My Game Idea Notebook

[@nicechordwiwi]

If you’re curious about what the sticker on the black notebook says, it’s a liquid soap sticker, it reads “for washing food, can also be used to wash fruits and vegetables.”

[@LazyDevs]

Thank you for clearing that up! I remember getting it off some product but I had forgotten which. And I cannot read all of the characters yet.

[@DiosLi]

居然會在這邊看到好和弦大大 ~ XD

[@PotatoImaginator]

I love your pico-8 game tutorials :) Can't wait for the next one

[@Gazhole]

I think this is a fun thing to do on its own, I really love those contests where people make fake boxart for games that never existed, and this is kinda the same thing. Its cool just to see a bunch of "games" and think about what they would be like as a concept.

[@cowgba]

I love what you said about noticing trends in your own game ideas and how it can help you learn more about your preferences. I've noticed the same thing for myself and my design buddies; a lot of us have a handful of genres and concepts that we keep circling back to. As you were going through your notebook it was really interesting to see what your common themes were. I think someone's game design notebook says more about their interests and game preferences than the classic "what's your favorite game" question or general small talk ever could.

[@LazyDevs]

Ha, totally. Super good "personality test"!

[@davidbauguess]

I've done this daily for other things like writing and business ideas, but never really thought about it for gamedev. Brilliant. Thanks!

[@guard13007]

I spent about 2 hours watching this video because I kept going through and reading the ideas. Inspired some new ones for me, and reminded me of some old ones. Combined with having recently watched your video on the 30 Circle Test and the post-mortem before this, I think I have a better direction in mind for what I do next. 0.0

[@guard13007]

And apparently it's been a year and I haven't done squat.

[@ossoace]

I've actually never thought of this, but it's a GREAT idea! Thanks for recommending!

[@musicmeanslife65]

Good one. I liked the random nouns tip. Will try it out.

[@musicmeanslife65]

Im curious for idea n° 21

[@LazyDevs]

21: "Reverse X-COM". Just as it says on the tin. You are the Aliens. Your goal is to conquer earth. Establish bases. Deal with insurgency against you. Subjugate humanity. (sorry for the late reply)

[@musicmeanslife65]

@@LazyDevs thanks for the reply. Have a good day!

[@kendrel2099]

I like that XCOM idea you made!

[@TobiasRohde]

I grew up in the 80s with the C64 so it's obvious to see game idea #64.

[@LazyDevs]

64: "Oliver". Like Motocross Maniacs on the Game Boy but with a skateboarding dog. Collect bones for higher score. Bonus points for tricks. Multiple skateparks. High score list. Inspired by a Famicase 2019 entry.

[@Notester82]

This is a neat exercise! I liked some of the stuffs in your notebook like Pizza Questo, Mathjeweled, and Mai-Chan's Cocktail Mahjong, intricate/involved mechanics are cooool. Also, I'd like to hear about the idea on page 82. .u.

[@LazyDevs]

Ah, you really went in there with the pause button. Nice. Yeah the alien artefact game. I should maybe try a prototype. It's inspired by Teenage Engineering user interfaces.

[@terry-]

Good one! What is idea 1?

[@TobiasRohde]

Since I am just learning to program the Pico8 with the help of your videos, it might be a nice idea if you give us the game idea and everyone here tries to implement it for Pico8. Not necessarily as a competition, but maybe to see what different interpretations come out in the end.

[@LazyDevs]

This might be a good idea for a game jam. But I would need to document the ideas online somehow. Maybe some time in the future...

[@LouPeabody]

Great vid! I'm a sucker for stationery as well, under appreciated point. Lemme hear about idea #72 👀

[@LazyDevs]

72: Zombie Doll. Moving tile puzzle with body parts. Movie the tiles around to assemble them into zombie dolls. Inspired by a Famicase 2019 cart.

[@wombora]

Now i want a Kaiju XCOM :D - Number 22

[@LazyDevs]

That would be awesome, right?!

[@kevinmakesgames]

As a hobbyist I don’t have a lot of time to actually make games, but I’d love to continue developing game design skills. Getting insight into your habits and processes really helps me to find ways to improve every day. Thanks for another great video! And for a game design, how about #128?

