[shmup] Cyberpunk Level

[M-Vero]

Well basically we needed a place to share ideas, show concepts and make some progress. I haven't gotten in contact with most of my team so this is the place where we can do that. No one was stepping up to take a lead, so I took the initiative, if anyone has any objections to this, I'm fine with that, I'm probably not the greatest leader but we need to get this started.

And here's my half assed banner, go team.

[De-Line]

hey team. i guess to start off we're just going to dump what we got?

http://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/de-li ne/cyberpunkspaceshyps

....thats it so far from me.

[Re2deemer]

Thanks for taking the lead M-Vero even if you did write a lazier introductory post than others.

In case you didn't already I went around and smacked everybody on the team on the head with PMs telling them to get their ass over here. And if you did...well, doesn't hurt to do it twice.
Speaking of, has anybody seen FatKidWitAJetPak?

Every other team seems to use MSN messenger as their default way of communication so I suggest we do the same (unless somebody has got a better idea). I've posted the MSN addresses I already know in this document . If you do not have MSN MEssenger, it can be downloaded here.
Don't worry, it'll be deleted as soon as everybody have established contact - no spreading your address around the Internet.

[Re2deemer]

A basic concept for our level layout. I'm not sure what the first section could be. Perhaps some sort of wastelandish place or a a mining excavation.

[Re2deemer]

And as a logical follow-up, a concept showing the transistion point between the first stage and second stage. The door is to be blown up by shooting the conveniently places glowing locks.
Maybe have a mini boss fight before this point.

[Re2deemer]

Concept for the third section, the city. There's a omnious orange glow down there because I had the thought of street level being a total mess - crime, riots and such.

Also, a cookie for whoever gets the reference ;)

[Vousielle]

I have a few concept ideas, but I am also trying to write three papers by thursday, so guess which gets priority. Anyway the only environment that really fits the theme is a sprawling, corrupt, yet flashy city. We need tons of bright neon contrasting with seedy android sex dens and Drug vending machines. Think if Tokyo and Las Vegas had a profiteering, exploitative, Authoritarian baby.
This is supposed to be a dystopic near future rather than super sci-fi. We could call the city New Singapore or something, and we could have NSPD on hover boards trying to kick the protagonist's ass.

Homework assignments:
Blade Runner,
5th Element,
The Matrix trilogy
The Running Man,
Total Recall.

[Vousielle]

oh, also the movie Imposter, because it is rather cyberpunk, but mostly because Gary Sinise is badass.

[Kinsei01]

At 11/9/09 05:04 PM, Vousielle wrote: Homework assignments:
Blade Runner,
5th Element,
The Matrix trilogy
The Running Man,
Total Recall.

I only have a few minuets I can be online, but I want to add some movies to this list.
Judge Dredd
Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal 2000
Akira
Ghost In The Shell

Also I have some movies that are not really cyberpunk, but there are some concepts in them we can use to our advantage.
I, Robot
Minority Report
Bicentennial Man
Robocop

And lastly, Much of Luis Royo's works and the works in Heavy Metal Magazine are always great reference.

As for me, thanks to a snafu with my internet provider I will not have internet in my new apartment until Wednesday. So I will not be able to fully return until then.

But for now, am I to assume the M-Vero is our team leader?

[M-Vero]

At 11/9/09 07:48 PM, Kinsei01 wrote: But for now, am I to assume the M-Vero is our team leader?

For now, the only complaint I'v read is about my shitty topic starter.

[Vousielle]

I will try to get some real sketches going by tomorrow night.

[Maverick-Alex]

How about a dystopian setting, with a corrupt goverment. You a playful hacker/rebel, have captured and later modified a state-of-art police cruiser designed to ironically fight La Resistance.

Hoist by their own petard.

The cruiset would show signs of dilapidation and maybe a makeshift paintjob of sorts.

At this point, I am just throwing Ideas to all SHMUP threads, because I freaking love the games.

[De-Line]

i really like re2deemers idea of the level starting outside, it'll add a pretty wicked contrast to the dark cold and geometric inner city.

the idea for a 'story' i had was somewhat inspired from that new astroboy movie (it wasnt bad eh guys?)
it starts off your outside and charging toward the city and all you deal with are maybe some mutant-y animals, savages (like judge dredd im thinkin) and then you bust your way into the big city, and from there you progress through different stages of law enforcement. first the basic little police (jetpacks, 'cruiser' type things) and then it progresses to some heavier forces and finally the military who eventually has to turn to their last resort to stop you. some big fuckin heavily armed mech..thing.

im working on getting a working scanner today and will be posting some sketches tonight.

[Kurofelis]

At 11/9/09 09:45 AM, Re2deemer wrote:
Maybe have a mini boss fight before this point.

How about ON that point?

I'll do that later.

For now, I'm just posting what I stuck in the other thread earlier.

[FatKidWitAJetPak]

Alright guys, i suggest we start saying what each of us can offer for the team

Here is what i can offer:

VOICE ACTING

DESIGN

SOUND

For the design I would make a MONOPRINT TEXTURE and lay inside of objects. By a monoprint texture i mean making a texture with monoprint ink. i think it would give everything a nice ZAP if you know what I mean. Everything would look very punkish and darkish.

For the voice acting i would voice act 3 main characters.

For the sound I can make very creepy background music, which I will upload soon. I will also make sound effects like explosions and things.

is this all fine and dandy or am I misunderstanding something?

[Kinsei01]

At 11/9/09 07:56 PM, M-Vero wrote: For now, the only complaint I'v read is about my shitty topic starter.

.....
well I contest that your name has vero in it, we should just call you "M"

naw I'm cool with it. sadly I still cannot have a high participation in this yet....

