An idea for a new GeneRally game

[Motormann]

I've been a fan of GeneRally for years, it's a gem of a game, no doubt. It just seems a shame that it's not been updated and improved in ages, and may never be. There's a game for PS3 called Little Big Planet, it's a platform game, but it's more of a tool for users to create their own creative levels and games, with multi-player and all of the community interaction is built right in. I see a number of similarities with this game and GeneRally, in concept. What would be awesome is if we had a new GeneRally with the core ideas and awesome physics in place, but more possibilities, all the tools for track and car creation built-in, with multi-player, and of course better graphics.

By more possibilities, I simply mean expanding the options that users have at their disposal. Think Mario Kart, or Wipe-out, or even simulation possibilities that give you car setup options. Why not include weapons and other things like that as well. Users could devise their own rules and limits of what is allowed in their "mod". I'm thinking that having the ability to change the view point would be good too. GeneRally's overhead one-screen perspective is good, and you should have that option, but give the option for 3rd and 1st person, and larger levels that scroll as the cars move about the track.

For upgrading the graphics, I'm not wanting Gran Turismo by any means. Keep the low-poly cars and objects (but editable trackside objects is a must!). But don't limit the polys/vertices so far. Real men drive 40 polys, but real car makers wish for more every time they make a new GeneRally car. 3 times the current limit would be a good balance between simplicity and aesthetic, and letting you paint the polys with a basic paint tool would be another good idea.

I've done some game programming with high level tools like GameMaker and DarkBasic, and no, neither of these is competent to pull of an improved GeneRally game (nor am I unfortunately since I have no idea how to do car physics and that's the core of this game.) There is a tool called the Unity game engine which is a 3d tool for game creation that uses the C# programming language, and it works for Wii, PC, Mac, and iPhone. I think this would be the perfect fit, lacking a complete scratch-built game engine.

Seems to me there would be the potential to make money with this game concept, with casual gaming being so big now, and the indie game dev scene is starting to really come on. There are even some examples of similar projects happening with existing free games getting the updated treatment, Cave Story, and La Mulaana are both getting WiiWare updates. Those are a couple amazing 2d platform games with basic graphics but are being soon re-made with new features and better graphics (still 2d), and they will be for sale rather than free.

Anyway, I thought I'd throw this idea out there and see what the GeneRally community thinks about it. I know there are talented programmers in the community making tools, I've no idea if anyone has the capability to take on such a project. If I had the know-how, I'd be working on this myself. Dream scenario is if the Rabina's were toiling away even now on this in secret.

[thegreatfalcon]

Very long text so I don't really wanna read it so if you want a new GR, just do it...

[The lost Ninja]

@ Motormann:
Your ideas have been mentioned before on RSC, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what James Burgess and the Räbinä brothers are coming up with!

But your proposals are very good indeed, as a matter of fact, the need for multiplayer was the main reason I contacted Jukka in the first place!
Then he contacted James Burgess from RSC, handed over the sourcecode, and until now the community is waiting for the next thing to happen.

[AleksiNir]

IMO GeneRally should stay free and simple, so I'm saying no thanks to this.

I also hope that James or who ever is/are working with the source code won't change the game concept, but only add some nice features.

[Bouncebackability]

sorry motormann, although some things you said are good

IMO GeneRally should stay free and simple, so I'm saying no thanks to this.

I also hope that James or who ever is/are working with the source code won't change the game concept, but only add some nice features.

[Motormann]

Way to contribute to the discussion there Great Falcon!

I figured that some of these ideas have been talked about before (maybe all?). Multiplayer is obviously needed. It just seems to me that the timing right now is perfect for a commercial version of this game to do well, iPhone games and Wii-Ware games are doing big business. Do I think everybody here wants that? No, obviously most people here appreciate that the game is free and there's an attachment to the simple graphics and everything. But the game is showing its age, and it could be SOOO much better, and it wouldn't take a big budget game company to get this done.

