Here is the final game

Well at the end of the project all I could do was to put the fate of my characters in the hand of others. Unfortunately there are bugs in the character programming but the core of the game seems to work.

Rogue Painter

Cleaner Animation

Because there will be multiple cleaners on screen the number of frames must be reduced, so it doesn't slow down the frame rate of the game.

Main Chracter Animation

The final Character walk Cycle

Sketches - Character and Cleaner

The run cycle for the character


The Infamous Cleaner who goes around destroying your art work

Variations of the New Character

Experimenting with depth by adding another shade of the shadow.






Adding textures and taking out colours to create new effects

New Character design

I try to create the character in the style of a vector crossed with stencil.

First Character Design

The initial character design is based on a graffiti artist.
It was design in a more cartoonie style because we are exploring the idea of using simple shapes for the game.

The Controls

Pretty much the same as before

Left - Right to walk
Up to jump
Down to duck

Spacebar to switch planes

SWF
FLASH

Multiple Platform Problem

For some reason when I have more than 1 platform on each plane it ruins the whole code, and the final product does come out right.
The character will be walking on air.

So right now it stands at 1 platform per plane.

Couple of Sounds

A couple of sounds have been added to enhance the overall feel.
One which is of the landing of the jump and the other is when you jump through the planes.

A walking and ambience sound was attempted but failed to be debugged.

Animation Effects

Because the jump animation was used for the switching of the planes, there was no difference between them. I wanted to change it up a bit and by adding sounds and now with leaves falling down to simulate the jumping through trees and bushes to get to each plane.
Little Big Planet also has many nicely executed visual effects which keeps the game interesting and fun.

Drawings

Each of the drawings was done in illustrator.
Different effect have been applies to create different texture and feel to it, to enhance the aesthetic of the game, like how Little Big Planet uses their detailed graphics.

The objects closer to the screen are more detailed, where some textures have been added on to them. While some objects which are further away were blurred, and have a slightly different lighting.

Distant Background

Cliff Plane

Forest Plane

Debugging the Code

I'm trying to make the characters switch between planes, like in the Little Big Planet, except this time you get to go into a perspective view of the plane.
I my design the Axaur will jump between the Jungle space and the Cliff face, and within them there will be mountable platforms. Making it 4 planes all up.

The code is hard.

Project 2 - Environment Analysis

The game environment I looked into was of Little Big Planet.

DESN285
Project TWO – Part ONE
Little Big Planet

Little Big Planet (LBP) is a game that puts you in the role of SackBoy, a character which you design and customised as you please. The game plays like a 2D side-scroller Platform game.
The core gameplay consist of:
• Jumping from platform to platform
• Swinging on objects
• Pulling levers
• Dodging projectiles
• Solving puzzles with stickers
• Defeating bosses at the end of each level
• And more...

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/065/938583_20070307_790screen001.jpg

The settings for each of the level are usually based on a set of theme from all over the World, taking you to the South America Desert to a Japanese Garden to a Castle in Europe.
Navigating through the environment can be fairly simple, because of its 2D side-scroller style game but decorated with an amazingly smooth 3d graphics. To get through the game, you must use all the basic movements (jumping, grabbing, bouncing etc) that you’ve learnt to navigate through the obstacles. Adding to this difficulty is that the level is built so that you can move in between 3 different planes (the forward, the middle and the back) and sometimes the path becomes more difficult to identify because your view is obstructed.
Most of the objects in the game were intentionally made to be moved, demonstrating the satisfyingly programmed physics.

What I liked about the game is the idea of shifting between planes in the 2D side-scroller. It opens up the new dimension as you play through the game, and gives you that extra bit of interaction. Also the physics of the game was made to suit the game perfectly.

DOC file

Game Concept Document

- Demon’s Conduit -

Introduction
Demon’s Conduit is a 2D side-scrolling, hack and slash game which forces the player into the role of a dual swords wielding mercenary, where a simple reconnaissance mission thrusts you into one man’s war against an army of demons.

Description
The game starts you off shortly after you arrive on the island where you are hired to investigate an increased number of monster attacks on traders. As your character moves, jumps and attacks you are slowly eased into the basics of the gameplay. Enemies will gradually pour into the screen, where you can dispose of them with combinations of attacks, and as each of them die they will leave behind health restoration items that instantly take effect. As your health depletes the screen will blur and change into a red tone, and the character’s stationary animation will change, but this will slowly revert to normal if you stay out of battle.
As the story progresses you will then come across a high official’s destroyed trade carriage where you pick up a magical stone. This stone allows you to use an energy blast that puts you in a reaction based mini-game that determines the severity of your attack. This power requires recharging after each use, which is done by battling through hordes of enemies.
When your skill increases, new attacks, abilities and magic will become available to you.

Genre
Demon’s Conduit is a fast pace Fantasy 2D Side-scrolling, Hack and Slash game.

