codename Ricochet: hack n slash platformer like ninja gaiden

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a hack n slash platformer similar to Ninja Gaiden

I decided to create a thread for a project I've started on. It is in the early stages of development, but thought I would share more of what I'm doing instead of keeping everything in the dark. Haven't decided on a title, but project is codenamed Ricochet.

This post will be updated as the game develops so that it better explains what the game is about. At the moment a lot is still being decided. Lately, most of the time has been spent on developing the mechanics. It will be a side-scroller platformer similar to ninja gaiden with hack n slash style gameplay.

It uses the chipmunk plugin for the physics. A big thanks goes out to R0J0hound, for providing the plugin.

Visuals are still being decided, and scale of things may be adjusted.

Here is an animated gif:

https://twitter.com/HandsofSight/status ... 6552338433

This looks to be freakin hot. Would love to get my hands on an early playable. Keep us posted!

Wouldn't mind trying a demo or something, loved Ninja Gaiden

Thanks facecrime, and ShinobiSlash

It probably will be a while until I have a playable demo.

I've been working on the design of the protagonist. I think I have it sorted, but I did a bunch in the process..

I'll probably stick to this one, or something similar:

I wanted to keep the color count low. In this case, it has 6 colors if you include transparency. This will make animating quicker- I can focus primarily on the lines rather than shading. I intend to keep enemies and other characters with similar low color count to maintain style.

I might adjust the colors as I figure out how it meshes with background tiles, etc.

I have been working on animating the character, and adding slopes.

It's a bit tricky managing the different slope animations, along with physics stuff. It's working okay now,..

Here's an animated gif showing it off.

https://twitter.com/HandsofSight/status ... 7081564161

I had to change the way slopes were handled.

https://twitter.com/HandsofSight/status ... 6264553472

Chipmunk offers great set of features, but is a bit particular in some cases when it comes to tilemap collision cells. I had implemented sloped segments in previous version, but also used different collision polygons for the player to help it sit flush against it. This turned out to be bad decision since it required having to manage different cases, which opened up more opportunities for things to go wrong when those polygons changed.

Now I keep the player collisions to one type of polygon, and instead adjust the slopes to make it appear player is flush against it. I then had to ignore collisions with tilemap for cases against the floor.

It all seems to be in order now with enemy collisions as well. I will still need to tweak the speed depending on whether player is running up steep hill, but that should be straight-forward.

I was implementing hud stuff the other day, and it just didn't feel right, so I made the visor flash when you have 3 hits left, and color also changes to yellow as you lose health(but i need to tweak it a little so that it changes sooner).

I used R0J0hound's canvas plugin on the little bit of the player sprite whenever the frame changes.

You can see a gif of it here: https://twitter.com/HandsofSight/status ... 9745075200

Also been exploring other ways to show the player's energy (that white ball thing)

trying to think of a way to tie it into the character more without it being too distracting.

I've been working on some promo art for the game. Eventually it will be fully colored and have a background too.

I have been working more on ways of displaying the HUD.

https://twitter.com/HandsofSight/status ... 0763621377

This shows how the energy now is displayed around the player, so that players don't have to look away from the center of the screen. I tried to keep it subtle enough to not be too distracting, while allowing the information to be easily seen. The center radius is the energy left, and the outer radius is the recharge. When fully recharged, the energy is refilled and the indicator fades away.

Working on background art- figuring out the visual style I want to have.

Keep up the good work; looks like it's coming along nicely.

Thanks ShinobiSlash

I've been working on figuring out a suitable control scheme. Controls can be customized, but the default needs to feel right. I've wanted to keep it limited to two buttons in addition to the direction keys.

In designing the control scheme, I've been thinking about the relationships between fingers and the dexterity and endurance each have. How a person might resort to using one over another in most cases, and designating that finger for either the primary or secondary key.

With various mechanics involved, and having to do more than one thing at once, there is a coordination involved- the mind sends instructions, and if the control scheme isn't good, the signals might cross and fingers press wrong keys, etc.

So I've been working on splitting things appropriately to prevent this from happening.

At the moment, I have the index finger controlling the attacking. The middle finger controlling the grappling, and then the other hand controlling movement/jumping/boosting.

I'll continue to gauge the controls to see if this is a good scheme. I know that controls can be sometimes difficult to teach to new players, so I'm keeping that in mind.

Worked some more on background design. Using shadow for aesthetic, and tiling purposes. Thinking ahead about assets so I don't overwhelm myself. Need to design a smart order for the tiling- I'm starting to get a feel for it.

How about - wasd (for movement), mouse left, mouse right, and space for buttons?

I think the way I currently have the controls work well. But, I'll keep that in mind, melaniko . What I prefer is keeping the controls to one device, and not split between keyboard and mouse. Keeping it contained to one device also makes menu navigation more intuitive.