The Tree of Knowledge [challenge/normal/large]

Progress Report: The first temple is coming along nicely. Most of the work I've been doing has been graphical, but I have about 30 of the estimated 120 screens it will require. The temple's size will only be around 50 screens out of that total.

I need suggestions. I've completed the first temple, and the boss turned out rather well. In the last stages of the battle I added a blue bouncer to the mix, but I can't figure out how to remove him from the field between stages. You never know where he's going to be at screen change. There's a quick animation between each stage of the battle to set up the next part. I've tried flashing the whole screen white, and shooting the bouncer with a beam but neither were convincing. I sure hope I can figure this out, because he adds just the right amount of intensity and I don't want to remove him.

I think I can picture what you are talking about in my head, and it sounds like a white flash would work... so long as there's a reason for it.

That was the problem with them, there was no reason for a flash and the beam didn't fit the temple at all. I've tried making it shoot off the screen in an exaggerated blur. It's weird for a bouncer to inexplicably do that, but it's better than simply vanishing. I'll probably stick with this if we can't think of something better. (Sorry, for the lack of visuals. I want to keep as much of the boss battles a secret as I can. Here's the blurred blue bouncer...)

What about a black "flash" ? Or in the background colour ?
I think, that black screen between different stages of battle might add some "movie" feeling. Something like cut and montage.
Anyway, when I read about how much are you thinking about things in your level, I am looking forward to it more and more.

That was the problem with them, there was no reason for a flash and the beam didn't fit the temple at all. I've tried making it shoot off the screen in an exaggerated blur. It's weird for a bouncer to inexplicably do that, but it's better than simply vanishing. I'll probably stick with this if we can't think of something better. (Sorry, for the lack of visuals. I want to keep as much of the boss battles a secret as I can. Here's the blurred blue bouncer...)

Hmmmm... well I'll brainstorm ideas, some may work others may be stupid or be completely undoable in engine but here goes:

-open up a trap door that he falls through.
-have some rocks or a pillar fall on him
-have whatever the boss is get angry at him at kill him using whatever it is he does
-have the bouncer get angrier and angrier and more bloated as time goes on (not sure if you can change enemies faces and looks and colors in KS+) before he explodes/pops/flies away
-have some spikes on the ceiling or wall and have him get impaled on them
-if he is teleporting around, have him accidentally teleport into a wall/water/fire/spikes

Maybe tie it into a visual change that happens alongside the battle, like theatrical lighting changes as the stages progress? Torches on the wall that blow out and light up in sequence, with the bouncer disappearing in the darkness, something like that?

That was the problem with them, there was no reason for a flash and the beam didn't fit the temple at all. I've tried making it shoot off the screen in an exaggerated blur. It's weird for a bouncer to inexplicably do that, but it's better than simply vanishing. I'll probably stick with this if we can't think of something better. (Sorry, for the lack of visuals. I want to keep as much of the boss battles a secret as I can. Here's the blurred blue bouncer...)

Another idea: I'm not sure if there are any hazards in this screen (water, fire, spikes) but if there are and you decide to go the kill the bouncer router, you could have him disappear in a puff of smoke with the same sound that Juni makes when she dies.

I'm not 100% sure about what you mean. But if it is supposed to vanish in the heat of battle you could just have it be killed in the way pfrangip descibes, just like Juni. However, I feel there doesn't need to be a reason for it's demise.

Think about it. In most platformers when you've defeated a certain stage of a boss battle, the enemies you're fighting at the same time just die for no good reason. As a player, you don't think much of this because you're in the middle of a heated battle, but it still feels rewarding. It feels powerful somehow.

A good example of a game that does this is OoT.

The trap door, the torches, and the smoke puffs are all very useful suggestions! Most of your ideas wont work in this case, but they may prove useful when I design the other bosses.

Good point Bulbapuck. I may be over-thinking things a bit --better than under-thinking them.

So, ego, how goes this?

So, ego, how goes this?

Funny you should ask. I was just working on it, and I came here to ask a question.

I need a deity or a pantheon of gods that represent the virtues of stupidity and laziness. Other potential virtues are consumerism and an aversion to natural foods, especially fruit. I keep picturing a fat, happy effigy but a similar appearance to Buddha would be offensive in my opinion. If anyone has a good idea, I'd be glad to hear it. There will be statuary and images throughout the game world, and a particular fountain has been a large roadblock in my development.

Progress report: RL has gotten busier, but not so much that I can't work on this. Since last update I've finished the first temple, and I've played through it over a hundred times. It's really good! I rewrote the story from beginning to end. I was happy with it before, but now it's truly epic! This week I've been obsessively tweaking the city's gradients and tilesets. I've come to a point where I'm ready to draw new graphics. A diety for the fountain I mentioned earlier would be a big help.

Well, there's Aergia (about whom little is known) but I imagine you might want to devise an original deity. You could avoid Buddha connotations by modelling body type on that one overweight Knytt sprite.

Something else to consider: an animal-headed pantheon that reflects the values you want (ideas: sloth, pig, koala, hippo, bear, cat, panda, anteater, dog, rat, hummingbird).

You could avoid Buddha connotations by modelling body type on that one overweight Knytt sprite.

Aren't the gold and stone gods from Gaia based on him? I'm not sure what they represented, but maybe I could re-purpose them as twin gods --slow, stupid, Stone god and greedy, gluttonous, Gold god. The duality should prevent connections with Buddha.

Something else to consider: an animal-headed pantheon that reflects the values you want (ideas: sloth, pig, koala, hippo, bear, cat, panda, anteater, dog, rat, hummingbird).

A good idea. I'm not sure what creature I'd use though. I'd rather it was something more familiar to the Knytt universe. Maybe a quick jaunt through Knytt will reveal a lazy oaf. But, I'm liking the stone/gold gods at the moment.

I'd rather it was something more familiar to the Knytt universe. Maybe a quick jaunt through Knytt will reveal a lazy oaf. But, I'm liking the stone/gold gods at the moment.

That little ape-like critter eating fruit(?) off the tree from the original Knytt comes to mind. Something for gluttony perhaps?