188 replies to this topic

[mentalfox]

If you think people could be way too unlucky, I'm not planning on doing the "catching pets" too random. You can catch pet X when you are level Y. (leveling not necessarily through battles).

How about the option to trade pets? For example you have pet Ro, and someone else have Ta, you want Ta and he wants Ro, you can make "meetings" to try get the other pet to little trust you before he goes into your hands. - Which is definitely not based on just clicking. Making a little flash game here could be nice. Or any other thing that you can come up with.
I dunno... We can make a pet site that is like a usual "tamagotchi" game, and make the battles like more of a side plot. If someone wants another pet, he should consider that he'll have to take care for two pets, and pay for more food and stuff like this... Quests and jobs will be the way to gain money... But I don't know about the shop system... >> I mean... If players will be actually able to afford a shop and we don't have (yet) enough ideas for things they can resell... I think contests can be another way to gain money, and will make players a little more active in this section. So... Jobs, quests, contests, what else? Probably flash games, but that's obvious.

I'm returning to play spider solitaire... Or maybe I'll watch FMA again.

[Zinkk]

Okay so I've been following this thread for awhile now. I'm one of the Neopets players who never liked the battledome I always stay away from it.
Having a pet evolve based on battling would not appeal to someone like me who is not a fan of that to begin with.
Instead perhaps have the evolution system be a bit more complex i.e to get to the "second" evolution you can either

Battle (reach x level)
Win a beauty contest
Reach a certain intelligence level

Each of the three branches would be the same evolution yet slightly altered based on which way you went about it. The battle evolution would be more well battle-like (buff/tough looking) while the beauty one would look much more feminine/prim and proper and the intelligence one will start to develop looking like an intellectual (a bit nerdy I guess is the best way to describe it, I keep picturing glasses)
That way every player would have equal opportunity to evolve depending on their taste. Something much more refined then what I threw out but that's an idea.

Also, I read back a few pages about implementing books. What if they worked sort of how the books in the Fable games worked? You read a book and based on whatever it was you gained +x intelligence, +xstrength, a quest, an item, a new ability etc. Maybe to obtain the ability to catch a certain pet you need to find and read the book about it, otherwise it won't be available.
And then of course some books could just be user created fiction purely for entertainment or collecting purposes?
Instead of completely disappearing after they are read maybe they get stored in some sort of "bookshelf" similar to the stamp album. You can't sell the book once you've read it but you are still welcome to go back and reread it.

TLDR; multifaceted evolution system, and make books actually have a meaning rather than just something to look pretty.

Edited by Zinkk, 09 April 2012 - 06:09 AM.

[Sage]

What's the point of this trust thing? From an in-game perspective as well as just a game mechanic perspective? Why do pets need to trust their owners, and also, what does that accomplish for the player? Is it just so people are encouraged to keep the same pets for longer and not cycle through new ones?

Also, this whole evolution thing just keeps screaming at me that what's wanted is basically a blend of Neopets and Pokemon and not something especially unique. Why not finish fleshing out the basic things that HAVE been pointed out as desirable before moving on to the next "Wouldn't it be cool if" impulse?

You've got a list of stuff you can work on, I'd recommend tightening your focus a bit so you don't get lost and have a huge list of stuff you can't use later on. Pets haven't even finished being defined. You don't have any names for pets, you don't have an explanation of the mechanics in play for the pets, and so on. Why not take care of the most basic aspect before you start building the whole world around a group of creatures you don't even have rough concepts for? If you actually get a viable list of simple roughs for pets, you'll probably have a better idea of where to go from there, as you'll have an obvious and cohesive style to play off of, instead of grabbing random ideas out of the air.

Edited by cuddlydemon, 09 April 2012 - 06:29 AM.

[Yung]

And then of course some books could just be user created fiction purely for entertainment or collecting purposes?

Our own collective items would be cool. I also think that we're a creative enough bunch that there shouldn't be a single book that is blank, all books should have something entertaining or useful to read.

