Playmaker Forum

PlayMaker News => Work In Progress... => Topic started by: intrikit on January 20, 2014, 02:24:26 PM

Title: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on January 20, 2014, 02:24:26 PM
Hey guys,

I've been developing with Playmaker. Here is my work so far:


More here: www.defiant-child.com

More to come soon!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: phannDOTde on January 20, 2014, 04:21:32 PM
Nice start :-) still a lot of work ahead of you but already looks nice.

greets
Peter
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on January 21, 2014, 01:19:11 AM
thank you! yes, lots of work to be done!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on January 22, 2014, 12:59:05 PM
I just made a start screen that takes the player into a specified level when "Start" is pressed.


The player is immediately put into gameplay at this time. Later on, they will be taken into a level select stage before jumping directly into gameplay.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on January 24, 2014, 04:38:24 AM
Just some art progress:

(https://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/52e232afe4b0efdbd063518e/1390555825753/Down%20the%20street.?format=1500w)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: phannDOTde on January 24, 2014, 06:49:24 PM
Nice use of colors and textures :-)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on January 29, 2014, 01:57:46 PM
Some updates to the environment. Started using light probes for the first time.

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: IDontKnow on February 04, 2014, 08:19:02 AM
Your game looks great!  :)

You might not have gotten around to working on the camera system yet, but I noticed that the camera's glued to the character in the center of the screen without any lerping or anything.

Here are the big things I'd look at if it were my project:
Just some things worth considering.  :)

I also thought I'd pass along an interesting video I saw a while back regarding the camera system in Super Mario World. I found it really instructive.

Every game's different of course, but many of the concepts used in Super Mario World would probably serve you well also.

Super Mario World Camera Logic Review:
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on February 05, 2014, 02:57:37 PM
Thanks for your feedback! The camera definitely needs tweaking. Currently, at some points of the game, hazards/enemies come as a complete surprise because the camera doesn't give fair warning. Thanks for your link and this is something I will be working on.

In the meantime here is a screen of the level select stage:

(http://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/52f208e8e4b001d22eef8f96/1391593707093/screen07.jpg?format=1000w)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on February 07, 2014, 02:13:52 PM
Adding some life to the level select stage.

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Satrio on February 08, 2014, 07:29:45 AM
looks really good!

Good job!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on February 13, 2014, 03:42:41 PM
Thank you! Here are some updates:

(http://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/52fc8a87e4b04f3c7b4d4aaa/1392282250080/screen08.jpg?format=1500w)


www.defiant-child.com
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on February 14, 2014, 04:51:31 PM
This is looking pretty sweet! I can't wait to see a jump animation on your character.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on February 14, 2014, 05:39:51 PM
Thanks Graham! especially for your starter kit ;D
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: phannDOTde on February 20, 2014, 04:02:59 PM
Nice Progress - keep it up :-)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on February 21, 2014, 02:12:02 PM
Thank you! Here are hazard updates:

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on February 27, 2014, 02:08:47 PM
playing with audio

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on March 06, 2014, 04:23:41 PM
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: coffeeANDsoda on March 11, 2014, 03:01:29 AM
Pretty cool.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on March 12, 2014, 08:50:51 AM
I like the spacial quality of the sound when you move around the sawblade! Pretty cool.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on March 12, 2014, 03:15:34 PM
Thanks! Here is some gameplay mechanics for the next level:

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: phannDOTde on March 16, 2014, 03:10:25 PM
Nice Progress youre making :-) For the Footstep sounds - I personaly always att a little random pitch to them so they sound a little more diverse. And I would think about a little "woosh" or "click" when the cubes are to be comming down again to warn the Player before they arrive maybe.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on March 16, 2014, 03:35:25 PM
Nice Progress youre making :-) For the Footstep sounds - I personaly always att a little random pitch to them so they sound a little more diverse. And I would think about a little "woosh" or "click" when the cubes are to be comming down again to warn the Player before they arrive maybe.

that's a great idea! will do that
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: phannDOTde on March 16, 2014, 05:46:15 PM
I all so like a salto for a double jump better, I think it would be more convenient and beleavable for the eye :-)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on March 21, 2014, 02:33:30 PM
I all so like a salto for a double jump better, I think it would be more convenient and beleavable for the eye :-)

Thanks! Will address those during polish. Right now, more progress on the teleport mechanic. The placement of the portal activators are just nearby for testing purposes. It'll be eventually more challenging to get to them as the level design progresses.

