/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.4040761]

Does anyone knows this game?
Name's Nosferatu, a side-scrolling game for the SNES. The concept is basically Prince of Persia meets the aesthetic of Castlevania. I'm an aspiring indie game designer trying to develop a somewhat spiritual successor to it, because even though it was a pretty good game, it had many problems, such as fake difficulty and some strange design choices, such as making the protagonist a guy with a jock jacket who punches and kicks his way through the entire Dracula castle.

My question is: if you could, what would you change in it?
I suggest you download the game and try it out, if you can. I'll wait.

[Anonymous No.4040770]

I know it.
I enjoyed the concept. Not entirely sure if it's like this, but I imagined it's about some guy trying to save his girlfriend from the clutches of Count Orlok himself.
As for the gameplay, yeah, it could be quicker. The MC moves too slow, and I hated having to switch stances in order to kill the enemies. Plus, combat is very slow and the puzzles and dungeon design get repetitive.
Those are its main flaws, as I see it, that you could correct in your indie game.

[Anonymous No.4040772]

If you need more inspiration and want to see waht works and what doesn't, here is a lsit of basically all cinematic platformers.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=989633

[Anonymous No.4040780]

>>4040770
Yeah, that's the one. If i corrected the main flaws, would you play it? How much would you pay for it if i'd put it on Steam? What do you think i should not change?

>>4040772
Hey, thanks! Great info.

[Anonymous No.4040789]

>>4040780
I'd play a game like that. I'd say to price it between $5-$7 but it depends on how well its made and looks and such if you put in a ton of work and it shows it will pay off then you can ask for more.

[Anonymous No.4040796]

>>4040780
Not sure how much you should charge, since I don't even use Steam, but I don't imagine it should be more than $10.
But if I did, I'd give it a shot. A mix between modern and gothic aesthetics would be fine. A slight modification in the plot could also be welcome, let's say:
>MC is a high school nobody
>his crush gets kidnapped by Nosferatu because she's the rebirth of his old flame or something
>only the MC knows the truth but no one believes him
>he goes there to rescue her but some twists and turns about his motivation and the girl's own will happen

As long as you make the gameplay actually fun to play, keeping the PoP-like style of moving but improving combat and puzzle-solving features, and putting more enviroments than just your typical dungeon and cave settings, it should be fine.

[Anonymous No.4040813]

>>4040761
>I'm an aspiring indie game designer trying to develop a somewhat spiritual successor
Just don't

[Anonymous No.4040815]

>>4040813
Why do you think it's a bad idea?

[Anonymous No.4040817]

Yes, i played this game when i was like 12. And it was hard.

If you want to make a spiritual successor, include an option to visualize the current room's map and don't make the MC an 80s' teenage movie protag.

And keep it arcadey: run, jump and two combos. Skill trees and non-health upgrades are a pain in the ass.

Put your time and logic on building the levels.

[Anonymous No.4040827]

>>4040817
Great, a map!
I was actually thinking on transforming the castle in a metroidvania kind instead of making it divided by linear stages. So, yeah, a map would be mandatory.
What do you think the MC should look like? I too hate that he looks like an generic 80s' teen movie protag, but what else would be appealing nowadays? Qt anime grills? I really don't want to make a Belmont clone, too...

[Anonymous No.4040853]

>>4040761
Fun fact: for years, the only available guide for the game over at GameFaqs was written by one Derek Yu, who later would go on to make Spelunky, among other games as an indie developer

If what you find appealing about the game is the setting, maybe you should just use a better grid-snapped platformer as a basis for your project and add the scenario later (the first Oddworld games are probably the best, but there's other good SNES-era examples, such as Blackthorne or the japanese-developed PoP port)

I really love this genre; i'd totally play any new material build around the traditional principles if it's well made, but it would be nice if you would bring in some new ideas as well

[Anonymous No.4040854]

>>4040813
> 2017
> doing anything
This 2bh

[Anonymous No.4040856]

>>4040827
Don't forget that movies are a huge influence on this genre, so go watch some, like Nosferatu (Herzog/Murnau).

[Anonymous No.4040867]

>>4040817
Me again. As regards to the map, visualize what you've already seen. And go crazy with the environments, the original Nosferatu had dungeons and nothing else.

[Anonymous No.4040872]

>>4040770
>save his girlfriend from the clutches of Count Orlok himself.

You'd think that yeah, turns out the boss is just fucking boring old Dracula again.

Having Count Orlok as a boss would have really been cool.
so eh OP, make it about Orlok.

[Anonymous No.4040876]

>>4040853
Wow, i've actually read his guide before but didn't know it was him! Crazy shit, man.