Instead of completely disappearing after they are read maybe they get stored in some sort of "bookshelf" similar to the stamp album.

Brilliant idea, really. Books have always needed a bigger role in Neopets and it'd be nice if we made some use out of them.

You can't sell the book once you've read it but you are still welcome to go back and reread it.

Minus the boosts of course.

[Zinkk]

Minus the boosts of course.

Well yes of course you only obtain that the first time
But I do think it would be nice to be able to reread things. Perhaps all the books that grant +x intelligence follow a story so you can actually go back and read them in order and it's a whole complete thing. Now that would be cool, and even more incentive to try and read them all.

[Yung]

Also, this whole evolution thing just keeps screaming at me that what's wanted is basically a blend of Neopets and Pokemon and not something especially unique. Why not finish fleshing out the basic things that HAVE been pointed out as desirable before moving on to the next "Wouldn't it be cool if" impulse?

The initial evolution idea I pitched and it was rather simple and a way to better introduce unique colors:

Pet A << evolves >> Pet Ab << evolves >> Pet Ac

OR

Pet A << evolves >> PetAb << plot allows special evolution opportunity >> Pet Az

I figured if we introduced a customization system then there is going to be preferences of body type, color, and species and this is a way to add more to the game without taking away or ripping off anyone else. Pokemon, to the best of my knowledge, has never had it to where if you visit a certain area and fulfill a plot within the active time it is influencing the game that you then have a option to evolve into something that ordinarily you would never otherwise be able to involve into; ie turning a "Jetsam" into a "Magma" or "Fire" color.

[Sage]

The initial evolution idea I pitched and it was rather simple and a way to better introduce unique colors:

Pet A << evolves >> Pet Ab << evolves >> Pet Ac

OR

Pet A << evolves >> PetAb << plot allows special evolution opportunity >> Pet Az

I figured if we introduced a customization system then there is going to be preferences of body type, color, and species and this is a way to add more to the game without taking away or ripping off anyone else. Pokemon, to the best of my knowledge, has never had it to where if you visit a certain area and fulfill a plot within the active time it is influencing the game that you then have a option to evolve into something that ordinarily you would never otherwise be able to involve into; ie turning a "Jetsam" into a "Magma" or "Fire" color.

Apologies if it seems like I'm doing nothing but ragging on pre-existing ideas, I swear I'm not trying to. That method doesn't sound bad at all, and honestly would make some colors more desirable for people than they would be if you could just potentially buy the paintbrush or the potion or whatever. Of course, you'd also get a bunch of 'but I didn't get ooooone' whiners, but that'll happen with absolutely everything.

My main concern right now is that this brainstorming session needs to zoom its focus in a little tighter for a while. Once you have a specific part of a game at a rough-but-workable point, it becomes MUCH easier to conceptualize everything else and make it work together.

[Yung]

My main concern right now is that this brainstorming session needs to zoom its focus in a little tighter for a while. Once you have a specific part of a game at a rough-but-workable point, it becomes MUCH easier to conceptualize everything else and make it work together.

Right... Which if you haven't noticed is something I've now done several times throughout this thread. It's not real difficult, just summarize everything up to that point, then ask a pointed question to further conversation.

We've not really added any new ideas since the last summary.

Should customization be implemented into this? If so then how should it be done?

[Graz]

My main concern right now is that this brainstorming session needs to zoom its focus in a little tighter for a while. Once you have a specific part of a game at a rough-but-workable point, it becomes MUCH easier to conceptualize everything else and make it work together.

I agree with this, we should be starting off with something basic and get everything working then make it look prettier otherwise it will be like neopets right now; everyone complaining the BD needs an update and all TNT is doing is drawing fugly clothing.

