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[RotateMe]

These are some old screenshot for my hopefully someday upcoming platformer "Kawaii Mermaid". I got this idea and use the graphics from this mockup: http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/51884.htm. It was done by Setzer and my trying-to-make-it-into-a-game is under his permission.

Here you can see a video about what you can do right now in the game:



I'd really like some criticism or suggestions. I'm currently trying to expand on the tileset and add the enemies from the mockup, but I'm having quite some trouble with teh pixel arts  

Oh and WHOEVER might be intereseted in doing some levels for this game is more than welcome, I have an english readme ready.


NEW VIDEO, NOW MORE UNDERWATERY-ER!




In the following is my TODO/DONE-list which I will try to keep updated:

Code:

CURRENT(!!!):
- maps 

IMPORTANT(!!):
- screensize based maps?
- starting menu
- enemies:
	- crabs
	- octopus
	- starfish
- moves:
	- walljump / grind
	- charged shot
	- dash
	- swimming after jumping
- pause-menu showing items and minimap

LATER(!):
- more tilesets
- tweak enemy movement
- savepoints
	-implement different saveslots
- opening screen / menu
- minimap
- add more explosion and dust animations
- add one or two background layers showing stuff
- switches
- tiles that only appear/disappear once a variable is set
- game variables for events
- damage on enemies shown in numbers
- half/quarter hearts
- some sound and animation when finding an item

FUTURE:
- lorry drive

BUGS(!!!!):
- selection choices may get too big for the screen and are too small if choices>~5 (problem)
- looking up / down doesn't work when screen is actually lower / higher than allowed
- testing from editor leads to wrong map when map to be tested is new
- strange black background when fading in and out on map change
- dust disappears before end of screen
- EDITOR: crash when right clicking some stuff in small mode
- EDITOR: can't test new maps (got to restart)

------------------------------------------------------------

DONE:
- done up to 26.05.2010:
	- editor with basic functionality
	- basic playability
		- collision detection
		- jumping, shooting, climbing
		- two enemies
		- sounds
		- animations
		- menues, dialogues, events
- music (27.05.2010)
- map properties (27.05.2010)
- dark maps (27.05.2010)
- some new event commands (27.05.2010)
- BUG: song playback bugs (28.05.2010)
- BUG: reset map properties when starting a new map in the editor (28.05.2010)
- BUG: camera scrolling errors (28.05.2010)
- integrate events into the editor (28.05.2010)
- treasure chests and three items(30.05.2010)
- money (30.05.2010)
- prison cell (30.05.2010)
- started with map outskirts (30.05.2010)
- spikes (02.06.2010)
- guards (02.06.2010)
- coins (02.06.2010)
- started with platforms (02.06.2010)
- BUG: overObject recognition works bad (07.06.2010)
- BUG: platform collision detection works bad
- BUG: moving platforms don't move the player with them
- ducking and looking up (08.06.2010)
- camera moves in direction the player looks
- tweaked the guard animation
- added screenshaking (specifically for the spikeball) (09.06.2010)
- changed the spikeballs movement
- BUG: looking up while walking looks strange (10.06.2010)
- blocks that disappear when you stand on them
- shootable blocks (11.06.2010)
- sound when shooting blocks
- change jump behaviour (now accelaration when in air, slower) (05.07.2010)
- added running
- shooting up and down possible
- (BUG) sandstone timing and sand spacing doesn't work correctly (29.07.2010)
- direct level-testing from editor (31.08.2010)
- right mouse picks tile instead of deleting (15.09.2010)
- canons that shoot you around (16.09.2010)
- added explosion animations (21.09.2010)
- show numbers when collecting enemy money, accumulate numbers always (21.09.2010)
- savepoints: look what else needs to be saved (game variables and player stats) (21.09.2010)
- falling below screen kills now (22.09.2010)
- slowed player movement down (23.09.2010)
- added wobbly background (23.09.2010)
- added swim jump (25.09.2010)
- (BUG) heavy slowdown after some time, probably caused by undeleted animation objects (25.09.2010)
- bubbles when jumping, landing and in random intervals from all beings (25.09.2010)
- item found sound and animation (28.09.2010)
- some new maps (28.09.2010)

[flavio]

It looks fantastic!

