Idea 1 :
A hex-based strategy rpg based in unity, that also includes a physical component. The physical component is a board game that includes tiles that reflect the game’s terrain, along with pieces representing the units from the game. The general idea is that there will be some way for the two aspects to affect each other- either using the unity game to show the potential actions for the board game players, allowing them to plan their moves, or the other way around- the board can be used to plan moves, hopefully with the ability to have lights that activate depending on the position of the pieces. These lights would ideally show the range of the individual pieces, but there has to be a way for Unity to control lights outside of the program itself. Also, the board game would have it’s own ruleset for player vs player matches.
Idea 2:
My second idea is to focus exclusively on the unity game. This will hopefully allow me to flesh the game out mechanically, and hopefully allow me to make more levels and things along that line. This would focus the project considerably, but it would also take away part of what made it unique. On the other hand, it would also end up being a much more polished version of the project. It may end up having more levels and better ai, something along those lines. Unfortunately, I feel like it will be hard to make this really unique- it really just ends up being a game.
Idea 3:
My final idea is to Unity completely and make a Tabletop RPG system. This is something that my friends and I have looked into doing, but the farthest we got was creating a list of classes and making a single interesting mechanic. This will be almost entirely new territory for me. This would be a completely new system, probably with a combination of sci-fi and fantasy for a basis. Since I’m dropping unity, I think making it grid based (either square or hex based), and making a battlemat (which would be a wooden kind ofcase with spots for interchangeable tiles) and probably make a few demo pieces that would serve as basic minis. The system will have to go through various playtesting phases in order to work, but it would ultimately be pretty fun. In addition, this would likely lead to the creation of an official setting with some world building and lore, just because this is something that is usually necessary. This would probably be pretty enjoyable, but there could be issues with it. First of all, I’m not a writer, and writing settings is certainly not my forte, but it would be an interesting experience and I feel I would learn a lot.
Tabletop RPGs and digital RPGs are both really popular right now, so I imagine people would be interested in a merging of the two. I’d definitely think about what the advantages of a physical board are, and how those could make a video game more fun.
Even if your project is just in Unity, I’m sure there are plenty of great things you can do. You have a unique creative background that I’m sure you can bring to the table to create something fresh and new.
Tabletop RPGs might seem like a ton of work, but perhaps starting out with the board-game aspect of your project could give you a better sense of how that kind of gameplay can fit in with the technologies provided by Unity. Both mediums are really interesting and unique, and I’m curious as to how they can work together.
Both a game using Unity and the tabletop RPG sound like pretty great ideas. It seems like you’re someone who thrives with technicalities vs. whimsy so making a strategy rather than story-based RPG would be more up your ally while still requiring creativity — granted, this is an assumption made off of not all too much. I feel like the only way to truly make your game something that hasn’t been done before is to incorporate both digital and physical. With your skills I have no doubt you’d make a beautiful wooden set so I feel like that’s almost a requirement for you (not actually but uh, I really want to see it). Incorporating clear acrylic and having the hex board light up accordingly would be incredibly cool.
Ultimately I think your first concept is your best bet. Even if the game isn’t polished regarding structure or doesn’t have all too many levels, having a somehow linked physical component is what makes it truly unique. I’m really exited to see how your project progresses!!
I like how your first concept mixes board games and video game together making them into one interactive experience. I like how in your second concept you are focusing on being unique, which I think will yield good results because you are aware of this. Your third concept tabletop RPG system sounds very interesting and seems like it would push the tabletop RPG industry forward. Maybe you could combine mechanics and some world building you created for your third concept into your first if this is not done already. I am thinking you could use some kind of audio system instead of light system for your first concept if programming a light system is too difficult. Here is a tutorial for controlling LEDs on an Arduino with Unity: https://youtu.be/_RzhCQx3PUc
Maybe these LEDs can be controlled from an Arduino wirelessly using Bluetooth.
I like all three of these ideas and it seems like you already know exactly what kind of concept you’d like to go with for this project. I personally like the idea of the combined Unity game and board game the best. There are definitely already games that use this sort of feature, like Skylanders and any game using Amiibo, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a board game like this.
If you were to make the project exclusively Unity-based, it definitely would result in a polished product that undoubtedly would be great, but like you said it would lose some of its uniqueness and wouldn’t be as much of a challenge. On the other hand, it does seem like the world building aspect of creating a board game would be a big challenge for you, so the first idea seems like a good medium. You could probably put more of a focus on creating the setting and lore and maybe you could make some kind of guidebook explaining the story behind the game.