Hellgate: London 16bit Platform game ^^

[Krazy Kaution]

Well i am working on a Hellgate: London platform teaser hehe. The plans are to have a few levels a few mobs that are drawn based on the monsters we know about and have a Templar for main character. The weapon will be the Cricket Bat and a generic fire gun. The problem is my drawing abilities are worse than zero :) and I am looking for someone who can make great 2D art and someone who can do backgrounds for the platform to scroll :D So if you can do any of these things please send me a PM in IRC or on the forums. I'll e-mail Flagship and see if they'll let me use the name :D I can only pray so i dont have to name it London's Hellgate lol

[Krazy Kaution]

Noone is here even remotely good at making 16bit sprites :( the game just needs some art to get it moving in the right direction, first version will just be an engine test heheh with the HG:L character and themed room If you can offer any bit of help send me a PM hehe, music whatever :) i need help ehhe.

[brandnewyork]

ummm you send me some examples and i could try to do something.

[Krazy Kaution]

Talk to me on IRC if possible, it's easier to explain and link you stuff there.

[Krazy Kaution]

Here is an update to what i have working and SolInvictus has been awesome to check it out and test it heheh (as well as the whole Umbra Aquila crew hehe <3):

1)Graphics
-Working Platform Side Scrolling
-640x480 Window or Full Screen (to keep the oldschool effect)
-Sprite animations work
-Templar character created (needs a little work)
-Working Run animation
-Working Jump animation

2)Gameplay
-Working controls for movement and jumping
-Working AI movement (no attacking yet due to lack of graphics to boost my confidence, still need a sprite artist :()
-Working Platform Engine so you can jump up through a platform and land on the top of it without any problems what so ever
-Enemies will respond to distance flawlessly, will stop if you are a certain distance away in any direction making it hard to go over an enemy to avoid him directly

3)In-Progress
-Enemy AI for Attacking
-User Interface to mimic that of Hellgate: London's Health/Shield bar as well as Character portrait
-More sprites for the Templar character (currently working on Cricket bat)
-Enemy Sprite needs making, just need one enemy with movement (left/right/idle/attackleft/attackright)



Thats all i have for now, will work on it a little more tonight. Hope to see a demo in the next week or less of the engine. If i can get an artist to help me hope for a demo even sooner. I'm just waiting on Flagship to give me the OK on using their game's name :)
-8/10/2k5

[Krazy Kaution]

TERRIBLE NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Due to a hard-drive failure on not just my system but my fileserver dying as well all the source code is gone lol. I'll be remaking the game but i think i'm gonna be writing my own 3D engine and doing a Crash Bandicoot side scroller style game. :( I'm deeply depressed i lost the code hehe, i had a templar character that would run jump and fall and had a cricket bat and could attack with the bat. I had a fully working AI system that would attack but also follow you if it saw you and so i figure now i'll step up the project :) SolInvictus said i should make a racing style game like mario kart in the HG:L theme. That has got me interested cuz i'd love to work with car physics hehhe. So we'll see ^^

[Krazy Kaution]

Well im gonna be restarting this project, i got the basics of the engine up already (walls, a floor heighmap the char can move on, as well as platforms that you can jump up through and land on and jump down from)

[Killmojo]

Excellent. Whats the date of release? Done when its done?

[major5013]

I would love to help. But I'm not sure what i would do... I'm not confident in my 2d art skills yet.

[Akuyazi]

awesomeness, if you need me for anything again just ask :P im at your service

[northrop]

Definitely, if you need any graphical assistance just let me know. I need some Photoshop practice, and this might just be the ticket.

[Krazy Kaution]

Well here's a small list of what i need exactly!

-2D Character Artists (Characters are small, just like a 16bit game)
-2D Graphical Artist (Drawing miscelaneous things laying on the ground and such)
-2D Level Artists
This is probably the most important place to fill right away because the levels are ready to be implemented. What this person does is in photoshop and with multiple layers (i'll go more into detail when i get two or three people) create levels. Background / Platform Layout / Character Heightmap (the ground that the character runs on has a heighmap so he can run up and down slopes just by having the lines drawn [makes it easy on the level designer] / Foreground (things laying around on teh ground like piles of rubble and bricks in the way, maybe covering secrets or something). I really need someone to fill this position so I can atleast create the first level :) Which i am hoping to be fairly long.
-Sound Engineer/Artists
I need someone who can create sounds for me (running, jumping, getting hit with different weapons, sounds of weapons). This is going to need a full team of maybe 4 or 5 people because i plan on having a nice collection of stuff in the game.
-Conceptual Artists
Over the time of development i will be taking concept art from anyone who wants to contribute for bosses. Since we don't know what all the bosses in HG:L look like, we're going to need a nice collection. I will give releases to people who contribute work that we end up using. And of course, i will contact those whom i select images from. I will be creating a webpage soon and getting an IRC channel ASAP. I will update when i add things. Until then, I'll think about releasing a small alpha :) Those in #Hellgatelondon usually get to see the things i create first because im a generous person to those whom i chat with!