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on March 28, 2014, 02:59:46 PM
Some screens of the next level:
(http://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/53352da3e4b0ff9f7f2d4cec/1395994020354/?format=1500w)

(http://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/53352dc8e4b0ff9f7f2d4d03/1395994058460/?format=1500w)

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on March 28, 2014, 03:01:05 PM
The new screenshots are sweet, they give a kind of team fortress vibe with the lighting and architecture.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on March 30, 2014, 05:41:16 PM
Thanks, Graham. I actually used some TF shots for reference. Here is a video so far:
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on March 31, 2014, 09:50:15 AM
It's pretty cool that your references have shown through your work. It's looking really nice.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on April 03, 2014, 05:07:24 PM
Just another video:
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on April 10, 2014, 01:49:50 AM
An update on level two with music:

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on April 15, 2014, 01:59:22 PM
Some art polish:

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: phannDOTde on April 18, 2014, 08:35:12 PM
Nice Progress - It's great to see how everything comes together step by step! However IMO the Character could pop out a little more to be better visible. Keep up the great work!

Have a nice Easter :-)
Peter
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on April 21, 2014, 03:04:43 AM
Nice Progress - It's great to see how everything comes together step by step! However IMO the Character could pop out a little more to be better visible. Keep up the great work!

Have a nice Easter :-)
Peter

Thanks! Yes, the player needs another pass (and possibly a bit of a re-design). Currently looking at ways to make him pop out and be more interesting. Animation will also eventually be reworked. Happy Easter to you too!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on April 22, 2014, 04:46:39 AM
updated level with a dark tunnel area:

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on April 24, 2014, 02:01:33 PM
Combining gameplay elements to get some variation throughout the level. Also really trying to add vertical level changes to avoid a purely horizontal gameplay experience. Will also add supports to the moving platforms so that they aren't just floating like they are currently. Don't know why it won't embed directly so here's the link.


Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on April 29, 2014, 02:34:08 PM
Here's an early update on the character rework. Going with a simpler approach and the aesthetics will rely more on texturing. This should help with the quality and smoothness of the animation. More updates on texturing soon:

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on May 02, 2014, 04:12:32 AM
Implemented a checkpoint system and the particles/audio that come with it. It's a bit tricky in this level with the teleport system and need to be thoughtfully placed. If placed carelessly, they can be used to skip too much of the obstacle paths and take away from the challenge. I think with careful placement, though, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on May 02, 2014, 09:25:20 AM
I love the checkpoint style. Keep it up!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on May 14, 2014, 12:49:56 PM
Thanks Graham! Here's an update on level two incorporating some hazards from the first level. The idea is to use previous elements and add new ones as the game progresses.

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on May 14, 2014, 04:04:08 PM
pretty cool smashers. I have to say though, the dust effects seems a little delayed. It would show alot more impact if the particle effect was more intense on impact.

Actually looking at it more, it may be the "ease out" of the spike dropper, try "ease in" instead. That will definitely show more impact, acceleration and weight. It will also be more of a scary challenge to avoid!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on May 15, 2014, 02:55:01 AM
Thanks Graham! I agree with you on this and I wish there was a simple way of just adjusting the Ease Type (maybe there is and I just don`t know how). I`m using HotTween by the way and it doesn`t seem to be as intuitive as iTween.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on May 15, 2014, 10:43:56 AM
I just started using Hotween myself! I had the same initial impression, but I am catching on quickly. I can say the performance boost over using iTween is easily visible on my current mobile project.