[Sage]

Yung, I'm doing this from my phone now so I can't quite find a way to quote you... Anyway, I do think customization would be a good idea, but for customizable clothes and things like that it should be acknowledged that the way neopets made it work--by making all the creatures poses the same with rare exceptions--is the most efficient way to make sure everything works without taking ungodly amounts of extra time spriting the item to each individual creature's shape. Are we most worried about making the stuff look fantastic or are we hoping to release new stuff all the time?

I'd personally love to see a choice of poses, but that again goes back to the efficiency vs. Aesthetic question. As well, a choice in whether a pet is anthro or not (whether it stands upright and holds stuff or stands on four feet or wings, in other words). I never liked that in all the plots, the characters were humanoid but the pets we actually get are not, and it sort of ruins the immersion into the world a little bit when you have that kind of inconsistency.

As far as colors go, I do think that needs to be changeable, but I think the color choices need to stick to a.more natural theme. I don't mean that something can't be anything but a solid color, but I think hot rod flames and little stars are a little silly. It makes a pet look like a kid's bedsheets and not a cool animal.

Edited by cuddlydemon, 09 April 2012 - 07:19 AM.

[Zinkk]

I don't know how difficult this would be, but on the topic of customizing..

Why not do something similar to converted and non-converted pets.
You have the choice of a pose were you can't and a pose where you can wear clothing.
You can easily switch between these two depending on what you want your pet to wear.
So a standard pose where you can't wear clothing and one that you can.

That way people who may not want to customize their pets don't have to get stuck with a silly looking pose (like Neopets with the damned fist..)

I don't know how hard that would be to draw though.

[Graz]

Right... Which if you haven't noticed is something I've now done several times throughout this thread. It's not real difficult, just summarize everything up to that point, then ask a pointed question to further conversation.

We've not really added any new ideas since the last summary.

Should customization be implemented into this? If so then how should it be done?

We shouldn't have to summarize it thou, we should be suggesting ideas and whoever is actually going to creating the site should be choosing whether to consider or trash the idea.

No point in discussing what the pet would be wearing if you don't have an artist to draw the same item onto all the pets and their evolutions. Same things with other parts of the site, are we having weapons such are swords and bows or are the pets doing to be fighting with their claws/teeth/whatever they have and have accessories that give them special boosts.

Edited by Graz, 09 April 2012 - 08:10 AM.

[Turnip]

Customisation would be alright as long as it wasn't over the top with the wigs and the dresses and the shoes.... Maybe backgrounds/foregrounds, and stuff like collars and bows, but nothing more than that, and obviously would be near the bottom of the to-do lists x3 Maybe extras could be added by the artists for a price or something~ Since on that Oldneo site, if you paid a little bit towards server costs, you could get like a custom avatar and all... and it seemed pretty popular! So I'm sure users won't mind paying like $2 for something like that.

Also I was thinking of this for the painting/evolution thing!



Just an idea~ Heheh :3 But for pets... hmmm... How about these?

• some sort of fluffy cat
• tiger/lion mix??
• cute dog
• wolf
• hedgehog
• fox (like an arctic fox! )
• lamb/alpaca
• chinchilla
• dragon
• horse
• owl
• whale
• alligator/crocodile/DINOSAUR
• bear
• bunny
• ghosty thing
• deer/goat
• pony
• something that looks like a koopa
• maybe an otter or a giraffe!

Don't forget that other pet sites exist, and stealing I MEAN getting inspiration for pets/colours/names is always something we can do! For pet names, it's kind of cheap but using foreign words for items and animal names works pretty well! Some colours I was thinking of are in this here spoiler~

Spoiler

Basic:

• grassy green
• red apple
• ocean blue
• lemon cream
• orange cream
• violet
• sunrise/dawn
• sunset (think eventide)
• space
• tropical
• canvas beige
• latte (creamy brown ->gradient-> rich brown)
• tricolour
• scribbles/doodles (like this) OR simplistic (like this)
• berry, cute shades of pinks and reds and whites! Maybe a little bit of blue/purple too :3
• neon (link)

Special:

• angelic
• devilish
• plushie
• deep sea
• forest (these are nice! link 1 link 2 link 3)
• fairy
• desert
• gangsta (link 1 looking for link 2's image!!!)
• neocodex (site regulars/well known people on here!)
• ancient
• balloon
• robot (I won't be the one drawing this colour though LOL I'm horrible at non-organic things x3 Once I tried to draw a Gundam and it looked like stacked cardboard boxes)
• real (like the pets would be closer to their irl version than lol cartoon style)

Edited by Turnip, 10 April 2012 - 07:04 AM.