Here you can see a video about what you can do right now in the game:



I'd really like some criticism or suggestions.

Imo there's too much gravity, I think that decreasing that (slightly) could be a good thing (but, again, it's only a personal opinion)...

[RotateMe]

Imo there's too much gravity, I think that decreasing that (slightly) could be a good thing (but, again, it's only a personal opinion)...

This has been said before and I agree, I'm bad at fine tuning such things but I'm going to work on it. Everything moves a little bit too quick as of now, I can see that...

[VomitOnLino]

Imo there's too much gravity, I think that decreasing that (slightly) could be a good thing (but, again, it's only a personal opinion)...

This has been said before and I agree, I'm bad at fine tuning such things but I'm going to work on it. Everything moves a little bit too quick as of now, I can see that...

Yeah I agree. I dunno about your engine, (as there might be some performance restraints), but a couple of thoughts [Take them with a grain of salt, of course - just thinking out loudly here]:

-I like the style and it looks fantastic. Doing a plattformer in your own engine is a daunting task (that I failed before) - I'm rooting for you there because this looks way cool! (Also nice underused setting!)

-Everything moves a bit fast, it's underwater - I would expect more floaty controls. Also the bubbles when you die move too fast. (Now as a programmer I know that you want your particles to go offscreen ASAP but it feels a bit weird here.)

-On the graphical side of things, it's quite static now for an underwater scenario. There are a couple of cheap effects that could, with very little effort enhance the looks greatly. For example cycle the background color gradient very softly.

-Add little bubbles here and there, maybe also as confirmation when the player lands. It could also kick up some dust and silt.

-If you're feeling adventurous you could also try to overlay some soft caustics over the entire screen.

That's it. Great effort so far!

[moi]

those small sprites are kawaii as hell, and C64 colors trigger the nostalgic in me.

[jethrolarson]

For underwater I'd expect the jumping to be really floaty. I like the art so far. If you could make the gameplay better match the environment I think that would be an improvement.

[KM]

I don't see how you'll make the game feel underwater without extremely changing the entire gameplay of the game.

[sodap]

i think the game will feel underwater with underwater sounds and bubbles from breathing for everything that is living. Also you could add a displacement effect to background items

[RotateMe]

Heh, the critique is pretty clear in how I will have to change the game. This also helps in terms of how I will make the gameplay a little more unique. I've started working on backgrounds, slowed everything down a little. Will add bubbles and more underwaterly sounds now and then work on a swim-like double jump. Any other ideas? Will try to upload a new video on monday or tuesday. Thanks a lot!

[Mipe]

I opened the thread thinking it was about a Hawaii Mermaid.

[BitShift]

This looks really cool!  I can't wait to play it.

[RotateMe]

Well, as promised there's a new video showing the more underwatery feel of the game, probably best noticable at the end of the video where some jump action is going on. The new swim move works kinda like the spasmic flight of Yoshi in Yoshi's Island.

The video also introduces cannons and the item find melody. If someone can identify where the melody is from and what I did with it gets one demos of the underwater gaem.

Edit: Oops, video link:

[superflat]

I definitely wouldn't describe the style as kawaii, but it is awesome nonetheless.  The dithering and restricted palette reminds me of Harlequin on the Amiga (which I loved).

[Sir Raptor]

What I want to know is why checkpoints don't refill your HP, or at the very least why they don't refill your HP fully after you die and respawn. I figure that would normally be a no brainer.

[RotateMe]

What I want to know is why checkpoints don't refill your HP, or at the very least why they don't refill your HP fully after you die and respawn. I figure that would normally be a no brainer.

Sure isn't. Done. I chose the first variant, refill HP when touching the savepoint. The other variant doesn't really make sense since you could just suicide after saving...