I never got onto the RSC forums, and I don't know who James Burgess is. Do people here have any expectation that there are things in the works with the future of GeneRally? I was under the impression it was pretty much all we were ever going to get, as is.

One thing that did occur to me though with making the game commercial, and still allowing complete mod-ability of the cars and tracks, is that you would get a lot of idiots making vulgar stuff and racist stuff, etc... I think games like Little Big Planet have to deal with this, and they have ways to police it, but it would be a challenge to be overcome. Also, you might get into licensing issues with making real-world cars and tracks. Not sure if that's a problem though, because you see that happening with rFactor, which is a commercial game.

[Motormann]

At the risk of stating the obvious:

Creating a new, commercial, GeneRally-like game has no effect on GeneRally itself. It stays free. So why would you be against such a thing? If you didn't like it, you wouldn't have to buy it. If it was the game I envision, most people here would want to buy it because it would be GeneRally, only better.

[AleksiNir]

If a completely new game, with online multiplaying and so on, that is similar to GR but modernized (like Slicks 'n slides -> GeneRally -> this new game), would be made, that would be nice, and I would probably buy it too if it's good. But I'm against making GR with graphic update and online playing, and starting to ask money for it. And specially having it (or the completely new game) on iPhone, Wii or anything else than PC

[The lost Ninja]

I never got onto the RSC forums, and I don't know who James Burgess is. Do people here have any expectation that there are things in the works with the future of GeneRally? I was under the impression it was pretty much all we were ever going to get, as is.

Well, on RSC was a thread called something like "The GeneRally future request list", where people could post their wishes for a possible future GeneRally game to come, although no serious plans existed.
James Burgess was a Moderator on the RSC-GeneRally subforum.

Personally, I'd NOT like a commercial version of GeneRally and I'm a bit sceptical about ModNation Racers also.
I really like Little big planet (PS3), but MNR looks more like a Mario Kart clone than a 3d version of GeneRally.
Of course you can build your tracks and change the environments like in GR, but I don't think ANY game can catch up with the feeling of GeneRally, and I'm quite happy with that!
Maybe it's because I've got a faible for pixels (my favorite strategy game is still "Close Combat"), just don't know.
So for me I'd like it to stay free, I can even live with the graphics, only the multiplayer option is what would be very necessary, in my eyes.

(I've got a feeling that this is going to be a loooooOOOOOooong thread )

[Lukeno94]

The entire reason GeneRally is so popular and indeed the entire point of it is that it is free, always. It would be a commercial flop, and if you changed it enough to be worth selling, it would no longer be GeneRally. I for one would not pay for any commercial version.

[thegreatfalcon]

ok, could someone close this thread since I'm feeling it's gonna build up like the thread on RSC and get hundreds of pages... Again, leading nowhere and with people complaining about lack of feature.

[The lost Ninja]

leading nowhere and with lack of feature.

You just gave us a perfect example!

[Motormann]

That Mod Nation thing looks like somebody beat me to the punch so to speak, they apparently agree that the idea and market appeal is good.

The problem for me, and every other GeneRally lover is that this game isn't much like GeneRally at all. My idea would incorporate pretty much what you see with the Mod Nation game, but would have come from the core GeneRally game play and have tools much like we already have. So you could make a mario kart type "mod" if that was your thing, but you could also make a pure GeneRally type "mod", or more of a sim hard-core type racing "mod".

This Mod Nation game doesn't let you make anything but a mario kart clone from the looks of it. I think that would get boring, and honestly I've never liked any racing game that has turbo boosts and power ups. The only reason I suggest those be in the game I proposed is that it would broaden the appeal of the game.

Still though, seeing this does validate my idea, I feel. I think an indy game developer could use Unity engine, so the game would be cross platform (wii, iphone, mac, and of course PC), and it would be an alternative to that Mod Nation game because it's not on PS3.

Well, maybe we'll all get lucky and we'll see an update to GeneRally itself that makes this all moot. For me though, more important than multiplayer is the addition of more poly's, even if the graphics engine itself doesn't change. I hate how the tires clip in and out of the car body, and there just aren't enough poly's to make wheel wells that would prevent this.

