Thursday, March 21, 2013

What do you want to see out of a TOME game?

Got more of a particular question for you all, this time around. TOME stuff! Episode 07 is about halfway done now. We've also got some completed scripts for a new short, as well as some upcoming Episodes as well. My goal is to finish up to Episode 10 within the end of this year. That said, onto the question...

What exactly would you like to see, if a game was made based on the world of TOME?

Now, what I mean by this is probably not what you're thinking. The most common comment I've received about people who really enjoy the show is that they wish TOME itself were a real game. Honestly; making an MMORPG/Social Networking game is NOT something I'm passionate about doing. However, I've wanted to make a game based on the -concept- of TOME since its earliest incarnation, all the way back in 2004. Even when I was conceptualizing this remake of the series only a few years ago, I originally wanted to do it as an updatable game, with each "Episode" of the show you're watching now being represented by a few levels and a couple boss fights. When I eventually realized it was more that I was trying to tell a story over trying to make a fun game, I scrapped the idea and just went with making a show instead.

So now, here we are, about a year and a half since TOME's first episode premiered. In the time I've been working since graduation, I've had the honor of being part of several video games like Skullgirls, Crisis Heart Brawlers and now Cryamore. Seeing how these large-scale projects all come together has been a great experience...and it's one that's made me become interested in wanting to REALLY try and create a TOME game. However, because the series as it stands right now is still very niche, I want to play this very carefully. I ask you, the audience, what you would like to see out of it?

To start with, I'm assuming people would still want to see/play with the characters from the show. However, another thing that ties into peoples' reasoning for wishing that TOME itself was a real virtual reality game, is that they want the ability to create their own characters. That by itself would probably be too ambitious of an undertaking, but would you be satisfied with just Alpha and the gang, or would you want there to be a customizable character to do with what you please and make your own experience? Further, what genre do you think would be the most appealing based on the concept? I've asked many friends and colleagues; the most general answer I've received overall is a side-scroller with RPG elements. Maybe something along the lines of the "Tales of" games, where the game it set up like an RPG, but Battle is done in real-time and your attacks are mapped to buttons and directions like Smash Brothers.

I have a lot of my own ideas, but I want to know what you guys and gals all think; not because I'm struggling for what to do, but because I want to do what YOU guys would be interested in and would want to have out of a game.

Leave a comment here, or on this post on the Official TOME Facebook page and share with me your thoughts!