Would distance running video game, using real life variables and pro characters, be fun?

I've thought about this before. Never considered farmville style though. Feeding your runners sounds kind of stupid.

Running at its core is pretty boring though, unless you're doing it. There's no way to properly capture the great effort of racing. Other sports games are (presumably) fun because of the strategy and execution. Unless you're monitoring an "effort meter" I don't see how you could do this for racing. And an effort meter is the worst video game idea I've ever thought of.

dear God, no, no, no! absolutely NOT!

well, feeding them proper foods for training/racing purposes. you're basically growing an athlete like someone growing a farm, and you put the athlete on display by entering them in races.

but, i have an idea to make it even more fun. this just came to me:

have your own fitness data from NikeFit/IPod/etc be used to help your players get bonus vitals. You set some sort of goal for your own training/racing and then, absed on how close you are to that goal, your running character gets a boost in their own stats.

So you have an additional incentive to run and trian well yourself. Instead of Farmville/Facebook credits, your own running accomplishments become like credits.

Do you get to experiment with thyroid mere? Avoid WADA?...

How can the rest of the world get more excited about distance runners when runners themselves don't even endorse the idea of a fun running based video game, lol.

I would play

bguy232ss wrote:

How can the rest of the world get more excited about distance runners when runners themselves don't even endorse the idea of a fun running based video game, lol.

Distance runners generally hate themselves...and that goes double here on letsrun.

You're probably correct if a majority of serious distance runners take it up because of body dysmorphia issues.

Rule #11 in creating a popular video game: Nobody likes true simulators, except some driving and flight sims.

Rule #1: there should be plenty of ways to KILL the other players.

If you want your running game to be popular, there should be weapons and powerups like Mario Kart, and it should be online multiplayer for lots of madcap fun.

If you want it to be more realistic, the weapons can be field event items that stray onto the track, javelins, discuses, shots, vault poles.

The powerups can be PED's. For extra stamina, pick up a blood bag or a shot of EPO. For speed, pick up some ephedrine or steroids. Pick up HGH to spend on recovery between races.

There's probably already some Kart clones that could be easily modded into this exact game.

I think modeling it after The Sims rather than like Farmville would work better. You could control each athlete's relationships with other athletes and set up things like team strategies with people they're friends with and grudge races with people they hate. I'd say then to set the actual races up like Road Rash or SSX, where you beat the shit out of people you don't like on your way to the finish, but a racing game would be boring as hell with running.

But with this setup no real people would agree to being in the game, so it better have a pretty robust create-a-runner.

it'd be great, HGH or CERA this week?!

Something along the lines of pro cycling manager might be ok

I like the Sims style idea, especially if you could have an Olympic Village scenario so you could bang all the hotties.

I've always thought of producing an XC game oriented around NCAA D1 cross country could actually be insanely fun IF implemented properly.

Characters could choose an individual or team career, and select teams with premade perks or create an entirely custom team. They can choose what region they want to train in (runner's heaven Oregon vs. hot and dry Texas) or what altitude. You'll start by training freshmen-level recruits and there'll be a selection of the All-Americans from the two years. (New copy could be released every two years.) Bonus players include elite runners like Rupp, Bekele, Farah, Gebremeskel, Lagat and other track stars.

Ultimate goal? Train the team to win the NCAA championships and by selecting a few meets per career.

Base season = boring. You can probably compensate for the lack of implementing a boring base season by using "points" that you can attribute to a runners strengths before the competition training starts. Certain credentials such as your coaching reputation will determine how many base points you have.

Competition season = select two work outs a week from a wide variety of workouts. Training knowledge is necessary to understand what workouts you should be doing and when you do a workout you can implement moving the two control sticks back and forth. You'll have to gauge the pace you want your runners to train at. Too slow and they don't receive the desired benefit, two fast and they crash and burn and increase the chance of injury later on in the season.

Race season = No one expects a player to sit on their butt for 25 minutes to watch their avatar run an 8K (but I suppose this could be configured in the options menu.) Like a race, you must gauge how fast you want to be running at particular stages of the race. You might run for 2/5ths of the race where you'll take periodic jump cuts every 600 meters to relieve boredom. While you're running you can implement drafting, surging, uphill running, downhill running, turn running, passing, getting passed, psychological stress and perhaps you could get the bonus "endorphine rush" if you put all the factors in the race properly?

During the race if you're on a team you can switch between five of your individuals, with the sixth and seven individuals being automatic unless they become the fifth individual. 75% of the race will be spent controlling your anchor man, with the other 25% allocated evenly among your other four racers. When you switch from player to player, you put the prior player you were playing on auto mode and how fast they run auto mode depends on gauging your speed when you leave them off. A pace marker in the upper right hand of the screen can tell you how fast you're going and below that pace marker can tell you the runner's PR. (Example: 24:30 pace when the runners PR is 24:55 indicates you should slow down a bit or implement better racing techniques.) Bonus points if you maintain an even pace. Your training techniques will come in handy here. When you train to accomodate a particular course, you will be able to run faster due to specifying how you want to train.

The racing will still be too boring for even runners to accomodate, so this can be mixed up with multiple camera views, realistic breathing, aggressive NPC AI, and an unrealistic blurring affect of the scenery around you. Weather can play a roll too. Spectators can be shouting mile splits (imperial distance to appease the masses.)

Placing higher at meets = more money allocated to the XC team. More knowledge on how to train, plus equipment benefits such as underwater treadmills, massage therapy, but the competition gets stiffer as they look out for you as a team and work to defeat you. You can also purchase better shoes for your players, ranging from training flats to Nike Victories that can give a full 3% time boost.

NCAA Championship = dependent on the difficulty level, this will be a moderate to extremely difficult meet to win. The course should be randomized and given information to the player at the beginning of the season so they know what to train for. (Example: Training for Terra Haute requires training to maintain a steady pace for long periods of time due to Terra Haute's gradual turns.

Online can be fun as you team up with other custom made teams to race in meets and compete. And as aforementioned, bonus players can be purchased when certain requirements are won. (Example: German Fernandez requires winning NCAA on easy mode. Galen Rupp on difficult mode. Mo Farah or Bekele on elite mode.)

I think that this can be fun. It won't sell awesomely like Madden (not even close), but I think by adding flashiness to the players while maintaining running intellectual integrity, you can have a fun game for newbies to experienced runners.

Remember to include Jewbacca's suggestion because a Sims-like woman is the only way he is ever going to get any.

I think high school XC would make the best game. No recruiting, just some random kids show up and you get 4 years with them.

It would work if you could take drugs and trip up competing athletes.

Otherwise, no.

t94 has a good idea too. are you a game designer or programmer or something? I wonder if EA has ever been approached about games like that, even though a small studio with good programmers cane make it too.

arunning game wouldnt require all the sophisticated programming as Call of Duty and similar titles

This is the worst idea ever.