Swarm Development: Postmortem

[TomatoesInTheHead]

PROBE: Maybe when you left-click on it the cursor becomes the probe inventory cursor?

Good idea!

I'd prefer a permanently visible inventory window (or visible if you move the mouse to the top edge), since we don't have any verbs, there should be enough room at the top of the screen. This saves one click and the time to find the item you're looking for.

In my opinion, the speech time is okay, but I agree that it's hard to follow the dialog in the intro because of the distance of the dialog lines.

If there are going to be more struggle-clicks, there should be a point (say, after 3 out of 5 clicks) where the poodle looks already a bit bloated from all the blood

Oh, and there should be a label showing the name of the currently hovered hotspot.

Looks good so far!

[Jackpumpkinhead]

I would just like to say that this is the greatest game ever...I mean will be the greater game ever! That being said, my suggestion for music is that since this game has a sort of " Young Frankinstien" meets "Dracula" meets "Short Circuit"(?) then it should have a semi-serious soundtrack. I also think it should be an original soundtrack. Just my 2 cents

Also I love the vamp twins close ups! Great job!

[Tabata]

INTERFACE: ... Clicking on Merrick might be intuitive but then we'll have to think of another way to "use" Merrick (ie struggle against the bonds).  Suggestions are welcomed.

Click on the chair instead would do (because the player wants Merrick to get off that thing) and if you want it more tricky, it can be the belt only, you have to „use“.

I'd prefer a permanently visible inventory window (or visible if you move the mouse to the top edge), since we don't have any verbs, there should be enough room at the top of the screen. This saves one click and the time to find the item you're looking for.

I could "live" with this version, too

DOCTOR TALKING: I've obviously just cut & paste so that it wouldn't just be his portrait staring as he talked.  Talk animation welcomed, but not a priority

This kind of talking-animation is like a special effect and fits well to the strange doc. Well, I like it, the way you did it â€" it's special, like the whole game is/will be!  

WALKSPEED: ... GUI should include ... walkspeed slider ...

The speed was okay for me. A walkspeed-slider would be nice, but more interesting for me would be the option to change directly to the next room with a dubble-click on the exit (i.e. if I want to watch for something, which is some rooms away).

PROBE: Maybe when you left-click on it the cursor becomes the probe inventory cursor?

Good idea!

+ 1

[Scarab]

INTERFACE: The problem with leaving the inventory cursor after a click is that you still have the inventory cursor.  This is what you want in the near term, but how do you get back to the blood drop then?  Remember, right clicking is "look" now, not cycle.  Also I'm really not happy with the default inventory system or way of accessing it.  Ideally it would be combined with an actual menu and be more integrated into the game.  Clicking on Merrick might be intuitive but then we'll have to think of another way to "use" Merrick (ie struggle against the bonds).  Suggestions are welcomed.

Right click is 'look' for the default cursor, but when inventory is equipped, we are no longer using that cursor, so right click can be whatever we want; in this case, reset to the default cursor.

The code should be simple:

Code: ags

if(button==eMouseRight){
  if(player.ActiveInventory == null)
  {
    RunInteraction(mouse.x, mouse.y, eModeLook);
  }
  else
  {
    player.ActiveInventory = null;
    //OR mouse.Mode = eModeInteract; // depending on if the cursor is actually changing
  }
}

I don't think the crucifix is immediately noticeable. I suggest having Merrick comment on it if you try to walk through the open door without turning it into a 't'.

I think I had some more observations, but I'll have to play the game again to remember them.

[Baron]

INTERFACE: ... Clicking on Merrick might be intuitive but then we'll have to think of another way to "use" Merrick (ie struggle against the bonds).  Suggestions are welcomed.

Click on the chair instead would do (because the player wants Merrick to get off that thing) and if you want it more tricky, it can be the belt only, you have to „use“.

Merrick and the chair are currently one and the same sprite until he escapes.  I guess I can create a sprite with the front half of the chair and have that overlap the chair/Merrick sprite to act as the chair for clicking purposes....

I can handle a permanently visible GUI, but we've got to see some sketches for this proposal before it can be actualized.

We can accelerate room departures (or make them instantaneous) easily enough.

I like the idea of a hotspot label as well, especially for a low res game where it won't always be obvious what an object is supposed to be.  Should it follow the cursor or be a part of the GUI?

I can also easily enough move Merrick's intro dialog.  The question is to where?  I would be reluctant to have it in the exact same place as the doctor's.

The music should definitely be original, but we want a "sounds like" or "feels like" statement to give to our musicians before they run off and start composing.

