Well... Since several weeks I'm in trouble to progress in the design of my game. In the case of you haven't hear it before, it will be an Action / Adventure game.
I have to design enemies, and that is their attacks/AI that comes with them. I just have no ideas. I have a few vague ideas for enemies, but no for their actual look nor for their attack / projectiles they throws / weapons they use, etc...
I have a big table where all data is supposed to be found for all enemies (color, tiles used for each animatio frame, AI, strenght, damage recevied by each weapon, etc...)
My game engine have one portion that setup ennemies sprites from their direction and frame number, that are set in two different ennemies variables.
Then, it checks for collision between players and ennemies, if the player is attacking and the player faces the ennemy, the ennemy get damage, else the player get damage. I also check player/items and player/projectile here (the projectile part isn't done yet, I need ennemy that uses projectiles). I may also made player projectiles, impliying the collision ennemy/projectile should also be done.
Finally, the code exectute the "AI" of each monster. That is supposed to move him in fuction of random parameters or the position of the player, or other ennemies, etc... The calculation of damage and check if the ennemy is dead is also made here, so the monster really destroy himself. So my engine can allow monster that summons other before dying, or monster that cannot be killed under some condition, etc...
So, each kind of ennemy can have a different AI programm implemented that move it and triggers its attacks.
Since my game is an Action RPG, where the player get hit just by touching an ennemy (Zelda, Final Fantasy Adventure), and not a Adventure RPG, where the player get hit only if attacked (Secret of Mana, Tales of Phantasia), I think most common enemies can just randomly move and do nothing special.
A couple of ghost ennemies could also follow the player, that would get really anoying for him (if monsterHPos<playerHPos, increase monster H Pos, else decrease monster H pos and the same vertically, you got the favlour).
But I still need bosses and more advanced ennemies that have more interesting attacks and add strategy to the game.
I noted Mega Man games are especially brillant when it comes to ennemy design. You got different enemies in almost all stages, and they act differently. The "mans" are looking so cool, and a lot of strategy is needed to defeat them.
Secret of Mana and sequels also have good enemy design, allowing greatly inspired monsters and cool moves.
But, now, as a game designer myself, this overload of freedom just make me sick. I can design ennemies as crazy as I want, but they still need to look a but serious. And even if I get a few ideas I juge myself as poor compared to the average video games, I cannot make up the algorithm that comes in their "custom programm". I'm totally lost. It would be so stupid to totally stop the developpement of my game just for that.
So, finally this is NOT a question. I'm just calling for help from anyone that sucessfully designed ennemies. Doesn't anyone have any advice about what to do in a such situation ?
I have to design enemies, and that is their attacks/AI that comes with them. I just have no ideas. I have a few vague ideas for enemies, but no for their actual look nor for their attack / projectiles they throws / weapons they use, etc...
I have a big table where all data is supposed to be found for all enemies (color, tiles used for each animatio frame, AI, strenght, damage recevied by each weapon, etc...)
My game engine have one portion that setup ennemies sprites from their direction and frame number, that are set in two different ennemies variables.
Then, it checks for collision between players and ennemies, if the player is attacking and the player faces the ennemy, the ennemy get damage, else the player get damage. I also check player/items and player/projectile here (the projectile part isn't done yet, I need ennemy that uses projectiles). I may also made player projectiles, impliying the collision ennemy/projectile should also be done.
Finally, the code exectute the "AI" of each monster. That is supposed to move him in fuction of random parameters or the position of the player, or other ennemies, etc... The calculation of damage and check if the ennemy is dead is also made here, so the monster really destroy himself. So my engine can allow monster that summons other before dying, or monster that cannot be killed under some condition, etc...
So, each kind of ennemy can have a different AI programm implemented that move it and triggers its attacks.
Since my game is an Action RPG, where the player get hit just by touching an ennemy (Zelda, Final Fantasy Adventure), and not a Adventure RPG, where the player get hit only if attacked (Secret of Mana, Tales of Phantasia), I think most common enemies can just randomly move and do nothing special.
A couple of ghost ennemies could also follow the player, that would get really anoying for him (if monsterHPos<playerHPos, increase monster H Pos, else decrease monster H pos and the same vertically, you got the favlour).
But I still need bosses and more advanced ennemies that have more interesting attacks and add strategy to the game.
I noted Mega Man games are especially brillant when it comes to ennemy design. You got different enemies in almost all stages, and they act differently. The "mans" are looking so cool, and a lot of strategy is needed to defeat them.
Secret of Mana and sequels also have good enemy design, allowing greatly inspired monsters and cool moves.
But, now, as a game designer myself, this overload of freedom just make me sick. I can design ennemies as crazy as I want, but they still need to look a but serious. And even if I get a few ideas I juge myself as poor compared to the average video games, I cannot make up the algorithm that comes in their "custom programm". I'm totally lost. It would be so stupid to totally stop the developpement of my game just for that.
So, finally this is NOT a question. I'm just calling for help from anyone that sucessfully designed ennemies. Doesn't anyone have any advice about what to do in a such situation ?