Asylumavatars
01-08-06, 05:43
Hi everyone,
A lot of you are probably already aware of this project, as I have posted a bunch of stuff already. I thought I'd create a thread in here to cover some of the gameplay concepts I'm working with. You can check my sig for the proof-of-concept games. There is no playable portion of the new game yet (totally rewriting the engine to take advantage of Flash 8)
Back Story is in this thread: http://www.sprites-inc.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=1089
Sprites are in this thread: http://www.sprites-inc.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=696
Official site: http://www.asylumavatars.net/projects.php?project=phoenix
(Phoenix because it is rising from the ashes of my previous games, as well as the theme of the game itself)
Basic Concept
Rockman - Project X will be a 2D Epic Platformer (other examples of this are Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night). It will be broken up by travel over a world map, as well.
Playable Characters
Each character will have some of their own unique gameplay mechanics, to add more flavour. Note that, even though I used the North American names in my backstory and in the title, I now intend to use the Japanese names for all of the characters in the game itself. There's just no good way for someone to casually call Megaman's name. "Mega" just sounds stupid. "Rock" works well. I left the title of this thread as "Megaman" because that's what I used for my other threads.
Rockman X
After being upgraded by an AI written by Dr. Light, Rockman is now a dedicated combat robot. As before, his strength primarily lies in his adaptability. The new armour has also given him much greater agility.
Standard Abilities
Charge Buster - Rock can charge his buster to deliver a much more powerful shot
Dash - Rock can dash forward for brief periods
Wall Jump - Rock can jump off of walls to gain additional height
Edge grab - Rock can grab the edge of a platform and pull himself up.
Special Abilities
Reverse Dash - Rock can also dash backwards, if a forward dash would be inneffective. Slower than the forward dash.
Surprise Buster - Rock can turn around mid-dash and fire his buster behind him. This can be used in conjunction with the charged buster for maximum effectiveness.
Air Recovery - Due to his great determination, and several new failsafe devices, Rock can recover from being injured in mid-air.
Blues X
Blues was upgraded by Dr. Light with an untested prototype armour, in an attempt to stop Zero. However, the armour malfunctioned and Blues was defeated. The armour is very powerful, but is still unstable, and Auto's repairs are not perfect. This means that Blues must be conscious of his power use at all times. This bar gradually restores itself over time.
Standard Abilities
Charge Buster - Blues can charge his buster to deliver a much more powerful shot
Dash - Blues casn dash forward for brief periods. He cannot fire while dashing, but he holds his shield forward, stopping most attacks from the front.
Charge Jump - Protoman can charge the jump button in much the same way he charges his buster, leaping high into the air.
Edge grab - Blues can grab the edge of a platform and pull himself up.
Special Abilities
Blues uses up his Stabilizer bar whenever he uses a special ability. The lower the bar is, the more damage he takes from using the technique
Overload Buster - Blues can continue to charge his buster even after it attains a "full charge". This increases damage dealt.
Welder - Blues transforms his buster into a blowtorch-turned-flamethrower and unleashes a torrent of flames.
Shield - Blues can hold his shield forward when he stands still, which will protect him from most frontal attacks. He is vulnerable for a moment when he first pulls the shield off of his back, and when he replaces it. This does not drain his stabilizer bar.
Forte
Forte is now clearly outdated technology, but his quest to stop Zero ever since he tried to kill Roll has led Forte to develop excellent fighting techniques. He is the only one of the three heroes who uses hand-to-hand fighting. He was forced to learn this because his buster weapon lacks the charged force needed to injure Zero, whereas a good old-fashioned boot to the face works wonders.
Standard Abilities
Forte Buster - Forte's buster cannot be charged, but it does fire more rapidly, and can be pointed in several directions.
Dash - Forte can dash forward for brief periods
Double Jump - Forte can double jump
Edge grab - Forte can grab the edge of a platform and pull himself up.
Special Abilities
Forte acculumulates a Special Gauge by defeating enemies. This bar determines how much damage his special abilities do. Executing special abilities depletes this bar. It also slowly depletes over time.
Dodge - Forte can briefly dodge into the background, circumventing any attack, if timed correctly.
Jump Kick / Roundhouse - Forte can forego using his buster to strike his enemies directly.
Fortissimo - Forte dash-punches his opponent with his buster arm, firing a volley of bullets on impact
New Robot Masters
Boiler Man
Boiler Man is the least violent of the group. His primary function is to maintain the factory in working order. He's designed so that he can use his own body to replace certain critical components in an emergency.
