My idea for an initial d / drifting game

[Shogun]

Ok this game would be released for pc and ps2 and will be an online game. You have an offline mode which is basically just a time attack mode. here is where you will practice a master the various mountain passes. The fun part comes in the multiplayer section. Here is the main idea I have for this section. The style could be a sort of mmog (well as big as it can be for an ID game =p).

Everyone starts off with a stock hachi roku and a house in the residential area which is basically the same starting area for all players where the log in. From here you can select a number of areas to go to (selecting them makes the place glow on your map) and you physically drive there. Along the way will be npc drivers who are just regular people doing their business but there will also be other online players driving places. The town in this game would be like a town in an rpg except instead of swords and armor it will be stuff like engine parts, body kits, car dealerships, car washes, performance centers (for installations, etc). You can also have trade skills which basically means instead of taking your purchased turbo charger to the performance shop you perform the install yourself. You start off with small installs and gain levels to become more successful but as anyone who has played a mmorpg knows, there will be failure.

Being challenged to race while driving around town can occur but it works on a challenge system. When you approach within a certain distance of a car you are able to challenge him and that person can either refuse or accept. If you accept then each time you beat a car in racing you gain exp based on how tuned their car is. If you lose then there will be a slight penalty perhaps every other loss. It would sort of follow the guidelines of an rpg except instead of fighting monsters you are racing cars and the exp is money. When racing if you crash over a certain speed you will take damage and have to get it fixed if the damage becomes severe enough because it will impede performance. Therefore racing in town is possible but is more risky than the mountain passes due to all the npc drivers in town. The system will be designed so that others can't inflict damage to you on purpose but it will punish people who think they are playing grand theft auto.

After you are done in town it's time to head out to the various mountain passes to do some real racing. Here you'll head up to the top of a mountain (it will be a zone from the bottom to the top so you don’t have to spend 10 minutes driving up it) and enter various parking lots which is where people meet up and challenge each other. Here people can chat and discuss things about the game as well. Here people can trade items (which you can also do in town) or even sell their stuff via an icon above your head which lets users browse your wares. Perhaps a sort of auction house could be instituted here and in town. People can form racing teams causing their names to show up all in the same color. Perhaps players could even design their own stickers with their team name on it. Once a challenge has been accepted you both leave the parking lot and drive up to the starting line. Racing will commence in a number of styles (such as handicap, one must pass the other, etc) and a winner will be announced in a status window which can be watched by other users. Other users can also watch your race in a third person perspective as well. The cars will take damage in a semi realistic fashion and they will become dirtier over time as well as need other maintenance such as oil changes, tire rotations, etc. There won't be any conflict with other racers because each set of people racing enters their own zone but there is the rare possibility of an npc car being on the road. Once a winner is declared that person will receive exp in the form of cash in an amount based on the status of his car versus the other. You will still receive a decent amount if you race a car equal to yours but you will receive less if the car is not as fast as yours. On the other hand if a driver has greater skill than the person with the faster car then they will be rewarded much more.

Anyhow this post is long enough. Basically I would want to create a drifter’s heaven in a fictional world such as initial d. It would be realistic in the amount of things you can do with your own car and it would be a bit more realistic in the physics of the cars while still retaining an arcade feel. Different drifts could be utilized and also many different tactics and strategies could be utilized as well adding much more depth then the current arcade games. I just came up with an idea for a game based on what I would want to play. I mean imagine you login and head to the engine performance shop. You purchase a turbo upgrade kit for your Nissan Skyline and head down to the performance cneter to get it installed. After installing your stage 2 turbo upgrade kit one of your teammates logs on and shows up in your buddy list. He pm's you and says your team is meeting up at Akina to race another well known team. On your way to the pass you see a bunch of cars go flying by you and you look over and recognize the stickers on the side of the car as the team you'll be racing. So you punch the gas and fly by them to get to the mountain and meet up with your team before they arrive. So if you actually read through this whole deal whatcha think? =p