Wandor (working title)

[foxblock]

Ok, thanks for the all the replies, I am overwhelmed by all the kindness But most credits go to pixelmind for the great artwork.

I don't want to spread myself too thin by working on both Panjoust and Wandor, but I can't resist stuff like this, it's simply my specialty.

Right now it is late, but I will start bright and early tomorrow on some concept BGs for the pirate level if that's alright with you.


Should I incorporate multiple layers similar to panjoust? As much information as I can get would greatly improve my ability to help you.

what are the estimated dimensions?

Well, well, you are a quick one As I said the system is in the works, it's not finished yet, so is the level, because the tilemap is not ready. We are all very busy with "real life stuff" so progress is slow (note the gap between the updates).
Therefore I can't really tell, but levels can be pretty wide, so the image cannot be too large (though we can implement a function for looping the image). As clarification: Level will scroll seamlessly in horizontal direction and probably very wide, vertical movement will be restricted in the future.

Best would be you send me a PM with your mail as we have set up a Google group where we discuss all stuff (and release updates from time to time - we have some secrets ). You can find more info there and get in touch with the other artists.

So I started with a potential color palette for the cave level, all of this is impermanent.
<image>

I noticed though, that the spritework and videos you have posted don't really work together gameplay wise, so I cut the detailing short.

The current working character sprite couldn't be more than 20px high, while the main character art posted directly above me is more than four times that, closer to 90px. With the height of the pandora only being able to render 480px, you're left with only a tiny margin for the actual platforming; clearly you have made some changes from the videos that I originally intended to use as reference for the way the art might play out. I think it would be imprudent (and downright stupid) of me to start anything if it will end up not matching both the gameplay and the art stlye of the current work. If you have already implemented any of Pixelmind's work, I would need to see it before I start on anything that will be even REMOTELY usable.

Heh, the videos are pretty darn old (latest is from Sep 09), the Wandor sprite beneath the enemies I posted is the current and finished one (it's 52x90px). I think pixelmind used this original dimensions as reference in his images.
Also the levels are tile-based (48x48px so gameplay will be on around 17 times 10 tiles with the hero being around 1x2 tiles big), so we have two layers of tiles which will affect gameplay and then we can have multiple scrolling background levels (in the future). These cannot have any impact on the gameplay such as collision detection and should be less contract rich, so they really fade in the background.

I like the colours in the image you posted, great cave atmosphere, but it does not look like a background image, more like you intended to use it for collision detection, too.
Here is what the current (but old), unprofessional (as drawn by me) and temporary tilemap for the level you can see in the video looks like:
http://w-engine.goog...ages/level1.png

Still, thanks for the effort so far, I really appreciate it

I think I will compile and upload the latest version, so you can play it and take a look for yourself (but please note, this is a working beta, so it contains lots of bugs and features implemented are probably uncompleted and buggy).
EDIT: Just noted we have a r26 uploaded, it's not the latest one, but nothing important to you has been added in the meantime (like the new level format).
Download it here (W32 build): http://code.google.c...or.zip&can=2&q= (all needed files should be included, just extract anywhere and run Penjin3D.exe)

foxblock out

 

[foxblock]

Also just uploaded the latest version of the editor as this fixes a lot of bugs and introduces some new features.
http://code.google.c...70.zip&can=2&q=
Feel free to try it and report any issues or comments in this topic or (in case of issues even better) here: http://code.google.c...ine/issues/list (please use the LevelEditor template)

But note that in case you use the uploaded r26 version of Wandor, levels created with editor v.0.7.0 won't work, use v.0.6.1 (also on the page) instead. V.0.7.0 will only work with the latest code, you will need to download it via SVN and compile it yourself to be able to work with it.

foxblock out

 

[mcobit]

Hello,

It is great, that you released the tilesheets.
I made some animated tiles for some kind of techlevel (maybe) If you want to use them feel free to do so.
They are the size of the barrels.

 

[foxblock]

Hello,

It is great, that you released the tilesheets.
I made some animated tiles for some kind of techlevel (maybe) If you want to use them feel free to do so.
They are the size of the barrels.

<images>

Sadly they are not exactly the size of a single tile as a tile is 48x48px and these seem to be 47x47...
But many thanks nevertheless , they look really good, though I currently have no idea where to include them (maybe in the town area...).

foxblock out

 

[Butterman]

Foxblock. What's wrong with using what he gave you as a collision sheet.

Just grab the pixel colour off the image during your map initialization, if it's transparent, make it non solid, if it's got colour make it solid.

If you've got an artist willing to draw levels for you like that, then it's MUCH better than using dirty old tilemaps.

 

[foxblock]

Foxblock. What's wrong with using what he gave you as a collision sheet.

Just grab the pixel colour off the image during your map initialization, if it's transparent, make it non solid, if it's got colour make it solid.

If you've got an artist willing to draw levels for you like that, then it's MUCH better than using dirty old tilemaps.

Ok, if you are willing to rewrite the whole collision code and also the rest of the tile based code, then please go ahead as I am not.

No offence, but we settled on tiles and Dragons_Slayer is working on it! If we switch now, we can throw away a lot of work done and above all that, pixel based levels are much harder to create and balance.
Also with tilemaps you can have an easy editor, which is accessible to everyone so people can create levels with the original tilemaps and do not need to create new ones (in case you are not that artistic). With pixel (or image-)-based levels you cannot have this flexibility.

It's just out of question, also I doubt Amigo Bandito Crujiente can be bothered to work full time on two (or more) projects as that would mean he has to draw all of the levels, which takes a lot of time.

