Tri-Fight: 2D fighter ideas

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by cubytes, Sep 14, 2010.

  1. cubytes

    cubytes Well-Known Member

    Aug 25, 2009
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    #1 cubytes, Sep 14, 2010
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2010
    Tri-Fight (working title)

    synopsis:

    Tri-Fight is about taking a fast paced gesture based (more details below) 2D fighter and incorporating some gameplay elements of Rock/Paper/Scissors on top to add a bit of depth. The idea is to simplify the controls substantially but play off of the weaknesses and advantages between 3 classes/forms for depth and fast paced/strategical combat (or more like luck). The 3 forms can be changed on the fly in a match between 2 players. however once you change you're locked into that form for X amount of secs.

    Tri-Fight will have 3 forms:
    -a rubber man
    -a rock man
    -a paper man

    Rubber Man:
    -weak against paper
    -strong against rock

    Paper Man:
    -weak against rock
    -strong against rubber

    Rock Man:
    -strong against paper
    -weak against rubber

    In addition to the inherent advantage/disadvantage balance each form will have unique innate abilities, attributes and last but not least each form is controlled slightly different.

    Gameplay/Control details:

    Rubber:
    -bouncy ball (pinch in)
    -rumble skill: pinch out to stretch character release to unleash a deadly rumble skill
    -slow attacks: you have to pull (which stretches character) then release
    -so to attack from left to right you slide your thumb or finder from right to left to apply tension thus stretching the character then lift thumb off screen to launch attack
    -jump: tap anywhere on screen to jump
    -first thumb or finger to touch the screen controls movement (no VJ needed)

    Paper:
    -float: pinch out to float (pinch out again to float higher and higher but you can only do it two to 3 times before gravity takes over)
    -fast attacks: flicks anywhere on screen attack
    -paper ball: pinch in to roll into a paper ball
    -rumble skill: paper cut slicer; you float first by pinching out then flick left or right or up and down to to slice thru the air and opponents
    -jump: tap anywhere on screen to jump
    -first thumb or finger to touch the screen controls movement (no VJ needed)

    Rock:
    -slow
    -pinch in to roll up into a rock/boulder (moves much faster then walking)
    -pinch out (when in human form) to turn into a big huge square shaped block
    -the rocks rumble skill is to jump and smash opponents by turning into a block
    -rock attacks just like paper using flicks, but the attacks are much slower
    -jump: tap anywhere on screen to jump
    -first thumb or finger to touch the screen controls movement (no VJ needed)

    on the top of the screen:
    -there will be a bar with 3 icons
    -1 a piece of paper
    -2 a rubber band
    -3 a rock
    -it will be on the top of the screen right under where it shows gamer callsigns thumbnails of each player and HP levels of both players. and a timer/match number in the middle.
    -just tap to change form but once you change your locked into that form for X amount of secs

    weakness/advantages:
    -i would balance them to where they are apparent but not overpowered (like immunity status)
    -so that even if you're stuck as paper up against a rock for X amount of secs if you are very skilled player you can still do some damage

    graphics:
    -dont have to be all that special actually a doodle would work too
    -however if possible i would give this a plush cell shaded vibrant color

    animation/sfx:
    -animation should be more silly then realistic but they need to be solid
    -sound fx and a soundtrack are absolutely essential

    engine:
    -good physics and hit detection
    -fast framerate
    -multi player
    -VERY IMPORTANT: that the engine be built properly so the controls are perf, the combat feels fast pace and the scale is dialed in just right; not to close but not too far.
    -the graphics are not nearly as important as the engine in this product like i said above they can be doodle for all i care

    additional thoughts
    -its very simple
    -leverages gestures so it will feel more natural
     
  2. cubytes

    cubytes Well-Known Member

    Aug 25, 2009
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    forgot to explain the ball:
    -pinch in transforms character into a ball of whatever form they are in
    -this is essentially a block but you can roll around in this form too
    -rubber man can turn into a bouncy ball and multiple jumps in ball form may have him bouncing around the map until the inertia dissipates
    -rock man moves slow when walking turning into a ball allows you to move faster
    -paper man can turn into a paper ball
    -when your in ball form your defense raises but you can't attack

    additional thoughts for paper man:
    -can maybe transorm into a paper plane, or origami figures when you pinch out instead of float which was kinda lame and will be done by jumping anyways
    -each form can be randomized and have different attacks
     
  3. cubytes

    cubytes Well-Known Member

    Aug 25, 2009
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    sorry to bump up an old thread but i have some new thoughts i would like to share:

    1: the original control scheme is flawed. i will post some details below, about a new practical design i just came up with.

