From: marms@python.cs.unm.edu (Mike Arms)
Subject: Some video game ideas
Reply-To: sandia!marms@unmvax.unm.edu (Mike Arms)
Organization: Dimsdale Brothers Extortion Agency
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 19:52:29 GMT

[I'm excerpting some text from an on-going e-mail conversation that
James Hague and I are having.  Enterprising companies are welcome to
these ideas, especially if they will make some killer multi-player 
Lynx games!]

James writes:
>Notice how pinball just got it's "second wind" (probably third or fourth
>actually, I haven't been playing since the '40s)?  Somehow things were
>shaken up and manufacturers realized that the same ole wasn't good enough
>any more and they had to go out on their own.  And it really has livened
>things up.  I think video game companies have been intentionally cautious
>since 1983 and now that they're making money again, nothing is going
>to change without a good reason (people getting bored, for example).
>And on the home front, it doesn't seem to pay to do something inspired
>when EGM will shower just about everything with praise.

Pinball has come a long way since those days.  I played a fair amount
when I was growing up and then in College in the late 70's.  I'm much
more likely to put money into a pinball game at an arcade than a video
game (except I have put a lot of money into Street Fighter II; my 5
year old son and I love to play it together as it is something where he
can do well, and I can play weaker than the machine.)

Well, if you look on the horizon of video games, you will see quite a
bit of Virtual Reality games.  This is pretty exciting to me as I
really like multi-player full-immersion games.  I played once at the
BattleTech Center in Chicago with 3 other opponents in a learning
game.  That was a blast!  So this area of video games is not being as
cautious as the standard stuff you see.

Even with the standard stuff, video games have had some improvements.
Remember when Gauntlet came out several (many?) years ago?  It brought
4 player simultaneous games which spawned a whole host of descendants.

But I sure wish for a home game of Tempest that was a great port.  
Unfortunately, none of the systems have a suitable controller.  

How about a Lynx multi-player game of BattleZone, the old vector tank
game?  Make it a team game where your team has a set objective in each
scenario.  Each player tank could be different, some fast and lightly
armored with lesser guns, some slow and heavy armor and guns, some
missile launcher based, some could be an fighter aircraft to provide
air support.

Or along the same lines, a Lynx multi-player version of MechWarrior
(the old Activision game of BattleTech for the IBM-PC).  Each player
could choose his own mech, join a particular house or play independent,
join missions with or against other players, RPG aspect where your skills
increase with experience and you keep your mech repaired (battery save
needed here).

Someone else recently complained about the lack of strategy wargames for
the Lynx.  I agree completely.  The Lynx provides a terrific means for
playing a multi-player wargame.  Imagine a fairly simple game like the
IBM-PC game, Warlords (made by SSG, I believe).  The Lynx solves the
problem of each player needing his own screen.  Each player could order
his own forces in real-time, scrolling around the map as necessary.
Or multi-player Populous for the Lynx.  Or multi-player Empire.  

Let's see some companies run with these ideas (or similar ones).  These
could be some great games that could sell many copies (as they play best
as multi-player and it takes one cartridge per player).  Note by multi-player,
I mean at least 2 players but more likely 4-6 players.

-- 
Mike Arms
Sandia National Laboratories
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