>Chris Cocks charges through your door
>(You) are now lead dev on the official G6 pony game
>Budget: $0, you are encouraged to steal OCs from /mlp/
>Team: 6 horsefuckers from this board
>Deadline: 6 months or you're getting shot into the sun
>If you somehow revive the franchise, you get a one-way ticket through Hasbro's secret portal to Equestria

>Your only job: Make a pony game that captures why you started loving ponies. No lazy cashgrabs

>Core gameplay loop? (What does the player actually do?)
>How does it radiate the soul of pony?
>How is friendship a real mechanic?
>How do you make it FEEL like the real Equestria, not corpo slop?

Bonus round:
>Give it a 15 word elevator pitch
>How the fuck do you finish this with 6 horsefuckers in only 6 months, in time for christmas

>>42380607 (OP)
make it a sequel to Banned from Equestria and call it Banned From Equestria 2
easy winz

>>42380607 (OP)
Brick Twilight Sparkle is so pretty

>>42380607 (OP)
>Board OC's
I choose Aryanne, because the other ones are just gay and the other other one is Nyx.

>>42380610
Beat me to it. This sort of game is easy to develop and be engaging.

>>42380607 (OP)
This is insta fail. With zero budget I can’t pay myself or the team salaries and we starve. Also, no desks, chairs, computers, office space, etc, etc. If you expect us to have jobs on the side, 6 months is too short for anything at all.

>>42380630
You must find a way. One way ticket to Equestria is the prize. What's your game, anon?

>>42380655
If I modify the prompt to have unlimited budget instead so we can afford the best equipment and can fly everyone out to be together for these 6 months:

I think what we can manage in 6 months is something like Maretime Bay Adventure, but good/better, especially if Chris can arrange for us to have the code and assets of that game. So a game where you run around town doing errands and minigames wrapped in the mechanics of a 3D platformer. Narratively, it would be a variation on A Slice of Life: ponies interacting and having vignettes in the context of some larger event.

>It's an open world game
>You start from scratch, default is Anon
>Choose male/female, earth/unicorn/pegasus, mane, eye, tail color and some basic cutie mark design, that will be your guild.
>This is what makes EO or PonyTown popular
>Like in fallout your choices there will balance advantages versus issues
>You have to interact with ponies, bound friendship
>You will be required to team up with any of them to progress in the game
>choose your quest, you can help AJ collecting apples for bits, be Rarity's assistant, or team up with Twilight learning magic spells, learn to fly faster with Rainbowdash anjd join the wonderbolts hell you can even choose to side with CMCs or bullies in school, but does not changes the game, if there is a monster in town and you are a unicorn you will face the same fate, you better know some spells or get wrecked unless other players engage it.
All that with a ton of side-quests, and most important, randomly generated ones, maybe using some AI that makes the characters a bit more expected
>Exploration should not be a kiddie game, there are risks, there can be violence and questioning levels like in Undertale or NiEr Automata
>Story still requires to be deep but not too much scripted like in recent games
>You are one of the heroes, but not the only one
>You can also choose a path that will change how ponies perceive you
>You have decisions to make with consequences like

>be a unicorn, twilight student
>go on a quest on the everfree forest
>engage dragons and other creatures you can fight
>gain exp and points
>be acclaimed as a hero
>one dragon comes back and attacks ponyville
>he's here to avenge his family/mother/father/child
>you better have the exp at this point and the morals
>genocide run is an option
>peaceful run is also an option

>>42380736
No way you can do all that in 6 months with just 6 people.

>>42380607 (OP)
>Chatgpt make a twilight slide thread

>>42380607 (OP)
Clone the game "sewer rave" but with ponies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzJkjqeZtg0
I know I could easily code and level design this in 6 months, so I would just need writing and art from 5 other anons

baking rhythm game. you can very the ingredients by varying the dance moves

>>42380607 (OP)
>no budget
So its running off 6 volunteers that only code in their free time, all of which are also Anons known for their ability to only finish one of every thousand group projects?
Project fails instantly

>>42380736
Development:
>one anon disappears a week into it, he's never seen or heard from again
>one furs out and goes on a rant about nazis before leaving the project a few weeks later
>halfway through, a third anon loses a pet and drops out due to needing to work overtime
>fourth anon bails when its obvious nothing will get done a week after
>fifth anon tries but has a mental breakdown when he realizes its 1 month away and the game is 10% done
>last anon spent the whole time playing tf2 wearing $600 sunglasses
>after 6 months the game is a poorly constructed engine that lacks a jump animation on a little pip model

>>42380739
>>42380778
All volunteers will be committing 100% of their time to this project, after all, they're also chasing a ticket to Equestria.

