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Games [WIP] BANANAMANA - Action/Adventure game

Discussion in 'Projects In Progress' started by squidbeam, Nov 17, 2018.

  1. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    Hi everyone!

    I'm finally ready to share a first dev-log video for my new game called Bananamana!



    Bananamana is a procedurally generated action/adventure game and I can't wait to share more details with you soon! Although I'm planning to release it first as a 2D, "flat" game, I've been keeping VR in mind as I design it (I've already run some tests with the Oculus Rift and, I have to admit, the game looks awesome in VR!).

    There is still a long way to go but I can't wait to share more details with you soon! I'll keep posting updates and news on this thread!

    Thank you all for your help and support, don't hesitate to let me know what you think :)

    Official website:
    http://www.squidbeamgames.com/bananamana

    Stay Connected:
    http://www.facebook.com/squidbeamgames
    http://twitter.com/squidbeamgames
    http://www.reddit.com/r/squidbeamgames
     
  2. squidbeam

    squidbeam

    Joined:
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    I've been really busy working on Bananamana! I finally got to tackle my water shader and I think it looks awesome! I still have a few things to fix but it's starting to look like what I intended it to be! I've also implemented the game's main User Interface - still needs some work though! Finally, I've added a screenshot that shows a rough day/night cycle - if everything goes according to plans, it may be an important part of the gameplay! A lot more to come soon, hopefully in the shape of a new Dev-Log video!

    Official website:
    http://www.squidbeamgames.com/bananamana

    Stay Connected:
    http://www.facebook.com/squidbeamgames
    http://twitter.com/squidbeamgames
    http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXGn2ySIdsQHpBojUQ8c1og
    http://www.reddit.com/r/squidbeamgames
     
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  3. II_Spoon_II

    II_Spoon_II

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    Did you considere making more advanced enemies? with a more dynamic gameplay?

    The game looks really amazing, keep it up?
     
    squidbeam likes this.
  4. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    Thank you for your awesome feedback! Yes, there will be a lot more advanced enemies with a more dynamic gameplay. I'm still currently working at implementing the various core elements and features of the game... once they are in place, then I will work on content and hopefully show more dynamic gameplay. The game is procedurally generated so I have to spend a little more time than usual when implementing new features - I need to make sure they work in many different situations, so my code has to be a little more robust.

    There's still some way to go before I can share more of the game's key mechanics (and I can't wait!). In a nutshell, the game will be an action/adventure roguelike (no permadeath though), but on a larger scale than the usual dungeon crawler :)
     
  5. Serinx

    Serinx

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    I love the visuals! The enemies almost look 2d (are they?) but they don't look out of place at all.
    Looking forward to seeing where you take this :)
     
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  6. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    Thanks again for your awesome feedback! I really appreciate it :)
    Ah ah! The enemies are not 2D but I designed my own shaders and lighting models so they would end up looking 2D-ish. I'm so happy that you think they don't feel out of place, because this was really the stylized look I was going for! Awesome! I can't wait to throw more enemy designs in there (I put the Slimes together really quickly as I wanted to write my enemy code library and test it out). I have a lot of the game already designed on paper, can't wait to share more soon!
     
  7. impheris

    impheris

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    what does it mean "bananamana"? and why that name?
     
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  8. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    Ah ah! Well, I wanted a name that sounded snappy and easy to remember. But there is more to it. The game is about 'magic' and restoring its essence throughout an imaginary kingdom/world. This is where the 'mana' element comes from. 'Banana' represents a feeling of 'craziness' - you will have access to more magic elements as you progress through the game, which in turn will grant you additional powers and are also used as 'keys' to unlock new worlds. I don't want to spoil the game too much (I still have a lot of work and hope to implement all the features/story I have in mind) but I will post more updates as I progress :)
     
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  9. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    I spent the holiday in my hometown in France visiting family and friends. It is always a joy to spend Christmas there, especially with my two young nephews who seem to share the same crazy passion for video games as me and my brother do. Well, I usually can't stay idle for long... I had my sketchbook with me and doodled all kind of stuff for Bananamana - such as these cute slimes! I love brainstorming ideas on paper, definitively keeps my creative juices flowing ;) More to come soon!
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2019
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  10. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    New dev-log video for Bananamana! I've done so much work in the past few weeks! This video shows the new UI as well as the distance/melee weapons in action! Enemies now drop items when defeated! Well... they only release gold coins for now... but enemies always drop coins, don't they? So I had to start there ;) Oh, and now you can also find chests! Finally, I've started working on each world's map and mini-maps! I've also fixed tons of minor issues and features here and there. Much more to come soon!
     
