Oh that's cool. One thing that I'm really hoping for is animation. It's a bit ambitious, but I'm hoping that in this 90 degree revolving puzzle, that we actually animate the rotation of the sphere.
It should also start looking like an ordinary 1-floor library until you start moving/rotating stuff. Then once you unlock the trigger to this floor, it actually teleports the screen to a visual replica, but with all BG (see below).
The simplest way is probably to change the BG by switch/variable. For having stuff rotate and block you off by rotation I think it's simpler to have something there like a BG only layout (ever played The Way), and move blocks around (remember if an object shifts 90d left to straight, one block moves not at all, and the other moves up-left. 90d more is up-right, then down-right, and down-left), and you'd want it to ignore impossible moves, and have the hero back up (180d turn, forward 180d) before each time to avoid crashing into the bookcase while rotating.
QUOTE
Mostly ideas, but the more stuff we suggest, the better idea we can have when we start putting prototypes forward.
There could also be minions within the dungeon who you can battle (very difficult) or retrieve books from to unlock certain areas.
Or spells and techniques. It is a library after all, maybe some of the books offer spells for strengthening your wizard, and the monsters might give you techniques (warrior only, blue-mage style). You could have just a whole bunch of BGs depending on what's rotating.
Also, once you get in enough in either of these pathways, the gate should lock behind you (it'll open after the castle is done, since the villain probably has the keys), making it so you can't change your mind midway through. You should get some sort of leveling bonus if you face the enemies at ground level.
This post has been edited by bulmabriefs144: Aug 5 2012, 05:46 AM
Okay so I'm a little bit confused on how this dungeon looks. So you're inside a sphere of books? Cause that seems kinda confusing, cool, but confusing.
Okay, here I go on a puzzle idea.
I guess I pictured it more as one of those perspective puzzles. The center of the room has a large cylinder(sphere) bookshelf in the center. There are various areas this cylinder can link you to. The cylinder bookshelf divides the room into 4-8 sections (depending on how ambicious we decide to make this), each room has a switch that turns the bookshelf a different direction. The bookshelf begins in the neutral position, with one opening facing the first room and another opening facing the end room, however the end room has a locked door in it. There are also various other passages that allow the player to move to more rooms than the bookshelf allows. The player must figure out which doors to open and close so that they can pull the switch the makes the bookshelf turn to where they can retrieve the key and then re-turn the bookshelf so they can get to the door.
Did that make sense? If any of that conflicted with the original idea I'm sorry, I'm kinda confused on what we're doing.
Group: Global Mod
Posts: 4,600
Type: Writer
RM Skill: Intermediate
Rev Points: 5
That's pretty much what I had in mind.
The play will unlock certain areas, but that will close off other areas. This means the party has to split up and each occupy certain places on each floor. I think we should make the goal of the puzzle to position one player by each switch, and then one player at the final door. When the correct switches are on/off, the door will be open, and another switch inside can be used to bring all the players back together. This is only the main puzzle though, there will be other puzzles within the library to access the switches (we should probably release a guide for this in case anyone gets stuck.)
__________________________
Warning!this post may contain sarcasm, please re-read it in a funny voice The old spoiler was out of control, it had to be stopped.
Okay so I'm a little bit confused on how this dungeon looks. So you're inside a sphere of books? Cause that seems kinda confusing, cool, but confusing.
Okay, here I go on a puzzle idea.
I guess I pictured it more as one of those perspective puzzles. The center of the room has a large cylinder(sphere) bookshelf in the center. There are various areas this cylinder can link you to. The cylinder bookshelf divides the room into 4-8 sections (depending on how ambicious we decide to make this), each room has a switch that turns the bookshelf a different direction. The bookshelf begins in the neutral position, with one opening facing the first room and another opening facing the end room, however the end room has a locked door in it. There are also various other passages that allow the player to move to more rooms than the bookshelf allows. The player must figure out which doors to open and close so that they can pull the switch the makes the bookshelf turn to where they can retrieve the key and then re-turn the bookshelf so they can get to the door.
Did that make sense? If any of that conflicted with the original idea I'm sorry, I'm kinda confused on what we're doing.
I think I sorta imagined it something at first, a single floor room (screen one, an actual screen). You rotate, read, or shift over books until one you pull out or something that triggers a ladder to come into place (screen 2 after you realize books can be shifted, a BG screen except for the walls, both it and screen 1 should be either square or circular room with a narrow lead-in pathway). The perspective switches (screen 3) making either a cube or some kinda cylinder) and you move stuff to cross pits or climb ladders. I'm doing this just from mental images mind you, I haven't seen the actual design. All these screen changes would need to be done really smoothly so it isn't apparent. Then from there, smooth BG changes.
I think that multi-ladder puzzle should be one room (just simple moving stuff, but look impressive, because well it is impressive), and the teamwork puzzle should be a second room. Have multiple exits to the top floor of room 1. Otherwise, we risk some serious burn-out as we try to manage layers and character switching and bg switching, all at the same time.
This post has been edited by bulmabriefs144: Aug 6 2012, 05:07 AM
We could do like a colored switch- door thing. There are a series of colored floor switches that open doors of the same color. You have to put your party members on the right switches in ord to progress through a maze of some sort. Also, if we do a maze we should give the player the option of viewing the entire maze from like an above view.
Not just color switches, there should be some obstacles/enemies to keep a simple "switch char/land ong color switch/rinse and repeat" from happening. Like, at least one of the color switches might be guarded by a boss, or there might be on/off levers guarding doors to a switch (on one area might mean off in another, so in addition to the switches you have to do things like get inside a door, and then switch again to open the next door.
