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[Muninn Games]

Follow us on Twitter at @MuninnGames!

WHAT IS MERC COMPANY?

Merc Company is a rogue-lite action platformer game. Players will get to explore pseudo-procedurally generated maps filled with a variety of alien races, items, and enemies! As the game progresses, new playable characters known as mercs (mercenaries) can be unlocked. For those who want more than just gameplay, Merc Company will also feature an intricate network of interweaving backstories revolving around the characters!

Gameplay:
As mentioned, you will be able to choose from a variety of mercs that all have unique traits and abilities! Each merc will begin their journey in the Scattered Shot, an infamous bar where many mercenaries and criminals reside. Within the bar you can make mission contracts with other characters where you can complete tough objectives for a reward! Missions get exceedingly difficult, so it is important to make good contracts and collect helpful items along the way.

Oh, and make sure to celebrate completing each mission with a fresh drink from the bar! Drinks are consumable items found only at the Scattered Shot that have special effects and can boost stats... So drink up!  

Features:

• A sizable roster of playable characters each with unique abilities. Although you’ll currently see only 1 of them here :D
• Semi-procedurally generated maps and distinctive locations.
• Permadeath (Spooky Stuff).
• Many items to collect, improve stats, and create builds with.

PSEUDO-PROCEDURAL MAP GENERATION:

We originally wanted our maps to be entirely procedurally generated. During some tests, we found that procedural generation lead to inconsistency and randomness in maps produced and that was not the kind of game we wanted to make. Premade linear maps was another option, but we feared linear map design would get stale and repetitive over time, greatly reducing the replayability of Merc Company. Instead, we opted for a hybrid process of map generation that took elements of both procedural generation and linear map design. Basically, instead of having one large linear map, we designed several miniature maps that would fit together like a puzzle to form one large completed map!

(Note that this is not real time map generation! Map generation is basically instant, the gif just gets the point across.)

GAME DEVELOPMENT AND ART STYLE:

In terms of development and programming, Merc Company is currently being made in Unity3D using C#. We chose to work with Unity over other game engines because it is free, has a great community and forum (like Tigsource ), and offers us a great deal of flexibility in our character designs! Any demos or clips we show of gameplay will likely be snippets from either the Unity editor or a built demo from Unity.

Regarding art, Merc Company will be entirely 2D and composed of pixel art. We think pixel art fits the feel of Merc Company well and generally looks pretty cool! All animations and sprites are made in Photoshop CS6.


MERCS:

Each merc will have distinct abilities and unique playstyles. We plan to have a large roster of characters in the future, but right now we are just focusing on completing 5 playable mercs for our eventual demo. The first character we decided to work on was Gourmet! Gourmet is an anglerfish-type alien the currently spends his time slashing, seasoning, and devouring anything that stands in his way, all in the name of indulging himself in a quest for the perfect flavor!

MEMBERS:

Muninn Games is made up of two indie devs, one specialized in game development, and the other in illustration and animation. Together we are collaborating to produce Merc Company along with additional games on the side!

Trent Geordt
Developer / Game Designer
Email: [email protected]

Domenic Pennetta
Animator / Pixel Artist
Email: [email protected]

Contact:
If you have a question regarding Muninn Games or Merc Company, feel free to email either of us!
You can also stay up-to-date with Merc Company and Muninn's other projects at:

Twitter
IndieDB
 

[v790]

Really like it

[Rarykos]

Sandman is cute!
 I dont know what the game is about but sandman is cute

more fun sandman
less sad marine
#election2020


for the sound you'd better think of the tone that you're going for and then look and ask the appropriate guys.
I have a few cute boys and gals who do stellar music, but they don't really sieve the projects on here all that often

[sidbarnhoorn]

The artwork looks cool! Looking forward to seeing it develop further! What kind of music are you looking for?

[Muninn Games]

New Tiles

While working on animating Gourmet I began designing new tiles for our maps on the side. The tiles we have been using are outdated, so I was compelled to start from scratch! I ended up making a nice tileset that includes dirt, grass, metal, and rock tiles. The tiles themselves could be considered a bit uninspired in terms of terrain, but they serve as a great base for future tiles.

(The grey dirt tiles are actually just the brown tiles but less saturated in color. They serve as temporary background tiles until I can make tiles that look more colorful and interesting.)

Notice how the tiles flow into each other? I worked hard to make sure that these tiles would fit together seamlessly! I planned on having different types of terrain to interact with each other in ways that seem natural. The images below really shows off how versatile these tiles can be too. However, I am not sure that this much utility will actually be necessary for map making. Either way, it’s good to know that we have many options for creating interesting maps and environments.

Besides tiles the player can walk on and interact with, I have been making tiles that are animated too! I feel that the player should always have something moving to look at, even when there isn’t much action going on. I made some little plants that will be included over grass tiles that gently sway back and forth (aren't they just so adorable?!) Although animated tiles like this were quick for me to make, I intend to create more intricate and larger animated tiles (I just have to make sure it doesn’t cut into my time for animating characters heh).

[Muninn Games]

Gourmet's Just a Taste Ability

For this ability, Gourmet sweeps his tongue against foes to deal damage and regain health!
This animation is for when Gourmet uses this attack facing the left.  

[Muninn Games]

NPC Design

This character is T.E.R.M.I., a helpful terminal ai that will guide the player to a hanger area where they can fly to where their mission is located.
There will be several other NPCs within the Scattered Shot that will help guide the player similarly. 

[Beyond]

I like this!