Starting Area: Not for Sale

By: Matthew Nixon

Starting Area: Not for Sale

   

So this first level is to help ease you into the process. Don’t worry about anything but gameplay and the level. You should be able to complete all of these tasks without having to make any graphics at all. If you want GFX you can find some free resources or find a source that has pulled them from the game you’re copying. If you decide to release/sell your clone, you will need to change the graphics to something original. You should also make some changes to the game itself so that it’s not a simple reskinning.


    Don’t worry about doing things the “right way” too much, that is a complicated and context sensitive issue. Get things working, the “right way” will come when you have more experience. Work on one task at a time, don’t think ahead to other tasks and/or how the current task will affect tasks you haven’t done yet, only worry about a task when it’s the one you are working on. But do go back and adjust previously complete tasks/objects/functions to get the current task to work. When all tasks are complete, then go ahead and tweak everything to get it working smoothly together. You’re looking to make it 90-95%, but not perfect. Also, try to pick games that don’t have gameplay elements that are significantly different between levels, like avoid a game like Megaman where you can use the powers of defeated bosses.


Folders and file names are things that often make take time to figure out. While a lot of it depends on the game, there are a lot of good practices that apply in most cases. Don’t try too hard on your first games, try out different things if something isn’t working, but most importantly, try not to let it get in the way for now.


Section Details

  • Scope: One level per game

  • Focus: Gameplay and level

  • Source Control: No source control

  • Total Games: 15

  • Release: Good ones considered for polishing to be released for free or for a low cost

  • Proficiency Level: Learning


Focus


Create the level and the gameplay.


The focus of this section is on creating gameplay. The level is usually necessary to test and work on the gameplay. To reiterate for clarity, do not spend time on making assets, either use basic shapes, stick figures, or get already made assets. If you need to create a HUD, then do so in the most basic way possible. Do not work or spend much time on any other mechanic of the game. Just make one level per game.


Recommendations


Start with games from 8bit or earlier eras, try to begin with games that are more simple than others, pick games with different mechanics, and games that are only a little more complex than the last. The goal is to get a wide range of gameplay features developed so try to vary the games a bit.


Level One: It’s dangerous to go alone

This is the start of the process. Keep each game to just one level. One thing that always happens to me, is that partway into the game, I notice that I forgot to include some mechanic from the original game, like ducking (who forgets about that?). It’s OK to add those in during development, but avoid adding anything extra. Scope creep is a serious problem, but the game is the scope for these first few games.


  • Choose a game that falls into the genre complexity level 1

    • Action [Act] Active

    • Platformer [Plt] Active

    • Runner [Run] Active

  • List out the gameplay mechanics

  • Develop those gameplay features

  • Create five different games from scratch each time


Level Two: Copypasta

    By now, you should have five different games under your belt and you should be getting pretty good at the basics. You should also be getting aware of how easy it is to make a project difficult to work on if you don’t have folder organization and naming conventions or haven’t developed a good one to use for these projects.


To step the complexity up slowly, pick a game and then add in a neat game mechanic, possibly start with a mechanic you’ve already done. For example, I’ve done a wall grab in my ninja game, so I could pick Megaman and add the wall grab into that game. Or I could take the landing on enemies from Super Mario Bros. and put that into Castlevania.

It’s also a good idea, if you’re not already doing it, to map out the level on a piece of paper or in a digital form. Graph paper is recommended but not necessary. Map the tile placements, item locations, and the enemy locations.


  • Choose a game that falls into the genre complexity level 1

    • Action [Act] Active

    • Platformer [Plt] Active

    • Runner [Run] Active

  • Mix in one additional gameplay mechanic into the game

  • Make four games


Level Three: Mix and Match

    Now pick two games, list all their mechanics, and put all the similar ones into the design, and then take about half the differences from one game and half from the other game. For instance: Contra and Ninja Gaiden both have running, jumping, and collecting power ups. So the game will have all of those things. Contra has power ups with unlimited usages, one hit player deaths, shooting as the basic/main weapon, and respawning a new life right where the player died. Ninja Gaiden has a sword weapon (that destroys enemy projectiles), wall grabbing, alternate special weapon, limited special weapon usage, and starting the level over on death. That’s without getting into the specific kinds of special weapons. So I could take one hit deaths, respawning where died, unlimited special weapons, wall grabbing, alternate special weapons, and a sword main weapon that can destroy enemy projectiles. Alternately, I could mix Metroid and Ninja Gaiden, by having a game where the main weapon is a sword, using more powerful weapons takes power, and the character can wall grab.


  • Choose two games that fall into the genre complexity level 1

    • Action [Act] Active

    • Platformer [Plt] Active

    • Runner [Run] Active

  • Break down the gameplay mechanics in two lists

  • Make a list that contains the differences between the two games

    • List out all the similar game mechanics

    • Take half the differences from one game and half from the other

  • Make three games 


Level Four: New beginnings

    Now that you’ve gotten a lot of the less complex games under you belt, now is the time to step it up a little by trying out a more complicated genre of game. This will be a direct copy of the gameplay.


  • Choose a game that falls into the genre complexity level 3

    • Adventure [Adv] Story

    • Fighting [Fgt] Sport

    • Puzzle [Pzl] Mindful

    • Racing [Rac] Sport

    • Shoot ‘em Up [Sht] Active

  • Break down the gameplay mechanics

  • Make three games