[Motormann]

Lukeno1, I don't agree. GeneRally isn't "so popular", not compared to just about any Xbox live arcade title, or wii ware title that is worth a damn. It's a completely obscure and old game, but it's amazing for all that, and appreciated by a few of us lucky enough to know about it and give it a chance.

A commercial flop? And your evidence is what? If you tried to make a game that was nothing more than the current GeneRally and sell it, yeah, it would probably be a tough sell, but I'm not even sure of that, if it's on something like wii ware where so many people would be exposed to it. If you improve on the best parts, and broaden the appeal, without changing the "magic" of GeneRally, I believe it would be a big success for an indy game, considering the small budget it could be made on.

Anyway, I'll shut up for now. I only wish I had the know-how and/or the capital to fund such an endeavor. I've definitely seen worse ideas that have been big successes. Wii Fit anybody?

[Lukeno94]

ok, could someone close this thread since I'm feeling it's gonna build up like the thread on RSC and get hundreds of pages... Again, leading nowhere and with people complaining about lack of feature.

Just because you feel it is leading nowhere does not mean that it should be closed.

[Alonsomania]

"never change a winning team(game)"

[Sutinen]

GR would be perfect if it had better graphics and models. I need more polys in to the cars and models thats all. Hey I forgot, would be awesome if we could get a 24 bit colours not jus 4 bit... And would be awesome if ENB shader would work with it

[thegreatfalcon]

I have just the feeling, that GR is perfect, but it needs graphics improvement and model improvement.

Why would it be perfect if it needs improvements???

[Sutinen]

I have just the feeling, that GR is perfect, but it needs graphics improvement and model improvement.

Why would it be perfect if it needs improvements???

Hmm... I think I missed some words there ...

GR would be perfect if it had better graphics and models.

[Spykee]

Do You have any idea what is happening with the source code? Is someone working on getting that code or at least get some information on what is happening right now with it. James Burgess said some time ago. "We're working on that" when asked about it. What doe's that mean?? It's been like 6 months or even more since the subject came out and sadly since then NOTHING happened. Either GR 1.6 is coming out or the subject is dead. This community should do evrything to get that code and find someone who can upgrade the game, but I don't see any real efforts to do so....And so slowly but shurely Generally will come to an end.

[Vilkku]

Do You have any idea what is happening with the source code? Is someone working on getting that code or at least get some information on what is happening right now with it. James Burgess said some time ago. "We're working on that" when asked about it. What doe's that mean?? It's been like 6 months or even more since the subject came out and sadly since then NOTHING happened. Either GR 1.6 is coming out or the subject is dead. This community should do evrything to get that code and find someone who can upgrade the game, but I don't see any real efforts to do so....And so slowly but shurely Generally will come to an end.

Well, if James says they are working on it, I think they really are...James Burgess isn't encode company, so it takes time and it's not programming 24/7. Why to hurry when it's freeware? If they want some money of it, then it should come guickly.

Bye.

[Spykee]

Personally I think it's naive to belive in that he's actually doing something. But it seems no one is asking any questions and no one has any answers. Did anyone even tryied to contact James and ask him what is going on, how long will it take and the most important how can we help? Anyone?

[Lorenzo]

You're right...
There's no reason to believe that GR is being improved by anyone nowadays, I think, although I see many people here blindly thinking so. I think administrators or someone from old RSC staff or even anyone who have any contact with Räbinäs or/and James Burgess, should do something with that unless, as Spykee said, we all don't want to lead to GeneRally collapse... (I assume we don't, do we? )

[Trigger Happy]

I agree, try to write him, guys.

(I have no technical skill to be helpful in evolution.)

[Herbal]

(I have no technical skill to be helpful in evolution.)

We don't know nothing about programming, we're just guys who wants to keep GR alive with our more or less, but at least running forum, with most of our knowledge and time spent on it.