Battery Man Preview!

Community Forums/Showcase/Battery Man Preview!

WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#1]
;Update!
The demo has been delayed slightly, due to an unexpected error.
Luckily, I believe I know what this error is, and how to fix it.
So Hopefully, the demo will available for download tommorow.
Sorry its taking so long, and thanks for your patience.

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Glitches)
;

Hey everyone,

I thought it was about time that I did another game preview.

Following is the story for the game, and screen shots will follow
shortly.







The Story comics that you see here, were drawn by my little sister
Lily. So major thanks to her, for the comics, and the creation of the
Doctor Campells Character.(Shes only 13 by the way, making this
even more impressive)

Big Brother Andrew(Lord Of Batterys)


Ked(Posted 2008) [#2]
What kind of game is this?!


jhans0n(Posted 2008) [#3]
Sounds interesting, if a bit Mega Man-ish. You should use your sister's drawings in the game itself. Hand-drawn graphics are cool.


Cp(Posted 2008) [#4]
interesting...I'll be waiting for more details.Maybe you could start a worklog?
Y'know, I bet this is like Megaman.Sounds cool.
Wait a sec! Does Dr. Progresso like soup so much that he changes his name?!?
And campbells?!? is this a soup eat soup world or somethin??


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#5]
Lol,
Their names are based on the soup companys, and Battery Man is
made out of soup cans as well.

And I am using some of my sisters drawings in game,(because her
cartooning skills are quite good.)

Also this is not like Mega Man, I will post some actual screen shots
tommorow, and describe the game play too.

And starting a Work Log sounds cool, good idea Cp.

The Almighty Slime(A very prevalent enemy in the game)



;Title Screen


Yahfree(Posted 2008) [#6]
The battery is way lower resolution than the lightening/words... (some critique)


jhans0n(Posted 2008) [#7]
If he's made out of soup cans, why isn't he called Soup Man?


xlsior(Posted 2008) [#8]
Now hope that Progresso doesn't sue yuou for being portrayed as the evil ones...


sswift(Posted 2008) [#9]
SOUP MAN?!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RpP_BKPa5Oc


jhans0n(Posted 2008) [#10]
Yeah, Soup Man. I mean, think about it. If you were some sort of crazy soup scientist, and you built a robot out of soup cans, what would you name it? I'd go with Soup Man, Can Man, Souper Robot, or maybe even Minestronebot, but I would think that Battery Man would be kind of low on my list.

On the other hand, if I happened to be an EVIL crazy soup scientist, I don't think I'd be running around with slimes. I'd probably call them Condensed Evil. I'd also build myself an evil robot and call him the Can Opener.


Sauer(Posted 2008) [#11]
Thats funny stuff :)


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#12]
Lol, I'll post some screen shots soon.
Probably around 12:00, or 2:00

Thanks for the critique, because I totally agree with you that the
Battery Is lower resolution.

And I love! condensed evil, so funny.
And also he's called Battery Man because he runs on Batterys,
that is a key part of the game.(You'll see why later)

Also the soup names are hilarious.

I'm glad you guys are really getting into this.

The Mighty Battery(A very important Item in the game)


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#13]
Update!

I know that you have all been waiting for some screenshots,
so here they are!
Along with a brief description of the gameplay.

Battery Man is played from an overhead perspective, and Batterys,
are a very important part of the game play.
Since Battery Man runs on Batterys, He is constantly in need of more.

As you play the game, his Battery Power continually drains, and as it
drains, your view of the screen gets smaller. So when your at full Battery
Power you can see the entire screen, but when your Battery Power is
low, you can barely see any of it.
Your Battery Power is also your health meter.
As you get damaged by enemys, your power will drain.
If your Battery Power ever reaches 0, and an enemy touches you, you
will lose a life.

The're lots of Batterys scatterd throughout the game to replenish your
supply. Along with other pickups such as extra lives, and shields.

Below are 6 Screen Shots, and a close up image of Battery Man.
Hope you enjoy, and a playable Demo will be available shortly.


Level 1, full Battery Power.


Level 1, Less Battery Power.


Level 1, Almost no Battery Power.


Level 1, No Battery Power.


