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[Lexonite]

looking good, I particularly like the way the level loops around as if it's on a vase (I guess that was the idea in the first place! ).

[Franklin's Ghost]

Looking fun with two skeletons and like the way they die. Also cool how you can use blocks to drop and drag to destroy them.

[Ninja Dodo]

Thanks!

@AlexHW: Yep, that was intentional.

@Franklins: One of many uses of divine intervention . Will be adding more powers soon.

[r0ber7]

Like the new vid.

[eigenbom]

I was at a gallery in Melbourne (the NGV) today and they had some awesome greek pots on display. I snapped a couple of photos for you. I especially like the third one, the human-gryphon thing. The first one had the details:

GREECE, Chalkis
The Inscriptions Painter
Psykter amphora
(Chalkidian black-figure ware)
Archaic Period, 540 BC
fired clay

http://bp.io/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/IMAG0772.jpg
http://bp.io/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/IMAG0773.jpg
http://bp.io/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/IMAG0776.jpg

[Ninja Dodo]

@eigenbom: Sweet! Thanks! Going in my reference folder.

@r0ber7: Thanks.

[Ninja Dodo]

After

I wanted to make a few more adjustments and fixes before putting out a new version, but after some playtesting I decided to make a few more changes.

I thought it would be interesting to make higher ground a factor in combat. I changed damage placement so that attacking downhill has an advantage over going uphill. If a skeleton comes at you down the stairs it's better to retreat or evade whereas if YOU are the one descending it is almost impossible for them to hit you (unless you don't attack).

You can counter this by throwing a spear or jumping OVER the approaching enemy, but it forces you to make some tactical decisions.

I expect I will need to iterate on this... I may tone it down if it proves confusing.

[edit: any feedback on this particular feature would be great]

I've also blocked attacks during climb, and enemies standing at an edge will now hit you immediately if you try to reach them. This creates situations where you are forced to be a bit more creative: either switching to a spear, asking the gods for help, or simply moving around more smartly to get the upper hand.




Version 11:

http://www.ninjadodo.net/temp/hellas/hellas_v11.zip

Besides the above I've made some subtle changes to the GRAB-power. Now if you let go and immediately re-GRAB an object it does not cost an additional sacrifice. This is to avoid punishing accidental mouse-button slipping or double-clicks, though deliberate juggling is still expensive.

Also fixed some bugs.


By the way: Does anyone have any suggestions for making good skeleton sounds (walking, hits, shattering, etc)? Tried a few things but nothing that worked. I'm drawing a blank at the moment.

[eigenbom]

Attacking from above makes sense to me.

Maybe you've mentioned this before, but what's the wider story/context for this game? Is it a story being told by someone? Or are you a metaphysical entity that exists on a pot? If it's the latter, do you have different pots per level? etc..

[oyog]

I love how well the falling apart skeleton animation works when you drop a block on him.  I also really like that skeletons aren't a threat unless they're attacking.

The platforming feels great.

[brynsane]

Haha. This is awesome!

[Ninja Dodo]

Thanks!

... what's the wider story/context for this game? Is it a story being told by someone? Or are you a metaphysical entity that exists on a pot? If it's the latter, do you have different pots per level? etc.

There are vases in a museum, either in a dusty archive, or on display in the exhibits... and the heroes and monsters simply come to life on the surface. I may stick to one vase as if the image magically changes between levels OR I may have the game actually jump between vases (where each story is a separate vase), perhaps showing wider shots where you see the whole vase and the game being played on it. I will test this and see if it works.

I think game stories are best left under-explained.

I also really like that skeletons aren't a threat unless they're attacking.

I went back and forth on this for a while because I liked the idea, but it was too easy to just run past the skeletons without getting hit. I ended up solving it by making the skeletons' attack anticipation a few frames shorter if their target is moving. So if you run straight at a skeleton (without even jumping) you get hit.

[Ninja Dodo]

To elaborate a bit on story & framing: This is probably the area of the game I'm least decided on. I'm building the game around the heroes/monsters/gods-dynamic and I have some fairly specific ideas about that, but I'm less decided on the larger structure...

I'm not really interested in inventing a plausible explanation for the vases coming to life, but I like the idea of having them actually be in a specific location.

If I show anything outside the vases, it will be to establish that setting at the start of the game, possibly between levels, and maybe in the menus. All of this is subject to it actually working technically and visually, so I'm going try and prototype that at some point.

I don't think I will have a narrator (though if I did it would be a Greek chorus).


For the actual story in-game it will depend on the myths and how they translate to gameplay... If I do only one story I will probably try to tie it together into a more less continuous whole. If I do multiple, it will be more mythology a la carte.

Some rules I'm setting myself for story levels, to give an idea of the overall direction:

- NO lengthy intros, cutscenes or walls of text
- make scripted sequences 100% interactive (NO QTEs)
- add random variation even to scripted stuff (because more fun)
- tell story through environment and NPCs
- animation > dialogue

There are a few more core elements I want to prototype before I start building story levels though.

[Lexonite]

would be kinda cool if the gods/bosses(Are you having bosses?).. could fracture the vases/cause pieces to break off.. so it's kind of like you are trying to save the pottery/artifact from being destroyed..
just a thought.

[eigenbom]

sounds good. i always enjoy a bit of meta in games, so having things like the vases break into little bits that you have to navigate, or having someone accidentally put a vase from a different era next to them (so e.g., you're suddenly in an ancient japanese land fighting samurai..). Although this would obviously by tangential to the main game ..

[Ninja Dodo]

There will be bosses, but they will not be gods.

There may be gods working against you but you never fight them directly.

I'm considering fractures as a gameplay element but it depends on how technically feasible it is and where it could fit into the design. I could certainly see "Earth-Shaker" Poseidon doing some damage.

@eigenbom: Mixing eras is definitely not going to happen: It's a cool idea, and I suppose in a museum setting would make sense in a way, but it wouldn't fit the game.

[eigenbom]

Greek warrior vs samurai would be so awesome ...      

[oyog]

There will be bosses, but they will not be gods.

There may be gods working against you but you never fight them directly.

This is awesome.  I like the idea of not being entirely sure which deity it is that you're working against, especially knowing you have some favor with your own god.  Will the player have access to different mouse controlled powers based on deity?  Will the player have access to different deities? (heck, that could work out almost like a class system.)

I really like the idea of a Chorus narrating the game.

[Ninja Dodo]

@eigenbom: I don't disagree. Somebody should definitely make that game.

Will the player have access to different mouse controlled powers based on deity?  Will the player have access to different deities? (heck, that could work out almost like a class system.)

I really like the idea of a Chorus narrating the game.

@oyog: Yes. At the start of a game you choose a god from the pantheon. There will be a certain powers (like GRAB) that will be available to all gods, while others will be exclusive.

Story levels will initially have set combinations of gods and heroes.

To be clear: chorus narration is unlikely because it would only work with voice acting, which probably won't happen... but I'm keeping it in mind if nothing else as the tone for any writing...

[oyog]

@oyog: Yes. At the start of a game you choose a god from the pantheon. There will be a certain powers (like GRAB) that will be available to all gods, while others will be exclusive.

Story levels will initially have set combinations of gods and heroes.

To be clear: chorus narration is unlikely because it would only work with voice acting, which probably won't happen... but I'm keeping it in mind if nothing else as the tone for any writing...

The gods and heros aspect is fantastic.

I think we're imagining chorus narration in different ways.  What I imagined was specifically tutorial or story drama bits being narrated in the third person by a group of non interactable background characters.

[Ninja Dodo]

That could maybe work. I want to keep writing to a minimum though (just a few lines here and there), so we'll see.