The Five Orbs is finally out, and even though it has not found its player base, I am quite satisfied with what the game has become.
There are still lots of things I could add to the game (mainly multiplayer matches and guilds), but I don't really feel like putting more effort on a game without players. So on with something new!
The main issue I had with The Five Orbs was the playtesting part. It is a multiplayer-only game, and as such very difficult to test on my own. This also was an issue for the first players. They log in, and find no one to play with - and so they can't enjoy the game.
So my next game will be a single player experience (possibly - and probably - adding multiplayer afterwards).
So, where do I start.
The main thing I want to do is to allow players to have a "different" game from each other. Today, the game I have, and the experience I can get, is the same than what I would have if I played with my friend's game. Of course, the experience itself varies a lot depending on how you decide to play the game or your personal sensitivities, but it all really depends on internal factors.
Some games use procedurally generated content to make the experience new every time you play. This is great, and allows for a lot of replayability. However, we are still in the same case - everyone has the same game, and even though the experience changes with each game, there is no common ground specific to the player.
What I would like to do is to use procedural generation, biased with some criteria specific to each player. The first thing that came to me was to use environment variables, like the player's location (am I near the sea? Then generate more water enemies!), the current weather (a sunny day could mean I get extra happiness points on all the actions I do), and possibly even some very specific conditions (if I am moving at high speed when starting the game). I could also even ask the player for some of their personal preferences when they create their character, and the generated game world would reflect this.
Now, what kind of game to make? The Five Orbs was something totally new, which posed some issues in trying to convey what kind of game this was. So this time, I'll start with something more standard.
Moreover, I want to develop something to play on phones and tablets, both because it is something I have never done, and because it lends itself well to the "use environment data" thing.
And finally, I'm in the middle of my Diablo III playing phase (I love hack'n'slash and RPGs); there is basically nothing coming close to a Diablo experience on phones; the gameplay is standard and easy to grasp, with a lot of room for innovation; and it is a perfect occasion for me to try and incorporate FFVII's Materia system, which I simply find awesome :)
So this is it. I have started prototyping something with Unity3D (a tool I have just discovered and that I find totally fantastic), and have quite a few ideas to add some distinctive features to a well-established genre. So I'll probably post something here soon again.
