Originally Posted by Jon Lambert Coding
All right everyone, we've decided on making a platformer, and while we are currently still working on choosing a gameplay progression model, that does not prevent us from working on coding engines and the like for the game. So, what I would like to do right now is find someone who can lead the coding efforts, a Coding Leader, if you will. The Coding Leader will be responsible for organizing coding efforts, which will require making sure it is apparent as to who is coding what, helping out with any coding that needs work, leading discussion on how things should be coded, and coding things in general. The Coding Leader will not end up having to code everything, but will have to code some things, and because of that, the Coding Leader should be well-rounded in coding skill and have experience with coding platform engines, menus, and the like necessary for a game. If you want to be the Coding Leader, simply say so and say why. Otherwise, if you just want to contribute to coding, say that as well.
Right now we would be working on coding a platform engine, so you can say what you think should be coded in to the engine or discuss how you think it should be coded, and once you get a good idea of this, and we have a Coding Leader, we can get to work on actually coding the engine.
Story
All right people, I figure that to get other parts of the game done as well, it can't hurt to start working on the story right about now. Any story is probably acceptable. Keep in mind that we don't know what the gameplay progression will be like just yet so that may or may not change how the story can work. Otherwise, you can think of pretty much anything. When you do come up with a story or ideas for story elements, remember that you'll need to also think of a theme for the game, e.g. dark, as the music, graphics, and sound will have to match the story.
The game needs to be heavily modifiable. Since this is a community project, it is important that later on people are able to add new levels and extend the functionality. Thus it is important to make it open source and add a level editor. All music and graphics should be stored externally. BTW, I'm still working on my platform engine. It has become more complex than I anticipated.
It is also important in my opinion to have many items to collect and sidequests not important to the main story. Look at Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. There is a wealth of stuff to do outside of the main story (i.e. get Epona, find all the heart containers, capture all the Big Poes, etc.) This gives it a lot of replay value and LoZoT is held to be one of the best videogames of all time.
I am sticking with my four-legged animal idea. You are a mercenary working with other mercenaries to chase a sorceror. You manage to catch up with him, but he turns you and your fellow mercenaries into animals. You are changed into a wolf. He then promises to change you and your friends back if you complete a quest for him. Your friends agree, but because of your fierce pride and hatred of the sorceror, you escape. Later you meet up with other sacred animals. It is then that you learn that you have the power to transform into different animals. There are three sacred animals each with their own power. These are your main transformations. You can also acquire minor transformations which are other transformations that are helpful to your quest. Animals in this game are only based on real-life animals. Each animal has their own special power
As per controls: There are only two buttons: One jumps, the other activates your special power.
The two sacred animals that I have thought of right now are: A frog-type animal who has the power to wall jump and double jump (In the 3D mario sense; you know, hit the jump key as you touch the ground to jump higher) as well as inhale and shoot out items/enemies. However, when you have inhaled an item/enemy, your jump strength is decreased and you can't double jump or wall jump.
The other sacred animal I thought of is based off furret from pokemon. He looks like furret but he can run and dash really fast, like sonic. He has the power to dash up walls and steep angled slopes.
The last animal I thought of is a minor transformation: a spider. Instead of jump, he can shoot a thread to any point that he can shoot to. His special power is reminiscent of the grappling beam in Super Metroid.
You can change form at will and it is important in many boss battles as the sacred animals are the only animals that can attack and damage enemies.
Awesomeness is Watermelon.
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Originally Posted by Watermelon876 The game needs to be heavily modifiable. Since this is a community project, it is important that later on people are able to add new levels and extend the functionality. Thus it is important to make it open source and add a level editor. All music and graphics should be stored externally.
I don't see why one necessitates the other, but it's an idea. I'm more for a closed experience with a storyline and a complete package. Maybe some functionality akin to Knytt's downloadable stories could be done, but that seems a completely different direction for gameplay progression.
Originally Posted by Watermelon876 The game needs to be heavily modifiable. Since this is a community project, it is important that later on people are able to add new levels and extend the functionality. Thus it is important to make it open source and add a level editor. All music and graphics should be stored externally.
I don't see why one necessitates the other, but it's an idea. I'm more for a closed experience with a storyline and a complete package. Maybe some functionality akin to Knytt's downloadable stories could be done, but that seems a completely different direction for gameplay progression.
Actually I just told you my idea as an afterthought. That one is more of a storyline based game.