Boss of Level 1, Slime Swarm.


Maze Level, you have to push the walls to plug up all the holes in the
maze so none of the sparkys escape.

And the man himself, Battery Man!



Yahfree(Posted 2008) [#14]
Interesting.... Well I think the prespective is wrong for one.. If it's overhead, you would see the top of the slime, and the top of the batteries...

Anyways, keep going, looking good!


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#15]
Thanks,
You have a point about the perspective, but thats not really something
I want to change.

Most old school games for the nintendo and super nintendo did the
same thing. They didn't worry too much about perfect perspective, just
making a great game.

I will have a playable demo for you guys to check out available for download
soon.

Thanks for your interest,

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Darkness)


jhans0n(Posted 2008) [#16]
Looking good! I love old school games. Having the field of vision change based on the player's "charge" is an interesting mechanic. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out.


Damien Sturdy(Posted 2008) [#17]
Interesting!

by the way- you *wouldnt* see the batteries "from above"- because they fall on their side haha.


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#18]
Lol, I'm so glad that everyone likes what they see so far.

I'm working on a playable demo of the game, and it will be done
tomorrow, or the day after.

It will be the first level in the game, plus the first boss.

Hope everyone enjoys it,

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Darkness)


Who was John Galt?(Posted 2008) [#19]
LOL, I like it!!

You need to keep everything the same perspective, otherwise it looks weird. The easiest fix would be to change the main guy from overhead to side perspective.


Algo(Posted 2008) [#20]
Like the comic, reminds me of white ninja.

Where did the main character sprite come from?


GaryV(Posted 2008) [#21]
Good job, Walnut! Very retro! I love the idea that the viewport shrinks as the batteries run down.


sswift(Posted 2008) [#22]
Battery Man, Battery Man, doin' the things a battery can! What's he like? It's not important! Battery Man!


GaryV(Posted 2008) [#23]
For an Easter egg, you could have Battery Man battle the Energizer Bunny.


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#24]
Duffer; I love the Energizer Bunny Idea.Lol!

John Galt; Good idea, I was thinking the same thing actually.

Algo; The main character sprite is based on a royalty free Zombie
image that I was using as a place holder for a while until I came up
with an actual image for Battery Man.
I just got so use to his animation that I couldn't stand to let it change.
So I just changed the colors and head on the Zombie image, and you
now know the truth. Battery Man is at heart, a flesh eating Zombie.

sswift; LOL


And, as I said in my last post, A demo will soon be available so you can
see the game in action.

Glad you all like the concept of the game, and the screenshots so far,

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Darkness)




Baystep Productions(Posted 2008) [#25]
Awesome project andrew. Whoops, I mean werdna. lol

Awesome concept and it's cool that you work with your little siblings.


Algo(Posted 2008) [#26]
Looks like it's from a game I made about 10 years ago. I don't mind anyone using it, just surprised to see it!

Keep up the good work.


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#27]
Lol, I didn't know I stole your idea.

The Demo is almost ready also.
I need a little bit of terrain for level 1, one more Doctor Campells Comic
to explain what your doing in level 1, and 2 more Music Tracks.1 for the
title screen, and 1 for the opening story.
As soon as those are done, the demo will be ready for download.

(My sister is doing the music too by the way. Shes plays the guitar, and
violin. I certainly hope you like it!)

WALNUT(The Lord Of Nuts)


JustLuke(Posted 2008) [#28]
My eyes are bleeding, but good luck with this.


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#29]
?

Do you mean that you don't like the visuals?

If so, tell me what I should change.


And also the Demo is almost ready.
All of the music is done, along with the comics.
The only thing thats missing now, is some appropiate terrain for level1.

If its not ready for download today, it will be ready by tommorow for sure.

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Darkness)


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#30]
AT LAST!!!

The demo is finally here!

Sorry it took so long, but the demo is finally ready to download.

File size is 10.8 MB, and a basic instruction manual is found at the
bottom of the folder.

I'll list the controls for the game anyways,

ESC exits the game.

Arrow Keys Move you right left up and down.

P Pauses the game.

Space Bar Drops Flags, and skips through comics.

A activates your weapon.

G cancels your weapon.