Try using the "Hotween Float" action instead of using the visual editor. I find it gives more control that way and closer represents the functionality of iTween.

I may be able to help you if you have any questions.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on May 17, 2014, 12:59:19 AM
Hey thanks Graham! Yeah, I'm using the visual editor as a component on the inspector. I'm playing with the float action in playmaker now. First question: Would I still need a hotween component or will it all play from playmaker? An updated wiki explaining the Hotween parameters would be nice too ;D

In the meantime I've updated the level with more of these droppers:

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=100351&d=1400303099)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on May 20, 2014, 07:10:31 AM
You don't need the Hotween component to use the HOTween Float action.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on May 27, 2014, 03:50:32 AM
Thanks Graham. But gonna have to leave this for polish and move on for the time being. The character is in the process of getting re-animated and I've been working on the level select screen that has been left untouched and needed to be dusted off. Got this going so far:


The selection for the first level is now functional and the other two will not be activated until the appropriate levels have been completed. When they are still locked, I want text to pop up saying something like "Complete Previous Level" or something along those lines. And I want this text to float up slowly and then gradually disappear before it reaches to top of the screen.

Now, the way I'm thinking of doing this is to use a Create Object action that is triggered when the player selects the locked orb. It'll spawn a polygon plane with an opacity map and then apply a slow Translate action vertically. Thing is I can't wrap my head around how I would make this polygon plane gradually disappear. Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on May 27, 2014, 08:58:51 AM
Find attached an FSM sample of how you could go about doing this. It uses a custom shader with self illum and alpha, should be perfect for GUI type elements.

All you have to do is drag your own texture into the material.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on May 28, 2014, 02:55:46 AM
Thanks for this Graham! Works great so far. How efficient would this shader be for mobile?
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on May 28, 2014, 07:28:32 AM
It shouldn't cause any lag, especially if only used in the menu.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on May 29, 2014, 02:35:45 PM
Here it is in action:


I decided to do away with the floating up idea and I also added a Fade In in the beginning as opposed to it being completely opaque upon creation.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on June 05, 2014, 02:35:57 PM
The first and second level are not yet complete but have been fleshed out to the point where I feel like I can move on. Here is a first look at the third level which is set at night. I am currently working on establishing the mood and lighting.

(https://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/5390227ce4b05bc5415f8627/1401954941560/?format=1000w)

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on June 06, 2014, 04:19:12 AM
Here's another screen of the progress on level three's lighting:

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/screen25-jpg.103302/)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on June 18, 2014, 01:24:48 PM
(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/bqzsjzfciaa8hnf-jpg-large-jpg.104487/)


Just starting to get some level design in for the latest level. Having some fun with the backdrop but need to balance it out with progress on gameplay experience.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on June 19, 2014, 05:28:15 PM
Just getting the music in for level one:

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: phannDOTde on June 25, 2014, 06:11:33 PM
Looks really neat :-D
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on August 20, 2014, 02:40:51 AM
Thanks!

Been a while since posting here but still going hard at development. Running a campaign on Epocu. Please have a look and support the game!

http://epocu.com/campaigns/mara/

(http://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/53f057bae4b002b1af082f30/1408260650232/EPOCU.jpg?format=1500w)

Here are also some screens of the latest progress!

(http://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/53d5ec5be4b0ac63b7c447fa/1406528627737/?format=1500w)

(http://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/53d5ecc0e4b0da36743b8199/1406528705868/?format=1500w)

(http://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/53db2870e4b0d5d5361050be/1406871672035/?format=1500w)


Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on August 26, 2014, 05:59:37 PM
Meet Zo! Your invincibility sidekick:

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: ViRiX Dreamcore on August 27, 2014, 10:16:18 AM
Man that looks awesome. I see you got the camera thing working too.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on August 27, 2014, 02:22:38 PM
Thanks man! Glad you like it
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on September 09, 2014, 03:03:58 AM
All the features are feeling more and more complete and now it's time to implement them throughout. The updated character and animations are coming soon and I can't wait to see what that looks like. Should feel a lot more polished. Anyhow, here are some screens of some progress from Level One:

(http://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/540e9fc6e4b0a9fac1c2042c/1410244559522/?format=1500w)
(http://static.squarespace.com/static/52a801c4e4b0b732574ccc7d/t/540ea005e4b0a9043e9e70be/1410244614226/?format=1500w)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on September 09, 2014, 10:47:09 AM
Love it, coming along nicely man.

