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[baconman]

How many Superman games have you ever seen or played?
Now, how many good Superman games have you ever seen or played?

Okay, so here, I'm gonna start a discussion about the potential of making a good, indie Superman game; if for no other reason, because a good Superman game doesn't exist yet. Of course, I would love lots of contributing and discussion on the topic, and course-correction where needed because admittedly, I'm considerably more a Marvel nut than a DC nut.

DISCLAIMER: You wanna take this concept and fly with it, be my guest. I already have a dozen somewhat-intertwining gamedev concepts already on my plate that I'm wrestling with, I really doubt I could make time to produce this. But I'll try to keep it all in a simple, indie-managable scale (small team at the worst).
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You are Superman. You know the story. Alien from space, super-altruistic-conservative parents, "I belong to Lois Lane's pu... heart," SuperFriends/Justice League, blah blah blah... I don't care if you're the supergirliest thing since the ORIGINAL My Little Pony, everybody knows this stuff.

In the original Siegel and Shuster stories, Superman's personality is rough and aggressive. The character was seen stepping in to attack and terrorize wife beaters, profiteers, a lynch mob and gangsters, with rather rough edges and a looser moral code than audiences may be used to today. Later writers have softened the character and instilled a sense of idealism and moral code of conduct.

Okay... maybe not so much.


You are invincible. Don't get me wrong - unlike the robot that permeates the modern incarnation of the Man of Steel, in -this- reimagining you CAN BE HURT, and endure excruciating levels of torture. But nothing is so bad that it would kill you. And your enemies are always as enduring as you are. So what does somebody DO with this kind of power?

-Make friends and relationships, make time for them, and make it count.
-Try really hard to NOT screw up their lives with your powers and encounters.
-Try to prevent villains from screwing up their lives with their powers, and your encounters.
-Try even HARDER not to screw up these relationships yourself, for not really being able to relate to mortality.

So at this point, the game can already be designed around alternating two gameplay types:

-Social occasions.
-Supervillain pursuits/encounters.

Seeing as the story itself has no real "ending," it just seems to drag on infinitely into existential despair; it only makes sense that the game would do so as well. Therefore, arcadey/score-based gameplay would likely make the most sense. (continued)

[baconman]

Social Occasions

Here, you play the game as Clark Kent, in part of superhero games that have always been neglected. You roam around, interacting with other characters in a few Superverse-relevant settings. You can ask characters a question or two to provoke a response, conversate about something which you will then be questioned on to provide answers - sometimes pushing you to choose between cold-blooded honesty and white lies to protect those dear to you. Some will ask favors, and some will offer them. Also, this is likely where you'll see most of Lex Luthor, smearing Clark's reputation around and generally being a Xanatos-clever asswad.

Clearly, the two venues that come to mind here are the Justice League HQ and the Daily Planet. If you have a home (does he?), that may be a third. Clearly, there will be SOME important event going on that SOMEBODY will be getting ready for, as it will put them in imminent peril. Naturally!

Either way, you have a limited time here before the inevitable supervillain attack/encounter. There'll be one giveaway sign somewhere in the scene (may or may not fall within your scope of vision!), that will tip you off that one of your nemeses is about to pay a visit. If you see it, THIS is your cue to find one of 3-5 "changing rooms" in the locale, although a few of them will be occupied at random; so you can't ALWAYS depend on the same one.

The supervillain will appear, in their menacing way and do some damage if you don't find it in time; maybe they'll take a hostage or something. You'll have a little time during then to still find/use a changing room, or you can try to encounter them au natural; although your powers "won't work, because people can't know about you." Either way, it'll cost you some points, and you may have to do some work to chase them off.

OMFG, did I REALLY almost typo "Daily Bugle" up there?


Supervillain Encounters

Now here, I can see the game working in one of two ways - either a high-speed shmup kind of game that looks way harder than it is - precise flying masked by a more static-distance moving mechanism; or as a platformer-action game that skips the flying and offers you super-high jumping in it's place. Either way, this part plays in a level design format kind of similar to old NES/Arcade games like Donkey Kong or Popeye (meets Boss Rush?); a few levels that loop in nature, but with the twist of cross-referencing the different villains of the series, each of which provides a different menacing/challenging dynamic within the level.

Either way, it's time to save the day! You have a simple assortment of powers, you laser vision, frost breath, and mighty fists of steel, which can interact with the levels in plenty of ways, both positively and negatively; as friends and loved ones hang in the balance, and sometimes as other, more fragile heroes struggle alongside you (and sometimes end up in peril as well). But most importantly, you have some INTENSE hit reactions and pain delays from the kinds of insane crap you have to face - and sometimes grin and bear through - to overcome the villains and their schemes.

Finally, you've worn them down, the villains have the typical villain response - the escapist failsafe. Arguably, this could be made a third phase of gameplay, but the idea here is typical - they play the "save your loved one" as a distraction while they attempt to make their escape. So what's a Superman to do? It's up to you, naturally.

Save the loved one from imminent danger? Get the jump on the villain? Do the first, and hope you're fast enough to do both? Trust the other hero on the scene to back you or cover for you? Are they better at doing one or the other? Will they pull through or let you down?

Regardless, there will be an outcome, and it will affect your score and relationships. And where the hell did Clark run off to? The guy may be built like a house, but he's sure quick to hide when danger shows itself, the big pussy. After all, NOBODY can tell who that dashing stranger Superman really is!!

Maybe it's that Johnny Bravo asshole who's always hitting on women downtown...

