Kel Leda (Adventure Jam 2017) [Simon]

First topic message reminder :

You probably know that soon there will be the Adventure Jam 2017.
http://jams.gamejolt.io/advjam2017

I am registered as Simon Says Play. The Jam begins tomorrow, May 5th, but I am busy with Boïnihi and will not start working before May 8th (monday) at best.

In the meantime I would like to try to find ideas, in order to be ready to start working as soon as possible. And I was wondering if you would like to help me with the story? Roger? Juanjo, others? I don't force anyone, I can find the ideas on my own, but it's more fun to involve you

Project
My project for the jam will be in the Black Cube series because it is easier for me in a limited time (I know the world very well, I can use some existing assets such as the astronaut, textures, CSE spaceships...)

Characters
I would like to do something that creates a strong relationship between the hero and his AI (in a good or bad way).
The AI would be named DIAM (an anagram of MAID, the AI of ASA) and would be a unique custom version created by a scientist (the hero) in order to make his creation as close as possible to a human being. So DIAM can theorically be downloaded in various modules and places, in order to interact with them (it can drive a small spaceship, interact with the environment, etc). So we can say that DIAM has a body somehow, and it has the hability to talk with the hero.

World
The heros would start in a spaceship heading for Catyph. For a reson (yet to find) they become interested in one of its moons (not Tytaah again! Enough of it!). This moon is Kel Leda, and is inspired by the real moon of Saturn, Enceladus. It is a moon made of ice outside, but under the ice there is a vast ocean. This ocean is liquid and has a warm temperature thanks to a magmatic activity. As a result it can potentially shelter life!



Gameplay
The hero astronaut cannot visit Kel Leda himself, because his spacesuit is not prepared for underwater exploration, so he sends DIAM in a module (small submarine/spaceship), under the icy surface through a tunnel in a geyser. DIAM follows your orders (or not) in order to visit a small part of the ocean. You see the progress of DIAM on your monitor in the spaceship, thanks to a camera on its module.
I want this game to be short of course, but on the other hand I think there is a good potential for an interesting game. The gameplay could be something a little like J.U.L.I.A. Among The Stars. A simple point and click, with narrative elements and simple puzzles.

Writing the story
The above is all I have so far, and I need to find more ideas to write the scenario. Why were they going to Catyph? What catched their attention on Kel Leda? What will happen i the ocean? Where will they find the Black Cube of this game, and what will happen? Is there life on Kel Leda? Microscopic, or humanoid, or monsters? And is it affected by the Cube? How, why, etc...


Please share your ideas during the weekend!

At last, I've created the devlog!

http://gamejolt.com/games/kel_leda/255257

Great!! I see you

Holy cow you are fast, incredible work so far Simon!

Headache today I didn't work a lot... Still I could finish this:

Here's a modeling for the head of the hero, with morphers (mouth opened, smile, angry, eyes closed... for minimal facial animation).
It's a re-work of a head originally modeled by Yves for TBT: The Black Tower (and then used in Catyph). I added wrinkles, glasses, changed global shape, made morphers, and soon you will see the textured version with the astronaut spacesuit.


https://www.zupimages.net/up/17/19/jut2.jpg

OMG! Really?!
Simon you are becoming a master of 3D!

lol no, I have never been good (and will never be) at working on 3D characters!

But I have always been a master of 3D

Hahaha, touché!

Errrrrrrrr I'm stuck with the ideas of puzzles!

Come on! You are the best creating puzzles

Usually I take several weeks to create them... Here I rushed in the Jam and started with almost no idea. That's a real challenge!
And even if I find good ideas, I'm not sure to finish the game in time. Jams are really tough!!

"A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, one is required to put pieces together in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct solution of the puzzle. There are different types of puzzles for different ages, such as crossword puzzles, word-search puzzles, number puzzles, or logic puzzles." Definition via Wikipedia.

Suggestion - make the game the puzzle?

That's a cool idea Roger! Make the entirety of completing the game the puzzle! Instead of individual puzzles.

Sounds quite complicated at the current stage of the project. Maybe next time

New page in the devlog, with a new WIP screenshot inside the ship:
http://gamejolt.com/games/kel_leda/255257/devlog/inside-buzzard-1-spaceship-tpvywikr

Looks very good!

The link is not correct, hehehe, check it Simon

You're right! I think it's good now, thx

I don't know if I can finish my game in time. It's difficult, only 5 days left, I've been (again) too ambitious!

The link works now

Don't worry about time, I also don't know if I can finish on time but something we will do

Yes let's do it! For the fun, and nothing more

That's what it's all about, fun! Keep up the great work

If you're stuck in creating some puzzles, just look at all the good games you know and try to find the best puzzles you can adapt to your game/universe.

Oh no, I don't like to do that! I much prefer to invent original puzzles (even if it's difficult, and sometimes they prove to be copies of existing ones)

Anyway, "new" screenshots! (posted previously on my Patreon)

Oh My!, it's Darth Simon!

Hehehehehehe!

Ahah yes somehow. It's just that it's easier when the hero has no hair They're terribly hard to create in 3D!

I'm sure that you have to invent everything when you have time to do as. You've prooved us how you're good in this. But when only few days remains, and for a short project of a Gamejolt Jam, I'm sure that a customized version of an already existing enigma is not as bad at it looks ^^

Simon_Icehouse wrote:it's easier when the hero has no hair They're terribly hard to create in 3D!

Oh yes. It's a real nightmare ! It's why I've only made one on GBT.X used as an antenna ^^
The best way for me is to make solid model cap, like Lego ^_^

Hahaha, the hero looks great!

I'm null with character modeling, in the past I tried to do tests with programs like Mixamo but it's very complicated to create convincing and realistic characters so I desisted.