Update 7/9 - Trailer video!

Link to the trailer:



The following message was written on June 24th.

By next weekend, I'm going to pass the files off.  Expect 3-4 weeks after that point to see the game out there.  I'm still in talks about the LE version, but it's finally going to be done.

For the release, there will likely be two options.
#1 - Cart + manual for approx. $35
#2 - CIB + an art booklet that showcases unused/altered ideas for about $7 more.

Expected to post a trailer sometime soon.

OLD MATERIAL BELOW

Demo videos


- Demo video of the gameplay.


- Demo video of first area and boss


- Demo video #2 of 3 various sectors


- Demo video #3 - new features and another area


- Demo video #4 - Intro stage and prelim. cutscenes


- Demo video #5 - Status, manual, and label


- Demo video of the intro cutscene


- Demo video #6 - Revised intro stage & intro scenes



Well, Project Shmuppy is going to go on hold.  C++ is annoying, but I really do want to get back into it sometime.  Maybe I just need some more resources for the game to motivate me.

But without that, I have nothing to develop!  So, I figured I'd plot out my planned sequel and see what you think.

Thus far, I've got a ROM to compile that has similar room data and also uses compression right from the get-go.  I'm hoping it'll be much easier to get the general engine done as I've already done it and know what needs to be done.  That said, here's what I'm thinking of doing:

-The general gameplay will remain the same.  No scrolling, continue points, etc.
-Feather and double jump would return.
-Keys would likely return, but in smaller quantity.
-Phase out the infinite O2 upgrade (Timmy will be part fish) and possibly the high jump (just have a fixed height; don't know yet)
-2 villains this time around and more interacting with them.
-New block types such as ice, conveyors, and sludge (water that's hard to move in)
-New wall grip upgrade.  This would allow you to do like Ninja Gaiden, only it would be restricted to certain walls.  The walls themselves will have a distinct look.
-New sludge maneuvering upgrade.  Basically makes sludge BE water.
-POSSIBLY have a super shot that can be found like the missiles in Metroid.  It's finite.
-Continue points will give you your password or continue count right on-screen.  No need to die.
-Possibly have an in-game death counter.
-And for the final project, bunny had said I get to choose what color the carts are.  I'm leaning towards yellow or teal.  But more on this later.

These are just ideers.  I have plans for enemies and bosses too, but you aren't getting those here.

So, what do you think of the outline?

Cant you do a battery backup and get  away from the password system? Retrozone has the ability to do it, or do you not want to have to worry about recoding that part of the game?

I am waiting for my Battle Kid to arrive.

I don't want to have to use another mapper and do something that effectively would add $8-10 to the cost of the game.  MMC1 is more expensive, and the SRAM and battery aren't free either.

I wonder if you offered it in both password or battery, which would sell more. I personally would be willing to pay the extra $8-$10 so I don't have to fiddle writing down those passwords. But that's just me. You could just post a poll to see if people would pay the extra.

Oh and the other ideas are great.

It would be neat to work in some actual puzzle elements involving switches/buttons/etc.

Maybe give Timmy the ability to push certain blocks around for cover or to reach things.

Also, maybe tie that super-shot to being able to destroy certain walls (like bombs in Legend of Zelda). They could be extremely well-hidden like the original LoZ, but would possibly open up short-cuts that let you circumvent certain parts of the map.

The nice thing about battery use would be that he could dramatically expand the saved content without having ludicrous or readily hackable passwords.

It would be cool to be able to have some kind of achievement system, but there's really no point if the game is password based.

yea multiple paths would rock !!!! That way if you get pissed at one path, you might be able to try another.

Yes.....that is all.

I will buy and play BK2 no matter what it is.

Alright! Its about time you folded and decided to do this. I really like Arch'es ideas about the missle blowing up the wall.

For passwords I just take a picture with my phone, much easier than writing it down. I really actually think I like the password over the battery.

I think BK should have a hot babe in this one.

i would just make it easier. i am not the best at video games and can't get anywhere with the first one, and that was on easy. also, with the game genie with unlimited health, you can get stuck in holes at certain points, which really sucks (yea i got fed up and decided to use game genie just so i could see the game)

Maybe the addition of a "mobile continue point" would make things easier?

Originally I had an idea for offering a "mulligan" system, but Sivak didn't think there was any clean way to implement it, since you can enter rooms from all kinds of directions.

But what if, with much greater frequency than standard continue points, there were "safe spots" in a room (could be tiles that are free of hazards, and out of enemy line-of-sight), and you could get an item that allowed a limited number of continues until it was recharged at the next real continue point?

I could see this making grinding through some of the tougher hallways much more bearable.

