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[Enyx]

This project is so cool! I've read every single post and this is very inspirational work. I love the way you've brought together mechanics and styles from classic titles.

I'm looking forward to the next build and I'll be more than happy to relay my feedback. Keep up the good work and good luck finishing the last chapters, I look forward to getting the finished product when it's released. 

[Garlicguy]

This project is so cool! I've read every single post and this is very inspirational work. I love the way you've brought together mechanics and styles from classic titles.

I'm looking forward to the next build and I'll be more than happy to relay my feedback. Keep up the good work and good luck finishing the last chapters, I look forward to getting the finished product when it's released. 

Thanks! Your feedback will be much appreciated!

[Garlicguy]

Chapter 5 Progress

I went to work on the nuclear town. The houses are ment to look cookie cutter and generic. The maniquins too. As I said before, I'll go back and touch things up later...

Cars don't do anything but act as platforms. This act of Chapter 5 will be a boss fight...or more of an "encounter" with "Robo Rocco".
 


 

[Garlicguy]

I’ve edited the Nuke Town just a bit. I’m more comfortable with leaving it alone for later polishing down the road.

Made the houses a bit less 2D. Added a scrolling foreground with the telephone polls....all stages will get some sort of foreground detail for depth. Speaking of depth those cars won’t be behind the fences...I’ve already changed that....

When I’m in full on polish mode I’ll cut back on the stop signs...maybe add a crosswalk sign etc...mannequins in the background...maybe a bus to hop onto just to mix it up...

I’ve been playing with the idea of radioactive waste spills to add some extra challenge...maybe a barrel you can run on like the gears in chapter 4...


Now it’s time to make the Robbo Rocco boss fight.... I’ll edit this post with the results later today.

[Garlicguy]

Chapter 5 act 1 done - Rocco VS Robo Rocco

Better late than never. The beginning of the boss is all about dodging Robo Rocco's grenade blasts. The second portion is about hitting him as many times as possible.

[Garlicguy]

Chapter 5 act 2 - Sky Chase

Act 2 of the chapter has a sky theme. First portion involves the duo using Crazy Coconuts to catch Printor in his airship. Kind of a *spoiler* for her character arc but meh...

I whipped this up just this morning before work.

Heavily inspired by Sky Chase from Sonic 2...right down to the odd walking animation...which I may change.

 

[Garlicguy]

Chapter 5 Progress

Act-2 is all about storming The Mighty Printors ship. You battle his Paper Pirate Dolls...or Pirate Action Figures as he calls them.

Outside the ship you're up against furious winds.



Inside the ship you must avoid rum barrels as they slide around in the ship...among other hazards.

[Garlicguy]

Chapter 5 and 6 Progress

Been away for a while...I won’t be able to use my Laptop til July....I’ve been doing Army stuff, burning in th sun, camping (not the fun kind), unable to shower (unless you count the rain), playing with live ammo, driving with night vision goggles....and downing the most RANK coffee in the world .

Anyway, not a day goes by that I’m not hit with new ideas for the game. I got started on some things just before leaving:

Printor boss fight - has two segments, one inside and outside the ship. Some inspiration from Search Man from megaman, and the Halbird Cannon boss from Kirby superstar.

Stealth System - Not rocket science at all, Rocco will have the ability to hide inside of dumpsters, or just try to stay out of sight in order to to avoid being spotted. When a bad guy spots you ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE...but it is not an instant game over...the cool of system is unique.

Side missions the boss from chapter 2 (Hokum-Pontus) plays a huge roll in the side missions, she gives Rocco and Renwick extra powers for collecting The Skulls of her Ancestors. They are found in hidden areas of each stage...the powers she gives you allow you to access new areas! Powers like Flight, Egg Cannon, wing slap, and the ability to bounce off of enemy heads like Mario. She gives you an extra special gift for finding all skulls. Completing these missions will get you closer to 100% completion.

I’m definitely excited to get back to my wife, dog, and computer to work.

[swordofkings128]

Hey I just thought about this game the other day and I'm glad you're still working on it :D

Can't remember if I commented earlier but I like "vibe" of this game. Love the cartoonyness of it over all + the use of stock cartoon sound effects. Not sure how to explain it exactly but it's really unique.

[Garlicguy]

Hey I just thought about this game the other day and I'm glad you're still working on it :D

Can't remember if I commented earlier but I like "vibe" of this game. Love the cartoonyness of it over all + the use of stock cartoon sound effects. Not sure how to explain it exactly but it's really unique.