    2. i will list out the modes and other details

    3. additional design details...
     
  4. cubytes

    cubytes Well-Known Member

    Aug 25, 2009
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    Number ONE: new control ideas

    movement/direction orientation:

    -movement will be done with a floating/static Virtual Joystick aka VJ
    -direction orientation (more details below); will also be inputed with the same VJ
    - a floating/static VJ: will not be a constant graphic on screen, and instead only appear when you hold a thumb on the screen (weather it be right or left)
    -once a thumb (or finger) touches and stays held on the screen a circle will fade in around it; that circle is the VJ
    -once the VJ appears on the screen it is static, meaning it will not move around. the only part that moves is the circle inside the circle the VJ part if you will
    -it will fade away when you lift thumb off the screen and will fade in where ever thumb returns
    -direction orientation: not just left or right but also attack direction and block
    -which is to say it works similar to all street fighter games sans the jump
    -so if you want to block you tilt VJ down and away from enemy
    -if you want to sweep you tilt VJ down and toward enemy
    -and finally if you want to do an uppercut (anti-air) attacks you tilt VJ up and towards enemy

    attacking & jumping:
    -attacks will all be mapped to a single big finger friendly button
    -to attack you just tap
    -this button will also recognizes double taps
    -would need to test in order to find out if double taps should be considered a tap and thus a regular attack or a separate kind of attack altogether
    -this attack button is semi static
    -meaning you can move the actual button to a certain extent
    -you can drag the button left or right; pulling it away from its set position, lift thumb off screen and the button will snap back into its position like its tied to that position with an invisible bungee cord
    -this move button by dragging and thus stretching and then a timely release action can be considered as an input such as a technical attack or special form attack
    -possible special attacks: rubber will simply strech his arms and attack with much greater rand buts its more like a projectile attack. rock may break a piece off rock of himself and throw it. paper may turn into a paper plane and collide into the enemy.
    -also you can play of off the elemental advantage and disadvantage, as in special attacks do little if any damage if you try to attack with the elemental weakness, but do decent damage if you have the elemental advatage or same elemental property as opponent
    -aiming this special attack is not done via VJ attack orientation but rather the buttons trajectory
    -in addition to dragging the attack button, you can also "bounce it" and "crush it"
    -flicks up (to "bounce" the button up) will be considered an input and that is how you will jump; since auto jumping via VJ will nullify anti air attack orientation
    -flick down to slightly "crush" the button in on itself as if it was a rubber can also be considered an input. i want to use this crush input for changing into a "ball"
    -changing into a ball is a one off action. meaning its not locked into place and thus must be released. its just a single action carried out via an animation
    -the "ball" is important to add depth to the simplified combat and will need extensive testing and configuration to dial in just what effect being in a ball will have
    -off the top of my head the effect is; rolling into a ball can be an easy way to quickly cross your opponent. the only way to stop the ball is to hit it with a low attack
    -other ideas; rolling into a ball might be able to interrupt combos or if timed right a secondary parry/block that may bounce attacks off of it if cetain attributes apply (like having the elemental advantage, higher HP ect) giving you a brief opening to counter attack

    *these controls are still innovative by leveraging gestures but most importantly they would be more practical.. i think
     
  5. cubytes

    cubytes Well-Known Member

    Aug 25, 2009
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    Number Two: modes and additional thoughts

