Swarm Development: Postmortem

[Anian]

As for cursors, these are the ones currently in the game for those of you who haven't checked out the rough build:

                                     

I don't know about those. As an image it looks cool, but it took me some time to figure out what actually means what (though I might be slow that's all, wouldn't be the first time) and also it's kind of hard to tell what you're actually clicking on since when you click on an item it's usually blocked/hidden behind the mouse cursor...

[Hudders]

Sorry to say that I don't like any of the cursors.

Why not just have a generic one and go with a right-click look, left-click action set up? So if you click on the ground he moves, if you click on a person he bites them, etc?

[Tabata]

Wow, there are a lot of nice, new entrys!  :o

The background and the vampire-twins are well made and Baron did a great job on the rough build, where the animated guard shows really good.
I never thought, that the little fellow would do such a nice job as cursor. I like it, but I think, we need a little, white cross or something like this in the upper left corner for to point at exact places and it was a bit irritating, that it changed position when right-clicking.

(I don't want to see my next handy-bill  - but I couldn't withstand to take a look )

If most of the swarm are not happy with the cursors we have, how about using the given cursors by AGS and concentrate on story and puzzles instead?

What ever will come up at the end: Good work and nice ideas so far!   

[Matti]

I don't want to see my next handy-bill

For non-german members: cellphone bill 

[TomatoesInTheHead]

I don't want to see my next handy-bill

For non-german members: cellphone bill 

What, we have non-german members here?

I'm with Hudders on the cursor issue, a right-click look, left-click action interface would probably suffice. But in the end, I'm fine with all cursor versions.

Secret Fawful, nice close-ups, I prefer the first version of the blonde in your last post. Using the same hair style makes it easier to see that they're twins (although this is somewhat irrational in real life...)

[Grim]

I agree on the cursor- left/right click is definitely the best option here.

[Igor Hardy]

Okay, so anian messaged me and we spent some time going over some improvements on the vampiresses, and he sent me an edit of a more current version I had with some ideas on how to improve them. Needless to say, I loved them, so I worked off of his edit on the blonde and reworked, again, both vampiresses, also taking into account Jackpumpkinhead's reference picture. I also took vertigoaddict's suggestion, so I made two different versions of the current blonde for you to choose between.

I think the original hair styles you did for that pair looked quite a bit better and I didn't notice them clashing with the in-game sprites.

[Secret Fawful]

All right. What I would like you guys to do is to give me a unanimous vote on what you really really want. If I keep editing the characters to each specific taste I'll never get anywhere. I don't have a problem with the critique, in fact I greatly appreciate it, but the requests are constantly changing back and forth so much that I end up going in circles on this. So yeah, get me a unanimous vote on the looks and I will make this happen. Thanks, guys!

[Anian]

Secret Fawful, nice close-ups, I prefer the first version of the blonde in your last post. Using the same hair style makes it easier to see that they're twins (although this is somewhat irrational in real life...)

I think the idea is to try out the hairstyle in one color then change both of them, so that's why the hairstlyes don't match at the moment.

[Tabata]

All right. What I would like you guys to do is to give me a unanimous vote on what you really really want. If I keep editing the characters to each specific taste I'll never get anywhere. I don't have a problem with the critique, in fact I greatly appreciate it, but the requests are constantly changing back and forth so much that I end up going in circles on this. So yeah, get me a unanimous vote on the looks and I will make this happen. Thanks, guys!

I vote for the style of the right blonde one and would like to see a flash red nail polish for both of them.
I know, that the chosen red is a biting colour (and that's the reason for I would prefer it for the vampires). 

[Crimson Wizard]

Long story short, here's GUARD ROOM background.



Player enters from the passage at bottom. The steel door leads to the place unknown where the aforementioned fight takes place. This is also an approximate location where the robot will burst in.
There's a niche to the right where a guard can take his position (as was suggested to me by Baron).
There's a small black hole in the wall - it is where the roaches may appear from.
The opened crate could be the place for player character to dive in before explosion (i hope it's just big enough to allow this...).

Finally the gas main. I think the lever should be actually cut from this image and made a separate sprite for the object. There ofcourse should be another frame(s) with the lever turned opposite direction.

Hopefully this fits game concept. If everything seems ok in general, I'll draw a ruined version (won't take long).

[Baron]

@Secret Fawful: I like the latest iterations of the vampires (smiles, fangs, etc.), but I thought your original hair had the best character.

@Crimson Wizard: Nice!  We can definitely work with this.  You're right that the lever will have to be an object, but extracting it won't take any work at all.  Are you still keen on doing the "after" background (after the robot monster bursts through the wall)?  Let us know.

