Coeur Du Chevalier

Hey everyone,

I thought i'd share a little something that I am working on in my quest to learn game design and code.

I've got a little help with Dawid W, Mika on sound design for me a Canadian lad named Aplherior doing some animation work for me.
This will be a part time project as I am a busy art/media teacher and a new father so time is pretty precious at the moment.

Coeur Du Chevalier
Which translated in the French, is Heart of the Knight.

The game is set in the 14th century medieval France, loosely based around the hundred years war, French was the main language of the time in England as to why the title is as well.
Game Overview:
The main character is a member of a lowly house attached to a force that is laying siege to a castle somewhere in medieval France. After his lord is taken out and nursing a wounded ego, it is up to him to make his house proud and maybe elevate himself in the eyes of the other lords and knights.
He grabs a rusty sword and buckler and heads towards the castle without a clue what he is supposed to do beyond survive the day.

Game information:

Created with Gamemaker Studio: Pro and Photoshop
The game is best played with an Xbox controller or keyboard and mouse.

Game Aesthetics:

Coeur Du Chevalier is a game designed in the style of pixel art, flat blocks of colour with no outlines….
The settings for each levels will be medieval France, wood, mud and grass, lots of greens and browns with fog at the edges, ready to envelop the player. The castles will be from small holds to large, many layered fortresses nestled on hill tops, lakes and in towns and villages.

Elements of gameplay:

The games core is about combat with a sense of realism, with a combat system and fighting style that resembles HEMA and re-enactment fighting. No arcade like attacks and slashes with big swords here. One on one combat.
The game is created with a physics engine with siege weapons/carts and other objects can be pushed towards enemy and used as cover.
The game is perma death with no saving.

Game Mechanics:

Goal or finish of level:

Break down the defences of the castle and occupy the main hall.

What is in the way of the goal?

Knights will roam and attack the player inside and out of the castle and its walls.
Archers will loose arrows at the player from the castle walls
The castle will have layers of defence: outer walls, fortified gates and doors. Siege defences such as hot oil and rocks and such may be added later possibly.

What is there to help the player reach the goal?

Weapons and armour can be picked up along the way.
Siege weaponry can be learnt and utilised such as rams can be pushed, trebuchets need to be learnt in later levels
AI friendly forces are on the field as well to help with siege weaponry – it will be up to the player to force the game status to develop though.

A draft of some music:

https://soundcloud.com/dawidwmika/siege-theme-for-coeur-du-chavalier-work-in-progress

art!

The main character:

A mock up of what some of it will look like: (ignore the really bad castle)

Early animation:

An enemy Knight:

A little bit of running:

That's it for now
Andrew.