wired/wireless technology makes for fantastic possibilities with narrative and story. It's got it all for dramatic story telling and a great, satisfying cRPG.

yes, I am a huge lawrence of arabia fan

Spoiler

It would sell 13 copies.

That historical backdrop and setting is my bugaboo for reasons I could go on and on about, but lots of others would work as well. I think the magic would be mixing a proper cRPG town/hub and quest structure with modern expectations like TPP camera and cinematic dialogue presentation, and then go full strategy mode in the JA2 / Fallout-style world map, and full Silent Storm during combat.

 

[Ivan]

Mafia but RPG would be dope.

 

[MLMarkland]

You touched on it with a few of the options involving historical people and institutions, yet short of the disastrous Interplay title Lionheart, historical fiction is really untouched by cRPGs in any meaningful way.

Here's my pitch:

British controlled Cairo during mid-WW1 as a T.E. Lawrence type character with connections to the british and pull in the (arab) militia world. Cairo would be an Athkatla-style hub [BG2] where you engage in political intrigue, detailed quests, but have a small retinue of troops ala JA2 and engage in Silent Storm-style combat with fully destructible environments, with an overworld map of the sinai and levant similar to Fallout 1/2.

Non-combat town exploration / questing is done via third-person over the shoulder perspective, dialogue is cinematic in camera work yet with real dialogue trees - not dialogue scrub brush like we get these days. Actual combat causes the pull-back of the camera to proper isometric / silent-storm style presentation and goes heavy on the tactics side with fully destructible environments, sound locators, ballistic simulation etc. All or almost all combats would need to be set-piece style for this to work.

It's the environment, ww1-era levant, that I find so compelling. So many different factions vying for regional control, while a greater conflict continues on outside of everyone's immediately reality yet always present. The limited communication and logistics possible due to ww1-era wired/wireless technology makes for fantastic possibilities with narrative and story. It's got it all for dramatic story telling and a great, satisfying cRPG.

yes, I am a huge lawrence of arabia fan

Spoiler

It would sell 13 copies.

That historical backdrop and setting is my bugaboo for reasons I could go on and on about, but lots of others would work as well. I think the magic would be mixing a proper cRPG town/hub and quest structure with modern expectations like TPP camera and cinematic dialogue presentation, and then go full strategy mode in the JA2 / Fallout-style world map, and full Silent Storm during combat.

I can see this if done well selling 100,000 to 250,000 copies in the first fiscal year — so it would just be a matter of scope and execution. Dig the idea.

 

[MLMarkland]

You touched on it with a few of the options involving historical people and institutions, yet short of the disastrous Interplay title Lionheart, historical fiction is really untouched by cRPGs in any meaningful way.

Here's my pitch:

British controlled Cairo during mid-WW1 as a T.E. Lawrence type character with connections to the british and pull in the (arab) militia world. Cairo would be an Athkatla-style hub [BG2] where you engage in political intrigue, detailed quests, but have a small retinue of troops ala JA2 and engage in Silent Storm-style combat with fully destructible environments, with an overworld map of the sinai and levant similar to Fallout 1/2.

Non-combat town exploration / questing is done via third-person over the shoulder perspective, dialogue is cinematic in camera work yet with real dialogue trees - not dialogue scrub brush like we get these days. Actual combat causes the pull-back of the camera to proper isometric / silent-storm style presentation and goes heavy on the tactics side with fully destructible environments, sound locators, ballistic simulation etc. All or almost all combats would need to be set-piece style for this to work.

It's the environment, ww1-era levant, that I find so compelling. So many different factions vying for regional control, while a greater conflict continues on outside of everyone's immediately reality yet always present. The limited communication and logistics possible due to ww1-era wired/wireless technology makes for fantastic possibilities with narrative and story. It's got it all for dramatic story telling and a great, satisfying cRPG.

yes, I am a huge lawrence of arabia fan

Spoiler

It would sell 13 copies.

That historical backdrop and setting is my bugaboo for reasons I could go on and on about, but lots of others would work as well. I think the magic would be mixing a proper cRPG town/hub and quest structure with modern expectations like TPP camera and cinematic dialogue presentation, and then go full strategy mode in the JA2 / Fallout-style world map, and full Silent Storm during combat.

I can see this if done well selling 100,000 to 250,000 copies in the first fiscal year — so it would just be a matter of scope and execution. Dig the idea.

$2M - $3.25M production budget.

$1M marketing.

Low risk if you do Early Access the way it is supposed to be done instead of the way most everyone does it. Early Access should pay for going gold and marketing not alpha/beta.

If it becomes cult classic, it becomes significantly profitable over time and generates plenty of profit at $29.99, probably hits 1M units WW in 36 months.