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  11. ClaudiaTheDev

    ClaudiaTheDev

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    I love the vivid colors especially the shades of green you used. It makes me feel happy and relaxed :) I would love to play ist and I am really looking forward to it. I like it that the game seems relaxing and you can decide yourself if you enjoy the beautiful landscape and just go exploring or fight enemies when you want more action.
    I have longer not seen a game in the WIP forum that I would actually play myself (except Artificial Resident). Bananamana is a game that really speaks to me and I would love to play it! Are you planning to make a demo?
     
    squidbeam likes this.
  12. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    Wow! Thank you for your awesome feedback! I'm so happy that you like the look of the game - I really wanted something that would make players feel happy and relaxed - although the game will also have teeth ;)

    And yes, I'm planning to release an early access version this Summer - well, that's if everything goes according to plans! About the exploration part, I've been debating about it - although this is something I really enjoy myself in games, I know most players usually prefer the action part... arg!... in my design document, I currently have a balance of exploration and action. You need to find 'materials' that can be later used to create equipment - although you can skip that and buy such equipment with the gold you collect from wandering monsters. But action will be required to complete each world (level) at the moment...
     
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  13. ClaudiaTheDev

    ClaudiaTheDev

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    I am really looking forward to summer! This season is really fitting for your the first release - summer fits perfectly the vivid style of Bananamana and the beautiful shores in the game!
    I am very interested if you used Unitys standard terrain or have an own solution/asset? The world look so big with a lot of fluffy grass but still the performance seems to be great in your videos.
     
    squidbeam likes this.
  14. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    Thank you! Yeah Summer sounds like the perfect season, I agree - well, I'm a solo-dev so I hope I will have everything ready on time :)

    And yes, I wrote my own terrain generator and custom shaders/LOD. I use DrawMeshInstancedIndirect and my own shader for the grass which works quite well. But I may bite the bullet at one point and write a more advanced shader that will generate the grass on the fly instead of instancing it from a point cloud. But you're right, I'm currently quite happy with the performance as I wanted the game to be able to run on mid-range PCs... so far, so good :)

    Thanks again for your awesome feedback! I may soon share parts of the gameplay and mechanics. There are elements that I'm still figuring out, but I would love to discuss/brainstorm them with other players/devs here when the time comes :)
     
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  15. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    I've been putting this task on the back burner for a while, but it was time to create a logo for Bananamana! Especially now that I've started sharing more information and content about the game. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped me with the design! You all rock! The logo went through several iterations in the past couple of weeks - it will probably change in the future though, but it definitively looks much better than the random-ish typeface I had before.
     
  16. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    I've added so many new features to Bananamana! Believe me, it was a real struggle to only select a handful of images! I will publish another devlog video by the end of the month, so keep an eye on it! So far I've implement flat-field terrains which give a nice sense of scale - Bananamana is procedurally generated though, so this is a feature that will give variation to the explorable regions. I've also worked on the void-crystals which are at the core of the gameplay - I will reveal more about these soon! Last and not least, I've started working on the dungeons! Well, you've probably started to figure out what Bananamana ultimately is about, right?... Let's see... randomly generated worlds, dungeons... I'll give you some answers in my next devlog video! I'm still using a lot of placeholder textures and models though - things will look much better as I progress with the game!
     
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  17. tinymoss

    tinymoss

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    Oh god the slimes look ao cute! Love it :)
     
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  18. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    Thank you! :) I've only implemented basic slimes in the game for now (although they will probably change later) - I'm still working on the game's code and libraries, so I currently use them as my go-to monsters. But once everything is in place and the gameplay I have in mind is working, I'll then add a lot more monsters :)
     
  19. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    New dev-log video for Bananamana! A month has passed since my last dev-log video and I have implemented a lot of new features in Bananamana such as dungeons! I also reveal in this video some of the game's mechanics - in a nutshell I want Bananamana to be a mix of action, adventure and exploration. The procedural generation will allow the game to renew itself each time you play. It may sound like a Roguelike, but I don't want the game to be as punishing... so Bananamana will be more of a Roguelite-ish experience. I still use placeholder textures here and there, and some models are still rough.... More to come soon!
     
