Game Idea feedback for a game design course

Jusa

aa
May 28, 2013
377
618
Hello everyone!

Recently our team on a game design research course was tasked to gather feedback from some other source than our classmates for a game idea our other tasks have revolved around.

So given that this is a community of creative people from all around the world, and most people here play video games in one way or another, I thought I might try to get some thoughts from you guys.

We prepared a short pitch of the core idea with a few slides and would love to hear your thoughts on it! We have a quick google form for you to fill out if you have a few minutes to do so.


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If you have any questions I am happy to awnser in the thread below.

[ Feedback form ]

Cheers!
 

Egan

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Feb 14, 2010
1,375
1,721
I just wonder how you're going to use the space of the space station since it's pretty small. If you locked off parts of the environment with those puzzles that could work, but what about hiding from monsters - where would you even hide? Is this a larger-than-life station in some hyper past?
 

Jusa

aa
May 28, 2013
377
618
I just wonder how you're going to use the space of the space station since it's pretty small. If you locked off parts of the environment with those puzzles that could work, but what about hiding from monsters - where would you even hide? Is this a larger-than-life station in some hyper past?

Yes this is indeed a "hyper past" thing (thats a neat word). It would be a huge sci-fi space station in collaboration with the US greatly inspired by the 80s tech (so pretty much like Alien for example, but with cosmonauts!). The main character would be able to use maintenance shafts / vents to hide and escape as well as the environment around the space station. We also planned to have vacuum areas and zero g areas where the player would need to get a space suit with oxygen tanks to get through.

It would be a really short game if it were based on the actual Salyut space station, so we kinda took some creative freedom with that.

salyut-7_2.jpg

EDIT:

Also, we have plans for the character to pass on to a new station / area through actual space Gravity style.

It is a shame that this course is merely about research so most propably none of this will be brought to life. (nor do we have the required skills to even do so)
 

Erk

erk
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Aug 6, 2016
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1,098
This looks like a really cool project.

How would the alien modify the surroundings?

What actually is the alien?
 

Jusa

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May 28, 2013
377
618
This looks like a really cool project.

How would the alien modify the surroundings?

What actually is the alien?
The idea was that the alien is to be a growing (like a root system of a plant) mind controlling entity, a bit like the structure gel in SOMA for example.

The entity would drive the other cosmonauts / astronauts crazy causing hallucinations (audio and visual creepy stuff) and also dismantle parts of the space station and create its own weird formations with the parts.
 

Erk

erk
aa
Aug 6, 2016
433
1,098
The idea was that the alien is to be a growing (like a root system of a plant) mind controlling entity, a bit like the structure gel in SOMA for example.

The entity would drive the other cosmonauts / astronauts crazy causing hallucinations (audio and visual creepy stuff) and also dismantle parts of the space station and create its own weird formations with the parts.

That sounds really interesting, mainly because most alien monsters these days are big fleshy things.

Do the alien plants have sentience?
 

Jusa

aa
May 28, 2013
377
618
We also
That sounds really interesting, mainly because most alien monsters these days are big fleshy things.

Do the alien plants have sentience?

I would describe it as a more advanced virus, its main objective being: "destroy life".
 

Dr. Spud

Grossly Incandescent
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Mar 23, 2009
880
854
I like the style of the slides, and it sounds like an Alien Isolation type game which has potential. But my main feedback is that I didn't get a sense of what I do in the game.

  • First time reading the slides I didn't know it was an FPS. Went back and I had missed the sub-title that says "first person". This is a critical detail that should be impossible to miss (the lack of pictures also contributed to this).
  • I don't know what the hook of the game is. The first couple slides should tell me. It sounds kind of like Alien Isolation so far, but what's new and interesting? Put something on a pedestal as "you do this new thing which is cool because _____".
  • The first slide after the title card should summarize the entire game (with a little bit of story context). Story details can come later after I'm hooked.
  • The first gameplay slide gave me a general idea of what I do, but the next slides should flesh the mechanics out. You mentioned stealth. Is there a cover system? A hide-in-shadows system? Are the levels open, wide-linear, or linear? Do I learn new abilities? Can I do something I've never seen in a stealth game before?
  • The visual part of the pitch is mostly backgrounds on the slides. I need to see pictures and mockups front-and-center. Show, don't tell.
  • I'd like some of the images to be diagrams demonstrating the gameplay mechanics.
  • Consider writing the title "The Halley's Comet" in the slides rather than "the game". I forgot what the title was by the end of the pitch.
 
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