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[Ninja Dodo]

I'd also recommend watching Disney's Hercules if you haven't already. It uses some pretty cool styles of animation that you may find relevant and inspiring. 

I actually rewatched it yesterday. I still really don't like their, uh, story choices, but graphically, clever ideas:

[SundownKid]

This graphics style looks sweet. A lot of games appropriate Greek mythology but not many go the extra mile to base it around that and make it look identifiably "Greek".

Not to hijack, but I actually wrote about something similar recently - I'd be interested to know what you think.

Anyone who likes Snow Crash and hates Star Wars is OK in my book.   I don't necessarily think that guns ruin close combat in the future, though, when you take into account things like the Holtzmann Field from Dune or super-Kevlar vests that can make guns useless. Sci-fi can parallel fantasy, because "any sufficiently advanced technology is basically magic".

[Ninja Dodo]

I should perhaps elaborate on what I dislike about the Disney film...

The first and foremost thing is they conventiently side-step the most important part of Herakles' story. His mother was NOT Hera. Zeus had extra-marital fun times with Alkmene which royally pissed off his wife as you might expect and she relentlessly pursued and tormented Herakles for the rest of his life.

If you're going to miss out on all the revenge and adultery drama I'm not sure what the point is of doing a story about these characters.

This, and all their themes and metaphors are more about American culture than they are about Greek mythology: Thebes as New York, Hercules as celebrity athlete/Superman... and Gospel music?

[InkBlotBunny]

I should perhaps elaborate on what I dislike about the Disney film...

The first and foremost thing is they conventiently side-step the most important part of Herakles' story. His mother was NOT Hera. Zeus had extra-marital fun times with Alkmene which royally pissed off his wife as you might expect and she relentlessly pursued and tormented Herakles for the rest of his life.

If you're going to miss out on all the revenge and adultery drama I'm not sure what the point is of doing a story about these characters.

This, and all their themes and metaphors are more about American culture than they are about Greek mythology: Thebes as New York, Hercules as celebrity athlete/Superman... and Gospel music?

lol It's just a animated movie intended for all ages. If you want something thats closer to the original story then watch the original Clash of the Titans.

[SundownKid]

I should perhaps elaborate on what I dislike about the Disney film...

Disney is noooot a place to look for accurate adaptations. They tend to butcher all the dark and meaningful parts of anything they adapt. See: Hunchback of Notre Dame.

[Ninja Dodo]

lol It's just a animated movie intended for all ages. If you want something thats closer to the original story then watch the original Clash of the Titans.

Heh, I know... but if you have to take out the core of the story to make it family-friendly perhaps it's not the best choice of subject matter for a Disney film?

As I mentioned earlier in the thread: I love Harryhausen.

Disney is noooot a place to look for accurate adaptations. They tend to butcher all the dark and meaningful parts of anything they adapt. See: Hunchback of Notre Dame.

True, though some of their films have gone pretty dark at times (Lion King comes to mind). I'm all for artistic license personally, as long as the general spirit of the thing remains, but this is not one of their better films.

My aim - and we'll see to what extent I succeed at this - is to create a game that captures Greek mythology in its visuals, story and gameplay, with the mechanics reflecting the 'rules' of Greek myth as much as possible.

[Mikademus]

The first and foremost thing is they conventiently side-step the most important part of Herakles' story. His mother was NOT Hera. Zeus had extra-marital fun times with Alkmene which royally pissed off his wife as you might expect and she relentlessly pursued and tormented Herakles for the rest of his life.

If you're going to miss out on all the revenge and adultery drama I'm not sure what the point is of doing a story about these characters.

This, and all their themes and metaphors are more about American culture than they are about Greek mythology: Thebes as New York, Hercules as celebrity athlete/Superman... and Gospel music?

Disney == whole-family fun with wholesome family values for right-wing conservative religious family-oriented American families:

* Violence is ok if it is fun!
* Violence is fun if it is ok!
* Violence is fun and ok if it is done by someone we like against someone we don't like!
* Sex doesn't exist, kisses is as far as it goes.
* Children always comes from a wholesome nuclear loving family. The concepts of extra-martial affairs doesn't exist. See 'sex'.
* "History" and "accuracy" is boring.
* The real story is "complex" and requires thinking. See 'boring'.
* Current affairs and pop-cultural references is hip.
* We need representatives of all ethnicities.
* Black people sing gospel.

[Ninja Dodo]

I'm still rather fond of Disney in general, but that one is not among my favourites for aforementioned reasons. Visually though it does do some interesting things.

Anyway, videogames!

[Ninja Dodo]

I did a quick mockup with a pottery texture and some tweaks to contrast and colouring. Also some slight darkening at the sides.



What do you think?

I'm not sure I could actually pull off the texture on top of objects in-game (unless I work it into the sprites themselves), but I could definitely add it to the frame and background.

