Game Pitch: Elephant Ice Hockey


I'd like to make a game some day.

I'm not sure what that game'll look like, or how I'll go about making it. I'm not even all that bothered if anyone else plays it - I just want to make something.

I'd like to have a better idea of what it takes to make a game. I want to gain some insight into the process and learn a little about basic coding. I want to attend an awards ceremony wearing shorts and a t-shirt and hug Geoff Keighley. I want to take pictures of food with Hideo Kojima, and not have it be weird.

From small beginnings.

Game Pitch: Elephant Ice Hockey

Elevator Pitch

 It's ice hockey, but with elephants instead of Canadians.

More specifically, it's NHL '94 with elephants.

Everyone likes elephants. They're big, majestic, exotic, and sometimes they let us sit on their backs.

No one understands ice hockey, myself included. To most of the world, it's plausible that elephants could play ice hockey. I couldn't say for sure that they don't, and I've googled it half a dozen times in an effort to find out. Most people won't have googled it.

Elephant Ice Hockey would be fantastical (elephants playing a winter sport) but also grounded enough in reality (sports, microtransactions) that players can suspend their disbelief and get lost in what will be a deep, sports sim.

Gameplay

 Top down, elephant-on-ice action. It's basically NHL '94 but with elephants and slightly worse visuals.

The elephants skate automatically. Everything else is controlled with just two buttons; the action triggered depends on the situation. If you're on offence, you'll either shoot or pass; on defence you'll tackle or switch player control.

Sometimes, if an elephant is doing particularly well, he will trumpet and catch fire. If the flames are not extinguished within a given period of time, the elephant will die.

During ply, if you press both buttons at once your elephant will automatically throw-down and start shit with an opposing player. At this point the perspective switches to a 2D fighter, and a best-of-three bout. Combatants can punch or gore. A special move gauge fills with each blow landed - once it's full, the player can choose to end the career of their opponent, or shake hands and be friends. Either way, they'll end up in the sin bin.


Visuals

 The expertly crafted GIF above is of Terrence Trunk. He plays midfield for the Zanzibar Land Raiders. He's fast, likes ice, and has a nose for the goal. He is injury prone and once punched a heckler. He was suspended for eight games without pay.

Features

  • Modes: Arcade, Arcade Online, Season, Tournament, Safari
  • In-depth stats, tracking everything from ice affinity to hockey assists
  • Create an elephant - tusk length, shade of grey
  • Export Player - Friends can download your elephant. Not yet sure why they'd do this.

Business Model

 Free-to-start. The first puck is free, but each additional puck costs coin. You can earn in-game currency to spend on additional elephants and hats for elephants.

What I Need

Some pictures of elephants; a copy of NHL '94; someone who knows how to make video games; a Canadian.

Coming to iOS, Winter 2018.

Hit me up if you're interested.

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