Sanderson in Video Games

[akasketch]

I brought up this thread mainly because I have two ideas for spreading good reading (*ahem* Sanderson) among teens, have no real way of making them work myself, and was wondering if there were any similar ideas out there.

 

The first is a Mistborn Minecraft mod (if either Minecraft or Mistborn makes you lose focus, skip the next 2 paragraphs; the next idea's more complete anyhow).  Due to Minecraft's limited mechanics, controls would be difficult to program, and Rioting and Soothing features would probably be left out.  However, the Mistborn world offers the potential for new bosses, temples, biomes, villages, items, blocks and mobs to appear besides simply making the character a Mistborn or Feruchemist.

 

As far as I've deduced, mod gameplay would work in this way:  Lerasium would be found in a rarely and randomly generated Well of Ascension/Kredrik Shaw temple with Inquisitor guards, and Atium would be found in an uber-rare Pits-of-Hathsin fissure/biome in geodes you'd have to dig by hand, and would hurt you when you did so.  Other necessary ores would be randomly generated like normal. For realism purposes, a forge would have to be made (if there isn't already one) which you put in multiple ingots to get a desired alloy. All metals would then go into the crafting grid to be made into powder, which could then be put into potion vials for the Mistborn to use. Skaa hovels and plantations could be added, as could Skaa villagers, though I think just having Steel Ministry priest and Keeper/Feruchemist villagers in their own shops/houses would be more fun than seeing depressed Skaa around.  Said villager priests could trade for Mistcloaks, obsidian axes, glass daggers, metal vials, and such, while the Keeper villagers would trade for books pertaining to other religions, the WOA legends, Metalminds, and such. Kandra and Mistwraiths might be an option to be made too, though I know not what purpose they might serve besides being passive mobs.  Koloss would also be a wonderful addition, as would the occasional ashfall in appropriate areas.

 

My second idea is a Rithmatist tablet/iPod/iPad game.  This idea has been brought up before, but I thought it was worth bringing up again, especially since I think it would generate interest in the books it is based on, and I have a lot of details to add/create.

 

As one would want the player to feel as much like a real Rithmatist as possible, gameplay would work like this: This would be a multi-player game at its core, with a single-player campaign option that echoes the original story available.  The main menu would be comprised of three options: Duel, Workshop, and Gallery. The Workshop has two areas: Defense and Chalklings. The Defense Workshop would have many digital tools to work with, such as rulers, compasses, and protractors, while the Chalkling Workshop would be limited to freehand, and would record the player from start-to-finish in the creation of the chalkling. After being drawn, the option to designate bones/weapons on your new chalkling (essentially changing its animation) or leave it as a blob would be given. Chalkling images would then be posted to an online server where they would be rated up or down by users, each rating boosting or lowering that Chalkling's power a little.

 

Duels would be conducted as follows: After a countdown, the player is shown a ghost-image of a previously-made defense. The player would be able to cycle through some default ones that are given as examples in the book as well as their own, and would be forced to either trace one of these defenses freehand, or make an impromptu defense on-the-spot (undoubtedly, there would have to be an option for both modes of play where there is no tracing allowed), then click out of the defense-maker (the game would decide on a complicated algorithm which I do not have the mathematical means to describe or comprehend whether or not it is a "good defense"; judging by the similarity to the traced drawing doesn't work for me). This would take them to the full battlefield, where they would be able to see, in real-time, the other players.  There would be an clickable (we're talking about touchscreens, so would it be pokable?) option for making a chalkling on one corner of the screen, which the player would poke, then poke where they wanted the chalkling, then drag to connect it to a bind point. When they would let go, it would bring up a menu with all of THEIR chalklings on it.  That chalkling would then be drawn like the player originally drew it on the field. Clicking/poking away from the chalkling would immediately start a drawing sequence to either add  to their defense or draw a line of vigor (or the other one) and pause their chalkling drawing until they were done. Once the main circle is breached, its player loses. That player can then watch the remainder of the battle, or leave to join a new game.

 

Any suggestions, new (unrelated or otherwise) Sandersonian video game ideas, points of clarification or commendation, etc. should be added to the thread!

 

DISCLAIMER: If you have come up with any of these ideas, I apologize; just say so and the credit shall be yours. I came up with these ideas independently, but that is not to say that you did not come up with it as well or share it before me.

 

DFTBA.

[killersquirrel59]

I think the Minecraft is a bit too contrived and would end up only really played by people who are already fans.

 

However I think you might really be on to something with a Rithmatist tablet game. It's definitely simple enough that it would work great for tablet programming, the idea of drawing is already inherent in a touchscreen medium, and it is a cool enough idea it is likely to expand the fanbase. I really hope someone can program this. I'd play.

[A Joe in the Bush]

Ooh Look! It's a Minecraft Mistborn Mod! It just adds the powers, not the Scenery though.

 

As for the Rithamist game, I can't help you there. 

[akasketch]

Ooh Look! It's a Minecraft Mistborn Mod! It just adds the powers, not the Scenery though.

 

As for the Rithamist game, I can't help you there. 

Great! I'll check it out soon; just grabbed it. The version you linked was actually incomplete and given up on, but This one is, and is for Forge.  Thanks for urging me to look, though!

[A Joe in the Bush]

I just googled Minecraft Mistborn Mod and chosse the first one.

 

Thanks Doctor Google!

Edited September 12, 2014 by The Only Joe