Doom Gamebook

[Brewtal_Legend]

ANyone ever play those old gamebooks like Fighting Fantasy? Kinda like those choose-your-own-path books. The gamebooks were a bit more complicated and involved. Anyways, I was thinking that it would be really cool to make a gamebook based on Doom With all the weapons, traps, and monsters and a little better plot than the movie. Anyone interested in something like this? Anyone have any ideas for it? I'm not much of a writer but I was hoping to find people interested in contributing.

[Coopersville]

This is where you do the actual posting of the fan fiction, not ask for it.

*MOVE-AGE*

[The SuperFly]

old school.

[Guardian]

One would have to be very, very gifted indeed to make a worthwhile 'Choose Your Own Adventure' book based on DOOM. As it is, forty-percent of the novellas themselves are absolute crap. I haven't read the movie adaptation yet, so I can't judge that one.

But, yeah, turning to a page where you shoot one monster instead of another could easily get boring.

[Brewtal_Legend]

It wouldn't work like that. It would be more story and puzzle driven than combat driven. And I figured I'd use an easy dice system like in the fighting fantasy gamebooks for the combat. Choose your own adventure books and gamebooks are different. The first is very linier and 99% of all of them are quite lame. But the gamebooks like lone wolf and fighting fantasy employ actual game mechanics. Check them out on the net if your interested in seeing what I mean. (The-Underdogs.org). I just thought it might be a fun thing to do. Maybe make it episode based so other authors could make episodes too and have a page for them all. Sorry if I put the post in the wrong forum. It seemed to me like it would fit here. Where should it be?

Anyways, if anyone is interested at all, let me know. I may do it whether or not anyone likes the idea for my own fun and maybe some of you guys will give it a try anyways.

-Legend

[MmM]

Sounds like a cool idea to me. I've always enjoyed those types of choose-your-adventure books. I've worked on a couple of those myself in the past.

[Guardian]

Brewtal_Legend said:

But the gamebooks like lone wolf and fighting fantasy employ actual game mechanics.

Ah-hah, I see what you're saying. Normally, I've heard those types of games referred to as role-playing games, pen-and-paper, or dice-based role-playing games. 'Choose Your Own Adventure,' 'Pick Your Path,' and similar categories, in my mind, suggest books, as that's what they've always been in my mind.

That been said, I have no knowledge whatsoever of any of the pen-and-paper role-playing systems out there, so it looks like I'm out of my league here.

[Brewtal_Legend]

MmM said:
Sounds like a cool idea to me. I've always enjoyed those types of choose-your-adventure books. I've worked on a couple of those myself in the past.

INterested in contributing? I've never written something like this before, but I've read/played them. I'm also not the best writer. But It's still something I'd like to do. Any help would be appreciated. Maybe mke it a fanfic community project?

-Legend

[Brewtal_Legend]

The game will be paragraph based instead of page based like the regular lamer choose-your-own books. This will make it move a little quicker and make the format nicer. Probably going to be about 3 stats for the player to use. Skill, life/stamina and luck. I was thinking about adding another one like speed for dodging fireballs and stuff, or sight/perception for being able to see certain things like a monster around the corner or a hidden area. But that one may just be able to incorporate with the luck stat.

So far everything is just an idea. I still need to settle on a good story line and different types of puzzles and traps to put in. Not sure how to work in ammo just yet, but I think I got the fighting and armor down. There will also be an inventory system for stuff like med kits, berserker packs, and keys. I was thinking about finding some artists to add some cool illustrations to a few of the scens. Anyone interested? I also would appreciate any ideas for the story line and puzzles/ traps if anyone has any.

The story and encounters need to be penned out first and then switched around, and put in order before the game can actually be formed. It will most likely start out taking place on mars and go into hell and possibly back. Not sure if I want to make it start out like the begining of the actual game like the invasion is happening for the first time or if it would take place after the original doom.

Any ideas? Please send me feedback and ideas. Thanks.

-Legend

[Brewtal_Legend]

I was also thinking about putting in the pda like doom 3 but I haven't played doom 3 too much cause it barely runs on my pc. I still think it might be a cool idea to incorporate. Also the flashlight and light sources, but then maybe the player would have to find power sources for the flashlight (batteries) to use it.
What do you guys think?