[chakl]

This just wreeks of potential, I can alredy see a raiden type weapon system (mucho lazers going pew pew pew, swirving all which ways finding thier targets). in side scroller format, similar to that of Codename:gordan or the Halo side scroller project. I wish you the best of luck on this project :)

I would love to help out, but with as much free time as i have, not sure how much i can get done, but i know i can help with photoshop.

[major5013]

Yah I'm going to try to do some stuff too. I'm pretty good with PS. Can't guarentee you'll see anything from me, but i'll see what i can do.

[Krazy Kaution]

I wish i were better at 2D graphics so i could just make an example level so others can step in and jut create levels :) We'll see though. I recently made it so there are platforms that move side to side and up and down just incase we need it. If you want to create a test level I'll release a PSD either today or tonight with an example. Basically it had 4 layers to it: 1) Background 2) Platform Map 3) Character Heightmap and 4) Foreground (rubble and pillars as well as beams and stuff to cover up the Platform Map and Character Heightmap. These levels will be SUPER wide, we're talking like maybe 20 screens wide, so maybe 40960x640 or something that extreme, we'll see.

[northrop]

Looking forward to it. Unfortunately I won’t have to play with it until Friday, or maybe even Saturday night.

[Krazy Kaution]

Well, in the next day or so i'll push out that PSD of a game level layout. basically it will show the layers in the levels so you can understand how to make a level functional and nice looking. I'll give a quick explaination. I have multiple layers in my level:
1) Background (sky/forest/whatever)
2) Platform Layer (just a mock up of all the platforms in the game)
3) Ground Layer (This layer is a basic layer that shows the height of the ground that the character will run along, not always flat and can be sloped etc.
4) Foreground layer (This layer is the layer that covers the ground layer and is displayed on screeni n the form of bricks etc. or grass and so on.
5) Platform Layer 2 (This is the visual part of the platform, whether it is a building rooftop of just a car to stand on, this is the layer that will represent the platforms in the game.
6) Foreground Layer 2 (This layer is the misc. stuff that the character will run behind, so say it's a street light or even just a bush that you want to appear infront of the character.

That's basically how it works :) Anyone interested, please PM me!

[Krazy Kaution]

OK I've created the PSD, it's more basic than what the final example will be but everyone will be able to see the different layers of the game's levels. The textures used aren't my own but are public textures (not sure where i got them). The ground doesn't have to be flat, it can be curved and stuff and the character can run up hills. The standard level is going to be 20480x640 (yes 20480, i would love long levels, just a goal) but for testing purposes im making test levels only 1024x480.

Layers and what they mean:
-Background Color Layer:: Basically the color i make the background of the game, usually to match the top and bottom color of the background tile.

-Background Tile Layer:: This is a tiled image (meaning repeated over and over but can also be a single image not repeated if needed for higher detail etc.) which is behind everything in the game.

-Platform Layout Layer:: This layer is the basic design of the platforms, it is in a solid color so i can use the image to map out x/y of each platform with ease. This is not shown in the game.

-Platform Overlay Layer:: This layer is what represents the platforms in the game, whether it is a building, a car, a mailbox, whatever objects that the player can stand on, this is the visual representation of that platform.

-Player/Enemy Layer:: This is just a spacer layer to make it easier to differentiate what the player is in front of and what is in front of the player, nothing goes on this layer except maybe where you want the player to start.

-Foreground Layer:: This layer is what the player will run behind or in other words, what shows up on top of the player. This can be light fixtures, cars, rubble (the main reason) or even flames from holes in the ground.

-Example Screen View Size:: This is just a frame i have made to show what is IN/OUT of the screen, anything outside of the red lines wont be displayed on the screen if the camera is focusing on that particular view. Eventually i'll create a better version, one that will show exactly what the camera sees if the player is in a certain location, but assume that the player is in the center of that screen and if the player is close to the wall then the screen stops on the edge of the level and he can aproach the wall. It will all make sense when a demo is released lol.

Without any further adieu, i give you the first example level of Hellgate:London 16bit
http://www.blood-eagle.net/hgl/examplelevel.zip

If you have any questions, i'll be happy to answer them, just send me a PM. I am also open to suggestions about the game.

PS: Inside the PSD you'll find a sneak peak at what the Templar character looks like :)

[Krazy Kaution]

PS! We're looking for someone to make us a nice flash designed webpage or an amazingly nice php webpage (i can help with the PHP). I would do it but im kinda busy with this project and other things like playing ZerA lol (amazing korean game!!!). Let me know if you wanna help. A little reminder, those who contribute get a copy of the game each update!

[northrop]

Is there a reason for such a plain background? That gray color is definitely speaking out to me, and it’s saying “get rid of me”. Would the multiple colored background (keeping it at 16 bit of course) slow down the game? Is the game a complete resource hog?

Do you need somebody to create enemies? Or did you just forget to include them in the file? How far can Templar jump? Can you make obstacles that can be destroyed (ex. crates)?

