Night of the Ninja

[Rico]

Ok guys ... I'm working (albeit slowly) on a side-scrolling platformer called Night of the Ninja (name may change ). It's all designed, and it'll be similar to Super Metroid, with a large explorable environment and RPG-style shops/items.

However...I am having difficulty coming up with clever mission ideas. I don't want the game to be be full of 'go through that level, kill everyone you see'-style missions. Enemies range, but most are almost as strong as you - you have to rely on the element of surprise and stealth techniques to kill them.

The missions are set around three rival clans competing for control ... they all have bases and mansions etc, and sometimes towns, although a few of the towns aren't taken by any clan.

I have thought of the obvious - breaking into a mansion and assassinating the leader of the clan, stealing items, planting traps, poisoning food, guarding a camp against an attack from a rival clan... what I'm looking for now are some good mission ideas. If you have any cool ideas to share, no matter how small, please tell me

Thanks, Rico

 

[Meonlyeviler]

Illegal cloning project going on somewhere, there are thousands of cloned guards, so it's impossible to kill them all. You have to get through the base with stealth (sometimes just clearing a path through the guards) to get to the center of the building where there is a machine that shuts off all the clones.



is this game going to be free , joygp, or boxed?

 

[Rico]

This is set in feudal Japan, in the 11th/12th century ... so I can't see that happening ... but I might be able to set up a similar situation where you are surrounded by a large army and have to escape. Thanks for the ideas, though.

The project will be free, and no matter how far I get with it, if I drop it, it's open-source.

- Rico

 

[Meonlyeviler]

Can you do undead skeletons, and have it so you have to get a special weapon that can kill them in the middle of the level

 

[RoboJoe32]

How about a peacable mission? Towns people have been turned into zombies and you have to NOT HURT THEM and beat a certain boss to turn them back? Or regain a weapon stolen from your clan by a theif by finding the theif and sneaking up on them and using stealth?

 

[Flack]

Hm, just brainstorming, here's a couple of ideas.

You've been poisoned, and the antidote lies within your enemies castle ...

A shogun in the army plans on leading a revolt against the king. You must sneak through legions of soldiers to retreive the "battle plans" ...

You've been convicted of a crime and have been sentenced to death. The night before you are to be hanged, you escape from prison. You have until sunrise to gather enough evidence to prove your innocence ...

You woke up on the wrong side of the bed with a taste for blood and a knife in your hand ...

Flack

 

[Octavius]

maybe you should do something similar to the idea of Tenchu. but in an original sense. actually.. what would really be neat is if you followed the path of how japan is actually setup for different worlds and level design.. (ie. Kyoto area.. then move to Nara or Osaka... ) while making each section historically following the lines of what it looked like. i could help you out if you want... i live in osaka and i know a lot about the history here.

 

[Meonlyeviler]

You should make a move where you shove your straight blade in to the ground an jump off of it for extra height, ninjas actually did that when they weren't using a katana

 

[Rico]

I am choosing Ninja, but I guess I could change to Samurai. FYI samurai's used katanas (outdoor only?) but ninja use other crappier swords like the Ninja-To.

I don't have much knowledge of Japanese history, so I am unsure about the level idea, as I was going to stick with one region, but it's early days yet. I'll have a look.

Thanks for your ideas Meonlyeviler, Flack, Octavius, RoboJoe, very helpful

- Rico

 

[RobertG]

I am choosing Ninja, but I guess I could change to Samurai. FYI samurai's used katanas (outdoor only?) but ninja use other crappier swords like the Ninja-To.

I don't have much knowledge of Japanese history, so I am unsure about the level idea, as I was going to stick with one region, but it's early days yet. I'll have a look.

Doesn't have to be historically accurate.. Give them whatever weapons you want (within reason anyway.. no guns and stuff )

Have you played Ico? Something a bit like that would be nice.. Having to sneak around killing people and doing "ninja stuff", but also look after the princess, or whoever you're rescuing, and solve puzzles that need both of you to do stuff.. Doors that need 2 switches to be pushed at once to open. I dunno

 

[Octavius]

Have you played Ico?

i loved that game!

anyways.. back on topic. Tenchu is great.. you should snag ideas from that. I really like the stealth and roof jumping involved. doing something 2D would be cool with Tenchu in mind!

 

[smash]

Maybe in place of having your game a side scroll-er, you should make it top-down... duno :unsure: I think that would make the stealth factor easyer to do.

 

[Meonlyeviler]

You should make it so you can do wall kicks

 

[Octavius]

...and whats a ninja game without bloody throat slicing?

 

[pip]

To be able to assassin one important leader (or gain access to a special area within a clan) you will have to participate in a sumo tournament (since sumo is the national sport in Japan). The winner of the tournament will be granted an audience with the leader (or access to the clan area). To have a good chance of winning you'd first have to acquire a lot of food, which you can do by helping out a farmer who has been having problems with rabbits eating up his crops. IE you will have to stand watch for the night and let no food be stolen by rabbits, similar to a game&watch game

 

[Rico]

That's a really good idea! During the game you will have to carry out two assassinations, and I plan to make them very open-ended. A sumo tournament is an excellent idea.

- Rico