Author Topic: Animorph Game?  (Read 6921 times)

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Offline senter.pat

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #75 on: April 13, 2009, 03:20:42 PM »
Another question is, how many animals do we actually need in the game? I mean we cant have the whole animal kingdom, like having all the big cats at the gardens, or all the different birds. So how do we choose what animals to use?

Offline Gafrash

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #76 on: April 14, 2009, 02:56:27 AM »
That's another problem. If the designer is going for realism, he's going to have all these animals popping up in gameplay. And HOW does one control that?!
The only thing I can think of is the computer actually taking the choice away from the player. Which would go against what a lot of us are saying here.
Eg: player is flying as a bird of prey, spots an ant, a roach or some other bug. Flies down, demorphs, selects which to acquire and does it. If only the one small morph would be necessary for gameplay, that's where that level should finish. With whatever small morph the player picked.
Eventually, when they finish the game, and they want to satisfy curiosity, they can re-play selecting a different small animal morph.

Also, there wouldn't really be any need to do THE ENTIRE ANIMAL KINGDOM...
The Animorphs collectively had ca repertoire of maybe 30-40 morphs. Half of that number which they actually used regularly, don't you think?!

I reckon the battle morphs (with an exception with Rachel's grizzly) had different vision definition, but were mostly the same quality and perspective-wise. With the birds of prey the vision would be mostly the same also, with the high detail and good sounds. Dolphins, whales, would be the same with the echolocation under deep water. Sharks and other fishes would be relatively the same, too.
The game designer would perhaps have to worry about 15-20 different visuals to define the different animals.
UNLESS animals like beetle, crow, giraffe, hyena, (which weren't used in the series) were to be added.

...oh, i was also thinking, how cool would online play be if you could go and defend the yeerk pool while some other people online attacked it. You have all the yeerks resources and powers but you have to defeat the animorphs.

this game could be so amazing, I have to hurry up and finish college so i can get started :P
Oh my gee! This sounds like a good concept, too!!!
I know the feeling about finishing uni. Don't you just wish we could HURRY UP AND FINISH so we can do what we really like!?!?!?


Offline senter.pat

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #77 on: April 14, 2009, 01:12:53 PM »
I dont really think that having random animals around the world would be a good idea. That would require way to much programming for something thats really only useful a few times. I would sacrafice some of the realism in order to make the game more enjoyable. I mean all the animals can be in the game, but instead of seeing roaches and stuff running around, maybe you have to go search for it when you need it. I mean maybe you have to do a little sidequest everytime you want to find a new morph. Gafrash I was thinking, why would you need to limit the players morphing, if they are both already programmed in the game, the character should be able to morph both. Only the more you use them the stronger/faster they get. The thing is how does the programmer choose which animals to put? I mean between the animorphs and the auxillary one they have at least 20 battle morphs just between them.

I was also thinking that gameplay should be harder for some morphs. Like birds of prey have to tap a button to gain altitude. Also i was thinking that the better hearing, it would be used just in whatever direction the character is looking, because while an animal brain maybe able to pick out the differences over a bunch of noise i dont think i can.

Offline Gafrash

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #78 on: April 14, 2009, 10:51:46 PM »
The 'changes' in morphing could be felt by:
* visual means; perspective, distortions, colours, use of filters;
* sound definition; direction, scale, intensity, muffled;
* control sensitivity; movement, speed;
* button sequences...
ALL THESE THINGS can be coded to identify the new shape the character turns into.

Offline Gafrash

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #79 on: April 14, 2009, 10:52:26 PM »
;D Duuuude, I am getting into this!!!

I dont really think that having random animals around the world would be a good idea. That would require way to much programming for something thats really only useful a few times. I would sacrafice some of the realism in order to make the game more enjoyable. I mean all the animals can be in the game, but instead of seeing roaches and stuff running around, maybe you have to go search for it when you need it. I mean maybe you have to do a little sidequest everytime you want to find a new morph.
Perhaps an interaction device is needed in the gameplay to 'let the computer' know 'when you're after a specific'. A morph-search can be done (a side-quest would be good every now and then; like the computer making the minor morph the player is on face a predator, or the computer presenting alternative morphs for aquiring or a sub-mission of some kind) and end with the desired morph being acquired.

...Gafrash I was thinking, why would you need to limit the players morphing, if they are both already programmed in the game, the character should be able to morph both. Only the more you use them the stronger/faster they get....
How do you mean?! The idea of the-more-morphing-the-more-experience-the-better-you-get is a good one. But what kind of a programmer is going to do 100 different sets of graphics for 100 different types of morphs?! If there is any need, do you think there is game console that can hold that much information?!

