game approach:
I changed my approach to this game drastically in the last few weeks. NEO Basudusho was planned as a nice little action game, which uses rather universal gameplay elements and some few, universal tile sets for the graphics. I've created a few elements for a level but then decided to change my approach. I disliked the level design aspect very much, as it was neither creative for a game, nor it was creative as a designing process.
As it is a hobby project with no schedule or timeframe to keep, I decided to take another road. I'll do far more concept work for the levels itself and for the gameplay elements, too. There will be much more unique graphics, which now will fit the events and circumstances seen and delivered in the game. There will be more different sections, like a airlock, a research facility, a engine room, a venting system and so on in the first level, compared to one simple tile set to represent everything. This means a lot more work on one side, but on the other hand it will make the game look nicer of course. Besides that, all meshes will now be build to fit their purpose, not to fit in a rigid tile set.
Every section will now be based on the gameplay elements and the action that should happen here and there. I'll design my levels around the gameplay and the fun and not around what can be done with as few graphics elements as possible.
This means, I will change parts of the NEO Basudusho section on this site and start over with some concepts for the stages and the graphics. I also made some size and resolution tests with the already existing graphics on the DS hardware itself. So I'am now able to optimize textures and meshes to their restrictions on that tiny screen.
sizetest showing wrong textures sizes
and missing shadows
Most of the textures turned out to be too big, although they are already really small. It also turned out, that colors need to be more exaggerated, need more contrast and all moveable objects need a shadow plane.
I hope to get some concepts for the first stage out soon. Some meshes are already in the works.
NEO Basudusho is just a nice, little action game in the likes of Neo Contra, Silent Bomber or Alien Syndrome. It's meant to have the old-school flair and style of the older Contra games: weird roboters and gigantic mechs, strange and bizarre organic creatures and fast action and big events.
index:
game design
interaction and controls
weapons, items and effects
enemies
stages
GUI and interface
technical stuff
