Game Design Challenge: Sidekick - Page 2

tlovemark · 11-17-2009, 10:19 AM

I haven't really narrowed down on anything yet, so don't feel like you'd be encroaching or anything with your Metroid entry.

Ironically, I also thought that if Samus were to have a sidekick, it would probably be a Metroid. Another idea I was thinking of was having her ship itself be the sidekick. In the latest Prime game, that's sort of hinted at with th tasks you can assign your ship to do. But I was thinking of how this would work if fleshed out a bit more. Perhaps Samus's ship could provide air support while she attacks foes on the ground, maybe she could grapple onto the bottom of it to swing to unreachable places, it could even drop weapon ammo and health down to her.

One of the ideas I'm really leaning towards right now is doing a sidekick for Chell from Portal. While she's not exactly an iconic protagonist, I think the gameplay possibilities of having multiple characters control a portal gun are just too tempting for me to ignore. Maybe I could fuse Portal and Half-Life, having Chell become a sidekick for Freeman.

Retro · 11-17-2009, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlovemark

I haven't really narrowed down on anything yet, so don't feel like you'd be encroaching or anything with your Metroid entry

Yeah, I've already done some early artwork for it (still need to polish things up a little), but the core list of ideas has pretty much been fleshed out. I'm really excited by the idea, because it actually builds upon existing Metroid-isms.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlovemark

I think the gameplay possibilities of having multiple characters control a portal gun are just too tempting for me to ignore.

Heh, that's a *great* idea. It would be interesting of it was the other way around, however; you assume the role of Freeman, while Chell provides backup in the form of portals for you to shoot through / flank enemies. The portal gun would be great tool to use in a co-op FPS.

tlovemark · 11-17-2009, 05:25 PM

One idea I've thought of to kind of fuse the gravity gun and the portal gun would be a gravity gun that lets you "project" a gravitational field. Like the portal gun, the player aims at a surface and shoots it, and then whatever surface is struck now gains a large amount of gravity. Could be used to walk on ceilings, walls, etc.

A big part of Half-Life has been portals to other worlds, so I have also been thinking about a portal gun that opens doorways into other dimensions, or maybe back/forward in time. Perhaps the room the player is in is out of power or a bridge has collapsed, by "portaling" into the past/future, the player could then fix the problem and then "portal" back to the present to continue forward. Just have to avoid those resonance cascades...

bob · 11-17-2009, 09:33 PM

Hey tlove,

the dual portal thing sounds pretty cool, but the gravity gun idea is sweet. Mighty clever. You could reverse the gravity under enemies feet to send them flying (or do the same to yourself), walk on the ceiling (like you said)... Oh man, what if you put one on the bottom of an airplane before it took off? Then you could be standing on the bottom of it while it flew. It creates a lot of interesting possibilities.

tlovemark · 11-17-2009, 09:52 PM

I actually think that's the main gameplay I'm gonna go with. Some exploratory sketches I've done of it have me really itching to try the idea out in the Unreal kit.

Retro · 11-17-2009, 10:18 PM

My only concern with your Portal idea is that it seems more like an interesting play on the game's firearm, and not so much a 'sidekick' as the challenge proposes. Gotta work Chell in there as more than just an excuse to use the Portal Gun.

bob · 11-17-2009, 11:24 PM

I don't think a sidekick has to be a person. I think that's just what we're accustomed to. Though if for some reason it did have to be a character, you could give the gun sentience and - badda bing. Now you have a sidekick and an excuse to throw in humorous little snippets of dialogue.

One of the ideas I originally threw around was for the "sidekick" to be the main character's vital organs, each with their own distinct personalities. It was pretty interesting.

Tlove, what studio do you work for, if you don't mind me asking?

bob · 11-17-2009, 11:27 PM

Hmm, speaking of sidekicks that aren't people, I wonder if someone's going to submit a game in which the main hero's sidekick is a Sidekick - you know, one of those phones. har har.

tlovemark · 11-18-2009, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob

Tlove, what studio do you work for, if you don't mind me asking?

I'm actually a student still. I'm partway through my degree at the Art Institute of Portland.

Good point Retro on working the actual sidekick more into the gameplay rather than simply an excuse for a tool.

dreamshade · 11-19-2009, 07:32 PM

I had the same problem, not thinking of any newer characters that don't have sidekicks - or aren't customizable and harder to define. The one character that first came to mind is Nico Bellic. I'm thinking that Nico picks up a street kid somewhere, trades him a hot dog for information, and forms a cute little surrogate-father relationship.