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I think an Elf/Dwarf simplified AGE engine game could be a seller:

Jim Dunnigan:
As early as 1972, we had hints that SF and fantasy would sell better than historical games. Remember, this was several years before D&D came along. In 1974, we published Starforce (after it got very high feedback ratings.) Redmond Simonsen, despite his intense interest in military history, was a big SF fan, so I had no trouble getting him to take the lead in doing our first SF game. Starforce outsold the average historical game by by more than 3-1. All SF/fantasy games out sold historical games. There was no SF competition out there for Starforce, which helped. But it was obvious that from that point on SPI would have to publish a lot of SF/fantasy titles to stay in business.

Note also that all the historical games on that top 11 are simple (to play) ones.

So, it's up to AGEOD to decide what is History (Tolkien, other, or original AGEOD setting), to be included in some future game. My two copper coins, as they say.
It may be a step (back AGE to the root?) to learn the engine (and have experience in this system) for future History game consummers, as AGE games seem becoming more and more complex.

I do not think making a SF game will be a bad idea... but, AGEOD needs resources and time to do it...

Maybe it worked 30 years ago, but now many are fed up with Elves and Jedi's (about me, I still like that)
However I think AGE games need an attractive simple game to learn the engine. Maybe later those who'll like it would need more or more serious as what History AGE games has already been done.

(What bad is my thread title lol, sorry)

I remember playing War of the Lance, and Fantasy general, and wondering why nobody did more operational/strategic level fantasy games. Love to see something like that done. That and a good steampunk Space:1889 type thing...I love that game.

I think a steampunk War of the Worlds type game using the AACW map might be fun to do. If a decent story was concocted an invasion could even occur during the Civil War. This could also bring in the rarely seen foreign troops.

It would have to be done well - but a lot of the game has already been made.
An artist or two on aliens and artifacts, a committed scenario designer - should be easy(ish) and fun. Could start late in the war when the south is struggling.

Cheers, Chris

EDIT: however it would not be the more simple game as ERISS mentions. I think this would work well too. Just needs a decent artist and scenario designer.

P.S. I have always thought that the market has lacked decent strategic fantasy games. It also gives a designer free reign to do what he wants -
much easier to make a game well balanced and exciting when you have no historical constraints. Also easier to improve AI play by having certain traits
(technological or magical).

Yeay it must be simple.
Maybe AGE must be downgraded to some Erichthonius Game Engine (AGE for children)
Maybe the game could be one vs many,
as The Creature That Ate Sheboygan http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1783/the-creature-that-ate-sheboygan (Erichtonius is a serpent monster lol)
or OGRE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogre_%28game%29 (the 4-wheel cart of Erichtonius lol)
And when one is good with only one unit, he can play the other side (with command and morale problems?).
I don't know wether the engine would fit.

Steampunk Ogre http://www.projectrho.com/steamogre.jpg:
Go here http://www.projectrho.com/ogre.html and valid link bottom of page.

Steampunk has been mused about before. Maybe one day it will happen

http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?t=16900

These days "established" fantasy and sci-fi names have steep license fees. Making up a new fantasy of sci-fi world from scratch does take its time, and doing that with a turn based strategy game can be hard. Sure, it can be done, as Master of Magic, Age of Wonders and Dominions have shown, but those game never really were *that* massive money-makers.

Steampunk especially is a funny thing. All say they like it. Arcanum was a great game, but the game sold peanuts early on (it has later on sold much more, but for game companies the money maker is the early sales at full price, they don't get many cents for the versions sold on Steam et al). The movie "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" was supposed to be first in a series, but only the opening film was made. Thus why would any sane company throw away money at steampunk?


All this is not to say that I think it would indeed be cool to have a "mini-game", launched only through digital distribution for peanuts. The game would have a very limited focus. But then there is the question of resources, who would do the work and with whose money?

Starforce was a heck of a good game. It wasn't just any old SF game that created the market.

The AGE engine works best for something in the 15th-19th century technology level. I have been reading a series of SF novels by David Weber set on a world where technology has been artificially held down to about 15th century levels until a technologically advanced person gets in and starts messing things up (Armageddon Reef and its sequels). Of course, the (not exactly English Protestant) "good guys" have all the good stuff and the evil (don't say Catholic) Church is mired in superstition and guns that don't shoot right. But it might be an interesting setting and has a built-in market of tens of thousands of Weber fans.

I'm a David Weber fan... If you feel the Safehold series is good, I can feel tempted.

HI every one i am new over here and i want to join you all thanks may i got a lot of experience from here

Pocus wrote:I'm a David Weber fan... If you feel the Safehold series is good, I can feel tempted.

There is already a map. I'll read this as soon I can.

I think, as the game must be a simplified one, this would be a good way to make a new AGE engine, which would include the various DPI fonts...
(When I see PoN videos, I imagine with all its windows and tiny writings, the game will be a nightmare on my screen)

Pocus wrote:I'm a David Weber fan... If you feel the Safehold series is good, I can feel tempted.

As you must already know, there is a map: http://www.davidweber.net/downloads/9-safehold-map.html. I'll read this as soon I can.

I think, as the game must be a simplified one, this would be a good way to make a new AGE engine, a basic one at first but which would include the various DPI fonts...
(When I see PoN videos, I imagine with all its windows and tiny writings, the game will be a nightmare on my screen, so I won't buy it. RUS was the lesson. Edit: I bought)

aliraza167 wrote:HI every one i am new over here and i want to join you all thanks may i got a lot of experience from here

Welcome to the forum. You will find us a helpful bunch of people, always ready to answer questions.

Surely Paradox would assist in that regard to provide support to AGEOD?!! t

In a earlier similar thread I suggested a steampunk game based on a Boardgame named "Space 1889" playing in an alternative Victorian Age and therefore based on a Jules Verne novel sofar I know.
I think that this boardgame was never licensed for a computer game and offered besides the David Weber story mentioned here a good entry in the market but I understand that most people are more interested in a very graphical based game with a genre mixture from the strategy/action/adventure/rpg sector and not necessarily in a straight turnbased strategy title. But with the improved PON-Engine it could be possible to give that a try.
I think that someone could even implement some storyparts within the game as either as a video if possible or with some pictures in background to give a better inside into the game.
But in this case we should respect that both Phillippes will eventually need additional help with graphics or videos or storywriters and such one beyond the usual money problem.
Most great ideas will be shattered if you could no investor convince that you can make some decent money with such a game as I know from past experiences as a grognard and hardcore strategy gamer in the last two decades...
We have just to remember that we are all in a very small niche market playing and most of the casual gamers have no experience with good strategy games sofar. Most of them playing "strategy games" like Command&Conquer and are often enough not able to play a game more than twenty or thirty hours in a campaign if they must do more than simply rushing the enemy bases...*grin*

But the hope will die last...

greetings

Hohenlohe, an old grognard since 1991...

"I have seen so many games which I will never forget because of the fun I had..."

I can understand why many people get excited by the combination CSA, steampunk, fantasy and alternate history. The idea is not even that far fetched or new. You may know or heard of the novel "Bring The Jubilee", a strange world in which the South won the ACW and has become the same kind of superpower that the USA is today. Add a touch of Jules Verne (since AGEOD is mostly French, they should be right at home). We could look forward to a really new gaming experience!!

In any case I wanted to say I would be interested in a steampunk, 19th century game! A perfect way to throw away the restrictions of history and bring in fresh people from other communities (rpgs, sf nostalgics etc).