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[Ashkin]

Anyways would they really use the technology of the other nations? I think their own tech would be sufficient, and the other nations try to struggle with their own unbalanced means. Or something!

Well, I would like them to have their own tech, but I couldn't think of anything, so yeah.


Kramlack, can we PLEASE get this in sprite form? It's so cute :3

[Kramlack]

?

Still waiting for input from other artists.

[s0]

I ain't no artist, but I like those. 

Anyway, I threw together a track with the "beast nation" in the back of my head, which I imagine as a real quiet, secluded, but also creepy place. It's still a bit rough around the edges and I'm not 100% sure how well it really fits, but here it is:
http://soundcloud.com/user8297681/tsaeb

[Ashkin]

Nonono, I think that the beast nation isn't creepy. It's strange, but I don't want it to be scary. The people of that land love their beasts. If you want a general feel of what I'm talking about, read Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. The Darwinists in that are a good idea of what I'm aiming for.
Although, I LOVE that music. I hope we can fit it in somewhere. Might fit in well with the Mecha nation.

And Kramlack, that's awesome.

[Kramlack]

Blue worker type?

[unsilentwill]

Those look great Kramlack (I did see it!), so now we have your style and my style to work with, the other two are still open! Maybe something more feminine, as I (along with Jad, whose ideas are awesome by the way) would love to have two female characters, and a style that could bring a uniqueness to their land/dungeon/whatever, without them necessarily being a race of women.

(I still don't get this miner fixation guys, what's up  )

Again, if you can avoid generalization. Four Swords had FIRE NATION, WATER LAND, TREE PLACE, CASTLE THING which was pretty lame, even by Zelda standards. Moreover, think of how the people in each place deal with things such as: land structure, animals, technology and even forms of government. This treads the line between design and story--we don't need even an agreed upon plot to give the design of each place an interesting style.

Yeah the music is so great, but for sure we'll have to see it with the visuals, or we could even start to design the visuals around it.

To move things forward, let's put the focus on Design for the moment, as getting the basics of the plot is important, but the specifics don't need to be held on so tightly and can always be adapted as everything comes together.

Again, the front post has been edited to include the foundations of the project, the Wave is starting once people get their invites, and what's left is open to  your own style and imagination ( )!

[s0]

Thanks guys, I wouldn't have expected such a postitive reaction.

Also, I won't be pissed off if the music doesn't get used in the game or anything. I realize this might be a bit early, but I felt like making some music today and I thought I might as well make it with our little project here in mind. 

Anyway, I need to get some rest now. Will come up with more design suggestions and stuff tomorrow. 

[Lord Tim]

I've already got Wave, so you can save your invite. Do you need me to invite anyone else?

I am "[email protected]" I believe.

[neon]

[Bree]

Question on Google Wave: Is there a live sketching option? I'd love something like iScribble, where multiple people could use a big drawing board online and sketch out ideas.

[Ashkin]

If there was such a feature (don't know if there is) I would get Google Wave.

[unsilentwill]

Apparently there are two beta apps, so we could definitely try them out.

http://code.google.com/p/napkin-wave-gadget/
http://wave-samples-gallery.appspot.com/about_app?app_id=18016

All I know is they look right and the first one doesn't have an eraser.

[Ashkin]

Can I have an invite?

Edit: Do you need my e-mail? I can PM it.

[neon]

not to spam, but i'd like an invite as well.  i'd like to get involved with this.

[Jad]

HAI DUDES I MADED ARTS IN PAINT



WHAT ONLY THREE CHARACTERS AND WHAT COUNTRIES ARE THEY EVEN FROM

EDIT: just to clarify, I'm not trying to pitch the idea of only having 3 characters, it's just that my hand started to hurt before making a 4th one, and my imagination was running somewhat dry. Ijåå däss.

to be honest - though I have read the thready and all suggestions for story and things, these are the designs that popped into my head more or less while still on the first page of the thread when I was still left to my own thoughts.

So yeah, what have we here? Druidy girl with a hammer (cause a staff is lame, even if you do magicks. Staffs are a million cooler when you do MARSHAL ARZ with them. This girl can probably make flowers grow by just sitting down and closing her eyes.

