Game Scenario: You are the "go to" guy - a specialist in dealing with hostile, unfamiliar environments - on other planets.
You have no memory of your life before - were you a criminal? Did you volunteer for this? Is your memory simply gone in case you fall into the "wrong hands"? Whatever it is you do the same job, over and over again. And you enjoy it. Each time that you're awoken and are preped for the jump (droid ship drops you on planet surface) you are truly up for it - it's almost as if your mind has been articfically configured to think in that way.
Game missions: Varied. Can be one of... collect some plant or alien sample, save someone, gather some object, see if something is or is not on the planet (can take a while this one), look for resources, destory all/some/specifc creatures (or things) - or simply explore the environment to create a map/survey of it. Straightforward - but never straightforward.
The Dangers: Dangerous alien creatures and plant life abound. Getting the objective completed before your air runs out. Areas were you can't be beamed out at the end of your task (have to backtrack). Huge mazes to search through - or small caverns to fight your way through. Theres only ever one constant in your envrionment: its never the same twice.
Strange noises, strange animal roars, waterfalls, death - all await you.
There is one thing on your ship that may provide the answer to your former life - a sign. On it reads: "500 sucessfull missions and you're finished."
[for those completing it - nasty surprise: "Automated computer voice: 5000 mission. Initiating self distruct in 5,4,3,2,1 - blast" Background would be someone evil person captured you and your family (daughter is the sequals main character?), wiped your memory and put you to serve him for payback. You wouldn't know this till the end - if at all (are the tasks useful to him, or is all this worthless - just done to asume him?).]
[There should be misleading clues - say one in every 50th game give or take a little - left by others that have been on the planet/tasks before - "Who am I? Have I been here before?"..."My handwriting is different - are you the same..."..."I'm at 4600 - time to go home soon!", "I've lost an arm - not going to make it"]
Game Play: First person or third person perspective (first is the default). Each time a new mission begins a completely random environment is generated for the player to explore in. Some of the variables that are automatically set include:
Game Dymanics and Unique Selling Point: This is your average 1st/3rd person shooter type game with one difference - the enivronments are auto generated at the start of each game. None of this learning the level from past mistakes nonsense - you are dropped into an unfamiliar setting each time. What weapons should you take? What clothing? What is the environment like?
Among the things that should be automatically generated at game start are:
Environment type - cave, outdoors, forest etc
Play Area - size - large or small
Character height/size in relation to the enivronment - will you character be a giant on the planet? Will he be an insect, hiding from the larger creatures - or more normal height?
Cave / Tree / Wall colour and roughness
Sun light - from one source or two.
Cavern Darkness - very dark, very bright?
Time of day (outside areas and open areas in cave) - need to use your torch
Creatures - what do they look like? Size? Speed? Ferrocity? How easily do they spot you? Hunt in packs? Kill one - do the others eat it or attack you? Note that the same creature could be placid on one world (even if it looks mean) - and on the next be vicious. Not too mention it could look like an ant - or a giant depending on the player height.
Victory conditions - a race against time to get to the exit point before your air runs out? A mapping adventure? Rescue/find someone? Capture a creature? Find an object.
Plant/tree life - is there any? Are planets normal or will they attack? Is the grass green or purple?
Sound - is it silent - all you hear is your breathing through the helmet (or can you go without your suit - making you go faster?). Strange animal sounds? Do sounds come in the opposite direction you'd expect them to?
Gravity - affects how fast,long,high you can jump/move etc. Can you bolt across an open space quickly - or do you move so slow that its seems to take an age (hope theres no creatures about)?
A player should feel tripidation at the start of each game - an unfamiliar environment where the rules are rarely what you expect. For the first few seconds (of the transportation/landing on the planet) you just here your loud breathing... then the planets strange sounds fade in. Is that little cute creature friendly - or getting ready to each you when you approach?
Programming: AI instensive - its also a given that the levels wouldn't match the quality of human artists - and it would take several sequals before its full potential is reached. A lot of effort would be in error checking - making sure that the player can get through doors, complete a task realistically etc. Once or twice it can be a walk in the park - just to keep the player confused.
Automatic downloads form the net can add in new components - including ones to be experienced by players more or less at the same time. Modders can upload things and - if good - the developer could add them in automatically via the normal update service.
I like the feeling at the start of games/levels - when you don't know whats to happen. This game would give that feeling each time it was played/each level.