If you could develop a video game based on Doctor Who

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

Gatewhovians. I require your assistance!

Apart from the Adventure Games, Doctor Who video games haven't really been all that successful either commercially or critically. Over at IWG we've started a new series of articles called The Game Generator, where we choose something from popular culture (be it a movie, character, TV show, film or book) which has had either one or more attempts to break into the gaming medium before and didn't work out. The first such article was on Superman, which you can check out here: http://www.imwithgeek.com/games/the-...t-gen-superman

As a Whovian I am interested in writing the next article on how to make a great Doctor Who adaptation but I need your help. If they were going to produce a fully-fledged Doctor Who video game for release on next-gen platforms (Wii U, PS4 and/or Xbox One) and PC, what would your requirements for it be?

What story would you go for? Would the various Doctors be playable or just one? Would the game be a platformer? A puzzle-game? A sort-of shooter, but with a sonic instead of a gun which you use to manipulate your environment? A combination of all genres?

Thanks in advance!

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

Also, it was P90's idea.

[P-90_177]

Also, it was P90's idea.

Technically it was your idea, I just said you should do it for more than just Supes.

Anyway...

In some ways Doctor Who kinda requires a very particular type of game given that he's not a guy who is prone to shooting or fighting.

An RPG might be appropriate. And possibly take a risk by making each Doctor individual to the player by having a customization of appearance and clothing. There possibly would be plenty of opportunities to see the older Doctor's through Timeline crossovers or flashbacks and such.

Storywise, and in keeping with the individualism of the game, you could have a story that has the current Doctor in the show (most likely capaldi in this case) getting into a situation that has multiple timelines and parallel universes converging and able to show the Doctor the roads not taken in his life. The player can be a Doctor from at the start of his life or very early on in his adventures and choose what adventures he goes on and what companions he brings along.

I'd imagine that as an RPG you'd have his abilities built up over time. Mostly these would be fairly traditional such as Tech and electronics abilities, as well as charisma and speech capabilities.
Speech would have to be a big aspect. I'm picturing a Mass Effect style radial wheel that allows the player to choose how he responds to NPC's. Is the Doctor sarcastic? Arrogant? Absent Minded? Caring? Angry? The player gets to make those choices. As well as those choices where the doctor has to make the big decisions in regards to his enemies such as whether he destroys them himself, creates a situation where they destroy themselves, or even chooses to save them.

Leveling up would occur in a fairly traditional RPG manner as well, but I can imagine that every so often there would be a BIG mission to go on that may or may not result in the Doctor sacrificing himself and needing to regenerate. This would mean a change of character appearance that the player can't control (except perhaps fairly loosly like age or height or hair colour) but they can choose a new costume themselves.

Missions would have a range of objectives and variables and again the key thing would be choice of where to go through time and space. Obviously you need to give the player the opportunity to pilot the TARDIS and maybe even play with the desktop theme.

I'd actually like to see the ability to level up the TARDIS and the companions you bring along too, with the relationships between the Doctor and his companions being rather dynamic and changeable. Firefly online has an interesting dynamic in this regard that they're working on for their release that gives a good idea of the potential in this:
https://keepflying.com/game-play/tec...utonomous-npcs

Not sure what the gameplay might be. To get it properly right I don't think it would be like any other game we've seen before with the key thing being to focus on making each and every playthrough being a unique experience for every player. Interactions with the canon doctors who we know both past and present would be great but I think the key thing is to allow the player to form their own Doctor so as to allow the player to feel like they are the Doctor and not just guiding him.

[Flyboy]

Personally, I'd be interested in a 'Worlds of Doctor Who' game...

i.e, not ACTUALLY starring the Doctor, but maybe following UNIT during an alien invasion or some such like....

[The Flyattractor]

For the shooter you could just toss in Abslom Daak: Dalek Killer.

[knowles2]

But my first thought is that Doctor Who is pretty much the worst franchise out there for gaming. An that probably why the BBC hasn't had big studios offering stupid amount of money to produce one.

I think it has to be a detective type game where you have to look for clues and solve a mystery each level or to string along puzzles. The problem I see with this approach is that the BBC would demand that the puzzles be easy enough so children can take part, which sort of make it boring for the rest of us.

I don't think the game should have loads of game play features, it should be strip back so the the only has one sonic screw driver and he or his companion can't gain new skills, skills and tech trees.

Just the doctor, is sonic screw driver and his companion or companions. I would have it that the player can play as the companion or the doctor through the aventures, 2 co-op mode.

I would set the story in an era where humanity is out in the stars doing great things. I wouldn't include any of the doctor traditional enemies such as the Daleks and so forth, completely new enemies for the game.

I will add more ideas later after I get some sleep.

[The Flyattractor]

It could possibly work as a point and click.

[Teddybrown]

Id think something like Assassins Creed: Black Flag or Mass Effect (not on actual game type, but on the size of these games i.e. multiple planets, or open world). Maybe a cross planet adventure with added side quests along the way? And of course Murray Gold to score it.

[P-90_177]

Id think something like Assassins Creed: Black Flag or Mass Effect (not on actual game type, but on the size of these games i.e. multiple planets, or open world). Maybe a cross planet adventure with added side quests along the way? And of course Murray Gold to score it.

Indeed. That's more what I was thinking. Something that's suitably not at all linear in how you play.

[rushy]

I'd design it like the Star Trek 25th Anniversary/Judgment Rites games where you have to solve puzzles, have an inventory, a point-and-click adventure, basically.
The TARDIS could function as a hub between all the missions(serials?) and your companion(s) would be an additional asset.

There'd be multiple ways you can approach and solve a situation and you get score(and rewards) for being moral. The game would have an old DOS look.

It would be limited to classic Doctors though, since New Who isn't really about the universe, it's more about the Doctor(and that would be crappy video game material, no offense).

[cosmichobo]

Sorry, you're all too late...

http://forum.gateworld.net/threads/8...eedback-needed!

It'll be out real soon... I'm sure...




Thing is, everyone has their favourite Doctor, so for a start, if you don't include them all, then you're limiting your audience... I own the very annoying Dr Who game that's on the Wii, with 11/Amy, roaming around a spaceship flashing your sonic... but I didn't, and wouldn't, BUY it...

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

Wow, so many different approaches and all perfectly valid. This article might take a while ...

[P-90_177]

Wow, so many different approaches and all perfectly valid. This article might take a while ...

Might I recommend an article in two parts?

[cosmichobo]

Oh, and don't forget a Cushing verison, too!

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

Might I recommend an article in two parts?

You might.

Oh, and don't forget a Cushing verison, too!

Are you kidding?!