I recently came up with a concept for a video game roadgeeks would love. It would basically be an open world driving simulator that would combine the racing of Forza Horizons, the storytelling of Grand Theft Auto, and the endless creative worlds of Minecraft in a virtual world just like our own, powered by an advanced version of Google Streetview.
It would have a couple of different modes:
Explore:
This mode would let you drive anywhere you wanted in the areas mapped out at whatever speed you liked.
Missions:
This mode would let you do specific missions which would have some sort of realistic goal, like say, "Drive this NASA scientist from Space Center Houston to Cape Canaveral to observe a rocket launch. However, the rocket launches in just a couple of hours, and there are no flights to take over there, so you must speed him over there in record time."
There could be police cars, inclement weather, and all sorts of different variables to make these missions enjoyable and challenging. In addition, users would be able to create mission scenarios for other users to try.
Sandbox:
This mode would allow you to channel your inner Fritzowl by building and creating roads, to either be used in a mission scenario or in your own world. Needless to say, this would be any roadgeeks favorite mode.
Story:
This mode would be like the mission mode, except the missions would be less time consuming and would connected into some sort of story.
Race:
In this mode, you would would be able to mark out a real life route and race AI opponents in a thrilling race across the US. Ever wanted to race across the Ponchatrain Causeway at speeds over 150 mph? Or what about a challenging race in the Appalachians or the Sierra Nevada? Users could also share fun races they created.
In the game, you would be able to upgrade your car and get helpful tools such as a radar detector for ingame currency, likely from completing missions.
Sadly, this game probably couldn't exist, given all the extensive mapping it would entail and the storage it would require. Perhaps this could exist in 10 years or so.
What do you guys think? If you're confused about something, don't be afraid to ask about it; I may have not explained certain aspects of the idea clearly enough.
Sounds really fun! I mean we do have street view for most of the roads, but the game still would be a significant undertaking.
Denmark made a to-scale version of their country in Minecraft. Of course, being Minecraft, you can't have details smaller than 1 meter long/wide/tall. (Denmark's highest point is 171 m above sea level; Minecraft allows 192 without changing where sea level is. Most countries couldn't do this.)
I don't think this is beyond our capabilities at all - albeit maybe scaled down a bit to maybe a metro region (or several).
This could be a lot of fun. The "missions" mode reminds me of U Drive It mode (https://simcity.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_U-Drive_It_missions) in SimCity 4. Maybe some missions could come from Cousin/Uncle Vinnie or the insidious Dr. Vu.
This has many similarities to BeamNG.drive (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=25971.0), where you can create your own maps, roads, and missions. However, the maps are rather limited in size, because if they were much bigger, the game could not run properly. Should this game become a reality, it would be crucial to allow support of external input devices, like a steering wheel. When playing BeamNG, I have been using my mouse to steer and control my speed.