Weapon
Steam Vent
Robot Master Version
Boiler Man can fire jets of superheated steam. The mist hangs in the air for a period of time before it dissipates. Since his body parts are designed to be used as replacement parts, he can detach several of them and use the pressure from the steam to fire them as projectiles. He can also use his parts to activate several dangerous machines that reside in his boss chamber.[/I]
Player Version
The standard blast fires a small burst of short range steam. The charged blast fires a blast of steam that creates a cloud which will eventually dissipate. The heat from the steam can be used to raise certain kinds of platforms, and there are certain mechanisms which must be activated using this weapon.
Weakness
Dual Buster - As a primarily non-combat robot, Boiler Man is especially vulnerable to the incredible power of the dual buster.
Dread Man
Dread Man was the first new robot created by Dr. Wily and Zero. He serves as Zero's right-hand, and is often called upon for special assignments.
Weapon
Dread Note
Robot Master Version
Dread Man wields a guitar as his primary weapon. He can strike with it directly, and is also able to attack using sonic waves which are emitted from amplifiers that surround his boss chamber.
Player Version
The character is equipped with a guitar, and gains a few physical combos. The dashing attack will go right through an enemy, and can also be used to break down certain walls.
Weakness
Grapple Hook - The grapple hook is able to steal Dread Man's guitar and fling it across the room.
Dual Man
Dual Man forms the third part of the command trio of Zero, Dread Man, and himself. He is regarded as having the most powerful buster weapon ever designed, when he combines the attack of his Rapid Buster and Last Buster.
Weapon
Dual Buster
Robot Master Version
Dual Man has two seperate weapons. On one hand he has a rapid-fire cannon buster, which fires projectiles. On his other hand he has a beam weapon which fires a low damage attack that is difficult to avoid. Periodically he can combine the two weapons to fire a large beam for massive damage.
Player Version
While the Dual buster is active, the player can turn both arms into buster weapons. This essentially doubles the firing rate of the weapon. It also greatly amplifies the power of a charged blast. When equipped with this weapon, Forte is able to perform charged shots.
Weakness
Dread Note - Because of his powerful buster, Dual Man has no experience with hand-to-hand combat.
Grapple Man
-- Coming Soon --
Ink Man
Ink Man is one of the higher ranked robot master, as he commands the entire navy of Dr. Wily. He is also in charge of all older robot masters who take to the water, such as Bubble Men and Toad Men. Some aspects of his design resemble a jellyfish.
Weapon
Ink Blast
Robot Master Version
Ink Man is able to fire jets of ink into the air which cause damage and hold his victims in place. He can also fire blobs of ink which stick and cause slower movement and reduced jumping ability. He can also secrete a black mist of ink to conceal his actions.
Player Version
The player version of Ink Blast is very similar to the robot master version. Standard shots slow enemies down, while charged shots will stop them in their tracks, and cause flying enemies to fall.
Weakness
Arsenal - When Ink Man conceals himself in mist, shrapnel grenades and heat-seeking missiles are the only effective means of locating him.
Jump Man
Jump Man is often employed when combat is necessary in hard to reach areas. His combat style makes him very difficult to damage, as he spends so little time on the ground
Weapon
Jump Spear
Robot Master Version
Jump Man is able to use the jets on his feet to dash in mid-air. He will lunge at his opponents with his spear thrust forwards. He can also jump incredibly high, and then descend on his opponents spear-first. He is also known to use his spear as a platform to stand on while he rains down fire from his buster[/I]
Player Version
Rockman and Blues both fire spearheads from their buster as a standard attack, while the charged shot is a full spear that will stick to walls and allow the player to climb. Forte eqiups himself with an energy spear and fights hand-to-hand with it. As a special attack, he can throw the spear and embed it in the wall. Another will materialize from his buster when he does this.
Weakness
Ink Blast - Prevents him from jumping as high as usual and slows him down. If hit during a big jump, he will fall flat on his face and be dazed for a moment.
Flux Man
-- Coming Soon --
War Man
War Man serves as general of the bulk of the robot mastre horde. Designed for intensive combat usage, he has a large variety of weapons and is capable of flight
Weapon
Arsenal
Robot Master Version
War Man uses a variety of weapons, including a shoulder-mounted missile launcher, shrapnel grenades, and a pair of rapid-fire busters.
Player Version
Standard shot throws a shrapnel grenade, charged shot is a heat-seeking missile.
Weakness
Magnetic Shockwave
Some general gameplay tidbits
(Until I make a more formal write-up)
Able to switch characters mid-stage in special rooms
Some areas will only be accessible to certain characters
All of the NES Robot Masters appear as stage enemies
Currently under consideration
Rush, Gospel, Eddy, and Beat can be called by anyone for support.
