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[Soulliard]

That's a cool idea, JoeBloggs. It would require an epic amount of work, so I wouldn't ask anyone to do it, but I guess you already understand that.

Have you considered how the stage would change shape from one form to another? What if a character is standing where a platform is about to appear?

Also, how would you ensure that the stage does not become so complex and dangerous that the players focus more on the obstacles that each other?

[Andrew Brophy]

@canabalt stage: Wouldn't it work if it was a mix between the jet idea and the scrolling idea? As in, the players start on the jet and at regular intervals, the jet flies off and you're forced to run along the stage?

[JackShandy]

Good question, Soulliard. What I think I'd do is have the stages spawn slightly under the previous stage, so that when the flash of the tower clears, they're in the air, with a short fall down to the platforms of the stage. This'd make sure they have a bit of time to adjust and find the new platforms before they land on them, and anyone who would otherwise be in the area where the platforms spawn would have died from being off-screen. Added to this, the tower itself would start to light up in the background to give a bit of warning before each change.

Canabalt: Is there a way to make it so that the players allways automatically run forward, and moving left and right just slows them down/speeds them up? Maybe just having all characters automatically show the running animation when on the ground, while the level scrolls? I think that would be the only real way to capture canabalt.

[Soulliard]

That's a good solution for the NL2 stage.

The Canabalt suggestion probably wouldn't work, though. Some characters are much faster than others, and attacks would be thrown completely out of balance.

[JMickle]

why not just have the stage move anyway? not too fast, like 3/4 of the slowest character? yeah, some characters will have an advantage, but isn't that the case with all stages?

[Soulliard]

'Cause most characters can't move and attack at the same time. If a stage moves at more than about 1 pixel/step (1/5 of Liero's speed), more time will be spent just trying to keep up than actually fighting. This is a bad thing. That's the reason people hate Infinite Glacier so much.

[JackShandy]

ok, what if: The level scrolled, but the players didn't scroll with it? As in, if you leave a character on one part of the screen, they'll stay on that part of the screen. Characters all move normally, everyone acts as if they're on a still platform. They can still go left and right as fast as if they were on still ground, except that the stage scrolls underneath them? Not actually a scrolling stage, you see- the camera stays in the same spot, it just looks like it's scrolling.

To make it look any good though, purely as a cosmetic thing, you'd probably have to make everyone look like they're running- display their running animation whenever they touch the ground, perhaps? - while still not actually moving anywhere in a game sense. They'd still move forward as fast as normal, etc.

They'd still have to interact with the stage as far as jumping over gaps/dodging obstacles/buildings goes, but apart from that, it'd just LOOK like the ground was whizzing by rapidly. Would that work?

[MaloEspada]

ok, what if: The level scrolled, but the players didn't scroll with it? As in, if you leave a character on one part of the screen, they'll stay on that part of the screen. Characters all move normally, everyone acts as if they're on a still platform. They can still go left and right as fast as if they were on still ground, except that the stage scrolls underneath them? Not actually a scrolling stage, you see- the camera stays in the same spot, it just looks like it's scrolling.

To make it look any good though, purely as a cosmetic thing, you'd probably have to make everyone look like they're running- display their running animation whenever they touch the ground, perhaps? - while still not actually moving anywhere in a game sense. They'd still move forward as fast as normal, etc.

They'd still have to interact with the stage as far as jumping over gaps/dodging obstacles/buildings goes, but apart from that, it'd just LOOK like the ground was whizzing by rapidly. Would that work?

You're thinking Big Blue from Smash Bros Melee, right? I think that'd work very well.

[Kepler]

I think that a way you could potentially have the level scrolling idea, is to actually have obsticals that progress across the screen scroll themselves instead of a moving field of view; I assume that by the magic of scrolling background art we could also give the impression that the player is moving. The way it would work is by having level scroll under foot without disturbing the motion of the characters, yet breaks in buildings, glass windows and crap falling from the sky provides  additional environmental hazards that can block your path, or kill you completely. Presumably these obstacles wouldn't be constantly coming since that would really fragment the battle, but I think it would be pretty cool to have hazards every so often that you could try to push each other into, and avoid.

