Before I came to this site I had thought of a game called SickMindz, a psychological-horror FPS for kids that took many elements from Bloodborne (including it's difficulty).

As of now, I have partially redesigned the concept to incorporate more Destiny-like elements (especially those considering the game world and progression, but not size), and I'd like to see what you think of such a concept.

• Description:

SickMindz can be described as a first-person tactical shooter with heavy RPG elements (Stats and damage types) and Horror elements (resource management).

The gameplay's tactical shooter elements are mostly restricted to the damage system; characters in this game are more agile yet more fragile than those of other shooters. There is no health regeneration, but there is a bleed system that occurs when a character takes a powerful attack (a bleeding character must bandage themselves to prevent continuous health loss). Uniquely, the Heads-Up display is extremely limited; the only menu is the quick-select menu, which doesn't even show you how many item or gadget uses you have left. Players must also mentally keep track of Weapon Ammunition.

The Art style is also unique: while realistic normally, some areas, monsters, and effects are animated in different styles (rubberhose cartoon, scrapbook/paper-mache, and coloring book are all common styles). Of special note is the game's depiction of blood and vomit: both are 2-dimensional and appear to have been drawn with a marker. this intentionally jarring mix of different styles is designed to create an off putting atmosphere, which is reinforced by the music (a combination of oppressive orchestral and childish, cartoonish instrumentation).

The multiplayer is heavily inspired by Dark Souls and Bloodborne; players invade the games of other players either to defeat them or to assist them. This, in combination with the fact that NPCs will assist you in combat, adds a slight squad-shooter edge to the game.

Unlike any Souls game, SickMindz only allows you to change equipment at the storage area of the player's home base, and the player cannot carry any more items outside of what's already equipped. Weapons in this game also have both a fire-select switch and a secondary fire mode.

• Setting:

SickMindz is set in the fictional city of Wishton, WA. this city is built on the side of a large river.

Like with Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the Story of SickMindz is minimalist, though the characters are much more well developed and more involved in the gameplay.

The story itself begins with the player-created main character waking up in a juvenile detention facility with no memory of how they got there. After dying to a bizarre monster that appears to have come out of a demented scrapbook, the player character meets both their old friend, Blake, while floating in a black void. Then, a white, plush rabbit like creature calling itself Kuddlez introduces itself to the two youth and states that if they wish to live, they must sign a supernatural contract that will not only bring them back to life, but also grant them the power to fight the monsters that have invaded Wishton. the two accept, and awake in separate pocket dimensions with only a clubhouse within (thus begins their monster-fighting career). However, subtle implications into the monster's connection with people the major characters knew give the impression that there is more going on than what the rabbit is letting on...

What Do you think of this concept? do you think this would make an enjoyable game (for kids, no less). Do any of you guys (or girls) think it's an interesting idea?

Destiny cost $500,000,000 to make and your idea would require even more art asset and attention for your animations.

It's ok though, I'm going to give you a magic button. Open your windows calculator. Enter 10. Hit +10. My magic button gift to you is the enter key. Keep hitting it until you reach at least 600,000,000. That's probably the only way to visualize that kind of money.

Also, no, it won't be a fun game for kids, because it would be rated M.

Some clarification:

I did not refer to Destiny in terms of size (only in gameplay), plus the Fifty-million mark is actually the total investment Activision put into supporting the game; it actually cost much less to make. Plus, unlike Destiny, SickMindz will be made using UDK.

Then there's the fact that by "realistic", I meant "realistic by 2006 standards." Something I apologize for having not clarified earlier.

Also, why would it be rated M despite the lack of realistic blood? or, for the record, the lack of severe swearing or sexual content? a T would be a more realistic estimate.

For the record, if there's anything you see as unclear, you should just tell me and I'll clarify for any of you.

