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[Marc Wilhelm]

A Bit of Detail about St. Chicken's Gameplay



St. Chicken is a game where the player character is a fish (St. Chicken) who spawns offspring after eating a number of pellets (food.) This is analogous to the way guppies give birth in real life, getting fertilized and then spawning as much as their bodies can based on how much nutrients they acquire. But I want the game to have a more surreal, fun feel, not tied too closely if at all to nature.  St. Chicken also has a supernatural element, with the ability to heal and nourish other fish, simply through touch. The fiction to explain this is that St. Chicken acquired this power after accidentally being exposed to blessed water (holy water if you like.)

The play comes when the player character guides the offspring (they follow reasonably close but are dumb) to the end of the level avoiding various hazards and obstacles. Offspring get sick and hungry quickly in the toxic waters and turn grey, doubling their speed, pursuing St. Chicken for rejuvenation. The player can also initiate the pursuit of the offspring towards the player by "calling" the offspring and they will come running..err swimming towards Chicken. This comes in handy if predators or other hazards gets too close to the fragile, helpless young.

So initially the player is hunting for food and then hunting for food while trying to get to the end of the level and protecting the school of offspring.  That's my game in a nutshell.

I'm at about the halfway mark as far as production is concerned. The kickstarter was launched on Monday. Check out the video there, it features plenty of in game footage.

The core mechanic has jelled but am still prototyping features to make it pop. Your ideas and feedback are welcomed!

[Marc Wilhelm]

If you have the time, please watch the video and give me feedback.

http://vimeo.com/38798549

[ScaryPotato]

Hi Marc,

I actually think that the game's concept is a pretty fun one, but think everything appears a little too simplified graphics-wise. If the graphics are just placeholders, then that's good, but it would add a lot to the game to see St. Chicken actually swimming with an animation of some sort! Also, I have to ask....she looks like and anglerfish, so why the name St. Chicken??

[Marc Wilhelm]

Thanks for the feedback. The graphics are intended to have a posterized, simplified, clean sleek look and this may just not be executed quite right and need more refining or perhaps the video doesn't accentuate the nuance of the visual design. I will take a look at adding a bit more sophistication to the graphics for sure and consider animating St. Chicken.  I animated fin movement and eye blinks on the offspring because they are the real character, they take the damage, their safety determines your score, etc. and I want them to look alive and fragile. But maybe since the player looks at St. Chicken so much I should add more animation and attention there.

St. Chicken is an abandoned pet guppy that was exposed to sacred water giving it healing powers. Kids name their fish weird names and that's why I chose Chicken as the name, hoping to add a bit of quirkiness and uniqueness.  I've played some boring ass fish games and I wanted this one to stick out by not basing the universe too strictly upon nature, but a slightly more surrealistic/ fantasy type world, but tethered.

The fact of the matter is, no one is going to read this explanation before deciding whether to give the game any of their attention, so if these are barriers of entry to playing or even wanting to play the game, I may need to reconsider this implementation.

[Marc Wilhelm]

Full-size resolution screenshot showing the safe-pond. In the final version the big number above the perpetually spilling food canister will be the sum total of all the baby guppies saved from all the best performances in the levels and above the corridors to the levels smaller numbers will indicate the high score (guppies saved) in those levels. The home pond will be populated by the total score number of guppies as well.

[Marc Wilhelm]

I put some of the music up on Soundcloud.

http://soundcloud.com/marcwilhelm/sets/st-chicken-soundtrack

I'd love some feedback on these lopps. Which one is your favorite, which one is boring or grating to you.  Whatever

I'm making more music and also having a DJ friend do some remixes.  Anyone who wants to, I can send you the files and you can make remixes too!

[Marc Wilhelm]

Spent the week getting new kickstarter videos ready. Hoping for a miracle in the second half of the campaign.

The main KIckstarter video is new and shows iPad gameplay. The St Chicken Origin video halfway down the page was posted about an hour ago. I just posted this update:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marcwilhelm/st-chicken/posts/200781

[ScaryPotato]

I like that trailer a lot Marc! It puts everything into perspective for the whole purpose of the game:)

Also, I listened to the music files you put up on a previous post, but think the less techno you get, the better. The track from the trailer is a nice style for the game imho.

[Marc Wilhelm]

Right on, thanks for the feedback! I assume you speaking specifically about the origin video? I will definitely use that music style then, I prefer it too.

[Marc Wilhelm]

Hello all,

I have a demo of St. Chicken available on my website. I'd love for you to play it and give me feedback.

