Evolution of ideas

After a week or so of being focussed on this project and thinking about it, speaking with my lecturer etc, the project has evolved quite a lot in various directions. I have been exploring a few mechanics such as switching a weapon in between two characters, and having two characters of varying sizes which would have to work together to get past foes. One thing I want to play with is the idea of scale, such as by using the giant enemies in the game as platforms, while fighting the smaller enemies. As a huge focus will be on the battle going on between enemies in the skies and on the land I want the game world to reflect that, with the players having to avoid getting caught in the middle of fights between the two different styles of creatures.

I am also looking at the idea of the remainder of the human world working with your character, or at least, in the background, to fight against the smaller foes alongside you or to just provide background to the game. I am also debating the idea of some of the humans being a different size, with one race being smaller than the other by quite a lot, but both have to work together to defend their cities.

More to come later.

Final Year CGD

Hey guys. This is a blog letting me document my final year project at the University of Wales, Newport. I am on the Computer Games Design course as it may or may not say at the profile section of this page, and I am working alone to create a game, or at least a section of a game.

I currently have a few ideas and concepts for this, which will be posted shortly. I am intending the game to be in 2D although by the end who knows what will happen. I wrote a short story and then re-wrote it and tweaked sections, turning it into something i'm happier with but not 100% on yet. I will post it here as an introduction to the world this game is set in, and hopefully give you a glimpse into the style I will be aiming for with the visuals/narrative.

Read this through, and picture it as the opening animation...

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There have been countless tales depicting the many gods and demons of humanity, and yet there is still one story left to be told.

In a world far from here, celestial beings ruled the heavens while beasts from the netherworld roamed the earth. Humans lived a relatively peaceful life within cities upon clouds, protected by the kind and gentle creatures floating high above them, who kept them safe from the spiteful monsters of the land. The humans all followed the rule of the one King, whose family had been the leaders of humankind for thousands of years. The King and his family were thought to be blessed by the Gods, and by using a sacred relic passed down from ages past, they possessed the ability to commune with both the creatures of the sky and the creatures of the land.

The King had a beautiful wife, and together they were loved and revered by their subjects. The Queen gave birth to a son, and in the many years of celebration that followed the young prince’s arrival, life within the kingdom was better than ever. Many years passed, and the child grew older. He was a kind, intelligent and charismatic youth, and the populace believed he would one day become a fine heir to the throne. However, he was a curious child, always asking questions and exploring areas he was not meant to go. On one such outing, the young prince found himself deep within the castle, inside a lavishly decorated chamber full of precious treasures and paintings. Gazing around in wonder, his eyes were drawn to a box in the far corner of the room. The box seemed to call out to the boy, and upon opening it a voice leapt into his mind, promising him wealth, power, happiness, and anything he desired.

The young prince was overwhelmed! In his short life he had been the recipient of thousands of presents, and the love and respect f his parents and subjects, but the way the voice spoke to him evoked a primal urge deep within the child. The prince reached into the box and withdrew a short staff, as white as snow and covered in black glyphs. As he held it tightly he felt his thoughts begin to wander, his eyes misting over in a dreamlike stupor...

Far, far away, deep beneath the earth in a cavern of frozen fire and burning ice, dwelled a beast so foul that simply uttering his name was a crime of the highest order. The beast who had slept for ten thousand years. The beast who lived amongst the corpses of hundreds of foes, thought to be long dead for centuries. The beast who had waited for millennia for just one fleeting moment of weakness on the part of humankind.

The beast awoke.

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Well, if you read through the whole thing, thank you for taking the time to do so. Essentially i'm aiming for a storytelling/legend theme, such as the introduction to Wind Waker (Amongst other Zelda games) and Okami, both which speak about a hero from a long forgotten age solving the troubles of the world. It's not perfect and there's no telling if I will use this aesthetic and world but it's something I can at the least riff off and explore.