Let's Create a Game!

Righteo, for the past few years I've had a little team who have tried to make a good PC game. Usually consisting of me doing the graphics, my friend doing the music, and someone else programming!

I've tried to work on a game called Archo - a simple match-4 puzzler with stylish graphics. That got quite far till the programmer decided he'd work for an actual video game developer. Boo.

So, I propose we work on a game! One of the other ideas I had in my head was a retro 2D platformer, very old school. I want it to play similarly to ye olde DOS games such as Secret Agent and Crystal Caves.

http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/game/104 - Crystal Caves
http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/game/124 - Secret Agent

Anyone who has played those games - kudos, it's quite an acquired taste. But hey! Anyway, basically the main protagonist travels underground and you have to complete each level avoiding booby traps and finding secret gems and locations. The whole underground is streamlined so the transition from Level 1 to Level 2 is seamless, though when you start up the game you are presented with a map to choose what 'Level' you would like to start on. There is multiple exits usually found by a secret, and gems also open doors later on in levels, so you can go back and collect the gems and then return to find a secret exit.

Here is something I whipped up in Photoshop, just an idea of what the game could look like:




There would be subliminal hints on what to do and whatnot to do, for example a switch with blood on it would suggest it is bad - as whoever stepped on it last must have been killed for whatever reason. So for that 2nd screenshot (lvl2) - the switch with blood on it triggers an arrow to be fired from the eye in the wall on the right, so you must climb up the chains and drop down to the tile after the switch to avoid dying and collecting the gem!

http://curiositylabs.co.uk/otherprojects.html - thats my website with stuff on it related to my unfinished games.

Here is a music track my friend Pete made for the game, since it's meant to have a kind of serene and lonely feel about the game: http://www.soundclick.com/player/single ... i&newref=1 (scroll down and find Shareine Ruins) - an amazing piece of music.

So basically, I'm looking for people to help with the game for whatever reason! And who want to get a game online =] - so like a story could be made, I need peeps for level designs, graphics for tiles and objects/animation - and of course programmers, which is mainly what we need as I don't have anyone I know that can program!!

Bah, seems no one wants to make a game.

This is my latest work on the other game I'm wanting to work on - Archo. It's also got really good music, I just need a programmer who's willing to get it looking classy. My ex-teammate also has a game on the iPod app store and is planning more, and complex ones. I want to convince him to try and get this game on the app store too, it'd work excellent with a touch screen.

Here is some concept art for the menu I've whipped up in a day in Photoshop:





I also need someone to help me with backgrounds for levels, think skins in Lumines/Meteos/every other musicXpuzzle game out there!

Would love to help, but have no desirable skills to offer.

I'm curious... I've always wanted to be a part of a game development but I have no programming at all. What I do have is tons of experience with every graphics package you'd care to imagine, including 3DStudioMax2009 and the entire Adobe CS4 suite (I'm a Graphic Designer by profession, btw). What could I do? Could I be of any use..? I don't have a 'games' portfolio to show you because I've never made any! I have tinkered with various level editors over the years (mainly idtech and Unreal, etc) - not much use for what you want.

I do have some 2D pixel art packages, although not a lot of experience using them. I've always loved that old skool pixel art, which is why I picked up the art packages, just never really got around to exploring them fully.

Hmmm. I know making games is huge commitment and you say you're not a programmer, either... Let me know if you think there's any mileage in us having a chat about this. I'm not saying I'm in (yet) - just interested in the creative possibilities.

I'd love to help but I don't think I've got much to offer. I learnt some basic C and Java this year, but I don't think I could make something like this yet.

Well currently we've got 2 programmers who are still learning as well!

Also, we've decided to work on the puzzle game Archo instead of that platformer. Just cause its CL's flagship title.

Check out it's progress on www.curiositylabs.co.uk/blog !

I designed the whole of Archo in CS3+4, so Cal if you are okay at making backgrounds for the game thats how you could help! Just skins similar to Lumines really, though I can't really animate so it would be simple things like stars/birds flying by or something. We need skins anyway for the main game and I've ddone about 5 so far. Aiming for 10.

Also, pixel packages? I use paint here -easiest so far though im sure there is better. on that subject, im deciding what style to use for Project Barry (the 2d game), simple or simpler:

If I had any usable skills whatsoever, I'd be up for this. As it is, however, I don't.

I like the second picture very much.

I can recommend Paint.NET, Paintshop Pro or GIMP for pixel work.

skarmachild wrote:Also, pixel packages? I use paint here -easiest so far though im sure there is better. on that subject, im deciding what style to use for Project Barry (the 2d game), simple or simpler:[/img]

Keep it as simple as you can get away with and still have it look acceptable. Asset creation is the bane of all indie projects. The less pixels you have to draw, the quicker you'll get your game up and running before everyone loses interest and wanders off.

(as an aside, the second one reminds me of an Amiga game. Benefactor. Looked a lot like lemmings, beautful art, smooth animation.. and dull as dishwater gameplay)

Personally, I'm too lazy to program in a *real* programming language. Most of my stuff is done in VERGE, which has a tile based-engine that might work quite well for your platformer, though the learning curve means it may actually be preferable for your programmers to just knock up their own.

Haaha, that Benefactor game looks quite poor. It'll be nothing like that when I get round to it =]

Heres a screenie of part of the title screen and an area in the game too, I'm curretly in the process of finding a decent animator since I'm using Pro Motion 6 but its a trial and doesn't let you copy and paste frames which renders it pointless.



I also need to create some clouds, I want it to be quite atmospheric.

Paint.NET - havn't used that in ages! Wow, I wonder if it can animate. cheers for the reccomendations =]

This may be completely different to what you're on about but you can animate in Photoshop, CS3 at least.

Pixel animation is a bitch. I've never found an app as good for it as reliable old Dpaint on the Amiga.

I've already made a game and posted it here.