Multicart mockup project

[rikfuzz]

Hi all,

Thanks all for the amazing feedback on my last little game project!  (Was away at the time, didn't wanna necro the thread, but it's here if you missed it)

I wanted to start a new fun project with you guys (this thread could possibly be moved into challenges and activities?), where we all make mini game mock-ups (and any accompanying graphics/notes) to one set of restrictions and I compile them into a kind of fake multi-cart game or maybe a wario-ware type game, where they're all linked somehow? 

Restrictions:
Native resolution: 320x192
Palette:  16 colours


Include any additional graphics/animations and notes you like.

Might take me a while to put together, so any ideas TOO ambitious may be simplified, but let's just have fun and see what we come up with. 

[PixelPiledriver]

Sounds fun!  
I love super simple game design.

Some questions:
You mention Wario-Ware. (which is totally bad ass, I like Twisted the most)
Are you thinking micro game style, 5 seconds of play, or just something very simple you can play for as long as you like and then switch?
What I mean is should TIME be a major factor we need to consider? (Of course time is an easy mechanic to force onto almost anything already done).
Is there a recurring character in mind, like wario, to be shown in many styles?
Or should we use our avatars? <-- I think would be awesome.
Or just whatever?

I shall return with something.

[rikfuzz]

All good questions!  I was thinking of something relatively simple, but possibly slightly more like the Retro Game Challenge (aka Game Center CX) games than Wario in scope. Those are more like actual NES games, but you do mini challenges from within them. I guess we can treat them relatively individual at first then see what we can do with them once we've got a couple!

No specific recurring characters, using our Avatar's a great idea, though!  Not mandatory though (not feasible for some avatars!)   

[nivek]

Should put this in the activity thread. I was thinking of a little car game where your aim is to smash all cars around the track. Here is a rough design I came up with:


I didn't put much detail into the image just in case you didn't like the idea. Also hope you're good with physics and camera stuff.  

Inspiration: Playing V8 supercars in free mode and aim was do the most spectacular crash. You had to be think about how you did this because if you drive the wrong way on the course it would usually end up with your car flying off the track and ending the game(would be a pretty cool crash though). Sometimes the car would survive and you would drive it into the pits and do it all over again.  

I'll fix up the graphics if you agree. What platform is this for anyways?

[Ashbad]

Great idea, I'd use my avatar as my character but then it'd be a pony game and I'm not sure how cool you'd be with that   But if you are then I'd say cool, I'd submit a game concept/mockup/needed elements.  If you need any help bringing the coding aspect along, I'd be glad to pitch in some programming labor as needed

[rikfuzz]

Should put this in the activity thread. I was thinking of a little car game where your aim is to smash all cars around the track. Here is a rough design I came up with:


I didn't put much detail into the image just in case you didn't like the idea. Also hope you're good with physics and camera stuff.  

Sounds good!  Will need 8 directions of cars both normal and damaged, and the full background image?  Physics I'm not sure - but we can definitely make it fun! 

I'll fix up the graphics if you agree. What platform is this for anyways?

I'll make a Flash version and a windows downloadable version. 

Great idea, I'd use my avatar as my character but then it'd be a pony game and I'm not sure how cool you'd be with that   But if you are then I'd say cool, I'd submit a game concept/mockup/needed elements.

Sure why not!  As long as it's not a copyrighted thing anyway.

If you need any help bringing the coding aspect along, I'd be glad to pitch in some programming labor as needed

Know anything about physics?     I'll give you a shout if there's anything I get stuck on! 

[nivek]

Here are the 8 directions:


And the damaged 8 directions:


So you're developing for Computers. Controls would just be the arrow keys then.

Physics does not have to be realistic. Maybe just for the crashes. We could have an over the top physics thing that would make the cars fly up and out of the track whenever they get smashed by a fast moving car.

Here is what the track is going to look like(Complete Version):


There is a bit of shading on the green car. The whole image of the track will not be shown in game. The camera will be zoomed in on the track where the player's car is.

Edit 29/07/12: Ignore the Combo 7 text on the top right. I was practising some Fonts. I would also appreciate it if you could give me feedback on how the track looks.


@Grimsane - Potential baddie? :

[Grimsane]

premise, you need to carry an egg around on your magic tongue without dropping it, and reach the fabled egg holder? mystical egg spoon? or maybe return it to it's nest

but nah I'll flesh something proper out, I am so in on this

[Ashbad]

premise, you need to carry an egg around on your magic tongue without dropping it, and reach the fabled egg holder? mystical egg spoon? or maybe return it to it's nest

but nah I'll flesh something proper out, I am so in on this

No, you definitely should continue on this instead of picking something else, it's absolutely hilarious 

@RikFuzz: As for copyrighted stuff, as long as I make some sort of OC then there's no legal problems with Hasbro, but if I keep Scootaloo then there might be potential problems.  Looks like OC it is.   And as for Physics, I can only assume that these games would require knowledge of only Newtonian physics and not Einsteinian Physics, so I should know enough .  Won't be taking high school physics until next year but I've already completed a college book on the matter so hopefully that should be good.