On the flash note, I haven’t used it oh…. 3 years? So my coding is a little rusty to say the least. If you have a design in mind already, let me know, I can probably work with it, but creating something from scratch on my own will probably generate some serious crap.

[Krazy Kaution]

LOL Well all of those graphics are being replaced, they are all borrowed and it is just to show what the layers are. Hopefully we can find someone to come up with some highly detailed stuff for us :) Only time will tell, once we get a detailed test level i'll release a sandbox of it for everyone to see. (those that dont know, a sandbox of a game is just moving around in the levels).

I'll say it again hehe, every graphic in that test level is not going to be in HG:L except the templar character :). Meaning, the real HGL16 is going to have bumpy and broken terrain with rubble all around and things to stand on etc. That is just to show people what the different layers are that go into the level design and to show people who want to help, how i wanna see the levels done :)

[Krazy Kaution]

I'd like to give an update as to where we are in the project. Currently we have a working sandbox that has all the animations working seamlessly as far as i can tell. We're gonna be putting in attacking and dying soon. We have a templar that can shoot dual pistols and a stalker that walks around on set paths :) Basically it's coming down to where we need to get a level done so we can start doing testing on demo release in the next few weeks. Our planned releast is like early April for the demo of the game. I hope everyone likes it, i'll throw up a screenshot when im a little more sober, this message took me waay too long to type out and spellcheck :) even though i probably did a bad job!

[major5013]

Hey at least you spellchecked you post. :) Usually I'm too lazy to even do that haha.


*Edit* as you can see, Just in this message i got a few mistakes.

[Krazy Kaution]

^^ hi Major5013! FYI for those who wanna know our team:

Krazy Kaution - Lead Designer/Programmer
Akuyazi - Graphic Artist
Nosa - HUD Artist
Major5013 - 2D Sprite Artist and Animator
Sol Invictus - Team cheerleader
Chakl - Tester
Anyone else in HGGuru Staff - Tester (just send me a message hehe)

[brandnewyork]

I would like to try that Demo, let me know :)

[Krazy Kaution]

Hehehe, the Demo is unfortunately for team members and HG:Guru staff members only at this time. When we are ready for a demo release you'll definitely hear in advance!!

[chakl]

Hehehe, the Demo is unfortunately for team members and HG:Guru staff members only at this time. When we are ready for a demo release you'll definitely hear in advance!!


It better for all of you if you wait for a good product instead of constantly request what is currently there. How many times has a game fallen due to criticism due to an unfinished product. We will take the same release date Flagship said... Its done when its done.

[Krazy Kaution]

We can tease can't we? hehehe, basically the demo that would be released would be like an open beta for a retail game. Not all the stuff, but a good majority of it. At this rate we wont be finished for a while, but hopefully we can get more artists on the team to speed things up!

[LizardWhoSkiis]

We can tease can't we? hehehe, basically the demo that would be released would be like an open beta for a retail game. Not all the stuff, but a good majority of it. At this rate we wont be finished for a while, but hopefully we can get more artists on the team to speed things up!
I can't promise anything, least of all if I can actually do what you need, but send me a sample and a little info on you're looking for and I'll see if I can find the time to at least play with things. If I can actually produce I wouldn't mind sending in bits here and there.

[brandnewyork]

At this rate we wont be finished for a while, but hopefully we can get more artists on the team to speed things up!


Can i be on the team to make you look better by comparison ? :)

[Jason]

You may expect to see more of the game sooner than you think. At the rate Major, KrazyK, and myself are going, we're doing quite well.


Hopefully, KK will post a teaser shot in the near future :>

[major5013]

But that doesn't mean we arn't still looking for more artists. :).

[Dac the Hork]

I got the scoop with an ingame screenshot.

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/3092/leaked9iy.jpg

I have my uber leet Haxors ways.

btw pretty cool choice of female templar for main character.

Also THE REVOLUTIONARY RIGHT TO LEFT SIDESCROLLER ACTION!!!

I bet everyone in 2d gaming wishes they would have thought of it first.

(yes I know some sidescrollers let you go right to left, but its 2:23 AM here)

[Krazy Kaution]

.... lol well i must suck at art Dac :( cuz it wasn't the female lol, it was the male for the main character. The female has a blue glow i believe. Eventually we'll have the ability to choose Male/Female but that's in the future, currently we're focusing on beefing up the detail of teh game from a standard 16bit pixelated game to a nicely done 2D Platformer. Thanks to Guru we've got a few fans who keep PMing me about testing :) When testing comes around we'll definitely make a contest to get people in testing. Keep your eyes open, we're going to be asking for suggestions about a lot of stuff in the near future and have contest to get your name in the game!! But that's Nosa's job hehe, so we'll leave it up to him when to do the contests!

[OnyxAbyss]

I would like to help, but what are the restrictions on the backgrounds? Can they be detailed or would you rather it be simple and kindof pixelated?