PAGE 61

Author Message
Straziante
We have 98 members, last time I checked. I'm very pleased with our exposure.
   
DarkMagnus

Hey Straz, it's Dark. Could you and Sentora get on Yahoo Messenger? I have some ideas I need to share (and that monologue). In case anyone wonders who I am, I'm DarkMagnus, the guy trying out for Mario's voice. The .wav files I sent in are in the files section of the site. Give em a looksee and tell me what you think.
   
Straziante

I'm a bit busy right now, gotta lot to do. I'll try to get online next year some time.
   
Straziante

On another note: I have my cousin over, and he's liking the idea. He's drawing up some castle sketches right this second!
   
Straziante
OMG TEH TRIPUL POST!



Starman. We're working on Mushroom. Does it work?
   
Bean

Straziante Synthesized wrote:


Starman. We're working on Mushroom. Does it work?


I dunno...



I kinda like the idea of starman also being a reference to Dr. Mario.

I did another sketch of the MK terrain.



Yes, that's a Yoshi on top of that cliff.
   
Straziante

The Dr. Mario reference was my first idea, but I thought the regular pill looked better. I dunno.

Are we going with the Arabian-ish style of architecture for the MK?
   
Bean

I'd say that the architecture should have a slight Arab theme to it, but not so much that you'd say, "Hey that looks Arabic!" Some of the rooftops should have that curved point to them, but we should also look at some of the architecture already present in the games. Peach's castle is far from Arabic. The city levels in Mario Kart are also far from Arabic. Mario 3 has some Arabian type buildings but they're more in the desert areas if I remember correctly. We need to come up with a nice blend of Arab, modern day city, and medieval Europe. It's an odd mix, but I'm sure we can figure something out.
   
Straziante

I've been sketching a bit, and I came up with a rough drawing of a castle with the arabic-style caps, but the brickwork of medieval europe. It's not impressive, which is why I write instead of draw. Laughing


Also, my cousin has drawn a mushroom diagram of different uses. I'll have that up in a jiffy, plus his "?" and "!" markings for the item crates.
   
Kupi


I'd always envisioned the Starman as a yellow tablet in the form of a star (with the eyes dyed on), but that's just me.

I really wish I had more to contribute than a single sentence... and a sig. A sig would be nice, too.
   
TheManFromGodKnowsWhere


Urban setting...
   
Straziante

Kupi wrote:
I'd always envisioned the Starman as a yellow tablet in the form of a star (with the eyes dyed on), but that's just me.

I really wish I had more to contribute than a single sentence... and a sig. A sig would be nice, too.


You can have my Totally Spies OCR sig if you want Laughing



Down to bid'nis:

My crappy arabian-style concept. Once again, I'm a writer.


Our concepts on mushroom. His pencil, of course.


Marks for the sides of item crates.
   
Citris
Citris Studios presents...




In association with Bean Inc...




A Bean production...




Bean's Pictures in Technicolor!






So? How did my boredom do?
   
Straziante

Citris wrote:
Citris Studios presents...




In association with Bean Inc...




A Bean production...




Bean's Pictures in Technicolor!






So? How did my boredom do?


Nice Work!
   
Ganemi

Citris wrote:

So? How did my boredom do?


Oh...the first one is so beautiful.

Is there some kind of page where all this nice artwork is compiled? Maybe a Photobucket, or something?
   

PAGE 62

Author Message
Straziante
Uh, Citris could tell you where all the art is, he's the archivist. Our yahoo group has a lot of it, but you have to be a member.

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/downthepipe/
   
Citris

Ganemi wrote:
Is there some kind of page where all this nice artwork is compiled? Maybe a Photobucket, or something?


Wow, didn't even think of that....

I'll get on it.
   
Straziante

Citris you are awesome. Great work these past few days.
   
Citris

Straziante Synthesized wrote:
Citris you are awesome. Great work these past few days.


Very Happy Thanks!



http://photobucket.com/albums/v521/Citris/I%20Mario/

There it is. That's the "final cut" sort of stuff. The rest of the pics from the earliest parts of the thread are left out. I just though it kind of overstuffed the folder.

If anyone wants it up though, I can always create another folder.
   
Straziante
Nice Work!


Great stuff. That makes it SO much easier for me.
   
Hogulus


Thanks, Dark Monkey and Electronic Samurai! Would have posted earlier, but I was on vacation in Hawaii.

Anyway, here's some ideas on the Magikoopas, presented in the same sort of format as my Shyguy thing. Here goes...

Quote:


Mario looked around. "Where am I?" The green plains lay in front of him, visible in the moonlight. All he could remember was going through a red door, and nothing before or after that - just going through the door and ending up in this darkened grassland. He saw a mushroom in front of him and reached for it.

The earth rumbled. A rock flew from the ground and hit Mario in the shin, and judging from the pain it definitely broke a bone. He fell backwards and watched where the rock came from. The ground split, and a monstorous amphibian rose from the rift. Mario could just barely make out a crown on its head before its toxic breath reached him, making him instantly black out.


---

Mario came to once again, awakened by the sharp pain of a bruised shin. Must have been a dream, he thought, trying to recall what he had last done. He'd been fighting the sixth of the higher-ranking Koopas, and doing quite well, when he suddenly felt tired. Not drugged, just a natural fatigue. He had dropped uselessly to the floor and fallen asleep. He opened his eyes. He was in a small room. Blue robes were hung up on the wall, and a white scepter sat on a pedestal to his right. The pedestal bore the symbols of an X, a triangle, and a square. Rubbing his head and pulling himself off the ground, Mario reached for the scepter. The second he grabbed it, he heard a loud whirring from behind him. He immediately put it back - the last thing he wanted to deal with first thing after waking up was another of those goddamn flying masks. He'd taken a key from one earlier in his battle against the Koopas. Not a good idea - those things would hunt you down until one of you was dead.

Mario heard chatter beyond his room's door, in a thick Koopa accent. He couldn't make much of it out, but he could hear "red-capped," "sacrifice," and "pain." That was enough for him, he wanted out of this place. He looked through the robes on the wall for some sort of key. He found one and put it into the door's lock. The key vanished, and Mario felt his fingers freeze in one position - not as if through cold or paralysis, but as if time itself had stopped around his hand. The feeling spread to his arm, than his chest, then his head.

Because the enchanted key had frozen Mario's perception of time, there was no awakening when he came out of it. The resulting feeling, when he saw himself in a room filled with both an assortment of tribal masks and at least twenty blue-robed Koopas chanting simutaneously, was akin to blinking, only opening your eyes to a completely different reality. There were numerous other features to the room; a pile of yellow blocks in the corner, a few pedestals with scepters similar to the one he'd seen in his cell, and a stone idol of a toad god (the same one Mario had seen in his dream). Mario tried to move, but he couldn't. The spell seemed to have only worn off in his brain - his body was still very much frozen, though it seemed to be breathing autonomously. Mario could only watch as one of the Koopas stepped forward and began to talk.

"Oh, great lord Wart, we have not forsaken you like the rest of the world. Even during your hibernation, we continued to give you fresh sacrifices from most every species on this planet. This has given you the power to walk amongst the dreaming, and you have rewarded us with the Scepters. This unique red-capped creature we have found may be the last offer you must take before you have the strength to rise again! May your belches contaminate the Mushroom lands for all eternity!" The Koopa raised his scepter. "Please remember us, the Order of the Magus Kamek, and spare us from your devestation." He pointed the scepter at Mario. Nothing happened. "Why- what is this, oh Lord? Have we done something wrong?" It looked at the scepter again. "Fingerprints! A heretic has soiled this scepter!" Mario felt some movement return in his feet, but decided not to show it until he could be sure that he could either run out of there or bust some of these psychos' heads open.

"Very well. I must activate another of the Scepters. Come with me, we shall require one of our own to provice the infusing blood. It is an honor to give your life to the Order..." The Koopas shuffled off through a door to the side. Mario felt he could move now, and grabbed one of the scepters.



I'll finish this later - it's 3 AM and I need sleep.
   
Straziante
http://www.collegehumor.com/?movie_id=100398

Just for laughs Smile
   
Citris

Straziante Synthesized wrote:
http://www.collegehumor.com/?movie_id=100398

Just for laughs Smile



   
Straziante
Just a head's up:

I'm leaving to drive home tomorrow morning, which means I'll be online a whole lot less for the next few months, while I deal with school and such. I am getting a notebook, so script-typing is actually going to be faster for me now. I should have a new scene posted in a week or so.
   
Electronic Samurai

Straziante Synthesized wrote:
Maybe a pixelated version of each staff member during the credits would be a fitting tribute. That's the last thing we can worry about.


