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or maybe something like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIk4DnzkjXc

Compute, my angel of mayhem! Compute!

For those of you less familiar with the whole musical scene, I concur with JackPunkinhead that a techno-organ would be a good sound to have given the genre of the game.  Maybe not for every scene (I still want that 1950s horror sound for the intro at the very least), or maybe the two can be combined somehow....

[Musical Themes to Date]

Musical Themes to Date
Spooky Mario Castle Theme
Young Frankenstein + Dracula + Short Circuit
Born to Darkness (Interview With the Vampire Soundtrack)
Terminator Techno-Remix
Dreamscape (Werewolf vs. Vampire)
Horror Movie Intro (possibly cheesy 1950s "Supernatural" intro theme)
Valentine (sound, not lyrics)
Short Circuit

I think more than one person voiced support for the over-the-top 1950s horror theme, so I'll re-link to it HERE.  I like the idea of that retro-50s B-movie sound more than how this one actually plays out (but of course it is just for inspiration anyway).  If there are no more ideas, I think it's time to discuss the merits of each and try to achieve some consensus.

State of the Project Address
As you know Scarab has taken over the coding/implementation side of things for the time being, a) because it is in the spirit of the swarm to get as many minds collaborating as possible and b) because I'm going on an internet holiday shortly.  I'll be around for the next couple of days, but then OTN until the 16th.  Keep the flame burning in my absence!

After reading about Wolfram Tones in the Economist (I read it mostly for the subtitle puns), I got all excited about this program that can "create a 2 minute tune in any of 15 genres" by mimicking human creativity.  However, after multiple Quick-Time upgrades I still can't get the damn thing to work.  Has anyone else tried/heard of this?  If you've got a free two minutes I'd appreciate someone giving it a try and reporting back whether it is worth while pursuing.

Well, good luck to you guys.  Remember, the swarm model isn't so much about farming out work as collaboratively designing and building something with the emphasis on fun and community more than the end result.  I plan on writing a "swarm model retrospective" when our Draculator game is complete, analyzing how my expectations and the reality of the project differed; what worked and what didn't; and the various lessons learned.  I'd be interested in your impressions of the process as your own project unfolds.

Good luck again!

My wife giggled at "premature optimization", but I didn't get the joke.

@CRIMSON WIZARD: That is beyond awesome!  Fantastic work.

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....

  The probe is the solution to getting Merrick across the sunny exercise yard (kills guard indirectly with banana peel and holds umbrella to block the sun), as well as defeating the vampire twins/robot monster at the end (opens gas main valve after part of the roof is brought down by robot monster's entrance -thus there is a shaft of sunlight).

  Your guess as to the backstory is as good as mine.  The scientists could offer their perspective on the cyborg vampire project, which might enable us to cut out more details from the doctor's intro rant (tighten things up).  Broadly speaking we know that Merrick was once in the army, but became a vampire to hook up with the twins.  Otherwise... invent away!

  As for the broom scene, I like how it portrays the scientist as a sissy-man and it provides comic relief without being crass or shocking.  It will require several extra animations (scientist climbing cabinet, wielding broom and ultimately falling or being bitten in a strange location).  It's not critical so I am reluctant to recruit people to do all this work when we still have more important things to do, but if you can write it in we'll try to get someone on it while we're testing and polishing (unless someone is really interested in this...?).  Worse case scenario we use more or less the same dialog as the remaining scientist is chased around the lab floor.

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.

Well, by now you already know that it was a bit short.  Otherwise, I liked it.  Good clean writing style, a touch of humour -it was good.  I always wondered who wrote those "brain candy" articles for the portals -now I know. 

I am curious: you did get paid for this, right?

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).

Awesome.  Just.... plain.... awesome.

Well, I was kind of tired last night when I posted the rough build, so I'll try to explain my thoughts more thoroughly here:

BACKGROUNDS: Yes, the hall is just a placeholder.  The Surgery Lab is a little different from the other BGs, but it's well executed.  Nobody complained when it was submitted, so my druthers would be to leave it in.  If people feel strongly enough about it to volunteer to redo it then give it a shot.

SPEECH: I've just used the default font and the default dialog text switching time.  I could lengthen the time, but then I'd no doubt hear calls of "this dialog takes too long!"  I think since we're drawing on so many people's talents we should certainly try for voice acting, which will delay the text switches until the clip has played.  Implementing this will have to wait until the script is 100% finalized, though.

OBJECTS: Bigger magnet letters shouldn't be a problem, but they do run the risk of getting unrealistically large.  I'll post the current ones and a volunteer can edit them.  As for dog bits, we can post it as a job if you really think it's important.  To be honest I worked with what I had.  If someone wants to design a laser interface (it could simply be a button, but a console looking thing connecting up to the laser would be ideal), that'd be awesome.

