Re:Here's a mad idea...
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Now hang on just a moment!
We'll have no talk of year-long episodes, *KM-RPG * or anything like that. This will, when its finished, stand as a real-time, single-player adventure game delivered via Flash Player. The reason I want to do it is because there has already been a couple of Knightmare games - one on the good old Commodore64, and one on the Amiga - and neither of them came anywhere near to capturing the spirit and style of the TV show. This is what I want to address.
There will be no multiplayer mode, no organic storylines, no free-roaming gameplay, and definitely no swordplay. This is a self-contained adventure game, simple as that.
Having said that, one idea I have had is of developing a Level Editor and Level Player that could be distributed for free. That way, all you guys could create your own dungeons, complete with traps, objects and characters, and distribute them for others to try and defeat! We could have a separate forum going where all the level files get distributed, and people could post up their opinion about a level, how they defeated certain traps, ideas for improvement, and completion times.
Of course, this is mere speculation at the moment. I've tentatively pencilled in an end-of-July completion time for the initial adventure. Once that's been taken care of, we can worry about the rest.
Keep those ideas coming, there's a lot of support so far, but not a lot in the way of practical ideas. Get going!
Skip
What I meant was - The game can be picked up and played at any time, wheras the Online RPG cannot be. I didn't mean that it would be constantly updated throughout that year, not at all.
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Got it, sorry for the mix-up. To be honest, I've never heard of the online RPG, or how it operates, so forgive my ignorance.
What I reckon would be cool is if everybody had the opportunity to develop their own dungeons for others to play. This would necessitate some kind of standardisation - but since the 'real' Knightmare TV dungeons were all grid-based anyway, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
I'll get some graphics treatments up this week, if anyone can provide me with some decent-quality Series 1-4 shots I'd be extremely grateful.
Skip
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Hey folks,
If anyone's interested, I've uploaded a rough animation test of the siege mortar bomb from Series 1-2. Check it out if you like:
http://www.skiponline.4t.com/km/test1.html
Let me know what you think.
Skip
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Sorry, I'm not familiar with his work. What's that all about?
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http://catacombite.genesis.mine.nu/DarkT/Kmare2start.htm
and
http://members.lycos.co.uk/catacombite/Kmarestart.html
are your links. They are very good, but more like text adventures with non-animated illustrations. You don't have any direct control, for example, in the corridor of blades. If you have the right objects, you continue. If you don't, you're dead.
They are also rather hard and unforgiving.
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Ah yes, I have come across these after all. Pretty impressive stuff, just synchronizing the HTML frames must have been a nightmare, let alone actually writing the thing and rendering the graphics.
No, my adventure will be nothing like that in terms of presentation or gameplay. My adventure is going to be a real-time adventure game in which you physically control/issue directions to the Dungeoneer on-screen in order to traverse the various hazards and traps in the game. So whereas the Corridor Of Blades in the aforementioned adventures had you dead if you hadn't the correct items, in my game you will have to make the dungeoneer leap, sidestep and duck around as the blades come whizzing towards him. Of course, if you're not quick enough, or if you need a SPEED spell or suchlike, you'll be cut in half - and you'll see it happeining too!
So whereas the current turn-based adventures are like an enhanced version of the books, my game will (when it's finished) be more like participating in the TV show.
At least, that's the idea.
Skip
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Cheers Skarky, me old matey.
If it's gore you're after, you'll like my next trick, which should be up around this time next week - it'll be a Corridor Of Blades animation. And just for you, I reckon I could throw in a Helmethead getting his noggin lopped off, just for effect - ahahHAHAHA!
Or, as you would put it..... "LAAAVLEY."
Skip
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It is looking quite good, and I'm looking forward to the corridor of blades.
Try not to make it too messy, though. Some of us are squeamish!
(Well, not me, I'm fine with seeing blood spurt around, but I'm terrified of needles. That's why FrightKnight wears a suit of armour. )
PS. More than 400 posts? Good heavens...
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I thought i'd register my interests in this project Skip, it's a wonderful idea and if you do make level editors and such I see no reason the rest of the community couldn't be involved with a new forum for levels and such. I'd like to offer more help but I think that my support will hopefully do
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Thanks for all your comments folks, it's great to see people taking an interest.
