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[SuperMistLand]

Wanda

Daily Dev Log - Inspired by the Archer project, I will post a daily updates. Right now I have a full time job working on a facebook game so initial progress will be slow.
 
Idea: Wanda arrives in a mysterious forest castle where she must unravel the plot of the nefarious Sandguys Gang.

Goal (Hopefully): Make a kick ass adventure game that provides fun mechanics without relying on combat or killing. This may change, as combat is pretty damn fun but I want to at least explore the idea before I abandon it.

Platform: Game Maker HTML5

This dev log will also include updates for a while on "Raid the Core" a very simple side scrolling SHMUP that I am making strictly to learn the basics of Game Maker, based on Derek Yu's fantastic tutorials. It will be one level with a simple boss.

Currently with RTC I have: custom sprite font, basic gameplay (shooting, death, 2 enemies), and a partially laid out level.




RTC to-do list

• Redo / finish tileset
• design and implement boss fight
• finish level layout
• make music
• add sound effects
• add lives

Wanda Day One

• Worked on some concept sketches for Wanda character and game map.
• Worked on concepts for Whistlepig animal and Llamadog animal
• Gathered tools I plan to use in the game: Grandma's Engine, lighting engine, bought license for GM HTML5 and various tutorials and source codes to use as learning aides.

Want to include wild animals, but as helpers / abilities rather than obstacles. Also, I am thinking of a scanning system similar to Metroid Prime, reworked for a sidescroller so a bit like Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, I suppose.

[SuperMistLand]

Day 2

Light day today.

• Nailed down idea for the core mechanic: fast paced ice climbing on a frozen mountain.
• Shooting for a big, expansive single map with a distinct atmosphere.
• Sketched my rough idea for Wanda in her ice climbing outfit.

Next up: figuring out the grandma engine and prototyping the ice pick / grappling hook traversal mechanics.

[Linx]

Haha, I'm about to start a devlog in a couple of days inspired by the Archer devlog too .  I love the sketch, but i had no idea the person in the sketch was a female until i read the notes.  I think it's probably something to do with the face. Since everything else is covered up by more bulky clothes, it's hard to tell whether its male or female without looking towards the face first.  I wish you best of luck~ I'll be watching this ;P

[SuperMistLand]

@Gabriel Thanks dude! (PS I might need some help figuring out grandma engine, I'm nowhere near code literate yet.)

@Linx woop yeah I was going for a bit of an androgynous character, so I guess mission accomplished? The other design was a little cuter and showed more skin and felt too self-indulgent.

Semi related note, recently read How to Count - Programming for Mere Mortals and it was a great help in understanding some of the most basic of basics. http://www.amazon.com/Count-Programming-Mere-Mortals-ebook/dp/B005DPIKPE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316850409&sr=8-1

[SuperMistLand]

Day 3

• some doodles of ideas
• messed around with the grandma engine, still trying to figure it out

meh, gotta power through feelings of discouragement with code and scripting.

[SuperMistLand]

Day 3

• Worked on level layout for Raid the Core
• Did sketch of an anti-hero rival type character for Wanda

apologies, but the updates will mostly be focused on the shooter until I get a better grasp of the grandma engine and figure out how to my mechanic ideas

[SirNiko]

Day 2

• Nailed down idea for the core mechanic: fast paced ice climbing on a frozen mountain.
  

If this turns out like a 2d version of Mirror's Edge that would be pretty rad. Like Super Meat Boy but with more complicated platforming.

[brothers74]

the concepts art looks incredibbly cool!! good luc k

[SuperMistLand]

Day 4
Raid the Core

• added simple lives system and ship count HUD icon
• added play and game over states, and restart function
• compiled a list of bugs for RTC and wrote some design ideas for Wanda
• updated the bg so it sucks less

really simple stuff but such a satisfying feeling, derek yu's tutorial is a great learning aide.   now on to figure drawing practice.

btw this video by Konjak is great

[SuperMistLand]

Day 5 another light day. crunching at work.
RTC:

• fixed bug: properly center explosions
• entered some new bugs and wrote out a final list of everything I want to add to consider it complete

Wanda - spent some time digging around in grandma engine, trying to learn what I can and figure out how to change it for my needs.

Playing through Another World right now for the first time. Love these kind of games... Abe's Odyssey, Heart of Darkness, and Limbo. Cinematic side scrolling puzzle games? Sure.

[SuperMistLand]

Day 6 Crunch continues, but so do updates!

RTC

• worked on the level design. it's simple, but it's supposed to be
• worked on some explosion animations.

[FK in the Coffee]

You're using Derek's shmup tutorial, I take it?  At any rate, the sketches look amazing!  Is this game going to be linear or open world?

[SuperMistLand]

Yep, using Derek's tut as a learning aide to help ease in to using GM. I'm planning Wanda to be open world. Want to go the route of "learning the rules before breaking them."

Sorry for the boring updates during crunch! On the plus side our new facebook game should be launching in 2 weeks!

• Worked on the tileset for the shmup. Right now, feeling way too much like Derek's art.
• Worked on layout of tiles

Derek's sprite work is great to study for clarity and ideas, but I'm going to rework it all until I feel it's my own.

WIP Tiles:


Been listening to the Drive sound track tonight. Beautiful film and an awesome soundtrack!

[SuperMistLand]

bonus post! some of the doodles I did last week:





Overall, I think the ice climbing setting has more potential for moment to moment fun, and I want to pare it down to the essentials of what makes that fun, which is why I switched from this more pleasant idea. Also, I think the feeling of solitude and danger a frozen environment could make could be really fun :D

[SuperMistLand]

Day 8

• worked on sprite for main character of Wanda
• worked on design doc for Wanda

[SuperMistLand]

Day 9

• worked a bit more on the ice climber sprite

Pondering two core ideas right now, represented here by the scale of the characters. Leaning more towards the right, which I feel is "mine" rather than just a rip of spelunky and archer.



On the other hand, the cuter light-hearted version could be a lot of fun! Hmmmmm... Either way, the idea is to base the game around a grappling hook platforming mechanic. 

[happymonster]

I think something in between would be good, the one on the left looks too small compared to the concept drawings and the one on the right too tall.

[SuperMistLand]

Day 10

working on some concept art. not enough to show off at this point, but have decided to stick to my original vision. scared shitless by the massive task in front of me, but I think that means I should go for it  will scan some stuff to show tomorrow.

considering using unity. stay tuned!

[SuperMistLand]

Day 11

Have decided to explore the project in Unity. The idea is daunting and an enormous task, so I am going to do a proof of concept prototype, which is a fully fleshed out little experience both in terms of mechanics and visuals, that serves as a prologue to the full game, and only takes 15-20 minutes to play through.

My goal is to devote my energy to this slice and hopefully use it as a tool to get feedback on my ideas and use as a demo to bring others to the project.

• more concept doodles
• started planning out first small-slice project of Wanda. "The Bus"
• started learning / messing around in Unity.

[SuperMistLand]

Day 12

• sketched ideas for grappling hook mechanic
• some environment sketches and more sketches for the design of wanda

scans coming soon. just got home from a 12 hour crunch on our game. need rest badly.

in the mean time, here is a wip mockup I've been picking away at: