LO4 Early Video Game Pitch: Off The Rails

LO4 Game Idea "Off the Rails"

The game is an app, and has an 8-bit retro style. A train sets out from a station and the camera goes to a top-down view, so we can see three or four tracks. The train's brakes blow off immediately, and as the train speeds up the player must dodge obstacles by switching tracks, such as workmen, barriers, slower trains and parked carriages. There would be power-ups, such as temporary invincibility, to aid the player. The longer you stay on the rails, the higher your score. The game ends if you collide with an obstacle. Red lights with sound effects and level crossings as you play to increase enjoyment and entertainment.

-The best possible hardware for the game is the mobile platform, as it would work best as a pull-out-of-your-pocket game which can be played for short periods. The simplistic controls would also work best on a touch screen.

-The target audience for the game Off the Rails would be primarily males of the age 10-20 who enjoy playing addictive, time-killing games when they have a moment to spare.

-The genre of the game is endless arcade.

-3 games that Off the Rails might compete with for market share are:

Temple Run

Subway Surfers

Rail Rush

These games are all similar in the way that they are related to rails in some way and they are all addictive high-score games.

LO4 New Game Concept Ideas

Endless arcade game:
"Off the Rails".
The game is an app, and has an 8-bit retro style. A train sets out from a station and the camera goes to a top-down view, so we can see three or four tracks. The train's brakes blow off immediately, and as the train speeds up the player must dodge obstacles by switching tracks, such as workmen, barriers, slower trains and parked carriages. There would be power-ups, such as temporary invincibility, to aid the player. The longer you stay on the rails, the higher your score. The game ends if you collide with an obstacle. Red lights with sound effects and level crossings as you play to increase enjoyment and entertainment.

Survival:
"Haunted House".

Haunted house. Game could be an app or a download on PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, Nintendo eShop... cheap. On-rails combat game - there are ghostly entities on each floor of the house and when you defeat all on one floor, you move upstairs. As you progress up floors, there is a larger amount of enemies and different types. They also have slightly more health on each floor. There are a range of different tools to use to get rid of different types of enemy. Score is in terms of floors survived and points gained.

Side-scrolling shoot-em-up:
"Ship Shoot".
This game is an app once again, and the player is in a speedboat on the left side of the screen. The player must move the speedboat up and down, as well as forwards and backwards to an extent. The speedboat will have guns at the front and on either side. The main character is a man in shades and a white suit. Coming towards the player will be different types of boat;
-battleships with more powerful guns but slow movement
-other speedboats, driven by men in black suits and shades, who come quickly down the sides. Side guns would be used to tackle these.
-submarines could be seen under the water. Must move out of their path before they shoot a large missile straight upwards.
-viking ships come along the side fairly slowly, the cannons must be shot to render them useless.
Old-school graphical style and especially sound effects for shooting.
Controls: up-down-left-right D-pad faintly on screen to the left to begin with.
                Diagram of three gun positions on right; tap them to fire that gun on your boat.
Pace increases the longer you survive, as does your score. Power-ups could float on the water occasionally to improve your guns.

LO4 Early Game Ideas

Addictive high-score app for all ages. Cartoon-like graphics.

-"Off the Rails". Possible title.
-Involving a train. Maybe has no brakes, player has to switch it between tracks to avoid obstacles as it speeds up. Eventually you will go "off the rails". You must last for as long as you can.

-Red lights along the way - can't stop as you don't have any brakes.
-Could be stopped by collisions with other trains or buildings, running out of fuel - you could pick it up along the way.