The difficulty level of the overall game could be tied to this device, with "easy mode" allowing infinite usage, and scaling it back with each difficulty level.


Heck, maybe replace the whole static continue point system with much more frequent "safe spots" and have sparser charge-up points that would allow you to recharge the system for the next set of rooms.

I would have to agree with the easier part. I'm a pretty tough gamer and I almost quit a few times just because it got old. Any average gamer would never get past a few screens before quitting.

I like most of the ideas you suggested. I would make a few new upgrades, and the feather and double jump are already cool. games that switch gravity are awesome, so that would be a cool upgrade. having the possibility for different weapons (missles, fire shot, ice shot, etc.) would also be neat.

death counter - don't really care for.

Yeah, after 100 deaths, what's the point of keeping track? Yes, I die a lot. That's how the game was designed.

I feel this would be resolved by adding a life meter.    Or some kind of 1 hit per screen shield.   

A life meter or shield would break most of the rooms and make the game extremely easy by comparison to it's current difficulty.

The idea behind mobile-saves or mulligans would be that you still are forced to "solve" each room correctly.

I totally prefer the game to be difficult. Making it easier in my opinion would take away the charm since I though that was part of selling point of the game? Painfully difficult. If Im wrong then w/e but even though it was a pain in the ass and made me want to murder the next closet person to me, the wife ;-), I wouldnt have played the hell out of it like I did if it were too easy.

I'll share some of my thoughts:
A common complaint about BK1 was it's difficulty. But if you compare it to a lot of other NES games, it's really not that hard. Like the games that send you back to the beginning of the entire game after you die. NES games obviously can't support 100 hours of solid gameplay like the new consoles do, so I think the difficulty is good. I spent a solid couple of weeks playing battle kid, I'd have been pretty bummed to just beat it in a day and be done with it.

I'd absolutely love a saving system. I'd definitely be willing to pay more for it. It may be hard to program, but it would make the game that much better, in my opinion. If you're truly worried about the cost, refer back to the many people that paid over $100.00 for a copy on eBay.

I'd also like to see more secret areas. There was essentially one in BK1, two if you count the spot for the key. It was my favorite part of the game.

Death counter might be cool with a saving system, but if you choose to use the password system, I'd say no.

The new block ideas sound awesome. Too.

I don't really have any complaints about your new ideas, it's sounding pretty good. I'm glad you've chosen to continue with Battle Kid. The Shmuppy project is cool, but Battle Kid is revolutionary.

EDIT:


I really like this idea.

Okay, regarding the difficulty concerns... One idea I had was a shield item that could absorb shots. Spikes, enemies, and large shots would still kill. This could be for easy only.

I still don't think the saving is worth it. It'd only be for normal and easy difficulty anyway, as the harder ones would still require one nonstop run. I like UOROM and would rather not bother with MMC1 or something else. Sure, I'd like MMC3 more for the bankswitched graphics, but I believe fair cost is important.

Anyway, I'm not going to be diving too deeply into this. I want to get my new music engine before I really start. I may try some new compositions in the meantime.

excellent idea sir.  I still want normal and above to be difficult. And as for saving, meh.  I thought the password system worked great and honestly if adding save function will add to the cost of the game I personally wouldn't do it.  Doubtful that it would hurt sales very much but still.

Anyway, as I said before, I was just dabbling with ASM. I think after my trip I'll be motivated to work on something.

Once Timmy appears and interacts with the BG correctly, then we'll see what gameplay can be like.

This is good news! Death counter would be the shizat

?

Anyway, I like the difficulty of BK1. In my opinion, it's more satisfying to FINALLY pass a stage as opposed to flying through to each boss with the ease of so many games. I've noticed that I do better on other games after I've played BK because I'm more observant of how levels are designed; I try to think like the programmer, so it's helped me in that respect. I like the password system, I think you should hold onto that. My only concern is that the BK2 soundtrack won't compare to that of its predecessor. Tunes rock so hard in BK1, I wish you luck in coming up with some more good'ns this time around. Perhaps you could try voices, haha. It'd be cool to hear what you'd come up with and in what situations they'd appear.

How about some kind of single use power-up. I'm thinking like the star from Super Mario except you can choose when to use it. Pit/spikes will still kill you, but you can walk through enemies to kill them etc. It could last for only one room possibly, or a limited time.

Sign me up! I <3 Siv's releases!!!
~~NGD

I think this is a great idea.  I like it when a game teases you with unreachable areas in early rooms, and then you get to go back and explore them later in the game when you get the right upgrade/item.  It reminds me a little of the mouse transformation in Wonder Boy 3 (SMS).  Have you ever played that one?