Hi,

here you can read a little bit about me and you can read that I am a 'software engineer'. For a long time I am developing applications and in the past I developed some games. And my next 'project' is a MacGyver game. Because there is no 'good' game!

My research at Google (and on this site) lead me to the conclusion that there isn't a 'real' or 'good' game. There is a newer Flash game. Don't understand me wrong, but I want to create a better game as the Flash game. To my opinion it is not easy to play. I tried it and don't solved it (with a tutorial) ... this also could be my mistake

And this is the difficulty: MacGyver games are not so easy to develop, because of MacGyvers methods; he uses normal things to solve problems and pc games are restricted in the realation to reality. So there should be a good idea. And I don't know the type of game: action, adventure, simulator or strategy etc.

Finally some technical restrictions: I don't want to programm a 3D-Shooter game or something like this. The game idea should be based on 2D or 2,5D (isometric games; it seems that it's 3D but it's 2D so its called 2,5D ;-)).

So. That are my thoughts in sort. And now I want to show your role:

This forum has many fans of MacGyver. And many people which are interested in the same thing can find together better ideas and solutions as if I think about this alone. So I ask you to help me. I thought that you answer me ideas, instructions, tips, criticism, whishes. All what is related in your brain to "MacGyver and Game and of which MacGyver-Game you dream".

Some ideas:
* A game like the original "Monkey Island"-game where the gamer must proof his "MacGyver" skills and to solve solutions
* A game related to the Phoenix-Foundation doing investigations and finding 'bad boys'
* Isometric tile game in rooms where he has to escape
* A quiz (boring!)

Thanks for reading and for answering,
Max

This post has been edited by jMacGyver on 25 July 2010 - 09:05 AM

Great idea!

Maybe, you could have him working with Murdoc (What can I say?). I love the idea! If you need any help, count me in! I like your second idea. Helping Mac investigate would be fun! Maybe, you could work HIT into it. Or, there's the Challengers Club. I think having Mac work with Murdoc and Jack Dalton would be fun. Like I said, I would be glad to help in any way I can.

Yeap I guess WE need a good game.
But right know I do not have any good Idea to provide.

But I have 1 question ? are you a Geocacher ? ( just google geocaching.com if
you don't know ) The reason it's because that game it' a good way to let your
Macgyver out in the real world.

I've been trying to incorporate it on my next Hide but so far the places here in
my Town don't do any justice to what I want. I need to find a cool AREA to hide
my geocache ( The container would be very diferent from people are used to see
and they will need to USE a SAK and other tools to log in and solve a simple
puzzle to close it the way they found.....

So go ahead and PLEASE let us know more about your ideas for this game.
M.TEX

I've always had an idea about an adventure game loosely based on The Human Factor, but incorporating various aspects of other episodes and story lines.

The original concept was for a text adventure (I grew up on them), but could probably be fairly easily translated into any action adventure type game.

So you think that there should be a 'goog' Mac-game and I think so, too. That might be a good sign!

Getting a good idea isn't so easy. But thank you for your answers. (I hope many other people will add their opinion here ;-) - or in German: "ihren Senf dazugeben").

@M.TEX and Geocatching
I think that I know the basic idea of geocatching. But I think I can't arrange your idea with my own target. My target of this project is a pc game which runs on a pc. I think that your idea is a good idea to bring MacGyver to the real world but I want to bring MavGyver to the world of gaming. If I finish this project I hope that there is a nice java program (which runs on Windows, Linux and Mac and Solaris ...) which is a MacGyver game which is popular by MacGyver fans.
Okay??? :-)

A basic idea to discuss:
IDEA 1 - a strategy/adventure game (only one of many - hopefully)
Please hava a look at this game. In general you must find the right items to fit the claimed weight to escape.
If this game is adapted to the show it might be possible that MacGyver and friends come into rooms or buildings like this (it could also be more complex like to solve problems concerning the complete city - like here) and have to escape from this. Then there are several missions or levels with this structure: (1) Mac had a job of the Phoenix-Found and came back home. Then he was kidnaped (maybe with other friends) by 'bad boys' and he has to escape. Every level has an introduction (maybe text or text with images or a video???) and then the player has to escape. Like the situations in the show.
GOOD: not so hard to develop (advanced/medium) with good/solid results; maybe mission editor is possible so that people in this forum can create own missions and share; networking mode/multiplayer possible -> different characters help each others; can be connected to the show episodes
BAD: not very varied game structure (the game could be pretty nice from the graphics point of view but I don't know if the story is boring, because the structure of every level is always the same//on the other hand it is an endless game; that means there can be added more and more levels so that it never ends -> a nice philosophy); idea is like a remix of MGEG with better graphics

I joined to this forum to develop - at least the idea - a MacGyver game with fans. So I ask you to answer me what you are thinking. I don't want to spend time to a game with will not be played! Thank you!

