19,588
edits
Oni2:Slaves of War/Overview: Difference between revisions
adding rest of "Art style" section; tweaks to Gameplay section
(adding to Themes, and starting the Art section) |
(adding rest of "Art style" section; tweaks to Gameplay section) |
||
| Line 31: | Line 31: | ||
Oni => Oni 2<br /> | Oni => Oni 2<br /> | ||
Order => Chaos | Order-to-chaos => Chaos-to-order | ||
Oni was about a seed of chaos growing in an orderly (controlled) world, and Oni 2 can be about a seed of order (control) growing amidst chaos. | Oni was about a seed of chaos growing in an orderly (controlled) world, and Oni 2 can be about a seed of order (control) growing amidst chaos. While everyone knows that destruction in games is fun, games like Okami have demonstrated that it can also be fun to restore a damaged world. | ||
| Line 39: | Line 39: | ||
Isolation => Belonging | Isolation => Belonging | ||
Oni was about Konoko working alone, losing anyone that she had left to trust, so let's make Oni 2 about working with others as part of a group ("<u>Someone</u> left to trust"). Plus, I'm inspired by | Oni was about Konoko working alone, losing anyone that she had left to trust, so let's make Oni 2 about working with others as part of a group ("<u>Someone</u> left to trust"). Plus, I'm inspired by Guido's art, in particular '''[[:Image:GUIDO_rendezvous.jpg|this piece]]''', which is my favorite. I really want to see Mai be part of a team like that — even if it turns out that not every member of the group is entirely allied or trustworthy.... | ||
| Line 59: | Line 59: | ||
==Gameplay== | ==Gameplay== | ||
Assuming we had the use of Oni's original engine, or had totally reproduced its behaviors, what areas can we work on for | Assuming we had the use of Oni's original engine, or had totally reproduced its behaviors, what areas can we work on for Oni 2? What areas of Oni needed improvement? The melee combat is probably the area we'd need to focus on the least, as it is the most polished. Our time would be better spent in areas dictated by Oni 2's story, or by [[Review criticisms|criticisms]] of Oni. Too many bullet points on our feature list will result in another Oni project that takes longer than planned, so let's keep it to a minimum. Here's my suggestions: | ||
*Slightly improved melee: now with parrying, grappling, | *Slightly improved melee: now with parrying, grappling, throw escapes. | ||
* | *Slightly improved mobility: now with ledge-grabbing and more stealth options. | ||
* | *Slightly improved AI: Enemies can now call or run for help. No blithely walking past KOed comrades when the area is supposedly secured. | ||
*Natural environments | *Multiplayer focus: emphasize multiplayer mode as much as the single-player story mode. Consider a co-op story mode as well as competitive and co-op MP levels. | ||
* | *Power tree for Mai: how the player uses her developing powers in the story mode affects their evolution. | ||
*Natural environments: this one could be a stumbling block for the Oni engine. We might need to re-write the 3D engine (or incorporate an open-source engine) in order to do complex outdoor scenery. If Mai and co. are supposed to be exploring the Wilderness, then this is an unavoidable issue. One specific concern I have is interactive flora. If you're in the middle of a bunch of bushes, do they actually quiver if you brush against them? Does the character push palm fronds out of their face as they walk? If the plants just sit there as static models, then we have a problem, especially because the Wilderness probably is a bit more lively than our everyday ferns and flowers and trees. | |||
*Replayability: Oni 2 needn't be a long game (5 hours for a regular playthrough is enough) as long as the game encourages the player to replay it. Various ways to extend the life of the game are: shapeshifter, multiplayer, and interactivity during cutscenes (I will expand on this later). | |||
==Art== | ==Art style== | ||
More emphasis could be placed on Oni's animé heritage. This could be done with cel shading, though it's difficult to do this right. Even harder would be level design, specifically the texturing, since animé backgrounds are often impressionistic paintings and would not work in a game where you can get close to them. | |||
Alternately, a unique minimalistic look could be designed in a way that is low-cost to develop, such as a look that uses vibrant colors in place of detailed texture work, and uses accurate lighting to create realistic-feeling spaces. | |||
Emphasis can also be placed on memorable settings. Many of Oni's settings are industrial and not very fantastical, or are interesting but illogical, or are large but barren, or have potential but are poorly textured and improperly lit. Putting more effort into creating aesthetically enjoyable spaces for players to explore can be helpful when advertising the game and may encourage more replays of the game. | |||
If it is technologically feasible, we should bring much more life into the world, showcasing natural habitats with strange life in them. | |||
Also, being that Oni is science fiction, more thought should be put into the technology of the world, particularly since Oni's world has been affected by the BioCrisis, which would steer tech development in different directions from our world. Depicting novel technology will make the game world more interesting. | |||
Finally, pertaining to color...<br /> | |||
Oni => Oni 2 (=> Oni 3)<br /> | Oni => Oni 2 (=> Oni 3)<br /> | ||
Blue => Green (=> Yellow) | Blue => Green (=> Yellow) | ||
Oni's logo sets up the color blue as the primary color of the game (though BWest did take steps to reduce the amount of blue actually used in levels), and this is fitting since the focus is on technology, typically represented by that color. Since Oni 2 would add the element of nature, its logo would be green in place of Oni's blue. Oni 3, if made, would use yellow as its thematic color to represent energy and | Oni's logo sets up the color blue as the primary color of the game (though BWest did take steps to reduce the amount of blue actually used in levels), and this is fitting since the focus is on technology, typically represented by that color. Since Oni 2 would add the element of nature, its logo would be green in place of Oni's blue. Oni 3, if made, would use yellow as its thematic color to represent energy, change, and spirit. Of course, yellow is an overwhelming color and is best used sparingly, so it would be a frequent highlight/detail color but would not be allowed to dominate the color palette. | ||
==Loose Threads== | ==Loose Threads== | ||