So, I changed plans last week (as mentioned in my last blog), and started working on a platformer idea I had on paper, then took that and simplified it (to a point).
I've been working on it throughout the week (Though literally every single time I've sat down to work on the project for more than ten minutes, I've been getting calls for computer repair work. Four days straight now. :<)Managed to get some animations and the basic game mechanics done. Went for a movement system kinda like Hunter, added in some Megaman, and am throwing in some Metroidvania. So Megavania? Megavania.Have a (slightly choppy) video:Youtube doesn't seem to like playing videos back at 60FPS for some ridiculous reason.A couple of notes on various gameplay mechanics:The dash/slash moveThis is going to be something you find in one of the early sections of the game, and can use to navigate tricky areas as well as attack enemies with a bit more force than the arm cannon provides. It's called the Plasma Lance.I have a couple of upgrades planned that do things like: - Allow for dashing in at least four directions (Up,Down,Left,Right), possibly eight. - Extend the range and power of the lance (The version in the video is basically full range). - Increase the number of consecutive uses before a cooldown is activated. (At the moment it's unlimited, but I'm adding a Power bar that's going to limit the number of times you can use it like this to about two, with upgrades allowing it to reach around five bursts before it needs to recharge).Arm cannonI'm planning on a basic Megaman style system where you'll be able to steal boss weapons after defeating them. No charge attack, but that's what the Plasma Lance is for.Game layoutI've got a somewhat mid-length set of maps planned out, with a few visually distinct areas that I'm going to aim towards completing for the competition. I want this to be something of a mix, as mentioned before, between Megaman and Metroid, so I want a bit of exploration, and items that help you progress. I'm probably not going to have too many 'forced' items, allowing players to make a Minimal run of the game if they wanted to. And that's enough of that. I'm feeling exhausted after all this running around fixing computers left right and center.
Yeah, that's one of the bonuses of the attack :P
I'm going to be designing a few parts in my levels to use the horizontal motion effectively.well it looks pretty cool, except for the metroidvania level design. never really liked that design since it doesn't really allow for much challenge, it's more about simply giving you a lot of space to travel through over and over again while slapping the same enemies to death.
other than that, this is looking very mega man -ish with the arm cannon and air dashing, so let's see some crazy platforming nightmares like MMX6 :PWell, I'm thinking of my levels being a bit tighter than Metroidvania. Megaman style segments connected in various ways; probably a lot shorter than the average Castlevania area.
That reminds me… I have never had a crushing ceiling/conveyor belt section in any of my games.Please don't, I hate those parts because they're boring. :(
But it is your game. :PHeheh, we'll see. I'll only add it if it's a decent mix of fun and challenging, and I can pull it off without turning into Metal Shark Player's level.
This is really cool, as a fan of Metroid and Megaman, I'm looking forward to trying this out!