Interesting that you should mention that, because I happen to draw FF6-style sprites as a bit of a hobby. I'll have to dig up mine and show you later.

Bean, I absolutely love your height reference chart. Would it be much trouble to add that Thwomp I posted a while back? It should be in my folder on downthepipe.
   
friendlyHunter

I'm still concerned about the language problem, which nobody else has addressed (to my knowledge). Do the toads speak English, or does Mario just learn their language really fast (or when he's 'sleeping')? Here's my idea:
The MK people speak their own language, a simple one with no suffixes or prefixes, no part/present tense, and no plural words. When you listen or read, you can also read the translation. As the game progresses, Mario learns words one by one, and the translation becomes clearer.
For example, a toad points to a hammer and says: "!Kedo ren. E koopa radna."
And the translation reads: "!.... there. A koopa ......"
And then Mario learns the words "look" and "hammer".

Good idea? Bad idea? Should Luigi translate stuff for you? Or should everyone simply speak English for some reason? Is this reason explained?
   
Sentora


Apologies for my absence of late ya'll. My life finally ran down on drama juice but I'm expectin a refill anytime soon...

But enough of my woes, I'm catching back up with everything while I have time so I'll be posting again regularly. Downthepipe has seen some serious jump in members as well, and I've added auditions from Darkmagnus to the site. We may have found our Mario ^^. Take a look.

Bean, awesome work as ever, and that scaling pic...geezus Bowser is going to be one hell of a fight and I love it.

Citris, much thanks for archiving things, I didn't think of someone doing it, so consider yourself hired for the job Razz If you wish, you can add some of the new stuff at Downthepipe as well

I will catch up with all the other submissions and ideas soon...peace!
   
Kupi


I'm still fuzzy on how the script looks right now, but couldn't the Toads have learned English from Pauline/Peach/The Princess? If they put her on the throne, they'd probably go to the trouble of trying to understand how they speak.

Since I can't contribute anything else right now, I'm considering auditioning for Luigi as soon as I work out what lines he's actually going to be speaking in the game.

By the way, have we worked out just what we're going to be doing with the Ladder Vine/beanstalk? I posted an idea, but I don't recall it getting much of a reaction. (It's on page 48, if you're interested.)
   
Straziante

friendlyHunter wrote:
I'm still concerned about the language problem, which nobody else has addressed (to my knowledge). Do the toads speak English, or does Mario just learn their language really fast (or when he's 'sleeping')? Here's my idea:
The MK people speak their own language, a simple one with no suffixes or prefixes, no part/present tense, and no plural words. When you listen or read, you can also read the translation. As the game progresses, Mario learns words one by one, and the translation becomes clearer.
For example, a toad points to a hammer and says: "!Kedo ren. E koopa radna."
And the translation reads: "!.... there. A koopa ......"
And then Mario learns the words "look" and "hammer".

Good idea? Bad idea? Should Luigi translate stuff for you? Or should everyone simply speak English for some reason? Is this reason explained?


Talk to DarkMagnus about the idea we had about the ending, and that may actually answer the language question. My thoughts are actually not to worry about it. If the MK has had experience with humans before, then they can know our language without really having to explain anything.
   
Dark Monkey

About the ending, what are we aiming for? Happy? Sad? Creepy?
   

PAGE 63

Author Message
FalconNL


I stumbled across this topic a couple hours ago and I must say this is one of the coolest ideas ever. Since just saying that doesn't help you guys a lot, I decided to make a small concept drawing as well. I'm currently up to page 30-something so I don't know if there's been concept art for this yet but I couldn't find anything on the yahoo site so here goes:

concept art for sewers (level 1-2):


Still needs a bit more fungus, rust and vegetation but the basic idea is the same.

Hope you like it.
   
Xerol

FalconNL wrote:
I stumbled across this topic a couple hours ago and I must say this is one of the coolest ideas ever. Since just saying that doesn't help you guys a lot, I decided to make a small concept drawing as well. I'm currently up to page 30-something so I don't know if there's been concept art for this yet but I couldn't find anything on the yahoo site so here goes:

concept art for sewers (level 1-2):


Still needs a bit more fungus, rust and vegetation but the basic idea is the same.

Hope you like it.


There aren't too many level concepts yet, just individual buildings.

This looks like it was done in paint. If so, AWESOME.
   
Straziante

Firstly, that above pic is awesome, regardless of what you used!

Secondly, I'd actually like to shoot for a surreal, possibly happy ending.

My idea has Mario reuniting with Pauline. The MK people hold up their end to send them back to NY. But they are told they have a choice. Pauline says something about "following their hearts" or some gay crap like that, and decides to just let them be sent wherever they belong. Their vision fades to white, and then fades back into normal. They are on a beach alone, with a lighthouse and sea oats and all that stuff. It seems TOO perfect. They walk a bit, until a bird flies low over their heads. When they turn to look at the bird, they see Luigi sitting in the sand off in the not-too-distant, er, distance. The player isn't sure if this is home or MK still.

That's a round-about, half-assed version. Of course, it could be tweaked.
   
Straziante

Oh yeah, some opinions on the voice acting would be nice.
   
Citris

Straziante Synthesized wrote:
Oh yeah, some opinions on the voice acting would be nice.


Well with good audio and maybe some tweaking on the emoting, he'd make a great Mario.

Also, was he reading from the script? If so I'd cut quite a bit of the cussing. I know its supposed to be an adult game and he's supposed to be a loser, but its a little much.
   
Bean


Citris wrote:
Straziante Synthesized wrote:
Oh yeah, some opinions on the voice acting would be nice.


Well with good audio and maybe some tweaking on the emoting, he'd make a great Mario.

Also, was he reading from the script? If so I'd cut quite a bit of the cussing. I know its supposed to be an adult game and he's supposed to be a loser, but its a little much.


I concur. Just up the emotion a little. I'm gonna be working on getting some Luigi going.

Electronic Samurai wrote:
Straziante Synthesized wrote:
Maybe a pixelated version of each staff member during the credits would be a fitting tribute. That's the last thing we can worry about.



Interesting that you should mention that, because I happen to draw FF6-style sprites as a bit of a hobby. I'll have to dig up mine and show you later.

Bean, I absolutely love your height reference chart. Would it be much trouble to add that Thwomp I posted a while back? It should be in my folder on downthepipe.


I've done a good deal of spriting in my time as well.

Thanks for the compliment ES. I'm afraid, however, that I was unable to find your thwomp at the group. Trust me, I looked. I wanted to put it in there. I'll have to go back through the pages to find it unless you'd be so kind as to post it again.
   
/devmap q3ctf4


Why does Luigi have to die? The dude gets treated like trash so much...: \ A co-op thing would be nice.
   
Electronic Samurai

Bean wrote:
Thanks for the compliment ES. I'm afraid, however, that I was unable to find your thwomp at the group. Trust me, I looked. I wanted to put it in there. I'll have to go back through the pages to find it unless you'd be so kind as to post it again.


Heh. I had to do quite a bit of looking myself.



I know I wrote out its dimensions before, but I actually went out and measured 10 meters and that's really, really big. Pick whatever size you feel is appropriate for the Thwomp.

Oh, and here's me:

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v356/Electronic_Samurai/Me.bmp[/img]
   
Bean


msmoeo wrote:
Why does Luigi have to die? The dude gets treated like trash so much...: \ A co-op thing would be nice.


Luigi doesn't die. I think Shael's original idea said that Luigi would die, but I'm assuming that was meant as a motivation for Mario. We've since decided that Mario's motivation should first be wanting to get home, and then reinforced by wanting to find Pauline as the story progresses. There may be extra stuff added after you beat the game including being able to play through it with Luigi.

Electronic Samurai wrote:
Heh. I had to do quite a bit of looking myself. I know I wrote out its dimensions before, but I actually went out and measured 10 meters and that's really, really big. Pick whatever size you feel is appropriate for the Thwomp.


Thanks a bundle. I'll get working on version 2.0 pretty soon.
   
FalconNL


My rendition of Boo's Mansion:


   
FalconNL



Couldn't find a sketch of Buzzy Beetle yet, so here's my vision.

I know that in SMB1 he's about the size of a koopa, but doing that would just give you something like a koopa with a fireproof shell, and that'd be boring. So I went in another direction.

Size: Big. Very big. Probably around Bowser's height in the height chart v1. They're the elephants of the world. If you see one coming towards you it's like the appearance of the mumakil in Return of the King.

Speed: Slow. Again, elephant style.
Appearance: First there's the shell. It consists of a bunch of overlapping plates of some hard material, which functions like plate armour. The plates are marked with all kind of scratches and scars from battles with other males.
From the shell the limbs are arranged much like on a turtle.

