View source for User:Jourdy288/Pandora Game/BeginHere

"A tale in quotes. (serious information in the second post)

It all started with this:

View PostLink, on 25 November 2010 - 04:14 AM, said:
The Great Nub Race, how's that for a Pandora game?

(yeah I know it has been suggested many times before, but now it is actually happening!)

Somebody said "why the hell not?":

View Postfoxblock, on 25 November 2010 - 11:32 AM, said:
I am up for doing that, who is with me?
I think it could be a side-scrolling running game (for the lack of a better name) like Canabalt, where you race from Texas, over the sea to Great Britain, collecting nubs on the way.


Some ideas were tossed around:
(lot's of quotes so here, have a spoiler tag)
Spoiler

View Postvadsamoht, on 25 November 2010 - 12:09 PM, said:
And on the last level you have to dodge falling powerlines.

View PostYannick, on 25 November 2010 - 12:13 PM, said:
don't forget the speedboost item, a delivery van that catches fire when the timer runs out.

View PostValpskott, on 25 November 2010 - 01:01 PM, said:
Let me riff on some of the ideas mention for the nub game.

First, I'd like to see it as a top-view game like Spy Hunter(C64/Amiga) / 1942(NES) / Gunsmoke(NES)...

1st Stage:
You steer a van trying to avoid catching fire.

2nd Stage:
You fly an airplane and try to avoid volcano ash

3rd Stage:
You brake into an Evil anonymous board production company in Texas where the end boss is some goatie+cowboyhat wearing man in a room with american flag wall papers.


All stages should include picking up nubs along the way, which is used in a score/point system that affects delivery time, damage done on the way affects delivery time negatively. The goal of the game is to get as short delivery time as possible. From a philosophical stand point I'd argue that one should NOT be able to die in the game, since, well, lets face it, the Pandora Project will never die no matter what obstacles are thrown at OPT, the game should reflect this reality.

The power line thing I'm not aware of, but I'm sure it and other ideas can be incorporated into the game.


Edit:
My skills as a programmer is limited to Basic and GML, so I guess I'm not gonna contribute much in that area.
But I can contribute with graphics(sprites + backgrounds) and music for the game, as for music I can do mods/xm/midi, or more high quality (wave, mp3, ogg, etc) with software synths, and record guitars... But I feel a masterpiece like this should have chip-mods! :D

View PostLink, on 25 November 2010 - 08:14 PM, said:
Wow, glad to see something might happen here. Ground forces could be Googles :)

View Postj0n, on 25 November 2010 - 01:30 PM, said:
"Nubs on the run" a potential title?

Website developer in Derby on PandoraPress said:
Heya Foxblock, here are couple of ideas for your ‘The Great Nub Race’ game:

1. Soundtrack “All you need is nubs”

2. The game should be really hectic and fast – as it’s a race. At the end of each level you get a little break to relax, regain some health (or maybe its a hope meter?) with a little cut scene of ‘One wideo per day…’.

3. Some event in the game, perhaps a bad item you collect accidentally, or perhaps when hit, like Sonic, you drop the nubs. Then with no nubs, you are not allowed to use the nubs to control and have to use the d-pad until you collect some more nubs.

View PostLevi, on 25 November 2010 - 04:23 PM, said:
I was thinking of something along the lines of that Spectrum classic The Biz, but instead of trying to get a band to hit the big time, the task is to make the Pandora a success. It could start with trying to get preorders for it (or you could try to get a big bank loan and sell them once made - good luck with that!), followed by credit card screwups, a recalcitrant case company, incompetent nub company, easily distracted board company, volcanoes, international espionage, global warming (the next ice age if you game goes on too long!) - the possibilities are endless. You could have action minigames to decide the outcome of various events too.

Very good news on the nubs. We're not off the critical path yet, but things are moving along.

View Postfoxblock, on 25 November 2010 - 04:42 PM, said:
Some great ideas there, I still think there should be a side-scrolling part, maybe the last part where you break into the factory ;)
In the first stage, maybe you have to keep the van over a certain speed limit, so the flames are extinguished by the air flow ;)
In the second stage we could add some enemy planes (Apple planes for example) and ground forces, which try to shoot the plane with the cases down.
Also I think your character in the (final) third stage should be a rambo-looking ED or Craig ;)

Btw, I am serious about this, I don't want to make it a big project, just something fun in-between, but I am up for coding it.

foxblock out



and now we are making a game!