Thanks for reading and (hopfully answering),
Max

P.S.: You can answer anything (ideas, instructions, tips, criticism, whishes) - I am happy about answers.

P.P.S.: How good is my English? Can you understand me :-)

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EDIT: @Rockatteer
I don't know anything about "The Human Factor" but I will have a look on it. I think that a text-based game isn't a good choice in the year 2010. Although I am a fan of the unix terminal/tty and of text-based games I think that many, many people whish to have a graphical game. Can you tell us a little bit more about your idea? How difficult could it be to create a game out of your idea (for me)?

That's what I want!!!! ;-)

This post has been edited by jMacGyver on 25 July 2010 - 10:43 PM

Here's a list of some MacGyver-like games we have found. You might get some ideas form them.

MacGyver Games

@Rockatteer
Thank you for the hint. I studied the games (there is a little mistake in the description of "The MacGyver Escape game": it is a "Flash" game insted of a "Java" game :-)).
The shown games fit in the following categories:

(1) "The White Chamber", "The Crimson Room", "The Viridian Room", "The Mac Gyver Escape Game", "The car" and "One off" try to imitate MacGyvers way of solving problems with normal things. The big disatvantage of this games is the handling of the viewpoint of the player. The games are made with 2D and you move via clicks on the arrows. A 'turn around' in the room isn't so easy. But the thought or the idea behind this games is - to my opinion - very good and the game is the best approximation of doing "MacGyvers tricks" in a computer game. But the handling is not so easy.

Conclusion (to IDEA 1):My game idea 'IDEA 1 - a strategy/adventure game' is the counterpart to this games. But in the first idea it will be realised as an isometric game with full overview about the game field. Also this idea is more expandable by normal users and it might be possible that also other people (Jack/Pete) can help the player or can play together in a multiplayer game.

To my opinion the game idea 1 (or the idea which is in my brain ... hopefully I don't forgot to tell you important information) might be a good idea. With fresh graphics and good movement it could be nice to play (as single and multiplayer) and expand (with the "map" editor).

(2) "The Secret of Bastow Manor" is a textbased game with basic graphics. I played it for five minutes and I love it. That's because I am very interested in the history of PCs and the C64 and the tty. But today I don't know if it's a good idea to create a tty based game. If I (or we) develop a game there is a hidden reason: I want to publish it and it should be used. Because I am happy if I can made other people with my skills happy . So I don't know.

But on my research I got two other ideas:
IDEA 2 - a jump'n'run game
This could be a remake of "Super Mario". With MacGyver as Mario and other problems/tasks.
GOOD: single player and network player possible, very easy to develop
BAD: very simple structure might be very boring, no direct show connection, 'yet another remake of Super Mario' (=yarosm)

IDEA 3 - a action-adventure game
This could be a remake of "The Legend of Zelda". MacGyver has to solve tasks in a land and can rescue somebody or find something. This is related to idea 1 but in this type the graphics might be done in the Zelda way.

IDEA 4 - a quiz game
The player is ased several questions about the show :-(.

I thought about the realisation of the game and here is my 'roadmap':
Stage 1: Fining a basic idea and a basic realisation mode (which graphics type etc.)
+-> CURRENT
Stage 2: Thinking about the story(-line), create a story
Stage 3: Develop the game (with game engine and all other components)
Stage 4: Publish the game

There is an other problem: copyright. MacGyver is a registered trademark of Paramount Pictures. This game is open source licensed (or closed source ... I don't know it yet) or has a non-comercial license. Because of this reason I think that there is no problem. Do you agree?

So show me your opinion: which of the ideas is good and can be developed further and which ideas are bad?

Greetings,
Max

For me, the game that always felt closest to a MacGyver game was "The Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon." It's a graphic adventure, and the way the main character solved a lot of the problems was very similar to how Mac would solve problems. I can't remember the specifics anymore, but I know when I was playing it, I kept thinking, "Well, this is probably as close to a MacGyver game as I'll ever see." Heck, it even has past-tense voice overs, just like the early seasons of the tv show!

@Miasma and "The Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon"
But this is a 3D game ... but if idea one is choosed it might be a good idea to have a closer look at the game to get some impressions (because the ideas and the structore of my idea 1 and the game are very close to each other).

But there is an other question: How choose we/I a game idea? How long should we discuss? How to come to a game idea with many "supporters" or people who would like to play?