The head: There are two distinctive features: the mouth and the tusks. The mouth works like the sandworms from Dune. The three parts fold open, he pushes his head in the ground and walks forward. Everything in its path gets gulped up (similar to the earth whale). This leaves huge trenches in the landscape. His internal organs sort the earth from edible materials and he deposits the earth in large hills. This way anywhere were there are a couple of these things the landscape changes day by day. This is somewhat similar to the dung beetle on earth.

The tusks: Haven't decided yet whether these are stationary or not. If they are, they function like elephant tusks, otherwise they work like an insect's mandibles.

Lifestyle: Mostly solitary. You'll rarely (if ever) see more than three of these at a time. Once every few years the males seek a partner, which leads to the struggles that cause the marks on its armor. Since they require a lot of food they can't live in large herds.
They live in holes that dig into the sides of large hills, but these are temporary dwellings. Since they eat everything in the ground including the seeds of plants, they quickly deplete an area's resources so they are nomadic.

Interaction with Mario: When they see Mario, they attack the same way they eat: they open their mouth and walk towards him. If he doesn't get out of the way he gets eaten or crushed. Their armor makes them invulnerable to body attacks. The only way to incapacitate them is to attack their head, upon which they retreat into their shell in turtle-like fashion. After that it's a matter of getting away as soon as possible.


   
Dark Monkey

That buzzy beetle description is pretty cool, but in the drawing he looks more like a mammal than an insect.
   
FalconNL




I know, but if you simply scale up the legs a real beetle has the creature just collapses. He needs some sturdier legs, located under the body instead of to the side of it, which make him look like a mammal. A possible alternative that just occured to me is making it a sort of millipede with lots of small legs, though I don't know if that looks good yet.
   
Citris

I only have a few misgivings about the Buzzy Beetle. Why so big and slow? That would make them almost impossible to kill and they'd be more like scenery rather than an enemy.

Why not buffalo size? And we can make them look more like large pill bugs with glowing red eyes. And weren't we going with the whole "altered physics" idea? They would be faster with that design and under those conditions.

They could be scavengers (also going better with beetle habits). That would make them more aggressive and fit better as an enemy. I mean, a juicy creature half their size running around alone in the wilderness? That sounds like a good motivation for attacking.

As far as beating them goes, probably by luring them on top of an explosive. That could either A) flip them over for attack, or B) do it 2 or 3 times to kill them.
   
Straziante

Citris wrote:
Straziante Synthesized wrote:
Oh yeah, some opinions on the voice acting would be nice.


Well with good audio and maybe some tweaking on the emoting, he'd make a great Mario.

Also, was he reading from the script? If so I'd cut quite a bit of the cussing. I know its supposed to be an adult game and he's supposed to be a loser, but its a little much.


Certain ones were from the script, other things were just random. Once Mario's frustration level goes down, and his desperation level goes up, the cussing will be subdued. I'm not censoring my script for the sake of not hearing it. Believe me, I have tons of experience with pissed off Italian New Yorkers. They cuss everywhere but church.
   

PAGE 64

Author Message
FalconNL


Citris wrote:
I only have a few misgivings about the Buzzy Beetle. Why so big and slow? That would make them almost impossible to kill and they'd be more like scenery rather than an enemy.

Why not buffalo size? And we can make them look more like large pill bugs with glowing red eyes. And weren't we going with the whole "altered physics" idea? They would be faster with that design and under those conditions.

They could be scavengers (also going better with beetle habits). That would make them more aggressive and fit better as an enemy. I mean, a juicy creature half their size running around alone in the wilderness? That sounds like a good motivation for attacking.

As far as beating them goes, probably by luring them on top of an explosive. That could either A) flip them over for attack, or B) do it 2 or 3 times to kill them.


While I like the buffalo-size idea, how do you see them wounding mario? One of the reasons I made the beetle so big is that his mouth is only a tiny part of his body. By making the mouth big mario could be swallowed. Reducing the size eliminates this attack. And somehow I just can't see these things as fast enough, even at buffalo size, to for instance spear mario on its horns. The beetle only has animal intelligence so no weapons either. Maybe if they live in herds, like bisons, they could kill mario by trampling him. But it needs something interesting to do in a 1-on-1 matchup.

EDIT: Just had an idea for buffalo-sized armadillos. This keeps the idea of the impenatrable armour, and allows for a 1-on-1 attack. They roll up into a ball and come hurtling at mario at about 50-70 kmph. When they do this with about 10-20 of them at once, run.
   
carra


Citris wrote:


http://photobucket.com/albums/v521/Citris/I%20Mario/

There it is. That's the "final cut" sort of stuff. The rest of the pics from the earliest parts of the thread are left out. I just though it kind of overstuffed the folder.

If anyone wants it up though, I can always create another folder.


Lately many people have re-posted their pictures, so let me remind mine as well (hope they are actually displayed)






Maybe you could use this Big Boo for next height chart, Bean Wink
   
The_Mech_Mage



Well, this is my first post on the forums, I found this topic from Gamefaqs, I joined the Yahoo group(sms_masta), etc, etc.

Now that that's out of the way, I had an idea about the pixels mentioned a few pages back. I was playing Prince of Persia, and you know how he would have those visions of what to do? I think it would be something like that. He's in Boo's mansion, I'm not sure how it'd work, maybe he'd just get a random vision, but it would be a vision of either were to go, or what to do next. Or, when you first come upon a Goomba, it would flashback to the start in SMB and give you some help. Confuse the hell out of you, but help nonetheless.
   
Citris
FalconNL wrote:
Citris wrote:
I only have a few misgivings about the Buzzy Beetle. Why so big and slow? That would make them almost impossible to kill and they'd be more like scenery rather than an enemy.

Why not buffalo size? And we can make them look more like large pill bugs with glowing red eyes. And weren't we going with the whole "altered physics" idea? They would be faster with that design and under those conditions.

They could be scavengers (also going better with beetle habits). That would make them more aggressive and fit better as an enemy. I mean, a juicy creature half their size running around alone in the wilderness? That sounds like a good motivation for attacking.

As far as beating them goes, probably by luring them on top of an explosive. That could either A) flip them over for attack, or B) do it 2 or 3 times to kill them.


While I like the buffalo-size idea, how do you see them wounding mario? One of the reasons I made the beetle so big is that his mouth is only a tiny part of his body. By making the mouth big mario could be swallowed. Reducing the size eliminates this attack. And somehow I just can't see these things as fast enough, even at buffalo size, to for instance spear mario on its horns. The beetle only has animal intelligence so no weapons either. Maybe if they live in herds, like bisons, they could kill mario by trampling him. But it needs something interesting to do in a 1-on-1 matchup.

EDIT: Just had an idea for buffalo-sized armadillos. This keeps the idea of the impenatrable armour, and allows for a 1-on-1 attack. They roll up into a ball and come hurtling at mario at about 50-70 kmph. When they do this with about 10-20 of them at once, run.


The rolling up idea it good. But pill bugs do that already, so it doesn't need to be an armadillo. It could try to crush it's prey so it is easier to eat.

I drew it to give a better idea. I'll post it as soon as I get my scanner installed.



And carra, I thought the boot was a really interesting idea, so that is already up. But the Mario pic, even though the effects are awsome (especially the overalls), I don't think it was so much a concept sketch as much as a random pretty picture. I have it saved on my computer, but I made the photobucket as an area for concept art.
   
friendlyHunter

I had a big picture a while ago that was missed in the archive, but I don't know how to go back pages more than 1 at a time. It's also on yahoo.


Anyway, I guess the best idea so far for the language problem is that the toads learned English from Peach, over a few Toad generations, in which Mario was in NY or between both worlds. Good enough for me =] Maybe the toads could say some really weird phrases that Pauline used to say. And I guess weird English-ish names like "goomba" and "Buzzy Beetle" were actually coined by Pauline, not Mario.


So, I drew a few sketches today. Here's just my version of a koopa troopa, kind of a combo of Bean's koopa and his Bowser (that's where I got the cool face-shell thing from), but on all fours.


And here's my Buzzy Beetle. I'm not particularily fond of the big mandibiles and spider-eyes, but I'm just throwing around ideas. It's about the same size as a koopa (maybe smaller), walks slowly, and eats small creatures in its path (mushrooms, goombas, ferns, grass, etc.). To migrate or attack large foes, it walks up a slope (even a shallow one), flips upside-down in it's shell (the bottom picture), and slides around on it's gooey slippery back. Beetles can do this to attack Mario, but, given the chance, Mario can also push the Beetle into other enemies.
   