Create a login here:
http://www.freshaces.com/insiders-signup

Play here:
www.freshaces.com/st-chicken

Give feedback on this the tigsource forum or here:
www.freshaces.com/scf

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PLAY MY GAME AND GIVE ME FEEDBACK!

-Marc

[Marc Wilhelm]

48 hours left to play this St. Chicken preview! I'll be taking the free to play preview down Friday. You have two days to try the game before I take it down and release it with the final levels.

[Marc Wilhelm]

New Gameplay trailer!

[Ninja Dodo]

Hey Marc,

Do you still have a demo available somewhere to test? I like the trailer though I agree with ScaryPotato's earlier comment that the graphics are a little sparse. Maybe you could add some plants or other decoration to add a bit of flavour to the environment, while still keeping the style.

You mention the offspring is the focus, but I think you definitely want to not have St Chicken be static. Since it's the thing you control directly players are probably going to be looking at it at least half the time. What you could do though is keep the rhythm and size of the big fish' movement more subtle than the smaller fish: smooth flowing small movements to contrast the more lively offspring...

I think if you just add a basic floaty idle animation that's very subtly moving with the water and then one animation for swimming ahead (you probably don't need directional variations) and one for turning, that would do it.

Also maybe you could have the movement of the player fish be a little smoother by giving it some inertia and less sharp turns + bouncing off walls, but this is going more into gameplay feel which is hard to judge from video.

[Marc Wilhelm]

Thanks for taking a look and sharing advice, I really appreciate it.

Do you still have a demo available somewhere to test?

No, I took down the play-test. I'll let you know when something playable is available again.

I like the trailer though I agree with ScaryPotato's earlier comment that the graphics are a little sparse. Maybe you could add some plants or other decoration to add a bit of flavour to the environment, while still keeping the style.

Yes, that is fair advice, there's minimalism and then theirs what I've been showing in St. Chicken. In response to your(pl.)  advice, I have added some decorative vegetation elements to the levels (screenshots forthcoming.)

You mention the offspring is the focus, but I think you definitely want to not have St Chicken be static. Since it's the thing you control directly players are probably going to be looking at it at least half the time. What you could do though is keep the rhythm and size of the big fish' movement more subtle than the smaller fish: smooth flowing small movements to contrast the more lively offspring...

I think if you just add a basic floaty idle animation that's very subtly moving with the water and then one animation for swimming ahead (you probably don't need directional variations) and one for turning, that would do it.

In response to your (pl.) advice, I've added some subtle animations to the player char.

Also maybe you could have the movement of the player fish be a little smoother by giving it some inertia and less sharp turns + bouncing off walls, but this is going more into gameplay feel which is hard to judge from video.

Yes, I'm basing my movement on what feels best when you play, not necessarily what looks most fishlike. I understand though it is a balance to make the game feel fun to play yet not be completely diametrically opposed to the theme.

This baby is coming ready or not, I have to get it out of me, so I'm afraid some of my decisions may be short sighted due to the fact that the project feels 10 months pregnant. I've been in that "the next project will be better than this one" mood for weeks now. 

Thank you again for the advice, it is always welcome! 

[Marc Wilhelm]

From Announcements

I am a mid-thirties mainstream game veteran who dropped out to go indie. This is my first solo game! I'm happy with the way it turned out. It is currently for sale in the indiecity underground and is awaiting approval from the Mac App store...and Steam (don't laugh :D)

If I had it to do all over again I would have straddled the line between indie and casual less. I think a lot of indie types are put off by the simple colorful graphics and assume it is casual crap. I wish more players would give it a chance and play it, the mechanic is unique and the game is fun!



Here's my marketing copy:

"Defying genres, St. Chicken is in a category all its own - a fun but challenging puzzle-swimmer-platformer where you control an omnipotent pet guppy. St. Chicken is lost in the wild, and has been granted special healing powers. Spawn, nourish and protect your very own school of offspring, guiding them through hazardous waters to safety.

Don't let the cute graphics fool you, the game is accessible to all skill levels, but those seeking a perfect score will need to develop some serious skills.

The goal in St. Chicken is to spawn as many little fish as possible, keeping them safe and herding them through to the end of each level unharmed. The end of each level lie the lost treasures from the aquarium that was once home to St. Chicken.

Controlling the St. Chicken, you'll spawn, nourish and protect a school of susceptible offspring, guiding them through a series of lakes and estuaries avoiding hazards in the form of patrolling electric eels and stingrays.

To succeed you'll also need to solve platform puzzles, break through blocks to make the best path and utilize underwater tides and surges in search of lost, sacred aquarium treasures."