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[Bree]

This is a new project Malec2b and I just started work on. The speed pitch is a strategy game based on Commedia Dell'arte, the ancient Italian improv theatre. Players will control either the Innamatori (the Lovers) or the Vecchi (the Elders- Dottore, Capitano, Brighella, etc.) and attempt to fulfill each of their character's desires, whether it be love, sex, money, or sheer chaos. I'll be brewing up some concept art in a bit, and Malec2b is currently at work on a basic prototype engine. More news and details to come, so stay tuned!



(Warning: Mock-up, using in-game assets)

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[muku]

Color me intrigued. Looking forward to more.

[Eclipse]

Wow, that's really an interesting concept

for who don't know about Commedia Dell'arte... it's full of stereotyped characters like Arlecchino (the typical fool but smart guy), Capitan Spaventa (the rough, bully and hard military man), Pulcinella (melanchonic, good hearted), Pantalone (the greedy merchant), Balanzone (or the Doctor, pretentious and full of himself)

oh Innamatori has no sense in italian.. lovers is Amanti or Innamorati

good luck with the project! It's a very interesting idea and I cannot wait to see how it will turn

greetings from Italy!

[ChevyRay]

Oh wow, I love the concept. Good luck pulling this together! Keep us updated.

[Alec S.]

Hi, I'm malec2b, and I'm the other guy working on this.  Just thought I'd pop in.   

I'll keep you guys updated with my progress on the prototype.

[Bree]

Thank you all for showing support for the project! I'm currently working on character designs, but I'm finding it a little tricky. Most of the sources I've found so far seem to contradict one another. Some things will have to be tweaked for the game, of course, but I do want to at least look like I understand the material.

Here is the list of characters I'm working on right now:

Arlecchino- The Harlequin. Not terribly clever, but acrobatic and has a heart of gold.
Colombina- Arlecchino's partner. Feisty and clever, she and Arlecchino are often in love with each other.
Innamorati (apologies on the misspelling earlier!)- The Lovers. Pure and simple, they're madly in love with each other.
Il Dottore- The Doctor. Loves the sound of his own voice, but doesn't always know what he's talking about. Very unsuccessful with the ladies, much like his counterpart...
Pantalone- The Miser. He loves women almost as much as he loves money, but is hardly a hit with them.
Il Capitano- The Soldier. Loves to boast about his feats, but in truth he's just a big coward.
Brighella- The Antagonist. Typically played as a foreigner, he is cunning and malicious, but his carefully-laid plans are often foiled by Arlecchino's bumbling efforts.

If there's anything that's wildly inaccurate, please let me know. I'll probably have some of the concept pieces up in a little bit; once those are finalized, I'll get started on pixel versions of each. Animation's gonna be interesting- each character is supposed to have trademark walk- I'm gonna need to find some sources on what exactly they are, though. I'll keep you all updated as best as I can- Malec2b and I are both super-excited about this project, and we hope you will be, too!

[Eclipse]

oh it's everything right as far i know the various masks maybe the last thing: the original name is Colombina not Columbina... like we say Cristoforo Colombo instead of Christopher Columbus.

What kind of game will be? A sort of interactive fiction? or something like a sandbox\social stuff like the sims?

[Bree]

Ah, thank you for pointing that out- fixed the spelling.

The actual gameplay is probably best likened to Advance Wars. Players select a mask to play a specific character, and take turns controlling them on a single playing field. Play will be structured on a grid- certain characters can cover ground quicker than others, as appropriate for their mask- and for a predetermined number of turns. Each player has a single goal that they need to achieve- Pantalone, for example, needs to have so much money by the end of the show in order for him to 'succeed'. As they move throughout the stage, they can interact with the other characters and the environment- for this reason, we're currently only planning one stage with a bunch of environmental factors.

On more than one occasion, a player will activate a special lazzi (gag or slapstick routine) as a minigame. Depending on the situation, they will be played by one person or multiple people. The results then drive the story and can help or hinder any of the players.

An example of this system: The male Innamorati is waiting for his lover to return, so he sits by a well. Brighella, seeing this as an opportunity to fulfill his goal to cause as much unhappiness as possible, moves up to the well. Here, he'll have a few options. He could try and convince the male Innamorati to leave his spot (in pantomime, of course), or he could try and distract him with something shiny. He decides that he's just going to push him down the well. Selecting this command, the players controlling Brighella and the Innamorati engage in a minigame, with the winner emerging victorious from the struggle.

The end result is a strategic storytelling game. Every person is playing what are essentially flat characters, and everything that they are able to do with must fit in with their basic archetype. Il Dottore, for instance, is very unlikely to roundhouse kick Il Capitano, and will probably fail, albeit hilariously. In a way, it's like the opposite of Team Fortress 2. There, the characters were designed around the playing style; here, the playing style is designed to fit the character.

I'll explain the system in greater detail later; for now, here are the WIP concepts for the Innamorati. I haven't really settled on a color scheme just yet, unfortunately; if you all have any suggestions, I'd be very grateful.





And here's a rough concept of how the sprites are going to be designed. This one is for the male Innamorati.

[Alec S.]

And here's a rough concept of how the sprites are going to be designed. This one is for the male Innamorati.

This sprite makes me very happy.   

[Bree]

Thanks! That's a 50x50 sprite, by the way, Malec2b- just in case you need reference for the prototype. What colors do you think would work for the Innamorati? I'm not sure what would look appropriately "romantic"- I was thinking more pinks and purples might do the trick...

[Alec S.]

Hm...now that I think about it, the sprite should probably be a bit smaller for the grid. Could I see some samples in a few sizes?

As for colors, I agree pinks and purples would probably work nicely.

[Bree]

I'm still trying to figure out how to resize the sprites in Photoshop without getting anti-aliasing. Anyone have a solution?

'Til then, here's the latest design for the Innamorati, in normal and pixel form. Ain't they precious?

[battlerager]

 

[Bree]

Thank you very much! This is my first time designing pixel art, so I'm glad to see people like it.

And here we have Il Dottore, AKA The Doctor. I haven't started on the sprite yet, but please let me know what you think of the concept art.

[skaldicpoet9]

Haha, very original concept, I can't wait to see the finished product. I told my wife about this (she is a drama major) and she said that if this game doesn't have lazzi in it it is not Commedia Dell'arte

I see you have that covered though. I'll be watching this one, keep up the great work

[Inanimate]

Your designs are amazing Theo!

[Friendly Rhinoceros]

I'm still trying to figure out how to resize the sprites in Photoshop without getting anti-aliasing. Anyone have a solution?

Dunno if you figured this out, you could try Save for Web, then click the Image Size tab at the bottom right and choose Quality: Nearest Neighbor before applying.  I don't know how good it would look, though; I usually only do this to scale up.  There's probably a better way!

Game sounds really interesting, the art's a lot of fun.  I really like the Doctor concept, but I miss the striped pants!

[Μarkham]

You can choose how it resamples the pixels in the Resize Image dialogue, at the bottom.  It'll probably be set for some sort of "Bicubic."  You want "Nearest Neighbor."

Great art and concept, by the way.  Can't wait to see where this goes.

[Fuzz]

This looks really amazing! It'd be nice if the masks were a bit more prominent.

[aeiowu]

That's awesome. Keep up those exaggerated proportions.