Canabalt’s makes the most of a simple concept: how far can you go. The game balance is balancing momentum. Ideally, if your timing is perfect, more momentum is better. But sometimes it helps to slow down by running into objects or else you can’t react well enough. The downside of going too slow is that you may not have enough momentum to jump to the next platform.
Canabalt -> Rock Out (using Flint's advice of starting from a prototypical game concept)
Concept: Balancing momentum
In Canabalt, your momentum constantly increases by default. This could be or not be for our game because we have “adrenaline” (adrenaline drinks? Red Bull?) which increases your momentum. And maybe we can add items scattered throughout the stage to maintain or increase momentum like a skateboard. Now, if you think you are going too fast, same as in Canabalt, there are objects (chairs, trashcans) that can slow you down. The reason for keeping a high momentum? Hm, to jump from platform to platform? I think a better idea would be to be able to knock over heavier objects like a desk or people (football players) that are in your path, and if you don’t have enough momentum, you’ll have to jump over them or else you’ll get knocked out (instead of falling off a cliff) and game over. Rather, how about instead, you only get knocked out by objects (a truck), but if you run into a person, you have to music battle (Guitar Hero mode) them, think old school RPG's. Basically, your guitar versus their musical talent - which may be vocals, DJ, guitar, drums, piano, violin, flute, trumpet -> this allows for more game play variance. Here we can have fun with stereotyping: Jocks/ Frat bros -> guitars, bass, drums; University Band members -> flute, trumpets, etc; Rich kids/ Nerds -> violin, piano; hipsters -> n/a.
Other reasons for maintaining momentum: Bullies (enemies) and/or groupies (fans) are chasing after you and you must outrun them or else trampled (like an advancing fire)-> game over. OR, maintaining a high momentum allows you to take shortcuts by running through a crowd of people or a wall (perhaps into a secret stage), thereby incorporating the greed factor for maintaining high momentum. Now we can add an item similar to Mario's invincibility star (campus golf cart-looking mobile, hope this is not too Grand Theft Auto-esque, I guess we have to make it comical somehow). BUT, sometimes we have to slow down to see the game environment, so maybe if you are going too fast, you have a higher chance of missing important (quest items) and/or helpful (power-ups) things such as skateboards, keys, song verses, bonus items like a new guitar or flowers for the girl, or secret doors, or maybe even game clues. Or a combination: a key that opens a secret door that holds a new guitar or flowers (botany class); going too fast might make you miss out on the key and/or secret door. Or maybe some would like to go slow just to take the time to enjoy the game’s beautiful aesthetics :P
This idea of objects and people flying all over the place seems like it has the potential to be awesome and funny.
The best part, this whole game can be played with just the Guitar Hero guitar. Since you are mainly going forward linearly, you don't really need to dictate direction (left or right). The strum bar = jumping. Tilting the guitar = entering a secret door. Hitting a chord key = picking up an item.
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Here's an example of a “Battle of the Bands” stage.
The gauge represents your momentum and also the higher your gauge, the more you look like a rock star (game aesthetics). For example, green (nerdy/novice rock star); yellow (typical/intermediate rock star); red (hardcore/advanced rock star). Also, there is an incentive for maintaining a higher momentum gauge: you can knock over lower level guys instead of guitar battling them. So if you are at the red part of the gauge, you can knock over green (easiest) and yellow (medium) guys and only have to battle red (hardest) guys. Red guys are going to be key opponents/bosses (possibly storyline related), so you can’t skip over them, plus they might drop cool items (new guitar). Could add other colors (opponents varying in difficulty/ uniqueness/ randomly generated -> could be level specific): blue = rare special bonus opponents ("running into" celebrity (guest appearances) by chance); orange = rare/elite opponents. These special opponents might drop unique items: new guitars, song verses, pictures (item collecting). Also required to complete opponents bio notebook (Pokedex). Pokemon collecting-like + achievements appeal for level replay value.
Game economy: Money -> purchase things. GPA (find items that boost GPA) -> need certain GPA to access special levels/rooms. Item inventory -> guitars, skateboards, wardrobe, Guitar Hero star power (power-up), lives. Collecting song verses to complete a song (ex. 0/10) -> could be required for boss battles, level-completion, secret/bonus levels.
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Finally, maybe we don't have to take out the nerd. We'll just make it a simple story. Nerd gets heart transplant (rock star heart). Now he can win over the crush of his dreams with his newfound abilities (shredding the guitar instead of the keyboard). He rocks through obstacles to get to the girl. Main obstacle: Girl doesn't want a timid nerd or an obnoxious rock star, so he has to discover the best of both worlds and secure a balance (somewhat of a coming of age story). He gets the girl. The End.
Hero + Girl: Same major -> Computer Science. A nerdy guy in CS (typical), a hot + cool girl in CS (whoa!)
- a level where he is running over computer codes (editing/deleting) instead of objects and people? Jumping to pick up missing codes (items). Perhaps this is where we can have platforms where you have to jump across or else you will fall off the cliff (space between segments of codes). He ends up making something like this: valentine1.exe for the girl. As a side note, the application was done in C++.
Story Arc: Initially too nerdy (girl doesn't notice him). Breaks out of his shell at the rock concert (girl is there and notices him, they talk). They start hanging out (girl is starting to fall for him). Gets overconfident and becomes an obnoxious jackass (girl hates his guts and avoids him). Realizes the error of his ways and redefines himself into a charming guy (girl falls for him). The End.
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Character design in game play: Depending on what phase the hero is at, he'll start off the level with that look. So each level, you are playing the same character, but his style/fashion will be different. This allows for more game aesthetics.
Final Product:
Gluing the story together: I like how in Scott Pilgrim game, when you complete a level, you get a cool/cute single image scenes. Doing something like this can glue our storyline together. So perhaps our game would have a comic book story feel.
flow by jenova chen
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