    modes:
    -dojo
    -arena
    -tournament

    dojo:
    -dojo is a mix between a tutorial, a practice mode, and a customization mode with applied social features
    -when you first load up the games the other two modes options in the main menu will be greyed out
    -on first load the dojo will run a tutorial (which will be skipped)
    -after that the dojo is both like a profile, and watered down social networking features and a practice mode
    -profile; gamers will have a username, a thumbnail (either uploaded photo or game provided grpahics; which will be unlocked as you level up) a tittle (which is earned by wining matches) and a clan-sign (which is customizable similar to halos emblems or whatever)
    -also you will be able to see friends (if any have been set up via the social layer) a history of fights (fight log) clan invites (more on that later) pro tournament invites, and last but not least challenge requests
    -also would like to note that all of these social features can provide potential "alert opportunities" via a pop up or a badge to try and drive traffic back to the game leveraging the community to do so
    -the idea of clans is that it serves 2 purposes: 1) it is the "friending concept, and 2) it is a group/activity feed concept
    -which is to say gamers will be able to create, join, and send invites to clans; joining a clan is like automatically friending or rather following everyone already in the clan and this clan is also a group/activity feed
    -regarding group functionality; its not a group in the traditional sense instead its more of an activity feed such as twitter
    -gamers can post comment to this feed (both broad/generic/status-updates and specific @replies) that are viewable to everyone or private comments that are only viewable to a specific recipient or a group of recipients
    -the clan leader gets more exposure by having a special graphic around their comments, and maybe a quick and easy filter to show either only clan leader comments, or show all comments
    -there can be both public and private clans
    -public; anyone can join/invite. private; only clan leader (or members who have been giving privs) can invite gamers to the clan.
    -clan leader can kick members, and give members pro clan status (if private clan) giving them the privs to invite other gamers to the clan

    arena:
    -are friendly matches for fun
    -you do not gain any experience points in arena matches nor do you lose any
    -matches are lobby driven (theres 2) you join the lobby matched up with an opponent and fight
    -the first lobby type is an everyone lobby, the second is a clan lobby
    -matching will automatically try to match you up with same skill/tittle level players and gradually broaden the search if no matches are found
    -the clan lobby is like a double opt-in lobby; meaning it will only match up players who are 1) in the same clan and 2) both joined the clan lobby
    -after the fight (weather you lose or win) you can request a rematch
    -also after each fight you can leave a message like "good match dude" or "hahaha you suck" ect

    tournament:
    -there are two types of tournaments; 1) open 2) pro
    -open tournaments are same as area except experience points are given & deducted
    -if you win a match you earn experience points; if you lose a match experience points will be deducted; amount depends on difference (or similarity) of skill/tittle
    -there will also be both everyone and clan lobbies for the open tournaments
    -pro is different in that it's a user created lobby and invite only
    -also if gamer is 18 and above (confirmed via itunes) you may be able to place bets against your opponent (not other matches but your own match)

    * represents additional details that are relevant

    *fight log:
    -each battle will be logged (you can clear this log of course)
    -in this log you will see; who won and who lost, the username of your opponent in that fight
    -after each fight you can leave a msg too and reviewing your fight log is how you will be able to read these messages
    -you can also filter the log to show just messages, and overall history
    -last but not least you can view profile from gamer who you fought in the past and from there you can issue a challenge, invite to clan, block
    -public fight log? where you can view a players fight log (including msgs) by viewing their profile and checking out their fight log

    *challenges;
    -kinda like belated rematch requests ;)
    -of course you can initiate a challenge at the end of each fight
    -but you can also initiate a challenge via fight log and profile

    *private mode:
    -there will be a "private mode" which basically is a double opt in isolated social grid to just real friends for those who are concerned about privacy/parental settings
    -if one user has private mode "on" (it can be turned off too) but if on the following conditions will apply; not visible to anyone but friends confirmed thru social layer, will not be matched up with any but friends, can not join any clans
    -if friend turns private mode "off" the following conditions will apply to those who still have it on; they will simply disappear from the isolated social grid, they will no longer be able to interact with friends (fight, challenge, ect) who are still in private mode. all of the interactions created/logged when in private status between the two users will not be viewable to anyone else if private is still on for a single party. if both parties have private mode off those interactions will appear to the world at large (only the on ones will not appear)
     
  6. cubytes

    cubytes Well-Known Member

    Aug 25, 2009
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    Number Three

    design details:
    -each form doesnt have to be an archetype
    -paper: think like an outline of a human was cut out and then the eyes, nose mouth and clothes were all doodle on top of it; almost stick figure status but with a little more detail
    -rubber: think rubber ball that was casted into a human form (instead of a ball) then brought to life which is to say use textures (patterns/colors) that wouldn't be out of place on a rubber ball bought from a quarter machine; no facial features or anything
    -rock: think rock golem...

