Hi Kevin,
What exactly do you mean by "I've considered a side-scroller, but in my
opinion we've got an overabundance of side-scrolling games, so perhaps a
2d environment would be more suitable?"
First, a properly written side-scroller is a 2d environment. It has an x
axis, left to right, and a y axis, up and down. So what do you mean by a
2d game given side-scrollers are 2d to begin with?
Second, is if you mean by side-scroller games like Super Liam, Q9, etc
those are very poor examples of side-scrollers, and should not be
representative of the style. True side-scroller games like Megaman,
Castlevania, Montezuma's Revenge, etc have a vertical element as well as
a horizontal element. Both the x and y axis are used for navigation as
well as combat. We don't have too many true side-scrollers available in
accessible form that equals mainstream games.
For example, in the 1989 Batman game there are a number of thugs on the
ground to beat up with punches and kicks, but there are also enemies up
on walls and on telephone polls Batman can't reach. The way to take them
out is by aiming Batman's batarang up into the air and knocking them
down. In later stages you have to keep an eye out for enemy robots and
traps that fall down from the ceiling when you pass under them. No audio
side-scroller has even attempted to add this kind of combat system, and
there are plenty of other thins common to mainstream side-scrollers no
audio game developer has tried in audio yet.
Basically, what I am saying is before you make a comment like there are
"too many side-scrollers" I think you need to step back from what is
being presented to the blind as the real deal and educate yourself to
aspects of that type of game that haven't been explored. Once you forget
about Super Liam, Tarzan Junior, and Q9 you'll see there really aren't
that many side-scrollers. Especially, those that make use of a full 2d
environment with the ability to move left/right, climb up/down, fight
enemies up in the air as well as those on the ground, jump on moving
platforms, and 100 other things that just haven't been tried in an audio
side-scroller before.
To give you a brief idea of what I mean let's talk about your game idea
a moment. You say its in a major city like New York or Chicago. Well,
this gives us a perfect 2d environment to work with.
I can see something similar to the first stage of Ninja Turtles where
you have an upper area, the street, and a lower area, the city sewers.
This would give you a choice how to get from point A to point B. You can
walk along the street level beating up enemy gang members, or you can
descend a ladder into the sewer and avoid them. However, if you take the
sewers there would be rats that you would have to avoid or kill so there
would be challenges either way. That's one possibility of making use of
a 2d environment.
Another idea is to have an upper area, the roofs of various buildings,
and a lower area, the street level. As you move along there might be
enemies on the ground trying to kill you while there are snipers hiding
on the tops of certain buildings. To kill them you can either add an
ability to target up into the air to shoot them from sniper positions,
or you add some realistic way such as ladders here and there to climb up
onto the roof and then fight them on the rooftops. That's another idea
that hasn't been used in an audio side-scroller before.
If you have a factory or warehouse type level there could be conveyor
belts that cause you to move from place to place, lifts to jump on and
get carried up to higher levels, and thins like that. If you think about
it and get creative here I'm pretty sure you could turn out a decent
side-scroller with this game if you wanted to go that route. Its just
that many blind audio game developers are just so misinformed on what is
out there for the mainstream gamers that they have no real sense of
comparison. So I thought I'd give you a few pointers here on mainstream
side-scrollers to help let everyone know that Super Liam, Q9, etc is not
the be all and end all of side-scrollers by any means.
Cheers!
On 3/26/2012 6:42 PM, Kevin Andrews wrote:
Hello all list members,
I've been considering writing a game in the future. I've done a few
small and rather trivial projects with myself and a friend, but
nothing too significant. I'm wondering, from the VI gaming community,
what your thoughts are on a game idea. I've thrown some ideas around
in my head. Basically you're in a city environment... New York or
Chicago for the sake of practicality. You've got to get past stuff,
perhaps gang members, careless drivers or maybe even bikers, etc.
You've got to watch out for the cops, etc. You have weapons, for
example a pistol, your fists, and a switchblade you can steal from
someone. I'm thinking something along the lines of Grand Theft Auto,
so it would have some violence and maybe that type of action. There
would be various levels, and the end you have to deal with a boss-type
situation. The premise of the game might be you have to give the boss
money or do a kill. You're involved with a gang and therefore have to
do a deed for this guy.
Obviously one can tell just by reading this that this would require a
lot of time and effort, and a bit of spending on my part for sounds,
music, etc. Does this sound remotely interesting to anyone? I've
considered a side-scroller, but in my opinion we've got an
overabundance of side-scrolling games, so perhaps a 2d environment
would be more suitable.
Thoughts? This is no way in any stage of development right now, as
I've got other things I'm preoccupied with, but I may consider this if
the interest is sufficient. Thanks and take care all.
---
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