Arcadia Mania

[1ce]

This is an idea I've been throwing around for a bit. It will be made on RPGM1.

Lately I've rediscovered how incredibly fun going to the arcades is. Now that I'm old enough to get my own quarters (and have a bit more skill to play better), I've been going to the arcades and have been having a blast. (Fortunately, there are still some arcade places inside my two local malls).

So I'd like to try and bring the arcade experince home (new idea, huh?). You can play on a variety of machines to play different mini games. You don't need to give any money or currency to play, and by completing certain tasks in the game, you'll win tokens, which you can redeem for new membership passes allowing you to access new games.

The problem I'm running into is trying to think up a variety of different games for people to play. I only have about three different games so far.

[MRevelle83]

Re: Arcadia Mania

Sounds good to me.

Though I wonder how much this will be like Shawn Forbes' Minigame RPG?

[1ce]

Re: Arcadia Mania

Sounds good to me.

Though I wonder how much this will be like Shawn Forbes' Minigame RPG?

Not sure, really. I've never played it, or really heard about it until you mentioned it.

I've made some good progress over the last couple of days. I've been focusing on one game, while I brainstorm ideas for others. Lately I've been working on a game called 'Find the Needle in the Haystack'. It's pretty obvious what you do here. There are several haystacks and you must find the one with the needle. I've finished 6 levels of this and there will be 10 levels in all. If you complete all 10, you'll get a bonus prize.

Another idea I'm incorporating into the game are expansion packs. At a certain spot in the arcade, you can switch scenarios and open up locked doors that lead to new games. I'm also considering special holiday expansions, special editions and maybe collectors editions. And while we're on the topic of expansion, I'd like to possibly open the game for player modding and creation. Simply make your own scenario data, stick it as an expansion and run! This depends how popular the game is and how much the community puts into it, but it's a great idea I'd like to implement.

While trying to find inspiration, I've come across some really good ideas. One of them is an idea from Obright's games: reputation. You can go outside the arcade and speak to locals, who give you information about the various arcade games. It would be far simpler than Obright's game, but if you hold certain items you've obtained from the arcade, you'll get an extra message congratulating you....or possibly more information!

Tell me what you guys think!

[Ωbright]

Re: Arcadia Mania

I think this is a pretty cool idea.

[1ce]

Re: Arcadia Mania

(Anything subject to change, of course)

Confirmed games:

-Find the Needle in the Haystack
Do I really need to explain this one?

-Aqua Escape
Avoid the water, grab those life vests and escape a sinking ship!

-Fatal Furlong
This is my favorite. This game is making it's second appearence in video games (the first being an alternate ending for A Work In Progress). Choose a horse and have a wild, climatic race to the finish line! You can access new games by upgrading your membership card. (What happens when you get the highest membership is a real treat when playing this game!)

-Old Man River
Not so much a game as a fun diversion. Listen to Grandpa ramble about rockets, give advice and talk about the good ol' days. Planned to have 100 different phrases! What? Did Grandpa just give away some tokens?


Planned games:

-Master Chef (can't think of anything more creative)
Use ingrediant cards you find from different games, and become the head chef and cook a meal! Depending what you choose, you may win wonderful prizes!

-Love Love Go Go Sim!
You sweat, build up your courage, and go on a date with that really cute girl (or guy). Depending on the choices you make, you could either score big or lose it all! Go Go big, or Go Go home!



The rel interesting part about making a game like this is incorporating several ideas from past titles I planned to make but never got around to. Aqua Escape was a planned mini game for Usuru: Ultimate Story DX, Master Chef is a play on Master Chief from Halo, and a game was planned to parody it. Love Love Go Go Sim is a branching idea I had planned for an epic RPG, and who knows? I might pull more unfinished ideas for this game.

[Perversion]

Re: Arcadia Mania

Yeah...I like making minigames as well.....

[Ryner]

Re: Arcadia Mania

How does the needle in the haystack game work?

[1ce]

Re: Arcadia Mania

How does the needle in the haystack game work?

It's simple, really. There's a big inclosure with a lot of haystacks (object 54, I haven't counted how many haystacks there are). If you touch a haystack, it will tell you it's either there or not there. Most of the time it won't be there.

If you touch the correct haystack, you'll get a message telling you that you found it, followed by a little cheer that changes from time to time (for example, when you find needle 1 you get the message 'Booya!', when the 2nd needle says 'Yessssss....')

Then a needle is added to your inventory, followed by a number (1 through 10), and the game warps you back to that level, where a new haystack has the needle. The page condition for the 2nd needle has a page condition making sure you have that first needle to get the second. So the needles must be found in a particular order.

The other fun element is the guy who warps you out of the level. He'll respond to how many needles you've found and give a congratulation message (good job, great, keep it up!).

You get a prize for finding the fifth and tenth needles. If you decide to quit before getting the fifth needle, the game will remind you that you won't win anything if you quit, and asks if you really want to quit. Once you've found the fifth needle, it will simply ask again if you want to quit.

To keep the game simple and memory cost effective, this all occurs in one level. To further save time and money(so to speak), the haystacks without needles are all duplicates.

Quite a bit sophsicated for what is otherwise a garbage-contest game.

[Ryner]

Re: Arcadia Mania

No it is not sophisticated. The game amounts to "pick a random spot and see if you've randomly won". That's not fun. You need to do better.

[1ce]

Re: Arcadia Mania

Quite a bit sophsicated for what is otherwise a garbage-contest game.

I can and will do better. This is just one idea of many. If one doesn't suit you, you can always play another.

[Ryner]

Re: Arcadia Mania

I just think it's a serious design flaw to have one of the mini games in your game of mini games to not be a game.

[1ce]

Re: Arcadia Mania

Well, in any case, I've just finished with Needle in the Haystack. I just need to add some more code and it will be finished.

When you complete the game, you will get 50 Tokens along with the Golden Needle, a trophy of sorts that you completed it. Bystanders will be amazed you have such an item and will be in awe. Some may offer extra tokens! What other extras does the Golden Needle have?

You win 25 Tokens on your first run and 50 Tokens at the end. On the second playthrough onward, you'll get 10 tokens at five and 30 at ten. This is a great way to earn some extra tokens without much work, especially if you map out where each needle is.

And if you haven't already obtained it, you'll get the bronze membership on your first playthrough, then the Golden Needle the second time.

[1ce]

Re: Arcadia Mania

I've made more progress. This is a very good thing.

Currently I'm working on a minigame you all know: Donkey Kong. This old game is getting a rpgmaker facelift. Granted it's not a perfect conversion; then again anything converted to rpgmaker can't be. So far 25m and 50m have been made, with programming almost done for both. Then onwards to 75m and 100m. With any luck I wish to include harder modes when you beat the game that include more hazards and more rewards for beating it.

If you're a big fan of this old game like I am, I'm sure you'll get a kick out of it.

[1ce]

Re: Arcadia Mania

I've actually completed working on Donkey Kong. Everything comes together wonderfully.

It's a side-scrolling platformer just like the original arcade game, and your mission is to rescue Pauline from that evil Donkey Kong. You must make it to the top of every level without getting touched by the numerous obstacles. A new feature is the idea of collecting. Pauline has dropped several of her possessions over a couple of levels, and you can choose to pick them up. After the game is over, you can redeem these lost items for tokens (Arcadia Mania's currency).

The game boasts four levels and three difficulty levels.

When you complete the game, you'll also recieve item rewards that you can show off to people and get a different response out of.

[Ryner]

Re: Arcadia Mania

See? Isn't it nice to have a real game?