Unlocking Rush Armour X
Use of Forte-Gospel fusion (depletes Special Gauge, requires full gauge to use)
Potentially, a new character...not sure (Would be called Ska)
A lot of you are probably already aware of this project, as I have posted a bunch of stuff already. I thought I'd create a thread in here to cover some of the gameplay concepts I'm working with. You can check my sig for the proof-of-concept games. There is no playable portion of the new game yet (totally rewriting the engine to take advantage of Flash 8)
Back Story is in this thread: http://www.sprites-inc.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=1089
Sprites are in this thread: http://www.sprites-inc.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=696
Official site: http://www.asylumavatars.net/projects.php?project=phoenix
(Phoenix because it is rising from the ashes of my previous games, as well as the theme of the game itself)
Basic Concept
Rockman - Project X will be a 2D Epic Platformer (other examples of this are Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night). It will be broken up by travel over a world map, as well.
Playable Characters
Each character will have some of their own unique gameplay mechanics, to add more flavour. Note that, even though I used the North American names in my backstory and in the title, I now intend to use the Japanese names for all of the characters in the game itself. There's just no good way for someone to casually call Megaman's name. "Mega" just sounds stupid. "Rock" works well. I left the title of this thread as "Megaman" because that's what I used for my other threads.
Rockman X
After being upgraded by an AI written by Dr. Light, Rockman is now a dedicated combat robot. As before, his strength primarily lies in his adaptability. The new armour has also given him much greater agility.
Standard Abilities
Charge Buster - Rock can charge his buster to deliver a much more powerful shot
Dash - Rock can dash forward for brief periods
Wall Jump - Rock can jump off of walls to gain additional height
Edge grab - Rock can grab the edge of a platform and pull himself up.
Special Abilities
Reverse Dash - Rock can also dash backwards, if a forward dash would be inneffective. Slower than the forward dash.
Surprise Buster - Rock can turn around mid-dash and fire his buster behind him. This can be used in conjunction with the charged buster for maximum effectiveness.
Air Recovery - Due to his great determination, and several new failsafe devices, Rock can recover from being injured in mid-air.
Blues X
Blues was upgraded by Dr. Light with an untested prototype armour, in an attempt to stop Zero. However, the armour malfunctioned and Blues was defeated. The armour is very powerful, but is still unstable, and Auto's repairs are not perfect. This means that Blues must be conscious of his power use at all times. This bar gradually restores itself over time.
Standard Abilities
Charge Buster - Blues can charge his buster to deliver a much more powerful shot
Dash - Blues casn dash forward for brief periods. He cannot fire while dashing, but he holds his shield forward, stopping most attacks from the front.
Charge Jump - Protoman can charge the jump button in much the same way he charges his buster, leaping high into the air.
Edge grab - Blues can grab the edge of a platform and pull himself up.
Special Abilities
Blues uses up his Stabilizer bar whenever he uses a special ability. The lower the bar is, the more damage he takes from using the technique
Overload Buster - Blues can continue to charge his buster even after it attains a "full charge". This increases damage dealt.
Welder - Blues transforms his buster into a blowtorch-turned-flamethrower and unleashes a torrent of flames.
Shield - Blues can hold his shield forward when he stands still, which will protect him from most frontal attacks. He is vulnerable for a moment when he first pulls the shield off of his back, and when he replaces it. This does not drain his stabilizer bar.
Forte
Forte is now clearly outdated technology, but his quest to stop Zero ever since he tried to kill Roll has led Forte to develop excellent fighting techniques. He is the only one of the three heroes who uses hand-to-hand fighting. He was forced to learn this because his buster weapon lacks the charged force needed to injure Zero, whereas a good old-fashioned boot to the face works wonders.
Standard Abilities
Forte Buster - Forte's buster cannot be charged, but it does fire more rapidly, and can be pointed in several directions.
Dash - Forte can dash forward for brief periods
Double Jump - Forte can double jump
Edge grab - Forte can grab the edge of a platform and pull himself up.
Special Abilities
Forte acculumulates a Special Gauge by defeating enemies. This bar determines how much damage his special abilities do. Executing special abilities depletes this bar. It also slowly depletes over time.
Dodge - Forte can briefly dodge into the background, circumventing any attack, if timed correctly.
Jump Kick / Roundhouse - Forte can forego using his buster to strike his enemies directly.
Fortissimo - Forte dash-punches his opponent with his buster arm, firing a volley of bullets on impact
New Robot Masters
Boiler Man
Boiler Man is the least violent of the group. His primary function is to maintain the factory in working order. He's designed so that he can use his own body to replace certain critical components in an emergency.