Environment Scouting

Side scrolling games with multiple layers, especially little big planet where you can interact with the different plains.

AXAUR controls

Axuar in Flash



left arrow = walk left
right arrow = walk right

(hold) up arrow = jump
(hold) down arrow = crouch
(hold) spacebar = breathing

(The background image is a modified version of a picture from the site www.kriyayoga-com)

Don't know how to upload SWF

I don't have a web host at the moment and so I don't know any other way of uploading it to blogger.

Finalizing Axaur

Finalizing the design of Axaur by the compilation of its design.

And this is a character design sheet includig the digital art ,walk cycle and the final character design.

Action Pose - Axaur

Walk Cycle Planning

AXAUR is the name - And this is it's story

After going through all the different names like Axorilla, Axulu and Gorizl, I've decided on Axaur. Because Axolotl is an ancient creature stuck in the process of evolution, African being the original man and Gorilla being the species that man originate from, I just think the name Axaur talks about evolution a lot.

And also being linked to the Dinosaurs makes it sound powerful and expresses it's brute strength. It is an omnivore, but because the male are usually very active vegetations can only sustain them for a period of time, not that they need to resort to it as they are a very skilled hunters.

Like mentioned before it can survive in most environment that has a consistent supply of water. It prefer living in some dense jungle where it is moist, so it can keep itself hydrated. It has a soft skin but hard shell like forearms and lower legs, which often is used as a shield in a fight or as a hard melee weapon.

It can swim at high speed because of its tail and fin. It usually walks on its hind legs, but at times you will see it running at high speed on all fours. It breaths through its hair like gills on its head. The colour of the gills represents its health, which is also used to attract its mate.

The armbands are a representation of a warrior member of the tribe. And ones that wear beaded necklace usually means that it has obtained an officer like rank.

Colour inpire

Now that I got an idea for the character I need to pimp him out.
No animal is a bigger pimp than a Poison Arrow Frog.
Blue, Yellow and Red that's the primary, THAT'S PIMP!!!

Adding the Zulu-ness

So the thumbnail is the character design , which included the Zulu Warrior Brass Armband, which in the culture is only awarded to those who has shown their bravery in battle.
And the beaded necklace is added too.
I've also been thinking about the weapon that this creature will be using like spears, sword or brute force.
I've decided on the brute force because of it's relation to a gorilla, and the creature's large forearms design.

ACTIONSCRIPT 3.0 SUX!!!

After hours of looking through actionscript tutorials, days consulting java programmer and days of stressing out..... I still can't figure it out. Why does my character animate like 5 frames then stop. Then just float through the screen?

Axolotl Zulu Gorilla Warrior = Coolness +10

Now to say I'm obsessed with the Gorilla's is not quite correct.
Because after closely studying the built of the Gorilla and the proportion of it's body, I've found that its limbs' structure is quite proportionate. LIKE MEGAMAN.SO! a Gorilla is to be used in the design of the character. Thinking of it as the realistic version, which helps with me trying to make the character more organic.

The Human quality

Thinking throughto the idea of the concepts of neanderthals, origin of man, water like terrain, Amazon, and so on.... Then it hits me AFRICA. Then more specifically the Zulu tribe.And now we got Axolotl Zulu Warrior

Kah's rejection

These are images of the sketch of what the walk cycle would be like as an Axolotl man as it walks like a gorilla.
After showing it to Kah, he said it was too animal like and not enough human.

Development of Axolotl-Man

This is the first proper draft of the Axolotl-man.
The eye design I got from the picture I saw of the Atomic bomb cataract patient.

Axolotl "LOCK IT IN"

I've decided on the Axolotl mixed with human. And because I'm stubborn it's gonna have a bit of gorilla in him too.

So what I'm thinking is that it will be an Axolotl-man but its movement is like a gorilla. Because its a very cool way of moving.

MEGAMAN!!! and or ROCKMAN

When I first showed Kar my drawing he said it has the megaman like qualities. Megaman (in Thailand we call him Rockman) was one of the coolest game I've ever played as a child, on my gameboy. And so I did more research into that and it's character designs.

Because Megaman is a robot, my character will be a more organic type creature based on the unproportionate anime character design of Megaman.

Two Concepts

What do you get when you cross a man and an elephant?
An elephantman of cause.

Short trunk like nose. Big ears. Thick skin. Extra tusk like limb coming out of the elbows as weapons.
Lives in the savanna like terrain. Keen senses like hearing, smell and sight, but slow.

Kinda cool. But I can't help but think that it's been done. But I'll keep thinking.


Another idea was an axolotl man. This idea came from my previous flatmate having an axolotl it seemed like a pretty cool creature being stuck in that state of evolution and all.

So now we got Axolotl-man. Agile swimmer. Strong physical strength. And has a tail. Can survive in most terrain where there are sufficient source of water. Especially thrive in the Deep jungle, like the Amazon.