Discussion Simple Game Ideas

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MrSanfrinsisco

Guest
Hello all, I'm very new to GameMaker and I'm not very good at it yet and I feel like the best way to learn is to create things and explore the possibilities. What I'm asking from you is to give me simple game ideas to just test my limits. Not a full out game, just simple things that I can try to do and strengthen my knowledge to make me better at creating games. I'm lacking creativity and the only thing I can come up with are side scroller games which are even still a little complicated for me. Simple game ideas would be very much appreciated.
 
M

MrSanfrinsisco

Guest
What about a game where there's a grid, and bombs spawn randomly in it and you have to them in under 3 seconds before they explode. And the longer you're playing, the faster the bombs spawn.
Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much, a simple game to test my limits. I appreciate you taking your time.
 
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xesphoj721

Guest
A game where there's only 1 pixel on the screen. You click that pixel, and it multiplies into 4. You then have to find the true pixel in order to progress, with that progression being the number of pixels doubling every time you find the button pixel.
 
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Guest User

Guest
A game where there's only 1 pixel on the screen. You click that pixel, and it multiplies into 4. You then have to find the true pixel in order to progress, with that progression being the number of pixels doubling every time you find the button pixel.
this sounds like an interesting time-killer, but my god please make it bigger than individual 1:1 pixels. :p
 
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xesphoj721

Guest
this sounds like an interesting time-killer, but my god please make it bigger than individual 1:1 pixels. :p
You can upscale the actual pixel size if necessary. Either by upscaling the game window, or constructing a huge pixel out of many smaller pixels. It would be a nightmare on a 4K monitor to click on a 1:1 scale pixel, but that's the name of the game if someone wants it to be that challenging, yo.
 

andev

Member
A game where there's only 1 pixel on the screen.
What about a game where the background color changes randomly each time, and a single pixel of a slightly different color will spawn somewhere on it. The colors get closer and closer together as you progress.

You obviously wouldn't need to click the exact pixel but say a 10 pixel radius around it. And clicking randomly will lose you points.

RIP low color monitors
 
X

xesphoj721

Guest
What about a game where the background color changes randomly each time, and a single pixel of a slightly different color will spawn somewhere on it. The colors get closer and closer together as you progress.

You obviously wouldn't need to click the exact pixel but say a 10 pixel radius around it. And clicking randomly will lose you points.

RIP low color monitors
See, this is the kind of content I'd love to see out of a AAA game. It's absurd I know, but it would be amazing.
 
P

PocketMystic

Guest
Hmmm. Have you tried using the built in tutorials? Or any of the countless video tutorials on YouTube? If you're wanting to learn and sharpen your skills, those are great ways to get started.

Let's see though, simple... I got one!

Here we go! Color Catcher! There are 7 colors that will appear on the screen: Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, Orange, and Pink!
Each color will quickly fade in and out randomly, and the player will have to tap a button or key that is tied to the color. Like this, for example:
  • Red = 1
  • Blue = 2
  • Green = 3
  • Yellow = 4
  • Purple = 5
  • Orange = 6
  • Pink = 7
The colors will get faster as the player correctly presses the keys- eventually becoming a rainbow! But if the player presses the wrong key, the game is over!
Each time the player presses the right key for the corresponding color, they get a point. They have a score that keep tracks of their points as well.
The player's goal is to get as many points as possible before the game ends.

All you need are the individual colors, some numbers at the top to show the player's current score, and then maybe a game over screen of some kind where the player can restart the game.
You could also throw in a scoreboard with names so the anyone who plays can see who has the highest score!

It's a little boring, obviously, but it's a very simple game idea that could totally work. Hope this helps you out a little!
 

andev

Member
If you have no imagination, why are you learning to program? Shouldn't you work on that problem, first?
For all we know, he has the most fruitful and ambitious game idea that is going to slay the indie market and win every award in the book. But before he does that, he just needs a simple task to make sure everything is working properly and his knowledge is up to the job. He would have thought of the task himself but his mind is just to excited about this upcoming project, so he asked us mere mortals. Little did we know, that the ideas suggested here were each completed in entirety in under 5 minutes each.
 
G

Guest User

Guest
What about a game where the background color changes randomly each time, and a single pixel of a slightly different color will spawn somewhere on it. The colors get closer and closer together as you progress.

You obviously wouldn't need to click the exact pixel but say a 10 pixel radius around it. And clicking randomly will lose you points.

RIP low color monitors
this is actually used in testing color differentiation, mostly for color blindness. (example)
not sure if anyone has turned it into a non-educational game yet. very interesting concept, nonetheless.
 

andev

Member
I've written out some basic code for it, as it seemed pretty interesting to me too. A multiplayer minigame. Now I just need to finish it ;)
 
T

Thunder Lion

Guest
Hello all, I'm very new to GameMaker and I'm not very good at it yet and I feel like the best way to learn is to create things and explore the possibilities. What I'm asking from you is to give me simple game ideas to just test my limits. Not a full out game, just simple things that I can try to do and strengthen my knowledge to make me better at creating games. I'm lacking creativity and the only thing I can come up with are side scroller games which are even still a little complicated for me. Simple game ideas would be very much appreciated.
How bout a game that randomly shows a dot and you need to press a key when you see it.
 
J

jsterj

Guest
Have three colored circles that move around a room, bouncing off walls on all sides. Use your mouse to try and click a circle. For each successful click, you get a point, and then the circle disappears and reappears in a new random location. Gameplay could last 60 seconds. Basically, see how many points you can get in 60 seconds.

It's not all that exciting, but it covers some basics: Object speed, direction, collision. Handling mouse input. Keeping score. Creating a timer. Randomizing object position and direction.

As you go, you could always expand on the idea. Here's a few examples:

Make the circles move a little faster each time they get clicked.

Or make them get smaller each time they're clicked.

Or both if you're feeling especially evil that day.

Add sound effects

Add additional types of circles that you DON'T want to click, i.e. they make you lose a point.

Rather than a timed game, give the player a limited amount of ammunition (number of clicks).

Add moving pickups that appear temporarily, e.g. more ammo


Hope that helps.
 

Kepons

Lost The Bet
Have three colored circles that move around a room, bouncing off walls on all sides. Use your mouse to try and click a circle. For each successful click, you get a point, and then the circle disappears and reappears in a new random location. Gameplay could last 60 seconds. Basically, see how many points you can get in 60 seconds.
...
Solid idea, sounds a lot like the fruit clicking game tutorial.
 
L

Lonewolff

Guest
Never seen that site before. Actually some cool little ideas in there.
 
S

Smarty

Guest
Never seen that site before. Actually some cool little ideas in there.
I stumbled upon it a few years back. Not all ideas translate to easily usable concepts GameMaker, but he does explain them very carefully, and uses mock screens to help them out. And best, they're free for use (credit is appreciated) and fit to expand upon.
 
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