Jade Phoenix - Latest release: Beta 1

[Strife]

This board is for any sort of discussion regarding the game. Cheers! ^_^

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I have quite a bit of experience with game design. I've created several games for a small online arcade called the V-Cade, and i've also worked on several larger game projects. Of course, i've never been able to finish a large game, because I choose to work by myself and eventually I get stuck. But this time, I hope it's different. This time, i'm asking for help.

What Type of Game Is It?

A platform game. If you've ever played games like Super Mario Bros, Metroid or Sonic (or Hannah and the Pirate Caves if you're a Neopets addict ), you'll have a good idea of what i'm talking about. The game will, of course, feature characters based on Leoness' chibis, and as such, it will probably represent the NTWF.

Imagine an adventure across many different lands, collecting treasures, fighting monsters and solving puzzles. Classic gaming at its finest.

Who's the Main Character?

Honestly, if I had the time and resources, everyone. xD But unfortunately, I have a life like everyone else, and I wish to keep the gameplay simple. This way, it can be completed in a realistic amount of time.

As for who will be the main character, there are two choices; Patjade and Wanderer. Their weapons of choice (bow and arrow/sword) will add some interesting elements to the gameplay, and aside from that, they seem like quite the heroic type.

What is the Game's Story?

Here's a rough outline of the plot...

NTWF Island: The biggest vacation spot on the planet! It contains a vast variety of different worlds and landscapes to suit many different personalities and cultures. And it's that time of year again, when the denizens of the Neopian Times Writers' Forum take a well deserved break from their forum work.

During a somewhat sunny day, a cruise ship arrives in the harbor near the island town of Lumina Villa. Among the passengers of this cruise ship is the Lady Jade Phoenix herself, Patjade, as well as the mysterious but well-known Wanderer (both of which are playable characters). Both of them are moderators of the forum, and they've been looking forward to this break for some time.

However, to their dismay, something bad seemed to happen on the island before they arrived. Some of the animals in the town have turned into rampant monsters, and what's worse, one of the town's inhabitants, NSQ, has been acting very strangely (well, stranger than usual). Could NSQ have something to do with the monsters that are appearing? Is she part of something bigger, something that could threaten the entire island itself?

Immediately, Patjade and Wandy step forward, gather their weapons and try to figure out what's happening. Little did they know that they were about to embark on the biggest, most delightfully insane adventure of their lives.

With this storyline, the bosses in each world will actually be possessed (hypnotized) forum members. Defeating the boss will not kill the character, but instead, he or she will "snap out" of it and return back to normal. As an added bonus, some characters will give special gifts as a thank-you for breaking the spell (additional heart containers, special abilities, or open up an area on the world map for you).

Why Bother Making This?

I have several goals in mind for this project:

- To have a strong focus on fun, classic-style gameplay rather than high-tech graphics or special effects
- To have a steadily increasing level of difficulty. The first few levels and worlds will not be very hard, but plenty fun. Over time, the levels will become increasingly harder to complete, offering a challenge to even the best computer gamers.
- To pay tribute to the wonderful world of the NTWF. In a way, this game will retain the memory of this forum and all who dwell within it.


I'm pretty excited about this project, and I hope it can be completed to its appropriate end.

[Deleted]

Yay!

This is going to be soo good, Strife! ^_^

[Strife]

Thanks! f:D I'm hoping it will.

I'm in the process of drawing up some sample sprites, so I can introduce people to my style of drawing.

[Rider]

[glow=red,2,300]Strife is my hero. ^_^ I wish I were artistically/technologically inclined, so I could help.[/glow]

[phoenixblessed]

*speakless*







Wow.

[Thundy]

This will so Pwn own etc. You rock, so Supremely!

[Fj0rd]

Eh. I, like Rider, have no art talent... uh... if you need help figuring out what NPCs etc. will say, I could help? >.>
But this looks cool. ^^

[Ginz ❤]

Wow, awesome idea, Strife! ;D

[Tashni]

It would be so much fun to design buildings and monsters! I'll try to draw a couple in my spare time, but no promises. I'll assume you want them fairly simple. Once you have an idea of what the levels will be, it'll be easier to come up with sketches.

EDIT: Do you want monsters to be Neopets-based, or would that be compromising copyrights?

[Sirius]

Ooh. Pwnful idea. I'd be so willing to do beta testing. =) However, other than that, my talents end there. Teh woe.

[Dan]

sirussblack said:

Ooh. Pwnful idea. I'd be so willing to do beta testing. =) However, other than that, my talents end there. Teh woe.

Same here.

[Ikkin]

tashni said:

EDIT: Do you want monsters to be Neopets-based, or would that be compromising copyrights?

Chiming in here because I can, and I don't want anyone to assume this is a problem... I think that using Neopets-based monsters would be a nice addition, since there's a lot of Neopets related injokes around here that could be used... White Weewoos (or Black Weewoos as monsters... j;) ), Meepits (or Meepitzilla), Jeran and Kass or their fangirls, etc. There's lots of NTWF stuff that's drawn from their, and people who have personas based on it, so if it's possible, it might be nice. j;)

Also, the game would seem to fit under the Fair Use Doctrine- it's non-profit and arguably personal, you'd really only be using a small part of what Neopets has to offer (look at all they have, and think of how a few monsters and White Weewoos would compare to that), and it's certainly not going to be hurting Neopets (it's actually kind of like free advertising!).

Reference on Fair Use Doctrine.

On the other hand, asking Droplet about it couldn't hurt...

[Ery]

XDXD This is so awesome! I have made several attempts at a game on RPG Maker 2003, but I'm way too lazy to finish it u_u

I could help you with the sprites, if you wish.

[aerisangel01]

Looks sweet! ^^ If you ever need an author, just ask me! ^_^

[Strife]

Wow, I never expected this many replies in such short time. Thanks everyone for your comments!

@ikkin - Copyright infringement is definitely a concern for me. I do, however, think it might be okay as long as the game is freeware/non-profit. Though I reckon there shouldn't be too many references to Neopets characters. Besides, there are plenty of other unique, non-Neopian things to include (Ninja-Pirate battles, anyone? ).

As far as worlds are concerned, I have several ideas:

- Some kind of "green meadow" world, maybe with a few houses here or there. There would be a lot of encounters with NTWF characters here, though most of them would be just there to teach you the moves and stuff.
- A "mystical forest" with glowing plants, giant mushrooms, tree houses and plenty of crystals and shiny objects.
- An underwater world with fishes and coral and stuff, and possibly an encounter with a pirate ship.
- An oriental/ninja world with pajoda buildings, banzai trees and hordes of ninjas to fight.
- A volcano world, possibly located in the middle of a jungle or forest. Lava, magma, fire, you know the drill.
- A robot junkyard (it's hard for me to resist putting something futuristic in a game xD).

If anyone else has ideas for possible worlds, feel free to speak up. More worlds means more work, of course, but I know I won't settle for less than 6 of 'em. xP

As for concept art, it can be as detailed or as simple as you want; I'll just end up converting it to my style so that it fits in nicely with everything else.