Greetings,
Max

P.S.: I was wondering about the fact that nobody answerd on this day. But I think that's at your location (in the US//the server of this webpage is in Dallas/Texas) early in the morning, isn't it? In Germany it's time to say good night!

A lot of our members have busy lives and only come in here once or twice per week.. if that.

Also remember that not everyone is interested in computer games. Many of us would rather go for a hike than sit in front of a computer playing games, so don't be too worried if the discussion moves slowly.

@Rockatteer
That's okay for me. The sentence "would rather go for a hike than sit in front of a computer playing games" sounds a little bit like a critisism. I think that myself was so excited by the idea that I did something excessive ... sorry.

But if somebody is interested in the result of this thread and my thoughts, here they are:
I am going to build a game. But first I will start with a smaller game (maybe I develop in future times a more difficult/complicated game). It will be a Jump ´n´ Run game like "Super Mario" with a little story and some tasks which are like the "MacGyver way of live".

Thx for reading!

Actually I had a thought the other night about this game...

I't might be quite good to have the MacGyverisms work like a close up view of MacGyver's hands where you get to move the hands to grab the items and put them in the right place or put things together, or even if it was a small animation of the MacGyverims being done once you have selected the correct item(s) and dragged them onto the right place or something..

so for example a hand full of dust blown onto a keypad to reveal which keys have been recently used (a small amount of dust sticks to the oily fingerprints on the keys)

@Rockatteer
That's nice that you thought about it :-)

Now I am working on the questions "storyline" and "integration of MacGyverisms" into the game. I thought about this topic and I came to a possible result: the game might be sepearted into several missions (or levels which depends on each other). In every mission you have to run as MacGyver and escape some enemies or problems. But in every missions there are hidden objects (paperclips, tape, pocketknife etc.) which can be found and collected. When the user comes to the end of the mission there is a barrier to finish the mission. And now the view switches into the first person view (or something other) and the user has to solve this problem with the collected things. The clue is that there are multiple ways to solve this level and finish it.

The problem here is that 2D Jump´n´Run games are hard restricted in the game interaction.

But I don't know if this idea is a good idea. And I don't know what kind of barriers or problems I could use for this. And I don't know how to find a basic story around all levels.

There should be also a counter (I have yet no idea what it counts) which counts in every mission and at the end there is a number which can be compared to other players (highscore).

In addition to that I will add a very special thing to the hole game. The problem of this games is, that if s.b. played through the game he is bored when he plays the game again. And I will add a kind of a random method that generates for each use a derived game. So that it could be funny to play the game more than one time ...

@Rockatteer
There is an other important question for me that I want ask you. You are the admin of this forum:

I wrote an e-mail to paramount asking them how they handle fan-fiction and if somebody creates a non-comercial game about MacGyver. But they didn't answer until yet. Have you some experience with that topic?
In law the rights of the trademark of MacGyver are at Paramount. And that what I am going to do is not legal (if you are accurate). Sometimes the fan-fiction is accepted -like this game: http://baphometsfluch25.de/.

Max

Under U.S Copyright law there is a clause for "Fair Use" which allows for limited use of copyrighted materials to be used without needing permission, this use is however usually aimed at things such as education,news,commentary (such as movie reviews) and I think even Fan fiction is often covered by it.

Generally speaking I don't think Paramount take too much (if any) notice of fan work for MacGyver as long as it is only fan work and there is no commercial application to the products. They seem to recognize that it's enhancing their product and that's good for them.

I don't know about anyone else, but I preferred the room examples you showed where you can walk around in the rooms and do stuff.

I think that idea could have been used quite well to make a game based on the Deathlock episode, where you have to move around in a house and find items to escape, or maybe you have to get into a house, find something or save someone and get out again.

To my opinion this could also be a good idea. An other example on the episodes is #33 "Phoenix Under Siege" or isn't it?

Let me think a little bit about it. This game type is more "free" than the Jump´n´Run solution in doing MacGyverisms.

My internal feeling is: 51% isometric room based, 49% Jump´n´Run. I thought that the Jump´n´Run-game is not so many work, but I think thats wrong. Both types are equal. Concerning the work time.

I will think about it and create a "facts sheet". I'll post it here.

There is a huge problem (I have is problem on every software development): how to find a good name? Not a name like "MacGyver Escape Game (MGEG)". A good name like "MacGyver - The wrath of Kahn" ... ;-)

Max

Yes that would be another excellent example of what I was talking about.

I think the name should be the last thing you work on. Once you have the game made and we know what it's about, then a name shouldn't be too hard to make.

A facts sheet would be good.

@Rockatteer
Would you also play the Jump´n´Run based game? Or could you live with this game?

Tomorrow I have enough time to decide which type of game I will develop ...

Any progress on this?