As regards the actual playing of the game, I'm trying to decide what viewpoint to use. The most obvious idea would be to use the same viewpoint as the show - with the camera at the back of the room, behind the dungeoneer and slightly elevated, with the room disappearing into the distance. However, I'm not sure wether this would work in practical terms. Coding a routine to scale all the objects and make them appear smaller the further away they get would perhaps slow the game down too much. And even if I get it working in the game proper, the chances of coming up with a level editor to create levels in this viewpoint is slim to none.
The other option is to use an isometric viewpoint, with the camera stuck in the top-right corner of a room looking down on the action. This would be a hell of a lot easier to work with, and would be a doddle to write a level editor for.
I'll stick up a rough draft of both viewpoints to give you an idea of what I mean, probably in the next week or so.
The level editor, which may exist separately from the main game, will incorporate a tile system. You'll start off with a flat grid. Then you'll choose a tile set (dungeon, forest, castle, cave, antechamber, etc) and use these tiles to build the walls, pits and bridges in that room. Then you can put in furniture (torches, tables, chairs, pictures, etc), clue objects, characters and hazards (fire, spears, monsters etc). Then you will be able to string these rooms together, add character dialog options, script special events, set triggers, and so on.
If it actually does all that, I'll be amazed, but there you go.
As I said, I might code this editor/player as a stand-alone project that can be utilized by everyone. The main game I am working on at the moment my not bear any resemblence to it at all.
My head hurts.
Skip
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Well Skip,
I wish you every luck in this endeavour and look fwd to the finished product.
As for the viewpoint, I don't think any of us would mind if it is displayed in an isometric format. One of my favourite games of all time, Syndicate, was isometric and look at the hours of fun that could be had with that.
Really, whatever is easiest for you to do. You're not getting paid for this and are doing it out of a love of all things KM. We greatly respect you for that.
Anything any of us can do to help? I'm sure we'd all be willing to lend a hand.
Keep up the good work
Right, I'm off to fry wasps.
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One of my favourite games of all time, Syndicate, was isometric and look at the hours of fun that could be had with that.
SYNDICATE!!! And is there anything better than Syndicate? Yes, and it's called Syndicate Wars! Oh, the many happy evenings I spent reducing cities to rubble in that fine game... oh the masses of persuadatroned bystanders that were herded into razor-wire. I love the smell of high explosive in the morning, smells like... collateral damage.
Okay, no more late-night coffee for me.
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I wasn't as keen on Syndicate Wars as I was on Syndicate.
Don't know why. I just preferred the original. Graphically it appealed to me more and no game has ever topped the feeling of elation after beating the Atlantic Accelerator mission.
Shame there was never an online version of the game. Maybe using a similar idea to Red Alert 2 with it's World Domination idea.
Wonder if they'll ever make another Syndicate game.
Right, I'm off to form a team of cyborgs and take over the world.
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Impressive indeed kids, I hadn't figured in the concept of Knightmare fans harbouring otaku-like obsessions with cyberpunk games of yesteryear. But if we're talking isometric, you have to start at the beginning, with the likes of *Head Over Heels * and *The Great Escape * on the old Commy 64, and the absolutely ancient Crystal Castles on the Atari 2600. I think I just out-geeked every last one of you.
Isometric viewpoint it is then - which is handy, 'cos I knocked up a damn nifty Causeway the other night in an isometric style. It isn't playable, but looks pretty damn cool, with the blocks dropping off in sequence in time with a (as-yet-unseen) Frightknight. I'll pop it up here during the week.
Right, I'm off to play Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O-Fun. Mwahahaha!
Skip
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But if we're talking isometric, you have to start at the beginning, with the likes of *Head Over Heels * and *The Great Escape * on the old Commy 64, and the absolutely ancient Crystal Castles on the Atari 2600. I think I just out-geeked every last one of you.
Oh really now? Well, unless you still OWN a C64 and still play it, (and trawl Ebay for more games) then you can think again.
Oh, and 'otaku' is actually an offensive term in Japanese. Contrary to popular belief, it does NOT mean "animé fan", it actually means "total loser with no life". As true as that may be in this application, I thought I'd point it out.
And I'm off to play Kung-Fu on my NES...
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