A comment on the Fright Fight article got me thinking....

Alright, I realized a couple things as I read through the thread:

Non-combat characters are perfectly fine for the core roster. The issue lies in this question: could they defend themselves if they had to? For example, The Bird from Tiny Wings has no defense whatsoever from enemy attackers, so it wouldn't work in the core roster. However, Mikey Shorts could defend himself if he had to. Thus, Mikey Shorts would work in the core roster.

However, does that mean that The Bird would, theoretically, not show up in the game at all?

Of course not. It would be a cameo!

A cameo character would be a character who wouldn't work in the core roster, but who could still make an appearance in the game. For example, the Angry Birds would make for great thrown items, especially Bomb Bird. Heck, the cameos could also occur as part of a stage or level: The Bird could flutter/roll/slide along a Tiny Wings-themed level and knock away players it hits. It could go fast, it could go slow; point is, it would be there.

With all that in mind, I created the following lists. Again, these could be expanded on, especially the cameo characters.

Core Roster:

Barry Steakfries, from Monster Dash/Jetpack Joyride/Age of Zombies.
The Agent, from League of Evil.
The Pygmy, from Pocket God.
Nina, from Supermagical.
Hardik, from Towelfight 2: The Monocle of Destiny.
The Scythian, from Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP.
John Gore, from Minigore.
Hook Champ, from Hook Champ.
Lexi, from Mage Gauntlet.
Velocispider, from Velocispider.
The Bandit, from Beat Sneak Bandit.
The Survivor, from Zombieville USA.
Wimp, from Wimp: Who Stole My Pants?
Belle, from Project 83113.
The Spellsword, from Spellsword.
Cornelius, from Don't Run with a Plasma Sword.
The Skateboarding Chick, from Cool Pizza.
Hector, from Hector: Badge of Carnage.
Max, from Apocalypse Max.
Horn, from Horn.
Gizzard, from Escape from Age of Monsters.
The Robot, from EPOCH.
Blockman, from The Blocks Cometh.
Ayden, from Sacred Odyssey: Rise of Ayden.
Tempus Azure, from Spiral: Episode 1.
Baron, from Bike Baron.
John Slade, from Shadowgun.
Siris/Ausar, from Infinity Blade.
Jason, from Gangstar Vegas.
Enviro-Bear, from Enviro-Bear.
Serenity, from Demon's Score.
Devil Guy, from Blood Roofs.
Clive, from Gunman Clive.
Lili, from Lili.
Mikey Shorts, from Mikey Shorts.

Cameo Characters:
Angry Birds, from Angry Birds.
The Scientist, from League of Evil.
Om Nom, from Cut the Rope.
The Doodle Thing, from Doodle Jump.
Swampy, from Where's My Water?
The Duck, from Gunman Clive.
Max, from The Devil's Attorney.
The Bird, from Tiny Wings.

And, of course, the FINAL BOSS:

Siri, on a giant iPhone.

I couldn't resist, it was such a great suggestion! XD

However, there is one thing that this idea desperately needs:

STAGES.

Stages are tricky, because they need at least one of the following:

1. A unique layout
2. A central gimmick
3. Potential hazard(s)

So, the challenge is thus: What stages would fit with this game idea, and what would they be like? Discuss, folks!

And, again, WHY ISN'T GAMELOFT DOING SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH THEIR PROPERTIES?!

*broil*

Sincerely,

Mr. Album

 

So, Mooff Games, have you made a thread in the Upcoming Games section about this game you're making? If not, I'd recommend getting on that ASAP.

Separate from that, there are some things an SSB-style game has that might help the concept (in no particular order):

1. Varied Level Density.

Levels in SSB are built in a way so that there are a combination of small spaces for intimate one-on-one fights and larger spaces for longer distance sniping within the same level. The Hyrule Castle level in the first SSB is a great example of this design philosophy.

2. Personality.

Every stage must have a "functional gimmick" (a unique level hazard or level mechanic) AND an "aesthetic gimmick" (a unique art style specific to the stage), and no two stages share these gimmicks, even with stages that belong to the same "universe". For example, the Sector Z level in the first SSB is on the Great Fox from Star Fox 64, and has the minimalist, stark beauty of outer space as a backdrop. Every so often, Arwings (spaceships) fly in and try to zap the players. No other stage in the original SSB has those gimmicks.

3. Speed, precision and player reaction.

An SSB-style game is designed to be FAST (yes, capital-letters-level FAST). Controls need to be precise, and the player needs to receive near-instant feedback that what they did has happened.

4. Simple control inputs, different attack outputs.

SSB has always had a standardized set of inputs for their characters: A-button handles basic physical attacks, picks-up-and-throws items, and aerials; B-button handles special attacks; Z-button guards; R-button grabs for throws. A-and-B-button attacks can also be aimed. These are true for every character. There are no "Circle-Punch-Kick-Kick" combos to launch special attacks or abilities. HOWEVER, the same move on one character could do something different on another. For example, again with the first SSB, Samus's up-power-attack does a couple seconds of moderate damage to enemies above her, while Donkey Kong's up-power-attack is one massive-damage clap. Same button input, different output.

I think that a decent control scheme would be: tap-to-move left or right, tap-character-to-pick-up-item, double-tap-enemy-character-to-grab and 1-finger-swipe-to-throw, double-tap-to-dash, 1-finger-swipe for basic attacks/jump/aerials/throwing-items, 2-finger-swipe for power attacks, and 3-finger swipe for specials.

Benefits of this:
A.) Simple and intuitive to understand
B.) Attacks can be aimed (VERY IMPORTANT)
C.) Can be quick to perform
D.) NO VIRTUAL BUTTON CLUTTER

Drawbacks of this:
A.) Exhausted fingers (SO. MUCH. SWIPING.)
B.) Hard to do with fingernails
C.) Must be able to distinguish fingers for swipes (program must not confuse the 2-finger and 3-finger swipes, and must aim such swipes precisely)
D.) Probably works better on iPad.

5. Every match is a bonkers king-of-the-hill game in spirit.

What matters in SSB is not whittling your opponent's health to zero; it is a.) avoiding damage, b.) dealing damage when able, and c.) surviving to the end. This is why the only way to die in SSB is to fall off/get punted off the stage. Thus, character balance must also factor in knockback distance for various attacks.

6. Chaos is your friend.

Do not shy away from the hyperbolic. Big, flashy stages with multiple rooms/elements are a staple of later SSB games, and make for an awesome spectacle. Plus, do not be afraid to include overpowered items, as long as they are RARE. The Hammer in SSB is extremely broken, but does not drop often, while Poke balls are a crapshoot, but drop frequently. Go nuts with item variety!

7. Let players tweak multiplayer OUT THE WAZOO.

Let players turn on/off individual items. Enable team battle/free-for-all/timed modes. Let players modify gravity (to a point). Give players the power to create Special Matches with unique initial conditions (Super-jump/Fire-breath/Heavy-Metal/Super-Speed/300%-Damage-Increase/Tiny-Toony/etc....), and let players modify these conditions to their hearts' content.

8. Put the focus on multiplayer over single player.

SSB thrives, pulsates and mutates into something awe-inspiring with multiplayer. If however multiplayer works breaks/doesn't work, then the game will wither and die. At the extreme least, allow for WiFi/Bluetooth multiplayer in case online multiplayer ever goes down.

9. Show as much of the level as possible with the camera.

The camera will zoom out in SSB if players run away from each other, so that players can still see each other to an extent.




Aaaanyway, those are my thoughts on the matter. Hopefully you can use them.

Sincerely,

Mr. Album