Ron Paul 2012: The Video Game - Updated
Submitted by Evil Warlord an... on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 00:54Here's a crazy idea. I figured why don't we make a Ron Paul video game and sell it to raise campaign funds? It's crazy, but it could be educational, entertaining, and it would help us immensely.
Off the top of my head, here are some issues to be addressed:
1. Who's going to run the project?
2. Can we develop it entirely with volunteers? (I'm more than willing)
3. Can we develop it so it works on all platforms?
4. As much as I like games where soldiers stomp zombies, it will obviously have to be nonviolent.
5. It would have to be very educational.
6. It would have to be action packed.
7. It'll need a good storyline and play, almost like a GTA game.
8. How much do we sell it for?
9. Can we get it professionally packaged?
10. How do we resolve legal issues regarding organization? 501(c), or what?
11. Can we get The Big Man's permission to use his likeness and quotes?
12. How do we coordinate and collaborate this project?
13. Is there anything else I missed?
**UPDATE**
Here's some people we're going to need, and this is by no means exhaustive:
1. Project manager.
2. Game story writers/concept developers.
3. 3D modelers and animators, graphic artists.
4. Programmers proficient in OpenGL. DirectX is nice, but it won't work on Mac or Linux without kludges. OpenGL is cross platform, and it doesn't require parallel coding environments.
5. Programmers who can cross code for the Windows API (most likely MFC, for performance reasons), the standard C libraries in Linux, and possibly Cocoa, unless Mac uses the same C libraries as Linux.
6. Sound effects and soundtrack specialists.
7. A web developer who knows PHP, MySQL, and AJAX, as well as web security, code versioning and tracking, and can figure out ways to collaborate this project with streaming voip, webcams, and cloud based desktops.
8. Game testers.
9. Someone to handle legal affairs, like getting rights, checking facts, making sure our code doesn't infringe on someone else's rights, etc.
10. Web marketing specialist.
Terrible idea
This is what you would call a "misallocation of resources."
The only people that would buy this game are Ron Paul supporters, and any money they spend on this game is money that won't be given to moneybombs or other fundraisers.
Video games are not easy to produce. There is a reason why successful video games are put out by large, well funded development studios. The average video game costs about 28 million dollars to produce and only about 20% of video games make a profit.
Instead of spending all our time and money building some glitchy soapbox game with poor mechanics and shoddy graphics, lets focus our efforts on something that might ACTUALLY WORK!!!
If you must try something like this, make a flash game.
Challenge everything and the path will be clear.
Good point; the licensing
Good point; the licensing agreement must contain a clause that says:
"No person shall be coerced into playing this game without his consent, nor shall any person coerce another person into playing this game without his consent, nor shall any person of the age of majority be prohibited from playing this game without his consent. Any person who violates this provision commits a no-no of the nth degree."
Happy?
By the way, one of my hobbies is hyperrealistic 3D human simulations that make Tron Legacy's young Jeff Bridges look like an 8 bit Nintendo game. So much for shoddy graphics.
Ron Paul Video Game
Do it!
I'd be a tester if I had a fast computer, but my computer is slow. If you can get it onto a disk to run off of PS2 and xbox 360, drop me a line. I'll test it.
Meanwhile, I'll visit this entry routinely to post ideas or to see what else is here, or both.
One idea that comes to mind is the gameplay. Would it be simple or complex? Will there be action, questionaires, puzzles, single player or multi player? Or all of these game types can be in the game?
Here's a spectrum of games in their simplicity and complexity that came to my mind:
1. Jeopardy Game Show
2. Atari's Jungle Hunt
3. Pac Man
4. Dig Dug
5. X-men Lengends or Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Reasons for those games:
1. Self explanatory broadly speaking.
2. Simple idea -- jumping over pits, boulders and to swinging vines. Convert these objects to Constitution and history contexts
3. RP goes through maze chomping, or beating, congressmen and -women writing unconstitutional bills. Bills are votes away from becoming law. So, if a bills become a law, RP could beat a law, which is more powerful than a bill, into oblivion too. Beat, as in, say, unfurl the Constitution infront of the bill or law and point to it, asking where in this is your reason to exist?