...The thing is how does the programmer choose which animals to put? I mean between the animorphs and the auxillary one they have at least 20 battle morphs just between them...
There's no proposing for amount limit, but for letting the gameplay decide how many morphs the player acquires. One would need to sit down and meticulously plot the play.

One can draw out a list of necessary morphs:
Each one of these would have their own resilience, damage, stamina, agility, that makes their overall health. Each one of these would have their own buttons to make a range movements and a range of attacks.


LARGE GROUND MORPHS; horse, bulls and cows,
Now that I think about it, the Anis didn't really make use of this category much, either than for battling, so this is where the battle morphs class would fall, I imagine.

BATTLE MORPHS; all the main 'fire-power' animals the Anis used. AS WELL AS the ones which weren't really emphasized like all the different snakes, crocodile, polar bear, jaguar, leopard/panther, hyena, giraffe, puma, buffalo, etc...
Most of these would be found at The Gardens.
I would give more emphasis to details in these, because 'battling as animals' is one of the guimmick elements of the game.


The rest I wouldn't really use for melee combat against Controllers. So the computer would HAVE TO take the choice away from the gameplayer. You don't want a dog to go up against The Abomination kind of thing.
I would select them for monitoring or infiltration or evading missions. So the player could acquire more of these, but not necessarily all.


MEDIUM-GROUND MORPHS; dog, cat, ... capable of stuff humans couldn't do, but not large enough to be battle Controllers.


SMALL-GROUND MORPHS; squirrel, mouse, rat, anole lizard, mole, possum, wolf-spider. But also house spider, scorpions, earthworms,
I would include only the morphs needed for infiltration missions.
I would exclude eels.
Also under this class I would include:
GROUND-INSECT MORPHS; ant, termite, ****roach, beetle.
Definitely ****roaches.


AEREAL MORPHS; A selection of the Birds of prey used by the anis (including owls and bats, for the nocturnal missions). But lots of seagulls, pigeons and crows in the background. These would be the minor birds.
Most of these would be acquired at the Barn.
High-definition of detail and sound would be the emphasis here. But also the movement and the range of perspectives. The tapping to flap for altitude is a good idead.
But also under this category falls:
AEREAL-INSECT MORPHS; fly, mosquito, dragon-fly, bee.
I would scratch butterfly or wasp.


UNDERWATER MORPHS; whales, dolphins, giant-squid, I would pick either one of the great-white or the hammerhead sharks (no need for both I don't think).
I would add a 'sea world' section to The Gardens, EVEN IF IT DIDN'T EXIST IN THE SERIES. You want the big animals, GO TO THE GARDENS, no need to make things more complex.



There would be no need for lobster, eels, badger, anteater (PLEASE NO HELMACRONS... Nghaaaaaaarrrrrrrrg h!!!!)

And the Visser's morph wouldn't really be available to the player. But would still need to be designed nevertheless.

Offline Duff

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #80 on: April 14, 2009, 11:09:08 PM »
yea I dont think having to acquire the morphs all over the place is that necessary, especially cause most of the time id be like wtf why are there tigers running around the forest

The gardens make it simple and allow you to get the morphs you need so itll be more fun

It would be cool to have certain morphs as hidden tokens in certain places in the game tho, you know what I mean? nothing extremely vital but some cool extra morphs

Offline Hunter

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #81 on: April 14, 2009, 11:38:23 PM »
It would be cool to have certain morphs as hidden tokens in certain places in the game tho, you know what I mean? nothing extremely vital but some cool extra morphs

what, something like i dunno... you go far enough into the forest and you can find bonus animals or something?


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Offline Gafrash

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #82 on: April 15, 2009, 02:35:57 AM »
...It would be cool to have certain morphs as hidden tokens in certain places in the game tho, you know what I mean? nothing extremely vital but some cool extra morphs
Yeah, this would be kewl. Like, bonus morphs.
Something random, like a kangaroo or a thorny devil. Heheheh.


We have to keep in mind that what we are calling freedom in the gameplay, is really the computer giving you the illusion of freedom in the gameplay. In actual fact you are still going to accomplish things that you are set out to do. Be it choose to be good or bad or whatever... otherwise, what's the point of navigating in the game?!

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #83 on: April 15, 2009, 03:53:18 AM »
thats actually a really good idea for games... i actually like it when it's like that in some games...


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Offline senter.pat

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #84 on: April 15, 2009, 11:34:37 AM »
Gafrash, if I do end up making this game after college, youll definitly be in the credits. I'm really getting into this too!