[MaloEspada]

We could have a very large arena moving -with the background moving too- and every now and then a "!" balloon would appear in a certain position of the screen. Seconds later one robot would fall from the sky in that exact position, giving players time to dodge that point.

[Kepler]

We could have a very large arena moving -with the background moving too- and every now and then a "!" balloon would appear in a certain position of the screen. Seconds later one robot would fall from the sky in that exact position, giving players time to dodge that point.

Nice idea. I might start working on a quick draft.

IDEA 1.
The stage moves below the opponents without interrupting their movement, simply providing the need to jump around an avoid occasional pits and obstacles. As stated by R. D. Ein, an exlaimation indicator could appear before anything falls from the sky.

Stage would scroll under foot as shown here. Bear in mind that these are just rough drafts.


IDEA 2.
This time, you are fighting on a static arena comprised of the background images. You can transfer between these layers by simply jumping. What happens is, the layers are systematically destroyed by debris and scripted events, forcing the fighters to move further backwards. When the final layer is destroyed, the opponents battle it out on falling pieces of debris. The same indicator for falling robots is used, as it was in the first idea.

[JackShandy]

STATUS REPORT!

I hope you know how to dance, 'cos I've finished PENULTIMATE TANGO, the big looming angel-monster that acts as Noitu Love 2's last boss, and the feature of the first sub-stage I've been working on. The idea is that this would act as a sort of sister-substage to the Omega Darn one, contrasting the Darn's ruined giant head to Tango's perfectly formed one.



Now that I've finished it, I'm not sure why I took the trouble to draw it myself. The closer you get to making it look like it does in the game, the more it looks like you've just cut/pasted it. What's worse, this is probably the best drawing I've ever done. hm.

I guess I'll put an update in the Omega Darn stage thread.

[MaloEspada]

Doesn't she have wings? Or something like that.

[Soulliard]

To make it look any good though, purely as a cosmetic thing, you'd probably have to make everyone look like they're running- display their running animation whenever they touch the ground, perhaps? - while still not actually moving anywhere in a game sense. They'd still move forward as fast as normal, etc.

It would look silly whenever anyone attacked.

Also, nice Tango.

[Kepler]

I think a Canabalt stage is somewhat fundementally flawed because it just wouldn't be practical at all to either have the characters constantly running, or to have all of the animations modified to give the impression that they're running over a moving surface, without having them have to keep up with a camera. I think the closest thing we're going to be able to have is a canabalt themed arena, maybe with an animation of a guy running along rooftops playing in the background.

Oh yeah, and that Tango looks badass.

[Mattdiox]

Well I have an idea. If I have no already suggested it.
I know story mode is just going to be lots of fights.
But why not have it as the only 'Not just a fight' stage?
Maybe have the character run and jump for a bit. Dodging the bombs that fall from the sky. Then they reach the final rooftop. And the rooftop begins to collapse. But there is no threat. Because the building is huge.
So basically it's an infinitely falling building. The battle takes place, once you win. Your character jumps off the building and then hits the floor where the building finally collapses into itself onto the floor.
The character does a sort of smile or wink (Something like that) at the screen and runs off screen?
Just a thought. But I thought this was probably the only way to stick to what canabalt is.

[Soulliard]

That might work. But Adventure Mode is still a ways off.

[JMickle]

or, make it similar to the deathworm stage in that every so often (45 seconds?) the stage starts to move and speed up, then slow down to a stop, so part of the time is staying on the stage and jumping buildings, but most of it is still BRAWLIN'! plus the advantage of the stage not being 'samey'.

[Tazi]

How about the characters auto-running by default on the exact speed of the stage's scrolling (so gameplay wise they would standing on one exact point of the screen), and when a character actually runs/walks the walking speed would be added the scroll releated running speed.
Also the buildings could be much closer to each other, and there should be a warning sign long before the players reach a hazard (endless pit, bomb, etc.).

[JMickle]

How about the characters auto-running by default on the exact speed of the stage's scrolling (so gameplay wise they would standing on one exact point of the screen), and when a character actually runs/walks the walking speed would be added the scroll releated running speed.
Also the buildings could be much closer to each other, and there should be a warning sign long before the players reach a hazard (endless pit, bomb, etc.).

we've been through this, the animations would look stupid whenever a character used an attack, among other things.