>Budget: $0, you are encouraged to steal OCs from /mlp/
That's called free software. Like every fan game or app, but bonus, this one will just be licensed and advertised by Hasbro so it's a motivator if a ticket Equestria isn't enough.

>>42380607 (OP)
Me:
Anonymous ( Lead Project Director )
I'm not part of the headcount, but my role is critical: directing a small, unpaid team to deliver a complete game in just 6 months with no budget, but infinite motivation and rewards. My job is to protect the vision, remove blockers and keep everyone aligned with the spirit of the project. It may not be my dream team, but the mission must be done, and done right.


Devs:
Lemondrop ( Lead development, Engine, Systems Dev )
Ansis ( Integration, Game logic, Gameplay, Content Dev )

Artists:
Thebatfang ( Lead Character Design, Animation )
Shydale ( 3D Modeling, Layout Artist, Character rigging )
Darkdoomer ( Graphic Assets, UI designer, Scenery Design )

Music:
Princewhatever ( Composer, will have all resources available too )
No vocals, focused on atmosphere and ambient emotion even if there's just silence and footsteps in the darkness.

Tools:
Godot, Blender, we're using Vulkan so it can be ported to all platforms from PC to PS5 and mobile later, so let's focus on Pc development.
Lots of PCK and GLTF files with strict revision/version control
TOML/YAML or even JSON for the config or game mods
Valgrind for performance test and debugging
AI tools for debugging and other fixes.

Common sense applies: keep it simple, keep it productive.

>>42380792
Mr Cocks has dispatched corporate helicopters to bring everyone to a confidential location where the team will have no other task but work. The team will be isolated together in a remote, natural location far from distractions, for the full 6 months with complete access to the fandom's collective resources. Hardware resources will also be unlimited. We begin tomorrow,

>>42380607 (OP)
MLP GTA game

>>42380843
What’s the game though?

>>42381047
What's the game? An open world mmo, we can steal everything we want from concepts and character design.
Working Title: Untitled Pony Project
Core Genre: Narrative-driven open world RPG
Style: Emotional depth, branching choices, and immersive gameplay in a stylized world
Inspirations: Fallout: New Vegas, Undertale, NieR: Automata, MGS: Peace Walker/V

>Game Premise
(You) start from scratch, your oc is a newcomer or a filly to Equestria, an anon. From there, you build your identity:

Choose gender M or F, tribe (Earth, Pegasus, Unicorn), mane/eye/tail color, and cutie mark (symbolic of your emerging identity or philosophy—also tied to your starting skills).
Your background defines your strengths and weaknesses, much like SPECIAL stats in Fallout. Magic is powerful, but you might lack stamina. Pegasus can fly but are fragile. Earth ponies are tough but not magical.
The world is reactive, but not pre-scripted. You're not the chosen one, just one of many individuals whose actions matter.

>Character-Driven Progression
Relationships are key.
Every major NPC has a relationship meter and a simple but reactive AI, capable of evolving based on your choices.
You can befriend or antagonize characters like Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Lyra or other ponies you can interact with.
Dialogue and actions have real consequences, lie, steal, abandon a friend in danger, or stand up for someone, and they won't forget.

Working with ponies is essential to progress. You'll need partners to
-Help you complete certain quests (like flying missions with Dash or learning spells with Twilight).
-Support you in dangerous areas (exploring Everfree Forest solo is a death sentence unless you're leveled and skilled).
-Unlock secret areas and content.

>Quest System: Designed for Emergence
There is a main narrative but the world is full of modular, emergent content. We aim for:
-Handwritten quests: Key story arcs and character-driven missions.
-Procedural quests: Side-quests generated using AI templates, not too fussy just something that works. Each quest reacts to your current faction, relationships, and location. No two runs feel the same.
-Dynamic world events: Monster attacks, disasters, secret conspiracies that unfold even without player input, like NPCs getting involved in their own arcs.

>>42381109
Wow. You ARE retarded.

>>42380607 (OP)
I will need to visit equestria in advance for field research for the game

>>42381109

>Exploration: Cute but not safe
The world looks charming, some landscape are procedurally generated but it has teeth. We aim to recreate the emotional unpredictability of Undertale and NieR Automata:
-There is violence and moral weight.
-You can die.
-NPCs can die.
-Actions have weight, kill a monster, and you might meet its family later. Spare a villain, and they might return changed, or worse.