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  20. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    I spent the last couple of weeks optimizing Bananamana's code. But I've also implemented two new features - warp statues and towers! Warp statues can be best described as checkpoints and you can warp to them once activated. Towers are very different, they'll give you some challenge and award you with various goodies and will allow you to check out the surrounding area from a high vantage point. More to come soon!


     
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  21. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    Once again, I've been doing a LOT of work on Bananamana, my procedurally generated action/adventure game! I'll share some of my progress soon and will publish a new devlog video next week! But this week, I would like to share a picture of my new lightning bolt shader! It looks awesome in action! :)
     
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  22. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    I finally released a new devlog video for Bananamana! In this video I mainly showcase the Warp Statues and the Towers.

    Warp Statues act as checkpoints and you can warp to them at anytime during the game. As you know, Bananamana is procedurally generated and each level is made up of a four kilometers wide over-world to explore, and a dungeon to unlock. Obviously, I don't want players to get lost and eventually become frustrated exploring such a large area. This is why I believe the Warp Statues are very important, although their name will most probably change in the future.

    Towers are very different and give you a high vantage point, allowing you to find your next target. I know that many games use towers these days, but I knew from that start that I needed to implement such feature. They are obviously really simple right now, but they will feature more challenges as I progress with the game.

    I have also tweaked tons of elements, such as the UI, the effects and the weapon system. Although I still have to implement several major features in the game, I feel that I've reached a point when I can now add more content. I believe this will allow me to balance out the gameplay further and to make sure each region is fun and exciting to explore. I have also started testing out the bomb! A new weapon type!

    Here you go! I still use placeholder textures here and there, and some models are still rough... More to come soon!
     
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  23. ClaudiaTheDev

    ClaudiaTheDev

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    I am glad to see you progessing so well on Bananamana!
    I see some inspiration by Zelda Breath of the wild (or is it just coincidence?) and i love that. I really looking foward to step on the big towers and explore the world and my next destination. Perhaps also a special item like binoculars would be cool so that the player can mark places on the map and see things bigger.
    Even if the game is still WIP it looks really polished and nice.
    Looking forward to the next devlog!
     
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  24. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    Thank you for your awesome feedback, I really appreciate it! Although I made good progress this past month, I wish I did more... so much left to do, so little time... arrgggggggg!!! ;)

    About BOTW, I've had the stylized look of Bananamana in mind for a very long time and, well, I also do illustration myself and this is a style I also often use in my work. But Kazuo Oga (whose work I've always loved and admired) definitively inspired some of my artistic decisions - in Bananamana but also in my work as an artist... I believe BOTW borrowed a lot from Studio Ghibli and especially Hayao Miyazaki's work - so well, yes, it initially happened to be a coincidence but now that I've played (and loving!) BOTW, I'm sure some of my decisions are being influenced by it a little... oh well ;)

    That being said, the core idea for Bananamana has always been inspired by the classic Zelda (among other games from that era). I wanted to create a first person 3D game featuring an overworld and a dungeon at its core, but procedurally generated. The early prototype I did was fun to play, this is why I decided to start production on the full game. I will most probably share images/videos of the prototype in the future, I got my young nephew to draw the graphics and we both had a blast! :)

    A binocular-like item is a great idea! Similar to the Sheikah Slate is BOTW, right? I've thought about adding a way to magnify the view from the main POV, but I need now to tune up the gameplay and see what would work best. Unlike BOTW, Bananamana doesn't feature a large open world but rather discrete levels, each made up of 4km regions to explore, so I may have to use a different technique.

    Thank you again for your great feedback and amazing support! I really appreciate it! I'm also looking forward to the next devlog and to discuss some of the gameplay mechanics in the future! :)
     
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  25. ClaudiaTheDev

    ClaudiaTheDev

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    You can tell by the game that you are an artist! It looks really great and who know perhaps someday Bananamana will inspire future game developers on their art style;-)
     
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  26. squidbeam

    squidbeam

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    Wow! Thank you so much! It means a lot to me - I do visual effects artist by profession, but I've been painting and making games as a hobby for a very long time. I only started to become really serious about it a few years ago. It would be incredible if Bananamana eventually end up inspiring other artists and developers...I love teaching and sharing knowledge, it would mean so much to me! Well, I need to finish the game first, that is ;)
     
  27. ClaudiaTheDev

    ClaudiaTheDev

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    Do you still work on it? I really loved it and want to see more!