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[LiamBarden]

VIDEO : Latest Update - THE NEW LEVEL EDITOR




This game is a sequel to Ninjammin Beat-Jitsu, something i made last year - soon to be released on iPhone

For up to date dev news, follow my blog here: http://njbj.tumblr.com/

The game is a hybrid genre, somewhere between platformer and rhythm action. Ive been taking on the criticism i got from the first game and im rather pleased with the results so far.
The game is more of a remake/reimagining of the orignal rather than a true sequel.

*VERY* OUTDATED DEMO: http://www.yoyogames.com/games/144686-ninjammin-beat-jitsu-2-early-demo


You play as a Disco-Ninja on the run from an elite govt taskforce. The ninja is controlled by pressing certain buttons to the beat of the music to pull off various parkour and fighting moves.

In-game screenshot


MUSIC:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL3-jf55NhM




So the game is about 3 months into development now and is coming along well. The major difference between this and NJBJ original is that now you have full control over the player character. By pressing arrows on the beat you can move 808 around whatever which way you please, which means the game is gonna be jam packed full of secret routes and areas.


The game is set in the mid future, in a high tech city run by a totalitarian govt. Self expression has been banned, along with all artforms such as music. However, despite the mass propaganda and brainwashing techniques used to keep the majority of the populace under control, many underground resistance groups have formed in the city.


You play as 808, a young man who was going about his daily business when the ancient art of beat-jitsu was thrust upon you by your late great-great-great-grandfather Roland. The outlawed artform leads you into trouble as you flee and fight for your life and your city against the city's oppresive government regime.

The game also has a full built-in level editor so that you can create and share your own challenge maps. We also have some cool music made so I'll be uploading some teasers soooooon.



All feedback welcome

[fraxcell]

Looks very cool. Having full control over your movement looks pretty cool, as does the combat. One thing which looked a little wonky from the video was the end of the level effect; I think it would have looked better if the character went all the way to the center of the square thing before disappearing. The first time I saw it I thought you had wandered into a trap.

[flavio]

Cool! In some aspects it remembers me when I was playing with Dragon's Lair! Congrats!

[LiamBarden]

Thanks for the feedback guys
Ive had a fiddle with the end of level object and ive also released an early demo, along with a few youtube videos.
Links are in the first post

Also, some Music, for anybody interested:




Theres going to be a lot of variety in the music for this game, but I feel that the fast paced drum and bass really captures the overall mood best. More music will be coming soon.

[ink.inc]

Just played through the demo. Had a bit of fun. However, the music didn't seem to tie particularly well with my actions on screen.

Question- if you can move freely and jump whenever you want, what's the point of having those colored markers in the game?

[fraxcell]

Played through the demo - it was very cool. I quite enjoyed the mix of free movement and context based moves with the arrows. I'm not sure normal jumping (without lining it up with a colored arrow) is even necessary, unless you implement some hidden routes and want to make them less obvious. Also, the fighting is totally bad-ass. The continual beat in the background got kind of repetitive, but other than that I liked the music. Keep it up!

[LiamBarden]

@John Sandoval
The music should align perfectly with the beat (it does on my machine anyway, ive tested it) but the track is pretty fast and messy when its sped up fully so i guess it might not seem that way. Thanks for the heads up.

The idea behind the arrows is that they act like a tutorial of sorts, subtly teaching the player which buttons perform which actions in which places. The plan is to phase them out slowly throughout the final game

@ ninjutsu63
Yeah the idea is to have multiple hidden routes and secrets in every level. Also i have to agree with you about the beat. Im planning to replace it with drums eventually.

Thanks for the feedback guys

[LiamBarden]

Some more music:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LiamBarden?feature=mhum#p/a/u/1/dL3-jf55NhM

And some info on the level editor:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LiamBarden?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/TpTPubV3lCw

Let me know what you think, any/all feedback welcome

[Maxim Schoemaker]

Looks awesome :D
You're accent is so funny ^^

Thumbs up!

[LiamBarden]

Again more music:



I like this one, its relaxing and still upbeat. Walking a fine line there i think

Also, Ive made a tutorial (by request) for how 808 is animated in the game



If anybody has any other requests then dont hesitate to let me know

[LiamBarden]

Wow, its been a while. Over the past few months the game has been quietly progressing, for the most part. Most of the code has been completely rewritten, and I feel it was worth it. It now has tighter controls and is easier to manage, which should help speed up development a fair bit. I have halved the size of the 'cells' and doubled the tempo which has lead to tighter and more precise controls, more fluid movement and a greatly increased range of moves and sucklike fr the player to use. However, it's also taken a lot of time. Fighting has not been reimplemented and all the levels have to be redone. Despite this, i'm working on a new demo, the introduction to which can be seen here:





More info on the updates...

[BlueSweatshirt]

I really loved the original, so I'm stoked for this release. 

[Raku]

I'm sad that I'm just now learning of this game series.
I loved the first one, and this one looks even better

[LiamBarden]

Thanks for the support guys

I have a new video up, showing off the new combo system and some cool sfx.




Enjoy

[LiamBarden]

One of the lesser known secrets of game maker is that you can use the 3D functions even when you arent in 3D mode. This means that you can use things like fog, which can make for some interesting coloring effects.
Check the video below to see it in action

[gimymblert]

ho! cool game!

[LiamBarden]

@GILBERT Timmy  Thanks for the support, glad you like it

Ive added a whole bunch of updates this past week, shown in this video




Included is the new combat system, new traps, sawblades and crushers as well as some more unusual things such as giant pipes that throw you around a bit.

Enjoy

[LiamBarden]

VIDEO : Latest Update - THE NJBJ REMIX RAP




Its been a while, but there are now a couple more videos on my youtube showing some stuff off.
The latest is of a rap by MC Roland, made for the beginning of the upcoming demo

[LiamBarden]

A vidoe of the new level editor. If anybody wants to try it out send me a pm

[Banov]

Hey Liam! The game's seriously looking awesome.

I'd like to restate for the record that I really enjoy following your vlogs on YouTube, and your really close communication with fans/followers is a very refreshing take on the dev/player relationship. Keep up the good work!