Weapon
Steam Vent
Robot Master Version
Boiler Man can fire jets of superheated steam. The mist hangs in the air for a period of time before it dissipates. Since his body parts are designed to be used as replacement parts, he can detach several of them and use the pressure from the steam to fire them as projectiles. He can also use his parts to activate several dangerous machines that reside in his boss chamber.[/I]
Player Version
The standard blast fires a small burst of short range steam. The charged blast fires a blast of steam that creates a cloud which will eventually dissipate. The heat from the steam can be used to raise certain kinds of platforms, and there are certain mechanisms which must be activated using this weapon.
Weakness
Dual Buster - As a primarily non-combat robot, Boiler Man is especially vulnerable to the incredible power of the dual buster.
Dread Man
Dread Man was the first new robot created by Dr. Wily and Zero. He serves as Zero's right-hand, and is often called upon for special assignments.
Weapon
Dread Note
Robot Master Version
Dread Man wields a guitar as his primary weapon. He can strike with it directly, and is also able to attack using sonic waves which are emitted from amplifiers that surround his boss chamber.
Player Version
The character is equipped with a guitar, and gains a few physical combos. The dashing attack will go right through an enemy, and can also be used to break down certain walls.
Weakness
Grapple Hook - The grapple hook is able to steal Dread Man's guitar and fling it across the room.
Dual Man
Dual Man forms the third part of the command trio of Zero, Dread Man, and himself. He is regarded as having the most powerful buster weapon ever designed, when he combines the attack of his Rapid Buster and Last Buster.
Weapon
Dual Buster
Robot Master Version
Dual Man has two seperate weapons. On one hand he has a rapid-fire cannon buster, which fires projectiles. On his other hand he has a beam weapon which fires a low damage attack that is difficult to avoid. Periodically he can combine the two weapons to fire a large beam for massive damage.
Player Version
While the Dual buster is active, the player can turn both arms into buster weapons. This essentially doubles the firing rate of the weapon. It also greatly amplifies the power of a charged blast. When equipped with this weapon, Forte is able to perform charged shots.
Weakness
Dread Note - Because of his powerful buster, Dual Man has no experience with hand-to-hand combat.
Grapple Man
-- Coming Soon --
Ink Man
Ink Man is one of the higher ranked robot master, as he commands the entire navy of Dr. Wily. He is also in charge of all older robot masters who take to the water, such as Bubble Men and Toad Men. Some aspects of his design resemble a jellyfish.
Weapon
Ink Blast
Robot Master Version
Ink Man is able to fire jets of ink into the air which cause damage and hold his victims in place. He can also fire blobs of ink which stick and cause slower movement and reduced jumping ability. He can also secrete a black mist of ink to conceal his actions.
Player Version
The player version of Ink Blast is very similar to the robot master version. Standard shots slow enemies down, while charged shots will stop them in their tracks, and cause flying enemies to fall.
Weakness
Arsenal - When Ink Man conceals himself in mist, shrapnel grenades and heat-seeking missiles are the only effective means of locating him.
Jump Man
Jump Man is often employed when combat is necessary in hard to reach areas. His combat style makes him very difficult to damage, as he spends so little time on the ground
Weapon
Jump Spear
Robot Master Version
Jump Man is able to use the jets on his feet to dash in mid-air. He will lunge at his opponents with his spear thrust forwards. He can also jump incredibly high, and then descend on his opponents spear-first. He is also known to use his spear as a platform to stand on while he rains down fire from his buster[/I]
Player Version
Rockman and Blues both fire spearheads from their buster as a standard attack, while the charged shot is a full spear that will stick to walls and allow the player to climb. Forte eqiups himself with an energy spear and fights hand-to-hand with it. As a special attack, he can throw the spear and embed it in the wall. Another will materialize from his buster when he does this.
Weakness
Ink Blast - Prevents him from jumping as high as usual and slows him down. If hit during a big jump, he will fall flat on his face and be dazed for a moment.
Flux Man
-- Coming Soon --
War Man
War Man serves as general of the bulk of the robot mastre horde. Designed for intensive combat usage, he has a large variety of weapons and is capable of flight
Weapon
Arsenal
Robot Master Version
War Man uses a variety of weapons, including a shoulder-mounted missile launcher, shrapnel grenades, and a pair of rapid-fire busters.
Player Version
Standard shot throws a shrapnel grenade, charged shot is a heat-seeking missile.
Weakness
Magnetic Shockwave
Some general gameplay tidbits
(Until I make a more formal write-up)
Able to switch characters mid-stage in special rooms
Some areas will only be accessible to certain characters
All of the NES Robot Masters appear as stage enemies
Currently under consideration
Rush, Gospel, Eddy, and Beat can be called by anyone for support.
Unlocking Rush Armour X
Use of Forte-Gospel fusion (depletes Special Gauge, requires full gauge to use)
Potentially, a new character...not sure (Would be called Ska)