so first, i’m gonna just say some things
a: i’m not a good developer. this idea is extremely ambitious to me but if i feel motivated i may begin taking coding and modelling seriously
b: these ideas are influenced by both the popular game Tradelands and Starscape on ROBLOX and Project Zomboid.
c: some parts are missing, and i may fill them in later, so apologies if some parts are unclear.
d: for the sake of my fingers, i’m not gonna use proper grammar or punctuation.
basic info
inspired by mainly Tradelands but also Starscape, the game is a car-based, open-world, sandbox, player-driven economy game, but also with an isometric camera view, inspired by Project Zomboid.
i hope to make a game where i only need to create a foundation, and players can create parts of the game, such as the economy by themselves without much dev interference.
yes, this game will have guns, and will use a similar gun system to Project Zomboid. i will explain guns later.
a general levelling system will be in place to purchase vehicles. as the general level increases, cargo will begin to cost the player money to buy. needing to purchase cargo will only be enabled by somewhere around level 4, so new players will not lose much to piracy.
vehicles
vehicles (cars, specifically) are the main aspect of the game. as i said before, it is inspired by Tradelands, and these cars can be used for different roles depending on which car the player uses.
some cars will have more cargo capacity but will be slower than others, some will be fast and hold less cargo, etc. etc.
(undecided/unsure) cars will have a in-depth but also simple damage system. instead of a humanoid-like health, the car will be seperated into parts, but not very detailed (ex: engine, radiator, transmission, exhaust, body, wheels).
different kinds of cars will be sold at certain dealerships (ex: economy car dealers, commercial truck dealers), and insurance will be a thing. insurance cost will be measured by how far a car is driven (if there is another way to measure, please tell me as i am expecting that players will have multiple vehicles and costs may add up) and can be paid whenever a player wants. insurances will have types (economy, commercial, luxury, etc.) and tiers (different prices for different amounts of coverage on car damage).
few vehicle ideas:
sedan: jack of all trades, master of none
suv/pickup truck: slower, more cargo capacity
hatch: lower cargo than sedan but slightly faster
coupes: low to no cargo capacity, but faster than sedan
sports cars: no cargo capacity, fastest vehicles in the game
van: higher cargo capacity than suv/trucks, similar speed
box truck: high cargo capacity, slower than vans (will have different variants where some have more cargo, or higher speed
semi trucks (maybe): very slow, but can haul lots of cargo (trailers sold seperately)
motorbikes: 2-0 cargo capacity, fast and extremely agile (intended for quick piracy or bounty hunting)
trailers:
small flatbed: basic flatbed meant for regular vehicles (sedan, trucks, suv). adds a small amount cargo capacity
enclosed trailer: same as basic flatbed, but is enclosed and harder to get (lock on hatch that has to be picked)
large flatbed: larger than basic flatbed, meant for same vehicles
large enclosed trailer: same as large flatbed but is enclosed (like regular enclosed trailer)
gooseneck trailer: trailer specifically made for pickup trucks only. maybe 1.5-2x the size of large flatbed
commercial flatbed: basic flatbed trailer for semi trucks only
dry van: same as commercial flatbed but is enclosed
logging trailer: trailer used to haul logs, semi truck only
refrigerated trailer: semi truck trailer specifically for frozen foods
lowboy trailer: semi truck trailer used for extremely large loads
map
i plan for this map to be very massive, maybe being seperated by servers. i plan on having large cities, small towns, farms, suburbs, highways, country roads, etc… mainly cities and sometimes towns will have areas where you can pick up different types of cargo, and sell them somewhere else, and payouts depend on distance from pickup and dropoff (like Tradelands)
professions/economics
i plan on having player professions, where players gain XP and increase skill by doing something that corresponds
these are the ones i have thought of
mechanic skills: higher levels decrease repair times, and allow you to purchase better car parts.
weapon proficiency: decreases gun reload time and allows players to buy better guns and weapons.
(will think of others)
i have a multitude of ways to make money planned.
- cargo trading
- piracy (stealing cargo from others)
- bounty hunting
- selling car parts (in order to buy parts from official stores, a player must meet the minimum level, however, higher level car parts can be traded to lower levels enabling a market between lower and higher levels)
- faction/company ways (will explain later)
weapons/pvp
this game will have guns, as piracy will be a thing.
in order to be able to buy a gun in the first place, the player will go through basic training (basically a tutorial for guns) and upon finishing, can get a license to purchase a gun. every 3-4 levels, the game will require the player to take another training round in order to keep progressing, and thus, unlocking new guns.
note that guns will not be very extreme. the largest gun will probably a light machine gun only mounted on certain vehicles or hunting-grade rifles.
i do want to implement a very watered down injury/health system similar to Project Zomboid. for simplicity reasons, there will only be things like minor/major cuts and death of blood lose, and can be stopped by using bandages, and can be healed by using first aid kits.
gangs/factions/companies
(this will talk about some things in economics)
“factions” can be created for a certain amount of money (undecided) and i hope to make them very customizable.
factions will have faction funds and member caps, and can be upgraded with money.
roles will be customizable, and extra roles can be purchased with in-game money. roles can be changed whether if they can withdraw group funds or kick/invite people into the faction
factions are encouraged to be as a “player-driven company”. my hopes are that players can form these organizations and take part in many undescribed jobs (protection, bounty hunting, mechanics, merchants, etc.).
factions can create their own insignia/logo/livery, and can be put on player cars within their respective faction (not mandatory)
misc stuff
game events: things such as road closures and construction, the relocation of trade spots and other things like that to hopefully incentivize players to explore the map and use different routes rather than grind their life away using “the most profitable routes”.
bounty: a simple bounty system, that has a number of ways to gain bounty. things like traffic violations and not paying them in time and maybe other things (illegal modifications in certain areas?) can give you a bounty and give players the option to hunt you down.
country borders: if the map is big enough to fit different nations, i do want to make border systems, where you must show an ID at the crossing to get through. people with bounties will not be allowed through, but can purchase/create fake IDs that will get them through, but in turn will increase their bounty drastically.
inventory loss/looting: i want this feature fairly limited, to prevent people quitting from losing belongings. areas with many beginners and large cities will have player inventory looting off, only cargo looting (level 1-2 will not be able to get their cargo stolen). small towns and highways will have semi looting (20-30% of their held money maybe? and low-level weapons) and rural areas will have full inventory looting, meaning players can lose anything they have in their inventory.
monetization: i’m not a fan of pay2win games, so i want monetization to not affect gameplay. i’m currently thinking of car colours, weapon skins, car decor (hood ornaments, etc.) and rims.
i know this has some holes in it, but i will try to add more later. if there are any questions, then i’ll try my best to answer it.
thanks and sorry to bore you with this monolith of text.