I dont think a battery back-up is nessesary for a platformer.
Death count doenst matter for me.
Make the game easier? fuck no please! do a ultra-easy mode instead(the shield idea is solid )
Never add a slide or move with "down+A",i repeat NEVER ADD A SLIDE!
Dont print manuel this time add a .pdf on retrousb and please dont add invincibility glitch for removing it later.
If you add a missile function in BK2 switch the Select/Start,why? like in Batman(you know what im talking about).
I says,keep the catriges green like the 1st one.

All your new idea are awesome btw! i really hope you keep the High jump in.

Keep the same gameplay and improve your idea,dont try to make it too different from the 1st one,recycle all your idea and make something better like Inafking always do,just dont make vehicules base stage and you have my trust!

Add more secret in the game instead of secret passcode...people spoil everything on the net anyways

Last but not least,make the final boss way harder this time and/or make 2 form.Exemple:In BK1 after you beat the super mech,someone would escape from it and on the empty room below(before the teleport) you fight against him OR have that super mech teleport from Right side to left side forcing to focus on the same pattern in 2 different side would have bieng a pure mind fuck of awesomeness! Maybe i need attention but here what im talking about,i played way to much BK1! http://www.youtube.com/user/MrBul...

Ill keep a eye on this thread and ill be more then happy to beta test you 2nd final boss!

In Sivak we trust! take your time and think about it!
Best regards!

I'd say DO print a manual, but also have the .pdf up on retrousb. Have the manual as like an option you can add to your order as the flash card with the powerpak.

The game can still be sold if manuals are temporarily out of stock. People who don't care about a physical manual can download it (or not!) and save 5 bucks or whatever it is. Us big spender types can get manuals so we have something to read while we're on the toilet before wiping with 100 dollar bills $____$

just curious.....from concept design to production how long was the original Battle Kid in the works?

Official programming started October 2008.  Though I had planned ideas before that, though I don't know if I count that as "work time".  The thing was basically done content-wise the next October, though setbacks with material made it wait until February...

If we were to strip out all the time where I did basically nothing with it, then we could say 9-10 months.  I'm not sure when I'm going to get into a serious phase with this, but I hope it will go even faster as concepts don't need to be learned this time.

How about, to remove the whole feather-fall, double jump, high jump aspect, set the sequel on some kind of outer space location with variable gravity.

You could get some kind of jump jet enhancement that could have limited fuel per screen, or something.

Story-wise, it could make sense, given that some of the bad guys escaped and would need a new hideout...where better than the dark side of the moon?

Gameplay-wise, it could let you keep a lot of the core features, while experimenting with gravity effects and the physics.

I like a lot of the ideas you guys have listed.

I'd like to add on the "death counter" idea. If you're going to have a death counter, put it in a menu (ex. like when you press select or whatever, then have it show statistics about personal progress in the game, death count, etc.) I think having the death count on the gameplay screen would be distracting.

I like your idea better,but i was not refering to +/- 1$... BK1 was temp.out of stock for 2~3weeks because of the manuel M.I.A. issues ...anyways im sure Sivak learned from his/others mistake

I would like an easy level that is actually somewhat easy. I would love to see more of this game, I just can't get past some levels. You don't have to make it easy-"easy", just dont make it too-difficult "easy".

I feel like you if yr looking to build the BK franchise, then small changes. Megaman slowly changed, but it wasn't crazy, abrupt changes (contra force or ikari III). Add a shield, a slide- keep the feather, etc. small changes.

I agree! I would like to see scrolling though. Sometimes my eyes go crazy when the screen flashes black when you don't quite make it from one screen to another. Or you could use a type of "semi-scrolling" like in Miau's platformer/rpg he is working on. Either way would be less jarring on the eyes.

i'm just really glad that sivak has decided to start working on part 2.

Agree'd

I was playing BK yesterday thinking to myself. I wonder if Sivak has a sequel planned. I come here today and bam. Everything sounds good for the most part. Big fan of the charge shot Idea.

I still need a copy of BK. Any idea if/when Retrozone will be releasing the next batch?