[FatKidWitAJetPak]

***I will make that ambience for you guys and see if it suits. All i have right now is this and im not sure if its punkish or not heeh.***

Waves of Diamond, by FatKidWitAJetPak Type: SongGenre: Ambient

This is the kind of texture monoprint art I do. I would be able to make some very cool backgrounds with this style. I could also fill in buildings and walls with a certain texture for each material like metal, grass, wood, except it would look a lot cooler.

[FatKidWitAJetPak]

DAMMIT FORGOT THE PIC AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Kurofelis]

At 11/10/09 06:15 PM, FatKidWitAJetPak wrote: ***I will make that ambience for you guys and see if it suits. All i have right now is this and im not sure if its punkish or not heeh.***

Good for a "stage" part, but Boss battles need much more intensity, as you probably know.

Idea for "Gate Guardian".

If you deal enough damage to it, it drops off to fight you, becoming much more difficult in the process.

Once it drops off, you have the option of destroying it and taking another road (or another bonus), or ignoring it and shooting open the gate, bypassing it.

TLDR;

2 stage miniboss/boss

1- Stuck to the wall, shoots at you

2- Off the wall, shoots more and moves more

Aside from the numerous cannons, it also has a pair of tusk things to flail around with if the player gets too close to its front.

[M-Vero]

Alright
I like the idea of transitioning through out the level from outside into a city. However I don't think we need a storyline for this, it's basically a bunch of random cliched scenarios.

[M-Vero]

A concept for an enemy
Started out as a sketch for the steampunk team, until I realized I wasn't part of it anymore.... not sure if it was a mistake from the start.
Disappointed, but for the best if I'm going to be leading, so now this team gets it!
Rough concept, will change.

depending if it's even kept

[Maverick-Alex]

At 11/10/09 10:28 PM, M-Vero wrote: Sketch

It doesn't look cyberpunkish to me... Looks cyberish, but it lacks the punk. It needs to be more... rough.

[M-Vero]

At 11/10/09 10:39 PM, Maverick-Alex wrote: It doesn't look cyberpunkish to me... Looks cyberish, but it lacks the punk. It needs to be more... rough.

True, but again, it's just a concept I'll be refining it probably over this week.

[Vousielle]

Our main boss could be like an obscene half human Crime-Forecast AI sort of thing. Any bastardization of technology really.

[De-Line]

I like the idea of transitioning through out the level from outside into a city. However I don't think we need a storyline for this, it's basically a bunch of random cliched scenarios.

i didnt really mean have a story. and the example i gave wasnt exactly a story
i just meant it as more of a theme or outline for the variety of enemies.

basically cops and robbers.

[Re2deemer]

At 11/10/09 06:49 PM, Kurofelis wrote:
Idea for "Gate Guardian".

I like idea of such guardian. Not sure how we would handle having two routes though...or ignoring it. I mean, how many SHMUP's allow you to ignore a boss, even if it's mini?

At 11/10/09 06:15 PM, FatKidWitAJetPak wrote: ***I will make that ambience for you guys and see if it suits. All i have right now is this and im not sure if its punkish or not heeh.***

Eeehhh....I doubt the game will have a place for ambient music. Unless we plan to have some long and melodramatic cutscenes (which I assume we won't have).

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Gonna flail around with more concepts...enter the Charger!
This one's a annoying bugger.

I've illustrated it's behavior, but I'll also explain it here. The Charger flies in (typically in groups of 3-4) and stops in mid-air. It rotates towards the player and then starts revving up the engines, at which point the flap/wing/thingies are floded together and the engine and wings start glowing.
After a moment it will charge towards the player, causing moderate damage if it hit the player. If it doesn't then it just flies off the screen.

[Re2deemer]

Another enemy is the Samurai
This is a medium-hard enemy . It has pretty heavy armour all over and has two turrets that rotate and fire towards the player, doing fairly little damage. HOWEVER, once it's health drops below 50% it will either transform into a gunship (see #1) or do a kamikaze dive (see #2).
Alternatively we could have it transform into gunship when it's HP drops to 50% and the do a kamikaze dive when it's nearly dead.

Anyway, the transformation will move the armour plates that reveals 3 laser turrets that, unlike the cannons before, fire only straight. On the other hand, they make shooting at the Samurai harder. A weak spot is also revealed so the more daring can dive between Samurai's cannon fire to destroy it quickly. Risk vs reward.
*Note - the cannons continue to fire, giving the Samurai a total of 5 turrets.

The kamikaze dive will have an alarm sound before it starts moving for about 2 seconds. Then it starts diving forward, causing highsh damage when it hits the player. On the other hand, it dives in a straight line and it doesn't aim towards the player.

[Re2deemer]

And a few sketches for the grunts. No fancy pattern designed, just your general "fly-straight-and-shoot-dumb" enemies.
The two on the right are earlier versions of the charger.

[Kinsei01]

About Fucking time cox got my internet straightened out!

Well I'm back and I'm ready for a mutiny Agains M

just kidding...>.>....

Anyway I'll have some stuff posted later tonight.

We haven't assigned positions yet have we, or are we still brain storming cause thats what it looks like

[M-Vero]

At 11/11/09 07:07 PM, Kinsei01 wrote: About Fucking time cox got my internet straightened out!

Are you comcastic?

Well I'm back and I'm ready for a mutiny Agains M

AVAST HEATHEN!

just kidding...>.>....

Oh....

Anyway I'll have some stuff posted later tonight.

happyface

We haven't assigned positions yet have we, or are we still brain storming cause thats what it looks like

No, not really, still storming, though I'm liking the re2deemer's level lay out idea.