Game making alternative

Posted by RetroVortex on June 21, 2009, 6:50 p.m.

The Software

I've decided I'm going to try to get back into Game Making.

However, while searching around for some tutorials for Game Maker, I discovered a program that is quite similar:

http://www.scirra.com/index.php

Fascinated with a free game maker I tried it out.

It uses the python scripting language, which would be harder to learn over GML, which I know a fair amount about, but the software itself does alot of things for you using behaviours.

I don't know if you guys know about this already, but I thought it was cool, so I decided to inform you guys.

The Game

I think the game I want to make is a platformer.

I've only tried a platformer once, and I kinda got muddled with it.

I decided this time I would take a different approach to this.

I'm going to do all the story, the level design, and the art/sprites first

So far I only got ideas.

The theme, at the moment is Pirates.

An odd choice, but I've never really seen a pirate platformer before, and it would just be cool if there was one.

The closest game I can think of is Wario Land, so I'm gonna use that for inspiration.

WARNING: From this point onwards this blog will be used for my brainstorming so you can ignore if you wish:

Character Concepts (W.I.P):

So far I've only got pegged down the main character and his sidekick:

Captain Cid:

The player of the game. He's gonna be a bit like Wario, short 'n' chubby,

but he uses a scimitar as a weapon. He can also weild additional gun pickups.

Gappy Pete:

First mate of the old cappin', Big, fairly burly, wears an eyepatch.

Got his namesake due to loosin his tooth from a bet he made when he and Cid were kids, involving a wrench, a bull, and a waffle iron.

Story (very much W.I.P):

Pirating is a dying trade. and Cid is struggling to keep up the family business.

People these days are either too snobbish, or sober to be enlisting in such a dangerous career choice.

While searching the family ship:'The Bloated Eel' for loot to pay off the bills, Cid discovered the travel journel of his great great grandfather

"Fish Beard" (can't think of a better name at the moment…).

Fish Beard wrote of the many places he had been, the treasures he had looted, the women he had err… courted, but what interested Cid the most, was a story about an ancient treasure; [insert treasure name here]

He had even drawn a map leading to its location.

(insert map here)

Why the old tyrant never persued it, Cid never knew, but this missed opportunity for ol' granpappy was an ideal solution to Cid's money problems, (at least for a while…).

So with book in hand, Cid gave the orders to Gappy Pete to raise the sail, and set course for [insert island name here], well that was the initial plan, but Pete reminded Cid that he had already sold the sail to the local women's social club.

Looks like its up to you, The Player, to sort this mess out.

Comments

TDOT 14 years, 9 months ago

I actually read some about Construct yesterday. Honestly, I considered downloading it as "GM-ish" way to learn Python. Seems ridiculous, but I learn in strange ways :p

RetroVortex 14 years, 9 months ago

No, its a perfectly logical eway to diverse.

Years ago, I was looking for a stepping stone away from GM, but coding like C was a little too daunting.

Even Visual C++ I didn't really understand.

I do like Construct quite abit.

I even started to tweak the tutorial, before I even finished it.

I added a bullet limiter that reloaded after six shots were fired.

It gave me a real genuine glee. :D

GIL1 14 years, 9 months ago

I have seen construct but GM is easier since I already know it!