-Legend

[Brewtal_Legend]

Also thinking about having it start off with the player as part of a squad, then one by one, they get picked off or you get separated and become the only one left. I think the ammo isn't going to be as hard as I thought to incorporate. I also picked up the first doom novel, Knee deep in the dead for a little inspiration. Anyone have any comments at all about this project. I'm not sure if it's worth going through with if no one's interested at all. If I make make it, I can't really play it because I would know all the right things to do. I want other people to try it. Especially the doom community. I think it would be an interesting addition. Please let me know what you think.

-Legend

[MmM]

It is tempting for me to say 'yes', but my gut it telling me to say 'no'. I've ran and/or contributed to several group projects on messageboards in the past, and the experiences, as a whole, have had the net effect of discouraging me from joining/starting any more of them. I've found that far too often people are all to eager to join at the beginning but soon fail to honor their commitments and don't do the work they promised to do. Arguments/power struggles between individuals are also a common problem. I tend to favor working on my own projects, because I have no one to blame but myself if things go tits-up or don't get finished.

[Brewtal_Legend]

I'm not trying to make it a big community project. Maybe two or three people that's it. I understand your reasoning though. I would appreciate any feed back or ideas though. One of the main thing I could use a little help with is the writing and proof reading/ revising. Maybe someone to look over my ideas and then spice it up a bit. Make it sound better. If you were going to help, you wouldn't have to worry about my ego or a power struggle. I'm also a musician and I know a lot about compromise and collaboration. I do what's ever best for the project. If you reconsider, let me know. I'll send you the game mechanics and outline that I have so far if you like. I think a Doom gamebook would be a cool addition to Doomworld. I don't anyones ever made one before.

-Legend

[MmM]

I still thinks its a great idea, I even think just a Doom choose-your-adventure format without any RPG elements would be cool. I'm going to stick with my 'no' on the participation though, but I wish you luck.

[Brewtal_Legend]

OK. Thanks for the feedback. Hopefully I can do it in a reasonable amount of time. It won't be real heavy on rpg elements. The system for fighting monsters is pretty easy and quick. My biggest hurddle is the plot and what kind of "puzzles" I'm going to put in it. Also gotta figure which power up items from the game I can put in. I don't really think that the invulnerability artifact could be used properly. Please let me know if you have any ideas of what you would like to see in it.

-Legend

[MmM]

I have a choose-your-adventure book at home called Wizards, Warriors, and You (or something to the effect), and it had a simplistic system that I think might work well for Doom. In the book, you chose to be either the warrior or wizard, and, at the back of the book, there was an appendix of spells and weapons for each character. When you started the book you were allowed to select 3 weapons or 3 spells, depending on which character you took. Then, as you read through the story, different choices could be made depending on whether or not you took a particular spell or weapon. I think this system would work well with Doom, with the reader selecting 3 weapons from the Doom arsenal. Here's an example of how it might work:

"Breaking through the door, you enter a long hallway. The walls are lined with computer monitors and a large array of lights hangs overhead, illuminating everything with a sickly green glow. Suddenly, a concealed panel on the left wall slides open with a hiss of hydraulics. A dozen, pink demons surge through the opening and, sighting you, snarl and begin to advance. What do you do?"

"If you have a rocket launcher, go to section 47"

"If you don't have a rocket launcher, go to section 17"

-The idea being here that if you had picked the rocket launcher as one of your 3 weapoons, when you went to section 47 you could shoot the hanging light array, causing it to fall and crush the demons or just try to obliterate them while they're together in a group with the splash damage.

Just an idea anyway.

[Brewtal_Legend]

Thats' a pretty cool idea. It's similar to what I was thinking. I have a gamebook called sorcery. It works about the same way. I'm still trying to get the plot and events written down. Trying to make the sound good. I've also been looking at the doom board game scenarios to help with room descriptions and such. Thanks for the ideas.

-Legend

[Ringman]

I'm not sure what to say. If you wanna do it go for it. It sounds cool enough. Though I do have some advice if your interested. The best thing to do for this sort of game book is to make a "web". Basically have a bubble that starts out with the beginning (just a quick sentence for each part.) Then branch off of it to another bubble for each choice. At one point you may want to have bubbles branch back to each other (your paths stop deviating and then meet.) But anyway this should keep your stuff in order.