Group: Global Mod
Posts: 4,600
Type: Writer
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If we're doing colours why not make a colour puzzle?
No switches, black door opens. Red switch, red door opens. Blue switch, blue door opens. Red + blue switch, magenta door opens. Red + blue = Green switch, white door opens.
Etc etc. So 8 doors in total. Some hide enemies, some doors hide other switches, and one leads out.
__________________________
Warning!this post may contain sarcasm, please re-read it in a funny voice The old spoiler was out of control, it had to be stopped.
I think if you're doing it with colors, have primary colors (you know red, yellow, and blue) and allow color mixing.
So let's see.
Red Blue Yellow Red+ Blue: Magenta Blue+ Yellow: Green All Three: White None: Black
Wait, which one is the eighth color? Maybe we have grey sliding doors that are different from the others in that they alternate with each other, having some open and some close for teamwork puzzles. Oh I read eight colors. I dunno, there might be more than eight, but the point is to have enough for an effective teamwork puzzle (the exact number can be worked out later).
Switches? Or colored levers (easier to activate/deactivate)? And there might be false switches that are actually enemies, or puzzles needed to get to switches, or other things.
This post has been edited by bulmabriefs144: Aug 10 2012, 05:04 AM
Switches would make more sense in a multiple character puzzle, since you'd need one character to stand on a button while another stands on a different one. But levers could work too if we make it more complicated.
Levers might work if there's repeated colors. It might involve walking back to shut off a few old levers and getting trapped two rooms back until you can get freed by another character.
Oh yeah, that works. So like if you have the red and blue switches pulled the purple doors open but the blue and red doors don't, and then you turn off e red switch and the blue one reopens and the purple closes.
This is the second puzzle right? It's not related to the bookcase puzzle is it? I'd like to try to design this puzzle.
Oh yeah, that works. So like if you have the red and blue switches pulled the purple doors open but the blue and red doors don't, and then you turn off e red switch and the blue one reopens and the purple closes.
This is the second puzzle right? It's not related to the bookcase puzzle is it? I'd like to try to design this puzzle.
This isn't something that needs to be used here but I was thinking of group puzzles, and how the characters of mmo parties are played independently (so they can split up a lot and often)... anyways it led me to thinking it might be fun to do some solo fighting, maybe the party splits up to speed up farming a specific item, or simply split up to investigate the various routes through the castle in the layout MEands suggested (that would mean the player would experience all the routes without having to replay, as well as the balcony fighting becoming support for the character(s) vsing the uberpowered foes in the direct route- with the possibility to freely switch between the gorund and balcony characters for that bit). Anyways, just though it was nice touch, especially if we were to include a chatbox or voiceovers to emulate teamspeak on how the other members are doing (these conversations would then overlap as you play through the various perspectives- again just something I thought'd be a nice touch)
__________________________
Quotes
"everyone knows when you use caps that it's serious business"- Tsutanai
"Like I said, our current market breed ferocity, it breeds a cruel and callous kind of people, but that doesn't make them guilty of anything other than being dickheads."- Sparrowsmith
Oh, so like giving the party the ability to split always? That's cool, but it might seem a little overcomplicated. There doesn't seem to be that much of a purpose to having all the party members able to run about. How will they all get back together at the end?
Also, the chatspeak is cool, but some were saying that it might be too much of a giveaway that Layer 1 is a game.
They know their playing a game- they opened a file on their computer and their pressing buttons. What they shouldnt know about is the existence of layer 2- they shouldnt know that layer1 is a game in a game. Jeez lets quit acting like the players are idiots were trying to coax and hoax, I thought we were gna be all Fight Club about it and pepper the game with hints- that way the player kicks themselves for not realising it sooner. If we don't do anything stylistically 'gamey' about it (and in this particular layer, mmoey) then these arent games within games, its just another story about endless realities on the medium of a game (and at points even claiming to be games, but with nothing actually reinforcing it).
__________________________
Quotes
"everyone knows when you use caps that it's serious business"- Tsutanai
"Like I said, our current market breed ferocity, it breeds a cruel and callous kind of people, but that doesn't make them guilty of anything other than being dickheads."- Sparrowsmith
This isn't something that needs to be used here but I was thinking of group puzzles, and how the characters of mmo parties are played independently (so they can split up a lot and often)... anyways it led me to thinking it might be fun to do some solo fighting, maybe the party splits up to speed up farming a specific item, or simply split up to investigate the various routes through the castle in the layout MEands suggested (that would mean the player would experience all the routes without having to replay, as well as the balcony fighting becoming support for the character(s) vsing the uberpowered foes in the direct route- with the possibility to freely switch between the gorund and balcony characters for that bit). Anyways, just though it was nice touch, especially if we were to include a chatbox or voiceovers to emulate teamspeak on how the other members are doing (these conversations would then overlap as you play through the various perspectives- again just something I thought'd be a nice touch)
We could make a custom menu or something where you can join the party together or "disband." If you split up, with another button you can change people. If not that controls team commands (attack, strategy, whatever is here for the team to do together).
We should make an after-battle exp/gold system. Not only does this allow leech experience (for fifth and sixth member), but it means if the party is split up like this, a party member can reap huge benefits and level ahead of other members.
Voiceovers is a bit problematic. You have two options, really, converting the sound to mp3 and having a loop-based "If sound file plays once" event. Doing this way is kinda hard to manage, but saves about 80-90% of the size of just having a WAV file. If we have alot of WAV files, this adds up. On the other hand, the mp3 method interrupts current music files in midi or whatever.
This post has been edited by bulmabriefs144: Aug 13 2012, 02:38 PM
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