@JakAttak - I sketched out some blotchy things in Sketch for Mac earlier today. I can share those mockup a if you like. Anyways, they look a bit odd being splotchy and moving. I’ll find a solution. When I move to Cocos2D for the final product, I’m hoping to find a way to put smears on the paper to make it look a bit more like paper.
Hmm… Just had an interesting idea: What about eventually getting colors, and your line color starts mixing with the colors… But then I start really overdoing the graphic look, which I’m trying to avoid.
I think you should go with Inkling, would be nice to see where you can take it. Maybe like osmos only allow to eat blobs that are smaller than yourself? And have an outline of a word on the paper that you are writing (rotate player with device press screen to write) with the ink that you first must collect.
But the connection to real paper is a bit vague, why collect ink blobs on a paper? Maybe making it even more abstract otherwise.
@tnlogy - I’m going to be looking more into the graphic style before starting the final product.
Thanks!
Cool, how are you doing the whole combining thing graphics-wise? It looks like some manipulation of ellipse, but I’m not too sure.
@Causeless - I draw radial gradients (with the first one being 100% opacity, and the other 0% (twice the size of the actual blob) into an image, then I apply an alpha threshold shader to the image, giving the effect of the blobs merging.
I think… Inkling’s ink trail should be more circular. Right now it looks just likes a bunch of squares. I think the head should be more circular.
Why are the blobs of ink pulsing? I think it should be simply that you make a new image, draw a bunch of tiny ellipses on top of a big ellipse, and use that when drawing, to look a bit splotchy.
@Zoyt My metaball technique?
Autocorrect tries to make me say meatballs.
@SkyTheCoder - Yes, I’m using the meatball, whoops metaball, effect. I think I’ll stick with what I have in terms if enemy movement. I’m not trying to make a very tight connection with paper. The “blob’s” pulsing is what really keeps everything interesting in terms of movement. Without it, everything just looks… Static.
Maybe slower pulsing? And, what would be super awesome is if it looked like it was spreading and then contracting like ink splotchy like.
Also… what about a quick animaton for when you merge with an ink blob? Like, it gets smaller really quick until you can’t see it? I think that would be better than abruptly disappearing.
@Zoyt You asked so hears my answer lol. It depends on how heavily themed you want to make it. Im a fan of games where you progressively grow the player avatar but can also shrink in size by doing the wrong things.
Inkling kind of has this but its more for art then game mechanics.
This is my less themed route:
For example, theres a great PS2 game called Katamari Damacy where you play through a series of lvls where you start off as a miniature dude pushing a very sticky ball and at first you can only pick up small stuff like paper clips but as you grow you then pick up an eraser and then scissors and then a nutcracker etc. untill your picking up houses and elephants and the such. (heres a video of gameplay www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwhFH75OCDs )
Now translating that mechanic to Inkling. Imagine, that there are smaller blobs (paper clips) that you could pick up when you start and then there are these massive drifting blobs (elephants) that take up large parts of the screen and that would consume you if you touched them.
The rule would be that you want TO CONSUME other blobs not BE CONSUMED by other blobs of ink. And you would have to just be bigger then a blob to consume it.
Alright, I know that was a lot but hold with me for a moment longer. Lets get back to the goal that the player works towards.
From here there is many directions you can go but heres one (again, depends on how heavily theme you want it)
People wright with ink pens, which means that the ink in a pen eventually runs out. The player is an Inkling (ink spirt) for a pen that a human is using to write with. You are the ink in that pen and are fighting to stay alive vs other Inklings from other pens. (its a little out there but it never really made 100% sense in the first place). Not only do you have the other Inklings to worry about consuming you, but you are slowly be drained by the human that is drawing on your ink to write! Although most times your just playing to stay afloat for the longest that you can, there would be a hard to reach end goal of conquering the Inkling realm and thus permanently fulfilling your duty! ( haven’t you ever wondered why some pens seem to run out right away and some seem to last forever?)
@Goatboy76 Osmos did it! But this has a different approach which I like, its a great game idea there’s a lot to build on.
@Luatee What!? FUDGE BISCUITS! They stole my idea! Sue sue sue! Thanks for the complement.
Edit: Actually, there not that similar.
I’ll throw this out there just as a stimulus exercise. The ink could have states based on adsorption into the paper. Wet ink can be consumed but dry ink is permanent. The inkling could leave a constant line on the paper which would represent it’s energy expenditure. The blobs could have a surface tension factor that would break down and they then start being adsorbed by the paper expanding their circumference. You could factor in penalties/rewards in movement speed based on the state of the paper under you. An eraser power up could allow you to collect dry ink… blah blah blah… Just some thoughts.
@Pops - Interesting idea. So don’t let the line get too dry… I have finals today and a lot of extra time after the test, so I’ll see what I can think up.
I start a new job… :-L