@Everyone: Here's a universal cursor proposal:
It will be a two mode cursor (left click action, right click look), and will animate only when over a hotspot/object/character that can be interacted with.  Feedback/suggestions welcomed.

[Crimson Wizard]

@Crimson Wizard:Are you still keen on doing the "after" background (after the robot monster bursts through the wall)?  Let us know.

Yes, I just wanted to know if this one is ok. I'll make "after" background later this day.

[Armageddon]

I like that mouse cursor as long as left click can also let you walk when you're not on a hotspot, it also needs to look more like a bad, it's very curvy right now.

[Icey]

Wouldn't the game need to be a verb Coin game to do that?

[Scarab]

I like that mouse cursor as long as left click can also let you walk when you're not on a hotspot, it also needs to look more like a bat, it's very curvy right now.

I agree that it needs to look more like a bat, although it could be hard to make one that reads well at this resolution and with limited animation.

Perhaps if the bat doesn't work out, a suitable alternative could be a drop of blood? It matches the context just as well, and has a more standard cursor shape. The @OVERHOTSPOT@ animation could be the shine on the drop moving across its surface.

Wouldn't the game need to be a verb Coin game to do that?

No.

[Hudders]

I like the drop of blood idea.

Crimson Wizard: could you make the gas main a bit more obvious? It should have a sign that says "caution: explosive gas" or something.

[selmiak]

okay, here is my lab ceiling for the game, including the genarator for the laser

[Baron]

@SELMIAK: Nice background, but it looks like more of a wall than a ceiling...  Having said that, it will probably work just as well.

@SCARAB: Something like ?

@ARMAGEDDON: Definitely walking when clicking on non-hotspot.

@HUDDERS: I agree with the signage, but it can easily be added (any volunteers?).  Also, I need some specifics for the "escape the chair sequence" since that's where I'm currently programming.  So we've got Merrick strapped in:

     I think originally he was hooked up to a bag of poodle blood, but now we're thinking an actual poodle on a stand.
     How exactly does he get out of the chair?  The original plot called for using the vampire teeth on the straps, but now we don't have that cursor.  My only idea is that you click the universal cursor on Merrick causing him to struggle, which pumps blood back to the dog.  The more he struggles, the more vampire blood gets back to the dog until it becomes a vampire poodle.  THEN the vampire poodle bites off the straps because....  there's blood on them?  Or maybe the vampire poodle frees Merrick because of a sacred vampire bond to protect one's spawn & progenitor (and that's why the vampire twins are trying to rescue Merrick)?  Or maybe the vampire poodle falling off its stand flips some button that releases Merrick automatically?  I need ideas -anyone? 

[Scarab]

@SELMIAK: Nice background, but it looks like more of a wall than a ceiling...  Having said that, it will probably work just as well.

I think it reads as a wall because if the bricks on the ceiling being rendered as those on the walls in other backgrounds, and the bricks on the wall being drawn as floorboards (no grout/inset). I'd suggest a more ceiling-y texture like those foam tiles you see in office buildings, with fluorescent lights or a skylight of some kind. Maybe even a window or two will cement the idea that we are looking up. (It's going to take extra effort to sell this particular backdrop because of the unconventional perspective).

Another contributing factor is that the generator appears to be held in place by gravity, a thick plate with large bolts at either end should help.

@SCARAB: Something like ?

Bingo! Exactly what I was thinking.
Which frame would be the stationary one? The flat shade?
If it's the same light source as in my one, I'd suggest reversing the animation, so the moment you mouse-over a hotspot its first change is that the gleam moves rather than disappears.

I need some specifics for the "escape the chair sequence" since that's where I'm currently programming.  So we've got Merrick strapped in:

    I think originally he was hooked up to a bag of poodle blood, but now we're thinking an actual poodle on a stand.
    How exactly does he get out of the chair?  The original plot called for using the vampire teeth on the straps, but now we don't have that cursor.  My only idea is that you click the universal cursor on Merrick causing him to struggle, which pumps blood back to the dog.  The more he struggles, the more vampire blood gets back to the dog until it becomes a vampire poodle.  THEN the vampire poodle bites off the straps because....  there's blood on them?  Or maybe the vampire poodle frees Merrick because of a sacred vampire bond to protect one's spawn & progenitor (and that's why the vampire twins are trying to rescue Merrick)?  Or maybe the vampire poodle falling off its stand flips some button that releases Merrick automatically?  I need ideas -anyone?  

The best way I've seen to handle complicated interactions with no verbs is to use a dialog.
Perhaps we could have the dog shaking in fear (understandable given that his blood is being drained ) and you can use your vampire powers or facial expression/tone of voice to change the mood of the dog, calming him, and thus lowering his heartbeat. Then the pressure is low enough to struggle and pump the blood back into the dog, and with your blood in it you can temporarily influence/possess it.