Ask HN: What game do you wish existed?

So i'm guessing it would be a mix between isometric view for open space (like if you had a Borrower City or sneaking outside of the walls, for example) but for climbing through the walls it would be top-down (or i guess, out to in).

I really like the idea; i'm thinking much in the same art style as something like Arrietty just slightly more western cartoonish vibes, but only subtle changes.

The Glass Bead Game.

Made in Abyss, as a game!

Procedurally generated[1] large-scale environment[2] to explore with the prime goal of adventuring downwards, with layers of organic pristine biomes[3], full of unexplainable relics and asymmetrically strong entities that live naturally within[4].

Risk of Rain 2 is the closest thing I know to this, the biggest difference being the gameplay (it's more of a fun shooter game, rather than an exploration/adventure game) and the fictional universe.

[1]: Primarily the tactical gameplay elements (terrain, elevation, enemies, spots of interest, etc.) much like roguelike games, over the visual aspects (colors, animals, trees, etc.) like No Man's Sky or biomes in Minecraft

[2]: Think of FromSoftware games: Dark Souls, Sekiro, Elden Ring — it invokes a sense of massive explorable environment, with limited movement capabilities

[3]: Think about the amazement and awe invoked when exploring an undiscovered, unique biomes in e.g.: Subnautica (Lava Lakes) or Etrian Odyssey (practically all the stratum)

[4]: Think of Monster Hunter monsters

"Id like to see a game, where the sum of players (and their interactions) are greater than just the sum of it's parts. A game with a virtual economy, a virtual society, etc. - that advance and evolve in a player-driven fashion. A simulated game world that dynamically adapts."

This describe Soulforged perfectly: https://play.soulforged.net/

It's funny but if you drop by the Discord, we've been having lengthy conversations yesterday on why this might not be fun.

The short of it is that it hurts solo players and individualism. Communes are extremely powerful and necessary for progress. There are also certain professions that are popular (like mining) but gated because of the rarity of mining picks. So a lot of people give up on their mining dreams for the greater good. The mining problem was patched just this morning, but solo gameplay is still a problem - you need to be part of some group to get anywhere.

The other major problem with a sandbox is many have no idea where to continue. They chop wood poles and then chop higher level wood and making housing from that. And then don't really have much to aspire for other than hoarding wealth. So the dev is adding quest-like features: one classic MMO quest system and a player based system, where people can pay for say, ore, or a rare material found from certain beasts.

But the world is based a lot on the players, from settlements to the name of materials.

If you guys plan on joining, civilization is past the river. Head south outside the tutorial cave, then keep moving NE past the bridge. The roads are also player built but nobody got around to making roads for the newbies.

- non-violent and non-jingoistic sports - games that teach you real stuff in a non-trivial way