SkylineDS

Hey just want to say awesome idea. And if you need any 3D landscapes or anything i can help. Then somebody else could add all the main details (buildings etc) to it.
   
FalconNL
New Buzzy Beetle sketch, buffalo-sized and based on the pill bug. Head from an ant (a pill bug head doesn't really look menacing) and legs from... I don't know really. Maybe a spider or something.

Description:
This critter can reach tops speeds of about 50 kmph while running, after which it leaps into the air to either attack the victim directly at close range or it rolls into a ball when at greater distance trying to squash the victim. In ball form speeds of up to 70 kmph can be reached. Its legs have spikes at the joints which stick out the side of the ball. When the beetle fights in melee combat and can't build up speed, it uses its mandibles to bite the prey.

Social: They can live in groups ranging from 1 to 20. Mating calls consist of rolling into a ball and rolling around, which causes the armour plates to scrape over eachother producing a buzzing sound, which has earned it its nickname "buzzy" beetle.

Mario interaction: Shell functions as platemail and is impenetrable. There are only two ways to kill it. The first is using bombs to flip it on its back while it is in its normal form to attack the softer underbelly. Beware of the spikes on the legs when approaching one in this state as they will be flailing around frantically. It can usually flip over in about 20 seconds. In ball form you cannot harm it. The only way to destroy it in this state is put a bomb where you are set to detonate when it reaches you. The beetles own velocity plus the force of the detonating bomb will launch it a good distance away, hopefully into a nearby canyon.


   
eternal Z3R0

Personally, I like Hunter's rendition of the beetle. It looks more beetle-ish, if you know what I mean. Falcon, your idea is cool too, but it looks too much like a centipede to be called a beetle.

On another note. How is this going to be played out? As a linear story/game where you go from point A to point B? Or more like a free world that you have objectives to complete, and you can't get past certain points unless you have or have done something elsewhere?(Sorta like the Metroid Prime games, where you could explore as much as you liked, but when you hit a certain point, you had to use something to get past an obstacle.)

I've been following this thread from the begininning, and I think you guys are doing a great job thus far.
   
Citris

FalconNL wrote:
New Buzzy Beetle sketch, buffalo-sized and based on the pill bug. Head from an ant (a pill bug head doesn't really look menacing) and legs from... I don't know really. Maybe a spider or something.

Description:
This critter can reach tops speeds of about 50 kmph while running, after which it leaps into the air to either attack the victim directly at close range or it rolls into a ball when at greater distance trying to squash the victim. In ball form speeds of up to 70 kmph can be reached. Its legs have spikes at the joints which stick out the side of the ball. When the beetle fights in melee combat and can't build up speed, it uses its mandibles to bite the prey.

Social: They can live in groups ranging from 1 to 20. Mating calls consist of rolling into a ball and rolling around, which causes the armour plates to scrape over eachother producing a buzzing sound, which has earned it its nickname "buzzy" beetle.

Mario interaction: Shell functions as platemail and is impenetrable. There are only two ways to kill it. The first is using bombs to flip it on its back while it is in its normal form to attack the softer underbelly. Beware of the spikes on the legs when approaching one in this state as they will be flailing around frantically. It can usually flip over in about 20 seconds. In ball form you cannot harm it. The only way to destroy it in this state is put a bomb where you are set to detonate when it reaches you. The beetles own velocity plus the force of the detonating bomb will launch it a good distance away, hopefully into a nearby canyon.



Holy crap! That's almost exactly how I drew it, down to the spike weapons while in ball form.

I do like Hunter's version better as well though. Its a lot closer to the orginal game, yet still menacing. I'm still going to post mine though, just because my Dad is going through all the trouble to install the scanner.
   
FalconNL



I know my version doesn't exactly look like a beetle anymore, but the idea of the project is to make a dark version of the mario world where everything is creepier. Somehow the original shell looks too cute for this purpose to me. Just a smooth black shell that poses no danger at all. Don't get me wrong, I like how friendlyhunter's sketch looks too, but I don't think it poses a big enough threat for mario. Its small jaws would be equivalent to a dog biting and its slide attack would be like a triple-size bowling ball rolling at you. Not exactly menacing compared to the Hammer brothers' hammers, huge flying squids and giant maneating plants.
   
eternal Z3R0

FalconNL wrote:
I know my version doesn't exactly look like a beetle anymore, but the idea of the project is to make a dark version of the mario world where everything is creepier. Somehow the original shell looks too cute for this purpose to me. Just a smooth black shell that poses no danger at all. Don't get me wrong, I like how friendlyhunter's sketch looks too, but I don't think it poses a big enough threat for mario. Its small jaws would be equivalent to a dog biting and its slide attack would be like a triple-size bowling ball rolling at you. Not exactly menacing compared to the Hammer brothers' hammers, huge flying squids and giant maneating plants.


You are right, the original Buzzy Beetle is much too cute. You could add a ring of blades around the edge of the shell and maybe a spike at the top. I do remember some buzzy beetles having the spike.(Correct me if I'm wrong.)

And maybe not menacing as one triple sized bowling ball, or one dog, but 10+? I think large numbers could go well with that idea.
   
Bean

We seem to be getting down to some of the harder to envision stuff now. The chain chomps are killin' me. Anyway, this is my take on a Buzzy Beetle.



Kinda got the same idea going, but with a few slight changes. With mine, it can't roll completely in a ball, so it does a sort of lunge-roll thing as you may be able to tell by the diagram up there.
   
FalconNL



If we indeed go with the roll attack, I think insect legs are required. The 4 "elephant-like" legs just don't look like they can generate enough speed to get a roll going, nor like he can jump high enough with them to roll into a ball. Spider-like insect legs seem better appointed to this task. Also they'd never be able to get back up after being flipped with the short legs.

Quote:
And maybe not menacing as one triple sized bowling ball, or one dog, but 10+? I think large numbers could go well with that idea.

I was hoping that we don't have to put every enemy in herds to make them menacing. The buffalo-sized would usually occur in groups of 1 or 2, and in 10-20 for big challenges. We already have baby bloopers and cheep cheeps that rely on numbers, and I think goombas were heading in that direction as well, whereas in the real mario games most enemies are solitary. Also it's easier to show big enemies in screen in some detail than small ones. You don't want to go "hmm... that herd is orange so it must be cheep cheeps. that one is black, i guess those are beetles."
   
carra


I also liked Hunter's beetles, they are closer to the original. Now if we could see its real size (a pic with Mario and a beetle) it would make the full beetle concept.
   
Specter
Personally, I think that if we took Bean's beetle and gave it spider/insect legs intead, that would look and funtion the best. Also, something that occered to me was, shouldn't we have the original 8-bit sprites up somewhere for reference? I never finished Mario, so some of the enemies you guys talk about go over my head. I'll see if I can find something, but other people should look to.
   

PAGE 65

Author Message
friendlyHunter
<---(Slight avatar change, now he's facing to the right!)

I want to keep the original beetle shell for several reasons:
- It looks like the original. Looking at the others, it's hard to know it's a buzzy beetle unless someone tells you.
- It looks tough, undestroyable, and unstoppable, which is menacing in itself.
- It's impossible to grab on to. I can see Mario jumping on top of a big slow buffalo-sized beetle with a rough shell and riding around on it, hacking away with a hammer between the shell sections. But Mario can't even stay on top of the original shell, he'd slide off and instantly get bitten or stomped on.
- So it looks cute... Why not? =)

And also, I have yet to see a bowling ball that's only a third of the size Mario, and those teeth are far bigger than a dog's. I know it was a purposeful under-exaggeration, but I just thought I'd point that out =) Also, the original was never menacing until it started sliding around. We don't have to make everything a giant ferocious predator (eventhough it's fun =p).


And is OCR being INSANELY SLOW for anyone else?
   
SoloGamer87

Specter wrote:
Alos, something that occered to me was, shouldn't we have the original 8-bit sprites up somewhere for reference? I never finished Mario, so some of the enemies you guys talk about go over my head. I'll see if I can find something, but other people should look to.

Here are a few sprites I found. They cover Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3.







And yes, OCR is very slow as of late.
   
1link-jing1

A little on the effortless side due to my lack of attraction to Birdo:


EDIT----

Oh. And I remember reading something about people posting their pics again.... so guess what.

dont mind the Chain Chomp. I saw a Chain Chomp on some page that kicked ass. I forgot who drew it but it was a picture of a Chain Chomp eating Shyguys.
   
friendlyHunter

Actually, a change from the original beetle shell would be good, but I think it should DEFINATELY be black, smooth, and all in one piece (for the reasons mentioned above). And until someone can show me a game where a Buzzy Beetle rolls, I think they should slide instead of roll. I'm pretty neutral to what should be under the shell, though. That's all for now, bye =]
   
MostAwesomeDude

Dark Monkey, I need your LUE name so I can rant to you in code on LUE.

