CommanderSpleen wrote:
A dark forest level could obstruct one of the prank targets, and require a light source in order to enter. Though it's unlikely Keen would be caught on a strange planet without some kind of light. Anyway, whatever the nature of this obstacle, we can save an inventory item (if necessary) by inferring that the item is provided along with the pepper/cola.
A cool effect we could have in dark levels would be to draw an illumination sprite around keen. It's just gray pixels arranged in a halo pattern (without a mask), so it brightens all the pixels behind it.
Anything you might like?
I
LOVE the red cola can with the slug on it! Is it possible you could make the chilis glow like a light bulb controlled by a dimmer switch that is being rotated back and forth? Maybe a 4/6/8 frame animation?
But lemm is confident that this can be handled with patching.
Just so everyone knows, there won't be any patching of the world map itself. To restrict movement, keen will enter a level, and if he doesn't have the item, he will be kicked back out (as I can't actually prevent him from entering a level if it isn't DONE). Based upon the items that keen has (completed quests count as items too), I can make a level done/not done on exit, the game lost/won on exit, change items that keen has, or move keen anywhere on the world map on exit (ahead, or behind of the level he just exited, for example). But the point is that keen has to enter a level for all this inventory checking to occur, even if it is just a toll booth level.
The ruins idea is a good start. Hmm, a standard blocking ruins level would make for a fun mechanical puzzle. Bridges, hidden passages, moving platforms, etc.
This light source that keen has to collect could be some sort of luminescent insect that hangs out in the ruins level. The only problem is that it flies up and away from keen. To catch it, keen has to toggle switches and bridges to trap it a narrow passage. Touching it brings up a dialog, ends the level, gives keen the light item.