2.5D Keen

You can discuss anything about fan-made Commander Keen games here.
Plasma Captain
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Post by Plasma Captain »

I didn't expect it to become any more adorable.

I was wrong.
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Post by guynietoren »

Keening_Product wrote:Personally, if you want to know what just one person thinks, I think yorps should waddle a bit like a fat, drunk duck.
That sounds about right. Short legs and hopping a lot. Somewhat like other birds too.

I like the nostrils, it adds more depth to facial expressions, since doesn't have an eyebrow flap. The eyebrow seemed to be required for my art as it communicates a lot. Though I hadn't thought about going without one.
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Roobar
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Post by Roobar »

The eye is still wrong. Take a look at these, which I think got the eye right:

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http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs5/i/2004/3 ... _zepto.png
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Ronnie
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Post by Ronnie »

New build: http://www.josephmcarney.com/test/KeenTest5.html

I've added in the Yorp and its animations. I settled on a straight, side to side walk animation because in a perspective view you get a lot more of the Yorp's face and back than you think you would.

I like my 'death' animation, but I'll have to change it up down the line because he clips into nearby walls if shot too close to them.
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tulip
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Post by tulip »

looks great, although I'm not sure about the dragon spine on the backs of the yorps.
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Ronnie
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Post by Ronnie »

New build: http://josephmcarney.com/test/KeenTest6.html

Added a little "bounce" to the floating platforms to help sell them as floating platforms. Makes the jumping on them a little buggy, I'll be looking into that this week. Also continuing to recreate the tiles.
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Post by Hagel »

Looks awesome!

I´d love to see this project getting done. Did you know that you could push away the boxes in build 6?

Keep on working ;)
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Roobar
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Post by Roobar »

The more and more you're making this game, the more and more I think you should make a totally original game. Just use Keen as a basis for gameplay mechanics. With these physics and the 3d abilities you have much more possibilities to create better and new things.
tulip wrote:looks great, although I'm not sure about the dragon spine on the backs of the yorps.
Yeah. I'm totally sure I don't like these. I'll wait for the final result though.
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Ronnie
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Post by Ronnie »

I´d love to see this project getting done. Did you know that you could push away the boxes in build 6?
HAHAAHAHAHA!! Whoopseeeee. Well it looks cool, but yea, that's a mistake on my part.
Yeah. I'm totally sure I don't like these. I'll wait for the final result though.
Thanks for the input. I do like them, though... but I may change my mind down the line.
I think you should make a totally original game.
Thanks, man, that means a lot to me. The whole reason I'm doing this Keen remake is to sharpen my skills and better understand the pipeline so in the future I can make a completely original successful game.
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Post by Hagel »

The whole reason I'm doing this Keen remake is to sharpen my skills and better understand the pipeline so in the future I can make a completely original successful game.
On the one hand you are right: as compared with other games, marooned on mars has got quite simple mechanics.

It's a neat yet not to hard exercise to programm a keen 1 remake.

You just have to add gargs, butlers, robots, vorticons, ice canons, slippery floor, doors, a pogo stick, teleporters, yorps statues, the world map, the key items and the dynamic score system... Let´s say 10 to 15 routines and - you're mostly done programming your very own 2,5d remake of Keen 1.

This shouldn´t be much of a problem to you as I see in the fine programming you´ve done with the dynamic jump height, the hovering platforms and the yorps.

On the other hand I think it might be terribly hard to try to convert the variety of tiles (and sprites!) Keen 1 provides into 3d.

You are doing good work and I would love to see this project done. Please watch out that you don´t get lost in your love for details and keep on working ;)
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Lava89
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Post by Lava89 »

New build is awesome. I like how everyone moves really smoothly (and it plays really smoothly as well). :)
Ronnie wrote:Thanks, man, that means a lot to me. The whole reason I'm doing this Keen remake is to sharpen my skills and better understand the pipeline so in the future I can make a completely original successful game.
I think that's a great way of looking at it. :)
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Post by Levellass »

I think you should make a totally original game.
On the one hand I agree, you have the skills to pull it off.

On the other hand I disagree; a huge part of game making is not wide-open-sandbox but working within constraints, even self-imposed ones to make the product you have in mind. Look at Duke Nukum Forever; a project dogged with 'We've changed the engine' moments.

Nothing will ruin a project faster than a shifting, nebulous goal. It is good to practice making something with a concrete, limiting goal in mind, something to work towards and measure your progress against. It can also act as inspiration and direction.

The more I see of this project the more this point comes out to me. The Yorps are being developed, tweaked towards a final state. You can't just go 'Eh, the Yorps are like this now' you have a guide and yardstick to measure them against. Such discipline is vital in any creative work.

Keep at it, things are progressing almost unbelievably well.
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
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Post by Ronnie »

No new build today, and won't be one next week since I'll be on vacation :)

I'm pretty happy with the general gameplay. There are some bugs I need to stamp out, particularly landing on the very edge of a platform will make Keen keep playing his 'falling' animation.

Aesthetically, I'm at a bit of a crossroads. My original plan that I'm currently carrying out, is to just do a simple replace of the Keen 1 tiles with updated versions. But honestly, I think it all looks a little disjointed and I think I can do better. When I look at other 2.5D games, like The Cave (http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2012/05/The-Cave-8.jpg, http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads ... Cave-2.jpg) I just want to raise the bar for my Keen game. Problem is, I'm not much of a concept artist. And if working at Sky Vu has taught me anything, it's that a good 3D model needs a good concept. So that's what I'll be mulling over at the beach next week.

As always, your comments and suggestions will be taken to heart.
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Post by Keening_Product »

I know you were probably thinking of a plot/theme concept, but you could also consider implementing the mixture of platformer and puzzle game Tom Hall had planned for TUIT?
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Post by tulip »

If you want to make more 2.5d stuff, remember that the first Keen 1 level (and a few more) is supposed to be inside a glass dome on mars. So basically you could look at the map object of the first level and try to create some citylike blue buildings in the background and something that looks like you're looking through glass on mars environment. If you wanna animate something I'd suggest winds or such. You can also have one or two distant other cities or domes. In any case I'd make the beginning and the end of the level backgrounds more outside looking and the middle of the level a little denser so you've got the feeling of going into the city and out again.
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