Yo, does anybody have any feedback/flames on the riff I uploaded at the Yahoo group (name on there is CorbinFromLUE)?
   
DarkMagnus

Hey everybody, thanks for the feedback. For cursing, that's up to the scriptwriter. I plan to write some scenes, and I'll keep your feedback in mind. As for the sound quality, that was a little olympus recorder. I'm going to get some actual equipment, and I urge anyone who's going to do voice-acting to do so as well. Also, I've come up with an idea to get some PR. Flash movies. All we need to do is finish up the first few scenes, and get the voice actors for them. Then, we find a flash animator who knows what he's doing. We make a pilot/trailer and post it on Newgrounds. Bam, instant entry into the gamer/artistic community. Lots of coders and devs go to Newgrounds, so after we make the pilot we'll have a good shot at making the actual game. As of right now, I don't see anything stopping us from making a flash movie, so I suggest we do it. Any comments?
   
MostAwesomeDude


<LUE>
WHAOMG!!! Teh triple post!11! LOL
</LUE>

Sorry 'bout that, but I don't get to do that often...
   
Electronic Samurai

Curses! You beat me to it!

Hey all, I've been doodling. This is a little off-the-wall, but it's really the only way I could make the idea work. These are pictures of the Spark (or what it would look like if it were not obscured by its personal electricity field).

The Spark (see Mario Bros. 3):



Ecology of the Spark (also known as the Spark Bug):

Sparks are small, mindless scavenger insects whose only purpose in life is to eat and reproduce. While seemingly harmless, they have developed a highly successful defense mechanism to ward off predators: they constantly emit an extremely high-voltage electricity field around themselves, intense enough to obscure the creatures from vision. This method of defense is so successful that Sparks are essentially unaware of predators - few dare to attack them, and fewer still survive.

Sparks are asexual creatures that are born impregnated. They will bear 2-5 young about 2/3 of the way into their lifespan, and if the area is rich in food, the young will stay in the same area as the parent insect. Sparks will eat all organic matter, and live for approximately 3 months.

Sparks are solitary and territorial creatures. If a Spark discovers an area that freqently provides fresh food (i.e. deathtraps), it will patrol that area for several days, and leave if no more food is forthcoming. They are frequently found on battlefields and in trap-filled dungeons, and are often incorporated into traps by intelligent creatures because of their passive nature. If well-fed, they will remain in the same area until they die.

********************

Thanks for the reference pictures, Sologamer. I've been looking for something like that. The names of each of those creatures would be handy, as well.

1link-jing1, that Birdo is awesome! Very nicely done.

DarkMagus, I've only recently had a chance to hear your voicework, and it sound very professional to me. Well done.

As to the Buzzy Beetle, I think it should have a solid, one-piece shell. A segmented shell is too much of a deviation from the original. The Buzzy Beetle is probably going to be another low-level enemy, encountered early on in the game, ?about the size of a soccer ball?

Great to see the increased membership on downthepipe, too. Merry holidays to everyone!
   
FalconNL

Ninji.

Description:
One of the lesser known side effects of the starman drug is that prolonged usage actually changes the users physiology: they become more and more star-shaped. The ninji are toads that have been using starman continually for around two years. They now continually see the world in slow-time, although the effect is not as strong as when actually using the drug itself. They see and move around 2-3 times normal speed. The speed, agility and deadliness of these ninji has prompted Bowser to hire a number of of them as castle guards and assassins.

Social: They work alone. You will most likely find them in dark places, where their black outfit is a perfect camouflage, and in Bowser's castle. The small thickness of the ninji allows them to hide in relatively small cracks in walls and rock faces, from where they can attack their target from behind. Not all ninji are in his service though, so you'll also find a few in the wilderness roaming around as outcasts from their towns.

Mario interaction: Your best bet is to fight fire with fire. using starman yourself will negate their advantage. They can be killed by almost any weaponry though, since they have no armour, relying on the element of surprise and their speed instead. Keep watching your back in dark places like sewers and caves.


   
FalconNL

Yet another take on Buzzy Beetle, this time modeled after the scarab beetle.

Description: About half an average persons height, these beetle live in groups of 4 to 20 in mountainous regions where they use their strong legs to make balls of the earth, which they drop down onto their prey. If the soil is too hard to make balls from, they jump off the cliffs themselves with their shell downward to break their fall (and their prey). If no animals are present, they will eat plants.

Tactics: Try to face them on even ground if possible. This will elimate their ball and jump attacks. If they do have the height advantage, avoid the balls (though this can be very difficult of they come from multiple sides and in large quantities). When they perform their jump attack, you have a small window of opportunity to attack their soft underbellies before they get up again. Their walking speed is not terribly fast, so try to put a bomb in between yourself and the beetle to flip it over again.


   
carra
I noticed we have no concept for Big Boo, so I made a sketch about it. What do you think?

   
Kupi


DarkMagnus wrote:
Hey everybody, thanks for the feedback. For cursing, that's up to the scriptwriter. I plan to write some scenes, and I'll keep your feedback in mind. As for the sound quality, that was a little olympus recorder. I'm going to get some actual equipment, and I urge anyone who's going to do voice-acting to do so as well. Also, I've come up with an idea to get some PR. Flash movies. All we need to do is finish up the first few scenes, and get the voice actors for them. Then, we find a flash animator who knows what he's doing. We make a pilot/trailer and post it on Newgrounds. Bam, instant entry into the gamer/artistic community. Lots of coders and devs go to Newgrounds, so after we make the pilot we'll have a good shot at making the actual game. As of right now, I don't see anything stopping us from making a flash movie, so I suggest we do it. Any comments?


Well, I happen to own Flash and I've got a void of projects to work on with the completion of my first Flash film (which I'll post a link to if absolutely necessary-- right now I'd like to keep its exposure down to people it was made for). The problem is that I can't really draw, at least, not in the gritty "I, Mario" style we've got going. One idea would be to showcase the concept art while the scenes we've got written play over top of them.
   
Mr. 1-Up

carra wrote:
I noticed we have no concept for Big Boo, so I made a sketch about it. What do you think?



What about King Boo? Come on, I know you want to...
   
carra

Raenok wrote:
What about King Boo? Come on, I know you want to...


Mmm, I'm afraid I don't know who King Boo is... Maybe it appears at recent Mario games?? I'm stuck at the classic games Rolling Eyes
   
Mr. 1-Up

carra wrote:
Raenok wrote:
What about King Boo? Come on, I know you want to...


Mmm, I'm afraid I don't know who King Boo is... Maybe it appears at recent Mario games?? I'm stuck at the classic games Rolling Eyes


He's from Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, and Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars. Basically, he's a much bigger Boo with a crown, and has a lot of intellegence.
   

PAGE 66

Author Message
Citris

Raenok wrote:
carra wrote:
Raenok wrote:
What about King Boo? Come on, I know you want to...


Mmm, I'm afraid I don't know who King Boo is... Maybe it appears at recent Mario games?? I'm stuck at the classic games Rolling Eyes


He's from Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, and Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars. Basically, he's a much bigger Boo with a crown, and has a lot of intellegence.


Remember that Shael and Straz said that we are trying to stay with the original Mario and we're using monsters from other games only as filler to flesh out the story.
   
Xerol

Citris wrote:
Raenok wrote:
carra wrote:
Raenok wrote:
What about King Boo? Come on, I know you want to...


Mmm, I'm afraid I don't know who King Boo is... Maybe it appears at recent Mario games?? I'm stuck at the classic games Rolling Eyes


He's from Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, and Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars. Basically, he's a much bigger Boo with a crown, and has a lot of intellegence.


Remember that Shael and Straz said that we are trying to stay with the original Mario and we're using monsters from other games only as filler to flesh out the story.


Well, it just seems to be a souped up version of a regular Boo...which we're already doing with a few monsters anyway. Maybe make like a Blue Boo or something with similar characteristics and maybe a few unique attacks.
   
Mr. 1-Up
Citris wrote:
Raenok wrote:
carra wrote:
Raenok wrote:
What about King Boo? Come on, I know you want to...


Mmm, I'm afraid I don't know who King Boo is... Maybe it appears at recent Mario games?? I'm stuck at the classic games Rolling Eyes


He's from Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, and Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars. Basically, he's a much bigger Boo with a crown, and has a lot of intellegence.


Remember that Shael and Straz said that we are trying to stay with the original Mario and we're using monsters from other games only as filler to flesh out the story.


