Hopefully this is the first in a series of progress reports on World 3. I know I never post as much info about the development of World 3 as I’d like to, so I’m going to make an effort to consistently post updates on development. Hopefully I’ll be able to make these on a weekly basis.
To start off, we have:
- Advanced pencil combat and movement techniques.
- What exists so far of the sword fighting pirate baddie.
- Combat with flying enemy concept
- First video of Squiggleville 
Next video should be much more interesting, got a few things I’m working on that hopefully everyone will like.
View the video from YouTube to watch it in HD!
@Hidas1: I dont think that Brad wants to rip of ME2D too much, you know. I just dont see that bilboard run as a move that FPM would pull off.
I probably should have expected this, but the fact that this is so obviously the greatest game in human history, IS BLOWING MY MIND! I was like, “Oh, there’s no way he’s gonna top THAT! But look, he just did!” Five independently scrolling backgrounds!? Animated buildings that cut away to reveal the level!? Even Fancy Pants Man is better, his backflip is ten times cooler, he can run on walls, and use a spin attack with his pencil! How did you find the courage to design such exquisite aerial enemies, Brad!? SO MUCH 3D!!!
But there are also some questions! How do you make it so he performs a jumping attack with his pencil from a standing position? Hold A and S at the same time, or hold A and THEN press S? Do the pirates simply have more health than spiders, or are they defending with their swords? Do the swords stay on the ground because you can pick them up, or are they more like snail shells? Is it easy to acquire the pencil, or must you find it first? Are you going to implement more of ME2D’s features, like ziplines and a race-your-ghost mode? That’s all!
Thank you for doing such an amazing job on this. I love you.
The only problem I have with this is that it looks like FPA3 will just become TOO much. Having to handle the pencil is one thing. But having to handle the pencil bounce and all…
I don’t know Brad. As long as you keep the learning curve proper. I hate being thrown into games where the creator haven’t thought of learning the player. You don’t seem to be that kinda guy though. But I’ll just have to wait and see. It’s not like you’ll release the game before asking about the learning curve and how it feels.
Wow. The spring physics blew me away. Like, theyre amazing. And the different layers of backgrounds were so smooth it wasnt even funny. Btw brad, i was wondering about whether you were going to go for the very detailed level design look in world 3, or if youre gooing to keep the quirky simple design, like that one loopey line level in… i hink it was world 2. I really liked the whole simplistic idea, so i wanted to know if you were gonna incorporate that somewhere ^^ Also, flying spiders!? WOW! Lulululul, great jawb (Y) and good luck!
Oh, and having read daxters comment, i must agree. Also, i forgot to mention to mention that i too loved the fading buildings to reveal the inside, they were very well done. In conclusion, i dont love you like slugminni, but youre still a cool dude. ^^
@Daxterspeed
If it makes you feel any better, Brad usually has me go through it first and I tell him how it feels to me. All he tells me is the buttons it requires and let’s me go. It’s actually not too difficult to pick up, if it was, I’d whine constantly until Brad changed it . . . .
I’m a horrible wife =(
@Slugminni: Haha, I think you discovered why there aren’t too many levels to show off at this point. For the charge to jump attack, you just need to be pressing up or S while FPM’s going through the beginning of the slash animation. So you can hit S right after letting go of A, or hold A, then hold S, then let go of A, or hold down up, hold A, then let go of A. There’s a few different ways to do it, hopefully everyone will find a method that feels natural for them. Pirates are engaged differently than spiders are, is the main thing. But yes, they have a lot more health. Picking up swords? Maybe. There’s a few different ways to get the pencil, depends on how you’re playing.
@DaxterSpeed: Trust me, there’s no one worried more about accessibility than me. On one hand, it is the 3rd world in the series, on the other, I still want it to be extremely pick up and play. Most of what I’m showing off in these videos are advanced moves, so they’re there, but you don’t need them to get to the end of the game. Next video should be highlighting even more advanced moves. The biggest problem then would be to make learning advanced techniques worth it, so I’m exploring a few more ways to engage players who are going out of their way to find everything in the game.
@PinkSombrero: Heh I forgot how much I tweaked the springs since World 3, they’re a lot more responsive. Chances are Squiggleville is going to be the most detailed level, just because of how long that takes, and there should be plenty to do in Squiggleville (and statistically, it’s the level that most players will see, besides the loading screen). I’ll keep playing with the ‘stylistic simplistic’ style for a few levels, though, I’m sure. Haha, I’m sure the flying spiders will turn into something else eventually, I threw that together for the video, but the spiders seemed to have taken on a liking for the sky, so we’ll see where that gets them…
OK, it’s nice to see that there will be more videos with more interesting stuff, meaning you’ll somehow top this video.
Hey Brad, just noticed a few things on my 100th (thats how epic it is!!) rewatch:
1) When the pirates left hand comes down after a lunge, the line
on their shoulder dissapeears.
2) The lines for FPM look thinner than in the WallRun sprites,
than any of the others.(or its just me)
-Wallross
Respect to you Brad, its evident you spent a lot of time in the pirate anim. That’s a lot of frame-by-frame
.