I am here with a new idea again: Video as Game.
Imagine a relaxing driving game where you drive alone on a single lane road inside a vehicle.
What is the freedom you have?
You can speed up and slow down
You can move left-right a little bit
Corners are wider so you have more freedom to move left-right
You can turn your head
But the freedom you have is pretty limited.
If we use recorded video for environment and render the vehicle on top of video with a few tricks you have the whole gameplay (except turning the head but we can auto turn the head for corners so you can have proper experience).
Also with some simple tricks we can also have up/down movement of head inside vehicle to get more natural feedback.
To make something like this it shouldn't be a video from real life but it should be pre-rendered video because of some limitations.
If we make a game like this, what are the advantages?
Realistic objects
Realistic lighting
Unlimited realistic render distance
Unlimited realistic details
Better performance because only vehicle/vehicle shadows/particles rendered
We can have snow/dust etc particles with a little bit extra work
And disadvantages?
Cannot turn your head, automated for corners
Cannot have moving pre-rendered objects (wind for grass/trees)
Has to be pre-rendered for every weather/time of day
Big file size for each environment/weather/time of day
It might require minimum speed limit for straight roads to keep file size low
Cannot use other cameras, only first person camera will be available
I think with realistic force feedback, realistic environment sounds, high quality vehicle interiors, realistic vehicles sounds, dirt for window and dust/snow particles etc we can have a great relaxing driving experience even with a mid-range pc.
I was playing ETS2/ATS for this reason, to drive a hour a day to chill and rest. But quality is not good enough.
What do you think, would you play something like this when you want to chill and have a realistic driving experience with actually realistic graphics?