>Examples of branching quests:
You're a unicorn student under Twilight Sparkle.
You venture into Everfree Forest and battle monsters, among them, a dragon family.
Months later, the child of a slain dragon returns and attacks Ponyville.
The town blames you. Do you fight? Try to redeem yourself? Sacrifice something?

Genocide runs are possible but the world changes with you. If you do it right it can also be a good ending.
Ponies can turn against you if you become evil, even perhaps fight you if they have to. They will stand on their principles
Peaceful routes unlock rare paths, but require planning, empathy, and timing. But that's comfy, the game is what you make of it,

>Core Pillars
Open Exploration: A seamless, detailed Equestrian world, not too vast but alive with layered systems and places that change over time.
Emotional Stakes: Choices with consequences. AI remembers.
the save files are encrypted so you cannot cheat or modify it
Story arcs build over real time.
Custom Pony Identity: Not a power fantasy. You craft a unique life, with your own relationships, scars, and reputation. You believe in your OC? You better do.

>Some extra
There's still a story line, if you don't act, the story will still go on without you.
You can play as a regular pony or as a tourist,
You can also stare at mare butts all day, which will eventually react or shout a "Huh, weirdo/What are you looking at?/do you mind?/Are you looking for something?" for most ponies, or even bond love with your mare even, but there would be at some point a moment where you need to get in touch and involved. That's the catch.

>>42381113
I'm using OP as a ref, what's retarded in this? Wanna make a dumb fighter pony game? A pony porn simulation that will make the gamer play it for 5 minutes? It got to be immersive.
If that's retarded explain how.

The simpler it is the better it gets. Take your OC to Equestria and play with it, no need to even script everything which save time and efforts, speeding up the game development.
Big lines of the script are done and soundtracks will be done in parallel, per area, theme, character, mood, bosses, titles and credits.
Get a solid, simple game logic and you won't have to even fuss the damn thing.

>>42381141
The scope is unreal. Studios spend 50M on just a small piece of this and still take years to finish.
Feels like you just mashed up a bunch of rpg trends but with ponies. Every failed indie dev aims for this.

It doesn't answer what the unique hook is. What about this has to do with what made you fall in love with pony? Build from that.

>>42380607 (OP)

>pitch
(You) must guide three lonely ponies to rediscover a missing Element of Harmony by reading their body language and acting with empathy.

>game loop
Walk into a comfy scene, observe the pony's expressions and body language, play a short mini-game that tests your understanding of their mood, then you can see how well you did based on what they wrote in their letter reflecting what they learned.
Minigames could be spotting which emotion if fake from subtle animation cues (honesty), or picking the right supportive action at the right time, hug, listen, joke, or berate (kindness)

>soul of pony
slice of life, empathy, learning about the elements through trial and error and social cues

>friendship mechanic
Emotional states are hidden. You only make progress by noticing their body language and choosing what fits their feelings in the minigames. As friendship increases they gradually embody an element. You must push them in that direction.

>make it feel like Equestria
Handcrafted and expressive ponies. Each has their own quirks and tells. Cozy backgrounds, lots of small character moments. A villain takes over Equestria if you don't friendship fast enough.

>finish in 6 months
three ponies, three elements, three scenes. Lots of animation polish, stop adding features at month 3 and focus on the essentials first, cut animations if not enough time

>>42381730
Just a MLP Karting game, or wait for it.
Pegasus Combat Flight Sim
just replace the planes with ponies. there. Nailed it.

RPG maker Game where you play as a Berry Punch who has become a shut in following some really bad crash out she’s too ashamed of to go out and be seen in public. Base it off Omori, and have you pass out drunk and dream about traveling to different levels, each themed based on the beverage which you got pissed off of. Plot is about Berry confronting her inner demons (alcoholism) in the form of boss fights

>>42380607 (OP)
>captures why I started loving ponies
I think people would find an MC that only masturbates and watches cartoons as too relatable.

>>42380843
You have no budget for a helicopter, fuel, an island, 6 months of food, computers, etc.
Do you not understand the concept of a budget?

Fuckin uhhhhhh, just use the idea I got autistically stuck in my head; mlp x-com. We can just do what they did for Terror from the Deep to get it ready in six months and just build off the vanilla game. We can add an actual Friendship stat and mechanic that makes your ponies get some bonuses if they're exhibiting team work on missions (throwing smoke to hide their allies, downing aliens/changelings/whatever enemy we decide on that hurt an ally).