The Orb Collector Update (Part 3)

The game is very close to completion. All 25 levels have been created, the gameplay mechanics are complete and all of the sprites are satisfactory. I'm still missing the audio, but this is something I want to plan, when the other elements of the game are 100% complete. A work colleague has offered me his services and after listening to his audio portfolio, I am more than happy for him to design the music and sound effects.

The only remaining tasks are:

• Adjusting the passwords (they are very predictable at the moment)
• Pre-loader
• Edit/ input text before each level
• Implement the audio
• Implement the mute button
• Add a pause feature
• Trim down the project in size
• Beta testing stage

My desk during the creation of the art.

As promised I’m going to upload the images that were going to be used for the game’s introduction. These images will be used for the introduction, to explain the gameplay, but if they drastically increase the size, they'll have to be scrapped from the project. I want to keep this game's size below 10 Megabytes, so the project can be uploaded to most of the Flash websites. I have found out that Newgrounds.com allows Flash projects under 10Meg and Kongregate.com allows projects under 20Meg. So far The Orb Collector is around 4Meg, so hopefully the audio doesn't increase the size too much.

Here are the images:

The Orb Collector (Image 1)

The Orb Collector (Image 2)

The Orb Collector (Image 3)

The Orb Collector (Image 4)

The Orb Collector (Image 5)

The Orb Collector (Image 6)

The Orb Collector (Image 7)

The Orb Collector (Image 8)

Thanks for reading this post and hopefully the next will include a link to the game.

The Orb Collector Update (Part 2)

The fun has stopped, I have recovered from the chocolate overload and I’m back in work mode. I’m more than happy with the progress of this project. A target of 25 levels has been set and I have created 10. After creating five levels I was a bit worried that the game would become boring, due to the lack of new features or challenges to keep the player interested. To overcome this I have split the 25 levels into 5 different areas and each area has a different colour set.

• Area 1 – Black and Grey
• Area 2 – Blue and Black
• Area 3 – Purple and Black
• Area 4 – Green and Black
• Area 5 – Red and Black

Each of the five areas will have unique challenges for the player to overcome. This will hopefully keep the player’s attention, so they will keep coming back for more. Some of these features include:

Enemies that move incredibly fast, but if the player shoots them, they will freeze in position. The enemies will still be dangerous in the frozen state, so the player will have to freeze the enemies in specific places for them to progress through the game.

There will also be a lava chase level, this has been done many times before, but I think it will fit in well with this game.

During Area 4, there will be a poisonous gas on the lower half of the level and if the user falls into it they will have to keep rising to the top to refill their air gauge.

A new screenshot of the game (Fig 1)

Audio

A key element that is missing from this project is audio, which is underrated in games. Getting the mood right will be essential when immersing the player and a good sound track will help this. Even though it’s a side scrolling platform game, I want the audio to be eerie and mysterious.

This title also needs sound effects for the following:

• Shooting
• Dying
• Killing the enemies
• Button presses
• Jumping

Intro and Ending

For a game that only spans over 25 levels, is it necessary to have a story? Even though this project is small I believe it is. There is a very basic storyline, which gives the game some meaning. I have created some stills for an introduction/ ending, but it will be decided closer to the end if they’ll be implemented in final game. Either way I will post the stills here for everyone to see.

New Project (The Orb Collector)

The last few months have been incredibly busy. I have designed a new website for myself (Anthony-Rowe.com), work has been hectic and I have been trying to catch up with my gaming. But now things have calmed down I want to work on my own projects in my spare time.

During the past two months I have thought of three solid gaming ideas that I want work on, but deciding which to work on first was the toughest task. In the end I decided to work on a game called ‘The Orb Collector’. This is a one player, platform game, which will be created in Flash.

Basic Storyline

A researcher named 'Zimmer' has been issued a dangerous task, on an earth ravaged by chemical warfare. Human existence is in decline due to the high amounts of poison in the air. Zimmer must search for surviving plantation that can be used to purify the earth’s air.

A spaceship named 'The RoX9' drops Zimmer into high risk environments, where time is of an essence. He has to locate the specimen, collect it and then make his way to the ship. This sounds like an easy task, but in his way are clusters of poisonous orbs and dangerous creatures.

There are three kinds of orbs, which are three different colours; Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. Zimmer must try to avoid these orbs, as once touched they will infect and absorb into him. If untreated, Zimmer will die, but he can neutralise this poison. To do this Zimmer must keep his poison levels equal. If the poison levels are not equal, Zimmer will be denied access to the ship and if Zimmer absorbs too much of one orb, he will die.

Also, there are three types of infected. These creatures are infected with one of the three orbs, if they hit Zimmer, he will be infected with 3X the amount of that poison. The user will be able to tell what type of poison the creatures are infected with by the colour of their eyes.

Types Of Infected

Wall Hanger – This creature hangs off walls and tries to swing into the player.

Zombie – This creature is brainless, but walks incredibly fast and jumps at the player. If this creature touches Zimmer, he will get infected.

Spider – The spider has long legs, if they touch the player, they will be infected. This creature will try to swipe at the user.

Concept Art

Title Screen (Fig 1)

Game Layout (Fig 2)

Game Layout (Fig 3)