This demo contains the first level of the game, plus the boss.

You can download it at http://hosted.filefront.com/werdnaworld

if you have any questions please feel free to post them, or E-Mail me
at WERDNAS.WORLD@...

Also please tell me what you think of the music. It was done by my
sister on her guitar.

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Darkness)


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#31]
Although Battery Man has been downloaded 7 times now according to
filefront, no one has posted what they think.

And I really would like to know what you guys think of it before I continue
working on it.

So could someone please post what they think of gameplay, graphics,
and overall presentation?

Thanks,

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Darkness)


Cp(Posted 2008) [#32]
Suggestion:Even when your field of vision is smaller, still display the lives and battery power
Next Suggestion:Game over screen displayed for a shorter period of time.I thought my comp had froze. LOL
One mor suggestion:Enemies a little slower.
Last Suggestion: A title screen would be nice. :)
Gameplay:A little hard
Graphics:Fix slimes perspective
Overall:2/5 *s
I think you should add more features.


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#33]
Thanks Cp!
A review like that is exactly what I wanted.

In the next Demo I will include the following.

Lives and Battery Power will still be displayed, even when the screen
gets smaller.

LOl, I'll fix the game over screen.

I'll slow the enemys(That can be done really easily)

I'll add a proper TitleScreen(I'll likely have my sister draw it)

To make the game easier I might give you more maximum Battery Power.

I will fix Battery Mans Perspective So it's a side view of him like the image
included one of my first posts.Then his perspective will coordinate with
that of the slimes, and everything else.

And I will try to add some more features, and will include the next few
levels of the game.(Which are quite different from level 1)

Thanks again for your review,

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Darkness)


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#34]
Sorry it's taking so long for the next demo to come out.

I just got a new computer and have been REALLY, busy setting it up.

So I haven't been able to get much work done lately on any of my
games.

But fear not! the next demo will be available shortly.
I have already fixed most of the problems.

1 The slimes have been slowed down.

2 Lives and Battery Power are still displayed when the screen shrinks.

3 The Game Over Screen is displayed for a much shorter length of time.

4 I asked my sister to draw a title screen.

5 Gameplay has been made easier by giving you more Batter Power.

6 Battery Mans Perspective has finally been fixed.

7 I have added more features.(A drivable vehicle to help him move faster
that runs on fuel which you have to collect. Some trees for scenery.
A new kind of weapon. And I'm going to add another kind of enemy.)

And Levels 3 and 4 will be available in the demo as well.

I shall post some screen shots soon, thanks for your interest in my
game.

The Mightier WERDNA(Mightier because his new computer actually has
a proper Video Card.Not to mention 2 GB of RAM, compared to the old
256 MB Of RAM.)


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#35]
Ok. here's the new Battery Man Image from all 4 sides.


From The Front,


From The Back,


From The Left


From The Right


I know these aren't the best graphics out there, but keep in mind that
for me these are pretty good. So if you think I should improve them,
I will certainly try to but don't expect too much.

I look forward to hearing what you think,

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Darkness)


Ked(Posted 2008) [#36]
On the side images, you need a copy of the middle frame at the end of the strips.


KillerX(Posted 2008) [#37]
Try shading the parts closer to the camera lighter,


Ginger Tea(Posted 2008) [#38]
On the side images, you need a copy of the middle frame at the end of the strips.


not for the image strip you dont
when calling the frames as a walk it would just be 0 1 2 1 0 1 2 etc
per haps a mid frame for the front and back though

also his arm is up high on the front / back but not so on the side views ... but thats just asthetics


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#39]
Ok, thanks guys.

I will try some shading, although I'm not very good at it.
And work continues on the demo as well.

1 At the start of level 1, everything is just randomly placed around the
field. The problem with this is that things could overlap one another
so you might have several keys and other items placed over Doctor
Progressos castle which just looks sloppy. I have fixed this, so items
will NOT overlap each other.
(EDIT; LOL, i just noticed that in the screenshot the Speed Up is
overlapping the top of the tree. So much for not overlapping each other)
2 I am considering getting rid of the Speed Power Up. It seems pointless
and unneccasary.

