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I'm making a game about Nazi Germany, and I need YOUR to help!

Discussion in 'WWII General' started by RaconteurNick, May 2, 2016.

  1. RaconteurNick

    RaconteurNick New Member

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    Hi everyone!

    I stumbled upon this forum a few days ago, and I'm absolutely loving it. Been a huge WW2 buff my whole life, and this is an awesome community to discuss it and ask questions about it.

    I'll be completely honest with you: I'm worried. Why? The world around us is changing, and there are so many things going on that serve as unsettling parallels to a different time in history.

    We've never been more connected, but at the same time, we're showing less and less understanding of others. Far easier it is today to make a blanket criticism of a group of people we don't understand, than to take the time to see the world from their point of view and ask better questions about why we hold such views in the first place.


    I run a video game company, and we're making a game about a different time where similar mindsets were common. A time where people decided to go with what the majority said, instead of speaking out. A time where intelligent people made questionable decisions that devalued their fellow men and women. A time where the media reigned king, and people were swayed by what "everyone was saying."

    A time we all know as Nazi Germany.

    You might be wondering -- "what?!" Let me explain.

    We're inspired by world events to make a game that promotes empathy, a game that takes you back in time to a tough moment in our world where everyday people had to make decisions. Tough decisions. The purpose of this game is to put you into a simple, heavily researched, historically accurate game -- like a "choose your own adventure" book. Each choice matters, and directly allows you to see the consequences of your choices.

    With our game, players will no longer see a terrible moment in history as "they were all crazy and that'll never happen again," but rather, "this happened because of ordinary people choosing to 'do' or 'do nothing'" -- that ordinary people impact the world, choice by choice.

    I've had gut feelings for over a year now that this is something we needed to make, and now, we're making it come to life. We can't do that without people who believe in us, though.

    Today, I humbly ask this awesome community to give me your thoughts on the idea. I came to this community because of the wonderful discussion, and I've realized it's the best place to get some honest feedback on this idea to help us mold it into something that could change the world forever.

    If you don't think I'm absolutely insane, your thoughts on these questions would help me tremendously:
    1. What is your initial reaction to hearing about a game in Nazi Germany, purely at face value?
    2. After seeing the goal of the game, what are your thoughts and criticisms?
    3. Would you buy this? (All things being equal, so regardless of any platform)

    If you really like the idea and want to stay in touch about the game, please sign up on this page. I'm mainly here for these questions, though, so no hard feelings if you don't want to. We won't spam you, and if you don't like it, unsubscribe -- I promise it won't hurt our feelings. :)

    I'd rather my feelings be hurt than to stand by and watch the world change because I did nothing.

    I genuinely believe that each and every one of us can impact history. Will you help us do it?

    Can't wait to hear what you guys think!
     
    KJ Jr, SpiceAndWolf and McCabe like this.
  2. SpiceAndWolf

    SpiceAndWolf New Member

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    1) Sounds interesting! I think we need more games that show a different side to the war than just the fighting.

    2) Personally I might be a bit afraid of the game being a bit too informational and than fun. The "each choice matters" and the game having marginally different story paths would definitely be a selling point for me.

    3) The idea sounds great but I can't really say without having something in front of me, but with the topic and purpose I'm leaning towards a yes.

    Just a question, would the game focus on civilian or military life?
     
  3. RaconteurNick

    RaconteurNick New Member

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    Awesome feedback! In regards to question 2 -- it creates an immersive story with historically accurate scenarios. So it's not like a narrator will be telling you all the factual details at every point -- we just researched it painstakingly down to every detail in order to create a historically accurate and tasteful portrayal. The script and storylines are done, and we're working with Holocaust institutes in order to verify the accuracy of our sources and our portrayals. It is very much meant to be an immersive experience, rather than "here is what happened on July 27th, 1938" etc.

    As for your other question -- it will have two storylines: an Aryan German (who can join the Hitler Youth), and a Jewish German. So you technically get both sides, though more paramilitary than formal military. Every choice results in a different story outcome in the sections immediately following it, and some decisions are more far-reaching. In some storylines, you die three choices in; in some, you might end up a POW after trying to escape to Russia; in some, you live until after the war. It has dozens of outcomes, all of which accurately reflect what would have happened to you at that time had you made that choice.

    Hope that answers your question! :) Happy to answer anything that you may be wondering about.
     
  4. bronk7

    bronk7 Well-Known Member

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    so the setting is Germany?
    well, can that be varied enough to keep gamers interested?

    I remember a prisoner of war game sometime back that did not do well...I loved it, but many people thought it was boring...
    I would like something different than just shooter games...I've been searching a lot for one
     
  5. KJ Jr

    KJ Jr Well-Known Member

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    This is quite the undertaking and I tip my hat to you if you continue down this road.

    I believe the setting is important for historical purposes. Please keep in mind, your content is horrific and based on hate and prejudice. The shoot em up Nazi game should be avoided. If you really want to make a unique game that gives an historical perspective into National Socialist Germany, the "adventure theme" is the way to go.

    Have you ever played the game MYST? It was an interesting, thought provoking game based on a fantastical world where you needed to problem solve to reach your main objective. Its ancient by gaming standards but it was very much before its time. I can see a game of that nature set in Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myst

    In addition, please do your research, go all in. If your overarching goal is to make a difference and educate people, especially in the digital age we are living, do your due diligence. Many members on this forum can suggest great reference material. For a start read Richard Evan's trilogy of the Third Reich, Ian Kershaw's works and, although it is dated, The Rise and Fall by Shirer has good insight. (That will keep you going for awhile :) )

    Good luck with project.
     