Just as a suggestion, if you haven't already tried; You may want to try adjusting the ambient light color in "Render Settings." It's a free change performance wise, and you might be pleasantly surprised by having the shadows and overall tint no longer gray scale. In the same area you can also add fog, if used subtly it can add some moodiness to your scenes as well.

Keep it up!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on September 10, 2014, 02:31:44 AM
Hey thanks Graham! I played around with the Ambient Light and it's not really affecting the majority of the scene since most of the things are lightmapped. It's currently set to black. It does affect the dynamic objects in the scene though. How do you suggest this to be used? The fog looks to be useful though!

Also, here is a look at the new run animation:

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on September 10, 2014, 09:05:30 AM
The ambient light gets calculated into the lightmaps when you bake!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on September 12, 2014, 07:31:40 PM
The ambient light gets calculated into the lightmaps when you bake!

I'll have to play around with it then and see what it does! BTW, I've never asked you but how does your starter kit run on mobile? I know you've suggested the Visual Controls Suite. But are there any other adjustments that need to be considered?
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on September 13, 2014, 10:34:29 AM
It's runs pretty well on mobile, if you have a lot of moving platforms or other objects that use tweening, I would suggest using hotween in place of itween.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on September 13, 2014, 12:48:39 PM
It's runs pretty well on mobile, if you have a lot of moving platforms or other objects that use tweening, I would suggest using hotween in place of itween.

Sounds good! Also, I've been thinking about tweaking the camera. For the most part it works great. There are, however, some parts of the levels where adjusting the height of the camera before the player does anything would be great. I'm thinking of using trigger boxes to tell the camera to move at a specific height when the player enters them. You think a tweak like that might mess with the kit's setup too much?
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on September 14, 2014, 02:17:08 PM
Not at all, you could even hand over control to a different state machine in areas like that.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: coffeeANDsoda on September 14, 2014, 05:53:47 PM

Also, here is a look at the new run animation:


Would you say you were inspired by the pc game messiah? Plus, what program did you create the animation in?
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on September 15, 2014, 01:03:17 PM

Also, here is a look at the new run animation:



Would you say you were inspired by the pc game messiah? Plus, what program did you create the animation in?

No I was not inspired by Messiah. But I just took a look at it now and I remember seeing it from a while back! That was a sweet concept.

As for the animations, they are done in Maya.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: coffeeANDsoda on September 15, 2014, 04:23:11 PM


No I was not inspired by Messiah. But I just took a look at it now and I remember seeing it from a while back! That was a sweet concept.

As for the animations, they are done in Maya.

I thought it reminded me of that game. I have done some animation in blender because I'm making a few games using freeware programs. But it seems kind of complicated.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on September 15, 2014, 04:29:21 PM


No I was not inspired by Messiah. But I just took a look at it now and I remember seeing it from a while back! That was a sweet concept.

As for the animations, they are done in Maya.

I thought it reminded me of that game. I have done some animation in blender because I'm making a few games using freeware programs. But it seems kind of complicated.

I think everything is complicated to start but once you figure out the essence of it, it all makes sense. I'm using Maya LT by the way. 30 bucks a month! Cancelled my cable and got that.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: coffeeANDsoda on September 15, 2014, 06:17:58 PM


No I was not inspired by Messiah. But I just took a look at it now and I remember seeing it from a while back! That was a sweet concept.