[Geeze]

I'm not sure I could actually pull off the texture on top of objects in-game (unless I work it into the sprites themselves), but I could definitely add it to the frame and background.

That should be simple. Just make a object(with as small depht as necessary) that draws the texture on top of everything according to camera. AND remember to check how blend modes work. They could give you better effect than just a transparent sprite.

Are you still planning to do that vase effect? I can quarantee it's possible to do in GM without noticeable lag/stuttering/low frame rate.

[unsilentwill]

I love the look of it, you pulled it off quite well. But please don't make it Just Another Pretty Indie Platformer™, maybe some deep sword combat and Greek rituals. It's a beautiful mythology with so much to work with beyond jumping on things. Look into the stories of the heroes, Perseus, Heracles, Achilles, Jason, Theseus... they were all clever over strong and swift. Could make for some really cool gameplay and maybe something actually epic.

High hopes! 

[McMutton]

I've no experience with GM, but perhaps you could just make some pure black bits on the sides that, when combined with the darkening of the screen on the sides, would create the silhouette of a vase? You could also enhance the effects by having the background parallax consist of various cracks like you have now.

[Geeze]

Except that surf deform looks better and more realistic but thats good option for those whose computer's graphics card doesn't support gm surfaces.

[Ninja Dodo]

Are you still planning to do that vase effect? I can quarantee it's possible to do in GM without noticeable lag/stuttering/low frame rate.

I'm definitely planning on trying it, but I want to get the core gameplay in first. I'm really still learning GM as I go, so I'm sorta figuring out one thing at a time.

@McMutton: I'm not sure about the vase-shaped framing but I like how you have the orange more saturated on the sides. Might use that. I'm actually debating whether or not to have parallax scrolling. Cause, since it's a vase, it doesn't really have depth...

I love the look of it, you pulled it off quite well. But please don't make it Just Another Pretty Indie Platformer™, maybe some deep sword combat and Greek rituals. It's a beautiful mythology with so much to work with beyond jumping on things. Look into the stories of the heroes, Perseus, Heracles, Achilles, Jason, Theseus... they were all clever over strong and swift. Could make for some really cool gameplay and maybe something actually epic.

It's definitely my intention to NOT just make a platform game with unusual graphics... but I'm hoping to show rather than tell as and when I get stuff working. I just have to get the basics in there, then I'll start layering in some more depth... but rest assured I'm mining the myths for every idea I can use.

[Lamellama]

That looks brilliant Chris, I like the style. With your animation skills that'll look sweet.

[JackMenhorn]

I am enjoying seeing the progress you are making.

[Ninja Dodo]

@Lamellama: Hey man, glad you like it!

@KomradeJack: I hope to keep new things coming. I can't guarantee my progress will be at a constant rate, as this depends on other things, but there will be more.


Latest video:

(Stairs!)

Also a first attempt at translating the earlier mockup to actual in-game graphics. I should have a new playable version (probably) tonight... want to fix a couple more bugs first.

[Ninja Dodo]

New version!



http://www.ninjadodo.net/temp/hellas/hellas_v03.zip

So not yesterday then, but today. A few bugs proved particularly tenacious, but I emerge mostly victorious.

[Ninja Dodo]

Version 4:

http://www.ninjadodo.net/temp/hellas/hellas_v04.zip

I've added air attacks (up & down) and a smash attack if you hit just before landing. I still need to do a separate up attack for when you're moving horizontally and I'm not happy yet with how it looks going down stairs.

Also new is a placeholder monster dummy to test the attacks on.

As much as possible I want everything to flow logically from the main controls. You should be able to combine core actions (attack, duck/block, move and jump) in ways that make sense based on timing and context.

So for example:

- attack at the start of a jump: uppercut
- attack while falling: overhead attack
- attack (and hold) just before landing: SMASH

I'm still pondering the different effects these will have so for now the difference is purely cosmetic, but the goal is to build something reasonably deep that affords the player real tactical choices, but also has a natural feel to it.

Still working on a new gameplay video...

[Ninja Dodo]

Aaaaand here's a new video:



It shows the air attacks mainly, and a minor change to how held objects work (you can stand on them). This may not be that useful since you can just grab the player directly and drop him off at the desired location, but it could have some interesting uses.

I'm thinking the cost of grabbing objects will be lower than the cost of grabbing players.

The currency of the game is (going to be) sacrifice. You collect food and drink which you give to the gods in exchange for divine intervention: if you use a god power (or 'spell') it costs a certain number of sacrifices, which you collect in the level. This is to keep things balanced on the one hand, and on the other to illustrate the gods wouldn't lift a finger without proper tribute... though they may make exceptions for certain favourites.

Right now the only god-power is grabbing things. There will be others.