...it's been a while since I roamed the forums...
I'm working on a top-down maze-based game with strong Christian/spiritual themes. (To avoid any unintentional debates/discussions/etc, that's all I'll say to that...but I mention it if only to present a bit of context for those who would like to offer their input more constructively...)
Presently, I'm not having too much trouble coming up with some baddies to roam around the mazes.
But I'd like to employ some bosses that are more intimidating in scope and size. Not unlike your hulked-up bosses common on many adventure and action games on the Super Nintendo and other old-gen systems. Like Contra 4? HUGE bosses that dominated half the screen! The Donkey Kong Country series and also Yoshi's Island? Even though they were often common baddies ramped up on steroids (or magic in Yoshi's case), the bosses were still unique and challenging...and...BIG!
I'd like to use similar tactics.
To start with, what are some good "rules of thumb" when establishing bosses?
What is your personal process for setting up C2 instructions that navigate the boss' behavior? How do you make your processes so that they work efficiently?
Do you simply cycle the boss through actions? Randomize? Create conditional behaviors based on player actions? (Obviously, any of the above can be true.)
When creating graphically larger bosses, how do you go about it in terms of graphics/animations?
Please feel free to offer input in answer to my questions above or if you have additional thoughts/suggestions, I'd be very grateful. Thanks!