As for the animations, they are done in Maya.

I thought it reminded me of that game. I have done some animation in blender because I'm making a few games using freeware programs. But it seems kind of complicated.

I think everything is complicated to start but once you figure out the essence of it, it all makes sense. I'm using Maya LT by the way. 30 bucks a month! Cancelled my cable and got that.

I see.

When it comes to dealing with 2.5d gameplay, what would you recommend for 2.5d playmaker video tutorials?
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on September 15, 2014, 06:53:59 PM
I've never really looked specifically for 2.5D tutorials for PlayMaker. I don't think there are any out there anyway!

What I've found to be the most useful at first were the tutorials regarding Triggers. I use triggers A LOT.

As for the projectile mechanic, I found this one to be useful a while back:


A lot of the resources I've used so far to build this game hasn't been specific to a 2.5D game. I've found some parts of completely unrelated types of games to be extremely useful.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on September 19, 2014, 01:22:16 PM
I've got the new animations and the new character running in the game. Only thing missing is when he shoots the fireballs, his hand will be out instead of it coming from his face!

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on September 21, 2014, 11:40:16 PM
Looking awesome dude!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 01, 2014, 01:17:49 AM
Thanks Graham! Here is an illustration a friend has done to be used as promotional art!

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/keyart01-jpg.114223/)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on October 01, 2014, 08:06:27 AM
That's beautiful! Does your friend have a deviantart or portfolio?
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 01, 2014, 01:20:47 PM
It really is! Yeah he does: http://sketchsean.blogspot.ca/
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: cloud03 on October 02, 2014, 12:25:46 AM
Lovin' the illustration, it really catches my attention :)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 06, 2014, 01:20:29 PM
Thanks! Here is the trailer I just finished putting together:

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 10, 2014, 01:08:01 AM
Also just put a presskit together!

www.defiant-child.com/presskit
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: JonathanBurroughs on October 11, 2014, 11:35:20 AM
Hey, intrikit. I think this game looks stunning. The artwork is truly beautiful. And I love the characters and the world.

However, if you can find about 1.5 hours free to watch 2 videos I think it would be *immeasurably* helpful to you.

Juice It or Lose It:
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1016487/Juice-It-or-Lose

Jan Willem Nijman - Vlambeer - "The art of screenshake"

Particularly Jan's talk, which specifically deals with a 2D platformer.

There are a couple of really simple to implement techniques you could use to immediately give your game better "gamefeel".

Specifically some lerp on the camera, so that it tracks ahead of the player movement and "catches up" with the player when they're stationary. And some minor changes to the character animation, such as a land-from-fall reaction, which would give movement so much more weight and heft. These are minor additions, and not necessarily immediately intuitive ones, but they add so much to an experience.

Just my two cents anyway!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 13, 2014, 09:38:19 PM
Thanks for the nice words and even more for the videos! I'll definitely check them out and I'm sure they're worth the time. I am actually working on improving the camera at the moment and it's definitely a priority. The landing animation would also add a lot but I'll have to have a look at that later. Totally agree with you though!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 14, 2014, 06:44:46 PM
Hey, intrikit. I think this game looks stunning. The artwork is truly beautiful. And I love the characters and the world.

However, if you can find about 1.5 hours free to watch 2 videos I think it would be *immeasurably* helpful to you.

Juice It or Lose It:
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1016487/Juice-It-or-Lose

Jan Willem Nijman - Vlambeer - "The art of screenshake"

Particularly Jan's talk, which specifically deals with a 2D platformer.

There are a couple of really simple to implement techniques you could use to immediately give your game better "gamefeel".

Specifically some lerp on the camera, so that it tracks ahead of the player movement and "catches up" with the player when they're stationary. And some minor changes to the character animation, such as a land-from-fall reaction, which would give movement so much more weight and heft. These are minor additions, and not necessarily immediately intuitive ones, but they add so much to an experience.

Just my two cents anyway!