[@LazyDevs]

128: "Boarlike". Notes on a possible Porklike sequel. Focus on outdoor spaces. Smell mechanic.

[@SzymonJakubiak]

Amazing! Thank you for sharing these tips with us. I would love to hear what idea is on the page 12.

[@LazyDevs]

12: "Blue Taurus 2.0" Basically some additional ideas for the Blue Taurus prototype I once made. It was an early precursor to Porklike. I wanted to make a roguelike where you could see what the monsters would do and move accordingly. The main enemy was basically a Chees Knight. He could only move using the Knight pattern. And you could see how they would move next. You had to get past them and avoid their attacks. The original prototype is here: krystman.itch.io/blue-taurus

[@blenderbuch]

Hell! That first pizza game is something I have nearly so in the making with pico8. Sokoban style with cookies and mice. 🥳😁

[@AmitNetanel]

I intend to try this out for a week. I'll update here if I fail horribly.

[@LazyDevs]

You can do it!

[@atomicxistence]

very analog, love it! what is idea #180?

[@LazyDevs]

180: "Infinite Forest". Relaxing, lo-fi game where you can wander in an endless, procedurally generated forest. Daily seeds so every day you get a different forest. Relaxing vibes.

[@hyugacirsei3377]

Well it make me want to do the same. In fact, I already tried but I ended up with a pretty ugly notebook with a lot of notes crossed out and ideas no very well synthetized, the kind of "documentation" you don't really enjoy to go back in... Do you manage to make those enjoyable game ideas pages on the first try ?

[@LazyDevs]

I usually figure out most of the idea in advance, before starting to draw. But it it's fair to figure it out on paper too. Use a pencil and eraser if you find yourself revising your notes a lot. It gets easier with time. You'll get a better feel which details you need to nail down and which ones can be left vague.

[@awyeagames]

21:08 I WANT TO PLAY MAI CHAN'S COCKTAIL MAHJONG 😭

[@LazyDevs]

LOL yeah it's basically single-player Mahjong where the viable hands are randomized. Kinda like a simpler Mahjong with the card mechanic from Sweet Buns.

[@awyeagames]

@@LazyDevs seems cool! It would be wonderful if you ever got to make that one. It would be another stellar hit in the Mai Chan franchise! :D

[@Pawelism]

I hope one day I can see Hussar RPG!

[@LazyDevs]

Oh man. You and me, buddy. I had this idea for a long time. I saw this video from a dude explaining all of the Hussar weaponry and gear. And it felt like such a game design prompt. There is a big lance for charging. A saber to slice people while high up on a horse. They even had a huge-ass pistol with a single bullet. The pistol feel like a limited-use special attack for emergencies. So good. Also. Hussars are basically polish Samurai CHANGE MY MIND

[@gpiforgoo]

hmmm.... the dog-walk thing - maybe a little twist, not a normal dog, a Chain Chomp - creature from the Mario-series. You must go to a walk and stop him from destroying and hunting/eating things.

[@LazyDevs]

Sure, why not!

[@CyberCreeper22]

I think Im gonna do this but with my newton

[@LazyDevs]

Ah! Now that's hi-tech!

[@CyberCreeper22]

you know it, its message pad 2000 too so its the chonky lad with the green backlit display so it's cyberpunk asf. I'd really like to see a dating sim running on one of thoses

[@moonyeli]

too enjoy

[@hexalspace]

Let's take a look behind door #43

[@LazyDevs]

43: "Titan Cave Explorer". You are the first human expedition to the Saturnian moon Titan. You explore deep underground Cryovolcano caves to find the source of inexplicable gases in Titan's atmosphere. Is it life or something else? Deep strategy game. Planning the logistics of cave exploration. Push further and further on every attempt. Manage supplies. Clear obstacles and set up camps so your next attempt can get further and further in.

[@eboatwright_]

I wish I could do this! I can't ever come up with good game ideas. :(

[@LazyDevs]

Lower your quality standards. Give yourself permission to have stupid ideas.

