Simplification 2017

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CommanderSpleen
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Simplification 2017

Post by CommanderSpleen »

So the project got too complicated for a Vorticons mod. Too reliant on ambitious patching. I propose serious minimalisation in order to form some practical goals and make the most of the classic Vorticons style. Now that Galaxy mods have matured far beyond what we could have imagined when this project was started, it's no longer as important to stretch Vorticons engine into something it's not and instead make the most of what it is.

The whole quest thing is too complicated. Some licks vs slugs back story is fine, but the part where the overall story is supposed to somehow change in response to which side you help out at the start of the game is impractical for this project.

I do like the item based mission, however, so we can keep the part where you have to choose either the slug or lick castle (or just make it both?) in order to acquire something (modded keycards/ship parts) to grant passage across the bridge. But, it can just as easily be a simple matter of passing one of two main castle levels to get to the bridge.

Tilesets need to be minimalised. Keeping everything to one would be ideal, but if necessary we need to segment them into a section with elements common to all levels and a second area for specialisation among a number of similarly themed levels.

All platforms should be basic 2D without attempting any 2.5D depth. Slopes using the v2 patch are allowed. Scenery should be as modular as possible. Levels can have a lot more abstract freedom and should not attempt to portray too literal an interpretation of the level concept/purpose.

Sprites need to be clearly defined before proceeding with levels. We have a lot of cool graphics and modified behaviours to choose from. Time to choose from them and work out what combinations can fit.

We have the map layout, so that can be constructed any time. I would like to use the flags patch, but keep the levels as regular 2x2 and 1x1 rather than trying to emulate the arbitrary Galaxy style. Though I'm open to discussion on this as long as someone else is willing to coordinate the tileset and implement the sprite plane stuff on the world map.

Hopefully this gives everyone a clearer idea of the overall vision and possible ways to contribute. I'll work on some specific objective threads, starting with sprites and tiles.
levellass
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Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:03 pm
Location: Ngaruawahia New Zealand

Re: Simplification 2017

Post by levellass »

Sounds good to me; I was planning one day (Oh distant day!) to just use a multi-tileset v2 skeleton to fit in all the resources that had been developed. Less ambitions but covering all the effort.
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