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[Panurge]

My first crack at making a game solo - also my first time to code or attempt any art - so this is a complete learning experience for me. I'll be fitting it in amongst all sorts of other stuff so it may take some time to complete... but I will get there.



The three-second pitch is 'Chinatown with aliens'. The mechanics will be largely point-and-clicky but with some platforming, very story driven with the emphasis on branching choices. I'm aiming to irritate completists by having every decision rule out large chunks of alternative gameplay - hopefully this will prove liberating rather than frustrating.

My only previous experience is as a writer so I'm going to be perverse and make the game without any written text whatsoever (aside from the title, but even that may go), forcing me to learn new tricks in order to progress. The result will hopefully be a game which can be enjoyed by Earthlings and Martians alike.
(EDIT 25/01/13 - There will now be written dialogue. Can anyone translate into Martian?)

Here are a handful of first tries at simple animations. I plan to have them worked into a playable prologue soon.



A G-Man



A Go-Go dancer



A Martian



A fake Martian



A rebel



A blob

Any and all feedback will be lapped up thankfully.

[QOG]

Nice animations, though the walking is a bit awkward, as is the blob. Anyway, looks/sounds like a fun game.

[Panurge]

Thanks! Yes, both of those things definitely need straightening out. I'm still just feeling my way blindly into the world of pixel art but my next task will be to investigate walk cycles.

[SuperMoof]

I really like the animations. The G-Man in particular. What are you making this in?

[Panurge]

Nothing more complicated than GameMaker - I'm sticking to what I know I can achieve!

I messed around with walk cycles for a stupidly long period of time today. I finally came up with this for the agent (I'll still keep the one above for when he's sidling with his gun drawn):



I'm not really happy with it but it will serve for now. I've also kept my three previous attempts in case any part of the game requires him to walk like Michael Jackson, John Wayne or a duck with a stick up its arse...

And here's a femme fatale:

[Paul Jeffries]

Looks nice.  Even though the spriting style is very minimalist you've managed to infuse them with a lot of character.  The concept reminds me a bit of Ross Wellington.

[Panurge]

Thanks for the encouragement and for the link - I hadn't seen that before but it looks cool and is very close to the sort of atmosphere I'm hoping to create.

A couple of new bits:

         

A Goon (+ same goon getting hit by a ray gun).



Another Go Go Dancer



A Crime Scene

[DustyDrake]

Holy hell those hips.

[Panurge]

Holy hell those hips.

The mechanics are progressing nicely and things seem to be coming together. I hope to have something loosely playable before the snow thaws and I'm forced back to work...

Here's a rough go at the first area:



All that empty space is intentional - most areas will be interiors and allow for a lot more vertical movement. When they're outside, I want the characters to seem dwarfed and vulnerable. There will be a lot going on in the sky later...

Next time: Sexy Time!

                                    

[phubans]

Not sure the black outlines on the environment art is really meshing too well with the characters. I think it would look a lot better if you dropped those black lines.

[Panurge]

Thank you! That's just the sort of feedback I really need. I've followed your suggestion and it now looks like this (with the old one below it as a comparison):





I think it's a heap better now. Thanks again.

[Impmaster]

What's that in the sky? A plane? (hurtling towards the earth?) Also, good luck!

[Panurge]

What's that in the sky? A plane? (hurtling towards the earth?) Also, good luck!

Thanks! That's meant to be the comet of the title. In motion it's (hopefully) a little more obvious.

[Panurge]

Okay, it's Sexy Time!

                                

In keeping with the pulp setting, I'm intending to have some sexual content in the game. There won't be a great deal of it and it won't be gratuitous or even particularly titillating (unless 16x16 images are your bag...), but the plot relies on a web of blackmail and interpersonal (even interspecies) relations which it would seem silly to keep offscreen.

Anyway, here are a small selection of 'specialist' gifs for the appreciation of discerning adults! They are mildly NSFW so I've put links rather than images. By clicking on them you are certifying that you are not easily offended or aroused by the sight of square nipples or tiny pixellated tadgers...

Don't try this one at home: http://i.imgur.com/LKOHrI1.gif

A randy senator: http://i.imgur.com/S6oNKPL.gif

The same senator getting his rocks off: http://i.imgur.com/IrUULf5.gif

A pretty direct seduction: http://i.imgur.com/yjWJBqn.gif

More than partners? http://i.imgur.com/xWgURHM.gif

Too sexy? http://i.imgur.com/AOVanMj.gif

I'm going to let the character's sexuality rest entirely in the hands of the player so you could play as anything from a complete prude to an omnisexual profligate.

In other news, the mechanics are shaping up quite nicely. Progress will be made through a series of short one or two screen 'levels'. The actions you perform in each will determine the state of later levels, sort of like Storyteller.

[Mef]

All your sprites and their animations contain so much win!

 

[DustyDrake]

That senator looks quite a bit like that goon that got vaporized last page.

[Panurge]

@Mef - Thanks!

@DustyDrake - Haha yeah, he got promoted!

[Panurge]

I've got a prototype of the first level going and I'm feeling pretty darn pleased with myself. I'm trying to keep the controls as simple as the graphics so aside from movement there is just a sinister/dexter system whereby the left mouse button does something 'negative' (draws gun, shoots, punches, says no etc) and the right button does something 'positive' (shows badge, shakes hand, says yes etc), all dependant on context.

I've gone back on my resolution not to include any writing because the storyboard I now have for the plot is just too intricate to work without any dialogue.  I'd still like to keep it as minimalist as possible, however, so ideally I want to have all the dialogue spoken to keep the screen clear of text. I would just let the player use the mouse buttons to respond yes and no as they like without pausing the game. The only problem is that this approach might make the current control system confusing - how do I let the player know intuitively what effect the buttons will have (saying no or drawing their gun, for example)? I may have to compromise on the simplicity I'd hoped for.

Anyway, I hope to post a video as soon as I find out how. In the meantime, a theatrical alien warlord:

[jO]

Really lovely minimalistic style.
For some strange reason your game reminds me a lot about the old Manhunter series from Sierra.

[Panurge]

Really lovely minimalistic style.
For some strange reason your game reminds me a lot about the old Manhunter series from Sierra.

Oh wow! I used to love the first Manhunter game. I haven't thought about it for ages but I won't rule out the possibility that it may have subconsciously influenced me! I'm certainly aiming in places for a similar vibe (though hopefully any puzzles won't be as frustrating as the ones in that game could be...).