Take THAT, Downhill Domination!

[Trevize1138]

So, as you all know, Shad and I work together in that future of the American economy thing: computers. We also love video games. On top of all this, we love mountain biking.

Behold the ultimate synthesis: a fully-realistic mountain biking game!

I've got the game design skills (http://www.planetquake.com/sven) and Shad has the programming skills. Our plan is to start with the Battlefield 1942 engine and modify it with some physics tweaks and create a simple biker model and bike model (these are separate, so when you spill you have to walk or run back to the bike and re-mount it).

Why? Imagine there's a raging blizzard outside and you're just itching to ride the Maah Daah Hey but you're stuck in Minneapolis. Well, mount the bike on the trainer, mount a game pad on some aero bars, start up our little mountain bike simulator game and you've got the next-best thing!

Hopeful features:

* Front and rear brakes. Ideally we want the ability to modulate them, not just either locked or not engaged ;). Ideally, we would hook up analog sensor to the brake levers on your bike on the trainer and directional control hooked up to a pod your front wheel sits in.

* Stamina bar. This would be an option if you're just playing the game and not riding on a trainer. Of course, we also have to figure out how to hook up a bike computer to your game controller, i.e. you pedal faster and the bike on the screen goes faster. ;)

* Realistic physics. You can push the front wheel down or pull it up, push the rear wheel down or kick it up, vary your speed, braking and body lean around corners lest you slide out. Go too fast, wipe out bad and your character could get seriously hurt! Restart level. :hit:

* A whole garage full of bikes! Ride an FS or HT cross country, FS or HT downhill, FS or HT agressive, FS, HT or full rigid single speed, cyclocross bike

* Great trails from around the world. Ride everything from Maah Daah Hey to Moab to Lebanon Hills :).

Our target market: you guys! And, Shad and I are itching to get a start in the whole game development scene and this would actually be reasonbly easy and quick to get started on. We don't expect a game like this would have much mass-market appeal (which, admittedly, Downhill Domination has) but we don't really give a damn. We're thinking this will be to serious mountain biking geeks like us what Madden NFL is to armchair quarterbacks.

Any thoughts or ideas? :)

[KleinCrazy]

I like the Idea..

a couple of things.

Of course, we also have to figure out how to hook up a bike computer to your game controller, i.e. you pedal faster and the bike on the screen goes faster.

This technology is already out there. There are a couple of systems out there that are computer integrated trainers, i.e. as you go up hill the increase drag in the trainer making you shift etc. there is also a coupel of lower tech methods that work just like a bike computer with a magnetic sensor for speed.

One request I have now would be to have graphics settings for the game available so that I can easily plug it into the Big Screen HDTV in the basement for winter riding.

You might also wantto look into integrating control protocol for that system out there that allows for bike control of racing games. can't remember who makes it but it would make integration alot easier.

I have some more ideas, but those will come later.

[danger!]

I think this is a great idea! I'd love to have something to compel me to be on the trainer for more that 5 minutes at a time! It's sooo damn boring!

I think even though it wouldn't have much mass market appeal, you could really get a lot of interest with serious bikers if it is done right(which sounds like you are on target in that aspect). I happen to like realistic games, as opposed to games like amped, that are totally glamified for non-enthusiasts. Market it to QBP, and get into the bike shops, and you'd be set! You might just start the next "Spinning" revolution! Hehe...

Let me know if you need any QE help! It's what I do! :etard:

[noise_is_life]

Since this would be kind of a simulation vs. action game, you could always go the direction of x-plane (http://www.x-plane.com/) vs. M$ Flight Simulator and make it into something that could be sold to bike builders for testing new designs in addition to being fun to play.

Sounds easy, why don't get right on that.:)

[Trevize1138]

Originally posted by noise_is_life

Sounds easy, why don't get right on that.:)

Oh, we are :D.

The quickest way to start it is pretty simple: use an existing Battlefield 1942 map, then just build two models: the bike and the rider. Set up some basic physics for each and voila! You got a mountain biker and some terrain to ride.

Everything else is tweaking physics, building maps, making different bike models, different rider models ...

James: yeah, I'd love to hear more about the current technology out there for integrating your bike to the controls (I already know about the Cat Eye system which is the one that controls racing games you talk about). I know that video game trainers already exist. We decided to do more with the software end because from what I've heard most video game trainers are heavy on hardware and integration and light on software/realism.

[KleinCrazy]

I like your drive and determination but I do see a very large problem.

You want to try and make things as realistic as possible. To do this it will require a very costly hardware integration.

Example http://www.cbike.com/Tacx_imagic.htm

The is absolutly no was to accuratly simulate human output in software.

i.e. If you were just taking a speed input from a mag sensor on the back wheel of a on a trainer, I could be cranking big ring at 80rpm up a 2 mile long 30 degree pitch and never get any kind of feedback.

Now if it was a computer controled mag trainer, then as the slope would increase on the game, drag would increase on the trainer and it would be much more realistic.

I know you guys did not want to here this, but no mater how beautiful the graphics or physics are, you are going to have a really hard time modeling the human input of cycling.

More power to you however, and I will still love to have some other than a Tv to look at while on the trainer.

[Trevize1138]

There is a balance you have to strive toward with video games. You have two extremes: ludicrous unreality (mountain bikes with rocket launchers!) and pointless over-reality (Xtreme Marathon X!)

Certainly, to make a completely accurate simulation you'd have to suspend your bike from the ceiling so you could pitch it forward and back, lean it side to side and have gyroscopes all over the place with radio sensors connected to the game controller to tell the game what to do and and ...

Or, you accept the limitations and make a reasonably realistic game with some allowances for gameplay/fun factor. So what if you can climb up a steep, 2-mile grade at full speed in your big chainring? Wouldn't that kick ass? :crazy:

For the time being, we're designing the game to be completely controlled via either keyboard/mouse, joystick or gamepad. Adding input from sensors would be nice, but for now we're just concentrating on the software and making a reasonably realistic mountain biking game.

[manual63]

Should I say something?

Um.....I guess it's all been said already......:)

With winter coming, I will have more time to devote to this project. It will be fun. Chris and I will probably do it in stages. Once we get the basic biker and bike in world set up, we will probably release a simple map, maybe a Battlefield 1942 one and the basic bike and biker for you guys to ride around on.

We will then add complexity, features, and more custom mountain bike oriantated maps. As for controllers, the keyboard or gamepad will be the start. A trainer is probably a ways off yet.

The point here is to be realistic in gameplay. I have a Downhill Domination Demo, Dave Mirra 2, and Hoffman Pro BMX. None of them are that realistic and for some reason it bothers me. That is why our game will be targeted towards a smaller group of true mountian bike enthusiasts.

We will plan to have downhill and maybe even BMX racing in the future, there will be plenty of action there without punching and throwing things.........this isn't Mario Brothers......it's cycling!

[grizzly adam]

Can I be a character?!!?!!?
or a hidden rider??
Or a rider that chases someone?

[zerpy]

Originally posted by grizzly adam
Can I be a character?!!?!!?
or a hidden rider??
Or a rider that chases someone?


Hey I can be the dude that just as you are coming up on them, loses it on a log crossing or something that you end up endoing over...:)

You need to have a computer controlled sledge hammer with a servo so when you endo or hit a tree or whatever, it whacks you in the head.

jas

[manual63]

That would be a good idea. It would be like traffic in GTA or Driver. You have to avoid other MTB traffic, like when climbing a hill in a race and all the other riders are falling all over the place.......:D