>>4040856
Don't really like movies THAT old, but i'll watch the Herzog one. Maybe rewatch Bram Stocker Dracula, and... what else?

>>4040872
Maybe they did it because Dracula looks cooler than ugly ass Orlok. But it's not a bad idea at all... Is Orlok protected by copyrights or something?

[Anonymous No.4040878]

>>4040872
You don't have to make it about anyone. Make a new vampire, create new lore for him, give him complex motivations that are potentially hard to disagree wtih.

No one wants to play
>shitty prince of persia game where you end up fighting dracula.

[Anonymous No.4040883]

>>4040827
>>4040856

Don't make an anime protagonist or it will look very generic. Look for other western styles for the characters.

Do your best to NOT make it a clastlevania clone (in the artistic sense).

[Anonymous No.4040886]

>>4040761
I'd play such a Princevania

[Anonymous No.4040887]

>>4040876
>Maybe rewatch Bram Stocker Dracula, and... what else?
Horror movies aren't my metier, but I do love The Host (Korean) and Zeiram.
There is a lot of stuff one could take influence from, Beserk might be a good idea. I like to diversify my sources.

[Anonymous No.4040904]

>>4040878
This.

Create a new vampire, make him all about "cleansing the world from impurity" or something.

Final battle: round 1
Defeat him and he says "no, the world must be cleansed!" And escapes to the tower where the girl is.

Final battle round 2:
Defeat him, and while he's laying in the ground, he says "you foolish human, if I die, the Witch will plunge the world in darkness!"
Girl wakes up and ta-da! She's a witch! NewVamp brought her to the castle so he could kill her in a ritual and she says "thanks for waking me up, you petty SERVANT! Now I can finally extinguish the last vampire and rule the world etc etc" Or something.

Anyways, NewVamp is actually a good guy, he gives you his power to defeat the Witch in an epic final battle. Since you know of the witches and NewVamp gave you his powers, CONGLATURATIONZ you are the new heir to the ancient Vampire family.

[Anonymous No.4040909]

>>4040904
An actual story was really lacking in the original, yes. But i'll think about It later, when i'm finished with the core gameplay parts and the boring coding, as i'm learning C# to work on Unity in order to develop this.

[Anonymous No.4040924]

Hey i didn't know that Nosferatu game OP

Looks dope as fuck. Might play it.

[Anonymous No.4040929]

>>4040924
You're welcome!

[Anonymous No.4040945]

>>4040815
Because you should make something yourself and not act like it's a sequel because you want it too. Also if you're really serious about this than make it in 3D instead of 2D.

[Anonymous No.4040991]

- Add a base weapon. Punching demons is pretty silly. I would add a something sort and brutal like a machete or a cutlass. Dodging could be handled in a similar way by dashing backwards, but an additional parrying button for certain enemy attacks would be cool. Other weapons with limited ammo like throwing daggers, a brace of pistols, or holy water would also be nice to use against specific enemies or to help with the completion of some puzzles.

- Bosses should not have their own special little stages separate from the level, but should be part of the level itself to add a sense of continuity like in PoP. The Skeleton on lvl3 and the fatman on lvl6 are great examples of this.

- Finally I would recommend you to use this as a basis:https://github.com/NagyD/SDLPoP
If you're an aspiring indie learn to code properly and use already available open source project to learn and develop. Don't stick to bullshit ezbake solutions like game maker or unity.

[Anonymous No.4040992]

>>4040945
But... Why?
Also, how many 3D indie games you know that are succesful? I don't know how to work with 3D, only pixel art.

[Anonymous No.4041007]

>>4040761
> if you could, what would you change in it?
The controls were 5/10, I would make the controls 8+/10. Don't get me wrong, it feels awesome when you kick the shit out of some bosses with good connected combos and evading stuff but when you're platforming later on the game getting to react fast with a kick or a sprint gets frustrating and requires a lot of trial and error even when you're experienced with the game.

[Anonymous No.4041013]

>>4040945
>do what I want, not what you want, trust me

don't pay attention to this OP, just do your thing

[Anonymous No.4041014]

>>4040991
I AM learning how to code properly. My partner, the artist, also codes, way better than i do, too. For some reason he likes the engine, so, i'll just stick with it.

About the main weapon i thought about an wood axe, similar to the one in Deadlight, that would be used for combat and clearing paths, once you've find it.
What are your thoughts about Magic?

[Anonymous No.4041042]

>>4040992
Because if you're going to do the 2D route, you should make it LOOK GOOD, this is one thing that almost all indieshits ignore. Sure it might sell well regardless. I'm just saying don't think anyone here will help you or respect you if you do so.

