Step 1: The Concept

[Virally Yours]

Before we can make any real progress, we've got to come up with what we want the game to be. Once we figure out that, we can start coming up with how to distribute work and really get the ball rolling.

To that end, we need to start brewing up solid, implementable ideas. Try to keep your suggestions within our realm of possibility, as well as serious. Of course we want a fun game, but don't make stupid suggestions because you laughed at the idea. After a day or so of all of us putting in suggestions, we'll come to a vote. Also, make sure to bold your suggestion (so it stands out among other text you might have). Don't worry about coming up with names and everything like that just yet, but a very broad idea where we can all contribute relatively freely to its full concept.

And don't waste time on this! This is going to be the easiest and fastest part of the process by far, so let's not sit on it because we won't have that convenience later.

I'll start us off:
2D fighting game with robots.

[chrisinajar]

Instanced isometric view RPG (Diablo II-ish)
Basically a similar concept of Diablo II, where each time you play it's instanced. A much more randomized world though, and more detailed item system. Trading of items will be very stressed. Things like random events will be easy to implement too, like limited time extremely hard (enough that 1 person probably can't complete it on their own) quests that give unique items...
We'd design the mechanics to be flexible so that adding in lots and lots of new items and story and stuff is easy to do, possibly doing an overall storyline influenced by actions of the players.
Another idea for this is to make the story line flexible in that events can happen in different orders and the storyline forks a lot, making the playthroughs somewhat different each time (Mass Effect-ish)... If we design the mechanics to allow adding more forks in later on, then we can just keep adding more and more story to the game, creating a large universe...

[Trazgo]

Isometric or Top-Down, Random Encounters, Turn Based Fighting (Earthbound/Final Fantasy)

Isometric would look better, Top-Down would be easier.  I'd probably prefer a real-time game like the one Chris suggested, but a turn-based game would be easier and still fairly fun.

[chrisinajar]

We can do isometric, and we can do close to real-time...

Isometric isn't really any harder on the development team, but is harder on the art team...

[Supernaut]

Robots eh? Well I am not a huge fan of robot fighting games but I think I can pull it off. Give me a bit I will be back with ideas.

[chrisinajar]

Top down space game RPG with (isometric|top down) docking
Basically you're in a 2D space with planets and asteroids and shit... There's space combat, you can fly around, basic 2d physics while out there... Then you can dock onto a planet or an asteroid and control then goes to your player, where it's either an isometric or a top down view of your player walking around... interact with shops, fight ship, build cities... The two modes are distinctly different and do different things (leveling up your character doesn't make your ship better, buying a better ship doesn't make your character better)... Probably MMO...

[Trazgo]

1800s Zombie/Werewolf/Etc Isometric Dungeon Crawl
You're a Van Helsing sort of character, and you go through various dungeons killing enemies, solving puzzles, fighting badass bosses until you finally reach the end of the game and have an epic boss fight.  Similar gameplay to the early Zelda games.

[FuLLBLeeD]

How about a 2D Metal Slug style side scrolling shooter?

[Tetrodotoxin]

What Chris Said  
Except with a cyberpunk twist, three classes off the top of my head, PSI-Asssain, (mage equivilent) Marine(Heavy weapons/SMG) Kinda Like A Rouge. And The Space Warrior(Plasma swords exotic melee, Pistols). story wise, you are sent to a ship(Or A Planet) where a rouge ai has taken control, fuseing the inhabitents with machine, and other synth like creatures. also i would like to incorporate some sort of cyberspace.

Also fullbleed +1 Or Metroid Type as well.

[Supernaut]

I love Metal Slug I like that idea but I thought he meant like a Street Fighter kind of thing lol.

[froggeh]

A single player player game in which you play multiple characters. You will play one character through the whole game then play the next character, the previous character will do everything the way you played it. Repeat. I think there are some interesting story/puzzle possibilities.

[Virally Yours]

Isometric RPG
It can have an ancient Mediterranean setting. A barbarian tribe has over-run your country's capital while you were defending another city from barbarian invaders. You must fight your way to Mt. Olympus and fight superhuman foes during your climb to the top, where you fight a boss to get a spear made of lightning, crafted by Zeus himself. Once you get this weapon you have the power necessary to fight the barbarians on the way to the capital, where you encounter the barbarian leader.

