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Computer game ideas
I have a few great (imho) space-oriented computer game ideas that I intend to see implemented before I die. Lack of time and resources is the major factor preventing this at present (Keytone currently requires all my attention), but this will not always be the case! When I have the benjamins, these games will all become real.
MarsChess
This game is my current focus. The concept is a chess-like game that takes place on a 3-dimensional board that represents the planet Mars. The board is comprised of 80 (2-player) or 320 (8-player) equal triangles. Each player has several different types of pieces (conceptually military units) that can be moved in various ways around the planet Mars.
The concept of MarsChess developed because Martians (the game described below) is too ambitous for me at this time. I decided to start off with a "casual game" concept that I could implement in my spare time, and that would be good practice for me while also being fun, interesting, and, of course, Mars-oriented. I have implemented a chess game before - one of the games I made while at university (using Turbo Pascal, my favourite language back then) was DragonChess, a 3D chess game comprised of 3 stacked chess boards, each with 8x10 squares.
More about MarsChess coming soon
Martians
"Martians" is my favourite game concept, and the one I have put the most thought into. It was called "Virtual Mars" for many years, and was the catalyst for development of my Mars calendar. Martians, while still a complex game, is a much more manageable project than SolSys, and the technology developed could be used as a basis for any game involving multiple worlds (such as SolSys).
In Martians, the players role-play early colonists on Mars. They can explore first-, second- and third-generation marsbases, drive around the planet in rovers or fly around in rockets, marsplanes or balloons, purchase all kinds of equipment and resources, from marssuits to base components, and participate in building a martian economy and government. The game is mainly intended for members of the Mars Society, Mars Foundation, and other people interested in colonising Mars.
SolSys
(Links below currently broken, as I have to move the site. Will do so shortly.)
SolSys is a MMORPG (Massively Multi-player Online Role-playing Game) and VE (Virtual Environment), in which the players explore and participate in colonisation of the Solar System, 150 years in the future.
SolSys is much more of a mainstream big-budget game than the others listed here. Also, there are many more fantasy elements, such as faster-than-light spaceships, ETs, robots that are as smart (some would say smarter) than humans, etc. This game is intended for a much broader audience, except that a subtle manifesto remains, which is to educate the players about the Solar System and to get them thinking positively about the future of the human race.