The backgrounds (which have no impact on gameplay) will be drawn without tiles of course, but I already stated that numerous times.

foxblock out

 

[Butterman]

I was just suggesting it

If code is a problem, you can just decide using the percentage of solid pixels in the space of a tile, if it should be solid or not and continue to use your current code.

Just a suggestion, you know, the reason you've got a thread, so people can make suggestions, don't get worked up

 

[foxblock]

I was just suggesting it

If code is a problem, you can just decide using the percentage of solid pixels in the space of a tile, if it should be solid or not and continue to use your current code.

Just a suggestion, you know, the reason you've got a thread, so people can make suggestions, don't get worked up

Ok I apologize for being harsh, it just sounded a bit demanding to me (maybe I am just too stressed because of the upcoming exams...).

I guess we could implement a algorithm like that, but I don't think we would benefit much of that as the engine will also support (and already did in the past, but not recently due to some changes) more kinds of collision detection, like diagonal tiles and one-way collision (much like Mario-style platforms). A suitable code would somehow need to detect the different kinds of collision in an image and that task is by far not trivial. Also you get to draw all those images and not just one tilemap, which you can use all over the level (or even multiple ones).
Otherwise it would be a complete turnaround and destory much we already have completed.

I also like pixel based level, like the ones Lerp uses you can have more variety with it, but we have decided on tiles (also to stay true to the nature of the original WL and for other reasons I already pointed out) and I think it's just too much work for us as we already have to squeeze all the time we have into this

foxblock out

 

[mcobit]

Hi,
Ah, ok, the dimensions of the barrel are the same, just, that there was a 1px border.

I just thought when you have a boss, that is a fish in a robotsuit, then maybe there will be a technology-related level.
I thought of some kind of fishegg in a container filled with some green liquid ;-). Well, that are my strange associations.

When you need more tiles I can work on something if you tell me where the artstyle is going.

PS: I'm also a fan of tilebased oldschool platformers. And I appreciate the work you and the others do to make this great game.

 

[pixelmind]

@mcobit

Seems like a good start but it looks too flat and needs a bit more shading.
Here's a quick paintover: ( replaced the fishegg, though )

The animation looks good, but could benefit from a few more frames to make it more fluid.

Maybe we find a place to put it in

 

[Mithrildor]

BUMP!

Soooooooo hows this project going?

 

[foxblock]

Thanks for showing interest, I really appreciate that!

The project is still alive and we are working on it, though on a slower pace as I have to invest a lot of time into university and the other guys have day-time jobs.
The engine is mostly finished (well it already was some time ago), but we need to make the final tweaks and still implement some missing features.
We are still lacking some graphics, so I can't show you new moving images, but two people are working on that and we are making progress. Hopefully we will have the needed graphics for the first set of levels soon, which then will be shown in a new video of course.

The project currently lacks a custom soundtrack, HomoChristo got started on some tracks, but did not reply to any message lately, so I am opening up his position.
Therefore we are currently searching for a gal or guy interested in composing some original tracks for the game! I have no preferred style in mind (apart from it not being 8-bit music), so you would have some liberty here.
Message me or reply here in case you are interested and I will contact you with all necessary details.

foxblock out

Edit: Well I still could show you some progress on the sprites:

 

[Jourdy288]

I'd love to do music, anything in particular? Maybe sort of nautical sounding music?
EDIT: I put together (what I think would be!) a nice theme tune for Wandor. What do you think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zLhUkNhIqc

 

[foxblock]

Thanks for the effort so far, but sadly the video has not been processed yet so I can't give you a review on it (and I am going to bed, but wanted to post some more infos beforehand).

Here are the two tracks HomoChristo composed for us (for town levels), which I like very much. It does not have to be exactly in this style, but it might give you a general direction:
http://w-engine.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/built/music/Town.mp3
http://virb.com/homochristo (the last song "Gametune town"

foxblock out

 

[Jourdy288]

^Haha, sorry, I posted the link rather... Enthusiastically :lol:
Now that it's here, what do you think?

 

[foxblock]

Ok, first of all I am sorry to say that all-piano music is not what I am looking for - the Town.mp3 could be the general direction (some guitar, some drums, maybe some piano, some synthesizer).

I like the song you composed, but I don't see it fitting as a theme song, it's too fast at times and too slow at other times.
Some parts of it (like the intro) could make a good boss-fight music and I see the slower parts (e.g. around 1:30) playing at the GameOver screen.

I really appreciate your efforts and thank you for it, but sadly it's not what I am looking for.

foxblock out

 

[pixelmind]

The project is still alive and we are working on it, though on a slower pace as I have to invest a lot of time into university and the other guys have day-time jobs.

Yeah, sadly I have little sparetime at the moment so I can only work on the project at weekends ( not today as I'm at work <_< )
We are working on the level-design and tiles for the first stage at the moment.
And soon there'll be some more animations to show you
So stay tuned.

And if your're interested: here's an early mockup with some floating platforms i did a while ago.

 

[Bosbeetle]

wow

 

[nickmaymusic]

Hey just to let you know, I have finished uni for the summer now (early I know!) So I will have time to write some music for this if you like (I'm the guy composing the Panjoust music).
I have a few projects on the go at the moment, but I can write quite quickly, and I love writing game music.

You can check out my website to hear some stuff... www.may88.co.uk but there isn't any game music on there, probably best to check out the panjoust stuff for an idea. But I can compose in a variety of styles.

Cheers,
Nick.

 

[Mithrildor]

Just wow, just wow at those graphics.

The best graphics Ive ever seen in a homebrew project