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.

CURSORS: The bat cursor is just a remnant -it's in the "pointer" slot so that's why it crops up at times.  I can change that easily enough.  Different cursors for right click and left click would look a bit strange, since they would only change after the event is called.

CHARACTERS: Yes, the blond scientist is a hurtin' unit, that's for sure.  I have no idea how he lost his pants, and I guess his funny dance is due to different sized frames.  I haven't addressed these two since the original build since I've been waiting on a biting animation.  Once I get that I'll get these guys idling properly, then being bitten.

WALKSPEED: Definitely something to put on our GUI menu!  Submit your sketches, post haste!  GUI should include save/load buttons, quit and about buttons, walkspeed slider and inventory window.  It should fold up into a button, or maybe a character (bat?) that fits into the game world.

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

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.

MOVING FORWARD: I think most of our remaining backgrounds have been spoken for and should be in progress.  There're a few character animations yet to do: some talking animations, some Merrick actions, and several guard deaths.  We need two or three more guards designed -they will be up against the walls or in the nook facing the imminent threat just beyond the door of Crimson Wizard's guard room.  We also need some cockroaches.  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.  I'm going to jokingly suggest the "castle music" from Super Mario because it was spooky and suspenseful -hopefully someone can do better than that!

Hey swarm,
      Sorry I've been quiet lately -things've been busy.  I have been puttering at assembling resources and have a VERY ROUGH BUILD to show off.  About half of the puzzles are implemented and most of the animations to date (missing Secret Fawful's vampire twins, though -didn't get that far yet).  I'd appreciate it if a couple of people could give it a quick go and then discuss things like how the interface works, how the puzzles play (although without clues you might have to use the walkthrough, below), what kind of music you'd like to hear, etc.  Based on that feedback we'll start the big push towards a finished alpha version!

Spoiler

DRACULATOR II ROUGH BUILD WALKTHOUGH
-shouldn't be able to interact with anything because you're tied up
-struggle by left-clicking on self.  Keep struggling
-click on laser (there should be a button somewhere -we're working on it)
-click on mirror.
-click on laser and mirror until door lock destroyed
-open fridge and grab stuff (not necessary....yet)
-close fridge and take magnets
-look at crucifix
-use magnets on crucifix (use the GUI at upper left that I ripped from Studio3's submission)
-the hallway is just a holder graphic, so there's no UV light puzzle to overcome (yet)
-go to robot lab and take pine cone, probe and banana (can't bite yet, no animation)
-go to exercise yard and use probe on banana
-use probanana (?) on walkway to kill guard
-use probe (still in inventory) on umbrella
-go to guardroom (no sunlight so you can just waltz on over anyway....)
-that's about it.... so far!

[close]

Awesome!

....and Merrick escapes by gripping the unexploded paw (with sharp claws) in his mouth and using it as a saw to free himself!

@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? 

@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.

I think looking more or less at the camera is fine -the exchange will be too short for anyone to get bored.  If it drags on we'll just get Secret Fawful to animate the dark vampire's arm a bit: that'll keep everybody interested!

It's hard to see the exact hairstyle of JPH's in-game sprites so I'd just go with whatever looks good.  My personal preference would be the curly hair.  I also think the blond one would look more un-dead if she also had purple lips.

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

                                         

we have Cat's originals as an alternative:  
I think there were some potato comments and they were never developed further. 

  I suppose Studio3's GUI submission could also provide the basis for cursors:



That gives us three options.  I need preferences stated or alternative suggestions in visual form so that we can move on.  My next implementation binge will be over the weekend so you have roughly 2 days to have your say.

Nice!

@ Secret Fawful -that background is really good -it's a shame to put characters in front of it!

@ Jared - that guard will do fine.  Once we have a background I might have you pose him a little differently, but I think stylistically he'll fit in great.  Sorry to hear about your other project -you're always welcome around here!  I must apologize for the muddled thread -it had been suggested that I set up a whole forum for the project but that seemed like a lot of work for such a short project.  In retrospect it probably would have made organization easier, but that benefit might itself have been compromised by the difficulty of getting people to sign up to yet another forum.  Something to think about for next time, I suppose....

I'm still waiting for feedback about the rough build, specifically the emoticon cursors.  Do they work?  Or should we go with something more conventional (ie Cat's submission)?

Keep in mind, we are not interested in funding a game from scratch.

  But.... the lack of speculation takes most of the fun out of the enterprise!  Where's the adventure in the second-half of a roller coaster ride, I ask you?