Hey man, thanks!

I was going for something a bit different frin the usually 8bit sound effects. Sounds are inspired by GEX an old 3DO/PS1 trilogy.


I’ve been checking out your project too, exploring a windows 98 desktop makes me think of Myst.

[flex$]

hey dude, been a while since i checked in but i'm loving the progress. combo system looking fun and fluid. glad to see you've stuck to your vision. all of these surprising gameplay elements really keep this feeling fresh.

[swordofkings128]

Hey I just thought about this game the other day and I'm glad you're still working on it :D

Can't remember if I commented earlier but I like "vibe" of this game. Love the cartoonyness of it over all + the use of stock cartoon sound effects. Not sure how to explain it exactly but it's really unique.

Hey man, thanks!

I was going for something a bit different frin the usually 8bit sound effects. Sounds are inspired by GEX an old 3DO/PS1 trilogy.


I’ve been checking out your project too, exploring a windows 98 desktop makes me think of Myst.

I wasn't going to say it because didn't know if it was a coincidence but I did get a strong Gex vibe from this for sure! I'd really love it if there was voice acting and Rocco said all kinds of funny little one liners. Quite frankly I think one liner spewing main characters is really lacking in indie games... however it's not like a make/break thing for me! And finding good VA is difficult/expensive...

And thanks for checking out my project, I'm flattered :D

[TonyManfredonia]

The backgrounds remind me of PAC-Land (at least those “western” areas). I dig it! It’s definitely unique in the realm of 2D

[Garlicguy]

Hey, thanks for the feedback guys!

& Renwick

I think it's about time I gave Renwick more abilities, before I go too much further. I think just helping Rocco double jump is enough.



Added a new ability that is similar the "Talon Trot"...It's called the "Dino Dash". This ability allows the player to move quicker, trample very small or inatimate objects, cross areas Rocco can't, climb steep hills, and with enough land Renwick becomes an invulnerable juggernaut.

This ability is learned at some point of the game.

[TonyManfredonia]

With these kind of ability additions, will there be any kind of “energy” system, or more so just a learned ability that you can utilize infinitely?

Simply food for thought! Dino Dash has a solid ring to it.

[binong]

Interesting gameplay. I'm actually working on simple one tap runner game like this but it's quite simple compare to this. Would love to see more updates.

[Garlicguy]

With these kinds of ability additions, will there be any kind of “energy” system, or more so just a learned ability that you can utilize infinitely?

Simply food for thought! Dino Dash has a solid ring to it.

There will be an energy system. I tried the infinite ability route, and it made things a tad too easy.

Interesting gameplay. I'm actually working on simple one-tap runner game like this but it's quite simple to compare to this. Would love to see more updates.

Thanks! I was thinking of making a spin-off mini-game focused on this ability.



------



Game Feel and Hog Ride 2

I've been tweaking game feel constantly to get it just right. This happened after I added gamepad functionality...Something my wife claims every PC platformer should have.

The gamepad controls aren't just a simple PORT of the keyboard controls...for example...abilities like the SLIDE and SLAM aren't triggered by holding the analog/d-pad controls down and pressing ATTACK...With more buttons to play with, I made those abilities triggered by pressing BUTTON 3 on a gamepad.


....The new gamepad functions forced me to finally make a running chomp attack.




I've made Hog Ride 2, it takes place near the end of Chapter 5. I've made the health system visible and added a means of gaining health.

[Garlicguy]

I'm still focusing on game feel

I want the game to feel and look like a buttery smooth pixelated cartoon. I think I've been successful so far.

Rocco's y-scale now stretches more in the air...which gives him a less snappy feel.

I've recently discovered the value of blurring certain backgrounds for a feeling of distance....

I'm working on blurry foregrounds as well...The trick is not making them too distracting.

[Garlicguy]

EGG LAUNCHER



I mixed Crash Bandicoot 3's fruit bazooka with Banjo Kazooie's egg shot. This will be a learned ability that the player can do on the fly, as long as there is ammo. I plan to have different types of eggs.

 

[Garlicguy]

Exploration!

This isn't Metroidvania level exploration. Think more along the lines of Mario 64, Gex 2-3, wario land, or Banjo Kazooie. You select a world, and take on new tasks, and explore different areas in that world to find secrets.

Some worlds have a towns/hubs like Septic Springs (The trailer park world), others just throw you into action, and some are still going to keep the linear style.