Bort (Game Dev)
polycounter
Ok. Time to get a P&P started.
Bort is a wall jumping platform game which will initially be created for PC. Release on other platforms is also planned.
The player takes control of Bort, the demon god of mountain goats. He is bored of working in hell and decides to leave. Trouble is "The Boss", doesn't like his minions wandering off. So Bort will have to try and get out undetected. Avoiding traps, lava pits, Fuggers, Furies, the 7 sins, the "machines" and many other horrible nasties that lurk in the deep places of Hell.
Here is the latest concept of the game
Here are some early concepts that explain the goal of the game. "get to the other side" (note: some of the ideas in these concepts have been dropped)
And here is our first prototype! Bort is controlled using a XBox 360 analogue stick. The player pulls the stick in the opposite direction he wishes Bort to jump then releases the stick quickly. This is like a catapult mechanic. We also plan to implement mouse as a control method.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJMygRU1r_M"]Bort indie game prototype - YouTube[/ame]More artwork and game info can be found on our blog here: www.bortblog.blogspot.com
"like" Bort on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bort/115372371912518
Thank you for reading and we look forward to hearing any feedback.
Replies
And I love the art!
nicely prototyped as well!
I've been working on the colour palette. Having a dark character on a dark background is a bit of a headache. So I tried out a blue colour palette that I had done in a previous concept. Also the addition of god rays between the layers helps make Bort visible imo. Here's a level flythrough with some animation added. I need to work out how to add a lava heat haze at some point (in maya or post render, not in engine, not yet anyway) particles maybe??
Also, Bort is now on Facebook, go "like"
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bort/115372371912518
C&C welcome
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Good stuff, keep updating us when you can!
@nightshade. Good idea, will think about it. I'd like to keep the "levels/lightness" of the colours the same through out the game, but, I do plan to change the terrain, enemies, and palettes as the game progress toward the surface. So maybe nearer the surface we start to see plant life, more greens, cave trolls, etc. Some areas will have unique colour palettes as well. Bort travels up through the 9 circles of hell, maybe each circle could look different. I might be able to take the blue a bit darker when the lava haze is added as it may bring more contrast. Thanks for the feedback.
Damn you, damn you to hell. That was mine.
Anyway it's a really neat game. I hope you play on more background colours though besides the new blue. Also your jumping on the walls reminds me of a certain evil batman game on the NES. Please god don't adapt their "Get hit and fly backwards" physics.
Finally i hope you consider releasing the tools when the game is out so we can make our own super fun levels.
Awesome stuff man. Subscribed!
@imbueFX. Thanks for the offer will keep that in mind. We will be adding particles and shader fx for things like the lava heat haze. We'll be looking at that later in the dev.
@Habboi. Yes, other palettes are going to be in game. The game progresses up through hell toward the surface. So the palette might go toward browns and green moss colours. There will also be other colour palettes throughout for "themed" stages, etc.
We are talking about releasing an editor for the game. Making your own levels is definatley a possiblity.
Multiplayer is also on the cards but we'll see.
just some characters reminds me of Hear of Darkness game
very nice!
Here's a simple animatic to show off a WIP ambient track created for the game. Enjoy.
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Anyhoo. Here's some palette tests for the games various areas in Hell. Hope you like em!
Hell (default)
Cave
Slime ver1.
Slime ver2.
FWIW, I prefer Slime V.2, but maybe redden the foreground colors a tad more (compliment the green a bit more). Also, default Hell's midground colors might sell the environment more if you redden the layer immediately around the red background-- just to tie in the two major tones a bit more. I would actually try a soft orange tint to that layer, with the base red layer closer to orange than red (like the red-orange of a cartoony flame, for example). Either way, this is great stuff, I can't wait to check this game out!
@theslingshot: I agree the slime ones are a bit more colourful than the others. Might have to tone it down to bring it in line with the other 2.
@roo: Yeah. Same but wider for the default view. Won't be sure till we get a playable build (SOON hopefully) to see it in action. We also thinking the camera will be zooming in and out occationally, depending on how much of a particular level/puzzle element needs to be seen in advance. This should be quite subtle though not a jarring zoom.
@Wipeout: Thanks for the feedback. The Lava in the Hell palette will also have a heat haze with a gradient over the lower terrain. This should also help tie everything together. Will try your ideas out.
Spam I think as my emailed notifacation includes a url for "cleaning cassettes"... A dying art IMO.
anyhoo. Thanks for thinking about taking the time to learn to join me. fast, slow I don't mind.
Quick update. Here's the new Logo!!!
Now I can get on with the really important stuff like T-shirts ;P
I like your logo but maybe you could incorparate the jagged stalactites and stalagmites design you created for hell into the logo as well.
I'll be keeping an eye on this.
Are you all out of the Bort license plates?
@Di$array: Nice to hear from a fellow Geordie! (assuming you are). Yeah, I thought about making the logo more like the terrain but I decided against it. Having said that, when I showed the team the logo they suggested the terrain might look good if it looked like the Font! A bit backwards but I think its a great idea. See the results below.
@konstruct: I think a lot of the fire a brimstone will come into the lava levels when we add a heat haze and particles. The other palettes are for higher up areas of Hell (closer to earths surface) as Bort progresses. The slime idea comes from the punishment for Gluttony, "Gluttons are forced to lie in vile freezing slush, guarded by Ceberus"
Anyhoo, updateth ye or suffer thine Wrath...eth......
Since posting the new logo it hads been suggested that
maybe the terrain sould curve a little as it does in the Font of the logo.
Here's the resulting test run using the cave palette scene. Please let me know which you prefer.
Gif comparison