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[Saint]

Backworld is a game about the the Rabbit, and some mysterious character with a paintbrush. It seems like there are two sides to everything - the frontworld and the backworld - and by painting the world the mysterious character with the paintbrush can decide what side is reality for the rabbit at what location.

Also, there are other things that paint. And some things that react to the paint in a weird way. In some areas, the backworld is a really weird place where you might not want to go. But usually, you have to in order to get forward.



Juha and myself are doing the design and programming, we are mainly using images from Hammedhareet but also some from Ixis. Music and sound from John Nesky, CAsinclair, Craig Stern, feeblethemighty, Sos, nitram_cero, Slide20xl and kfh.

If you are behind one of these nicks and wish to be credited differently, reply to this thread or drop me a PM and I'll sort it out

Version 1.0, Windows executable:
http://www.ekermo.se/proj/backworld_win32.zip

Version 1.0, OSX executable:
http://www.ekermo.se/proj/backworld_osx.zip
(I cannot guarantee anything about this version, I have tried it on Intel machines and it works. And by "Intel machines" I mean one machine. And by "one machine", I mean I can get it to run on the macbook pro I used for development )

Youtube video, for those who prefer just to watch:

[Juha Kangas]

The plot thickens as one starts to wonder...if there is a Backworld...is there also a Frontworld?!

Come BACK later for more clues. 

[Inanimate]

THE BACKSIDE OF WATER!

[Saint]

...

Hey!

Spoiler warning, okay?

On a more serious note, a screenshot of a game in its infancy, rendered using the brilliant graphics of hammedhaaret;

[Juha Kangas]

Time for some details on what Saint and me are cooking! Below is a concept drawing of what our main game mechanic will let you do. Again using the art of hammedhaaret.

Basically our levels will have to layers, a frontworld and a backworld. One is white with light-gray "obstacles" and one is black with dark-grey obstacles. The player can use the mouse to "erase" wherever he wants to reveal the backworld and can also change back to the frontworld at any time by drawing with an alternate mode.

In the image below the player i blocked by two trees. He can then erase the tree to be able to pass. However there is also a tree in the backworld, so he has to bring back the frontworld in order to get past all the way.

[prof]

cool

[Poor Lazlo]

cool

Very! It's great to see so many people using the rabbits, because they are soooo great.

[Saint]

... And this is how it looks in the game right now (minus the collision lines who are only there for debug and editing purposes);

[SirNiko]

This seems like a good start.

However, as it stands, it seems like the strategy would simply devolve to scratching out only the obstacle in your way so you never reveal new obstacles, or fumbling about trying to reveal a platform without revealing too many traps.

I'll be watching this, hoping you figure out how to turn this mechanic into a full-fledged game. Good luck!

-SirNiko

[Juha Kangas]

This seems like a good start.

However, as it stands, it seems like the strategy would simply devolve to scratching out only the obstacle in your way so you never reveal new obstacles, or fumbling about trying to reveal a platform without revealing too many traps.

I'll be watching this, hoping you figure out how to turn this mechanic into a full-fledged game. Good luck!

-SirNiko

Good points, this is something that concerned me in the beginning as well. However, we have a number of things planned that will force you to explore the "backworld", such as items that you need to bring from the backworld to the frontworld and other "cross-world" features.

[LemonScented]

Damn hammedhaaret's nice assets, and everyone else using them! I was thinking everyone would go all pixelly and leave the nice hand-drawn stuff to me

In all seriousness, this is looking really nice. I'm going to have to up my game... 

[dspencer]

What if there are traps hidden behind the traps? So you have to choose which traps are the best to face in combination with one another.

[saluk]

There could be traps that affect both worlds, so you have to reveal to know where it is. Or maybe a trap that only affects the other world, not the world where it's visible

[Juha Kangas]

Thanks for the suggestions folks, keep em coming!

[oryx]

Thanks for the suggestions folks, keep em coming!

Magic floating Will-o-Wisps that slowly move through the air painting back the opposite color. Or other such phenomenon that undo what you've done in different ways.

[SirNiko]

Suggestions: some or all or none could be used.

Moving "screens" that you scribble on. When a scribble mark is made, it might slide up and down, spin around, etc, revealing passages or traps as it moves. The player must plan ahead and move quickly to avoid becoming trapped or squished.

An ability to simply see the backworld, so the player can plot out movements. Some levels might reveal the landscape to the player for a few moments, then force them to scribble from memory.

Limit the amount of scribbling that can be done, or how long it lasts. Players must quickly and efficiently scribble out the path to the end, then execute their movement before it wears off, or at least find a safe spot where they can recharge.

Any recharge mechanic implemented should not result in the player sitting around waiting to recharge: kill the player or set them back if they fail. If they succeed, they recharge instantly. Or, the player must continue moving forward while recharging (waiting in safety is not possible).

-SirNiko

[Saint]

Thanks!

Some of these ideas we already have in development but some we had not thought of at all. Keep them coming 

Any recharge mechanic implemented should not result in the player sitting around waiting to recharge: kill the player or set them back if they fail. If they succeed, they recharge instantly. Or, the player must continue moving forward while recharging (waiting in safety is not possible).

Oh, I totally agree. This is not really related to the development of Backworld but this was one of the things I liked about Gears of War - the active reload, meaning that instead of just forcing the player to find a safe spot and wait to reload there was a minigame to do it, meaning the player's skill determined how long he had to wait in some manner. There are tons of more to be done in this area, but it's a start.

[dspencer]

Holes in the backworld? Where you erase it to discover it, but once you've done so you can't undo it.

[Saint]

Backworld is slowly starting to come together! here are a few screenshots;

First, a quick look a concept level. This looks kind of primitive right now since we are trying out and tweaking concepts before adding detail:


And a sneak preview of the world map system:


... Everything is subject to change, of course.

[JMickle]

eagerly awaiting game