Keep a sequel inline with JA/Fallout methodology and the budget goes way down, and is very profitable regardless of addressed audience.

I like the Lawrence of Arabia meets JA meets SS meets FO core concept.

Fully destructible environments might be out of scope for first edition, that’s a complex subsystem that implicates all departments (unlike tactical combat which is not a big extra burden cross department). Partially destructible enviros maybe doable. Maybe Unity/UE has better destructibles system since I last dug into them and the scope concern is unfounded.

 

[Lady Error]

Scifi RPG based on Jack Vance's "Demon Princes" novels where you hunt down these elusive crime bosses using elaborate plans. The world building in those novels is phenomenal.

 

[Maxie]

muh polotical rpg

 

[MLMarkland]

muh polotical rpg

A very unexplored genre. All other forms of art and entertainment have notable political entrants, except games outside of more traditional turn based tactical games and war games.

 

[bobocrunch]

My Idea Guy Autism has always had something to do with Berlin during the Cold War and working between the two sides as a low level spy, with the wall being a major obstacle and the difference between a safe zone vs know your friends zone. Some sort of first or third person RPGlite like STALKER where you start off just leaving dead drops.

 

[Silverfish]

First-Person RPG where you're a roadie / tard wrangler for an 80's metal band.

 

[Vic]

RPGs are mostly fantasy because people play them to escape their daily lifes. I'd be surprised if that many people would be interested in non-fantasy political RPG. ALso with some of the topics you listed you are bound to piss people off.

my advice, keep the setting fictional and avoid triggering people.

 

[Tyranicon]

Mafia but RPG would be dope.

Really surprised this hasn't been done more tbh. I'm making a vampire mafia porn rpg.

It's like the Sopranos, but with hot goth women and you can fuck them.

Solid gold idea.

 

[MLMarkland]

RPGs are mostly fantasy because people play them to escape their daily lifes. I'd be surprised if that many people would be interested in non-fantasy political RPG. ALso with some of the topics you listed you are bound to piss people off.

my advice, keep the setting fictional and avoid triggering people.

Advice ignored.

I’d rather have 33% of TAA passionate about a unique project and 33% angry and 33% not caring, than 100% of people not caring, or 50% of the people with low intensity interest.

Basic entertainment marketing.

If you want maximum addressable audience, and ignore intensity of interest, make an Avengers rail brawler.

 

[Vic]

I’d rather have 33% of TAA passionate about a unique project and 33% angry and 33% not caring, than 100% of people not caring, or 50% of the people with low intensity interest.

yeah, I'm genuinly curious to see how that goes.

"First-person shooter RPG in which you fight for Ukraine or Russia"

I hope you have 2FA enabled

 

[POOPERSCOOPER]

I think a setting based in a butthole would be pretty cool. Would have to be turned based though.

 

[MerchantKing]

I'm gonna pick the blackrock one.

 

[agris]

$2M - $3.25M production budget.

$1M marketing.

Thanks for giving it a shake. How many non-marketing man hours did you assume for the 2-3.25MM range?

 

[Blutwurstritter]

When it comes to a historical or political setting I'd like something about Josip Broz Tito and Jugoslavia. Perhaps with a focus on the time frame covering the split between Tito and Stalin. That could make an interesting setting for a spy game that has not been attempted. Although I don't think that such a game would sell a lot, as the average younger gamer probably doesn't even know about Jugoslavia. But I'm tired of seeing the same old shit again and again about Hitler or Stalin, while there are other interesting aspects of history in the same frame of time.

​

 

[whydoibother]

That poll is literally just

 

[KIss My Ass]

Something like what this promised to be and didn't deliver on.

 

[toro]

Kingcomrade wins again.

 

[0sacred]

 

[deuxhero]

My Idea Guy Autism has always had something to do with Berlin during the Cold War and working between the two sides as a low level spy, with the wall being a major obstacle and the difference between a safe zone vs know your friends zone. Some sort of first or third person RPGlite like STALKER where you start off just leaving dead drops.

 

[0sacred]

Bronze Age Celtic settlement where you must gain fame & use political intrigue to topple the current chief/ become head druid.

 

[MLMarkland]

I’d rather have 33% of TAA passionate about a unique project and 33% angry and 33% not caring, than 100% of people not caring, or 50% of the people with low intensity interest.

yeah, I'm genuinly curious to see how that goes.

"First-person shooter RPG in which you fight for Ukraine or Russia"

I hope you have 2FA enabled

I’d say gamers who played NAZIs in WW2 and OpFor in Arma (literally opposition force to NATO) and Middle East terrorists in various shooters will be able to cope.