3 As previously stated, I have added Trees! which add some nice
scenery and work as walls.




Also a quick description of things to come,

After you defeat the first boss you will then be in Doctor Progressos
castle. In the castle are 5 doors. One of them has 4 locks on it and leads
to the final showdown with Progresso himself. To open it, you have to
find the 4 keys. Each of the 4 other doors leads to one of the keys.
And each door also has some kind of challenge that you must complete
before you can gain the key.

These challenges are what I'm currently working on.

1 of the doors has a BomberMan type maze where you have to rescue
Doctor Campells while facing off with a very BomberMan Like Progresso.
(He even drops bombs)

2 I'm not sure exactly how this level will work, but basically you have to
run from the T-Rex who is chasing you and get to safety.

3 The Battery Level(Previously the maze level) You are inside a giant
Battery and have to push walls around to plug up all the holes before
the sparkys can escape. As to why your doing this I'm not sure yet.
This level will be available in the next demo.

4 Something to do with The Battery Car and slimes in cars.
This level has gone through 3 changes now.
At first you were going to be chasing down a little red slime who had
the key while you were on foot. Then you were on a racetrack racing
against a horde of slimes with mario kart type items to aid you.
Now its a Destruction Derby type thing, but I'm quite likely going to
change it again. LOL, as you can see, I have no idea what to do with
this level.

And then the final battle with Doctor Progresso was actually completed
some time ago, and I'm not going to reveal what that is yet.

Hope You Enjoy The Soon To Come Demo!
(Estimated Release Date June 30)

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Darkness)


therevills(Posted 2008) [#40]
Hi Werdna,

Because of the simple shape of Battery Man (great name BTW), try doing him in 3D and use the images as 2D.

Here is my quick 5 minute model of Battery Man:



Cheers


mtnhome3d(Posted 2008) [#41]
heres my 3d model. he's rigged and ready to animate. i think it looks better hand drawn though. plus it fits in with the rest of the hand drawn look.



_33(Posted 2008) [#42]
I prefer the proportions from therevills model, and the brighter eyes.


JustLuke(Posted 2008) [#43]
Agreed.


mtnhome3d(Posted 2008) [#44]
i still think that he needs to go with hand drawn looks, that model was just a quick fun thing.


Cp(Posted 2008) [#45]
Whoops. I wasn't on for a while. Sounds like some good changes, WERDNA.
I like the second model better. I just like the... Ummm.... SHIIIIIIIIINY....
One more thing, I like the speed up. Its cool.


therevills(Posted 2008) [#46]
Good model mtnhome3d.

I was just showing Werdna, what BM could look like if he did him in 3D. I meant that if he did all the graphics in 3D and convert them into 2D sprites, it would give it a cool look.... maybe for Battery Man 2 - The Recharge!


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#47]
LOL, I've been off for only a day working on the demo and I've missed
quite a bit.

Incredible models, I'm so grateful to you guys for making them.
And I think its a really good idea to use 3D Converted to 2D sprites.
And although I am not planning a sequel at this time,(Great name for
it though) if the finished game gets good reviews I might make one.

And I'm glad you like the speed up, because that means less work for
me to remove it.

The demo is coming along nicely, and I'll post some more screen shots
tommorrow of the BomberMan Level and the Battery Level.

And I would just like to thank everyone for how helpful they have been,
and for giving me so many great ideas for the game.

The ThankFul WERDNA(Lord Of Thanks)


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#48]
Sorry I haven't had time to post the screenshots.
I've just been so busy with the demo.

The Next Battery Man Demo will be available tommorow June 30,
around 12:00 PM. It will include everything from the previous demo,
Doctor Progressos Castle level(Basically just a way point to get to the
other 4 levels) and the Giant Battery Level.

Most of the glitches and problems with the original Demo, as pointed
out by Cp, have been fixed.

Hope you enjoy it!

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Darkness)


WERDNA(Posted 2008) [#49]
;Update!
The demo has been delayed slightly, due to an unexpected error.
Luckily, I believe I know what this error is, and how to fix it.
So Hopefully, the demo will available for download tommorow.
Sorry its taking so long, and thanks for your patience.

The Mighty WERDNA(Lord Of Glitches)