[Graz]

Just an idea~ Heheh :3 But for pets... hmmm... How about these?

• some sort of fluffy cat
• tiger/lion mix??
• cute dog
• wolf
• hedgehog
• fox (like an arctic fox! )
• lamb/alpaca
• chinchilla
• dragon
• horse
• owl
• whale
• alligator/crocodile/DINOSAUR
• bear
• bunny
• ghosty thing
• deer/goat
• something that looks like a koopa
• maybe an otter or a giraffe!

No pony

[Turnip]

[/list]No pony

Could have sworn I put that in there
EDIT: ok it's in there now! Also added some colours and more images :3

Edited by Turnip, 09 April 2012 - 08:53 AM.

[Yung]

Put some Ponies in there and Kway will be all over this like none other!

[Norava]

I have zero experience in game design, I'm not an artist, and I have hardly written applications like this before. I need to find people who are good and have this kind of experience and who are willing to work with me on it .

Making it a codex project would be pretty cool. I hadn't thought of that. I'll think about the idea some more and see if there is some way I can get codex to help me make it awesome .

As soon as Hydrogen is on board, everyone else is.

[NapisaurusRex]

My main concern right now is that this brainstorming session needs to zoom its focus in a little tighter for a while. Once you have a specific part of a game at a rough-but-workable point, it becomes MUCH easier to conceptualize everything else and make it work together.

I think I got lost between here and the end. What are we zooming in on?

[Yung]

For the mobile aspects I was looking into game functionality. Perhaps we could develop games similar to those found on http://www.itsmy.com/ and while though they may not be the most developed game structure... it's an option.

[Hydrange]

I remember this user that made a little shapeshifter solver by brute force program, he had a website called neolanz and made a pet there. It is a very simple website but its fun Here's my neopal:

[Neoquest]

I don't know how difficult this would be, but on the topic of customizing..

Why not do something similar to converted and non-converted pets.
You have the choice of a pose were you can't and a pose where you can wear clothing.
You can easily switch between these two depending on what you want your pet to wear.
So a standard pose where you can't wear clothing and one that you can.

That way people who may not want to customize their pets don't have to get stuck with a silly looking pose (like Neopets with the damned fist..)

I don't know how hard that would be to draw though.

Having the artists drawing double the art probably wouldn't work out well. I do like the idea and the freedom it offers to the users though.

[Turnip]

Having the artists drawing double the art probably wouldn't work out well. I do like the idea and the freedom it offers to the users though.

Mmmm, really, drawing a few small and simple things and recolouring it/changing the hue to make it fit with different pet colours etc isn't all that hard :3 Maybe tedious if the artist needs to make a lot of custom and detailed items for a pet, but as long as there's more than just one artist then it shouldn't be that big of a problem!

[Neoquest]

Mmmm, really, drawing a few small and simple things and recolouring it/changing the hue to make it fit with different pet colours etc isn't all that hard :3 Maybe tedious if the artist needs to make a lot of custom and detailed items for a pet, but as long as there's more than just one artist then it shouldn't be that big of a problem!

We're talking about drawing two different basic models for each pet, that would include different poses. It'd probably be around 8ish different pictures for each pet color.

[Sage]

We're talking about drawing two different basic models for each pet, that would include different poses. It'd probably be around 8ish different pictures for each pet color.

Never mind the amount of server space that would need to be dedicated just to the artwork for each pose, each color, each pet, and each customizable item sprite for each pose.