I just checked out Jan's talk and that was gold. Gonna add some of those elements for sure. Simple things that make a huge impact and make the game more satisfying.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: cloud03 on October 14, 2014, 09:09:17 PM
Quote
Specifically some lerp on the camera, so that it tracks ahead of the player movement and "catches up" with the player when they're stationary

I have shared just the action to do that, here is the link:
http://hutonggames.com/playmakerforum/index.php?topic=5701.0
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 15, 2014, 01:45:38 AM
Quote
Specifically some lerp on the camera, so that it tracks ahead of the player movement and "catches up" with the player when they're stationary

I have shared just the action to do that, here is the link:
http://hutonggames.com/playmakerforum/index.php?topic=5701.0

Ah thanks for this! I am playing around with it right now. However, I already have it set up so that the vertical is ignored. And the camera height is determined by the altitude of the target. How do I apply this same concept with this action?
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 15, 2014, 01:45:44 AM
Quote
Specifically some lerp on the camera, so that it tracks ahead of the player movement and "catches up" with the player when they're stationary

I have shared just the action to do that, here is the link:
http://hutonggames.com/playmakerforum/index.php?topic=5701.0

Ah thanks for this! I am playing around with it right now. However, I already have it set up so that the vertical is ignored. And the camera height is determined by the altitude of the target. How do I apply this same concept with this action?
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: cloud03 on October 15, 2014, 06:38:21 AM
Hi, I've updated the action, and now it has a checkbox to ignore the vertical position of the character, please give it a try..

edit: I can't seem to attach the updated script, so I'll just post the code in here:

Code: [Select]
// (c) Copyright HutongGames, LLC 2010-2013. All rights reserved.

using UnityEngine;

namespace HutongGames.PlayMaker.Actions
{
[ActionCategory(ActionCategory.Transform)]
[Tooltip("Action for 2D Platform Camera with Dampening, based on Smooth Follow Action.")]
public class Platform2dCameraV2 : FsmStateAction
{
[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("The game object to control. E.g. The camera.")]
public FsmOwnerDefault gameObject;

[Tooltip("The GameObject to follow.")]
public FsmGameObject targetObject;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("The distance in the x-z plane to the target.")]
public FsmFloat distance;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("The height we want the camera to be above the target")]
public FsmFloat height;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("How much to dampen height movement.")]
public FsmFloat heightDamping;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("How much to horizontal offset.")]
public FsmFloat sideOffset;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("How much to dampen side movement.")]
public FsmFloat sideDamping;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("How much to dampen rotation changes.")]
public FsmFloat rotationDamping;

[Tooltip("Ignore Y position.")]
public bool ignoreHeight;

// Cache for performance
private GameObject cachedObect;
private Transform myTransform;
private Transform targetTransform;

public override void Reset()
{
gameObject = null;
targetObject = null;
distance = 10f;
height = 5f;
heightDamping = 2f;
sideOffset = 0f;
sideDamping = 2f;
rotationDamping = 0f;
ignoreHeight = false;
}

public override void OnLateUpdate()
{
if (targetObject.Value == null)
{
return;
}

var go = Fsm.GetOwnerDefaultTarget(gameObject);
if (go == null)
{
return;
}

if (cachedObect != go)
{
cachedObect = go;
myTransform = go.transform;
targetTransform = targetObject.Value.transform;
}

// Calculate the current rotation angles
var wantedRotationAngle = targetTransform.eulerAngles.y;
var wantedHeight = targetTransform.position.y + height.Value;
var wantedVel = targetTransform.position.x + sideOffset.Value;

var currentRotationAngle = myTransform.eulerAngles.y;
var currentHeight = myTransform.position.y;
var currentVel = myTransform.position.x;

// Damp the rotation around the y-axis
currentRotationAngle = Mathf.LerpAngle(currentRotationAngle, wantedRotationAngle, rotationDamping.Value * Time.deltaTime);