Yeah, the easy mode is to hard for me too...and I have taken a break because I got SOOO frustrated I don't want to play anymore. Missa does not even want to try to play the game after watching me get my ass kicked on easy mode.
Also....I VOTE FOR YELLOW... will look sharp.
Oh, and make it how ever you want to....it is your game...and the last one was fun, I am sure the next one will be too...

For My ideas, first of all what about for the ultra hardcore gamers a 100 room death tower, each room comes more and more difficult, and if you die, you start back at the first room.
But you get a code when you die (that's a combination of how far and how quickly you got there) then you could enter it online for some sort of prize to who ever got the furthest.

I do like the idea of a shield, maybe take one hit ALA Sir Arthur in Ghouls n' Ghosts.

And maybe add stores so Battle Kid can buy upgrades to his inventory, like maybe invincibility for certain sections or vehicles like a peticopter or tank (ALA Alex Kidd) to navigate difficult parts easier.

Maybe more emphasis on the Metroid-Vania style of huge world hub?

But there should be more focus on a specific nemesis for Battle Kid.  The enemies inthe original aren't really characters and really ambiguous.    Every game hero needs their Moriarty.   Sonic has Dr. Robotnik,  Mario has Bowser, Mega Man has Dr. Wily,  so Timmy really needs a foe to play against.

Actually they have two enemies,  the overall nemesis.  and also the enemy that piratically is the Mirror image of them,  AKA  Sonic/Metal Sonic,  Mario/Wario,  Mega Man/Bass,  Solid Snake/Liquid Snake  Etc.

Economy system, with shops that sell armor (a life bar), so us noobs can farm, and not die.

Well the case color choice is pretty obvious.



PINK!

Anyway, I haven't gotten to far into the first game but I love it and shall pick up any future versions!

I think you should put a Whopper sandwhich in there for a power up or something....

Yeah, like someone else said, build this into a franchise

Alright, so I'm back and have seen the posts. Regarding the nemeses: The shadow group would have much more notoriety in this game... The 2 remaining members that is. I'll give their group a name (no thoughts yet, and please don't propose ideas)

Some I think misinterpreted the power shot idea. It's more like the missiles in Metroid where you have a finite amount of them. You'd get energy cells to have more and these cells get replenished at nonagrams.

I haven't done any work since returning and may not for a while, but I do think I'd like to do some music writing in the near future. That way I have more incentive to do something so the music can be used.

I'm not sure if you would like this but I'll take it up anyway...

Perhaps you could have a competion where people could send in some suggestions on for instance enemies. The one (ones) you like best you could add to the sequel! Like a "sprite-competion". If you feel like including more people in the project, I guess people would love to contribute with other stuff like, leveldesign, music, sfx etc. too. But I suppose that's the fun part of the project and you want to do those things by yourself. The coding part is probarly the hardest and thoughest.

But by somehow including something, made from the fans of the first game, would be really awesome. Just a small part of anything. I'd definitly send in stuff.

Stuff I'd like to see in the game:
* Backpack (flying in some parts of the game)
* Climbing (on the roof and walls) with some items.
* Many hidden areas and shortcuts (like in Metroid)

You should check out the Rick Dangerous games (C64/Amiga/Atari ST) for some cool ideas. It's also a game that reminds me of Battle Kid! In those games there are some traps and stuff. That would be quite cool too!

Eh, I might open up some potential sprite designs.  After all, the squid, snail, and kelpie were done by outsiders.

But you are so right in that the general design of the rest is to be done by ME, ME, ME, ME, ME.

Just a side note:  Still no work done other than compressed rooms' algorithm working.  Probably won't bother until after SGC...  Not sure if it'll even be that soon.

Take your time and dont stress/burn yourself for this project! im not ready to "burn-out" myself with another video games for now...ill just be patient and play UMK3 and some nes games til BK2

There need to be some vehicles that you can use temporarily. Like a mech and a submarine.

Eh, maybe.  I don't really know where that would ever come into play though.  Unless you "fly" to the final area or something...

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.  Worry about ground traversing, ice, conveyors and...  penguins.