I assumed it would be rated M because of Tone and theme.

blood and vomit

Can't think of a game with vomit not rated M.

but there is a bleed system that occurs when a character takes a powerful attack (a bleeding character must bandage themselves to prevent continuous health loss)

Same. Bleeding usually pushes it past T to M, as well as the horror theme.

Using UDK will save you time, but you'll need at minimum 1 solid year of experience using it.

Activision's CEO (Bobby Kotik) claimed Destiny cost 5 hundred million in total expenses.

Break down your requirements (for what I assume will be a single developer), and examine marketability and feasability

psychological-horror FPS

Horror? Limited market to kids. Especially with (most likely) an M rating

redesigned the concept to incorporate more Destiny-like elements (especially those considering the game world and progression, but not size)

So you need multiple variants for the game world, and script out levels and abilities/affects for several different classes, with what, 30 skills each? As a solo developer you're going to need to make at least 60 total skills or else it'll just feel shoehorned in. What's worse is that many skills will need enemy specific implementations, leading to potentially dozens of interactions for certain enemies that need to be handled correctly.

RPG elements (Stats and damage types) and Horror elements (resource management).

Damage types/stats adding more complexity. Resource management (collectables/craftables). Just more complexity. Unless you fully flesh it out, it will feel like a shoehorned knockoff of more popular titles.

characters in this game are more agile yet more fragile than those of other shooters.

AI needs to be absolutely spot on, otherwise players will feel ripped off when an enemy shoots them at a weird angle.

There is no health regeneration, but there is a bleed system that occurs when a character takes a powerful attack (a bleeding character must bandage themselves to prevent continuous health loss). Uniquely, the Heads-Up display is extremely limited; the only menu is the quick-select menu, which doesn't even show you how many item or gadget uses you have left. Players must also mentally keep track of Weapon Ammunition.

In a game aimed at kids this will just lead to frustration.

The Art style is also unique: while realistic normally, some areas, monsters, and effects are animated in different styles (rubberhose cartoon, scrapbook/paper-mache, and coloring book are all common styles). Of special note is the game's depiction of blood and vomit: both are 2-dimensional and appear to have been drawn with a marker. this intentionally jarring mix of different styles is designed to create an off putting atmosphere, which is reinforced by the music (a combination of oppressive orchestral and childish, cartoonish instrumentation).

Good artists who can do both styles are required, many more animations needed (can't re-use animations between the 2 styles I assume?). Expert artist who can do that kind of sound mix (horror + children atmosphere) required.

The multiplayer is heavily inspired by Dark Souls and Bloodborne; players invade the games of other players either to defeat them or to assist them. This, in combination with the fact that NPCs will assist you in combat, adds a slight squad-shooter edge to the game.

Multiplayer. More complexity for a solo dev. NPC's assisting = really need good AI, or else they'll just feel annoying. Also kind of conflicts with a horror game.

SickMindz only allows you to change equipment at the storage area of the player's home base, and the player cannot carry any more items outside of what's already equipped. Weapons in this game also have both a fire-select switch and a secondary fire mode.

Player housing - More art assets. Many items, to provide the player a selection = more complexity, more interactions. Weapons having 2 fire mods = more content/weapon scripting for a solo dev.

Like with Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the Story of SickMindz is minimalist, though the characters are much more well developed and more involved in the gameplay.

Involved in gameplay how? Cutscenes(more assets)? Dialogue(Voice over costs)? Squadmates(requires very good AI to pull off)?

Just break each down piece by piece. Would I want to play a game aimed at kids where I can't check my ammo, and die quickly as it's very difficult? Nah.

Would any kids I know want to play that? Nope. They'd rather play a game like call of duty where you re spawn instantly, have very small maps, and have regenerating health. Not to mention how they'd react if they got shot a few times with an elemental attack and burned over time.

I don't intend to make this now, actually (something I should have mentioned earlier). It's going to start development at least 8 years from now; this isn't going to be my first game and I'll have a company of my own by that time. (the Skyrim mod I mentioned earlier will be finished by this time; it's just a concept).