// Damp the height
if (ignoreHeight)
{
currentHeight = myTransform.position.y;
} else {
currentHeight = Mathf.Lerp(currentHeight, wantedHeight, heightDamping.Value * Time.deltaTime);
}

// Convert the angle into a rotation
var currentRotation = Quaternion.Euler(0, currentRotationAngle, 0);

// Set the position of the camera on the x-z plane to:
// distance meters behind the target
myTransform.position = targetTransform.position;
myTransform.position -= currentRotation * Vector3.forward * distance.Value;

currentVel = Mathf.Lerp(currentVel, wantedVel, sideDamping.Value * Time.deltaTime);

// Set the height of the camera
myTransform.position = new Vector3(currentVel, currentHeight, myTransform.position.z);

// Always look at the target
//myTransform.LookAt(targetTransform);
}

}
}

and save it as Platform2dCameraV2.cs (make sure it is the same as the public class name)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 16, 2014, 02:08:21 AM
Hi, I've updated the action, and now it has a checkbox to ignore the vertical position of the character, please give it a try..

edit: I can't seem to attach the updated script, so I'll just post the code in here:

Code: [Select]
// (c) Copyright HutongGames, LLC 2010-2013. All rights reserved.

using UnityEngine;

namespace HutongGames.PlayMaker.Actions
{
[ActionCategory(ActionCategory.Transform)]
[Tooltip("Action for 2D Platform Camera with Dampening, based on Smooth Follow Action.")]
public class Platform2dCameraV2 : FsmStateAction
{
[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("The game object to control. E.g. The camera.")]
public FsmOwnerDefault gameObject;

[Tooltip("The GameObject to follow.")]
public FsmGameObject targetObject;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("The distance in the x-z plane to the target.")]
public FsmFloat distance;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("The height we want the camera to be above the target")]
public FsmFloat height;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("How much to dampen height movement.")]
public FsmFloat heightDamping;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("How much to horizontal offset.")]
public FsmFloat sideOffset;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("How much to dampen side movement.")]
public FsmFloat sideDamping;

[RequiredField]
[Tooltip("How much to dampen rotation changes.")]
public FsmFloat rotationDamping;

[Tooltip("Ignore Y position.")]
public bool ignoreHeight;

// Cache for performance
private GameObject cachedObect;
private Transform myTransform;
private Transform targetTransform;

public override void Reset()
{
gameObject = null;
targetObject = null;
distance = 10f;
height = 5f;
heightDamping = 2f;
sideOffset = 0f;
sideDamping = 2f;
rotationDamping = 0f;
ignoreHeight = false;
}

public override void OnLateUpdate()
{
if (targetObject.Value == null)
{
return;
}

var go = Fsm.GetOwnerDefaultTarget(gameObject);
if (go == null)
{
return;
}

if (cachedObect != go)
{
cachedObect = go;
myTransform = go.transform;
targetTransform = targetObject.Value.transform;
}

// Calculate the current rotation angles
var wantedRotationAngle = targetTransform.eulerAngles.y;
var wantedHeight = targetTransform.position.y + height.Value;
var wantedVel = targetTransform.position.x + sideOffset.Value;

var currentRotationAngle = myTransform.eulerAngles.y;
var currentHeight = myTransform.position.y;
var currentVel = myTransform.position.x;

// Damp the rotation around the y-axis
currentRotationAngle = Mathf.LerpAngle(currentRotationAngle, wantedRotationAngle, rotationDamping.Value * Time.deltaTime);

// Damp the height
if (ignoreHeight)
{
currentHeight = myTransform.position.y;
} else {
currentHeight = Mathf.Lerp(currentHeight, wantedHeight, heightDamping.Value * Time.deltaTime);
}

// Convert the angle into a rotation
var currentRotation = Quaternion.Euler(0, currentRotationAngle, 0);

// Set the position of the camera on the x-z plane to:
// distance meters behind the target
myTransform.position = targetTransform.position;
myTransform.position -= currentRotation * Vector3.forward * distance.Value;

currentVel = Mathf.Lerp(currentVel, wantedVel, sideDamping.Value * Time.deltaTime);

