Help Wanted: Look inside for info
 

If a mod finds me asking this objectionable, its cool. I just thought I'd ask here since I am asking a bunch of people.

Ok, I feel kinda awkward asking this, but I need a bit of help with something.
Well, let me start at the beginning...

I am in a 2 semester long course at my local university, and the main focus of the course is a term-project; we have to design a fully working, and adequately complex game. No Break-out clones allowed. I'm talking NES Super Mario Bros. or Legend of Zelda quality at the least.

The games must have (1) A definite purpose or plot (2) be of a approved genre (3) and be sufficiently complex to warrant 2 semesters worth of work.

The rules are (1) No 3rd party game making software IE RPG MAKER (2) All graphics and sprites must be original or approved for use by instructor (3) Acceptable genres are: Platform, Strategy (Turnbased or RTS), Fighting (Must have at least 5 different characters, with NO CLONES), and Shooter. (4) Other game types may be considered at professor's discretion, we chose Turnbased Stratagy, cause no one else picked it and we felt sorry for it. (5) You may work alone or in groups. (No one is working alone FYI.)

Well, basically I have until the 2nd week in April to design this game, and it is my job to design the game mechanics, while my two partners start the sprite work and do the manual and box design (we have to make a commercial too.). We aren't going to touch a piece of code until we have "measured twice" so we can make our "cut" as clean as possible.

Ok, to make a long winded post short, I need people to test my mechanics manually. We are going to test them some, but it helps to get as many people to test them out to test balance, look for flaws, get new ideas, etc. However, I don't need you now, I expect my beta mechanics to be done sometime around Thursday-Friday.

Just to let you know, I cannot pay and the mechanics may be slightly difficult to implement on a forum, which would be ideal for me, cause I could watch a game be played and see first hand how the progression goes(I would do it over AIM or something similar, but I cannot and lets leave it at that.) but I have no problem giving out rules and letting you play it that way as long as I get some feedback.

So... anyone interested?

Sure, why not. I used to help my little brother do this all the time.

Just so that we're on the same page, what operating system is this going to run on?

Strategies and PRGs, paticuarly of the turn-based type, are my preferred genres.

This cat is interested.

So long as it doesn't get in the way of my classes I'll be up for trying it out.

Sure, as long as I can find the time I'm in.

Well, we just started, and since its kinda stupid to start programming a game with no mechanics, well it is my job to make the mechanics. From scratch.

So I need to test the mechanics before we start making the game, which means you guys would be basically playing this out on paper or something with a calculator. Sucks, yeah I know, but we wanna get the mechanics at a comfortable place. Mostly it is me being anal, I could probably get by with an horribly imbalanced game and thrown together mechanics, but I am too proud for that.

I'm willling to help out. Provided I can find some time that isn't work/school.

Sure, I'll give this a try.

YES.

WITH ENTHUSIASM.

I'm probably going to end up taking a course similar to yours before too long. This will help for when that time comes to see how someone else does it and perhaps get me thinking ahead.