Jayenkai
04-06-2008, 09:39 AM
I recently tried to do a decent Boulderdash, but got as far as "guy wandering round eating dirt" before I got bored with it!!
It seems that, as much fun as the end game is, there's something about boulderdash that makes it painfully dull when you're coding it.
So, rather than me, ( :D ), how about Blitwise stick their knowhow into making the world's greatest ever boulderdash game.
A few thoughts from the world of Jay's head.
Snakey
If you've ever played C64 Kwik Snax (which isn't anything like every other version of Kwik Snax) or the Sega classic Flicky, you'll get the idea of the whole "Grows like a snake" collection thing.
I was thinking you could kind of mix up snake and boulderdash using this mechanic.
Collect little guys as you run around, and try to guide them all home.. At the same time as dodging bad guys, avoiding falling rocks, collecting all those keys, and all the rest of the Boulderdash type stuff.
Pipey
Pipeline (The BBC Micro version, not the silly "build a line.." rubbish that was on every other system.) had another cracking gameplay mechanic whereby pipes would make up walls.. But if you run into the end of a pipe, you'd run through it maze-like, and pop out the other side.
This means, rather than just having those standard boulderdash flat bricks everywhere, you could actually use the pipes to make things a little more interesting.
Add to that some little bomb-type objects (or the old-school "crush a baddie with a boulder to make him explode) and you could open up a whole new "Blow up a bit of the pipe so that you can then run through it, using the gap you just made" way of playing.
Collecty!
The usual plan of a Boulderdash game is that you collect X gems, which opens the door. If you use the Snakey method, though, you'd instead have to rescue all the little guys from the level before you can leave. This leaves open a whole new aspect, whereby the collecting of objects is merely secondary to the game's actual gameplay. Therefore, instead of having your regular gems, you can start going a bit wilder.
Maybe collecting little objects that you can throw at baddies.
Maybe picking up little hardhats for you and your followers.
Maybe have some coins, and allow shops between levels.
I'm sure you can think of more!
And, basically, that's as much as I've thought this idea through! If I were doing it myself, I'd probably be throwing in all sorts of random stuff along the way! I tend to do that a lot.. (centipong started as an entirely different game!!)
Note : If you're going to do it, do it quickly, otherwise I might still use the idea myself and beat you to it! ;)
It seems that, as much fun as the end game is, there's something about boulderdash that makes it painfully dull when you're coding it.
So, rather than me, ( :D ), how about Blitwise stick their knowhow into making the world's greatest ever boulderdash game.
A few thoughts from the world of Jay's head.
Snakey
If you've ever played C64 Kwik Snax (which isn't anything like every other version of Kwik Snax) or the Sega classic Flicky, you'll get the idea of the whole "Grows like a snake" collection thing.
I was thinking you could kind of mix up snake and boulderdash using this mechanic.
Collect little guys as you run around, and try to guide them all home.. At the same time as dodging bad guys, avoiding falling rocks, collecting all those keys, and all the rest of the Boulderdash type stuff.
Pipey
Pipeline (The BBC Micro version, not the silly "build a line.." rubbish that was on every other system.) had another cracking gameplay mechanic whereby pipes would make up walls.. But if you run into the end of a pipe, you'd run through it maze-like, and pop out the other side.
This means, rather than just having those standard boulderdash flat bricks everywhere, you could actually use the pipes to make things a little more interesting.
Add to that some little bomb-type objects (or the old-school "crush a baddie with a boulder to make him explode) and you could open up a whole new "Blow up a bit of the pipe so that you can then run through it, using the gap you just made" way of playing.
Collecty!
The usual plan of a Boulderdash game is that you collect X gems, which opens the door. If you use the Snakey method, though, you'd instead have to rescue all the little guys from the level before you can leave. This leaves open a whole new aspect, whereby the collecting of objects is merely secondary to the game's actual gameplay. Therefore, instead of having your regular gems, you can start going a bit wilder.
Maybe collecting little objects that you can throw at baddies.
Maybe picking up little hardhats for you and your followers.
Maybe have some coins, and allow shops between levels.
I'm sure you can think of more!
And, basically, that's as much as I've thought this idea through! If I were doing it myself, I'd probably be throwing in all sorts of random stuff along the way! I tend to do that a lot.. (centipong started as an entirely different game!!)
Note : If you're going to do it, do it quickly, otherwise I might still use the idea myself and beat you to it! ;)