[baconman]

Encounters as an action-platformer!

The levels are constructed carefully of destructible and droppable terrain and items (not too unlike Angry Birds or Mr. Driller, for instance), most of which can interact or react to your powers, villains' powers, or both; and some elements (LIKE YOUR POWERS) can act as hazards to the more mortal members of the cast.

This version's encounters plays like a combination between puzzle-platformer and Super Smash Bros. You and sometimes an ally will take on a villain or two, each with distinctive ways of manuevering and manipulating the terrain and attacking. The scenes also have a few persistent hazards, with active and inactive time frames and a bit of a "warning" window, which pose a danger to whomever is there.* Each villain has/creates a "win" condition that - in addition to rescuing your friends - you must also PREVENT THEM from accomplishing as well.

*Besides you of course, because you're SUPERMAN!

And your loved ones - while not stupid (usually), will also act and react in the stage (attempting to get to safety), sometimes placing them in a line-of-fire or inevitable peril, such as a train/tram that will occasionally go across the scene for example. (Just not immediately as a reaction to something touching it's track.) It may not ALWAYS be immediate - and sometimes they'll escape on their own - but at some point you'll certainly have to get them out of a pinch they get into; and make some tough decisions on how to do just that. Also, the villains can reabduct them as well, or attempt to trigger a hazard to keep you preoccupied as they go for their win condition.

Also: Wail on your enemies using the same factors and your own powers, taking care not to endanger others. Take them down to capture them (knock them out of play for several turns), or below 20% to activate their "retreat mode." Once they're in retreat mode, they'll attempt to put your loved ones in a perilous position, activate the peril (beginning with it's warning sequence), and make for their "safety net," another "changing room" type of place where they hide to disappear from you. (Wherein it's considered a "lesser victory," and they can return at any time.)

Your win conditions for this phase are simple:

-Defeat the enemy or at least force them into "retreat mode."
-Keep your loved one(s) safe.

To prevent stalemates, there is a timer; and you do get a time bonus for completing the stage within that time. Once that timer is up, if the enemy hasn't engaged their "win" condition, they go into retreat mode.

Early loops keep it simple. You. Villain. Third party (ally/hostage). Maybe one or two "activated" perils. Later loops add extra factors/characters (including supervillain team-ups) and activate more perils.

[baconman]

Encounters as a Super-Shmup!

This system focuses more on being a lane-based shmup, with a good amount of terrain influence, and scary-looking "precise" flying segments; but otherwise plays a lot like a Gradius "Boss Rush" kind of scenario, as if it took place during the levels instead of between them.

Given the gameplay, it would make the most sense that these should be about fast-paced situations, such as hot pursuits, reaching a destination within a certain amount of time, or something along those lines. Clearly, you're still speeding ahead and knocking out villainy with your super powers, while avoiding getting clocked by too much of the enemies' yourself; but the heroism is still the main factor. Better YOU take a hit than somebody you're trying to protect. Villainous powers are aimed at things besides just you, sometimes activating some perils or aiming at friends and innocents; and your powers are oftentimes used in "precise-shooting" situations (again, illusion created by being lane-based) in order to save/protect those people as well.

If you can knock out your villain by the end of the level, you capture them for maximum victory, and get a bonus for whatever remainder of the level is remaining. If they reach the end of the level, they get away. Or perhaps they're chasing YOU sometimes, in which case YOU get away, but it's still more or less a "draw" than a win (although they'll still try to manipulate and position you by endangering others).

Not totally sure how you'd make for persistently endangered loved ones in this case, and it may limit some crossover potential (maybe?), but it's another take on the forumula that could work out.


Bottom line with both encounters/design

It's still you versus the villain. Always is, always will be. But the missing factors in every superhero game that would really work - and that Superman in particular could never work without - are really what the design is all about. Well-devised perilous situations, and the loved ones and innocent people that they - and the crossfire between hero and villain - are naturally endangered by. And at the end of the day, still being a PERSON with a LIFE that's affected by all of this.

Superman is not a game, or comic, or story, about kicking villain's asses, simple as that may be. It's about selfless heroism, superhuman endurance, and the kind of tough decisions and creative power usage (or non-usage!) that goes with that sort of thing. And it's about knowing that you and your powers are (or at least can be) every bit as much a threat to them as the dangers and perils you're always saving them from. Especially if you're trigger-happy and careless with them.

Although, you can still find creative ways of punishing the player than "Game Overing" them or forcing restarts, like permanent consequences for the remainder of your playthrough...

[Sir Raptor]

I want to point out that in the Golden Age Superman comics, Supes would use his super speed to fix the things he was breaking.

[gimymblert]

aw I was thinking about something like this, but I had yet to read this design log. However they I pictured a superman game is to make it diner dash and replace plate spinning with disaster spinning.

[shig]

Dude, what?

You want to make a Superman game and the first thing you think of is some social simulator thing? That's really weird.

Just make

, but Superman-themed and with even less limited flying. The plot is basically Mongul put Superman in some sort of rebuilt, deserted Warworld together with the few dudes who can actually fight with Superman, possibly with some help from Brainiac/Lex who will turn to be the real mastermind all along or some shit. Doomsday is a secret boss.

Now you go and punch shit. Punch shit real hard and fly super fast and destroy mountains with your fucking farts because that's what you'd want to do if you could be Superman or play a game where you are Superman.

This other game you're thinking about sounds interesting, but if you're talking Superman, fighting while having access to all of his powers is the first thing that comes to mind.

[gimymblert]

@shig
supercraft ball Z ?