As for ideas of what I should do... I already made a pony game before that was like Robot Unicorn Attack so I'd prefer not to do that again I'm thinking to be more creative this time and maybe go for something like "<pony> is throwing a party and needs to keep <his/her> patrons happy" and the pony needs to keep collecting cake and giving it to party-goers, while making sure the balloons are all filled up all the time (maybe some super-leaky balloons that only hold air for 20 seconds ) and other misc. distractions and the longer you go the more distractions to deal with and the harder they are to deal with.  Definitely should draw up some concept sprites and such today 

[Lachie Dazdarian]

Heh, Grimsane, the character in your screenshot, before I read the description, looked like someone smoking a pipe. It seems like a great idea for a game character. A pipe smoking ladykiller swagger!

Erm...nm.

[adcrusher524]

Okay I got my animation started!


I'm not sure about the game yet, maybe the construction worker will be running from something and it will be a canabalt type.. I'm not sure yet.

oh and heres the finished still frame.

Btw, I love the pallet rikfuzz, did you make it?

[Grimsane]

did this during my lunch break,

**

Lord Eques Cloppington and his companion or arch nemesis Puddlee Puddlington the amorphous blob (look close I think he assimilated a shetland pony)

maybe I'll just have a really simple rather short platform game but you can select a few characters with different back-stories and goals (so I could run with the magic tongue egg guy too),
maybe even some with companions if that's easy enough to code, probably just trailing effects if nothing else, and hurling them at the enemy as a special attack? or the sole form of attack haha this'll be fun regardless well back to being busy  

*updated, added some measure of his lordly-ness dunno how I uploaded that other version anyway, I think it bronze statue-esque with those highlights. could probably work them better but I got rid of them for now

[rikfuzz]

Everyone's work is looking great. Can't wait to see the finished versions.  Companions sounds do-able I think!

Btw, I love the pallet rikfuzz, did you make it?

No, it's basically DawnBringer's palette, I didn't modify it very much, but quickly eyeballing, looks like mine has a bit more vibrance. 

[nivek]

Here is another little car I made:


I think I'll make four more of these. Just tell me if there is anything else I could do.

[Kazuya Mochu]

I like the overall outline of the car but I think that the inner lines could be represented on a lighter, more saturated version of the car's color.
specially if they represent an edge of he car. That way, not only do you give a sense of depth, but you also add highlights to your car.

[nivek]

@Kazuya - I thought about your ideas and came up with this:


I'm not sure if this is what you had in mind though.

Here are the four extra cars:

[Kazuya Mochu]

maybe not all the lines, but some lines do look good. like between the fender and the bonet.
I did this edit I hope you dont mind.
what I did was create two brigher shades of green and use them to make the highlight.
then I made two darker shades of green. one for the surfaces that face away from us, and the other (darker) for the further outline and seam lines, like the door.

then I also made a darker shade of grey to do the same effect with the glass and redid the wheels a bit. I also made the shadow of the car so that I could extend the green of the car, instead of having the bottom be black.
Im not sure if you had a color limit, I went a bit off maybe...

[Grimsane]

nice advice, but it has a 16 colour palette, closest colour matches:

[rikfuzz]

Yeah that car's looking great!  Would probably change the black strip to be the darker grey (tyre's main colour), but looking real nice.

[nivek]

@Kazuya - Nice Edit. I really like the style. I'll try to update the graphics today.  

Edit:
Well heres my update:


@Kazuya - Sorry if it looks too much like your edit.

Edits or sprite contributions are welcome.

[Grimsane]

  I think you should go back to the darker outer outlines, try reproducing the outlines in kazuya's edit, you shouldn't avoid making it look like an edit, it's supposed to teach you so try get it as close as you can if it is identical that's fine, especially at a sprite this size, it's one of the most efficient ways to depict it, and you'll learn from it for sure because you have to consistently reproduce it for all 5 unique angles.

[Kazuya Mochu]

well to be fair, I didnt use any color restrictions. so, its a bit harder for you to do it.

but Grimsane did do a good job with the colors. so maybe look more at his edit

[Grimsane]

well yeah, that's exactly what I meant 

[nivek]

Thought I should finish this off:


And start another mini game:

[numlock]

basically its about a amish priest saving a child from haunted house, would like to explain more later since I don't have time now, game should be shadowy if it makes any sense.

edit: character walk animation, could be a lot better