Oh. Well, then...sorry for the bother. Just trying to put suggestions.
   
Bean

First off, Carra, that big boo rocks! I really like how it's got the tattered arms like mine. Heheheh.

Secondly, ES... your spark is flippin' awesome! The details and shading are exquisite. Not to mention, the whole idea actually works very well. Excellent.

Next up, I have version 2 of the height chart completed. I only made a few adjustments, but there are plenty of numbers left. I added ES's thwomp and shrunk the cloud just a tad. Lakitu will be added soon.

And lastly, I've taken another stab at the elusive Buzzy Beetle.



In order to make it look like a beetle, the shell has to be segmented, but I made sure to keep the crevices to a minimum. I refrained from using insect legs because of the fact that they look too fragile to me. So, I gave them legs that are reminicient of a dinosaur's, which is more true to their original design. You may also notice that I've given them wings. It's still far too heavy to make use of those wings for flight. Instead they flap them as a warning to predators which earned it the name "buzzy".
   
friendlyHunter

Best buzzy beetle model yet, Bean, in my opinion. And I love the spark and big boo too. =D
I mentioned "I,Mario" at the Gaming Universe forums just now, I might find a programmer from there =]
   
Dark Monkey

My LUE name is Dark Monkey.

Bean, I like your latest Buzzy Beetle the most. I really like how they riase their wings and buzz as a warning.

I noticed that the topic of enemy diversity in the ghost house has come up. Like I said before, I think Dry Bones would make a nice addition.
   
SoloGamer87

If you want the names of characters, they're in here.
Hope that helps.
   
carra

Speaking about the enemies found in the original SMB game, we have forgotten one of the classics! Here I made a picture of... the mighty cannon!



As we know, cannons never run out of bullets. This is achieved by a pipe system that carries them through the ground (see vertical tube).
   
Citris

Bean, that is perfect. I love it. I really liked Falcon's idea of how they attacked too.


And yes, I think DM is right that we should use Dry Bones as another enemy in the ghost house. It would be kind boring with just Boos flying around.


Raenok, I wasn't trying to shut you up. I'm sorry if it sounded that way. All ideas are most definately welcome, and I am far from the final authority on anything.
   
FalconNL

Bombomb sketch.

Description: Pretty much described before. Walking bombs that chase target.

Mario interaction: The best way of destroying these without taking damage is to make the gunpowder within them detonate prematurely with a fire attack. Make sure you do this at a distance though or you will still take damage from the blast.



As for the beetle: I don't think beans design and my attack method are compatible. The short legs don't seem well-suited to digging. I'd like to know how big bean imagined that design given my 'how does it attack' point earlier.

EDIT: carra, I like that gun, but could you explain the mechanism for turning the bullets 90 degrees? I'm assuming the bullets travel the pipe like they would a gun barrel so when it arrives at the gun it's pointing up: it still needs to be tilted.
   
Specter

Wow, people are posting fast. Anyway, I just read the last two pages, and there's alot of good stuff. First of all, thanks SoloGamer for the site. It's awsome, and if the other people haven't checked it out they should. Also, Bean, you nailed that Buzzy Beetle. Awsome. Same to ES with the Spark. Your guys's stuff really deserves a huge "w00t!". Anyway, the flash trailer is a great idea, and it we can post it on Newgrounds and Flashplayer, we would atract a lot of attention fast. If some flash animators could post their works on here, or tell us where they are, we could definitly get a good trailer out. That's it for now, keep up teh g00d work.
   
Bean
FalconNL wrote:
As for the beetle: I don't think beans design and my attack method are compatible. The short legs don't seem well-suited to digging. I'd like to know how big bean imagined that design given my 'how does it attack' point earlier.


Their legs are longer than a mole's, so I'm sure they could dig. Besides, they have those tusk/mandibles that would be great for raking through dirt and sand. I actually imagined them fairly big. Probably a little larger than a goomba; about the same size as yours.
   
DarkMagnus


I just got a great idea for a level and a boss. The level would be called the Star Caves. Now, from the outside these caves would look enclosed, inside a mountain, perhaps. But when Mario enters the mountain, he sees the night sky above him. Remember, in the old games, when you'd enter a cave level? The backdrop was a starry night. It was beautiful, yes, but inexplicable. I think it'd be a great thing to incorporate it into I, Mario. It's really cramped and enclosed, but it looks wide open and lush. We could even add special enemies, like stealthed Koopas (possibly with more hunched back bone structures) Green Vampire Bats and, of course, Buzzy Beetles. As the caves go deeper, they get hotter, and soon Mario find himself in a place that could rightfully be called hell, with lava and Bone Koopas/Thwomps/Chain Chomps. At the end, Mario fights a giant Buzzy Beetle, and has to kill it by jumping on to its back, breaking its shell and causing it to fall in the lava. It has all the pieces we need for I, Mario. A throwback to the old games, (the levels are based on original Mario/Super Mario levels) inventive enemies, illusions, and a little bit of platformer action.

To do this we'll first need these pieces of concept art:

Buzzy Beetle (Bean's version works best)
Stealth Troopa (Should be a smaller, agile Koopa.)
Bats (The green ones)
Art of Mario looking at a night sky, but if you look closely you can see walls of rock enclosing him. The wall is visible at the sides and slowly turns invisible closer to the top.
Art of Mario jumping from rock to rock in a area filled with lava. The night sky from the last picture is still faintly visible, but the walls are more prominent.
Mario battling the Giant Buzzy Beetle, preferably on an arena styled rock surrounded by the night sky (now more visible than ever) and below it, lava.

I'll make some crappy art, but I'd prefer it if Bean or one of the other awesome artists we have here turned it into something more... professional. Any thoughts?
   
finalhazard


carra wrote:
Speaking about the enemies found in the original SMB game, we have forgotten one of the classics! Here I made a picture of... the mighty cannon!



As we know, cannons never run out of bullets. This is achieved by a pipe system that carries them through the ground (see vertical tube).


Would the ammo still be Bullet Bills or just be oversized bullets? A Bullet Bill as seen in the Mario games isn't that intimidating.
   
DarkMagnus


And Bean, is there any messenging service you use? I'd ike to talk to you in person.
   

PAGE 67

Author Message
Blackthorne

Just for fun I decided to make an introduction to this story/game/movie/whatever..
Quote:
It had been three years since the original attack. The human race had been driven from their homes into secluded areas across the world. The first encounter with the alien beings was destructive at best. Two goombas alone could kill a man, and there were thousands. They would crawl up your body and inject a fungus that tore your organs to shreds. We eventually found out that they would decompose themselves if you found a way to break one of their internal tissues. Jumping on their backs seemed to be the most effective way of accomplishing this. We eventually fought off the initial invasion, but both my mom and dad were killed by the goombas. Louigi convinced me to join the military to help with the defense, but it became obvious that we weren't going to win. When the second invasion occurred, Earth was only prepared to fend off the goombas, not the koopas, and especially not the piranha plants. A koopa would charge towards you at lightning speeds. Just as it was about to reach you it would jump into the air and spin, causing its razor sharp blades engineered into the shell to rip you to pieces. The paranha plants were another story. They were massive carnivorous plants with blistering reflexes. One would nab the man next to you without you even knowing and before you relized what was happening he was already digested. More enemies, unique in nature began to arrive by the legions. That's when we decided to find somewhere to hide. A girl that lived across the street, Daisy, also became on orphin during the "scurging of the planet" and continued to assist us in our plans. We, my brother and I, decided to burrow ourselves into the local sewer system below New York City...we brought Daisy along. How long we were down there among the rats, I still don't know. The food we had brought lasted only for a couple of months, so I left to see if we could find something to bring back for us to eat...

...and the game begins.

Tell me what you guys think of that.
edit: Personally, I would like to think of the story developing into mario becoming a drug addict and such. I don't think he should initially be such an evil person, and that the story should force him into such a life. Of course, this is just opinion so take it for what it's worth.
   
1link-jing1

(for my 976th edit)
bullets could be able to pull the 90 degree turn by a timed bend in the middle to create a kind of boomerang curve. too turn different directions it rolls to its left or right and bends.

I made a quick Bullet Bill on Paint.
There's a trigger on the tip that detonates the bullet when touched. It rides at 40 mph, a pretty fast pase. Used for attacks, but many use them for hitch hiking rides to far distances. It heavy build makes it slow. The spinner near the end keeps the bullet moving by spinning really fast, pushing it forward. Rudders in the back keep it moving in a straight line for smooth curves from the bend.
   
