Side-scroller game for OUYA

[Alex Gleason]

Also an idea I got: some random powerup that makes the game go retro for a minute and lets you stomp and kill the enemies in one jump it? This would make a great tribute imo

This could actually be a very good idea of used correctly. Making it a common power-up would be overkill though because it would be sensory overload to have the screen switch so frequently.

What if instead of it being a power up there were bonus (secret) levels that used the effect? Sort of similar to what Super Meat Boy does.

[Vincentmrl]

Also an idea I got: some random powerup that makes the game go retro for a minute and lets you stomp and kill the enemies in one jump it? This would make a great tribute imo

This could actually be a very good idea of used correctly. Making it a common power-up would be overkill though because it would be sensory overload to have the screen switch so frequently.

What if instead of it being a power up there were bonus (secret) levels that used the effect? Sort of similar to what Super Meat Boy does.

what about making it show in the first level and be extremely hidden in the other levels? Something like what nsmb does with the mega mushroom

[Paul]

If the game were written with sound MVC techniques, changing the view of a level on the fly would be very simple.  Obviously the special effects of trashing everything as a 3D character tearing apart a low-resolution 2D world would take some work for it to look good.  I'm thinking Paper Mario type of effects where the tiles fly around in 3D as they are being trashed by the player.

I kind of think the story behind the game could be a kid who gets sucked into his portable gaming device after being kicked off his video games and sent out of the house by his mom.

[Tom.K]

Just a random idea: Could it be possible that character could have option to morph itself into some basic shapes (ball, cube, pyramid, etc.) and various materials by using some sort of energy or powerup for specific platform areas where physics might be important?

[Paul]

Thinking about the morphing concept, I was trying to think of a (non-Kerby) type of character that would be good for morphing.  What comes to mind is a creature like Bob from Monsters vs Aliens.  That then gave me the idea of the creature being semi-transparent like Bob.  Sort of coupling that with the Kerby concept of taking something from the enemies, I had another good idea:

What if the main character is a gelatinous, semi-transparent blob that devours the enemies and digests them.  Certain enemies will have some part that is not digestable (sharp teeth, claws, horns, etc), which the blob incorporates into part of its own body, becoming more powerful/ versatile as he goes.  Damage breaks away these added parts, until you are down to just the blob, and the last hit squashes him (lose a life, restart the current level).

[Tom.K]

Not sure about blobbish style.

My idea would be to make main character as a simple puppet-like character which is made out of basic shapes, and enemies could drop voxels or something similar to equip character with morphing abilities.

[shuy3n]

  Just a message of goodluck with this guys wish i could fit into the art styles but i absolutely suck at anything organic or fantasy-esque in 3d

Cant wait to play what you come out with

[Vincentmrl]

I don't like the idea of a blob character, just by thinking it it makes me get bored. I prefer the idea of the guy getting sucked in his "retro" game more
Also I got a special level idea: a part where you go in a mine cart or something, that would make people remember about crash bandicoot. I don't know why but I think a warp zone like thing would be awesome, it would make the game different from the others, I'm hating all the level buttons that are all the same in the games

[Alex Gleason]

A kid getting sucked into a video game is cliche. A blob that eats things to get powers is trying too hard to be Kirby without being Kirby. More importantly, why are we making this character transform if our goal is to make a game about nostalgia?

[relevant digression]

Have any of you guys played Majora's Mask? Link solves puzzles using masks. Some masks transform his physical body entirely, some give him special powers/abilities, and some influence social situations. Link hides his true face behind masks to accomplish tasks that would otherwise be impossible.

This game mechanic has a point, though. It reveals itself when you visit the moon and talk to the masked children there. They ask Link:

Your true face...
What kind of...face is it?

I wonder...
The face under the mask...
Is that...your true face?

When we're exposed to different situations, we have to be versatile and react appropriately in order to survive. We tend to act differently around different people because we know they have expectations of us, and we strive to meet them so we can benefit. "Be yourself" is good-intentioned advice, but is not necessarily the best advice, and that's what this game is about at its core.

[/relevant digression]

Kirby 64 is a classic, and the sense of discovery you get from that game is fulfilling. Combining power-ups begins to turn into a science, and when you find a good combination you breeze through the level feeling like a God. It doesn't directly communicate any meaningful anecdote to the player, but it doesn't have to because the game is just so interesting.

There's nothing wrong with making a game that's just interesting.

But Paul, you want to create a game that's reminiscent of your past. You don't want this game to be a clone of popular games from your childhood, you want to communicate a message about how playing games used to make you feel.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to turn that thought into a video game right now, but I am thinking about it. I just think that as we're brainstorming here, we should keep these ideas in mind.

[Tom.K]

We're pretty much supposed to end up with some sort of idea like this if our goal is to make a game about nostalgia?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ3BnJ0A2Iw

[Paul]

Haha, no that's more about making fun of NES games.  I may have conveyed the wrong idea here.  What I want to do is create a legitimate game, not a parody, spoof, or copy.  Just a new game that is something I would have enjoyed playing back when the N64 was popular.  The nostalgia factor comes from the way I want the game to feel when playing it, not some "trip down memory lane" built into the story or game play.

[Alex Gleason]

The nostalgia factor comes from the way I want the game to feel when playing it, not some "trip down memory lane" built into the story or game play.

My point is that since you want to make a game that feels like the old games you used to play, the game is about nostalgia. You don't want to make a modern platformer like Super Meat Boy or N+, you want players to be reminded of what good old games were like.

My idea was to make this game somehow self-aware of the fact that it's doing this to avoid it feeling like a clone or a simple novelty. But maybe I got a little carried away.

I hope I'm not coming off as cocky. I've never made a video game before and really don't know anything.

[Paul]

Sure, I agree with that, but I think the order of operations for the concept phase needs to be

1) New novel game-play concept, that hasn't been done a thousand times already
2) Brainstorming on how this game-play concept could be worked into characters or levels
3) Develop the characters and story (the "self awareness" piece would come into play here)
4) Repeat steps 1-3 a couple more times with the characters and story as a compass to further mature the game idea and brainstorm new game-play concepts, enemies, level challenges, and plot development
5) Begin the development phase

[Paul]

So I guess what I'm saying, is the discussions of the Cool Aid man, morphing shapes, gelatinous blobs, etc. are relevant and a good way to get the creative juices flowing, to hopefully work toward that initial novel game-play concept that is needed to really kick off the discussion on what the game will really be.

Really the only constraints I'm putting onto this are that I want it to be a side-scroller with 2D maps and 3D characters.  This is not just for nostalgic reasons - this setup is perfectly suited to embedded systems, by reducing the number of polygons that must be rendered for a scene.  Developing for embedded systems like the OUYA is not the same as developing for systems with a dedicated graphics card, and I think that is very important to consider right up front when thinking about creating a new game.

[Paul]

Ok, I had another idea that I don't think has been done before.  It would involve possession.  Suppose the main character were some sort of spirit without any particular form.  It would have the ability to jump into objects, statues, enemies, etc, which you then control.