Edited by Watermelon876
Awesomeness is Watermelon.
*／l、
ﾞ（ﾟ､ ｡ ７
l、ﾞ ~ヽ
じしf_, )ノ
This is Koji. Copy and paste Koji to your sig so he can acheive world domination.
Assault Andy Administrator
I make other people create vaporware
Registered 29/07/2002
Points 5686
25th July, 2010 at 04:27:57 -
I think it's only important to make things external if it makes the game easier to develop. Making the levels external will allow lots of people to make levels at the same time, but creating a custom system to load and animate the player sprite for example will probably just slow down development and it's unlikely that we'll need more than one person working on that sprite anyway. It would be better to have that as an active object. I think the sounds/music can also be internal too, it's not a difficult thing to change. Making the tilesets external is probably a good idea though.
Using a level editor could speed up production of levels, and it would be much easier to compile the levels any time there is a change made to them. It's a much better idea than having a frame for every level and painstakingly migrating everyone's code together across all of the frames.
Only problem I can foresee is that we don't have any gameplay designs yet. Can't make any levels, or the editor to make those levels, until we have some idea of what the gameplay is. Honestly though, I think it would be much faster to take the moves from Jon's design doc a few pages back (the one that had the diagrams) and use those. Add or cut moves later.
I would like to suggest a Samurai Theme to the game. As in ",it takes place in a fantasy version of Feudal Japan." The Areas could possibly be a big palace/dungeon, and possibly some kind of underworld where the Hero must fight Demons. Also an atmospheric Forest could serve as the third area. Then finally a mountain/caves/snow area.
I think Demons should be the main antagonists. Not all demons, but a few demon Kings/lords who control the others.
That's not a good idea, Fish. That's a great idea. The demon lords thing would lend itself really well to branching paths, as the player would be able to chase down some or all (and maybe even none?) of the demons. Not only that, demons could have relics and such for the player to collect along their journey, if we want them to have something for showing they cleared all of the levels.
In case anyone can't find the design doc Jon uploaded, it's still here: http://gumman.desertstorms.net/index.html
Anyhow, the samurai thing would fit in really well with the possible actions listed on that page. The locations you suggested could also diversify level design by quite a bit. For example, the snow area could have ice, making ordinary terrain more of an ordeal to cross, while the caves could have icicles that fall and endanger the player.
I like the samurai idea. I like it a lot. And the underwold. Perhaps you fail to rescue someone and have to save them by going into the underworld and fighting some demons. Or not.
A samurai game sounds way less generic than the cop game suggested a while back. Plus you have the potential for more stylish moves, depending on whether the protagonist is a heavily-armored warrior or a fast, nimble, lightly-armored soldier. Plus you've got a wide selection of Japanese blade weapons to toy around with.
Also, since Fish suggested demons as a key plot element, I assume that the theme would involve a high level of mysticism/magic? If so, that opens up an even greater variety of skills that the player could learn and use.
If you want to avoid RPG elements, the magic could revolve mainly around overcoming obstacles in the game world as opposed to combat with enemies. For example, magic could be used to create new platforms, open up passageways, create a waypoint between two locations, etc.
I remember playing a Japanese metroidvania called Bunny Must Die in which you could learn time-related abilities. For example, freezing time would allow you to jump onto fast-moving platforms more easily and attack enemies without worrying about getting hit, while reversing time would create a timey-wimey clone of yourself that would go back and re-press any of the switches you recently pressed in the same room. It was a pretty neat concept.
You are Barack Obama- President of the People by day, Terrorist ass-kicking Ninja by night.
Maybe in this mission you'll be ordered to save.... YOURSELF?
Ninja Magic:
The Bill of Rights (super flurry of right hooks)
The Exectutive Branch (powerful tree trunk strike)
Capitol Hill (summons $$ to spend at the shop)
And more!
HOW CAN THIS GO WRONG?
I agree with the level editor idea, it'd speed up level production and tweaking by like a thousand percent.
Edited by Del Duio
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DXF Games, coming next: Hasslevania 2- This Space for Rent!
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oT is held to be one of the best videogames of all time.
Edited by Watermelon876
Plus you have the potential for more stylish moves, depending on whether the protagonist is a heavily-armored warrior or a fast, nimble, lightly-armored soldier. Plus you've got a wide selection of Japanese blade weapons to toy around with.