[FuLLBLeeD]

Dating sim

[oENDERo]

Dating sim

a Mediterranean isometric dungeon crawling dating sim.

[Tetrodotoxin]

a Mediterranean isometric dungeon crawling dating sim for robots on mars.

[Virally Yours]

Any other serious suggestions before the small handful of people who actually contributed decide on the concept to start with?

[FuLLBLeeD]

SERIOUS POST:

Isometric arcade shooter like Geometry Wars.

[chrisinajar]

SERIOUS POST:

Isometric arcade shooter like Geometry Wars.

Hmm, how would we make a shooter like Geometry Wars in an isometric view?

[chrisinajar]

Escape Velocity style ship with isometric on foot play too, online game
EV Style flying around and shit, much much more customizable ships, allowing for actual builds and strategies instead of just putting the biggest gun on. Make the combat system have an almost turn based feel to it while still being semi-realtime... When I'm imagining this, it has almost a Rogue Trader (WH 40k game) style combat system. Brendan and I were talking about interesting builds, I thought it'd be cool to make a tank ship, slow and armored, no real weapons other than slows and disables, and an ability that allows it to get short speed bursts... Disable em and burst at them to ram, then board them to damage their ship... Get locked into a boarding action over and over and end up fighting them with people instead of weaponry... It'd be very cool if the ships were extremely customizable with items and skills and shit... Maybe 10 or so different hull classes which give access to different items... Large scale, even the smallest ship is a ship with a large crew, the largest being basically a city with motors...
We also talked about giving the ability to land and the game would change to be on foot. While on foot you're playing as you, and you have to run around and do random shit... I dunno, we didn't think out too much about the on foot play...
This is either persistent or instanced, I'm not sure...

Another Idea:
Steampunk themed Diablo II clone <-- I like this the best
There really aren't any good D2 clones out there, and I think we can make a good one. A well thought out and maybe more flexible skill system, definitely a nice randomized weapon system with much much more options. The world should change and there would be game events that correspond to an overall storyline, in the traditional MMO style, but without being a shitty MMO that makes me angry because I don't want to go collect 32 pigs feet for your fucking soup... I think we can definitely plan out an awesome RPG game, and we can make the different character builds diverse enough to make it really interesting, unlike Borderlands. While I don't have a lot of details planned out for this idea, I think we can collaboratively think up some awesome ideas and game mechanics.

[oENDERo]

Another Idea:
Steampunk themed Diablo II clone <-- I like this the best
There really aren't any good D2 clones out there, and I think we can make a good one. A well thought out and maybe more flexible skill system, definitely a nice randomized weapon system with much much more options. The world should change and there would be game events that correspond to an overall storyline, in the traditional MMO style, but without being a shitty MMO that makes me angry because I don't want to go collect 32 pigs feet for your fucking soup... I think we can definitely plan out an awesome RPG game, and we can make the different character builds diverse enough to make it really interesting, unlike Borderlands. While I don't have a lot of details planned out for this idea, I think we can collaboratively think up some awesome ideas and game mechanics.

I like this one.

[Daguava [BBC]]

your display pic makes cthulhu cry.

[Trazgo]

Steampunk themed Diablo II clone

This would have my vote.  I spent sooo much time on D2 (and still go back to it when I get bored of current games) and would love to make a game like it.

Also these pictures of "Steampunk Ironman" looks like he could be inspiration for a boss to me.  http://gizmodo.com/357896/steampunk-iron-man-our-unhealthy-obsession-continues

[chrisinajar]

This would have my vote.  I spent sooo much time on D2 (and still go back to it when I get bored of current games) and would love to make a game like it.

Also these pictures of "Steampunk Ironman" looks like he could be inspiration for a boss to me.  http://gizmodo.com/357896/steampunk-iron-man-our-unhealthy-obsession-continues

I think everyone alive is to some extent obsessed with steampunk. People who say otherwise are just in denial.

[oENDERo]

your display pic makes cthulhu cry.

ORLY?
well if you dislike the owl-man, you should die.

[Tetrodotoxin]

I think everyone alive is to some extent obsessed with Cyber/steampunk. People who say otherwise are just in denial.

fixed.