Post by acp on Apr 5, 2021 15:16:54 GMT
Now that the initial gameplay build is out and we can get a feel for how it is playing we can discuss a theme and tie that in to a look and feel.
By theme I mean a one line overarching description of the "world" the game is set in. For example Cuphead's theme is "early 20th century cartoons", Blood Dragon's is "80's cyberpunk action movie", Dark Souls' is "medieval low fantasy in a dying world".
From there we can discuss how the gameplay should feel with a more detailed description: Cuphead is like the player is a character in the cartoon with high difficulty, fast movement, over the top animation transitions, and embracing absurdity; Blood dragon is 80s action movie with self-aware humor, fps gameplay with a focus on mobility, light rpg-progression elements tied to exploration unlocks, "ubisoft sandbox gameplay" with taking of camps in an open map with each one presenting a different tactical challenge; Dark Souls is slow, methodical, tactical melee fighting that is unforgiving, high difficulty with a steep learning curve, and required rpg progression to overcome difficulty spikes in the form of boss fights to progress through the game.
I'm not formally educated in any graphic art or game design so if someone wants to correct me with more technical terms please feel free to help me be more precise.
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My initial idea is that our "hat" gameplay means we can't be too serious in the theme. One thing that came to me it is more of a "playful" premise. I immediately thought of was an "exhibition" where there was a mock-fight for then entertainment of the audience. Something like a clown act between sets in a big-top circus where the clowns are all pranking each other.
"Clown World: King of the Hat" The look would be archetypal circus and the feel would be clowns performing.
Each hat could be a gag. So a chef hat that throws pies, a firemans hat that squirts water, a propeller beanie to throw firecrackers etc. Stacking multiple hats for laughs is something that makes sense in clown world and so does winning by knocking off your rival's hat.
When someone dies the animation is a hook coming from off screen to pull away their toon, or the toon flies toward the camera, splats, and then slides down the screen.
Again this is just something off the top of my head to get the ball rolling and I would like to many see other ideas (and hopefully pick one because they have to be better than this).
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Once we decide on a theme and feel we can start creating graphic assets and tuning gameplay toward that.
By theme I mean a one line overarching description of the "world" the game is set in. For example Cuphead's theme is "early 20th century cartoons", Blood Dragon's is "80's cyberpunk action movie", Dark Souls' is "medieval low fantasy in a dying world".
From there we can discuss how the gameplay should feel with a more detailed description: Cuphead is like the player is a character in the cartoon with high difficulty, fast movement, over the top animation transitions, and embracing absurdity; Blood dragon is 80s action movie with self-aware humor, fps gameplay with a focus on mobility, light rpg-progression elements tied to exploration unlocks, "ubisoft sandbox gameplay" with taking of camps in an open map with each one presenting a different tactical challenge; Dark Souls is slow, methodical, tactical melee fighting that is unforgiving, high difficulty with a steep learning curve, and required rpg progression to overcome difficulty spikes in the form of boss fights to progress through the game.
I'm not formally educated in any graphic art or game design so if someone wants to correct me with more technical terms please feel free to help me be more precise.
-----------
My initial idea is that our "hat" gameplay means we can't be too serious in the theme. One thing that came to me it is more of a "playful" premise. I immediately thought of was an "exhibition" where there was a mock-fight for then entertainment of the audience. Something like a clown act between sets in a big-top circus where the clowns are all pranking each other.
"Clown World: King of the Hat" The look would be archetypal circus and the feel would be clowns performing.
Each hat could be a gag. So a chef hat that throws pies, a firemans hat that squirts water, a propeller beanie to throw firecrackers etc. Stacking multiple hats for laughs is something that makes sense in clown world and so does winning by knocking off your rival's hat.
When someone dies the animation is a hook coming from off screen to pull away their toon, or the toon flies toward the camera, splats, and then slides down the screen.
Again this is just something off the top of my head to get the ball rolling and I would like to many see other ideas (and hopefully pick one because they have to be better than this).
-------
Once we decide on a theme and feel we can start creating graphic assets and tuning gameplay toward that.