This is the number one rule to follow:

- Make it fun to play.



The bits of the series that won't work well in the game, change or adapt them. Try making some sort of way for players to fight back- use strategy. Make a battle system where you need to use wits, intelligence to win- that way, you'll have some form of defence from rampaging NPCs (if you choose to go that way).

You know what I think would be interesting? A little while back when I was having fun playing with the cellular automata system, "The Game of Life" (Google it), I thought of a game involving ki blasts that would actually require strategy; because it would be based around cellular automata. (If you don't know what cellular automata is, I recommend you go and look it up now, otherwise my post won't make much sense.)

The idea was that you had two players who were having a turn-based duel on a board-game-like playing field. (There are a few ways it could work with more players, but they're complicated, so I decided to stick with two.) The playing field would be long and thin, and be divided into three sections; roughly like this:



Each player would take turns attacking. Eaeh player would have a number of ki points, which they could spend by placing down cells (as many as they liked) on tiles in their territory each turn. Cells would be owned by players; i.e. the red player would put down red cells, blue would put down blue cells. First the defending player would place his/her cells in whatever pattern he/she desired. Once he/she had finished and confirmed his/her decision, the attacking player would place his/her cells in her own territory.

The attacking player would then press Launch. Her cells (her "ki blast") would be launched towards the defending player. Every time the cells were moved one tile, they would be manipulated according to the cellular automata rules that were laid down (I hadn't quite worked them out, but they were probably going to be similar to the Game of Life). Defending cells were likewise manipulated.

Like this (assuming red is attacking blue):

1. Red cells are moved one tile to the right.
2. All cells have cellular automata rules applied.
3. Repeat from step 1.

The cellular automata rules would need to have some method of determining the new cells' colours, probably based on which player currently has a majority of surrounding cells.

The attacking player's cells would continue moving, one square at a time, towards the defending player's end of the board. If they were taken over by the defender, they stopped moving; if the attacking player converted some of the defender's shield, then the converted cells would start moving. (e.g. If red attacks blue, all currently red cells will move; all currently blue cells will not move).

If a cell belonging to the attacker reaches the end of the playing field, it is deleted and the defender loses a certain amount of ki. Once there are no attacking cells left on the board, the attack is over. Play progresses to the next turn, with the attacker and defender switching. Any defender's cells that are left on the board are simply deleted. The defender does not regain lost ki.

Once a player's ki reaches zero, they lose.

The challenge here, of course, is to understand the cellular automata rules well enough to construct (A) stable shield formations that resist most attacks, and (B) attacking formations that will punch through the shield; and do so using the minimum amount of cells possible, because ki spent on placing cells can never be regained. I have no idea if this would actually be fun to play or not (a lot would depend on the cellular automata rules), but I reckon it's worth a try. <s>I am unlikely to ever get around to finishing this game, so everyone reading this post is welcome to make it themselves.</s>

Update 11 March, 2005: I am now making this game for a school assignment, so cancel that last sentence (the one I've now crossed out). =)

Well this is what I have done.

If you watch the series enough, you'll noticed some charaters in the series has a code of honor and wont bother with weaker charaters.

also generally its good vs evil, evil vs good, ect.

In the project I'am working on. There is something called a fighter class, which is like a level. You may only attack another player that is at least 10 levels below your own or above. After that they are either not a challange or too much for you to handle.

Also I used Karma as an alliance system. Good players can only attack Evil Players. Evil Players Good players. And neutral players can be attack or attack any other.

Its been working out pretty well.

"In the project I'am working on. There is something called a fighter class, which is like a level. You may only attack another player that is at least 10 levels below your own or above. After that they are either not a challange or too much for you to handle."

Don't you mean "Is within 10 levels below or above"?

Well that kind of would eliminate spam killing, but not really..PAnd on the series, bad guys DO fly aroudn the world looking for someoen to kill.. example: Cell, Buu, Super Buu...

Mecha Destroyer JD wrote:

O...K...That was interesting.

XD

Maybe you should make your own game using that concept.

Heh, nah. I already have enough people whining at me to update my games, I don't need another one! ;-)

It's a thankless job... and it isn't even a job, so it's thankless volunteer work. =P