Right click is 'look' for the default cursor, but when inventory is equipped, we are no longer using that cursor, so right click can be whatever we want; in this case, reset to the default cursor.

Clever!

I don't think the crucifix is immediately noticeable. I suggest having Merrick comment on it if you try to walk through the open door without turning it into a 't'.

This is more a "writing" problem -we'll get the writers to fill in all the blanks so that the player will be led from puzzle to puzzle in an entertaining and logical manner once we have the bones of the game built.
[/quote]

Finally, I think the new version of Grim's background is a step in the right direction for integrating it into the rest of the game (although it does lack some of the charm that the original detail gave it).

[Tabata]

MOVING FORWARD: ...Finally, it's time to start thinking about music, and since no one has stepped up to be music director I'm just going to open it up for general discussion.  We need an overall tone for the game, maybe a specific instrument or just a feeling.  If you know something from a movie, game or song then give us a title (or link to a clip) so that we can get a discussion going.

At the beginning, after the intro (while realising, what happened to him and trying to get out) the game could be accompanied with music like "Born to Darkness" – it's a soundtrack of ,,Interview with a Vampire"   
                                 
and there are also some more dramatical pieces to lean on (for during a fight-scene or when the wall crashes) in the long version here (from about 02:00 it goes more dramatical). 
To come up with a ,,battel-feeling" I like the style of this music       

and if it should be a bit more hectic (and since there is a lot of technic in this game), the techno-remix of Terminator could be something to lean on.

                                       

[Anian]

This would work even better, but for the intro theme at least why not the "mad scientist"/horror movie intro theme like say THIS (just an example, I just could think of any other actual movie where this kind of music and atmosphere was used).

[Tabata]

... for the intro theme at least why not the "mad scientist"/horror movie intro theme like say THIS (just an example, ...

That's great!   + 1 for this as intro-musicstyle   

[abstauber]

Look, I drew two guards. To be honest I just did paintovers of Jared's guard

[Ghost]

An awful lot of fridge magnets, and a door for the room using a matching palette.
It's actually quite readable in-game.

[Tabata]

Aaaah â€" cool new stuff for the game â€" well done, both of you!

...and the swarm got fresh blood again! Oh, how I love this project and the group growing.  
                                                                   


@all
Baron opened a general discussion to choose an overall tone for the game and asked
for a title (or link to a clip) from a movie, game or song, maybe a specific instrument or just a feeling.
                       
Please don't forget to think about the music-style and share your thoughts with us â€"
those who are already assimilated have to do anyway and every other member of the forum is welcomed!

This way nobody is allowed to complain afterwards, if he did not  ...  


In the meantime I am still struggling to create cockroaches with as less pixels, as possible  
but I don't give up (not yet)!    At the moment, they look about like this    

[Secret Fawful]

If the crash and boom screens aren't already done, here's a couple I threw together from the game's palette.




I might also be interested in writing the exchange between the scientists and Merrick, but I need to kind of know the context and what it should consist of. Why am I interested? Because I really want to see the project succeed!

As far as tone, that's a tough one. I think comedy should be good, but there should be moments where the game takes itself seriously to develop the characters. That can be done in a short game as well. It depends on how zany you want to go. I wouldn't be afraid of really dark humor as well. It fits with vampires and it seems like there already is some dark humor to the game. As far as musical atmosphere, or some things that might give some good inspiration, um, lessee-

For music, I recommend instruments like the ones used in this song. Ignore the actual singing, although some sort of slow lyric-less singing would increase the eerieness. It's very slow, very seductive, very eerie, and very vampiric, ignoring the actual singing.

[Buckethead]

I've just finished my "kaboom" aswell:



Should have posted on here to claim it I guess.

[Secret Fawful]

I actually like yours more than mine. Gives off more of an impression of effort.

[Ghost]

Personally I think "semi-serious" would fit the mood best, as has been mentioned before. I'm no music man myself thought, so I couldn't say HOW exactly you
can get that tone.
The intro music of Short Circuit seems a perfect match for me- it has both a "robotic" and "military" feel to it, but is upbeat... shouldn't be hard to work things up from there.
To make a point: http://www.johnny-five.com/music.html- listen to the opening.

--
[Edit]
I had a bit of my hour left and THEN read that we're technically allowed to do more. I'll be back to no-connection in a day, so I thought better now than never.
Nobody has mentioned a CREDITS SCREEN BACKGROUND yet, so I made one. Wanted to make a tiny Shodan reference, but vampire-themed.
Hope this proves useful. The swarm has been kind...  