// Set the height of the camera
myTransform.position = new Vector3(currentVel, currentHeight, myTransform.position.z);

// Always look at the target
//myTransform.LookAt(targetTransform);
}

}
}

and save it as Platform2dCameraV2.cs (make sure it is the same as the public class name)

Thanks SO MUCH. Works like a charm. This really makes the camera more dynamic and it really takes advantage of the 3D world a lot more.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: cloud03 on October 16, 2014, 10:00:08 PM
You're welcome, Glad to Help :)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 17, 2014, 04:28:44 AM
So here's a look at the updated camera as well as a few other additions:

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 21, 2014, 05:22:09 PM
So after some effort on promoting the game, Indie Game Mag has written an article about the game:

http://indiegamemag.com/help-a-boy-monk-find-himself-in-the-commercial-world-of-mara/
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 30, 2014, 02:29:21 AM
At this point, it's really just about finishing the game. There are a few mechanics that need to be developed, but the majority of what's left is finishing and polishing the levels. So here are some progress screens from Level One:

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/screen80-jpg.116983/)

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/screen82-jpg.117227/)

The earlier hard work has also been paying off in that assets are readily available for placement where needed. However, I make sure that they are placed differently in terms of height and distance to make sure that the experiences throughout the level aren't duplicated.

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on October 31, 2014, 02:23:16 PM
Hey guys,

I've just submitted the game to Steam Greenlight. Would appreciate your support!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=334319863

Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on November 02, 2014, 10:30:23 PM
Awesome! Voted.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on November 19, 2014, 01:33:30 PM
Thanks for your support!

I am working on "The Shrines" at the end of the levels which will feature a fast cycling selection of "Mandalas" that are each worth different amount of points. Each one will also trigger the start of the next level.

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/screen85-jpg.118703/)

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/screen86-jpg.118872/)
This shows the Blue Mandala
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on November 20, 2014, 02:28:56 AM
Here are all the mandalas:

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/screen87-jpg.118949/)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on December 08, 2014, 02:00:36 AM
Here are the latest updates! Finished the first level with these Mandalas:


And now moving on to finishing the second level:

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/screen91-jpg.120715/)

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/screen92-jpg.120716/)

Now, it's all about finishing the game... I've been saying it a long time but now, there are only a few things to figure out. It's all about finishing now aside from menu and UI touch ups. There is still a ways to go but that light at the end of the tunnel is appearing.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: clandestine on December 08, 2014, 02:39:49 AM
Hey guys,
I've just submitted the game to Steam Greenlight.

Voted! Good luck man!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on December 11, 2014, 03:02:00 AM
Hey guys,
I've just submitted the game to Steam Greenlight.

Voted! Good luck man!

Thanks so much!
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on January 09, 2015, 06:09:39 AM
Just put together a playable demo and a landing page specific for the game!

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/screen100-jpg.123501/)

(http://forum.unity3d.com/attachments/screen102-jpg.123502/)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: Graham on January 12, 2015, 10:07:08 PM
Awesome! Where is the landing page and demo located?
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: phannDOTde on January 19, 2015, 12:27:44 PM
Great you made great constant progress - without being picky I would like to say that I personally really liked the very first version of the character model much better when you started posting. Overall I think your game got it's own atmosphere  - thats definitely a plus :-)
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: coffeeANDsoda on January 20, 2015, 01:31:30 AM
I'd like to see a demo released outside of the steam realm. Just a thought though.
Title: Re: MARA - 2.5d platformer - WIP
Post by: intrikit on March 03, 2015, 01:22:37 PM
Thanks for the continued support guys! I haven't been updating this log but development is steady.. although as always, there's still a lot to be done! Graham, I decided not to put the landing page online as of yet. I'll wait until closer to launch! As for the demo, I will send you a link shortly!