Citris

1link-jing1 wrote:
bullets could be able to pull the 90 degree turn by a timed bend in the middle to create a kind of boomerang curve. too turn different directions it rolls to its left or right and bends.
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/wut_elz_link/bbfimp.bmp[/IMG]
I made a quick Bullet Bill on Paint.


Photobucket doesn't like you.
   
1link-jing1
Citris wrote:
1link-jing1 wrote:
bullets could be able to pull the 90 degree turn by a timed bend in the middle to create a kind of boomerang curve. too turn different directions it rolls to its left or right and bends.
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/wut_elz_link/bbfimp.bmp[/IMG]
I made a quick Bullet Bill on Paint.


Photobucket doesn't like you.

It never did.
   
DarkMagnus

Anybody have any comments on the Star Caves idea?
   
SoloGamer87

1link-jing1 wrote:
Citris wrote:
1link-jing1 wrote:
bullets could be able to pull the 90 degree turn by a timed bend in the middle to create a kind of boomerang curve. too turn different directions it rolls to its left or right and bends.
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/wut_elz_link/bbfimp.bmp[/IMG]
I made a quick Bullet Bill on Paint.


Photobucket doesn't like you.

It never did.

Maybe you should try http://www.imageshack.us/
   
1link-jing1
SoloGamer87 wrote:
1link-jing1 wrote:
Citris wrote:
1link-jing1 wrote:
bullets could be able to pull the 90 degree turn by a timed bend in the middle to create a kind of boomerang curve. too turn different directions it rolls to its left or right and bends.
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/wut_elz_link/bbfimp.bmp[/IMG]
I made a quick Bullet Bill on Paint.


Photobucket doesn't like you.

It never did.

Maybe you should try http://www.imageshack.us/

yea. Good idea. Screw photobucket. Thanks.
   
Citris

DarkMagnus wrote:
Anybody have any comments on the Star Caves idea?


I like it. Instead of jumping on the beetle though, maybe shoot staligtites off the ceiling onto it? And instead of creating a brand new character like the stealth koopa, why not use the ninji mentioned on page 65? Or the wriggler.
   
Specter

Blackthorne wrote:
Just for fun I decided to make an introduction to this story/game/movie/whatever..
Quote:
It had been three years since the original attack. The human race had been driven from their homes into secluded areas across the world. The first encounter with the alien beings was destructive at best. Two goombas alone could kill a man, and there were thousands. They would crawl up your body and inject a fungus that tore your organs to shreds. We eventually found out that they would decompose themselves if you found a way to break one of their internal tissues. Jumping on their backs seemed to be the most effective way of accomplishing this. We eventually fought off the initial invasion, but both my mom and dad were killed by the goombas. Louigi convinced me to join the military to help with the defense, but it became obvious that we weren't going to win. When the second invasion occurred, Earth was only prepared to fend off the goombas, not the koopas, and especially not the piranha plants. A koopa would charge towards you at lightning speeds. Just as it was about to reach you it would jump into the air and spin, causing its razor sharp blades engineered into the shell to rip you to pieces. The paranha plants were another story. They were massive carnivorous plants with blistering reflexes. One would nab the man next to you without you even knowing and before you relized what was happening he was already digested. More enemies, unique in nature began to arrive by the legions. That's when we decided to find somewhere to hide. A girl that lived across the street, Daisy, also became on orphin during the "scurging of the planet" and continued to assist us in our plans. We, my brother and I, decided to burrow ourselves into the local sewer system below New York City...we brought Daisy along. How long we were down there among the rats, I still don't know. The food we had brought lasted only for a couple of months, so I left to see if we could find something to bring back for us to eat...

...and the game begins.

Tell me what you guys think of that.
edit: Personally, I would like to think of the story developing into mario becoming a drug addict and such. I don't think he should initially be such an evil person, and that the story should force him into such a life. Of course, this is just opinion so take it for what it's worth.

Neat idea. We'll probably never use it (seeing as how it is a huge deviation from everything we've already done) but the consept is very cool. The other thing I wanted to say is that the Star Caves idea is definitly useable, as long as we don't make up any enemies and just use existing ones.
   
Bean


DarkMagnus wrote:
And Bean, is there any messenging service you use? I'd like to talk to you in person.


I use AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Instant Messenger, and MSN Instant Messenger. I've just updated my profile to include my names. I must warn you, however, I'm rarely on. I'd say Yahoo! I frequent the most though.

Blackthorne wrote:
Just for fun I decided to make an introduction to this story/game/movie/whatever..
Quote:
It had been three years since the original attack. The human race had been driven from their homes into secluded areas across the world. The first encounter with the alien beings was destructive at best. Two goombas alone could kill a man, and there were thousands. They would crawl up your body and inject a fungus that tore your organs to shreds. We eventually found out that they would decompose themselves if you found a way to break one of their internal tissues. Jumping on their backs seemed to be the most effective way of accomplishing this. We eventually fought off the initial invasion, but both my mom and dad were killed by the goombas. Louigi convinced me to join the military to help with the defense, but it became obvious that we weren't going to win. When the second invasion occurred, Earth was only prepared to fend off the goombas, not the koopas, and especially not the piranha plants. A koopa would charge towards you at lightning speeds. Just as it was about to reach you it would jump into the air and spin, causing its razor sharp blades engineered into the shell to rip you to pieces. The paranha plants were another story. They were massive carnivorous plants with blistering reflexes. One would nab the man next to you without you even knowing and before you relized what was happening he was already digested. More enemies, unique in nature began to arrive by the legions. That's when we decided to find somewhere to hide. A girl that lived across the street, Daisy, also became on orphin during the "scurging of the planet" and continued to assist us in our plans. We, my brother and I, decided to burrow ourselves into the local sewer system below New York City...we brought Daisy along. How long we were down there among the rats, I still don't know. The food we had brought lasted only for a couple of months, so I left to see if we could find something to bring back for us to eat...

...and the game begins.

Tell me what you guys think of that.
edit: Personally, I would like to think of the story developing into mario becoming a drug addict and such. I don't think he should initially be such an evil person, and that the story should force him into such a life. Of course, this is just opinion so take it for what it's worth.


Now that's a fresh take on the idea. Very interesting... Unfortunately, we've got quite a bit already written and that's so far removed from what we have established, we'd pretty much be scrapping most of the work we've done. I do agree with you that we need to show Mario falling into his current state of depression, however. That's why I think Pauline should be taken to the Mushroom Kingdom before the brothers.

finalhazard wrote:
Would the ammo still be Bullet Bills or just be oversized bullets? A Bullet Bill as seen in the Mario games isn't that intimidating.


Actually, the bills in Sunshine of all games had a very eerie look to them. Also they have recently become less bullet and more missile.

Citris wrote:
1link-jing1 wrote:
bullets could be able to pull the 90 degree turn by a timed bend in the middle to create a kind of boomerang curve. too turn different directions it rolls to its left or right and bends.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/wut_elz_link/bbfimp.bmp[/img]
I made a quick Bullet Bill on Paint.



Photobucket doesn't like you.


But MSpaint does. That's not bad at all.

Citris wrote:
DarkMagnus wrote:
Anybody have any comments on the Star Caves idea?
I like it. Instead of jumping on the beetle though, maybe shoot staligtites off the ceiling onto it? And instead of creating a brand new character like the stealth koopa, why not use the ninji mentioned on page 65? Or the wriggler.


That has sidequest written all over it. I love the idea! I do agree that stealth koopas are going a little too far. Ninji would be great alternatives, and wigglers would also fit very well with the cave environment. The stalagtites work better than jumping on it's back too. You could plant a bob-omb under the beetle to flip it over and then somehow dislodge the stalagtites to smash through it's underbelly.
   
DarkMagnus


I love the stalagmite idea. Maybe the final part of the level could be all ice. Becuase when you think about it, Hell, or as told in Dante's Inferno, was like aDark Earth at first. Then it slowly becomes hotter and hotter until suddenly, in Cocytus, everything is made of ice. So the level could be hinting at hell, just a bit.
   
Hogulus

That Ninji rocks. Plain and simple.

(looks at Bowser on height chart) Oh, man. That guy is tall. (40 bonus points if you get the reference!) Anyway, the sizes all look about right - a Bowser that big would make for an interesting battle, Goombas are just a little too big to be stepped on, and the Shyguys are a tad shorter than humans.

I have one little problem with the Thwomp. Judging from the picture, it crushes prey with the bottom side of its rectangular body. So how does it get its squished food from there to its mouth? It should fall on its face IMO - it solves that problem, and besides, it's a whole lot scarier to look up and see some huge face coming at you than a plain furry block.

Bean's Buzzy Beetle looks good. No complaints here.