Everyone is encouraged to participate in any way!
If you have a great ideas for the story, gameplay, stages, enemies, etc. - just post them!
If you can draw or even if you can't, but want to try anyway - draw something for the game (e.g. sprites, backgrounds, menu items, etc.)!
If you are a composer (chiptunes, orchestral soundtrack , whatever) - go ahead and make some music!
This is not supposed to become a AAA game, this is a community project, so we want to have fun making it in the first place.

Please announce before you start to work on something, so we don't have two people working on the same thing.

In case somebody does not like an idea, sprite, etc. which was posted here, he or she is highly encouraged to do better - constructive criticism is always welcome!

Don't be disappointed if your sprite, music, etc. does not make it into the game (for whatever reason), it will have had its use anyway, such as giving other people new ideas or just encouraging someone to contribute some of his or her work!

Let the fun begin.

foxblock out"
This is a community project and does in no way represent the opinion of OpenPandora.

All ideas will go in this post for planning purposes - I will keep this updated...

Currently this only is a list of the already collected ideas, everything is subject to change - you have a better idea? post it!

Name: Ideas, please!

General ideas:
- All you need is nubs song
- Cut-scenes including ED's and Craig's videos (like the infamous Christmas message)
- screen becoming purple when you die or at random times
- references to well known objects/events/places regarding the Pandora, like Craig's roof, ED cutting station, the vodka, the pink Pandora, etc.
- Portal-style reference to the "2 months" meme, written on walls in the background, etc.
- The game should be funny
- Good scoring system and highscores
- Pop-culture references (in names for example)
- no real weapons in stages were people are shown, only stun guns and fun weapons (like the Craig "What is your Order number"-scream)
- Collectible points = parts of the Pandora (nubs, boards, etc.)


Technical data:
Code: C++, SDL, Penjin
Art: bmp, jpg, gif (non-animated), png (preferred); 8bpp (no alpha channel, please!), use magenta (#FF00FF, RGB:255,0,255) for masking if possible; sprite-sheets for animations
Music: mp3, ogg, midi


Gameplay:
Gameplay is different in each stage.
You will have to collect nubs or other parts (screws, etc.) in every stage and your final score will be affected by the number collected.


Stages/Levels:
First stage: A top-down scrolling shooter similar to 1964 (NES).
Code: do you want to program this level? reply now!
Cases, China -> GB Airport
You control the plane with the cases and try to fly from china over to Craig's house.
Enemies could include Apple planes and Google ground forces.
Also from time to time you have to avoid vapour of volcano ashes (every time before this happens we could display the video of ED saying "only a volcano can stop us now" in the corner of the screen)

View PostBlue Protoman, on 04 December 2010 - 03:50 AM, said:

    * Three powerups; A gun with widespread fire (shoots buttons), one with slow but powerful missiles (whole cases), and a laser. Powerups come as colored cases, or perhaps Pandora logos.
    * Apple and Google as enemies is fine.
    * Don't model it after 1942, that hasn't aged well; consider 1941, that's much better.
    * Lots of ground tiles that do nothing but inflate your score when destroyed; also, some drop black cases that give you points.
    * Throw in some inclement weather for good measure.
    * Remember, most of the path is land.
    * The boss could be a big-ass tank that turns the rest of the level into a bullet hell shooter (with accompanying reduction in hit box). It has multiple parts that must each be destroyed. Oh, and it's Nokia-branded.



Possible Level Names: Cases are Forever, From China With Love


Second stage: Side-scrolling racing game, similar to Excite Bike (NES)
Code: do you want to program this level? reply now!
Cases, Airport -> Craig's house
You drive the truck with the cases from the airport to Craig's house, which catches fire early on, so you have to go at a maximum speed to keep the fire from spreading.
On the way you are likely to lose other parts of the van, which affect controls or general movement.