[Edit 2]
On second thoughts, consistency's maybe better to be conserved: These stick to the game's major palette.

   

[Tabata]

@ Secret & Bucket: Very different styles, but good work from both of you.  
Just my personal 2 cents:
The „BOOM“ flashes great. The „CRASH“ is good in fontstyle and color, only a bit „quiet“ in the background.
The „Kaboom“ has nice colors and a well fitting background in style, only the fontstyle is a bit „brave“ in relation to this.


btw.
If you want to claim one of the jobs you can tell it here or send pm to Baron.
He is updating page one every time, a job is done or claimed and also when there are new job-offerings.
Take a little peek  


Latest news about my job:
Well, you know I don't have the knowledge to use AGS
but I think by watching this pic, you get a clue about
what kind of cockroaches I have „in store“ so far:

Especially the diagonal ones are looking very funny (sensor-movement is too strong),
but this way I had a lot of lol's, I wanted to share with you â€" so therefore they are not eliminated (not yet)

@Baron
... and I was a good girl, since every layer is the same size and all of those lovely little ones have the same focal point
           Ooops â€" one's escaped                  



Edit:                                     

@Ghost:              WOOOW! ... for your edit ...

[Secret Fawful]

Sure, I'd love to claim the dialog exchange between Merrick and the scientists when he bites them. I'd love to try my hand at it. I just need context, and to know what exactly I need to write, and what they might discuss.

[Baron]

Sure, I'd love to claim the dialog exchange between Merrick and the scientists when he bites them. I'd love to try my hand at it. I just need context, and to know what exactly I need to write, and what they might discuss.

That's interesting, I just got a quote from Dualnames saying almost the exact same thing.  So let's all do it collaboratively, if everyone is interested.  It all comes down to Merrick's character, basically.  Is he a mean guy who will do whatever it takes to escape and survive, or basically a nice guy who just happens to be a vampire and therefore has certain uncontrollable urges to bite people?  I would lean towards the latter (which would definitely make the game more light-hearted).  Once you've taken that step the nature of the exchange between the scientists and Merrick becomes more comical.  Maybe we can even have one get up on a cabinet and try to beat Merrick off with a broom....

The basics that MUST be communicated regardless:

1) There is a solar powered probe they have been working on
2) Pine cones survive forest fires to sprout new trees
3) Vampire bites don't necessarily kill you, they can just paralyze the victim for a period of time
4) Scientific knowledge from the scientists aid Merrick to.... fix the probe?  (most obvious)
5) Fantastic opportunity for a bit of back-story....

If those bases are covered the story can go wherever you want it to go, so long as it makes the game entertaining.

OTHER: I like the credits screens and the wall-burst/explosion screens, the replacement objects AND the cockroaches.  Fantastic work, everyone!  I've also got Scarab doing a bit of the importing/coding at the moment and he's doing a great job.  This project has really taken off thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who believe in it.  Everyone give the man/woman/machine/vampire/pet to your left a big pat on the back.

[Secret Fawful]

That's interesting, I just got a quote from Dualnames saying almost the exact same thing.  So let's all do it collaboratively, if everyone is interested.

I'm fine with that, although Dual probably knows more about the game's story than I do, as I haven't read up on that.

It all comes down to Merrick's character, basically.  Is he a mean guy who will do whatever it takes to escape and survive, or basically a nice guy who just happens to be a vampire and therefore has certain uncontrollable urges to bite people?  I would lean towards the latter (which would definitely make the game more light-hearted).  Once you've taken that step the nature of the exchange between the scientists and Merrick becomes more comical.  Maybe we can even have one get up on a cabinet and try to beat Merrick off with a broom....

The broom idea is funny. I definitely like it. So what I need to know-

The basics that MUST be communicated regardless:

1) There is a solar powered probe they have been working on

What is this probe, why are they working on it, how did it get broken, why does it need fixing, and how is it fixed, or do we need to write that ourselves? If the info is already thought up, that's fine, but if we need to write it, that's fine too.

5) Fantastic opportunity for a bit of back-story....

Bring me up to speed on the back story so far.

[Icey]

Not trying to make the game like some other game but if you have heard of Infamous for the PS3 then you will that the player has the choice to be evil or good by doing different types of actions. It would make the game funner if the player could choose to be good or bad because it would trigger different cut scenes & different actions by things in the game. It also would make people wan't to replay the game more to see some things they didn't see last time. When I think about it it sounds easy just to use if statements however I'm not coding the game so who knows what those scripts look like.