>>4041013
I bet you make shitty pixelshit don't you?

[Anonymous No.4041067]

>>4041042
Nobody is ever going to make a good 2D pixel game if they get scared out of it because "it can't be done".

I'd prefer a 2D game with original art as ugly as it can get than a half assed 3D game with generic assets.

[Anonymous No.4041083]

>>4041067
Op here, second you.
Won't make it 3D because it will look half assed.

[Anonymous No.4041089]

>>4041042
What you mean is that making 3D look good is easier than 2D? I mean... Really? Mighty no.9, anyone?

[Anonymous No.4041094]

>>4040761
I like the idea of the game that the main character doesn't have any weapons and just jumps straight into the castle and beats the shit out of everyone using his fists.

[Anonymous No.4041121]

>>4041089
>trusting con-man
Any other could have made it work with any budget

[Anonymous No.4041176]

>>4041014
- You mean game maker? Aww man, don't stick to closed source bullshit.

- A wooden axe would look too heavy, and a hatchet would be too medieval. I'd say a cutlass or a falchion would be way more cool looking.

- If I were to add magic, I would make it potion based like on PoP, and solely for puzzle solving purposes (i.e, invisibility potion to pass an enemy, phasing potion to cross a wall, etc).

[Anonymous No.4041245]

>>4041176
Not game maker, Unity. It's a game engine, like unreal, but easier.

[Anonymous No.4041254]

I would make it cartoonish, something like Popeye, and would change the ambientation completely. I mean, why the fuck I would develop another game with a guy punching vampires if Nosferatu already did it? We also have thousands of Castlevania ripoffs, we don't need another vampire game.
Make him punch something different. Maybe pirates or nazis.

A 3D take on it would be cool too. Man, this gave me some ideas...

[Anonymous No.4041276]

>>4041254
Head to /agdg/ this is no longer a thread relevant to /vr/

[Anonymous No.4041323]

>>4041014
Unity engine is pretty good and has a MASSIVE community so it'd be a fairly good start, only thing I can think of is it carries a lot of overhead for 2D, but hell, there's been shitloads of games made in Unity in 2D so whatever.

My personal opinion is that if neither are you are hardcore into Unity, I recommend going to UE4. It has a much more positive outlook than Unity from what I can see. A lot better licensing and Blueprint might look good. But if you're both experienced in Unity and want to make a game, might as well use what you know, I suppose.

As far as weapons go, I agree heavily with what >>4040991 said. A machete or cutlass could still be used as a multi-purpose tool, and they're fast weapons to begin with, which is good because in action games you want as much user responsiveness as possible or it feels too sluggish. An axe going slow would be unsatisfying, but similarly a fast axe would look goofy if you're trying to build up a believable horror atmosphere. Plus, you can just animate a lot cooler things with swords than you can with axes.

Brace of pistols is a badass idea too. Fuck it, OP, just make your character a vampir-slaying pirate. Bet that shit's never been done before.

[Anonymous No.4041365]

>>4041042

Don't act like your opinion is the objective truth. It is far from that. 2D is perfectly fine and in many cases preferable, and indie games are a breath of fresh air through a stale, overgrown market.

[Anonymous No.4041539]

>>4041245
Same problem. You're using an overly heavy engine to do a simple 2D game.

[Anonymous No.4041545]

>>4041365
>and indie games are a breath of fresh air through a stale, overgrown market.
do you honestly believe with the crap most indiegames are? Also how is it more preferable?

[Anonymous No.4041604]

>>4041254
>Castlevania ripoffs
>nazis.
You know, a metroidvania located in a nazi castle could be interesting. You can fill it with hidden rooms, like Wolfenstein, and the nazi obsession with occultism is good justification for non-human enemies.

[Anonymous No.4041652]

>>4040761
I thought it was cool how the girlfriend in Nosferatu grows fangs on the continue screen if you've died too many times to get the good ending. A nice bit of foreshadowing, there. It's also kind of subtle, so you may not notice it right away.

[Anonymous No.4041664]

>>4040761
I'd add like a central hub area with branching paths.
Would be neat to find other survivors or victims that you could rescue sort of like S.O.S for the SNES.

[Anonymous No.4041668]

>>4041365
agree on all this

[Anonymous No.4041672]

>>4041664
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK2i10UFOUs
S.O.S if you have not seen it. Really a great a SNES game, would be cool to take some features from it like different endings depending on how many people you save.

[Anonymous No.4041676]

something about the game bugs me, but fighting a werewolf barehanded is pretty badass.
also some of those little animations that show before a level are pretty spoopy

[Anonymous No.4042036]

Bump