4. RP is the little guy who blows up unconstitutional beings, beings who are creatures. Creatures of Congress, the worst one: the Creature from Jekyll Island, the Fed! Ahhhhh!!!
5. Multi Player action. Unlock United States' Founding Fathers and other historical freedom people, even if they were outside and/or before the United States came to be, such as Ghandi. Each character can have his streghth.
Anyway. That's it for now. Talk with you later.
School's fine. Just don't let it get in the way of thinking. -Me
Looks like Unity could work.
Looks like Unity could work. It's $1500 for Unity Pro, but I might decide to shell out the dough for it anyway just so I can make games for profit.
Way easier than coding everything in C++!
Go Pro and Line of RP Games
If you're going to buy software to make this game, be sure it's got all the goodies needed, especially if you're kicking around the idea to profit off them. I think profiting off them is fine, just fine, particularly if they're playable on home consoles such as the PS3, xbox 360 and Wii. To make such a game would be spectacular. Although, I think there's not enough time to make that quality of game. For the future, eh? Therefore, create a line of RP freedom games. Maybe a solid game for now, a spectacular one later?
School's fine. Just don't let it get in the way of thinking. -Me
Wasn't thinking about
Wasn't thinking about profiting off the RP games, I was thinking more about other non political games, just that the pro version would make for a much nicer look for the RP game.
This software does have addon modules (for a price!) to export to wii and android, but nothing for consoles. I imagine the console companies want a huge up front fee plus a cut.
What it does have, however, is the ability to play the 3d game over a web plugin!
I don't see why we can't make
I don't see why we can't make a whole website full of Ron Paul games. Why limit ourselves to one?
I just found Unity 3D, which is free, comes with all the software needed to make games, and has a web player.
A Line of RP Freedom Games
I like your idea, having many games. But, what do you think about putting energy into one game instead of numerous games? Then again, if the levels of the one game are intricate and the production difficult, maybe using those levels as games would work. If that's the case, simplicity looks to be what's called for.
First, how involved should this game be? The answer to it should be based on: audience. Whom are we going after:
1. the Sheep
2. the Asleep
3. the Confused
4. the Bad
5. a combination of them
6. all of them
LOL. For a second, typing "the Bad" made me think about the Clint Eastwood movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
As for another game to pattern this game after, how about Nintendo game Gunsmoke? Can you see RP shootin' down the baddies? I can!! Yeaaaahh!!
School's fine. Just don't let it get in the way of thinking. -Me
There are millions of
There are millions of supporters, and potentially thousands of competent developers and artists. One big project alone could be easily filled, and there are still plenty to go around for all the other projects.
Only things I see as required are that it's a damn fun game to play, it makes them think, and it makes them aware.
I like the idea of a shootem up, but I don't know how Ron as a violent video game character would go over. He might not like it very much.. perhaps the idea of multiple characters could come into play, and George Washington could be the one out killing zombies or shooting Buford Tannen.
Ron's weapon could be the Reason Ray or something haha!
Your heart is in the right
Your heart is in the right place, but your mind isn't. Developing a Ron Paul game would require an enormous amount of time and money that could be better spent doing actual campaigning. Not to mention that developing a game from scratch when we'll know the fate of the campaign in 9 months just isn't doable.
We are Legion!
We have a lot of Ron Paul supporters who know tech. This website is owned by one of them, just as an example.
I refuse to believe it can't be done, especially by us!
I'm with you Warlord...
Can definately be done, we need to approach the game design with a nintendo mentality. Don't worry so much about graphics it's all about how fun it is play. I got the game title. "Ron Paul's Sheep Shifter." Could make a great iphone app too. Doesn't have to be all that intricate, for example angry birds is one of the biggest game apps on iphone and not very involved at all. The first level could be an easy constitutional lesson about 1st amendment where you lead the sheep through a puzzle or maze to save them from situations that violate their 1st amendment rights. Second level could be a shoot em up level on the second amendment, I've got lots of ideas, the wheels are turning. Not sure how to address the third amendment but 4th could be a seek and find, along the way collecting gold and silver with the ultimate goal being to make it legal tender. I'm seeing lots of possibilities here.
