There's a great quote I came upon in recent months that has changed the way I approach a lot of things, and I find it appropriate to this project:
So far we've been ranting about all sorts of minor details, but there's no overall scope to guide our efforts. Before we do anything practical, we should start with the really big rock: the overall concept. This includes the following:Blaise Pascal wrote:The last thing one knows when constructing a work is what to put first.
Storyline
Not just the introduction and episode themes, but everything in between as well--key levels, objectives, level settings, basic map structure (this will be fleshed out later when the levels have been decided upon), etc.
Core levels and themes
Scenery, inhabitants, meaning within the story, etc. We should do this for all three episodes so we have a clear path ahead of us.
Creatures
Their appearance, behaviour and integration into the story. So far we know we'll be using slugs for the first episode (and we pretty much have the sprites ready for them). What else is there?
It would be impractical to discuss all of these in one thread, so I shall create a new one for each of the above topics, along with the existing details that are currently scattered throughout this forum. But first I want to make sure we all agree with these as the necessary tasks. Is there anything else I've missed?
The graphics, patching and level editing are the easy parts--they're just pure work. Setting boundaries and making clear decisions can require a lot of thought, so let's get them out of the way so we can stop thinking and get our hands dirty with some fun details.
Edit I'm taking this stony silence as unanimous agreement. I shall begin compiling the story topic.