  6. Brian Smith

    Brian Smith Active Member

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    Sorry do not see the point. If you want to educate then lots of books and information available. What next ISIS inspired chess sets?
     
  7. RaconteurNick

    RaconteurNick New Member

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    We've done a lot of research with potential customers, and the majority seem to think it's something that's very interesting. It's not a shooter at all, more like a very simplified adventure game. :) If you remember that game, please let me know the title if it comes back to you -- would love to research it. Looking at similar projects that have failed is important.

    Thank you so much for the leads! Yes, it's like a simplified adventure game, not a shooter or anything action-packed. It's slow and meant to educate you in that world. You hit the nail on the head - it's a world of hate and prejudice, which is why we're cutting no corners and making sure our story is cited, accurate, and externally verified. :)

    Appreciate the honest feedback.
     
  8. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    Myst is a good example, but it was baffling to me. I admit, I'm not much of a gamer. Seems to be much like, but more thought provoking, than the old Choose Your Own Adventure books. I concur with KJ, make sure you do the necessary research first. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the time will spot errors. There's plenty of accumulated knowledge here so feel free to pose any questions you might have,
     
  9. KJ Jr

    KJ Jr Well-Known Member

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    Unfortunately, the youth of today aren't interested in reading vs. plugging in to the latest device. It's just the sign of the times. My son, who is 3, is already at the touch screen phase and can navigate the tablet efficiently. Kids are more apt to engage in learning that is digitally enhanced. It's depressing as hell, but it's not going anywhere. If a game, like the OP's, is what it takes for students to learn and absorb history and learn from it, have at it.
     
  10. bronk7

    bronk7 Well-Known Member

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    that game I think, of course, Prisoner of War......

    yes...I went to the library a lot....then of, course, I took my daughters.....we had a PC for when the younger one was born...but she still read a lot--and from what I gathered, was one of the only ones who read a lot....now that she's older, she's on her phone now, most of the time..but still reads....she did score in the top 1% on the basic Iowa tests, I'm proud to say.....
    I used to read the paper everyday, but now I do it online, and am more apt to check history online-.....my daughters do most of their school work on the laptop or chromebook.....
     
  11. RaconteurNick

    RaconteurNick New Member

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    The research is our top priority. Currently the story and all plot lines are complete with citations and everything, and now we're getting it in front of Holocaust organizations to help confirm that everything is accurate. Any other questions along the way, I will definitely ask. :)

    One question I've had brewing for a while -- one thing we're going to run into is that for the Jewish German storyline, is it more or less still historically accurate as a whole to give players the option to be male or female? With this storyline it seems feasible to let players choose. Men and women dealt with several unfortunately obvious differences, but to be a Jew at that time was a similar experience across the board, rather than if you were a male in the Hitler Youth or a female in the female-equivalent organizations. I wanted to know if it would still be accurate, all things being equal, to give players that choice of male or female when being a Jewish character (the concern here being a blanket assumption that historical accuracy would not be lost).



    I'll see if I can find it, thanks! And yes, kids these days do not read nearly as much. There is a ton of literature out there on the subject so in that regard it's a very clustered market, but there is no interactive resource to our knowledge that comes anywhere close to telling this story in this way. We want it to be engaging for kids and adults alike.
     
  12. GunSlinger86

    GunSlinger86 Well-Known Member

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    Make sure you make the point that they were all occultists, and the Nazis weren't a political party as we think of it today. They were a religious cult of occult and esoteric beliefs. They were like a secret society that came out into the open (Skull and Bones, Freemasonry, etc., share similarities with Nazism, not the murderous part.)
     
  13. McCabe

    McCabe Active Member

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    All of them?
     
  14. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    I don't think this is germane to the topic being discussed. Only a few (like Himmler and others) were interested in the occult. Hitler was a pragmatist who used whatever advanced his cause.
     
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  15. bronk7

    bronk7 Well-Known Member

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    party members, etc would be an interesting thread, no? and why they joined, along with himmler's nutty stuff
     
  16. KJ Jr

    KJ Jr Well-Known Member

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    I completely agree with Lou. As much as we like to think the National Socialist party was a group of mad men, it was a "legitimate" party in Germany even before Hitler arrived on the scene. It sat on terrible principles, but it was still a party.
     
  17. GunSlinger86

    GunSlinger86 Well-Known Member

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    Hitler had a personal occultist who told him to go get a mandrake root at the stroke of midnight at the turn of the year 1933 if he wanted success, he did just that. He also had an astrologist. Hess was an occultist, his whole staff, Himmler, his whole staff... They were a cult not a party.
     
  18. GunSlinger86

    GunSlinger86 Well-Known Member

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    He had to get the mandrake root from the place of his birth at the stroke of midnight 1933. He later had that man killed during the Night of the Long Knives.
     
  19. green slime

    green slime Member

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    This of course confirmed by the same author that told us about Churchill's non-famous non-quotes? Or, in other words: sources please.
     
  20. bronk7

    bronk7 Well-Known Member

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    von Braun was a party member, etc...he was a scientist...not a nut....a lot of the members were 'regular' people just like you
     

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