    the graphics:

    i think a vibrant cartoonish cell shaded style would be best

    of course it probably can be pulled off doodle style too, in which a name/brand like "Doodle Fighter" could be derived and make sense

    scale/perspective:
    -crucial to dial this in just right
    -maybe deliberate dial it in to give the vibe that the characters are actually mini sized... but not too small
    -i originally designed this to be a strict 2D fighter with an interesting dynamic (change form on the fly, exploit form advantage/disadvatage for strategy ect)
    -but if you want to get creative you can throw away a strict adherence to a traditional 2D fighter and go the smash bros route too; think of the interesting dual dynamics for team deathmatch like rubber rock launcher or paper cutter or a powerup that transforms you into an omni paper, rock rubber super form ect

    gameplay;
    -instead of having a cool down to swap between forms...
    -im thinking of having it limited per round by instance
    -default being 3 changes per round
    - but with additional settings gamers can up it 6 and the total of 8
    -i dont think infinite form changes would add much value to the experience in fact changing forms would be pointless if infinite...
    -the other crucial aspect is the engine, it needs to be fast paced even if you have to exclude pre 3Gs idevices
    -since the controls are extremely simplified a faster paced engine shouldnt effect gameplay

    if feeling creative you can expand on the linear motion battle system pioneered by the tales series. in which there would be several different attack sequences/animations depending on the following conditions: direction orientation (or lack thereof) in air or not in air, ect
    -if fast paced all of these different kinds of attack sequences/animations could be extended out a bit further (if applicable) and made more fluid when switching from one to the other possibly enough so that there could still be a whole plethora of combos with just 1 single attack button
     
  7. olliewollie

    olliewollie Well-Known Member

    Sep 10, 2010
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    Student
    Australia
    Shouldn't it be like this?

    Rubber Man:
    -Strong against paper
    -Weak against rock

    Paper Man:
    -Strong against rock
    -Weak against rubber

    Rock Man:
    -Weak against paper
    -Strong against rubber
     
  8. cubytes

    cubytes Well-Known Member

    Aug 25, 2009
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    ahh tru that!! maybe it might be best to stick to the classic set up? switching out scissors for rubber?
     
  9. cubytes

    cubytes Well-Known Member

    Aug 25, 2009
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    on a side note....

    attack button revision:
    -the attack button will just bounce, no crush
    -it wont be hugging the bottom of the interface anyways, there will actually be some space between the bottom of the button and the absolute bottom of the screen
    -enough to where you can bounce it down

    so basically:
    -flick up jumps (to bounce button up) will control jumping
    -flicks down (to bounce the button downwards) will turn character into a ball

    there's also 2 other actions that can be included:
    -ball jump; flick down to turn into a ball, then flick up to jump while in ball form
    -air-ball; flick up to jump, then flick down to turn into a ball when in air
     
  10. cubytes

    cubytes Well-Known Member

    Aug 25, 2009
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    additional inputs (not that it *needs* any) could be:
    -rotate thumb around edge of attack button; it doesn't matter if you dont make a perfect circle or rotate slightly outside the diameter of the attack button
    -basically you cache the starting point and direction of the drag goes; then when the direction changes or flips and returns to the starting location (or a proximity threshold aka close enough) that can be considered an input
    -this trace circle gesture could be used for a spin attack maybe...
    -if attack button is dragged towards enemy (instead of opposite for projectile aim/fire) that could be considered a completely different action such as "throw" perhaps (more details below)
    -keep in mind this is a touch screen so the follow inputs would be possible; tapping and holding on enemy or character, draw a line from character to enemy, or enemy to character

    Throw:
    -when in range (a regular attack would connect) drag attack button towards enemy (this starts the grab animation) when enemy is grabstate you can throw them by flicking the attack button in the direction you want to throw enemy
    -on the flipside if attack button is dragged opposite of enemy position (away from enemy) this will start the long range attack animation instead

    long range attacks:
    -i have briefly considered them and come to the conclusion that they would add value
    -rock will break a piece of rock off of himself and throw it
    -rubber will strech his arms opposite of enemy then launch them at enemy (similar to Lufffy's bazzoka attack from the One Piece anime series)
    -paper transforms into a paper plane then flys at enemies
    -the long range attack action requires that you stretch the attack button to its maximum distance away from its set position (this will also be indicated visual by both character animation and the button itself may have some sort of indication) then release the button to initiate the attack
    -rubber and rock will launch their attacks without losing their position; meaning after the projectile connects they will still be right where they were when they launched the attack
    -paper on the other hand is a little more risky; because the paper turns into a paper plane and collides with enemy. after it connects the paper will lose its ground and turn back into a paper man right next to the enemy
    -however paper could possibly use the long range attack for defense to fly away from enemies (this action will be nullified if throw is included since dragging attack button away from enemy will be considered a separate action)
     

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