I am posting this just for giving a video game concept and asking first for the viability of the idea. Anyone interested please share your thoughts.
The basis of this open Simulator is very simple:
This hunting simulator is going to be commercial, developers may sell their:
Natural environment (expansive environments)
AI intelligence and animation system (put on the 3D animal model)
3D Animals models
Guns and their ballistic systems and their scope views.
Developers may join together in developing the natural environment, animal’s models, and their AI. Developers should continue to update the natural environment, animal’s models, and their AI and the same for guns and their ballistic systems over time.
Photorealism is the key for this hunting simulator. So, the more realistic the hunting environment and the rest of components of the game, the better will be rated and thus purchased.
As, photorealistic hunting environments are available, the main obstacle remains an excellent (photorealistic) Red Deer 3D model like the one in the picture above. After that, the basics movements for it by an animator (walking, trotting, running, eating, shifting to alert position by looking towards the hunter, falling after a shot). The animator has to take particular account that to the way the deer moves around the hunting area, avoiding rocks, trees and other hurdles, the preference of certain areas rather than others, running towards the woods when a hunter is spotted.
I never seen before a Hunting Simulator but I think that it is a great idea!
I think that Unity can handle that , lot of work is needed but i think that it will be interesting.
I think that the main problem will be to create a realistic AI that smells the hunter, scape if see you, make aleatory things and so on.
I am not specialized in game design: I am neither graphic designer or programmer nor animator; this must be a team collaborated project. As of me, my role will be to give game play concept and details and about the game components (graphics, sounds, animation, AI) and the GUI and coordinate all of this.
I think the first thing to do is the GUI which will join together all the different works of the designers and developers from around the world. It can be similar to the GUI of Deer Hunter 2005, containing mainly: location/weapon/trophy/settings. I don’t know whether you have an idea about.
Then there is the website which is going to let people purchase the different components of the game including the animals, hunting environment, and rifles and their ballistics.
I actually made a game somewhat similar to this not that long ago. In several fictional environments the player would use a bow and arrow to hunt a variety of animals, in order to survive the player would collect things such as food, leather and wood from the animals and surrounding environment. Obviously the food was used to eat, the other items were used to construct different types of arrows. The game generated a decent amount of interest over at IndieDB.com which would suggest there are people who would like this type of game. Anyway the game is free so if you’d like to check it out and perhaps gain some inspiration for your project you can find it here: Sovereign