In addition, the spread of the kid's marked is often vastly underestimated given the fact that when one thinks of the primary first-person shooter kids play it's usually CoD (though that is forgivable, it's still a stereotype). I've encountered children who play Skyrim and Dark Souls and Rainbow Six, all of which require attributes that kids are often stereotyped to be lacking in (planning and Anger management).

for character involvement: all three of the things you mentioned are included (though given when it start development this will require vastly less money and time than it does now).

There is actually a circumvention with the animation difficulty: every item and character in the game is limited to one art style (all humans are realistic, all monsters are cartoony, areas can be either one) and they stay that way even if they're in an area of a different style.

Plus, while the skill/progression system is similar to Destiny, the class system isn't (the classes in SickMindz are similar to the classes in Dark Souls, as is the stat system). Stats and skills are separate.

While it is understandable that one gets the impression that SickMindz will be impossible because of scope, it is in perspective about as large as Dark Souls II in terms of overall content.

It's going to start development at least 8 years from now; this isn't going to be my first game and I'll have a company of my own by that time. (the Skyrim mod I mentioned earlier will be finished by this time; it's just a concept).

Ah-ha. Clever. Make millions of dollars off a mod, and then use it to found a AAA company.

In 8 years, I'll be the king of mars, and I'll be the first to discover martian unicorns. HEY! you can come to mars and ride unicorns with me. I'll give you some land for your game company and we can go adventuring together! I'll be a wizard and you be a warrior. We'll slay martian sand-groggits with our ray-guns from the backs of unicorns.

You know mocking people is very unprofessional, right?

Plus, who said that the mod will make millions anyway? there are multiple other ways to build up to a professional game company (the reason I don't use "AAA" is because, like DkS II, SickMindz hardly qualifies as an single A title, let alone an AAA one). creating a few extremely successful indie games would do that job.

And finally, what point is there to mocking my concept? It's solid in terms of play and direction, so what good comes for you out of this? The only conceivable reason somebody would mock my concept is because they wish they could be as good as me (read the post regarding the Skyrim mod and you will see what I mean).

So your plan is to create indie games to get extremely rich, then make this?

With the amount of people who start game development with that in mind, you're most likely better off just buying a lottery ticket. You'll have the same odds, and it'll be cheaper/less time consuming.

He's mocking your concept because it's extremely large in scope, which you don't seem to realize.

Let's say you cut all your other features, and just aim for cloning dark souls.

http://darksouls.wikidot.com/credits

That's roughly a team of 150 people working full time (Not including the contractors).

They will cost you an average of $100,000 per year each (Taxes/Benefits/Administrative costs). That's 15 million per year, not including ANY other support costs/hardware costs/building costs/studio costs/networking costs/utilities.

Just to clone dark souls. Now, you want something bigger than dark souls, with several intertwined systems increasing complexity.

If you think kickstarter will solve your monetary issues, this is most likely what you'll have to work with

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1206086702/cornerstone-the-song-of-tyrim

A pretty well run kickstarter only netted 31k.

It doesn't matter. mocking people is still wrong, under any circumstance.

How would you suggest it gets made then? what you are basically telling me is that it is impossible to create this game because of it's scope despite the fact that the industry regularly makes games that are much bigger (Skyrim, Oblivion, Ultima, FF). heck, even modders can create much bigger (Nehrim: at fate's edge). P.S: Tell me it's impossible and It'll just accelerate my drive to create this.

Plus, 8 years was just an optimistic estimate. if it takes 15, it takes 15. if it takes 20 years, it'll take 20 years.

Anything else you want to say is impossible?

It takes 300...

I'd suggest starting small. Work on a first person game with extremely limited scope VIA UE tutorials. Then add RPG elements. Learn from there, and slowly realize a scope that's possible to accomplish.

Don't compare your required scope to AAA games, instead aim for a minimum deliverable product.