[@eboatwright_]

@@LazyDevs It's not that I have dumb ideas, it's always just that they're so generic and unoriginal. :(

[@MischaSMK09]

@@eboatwright_ Maybe try and take two (or three) generic, unoriginal ideas and combine them to create something special!?

[@eboatwright_]

@@MischaSMK09 maybe. :)

[@LazyDevs]

@@eboatwright_ Yeah that's what I meant. Don't be afraid of the ideas not being original. Maybe once you write them down they won't sound as boring anymore. Or maybe you come up with a way to spice them up while writing them down. Or maybe you just need to get a whole bunch of boring ideas out of your system before the good ones start coming out.

[@CCV334]

Wooo new video!!!

[@stephaniemcfarland1825]

Coming from a random number generator, page #171

[@LazyDevs]

Open World Boulder Dash. Boulder Dash but on a giant, persistent map. Powerups. Missions. Story.

[@Luiz39207]

Very inspiring

[@8ritorneloz]

9

[@LazyDevs]

9: "Sci-Fi Subway". A Sci-Fi RPG adventure taking place is a mysterious, sprawling Subway system. You are a group of explorers who spend their whole life living in an exploring the Subway. You purchase and trade tickets. You take trains. The trains are mini-dungeons where each car is a room. Push on trough your current train or get off at the next station? Where are all the trains going?

[@CrownyBlunz]

175

[@LazyDevs]

175: "Romantic Walk Simulator." Combines Visual Novel and Walking Simulator. Walk through a city with a partner. Have a romantic conversation. Decide where to go next on each crossing. Encounters along the way (Park bench, Ice cream stand, cute dog etc..) change your conversation. Kicker: The cities are real cities with authentic maps.

[@etclee6630]

cool!

[@awyeagames]

101

[@LazyDevs]

101: "Tower Puzzle Game". A game where you ascend a towers. Each tower is a machine and a puzzle. Basically an elaborate BotW dungeon but with no fighting - just puzzles. Inspired by Tower of Doors from Kakegurui.

[@awyeagames]

@@LazyDevs sounds fun :D

[@itsdanott]

131

[@LazyDevs]

131: "Mini Car Restorer". Refurbish old toy cars. Inspired by KZbin videos. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4qcn36FiayIgc0

[@Yxure]

79

[@LazyDevs]

79: "Case by Case". Solve a murder mystery by listening to an old-school cassette tape. Lets you manipulate the cassette tape as an object to find hidden clues (like peel off a sticker). Inspired by an entry in Famicase 2019

[@ctsajeecna]

6

[@tommykeysgames]

42

[@LazyDevs]

42: That's the robot seasonal helper Stardew-like discussed in the video. You are a big robot. You help inhabitants of a village with chores. But they are also all Robot-racists. Can you win their trust?

[@sonosoloioeindiscutibilmen8322]

68

[@LazyDevs]

Valley of Kings - inspired by a Famicase cart. It's a gambling den simulator - a "casino". But it's set in ancient Egypt. You play for in-game money. The games you play are some ancient games that were discovered in archeological digs like the game of Ur.

[@sonosoloioeindiscutibilmen8322]

@@LazyDevs This seems really fun to make and play

[@cool.guy.]

24

[@LazyDevs]

24: That's the Camping Stardew Valley I discuss in the video. You go on a roadtrip in a small, cute RV. You camp at different villages and meet the locals. Every day you decide whether to move on to the next location or stay longer. Sometimes you RV breaks down and you need to complete some kind of quest at a spot before you can move on.

[@00wari00]

16

[@LazyDevs]

Likvidator:N. A roguelike where you need to clean up the roof of the exploded Chenobyl reactor from radioactive debris. Like the historic clean-up crew you only have a couple of seconds per attempt. When the time is up you re-start the level with the next volunteer. Clean up the roof using as few volunteers as you can.

[@00wari00]

@@LazyDevs wow interesting! thank you

[@hiroandre]

42

[@LazyDevs]

42: That's the robot seasonal helper Stardew-like discussed in the video. You are a big robot. You help inhabitants of a village with chores. But they are also all Robot-racists. Can you win their trust?