And she can probably pound the ground with her hammer to send shockwaves of awesome rippling forward, propelling whatever it hits into the air (cause that's totally how physics work yo). I mean she can probably even send mr swordygrapplinghook guy into the air for positive effect. Later on she probably also starts you know flinging balls of explosive boomfire with her bare hands.

She's a little socially awkward but since she's a girl and cute that's no prob, it's moe yo. So ridiculous. Fling more fire baby and lose that loli-stare!

Anyways then we introduce mr. rowdy adventjar guy, I dunno what to say about this mannyman really, he was born in genericville on a floating 90s videogameanimeadaption island, with his wonky stance, cocky shenanigans and turban stuffs. Anyways he's totally cool and can grappling hook whatever he feels like cause he's cool guy like that.

He can also grappling hook (this is a verb guys) his friends which will make his friends mad, which is obviously what coop is all about (making each other mad and then making up with human hugs). He also has a SOWRD cause that's what you fight with.

Lastly we've got DRILL GIRL, some kind of mix between anime-miner and WARRIOR, anyways I love her and if you don't like her I'm gonna steal her to my own projects that don't exist but anyway! She's got a .. lamp on her forehead (way to go jadman, stop forgetting the name of such important thingsss) so she's useful in dungeons. She also drills through walls. And through enemies. She probably turns screws and other things too with her spinningtool that is mostly a drill. I imagine that she can do everything that DRILL DOZER MAIN CHARACTER GIRL can.

Don't complain about my animeness please D: Them big eyes, they compel you to like them! Their chicken-like fat thighs with unimaginably little feet love you ok.


Juuust saying though other artsy peoples, I think we're doing this idea a slight disservice going with such rpgtemplatey small sprites - almost no room for animateyness, oor I dunno. It's too late for me to give good critique I feel, but .. something feels iffy D:? I want more room for animations. Also I have VISIONS, IDEAS!11 about flat delicious pixel styles with not too room eaten by outlines. I guess I'll have to check y'alls responses to this and then see if it's a good idea to try to template around a bit.

Anyways guys, respond away, feedback me, dudes. Am I inspiring you or should I just shut up and reread the thread and go from that and stop having too much imagination? FEEDBACKSES.

Ffffark it's late.

Cheersy

[unsilentwill]

Jad... oh man oh man oh man. so great. Extraordinarily inspiring.

Imgaination is the key here, and you have that bleeding out of you. If anything, Genericman is a little too generic. I don't understand why an entire country of people would wear overalls, but it's apparently an idea that's not going to die anytime soon. Anime is done to death, rebirth and death again, but I can't help but love these designs, and I'd hate to screw them up by changing the style too much..

I am all for bigger more expressive/animated sprites. It's more effort and time but if everyone's cool with that, awesome.

... Awesome!!

[Jad]

who's wearing overalls .. O:? And where is it suggested that all people of a certain country would wear overalls? All of these designs are, well, extraordinary people of their respective countries, I'd say. They're representative, but they're still wearing some kind of uniforms. Druidgirl is wearing a suit reserved only for her position, grapplingguy is just very independent, and mininggirl is wearing a specialist suit somehow (WARRIOR DRILLER)

none of them are an average jolie

Anywha, yeah I know, genericdude looks a bit generic but I think he's got some stuff working for him. Turbany thing and poncho both look pretty nice, I think, and I like the grappling hook+sword combo, I like imagining playing with it. Herh.

I think it's mainly his 'winning smile' that can make you cringe. WINNING SMILE is a cringeworthy thing after all

[TheDustin]

I'm loving all the music and art you guys are providing us! If anybody else wants to bandy some design ideas around it'd be cool.


A Couple Design Issues We Should Address:
How do we want to structure our dungeons? How long do you think it should it take to complete the game? Are we going to require four players, or should we also scale everything for three or two players as well? What should our ratio of action to puzzles be? What happens if all players die? What if one player who has a necessary item to complete a puzzle dies before it's completed? What if a player has to leave the game in the middle of a dungeon for whatever reason, how do we make the dungeons beatable puzzle and enemy-wise? Any other major things I'm missing?

[Ashkin]

Well, sorry Jad, but I've decided to butcher Druidy-poo with my horrid pixelling.

  I'm so very sorry.

[Bree]

In all honesty, as much as I love doing concept art, we should probably focus on getting a basic engine done, so that we can prototype new mechancics and (most importantly) the online networking.