View PostBlue Protoman, on 04 December 2010 - 03:50 AM, said:

    * Instead of making it side-scrolling, make it top-down, like Micro Machines. Or maybe an isometric view, like RC Pro-Am.
    * The van catches fire early, but it doesn't directly affect performance. Once the van catches fire, the Heat Meter appears.
    * There is a Heat Meter. Running through puddles, turbo boosts, or jumps reduces it, while going slow and crashing into things increases it. The faster you go, the slower the meter increases. If the Heat Meter reaches the max, you lose. Even if you completely empty it, the van is still on fire.
    * Perhaps randomly generate the course to add variety?
    * If the courses are randomly generated, then offer an Endless Mode as a bonus; go as long as you can without losing. It gets harder over time.
    * The faster you go, the more points you earn. You can also pickup point bonuses, in the form of various Pandora parts, or perhaps the logo.
    * Have cops chase you most of the way, but you earn major points if you knock them off the road.
    * Road hazards could be potholes, overturned trash cans, tree branches, and pedestrians (your Heat Meter increases by a lot if you run one over, but they will actively try to get out of the way).



Possible Level names: A Van to a Kill, Case-ino Royale


Third stage: Side-scroller, Metal Slug style (Neo Geo)
Code: foxblock
Boards, board factory
You control Rambo-ED (or Craig) raiding the board factory in a side-scrolling manner.
The manager of the factory is the boss you have to defeat in the end.

Fourth stage: Top-Down survival "shooter"
Code: do you want to program this level? reply now!
Assembly, Craig's warehouse
You are in a house (Craig's?) and Pandora preorderers are trying to raid it (zombie-like) to get their device.
You have to barricade doors and windows and try to keep them out.
Other actions might include an "excuse-move" where you shout an excuse for the delays which makes the zombies retreat for a while.

View PostEmnasut, on 06 December 2010 - 03:58 PM, said:
For something more constructive: For level 4 how about something like a smart bomb: zooms out to show craigx on the roof of the house taking breath and then shouting "WHAT'S YOUR ORDER NUMBER!!" Parodius style, scaring off everyone at once. ^^

View PostBlue Protoman, on 05 December 2010 - 09:06 PM, said:

    * Instead of using real weapons, use stun guns, loaded with powerful sedatives. Shot people simply fall to the ground and disappear.
    * Other possible weapons; knockout gas grenades/gun, baseball bats, household items
    * Model the stages after the staff's actual houses
    * Excuse; it repels some people, slows down others, and doesn't affect yet others. You're not limited in its use [it has a cooldown, though], but it gets less effective every time you use it [as more resistant enemies spawn].
    * You can throw your limited supply of Pandoras into the crowd and send away a herd of them to fight amongst themselves [imagine the pipe bomb from L4D]. Or you might attract more people. It's a bit of a gamble.
    * You can recover by eating in the kitchen. The longer it takes for you to prepare something, the more you heal.
    * You can grab supplies (wood, boxes, etc.) to barricade doors and windows, but you're limited in supply, limited in what you can carry at once, and they can be destroyed. Also, you have to move them to go outside, but you can attack through windows.
    * You can exit the house, to attack, but you're at a higher risk. Inside, you're fairly safe if no one gets in.
    * The ultimate goal is to make Pandoras. Once you make a certain amount, you can move on.




Fifth stage: Side-scrolling racing/reflex game, similar to Canabalt
Code: Scntrblob
Delivery, all over the world
You control ED or Craig trying to deliver all the Pandoras.
You travel around the world (jump from roof to roof, run over the sea, etc.) and need to drop Pandora in mailboxes while avoiding hazards (ideas?).


What we need:
- Ideas
- Graphics (anything, currently)
- Music (anything, currently)

Open questions:
- A global life count (for all levels) or for each level individually?
- A name!
- Specific types of enemies for the stages.
- What graphical style? Level independent or make everything 8-bit?
- Gameplay style for the second stage (side-scroller, top-down, isometric view)?


Why?
- To bring the whole story behind the Pandora on the Pandora (in a slightly exaggerated way)
- To give future Pandora owners something to smile when they finally receive it
- To practice coding, drawing and composing and having fun while doing so
- To get to work in a group of wonderful people and achieve something great


Contributors:
This will get edited later!

Ideas: The OpenPandora community

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