Graphics are pretty easy if
Graphics are pretty easy if we can integrate the blender game engine, but yeah we could even use flash if we want to. Flash, IIRC, has 3D capabilities now in CS5?
Just found this, Molehill API for Adobe Flash. Looks experimental but I think they want to rush it to the market.
I'm with you Warlord...
Can definately be done, we need to approach the game design with a nintendo mentality. Don't worry so much about graphics it's all about how fun it is play. I got the game title. "Ron Paul's Sheep Shifter." Could make a great iphone app too. Doesn't have to be all that intricate, for example angry birds is one of the biggest game apps on iphone and not very involved at all. The first level could be an easy constitutional lesson about 1st amendment where you lead the sheep through a puzzle or maze to save them from situations that violate their 1st amendment rights. Second level could be a shoot em up level on the second amendment, I've got lots of ideas, the wheels are turning. Not sure how to address the third amendment but 4th could be a seek and find, along the way collecting gold and silver with the ultimate goal being to make it legal tender. I'm seeing lots of possibilities here.
I admire your perseverance,
I admire your perseverance, but lets look at facts.
1. Even the most talented game developers take a year to produce a product (often of questionable quality), let alone a product with such big ideas as you're suggesting.
2. A Ron Paul videogame isn't going to convince anyone unsure of the Liberty message. In most cases, people just need to hear it and understand it to love it.
Really, I don't know why I'm even entertaining this idea. It's easily at the level of childish absurdity. You might as well suggest we put a Ron Paul Space Station in orbit.
Honestly, if you want to actually do something to truly help the campaign, engage your family, neighbors, and community. Help spread this passion like a wild fire so that they cannot help but do the same.
That's how we can propel Ron towards winning the nomination.
The only thing I was able to
The only thing I was able to comprehend in that post is that you're not going to help out with the production, right?
I'm Game... All puns intended!
I'm not a programmer, but I'm definately a gamer, i've gotten my jollies sending EA suggestions for NHL for last several years. Which some of my suggestions have appeared over the last few versions, whether i had anything to do with the changes or not is definately questionable but i'd like to think i had some influence. I had been playing that damn game way too much until i got wind that Ron was running for pres again, since I've been busy trying to help however i can with getting RP's name and message out there and this would be a FUN way to do that! I've got time, and I'd be happy to help come up with plot, storyline, format, etc. We've got a lot of college kids that are catching on to the movement so I think this is an absolutely excellent idea. Although we shouldn't sell it, should be free to download with an option to donate, maybe use it to help with money bombs. PC and Mac would be easiest and most realistic formats to work with or possibly a facebook web based game to share with freinds. Xbox, ps3 and wii would be a problem, coming up with the funds to get the rights to use their programming platforms could be expensive and difficult. This forum would be a great place for people to start dropping their ideas. I'm thinking something with a matrix type of feel for a storyline, based on all the crazy shit thats happening with the erosion of our civil liberties. Maybe one of the main objectives would be to turn sheep into people that help our cause, HAHA!
We are going to need testers
We are going to need testers and idea people, we're also going to need a way to collaborate on this. I'm going to look at some ways we could collaborate, as we're scattered all over the country, so we'll make use of this "cloud" and maybe even come up with some cool new solutions on our own using the web.
If we don't sell it, we could release it as open source, then sell professional copies for a small fee.
I'd like to see this thing generate money, but maybe I'm falling into the trap that money wins elections and not votes. The more [young] people we bring in, the more we'll educate, and the more votes we will get.
Obama doesn't have a video game.
"Angry Voters" Could be huge ;-)
I'm not a gamer, just played Angry Birds for the first time and I agree with what people always say, it's addictive.
Didn't Howard Dean in 2004 have a computer game of some kind that taught political newbies how to canvass?
I like idea of The Fed as an octopus monster!
Or how about you have a quiver of 10 Ammendments (Bill of Rights) as weapons to throw at different evil monsters, and the trick is to throw the right one. Might get people to read and ponder the US Constitution...
Oh yeah
and your avatar can be one of the Founding Fathers. And when you succeed in killing a monster with one of the 10 Ammendments, you win a nice historic quote, like "Those who sacrafice liberty for safety loose both" or "Give me libery of give me death".
Highschool kids could play it and say they are doing their homework. :-)