Quote

Perhaps an interaction device is needed in the gameplay to 'let the computer' know 'when you're after a specific'. A morph-search can be done (a side-quest would be good every now and then; like the computer making the minor morph the player is on face a predator, or the computer presenting alternative morphs for aquiring or a sub-mission of some kind) and end with the desired morph being acquired.


Or you could just let cassie know, then after like a day or something she finds it. But ya we would have to make it to where the animals are running all around town.

Quote

How do you mean?! The idea of the-more-morphing-the-more-experience-the-better-you-get is a good one. But what kind of a programmer is going to do 100 different sets of graphics for 100 different types of morphs?! If there is any need, do you think there is game console that can hold that much information?!


Hmm I thought you had said something about limiting the player from acquiring any animal they wanted to. o ya:
Quote
Eg: player is flying as a bird of prey, spots an ant, a roach or some other bug. Flies down, demorphs, selects which to acquire and does it. If only the one small morph would be necessary for gameplay, that's where that level should finish. With whatever small morph the player picked.
Eventually, when they finish the game, and they want to satisfy curiosity, they can re-play selecting a different small animal morph.
Ya that, i was saying they should be able to do both if they want, suppose that they acquire one and dont like the senses?

Yes, it would have to be planned out, also, doing polls online anking people what they would want to make sure you get the majority of what people would want.



I was also thinking about side quests, so far I have: freeing additional hork-bajir for the colony, the missions at the gardens or forest to get additional morphs, raiding the yeerk pool to free controllers, do damage, or steal alien tech(we decided weapons wouldnt be used by the character, but theres no reason that the hork-bajir colony cant use it.-Id want to go through the battle they have with the yeerks.), maybe even recruiting additional animorphs, since the game is going to be different, i would expect a few casualties, and the anis will need to replenish thier ranks.


I was also thinking that when you raid the yeerk pool, you could be able to steal intel, then use it to make attacks, maybe after a certain point in the game you could even have the free hork-bajir or auxillary ani's attack places with you. I love when games have huge battles going on.

yea I dont think having to acquire the morphs all over the place is that necessary, especially cause most of the time id be like wtf why are there tigers running around the forest

The gardens make it simple and allow you to get the morphs you need so itll be more fun

It would be cool to have certain morphs as hidden tokens in certain places in the game tho, you know what I mean? nothing extremely vital but some cool extra morphs

I had said this a few pages back, but how about if you have to do certain sidequests at the gardens, like break in and have marco or ax hack the computer, then do whats needed to have the animal you want brought to the gardens, or help cassie find a hurt animal for her barn. I think it should be done for every new morph that the character wants. Like the gardens has its starting morphs, then you get more, but cassies barn the animals are in and out weekly.

Offline Starsword

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #85 on: April 15, 2009, 04:01:35 PM »
Wow, you could play as a David style clone, pick your morphs from the Gardens and cassies barn. And while we do occassionally encounter animals outside of those, they are few and far between, like what? A squirrel, a mouse, a dog, cat, bird? These are all things that the animorphs might use in a daily basis anyway. (The bird made me laugh thinking of W. R. Tennant), and the ones that are rarer, like say a ****atoo could be used for a specific mission.
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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #86 on: April 15, 2009, 05:38:32 PM »
The thing is, there might be a lot of animals in the world, but a lot of them are really similar. I mean, once you have a 3 or 4 types of big cats, do you really need more? Sure, there might be a couple of people disappointed if we don't include some of them, but we can't please everyone.

I'd say, include the morphs that are actually in the books, add a few extras and then leave it at that.
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Offline senter.pat

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #87 on: April 15, 2009, 06:54:56 PM »
True, but part of the fun of the game would be experimenting with different morphs and stuff, i mean we dont have to have all of them, but i would like a variety, because all the senses would be the same, it would just be a few different stats and the visual of it.

Offline Shock

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #88 on: April 15, 2009, 07:48:13 PM »
lol

add easter eggs and call them "Legandary Morphs"

 
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Offline Starsword

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Re: Animorph Game?
« Reply #89 on: April 15, 2009, 08:07:11 PM »
Well, yeah you are going to have alot of variety of animals at the gardens and cassies barn, but you can put in several different types of cats and have them in the exact same format, except maybe different agility or strength or something. Same with the bugs, I really dont imagine a bee or a fly being different programming for changing into it. You could put in 100 different types of cats from siamese cats to lions, but they would be very similar without greatly affecting the amount of effort put into coding.
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