I suggested something earlier on the Bullet Bills. Think guided heatseeking missile, minus the explosive - it just goes through its target like a huge, well, bullet. This seems nice, but it means that if it rams into something other than its intended target, it can keep going. The only way to stop it is to get it to either run out of fuel or to get it to break itself against a rock or other hard surface. Of course, you can shoot it too.
   
Citris

Thank you very much for noticing the delete post button.
   
carra


1link-jing1 wrote:
(for my 976th edit)
bullets could be able to pull the 90 degree turn by a timed bend in the middle to create a kind of boomerang curve. too turn different directions it rolls to its left or right and bends.

I made a quick Bullet Bill on Paint.
There's a trigger on the tip that detonates the bullet when touched. It rides at 40 mph, a pretty fast pase. Used for attacks, but many use them for hitch hiking rides to far distances. It heavy build makes it slow. The spinner near the end keeps the bullet moving by spinning really fast, pushing it forward. Rudders in the back keep it moving in a straight line for smooth curves from the bend.


Wow! That bullet is great Shocked I hadn't drawn any bullet yet since I had no ideas to make tha classic "bullet bills" a bit scary, but your robotic style bullet is just what I was looking for. Of course I can make some small modifications on the cannon mechanism if we need them.
   
FalconNL


Bat in starry caves sketch.

Description: It's a bat. No need for much explaining. Was thinking a wingspan of about 1 meter.

Starry Caves have been described a couple posts up.


   

PAGE 68

Author Message
DarkMagnus

NICE. I think maybe the vampire bats should be black like in that picture, so they can slowly fade into view. The walls still carry the basic idea I had, which is awesome, because I was being pretty vague.
   
carra


I don't remember to have seen bats in Mario games, but well, maybe they could make a fine addition. By the way, I know there have been posts speaking about tall fungus and platforms, but... have we spoken about underground levels yet?
   
FalconNL

Not much. There's the starry caves that have come up recently and a sketch I did of the sewers in page 63, but that's about it.

On a side note, after almost all my sketches so far were 90% black (sewers, boo mansion, buzzy beetle, ninji, bob-bomb, starry caves) I thought I'd try something with a bit more colour.

I know we already have a goomba design, but that one never really looked a lot like a mushroom to me, so here's my view.

Description: Basically a living mushroom. Walks around on its roots. As discussed before it can launch spores and simply bite mario. Comes in reasonably large groups.

I suggest a cave/piece of forest at some point with like 100 of these things. it would like like normal at first, but once you're in the middle of the clearing/cave suddenly all the mushrooms would come alive and attack you.
   
FalconNL



Sorry for the double post, but for some weird reason the img tags didn't work in the previous post Confused


   
DJBren

So, has any progress been made on this project? Id really like to see this happen, but I dont actually imagine it happening for real.
   
Dark Monkey

I like the starry caves idea. We shouldn't make up enemies for it, though. There actually are a couple of different bat enemies in the Mario games. There's one in Super Mario World, and one in Yoshi's Island.

By the way, it's wiggler, not wriggler.
   
Bean


DJBren wrote:
So, has any progress been made on this project? Id really like to see this happen, but I dont actually imagine it happening for real.


Well, if by progress you mean an actual playing demo, no. But all these drawings, the scripts, 3-D models, and brainstorming is still progress. If the fact that 68 pages of this stuff isn't enough proof that we've been working on it, I dunno what to tell ya. And so far, the idea hasn't lost steam. It's possible that it will, but I know that I'll still be working on it for a while yet.

Anyway, I have a new pic.



Dry Bones. I was thinking they'd be more like zombies than reanimated skeletons. They're basically the same thing, but zombies are scarier and cooler.
   
FalconNL


And more importantly, zombies prevent the difficulty of floating bones. Kickass sketch btw, can't wait to see the rest of his body.
   
Blackthorne

Just a thought...
Wouldn't it be sweet for toad to be a whiney little kid to start and actually go to bowser's side in the end (ex: Wormtongue LOTR). Just imagine mario beating the crap out of the little weasel.
   
DJBren

Cool, well If you need a theme of some kind, Id be happy to help out.
   
Bean


Just got done with a quick colored version of my dry bones. Nothin' fancy, but it adds to the texture.


   
1link-jing1
carra wrote:
1link-jing1 wrote:
(for my 976th edit)
bullets could be able to pull the 90 degree turn by a timed bend in the middle to create a kind of boomerang curve. too turn different directions it rolls to its left or right and bends.

I made a quick Bullet Bill on Paint.
There's a trigger on the tip that detonates the bullet when touched. It rides at 40 mph, a pretty fast pase. Used for attacks, but many use them for hitch hiking rides to far distances. It heavy build makes it slow. The spinner near the end keeps the bullet moving by spinning really fast, pushing it forward. Rudders in the back keep it moving in a straight line for smooth curves from the bend.


Wow! That bullet is great Shocked I hadn't drawn any bullet yet since I had no ideas to make tha classic "bullet bills" a bit scary, but your robotic style bullet is just what I was looking for. Of course I can make some small modifications on the cannon mechanism if we need them.

Thanks. No need for too much modification. I drew this to fit your cannon.
Thanks too, Bean, for the comment on this pic.
EDIT-----
Introducing Torpedo Ted

From the underwater level in SMB 3. Same functions as the Bullet Bill, but underwater. The big hook at the bottom-end has a hook-bend-blast technique used to bomb things it misses.
   
CTcronoboy
I want to have all of your babies, seriously. Everyone here who has done anything, its just fantastic. I have been reading through the entire thread over the last three days, and I am extremely impressed. Its nice to see such a whole project here. Something for everyone. I would love to help but it seems like everything that I have talent in is extremely covered. Ill still be lurking in the shadows though. Kudos to all of you guys.
   
carra

Well, you're right that the amount of artwork, storyline and concept has been quite impressive (68 pages so far). But actually we are quite far from finished. There is still quite a lot to be done if we want to keep on this idea, so any contributions you can make are welcome...
   
Kupi


Heeey, a quick question about the Yahoo group. Can any member upload a file, or is that a "staff" privelege? I ask because I've VA'd Luigi's lines from scenes 4 and 6 for auditioning, and I'd like to distribute the files.
   

PAGE 69

Author Message
DarkMagnus

You'd have to send them to an admin, and then they'll post them. In the meantime, could you send them to me? I've been hoping we'd get some more voice-actors.
   
Kupi

How? I've nowhere to host them and I don't know your email address (nor would I ask you give it on a public forum). Have you got any sort of IM service we could transfer the files over?
   
CTcronoboy

carra wrote:
Well, you're right that the amount of artwork, storyline and concept has been quite impressive (68 pages so far). But actually we are quite far from finished. There is still quite a lot to be done if we want to keep on this idea, so any contributions you can make are welcome...


Well the only things that I could be considered good at are photoshop and writing, so if there is anything I can do tell me where to go.
   
Dark Monkey

I really like that Dry Bones, Bean.
   
Bean

Kupi wrote:
How? I've nowhere to host them and I don't know your email address (nor would I ask you give it on a public forum). Have you got any sort of IM service we could transfer the files over?


You could get his email through private message, or by checking his profile at the Yahoo! group. Also, if you look at the bottom of everyone's posts it shows their profile, the instant messengers they use, and their webpage if applicable.

CTcronoboy wrote:
Well the only things that I could be considered good at are photoshop and writing, so if there is anything I can do tell me where to go.


Just work on stuff you'd like to see. Even if it's not picked for the game, it's still something and will be useful and entertaining nonetheless. You can make stuff that's already posted that you'd like to see differently, or things that haven't been thought of yet. Since you say you're good at PS, you could simply color works that others haven't gotten around to coloring. I for one, am really bad at leaving my drawings uncolored. Heheheh.

On another note, Straz, you should post your outline so other people can get an idea of how it looks. We also might want to tweak a few things. It would also get a lot of the work off your shoulders by allowing the other writers to work on other pieces of the story. Just a thought I had.

Dark Monkey wrote:
I really like that Dry Bones, Bean.


Thanks a lot! I appreciate it.
   
Electronic Samurai
Hey everyone,

Just stopping in to check out what's happened so
far. Hogulus, thanks for the compliment. I suppose it really doesn't matter which end the Thwomp falls on its prey from - as long as it gets nice and squished. Once it's on the ground, it'll probably flip over to suck up the remaining soup. Eeyuck.
1link-jing1, I like your Bullet Bill and Torpedo Ted, and am all the more impressed that they were done in MSPAint (even though, for the life of me, I can't type your name). I listened to your voice auditions, DarkMagus, and I really like how you portray Mario. You've got a great voice that would fit well into a film noir. Bean, your Dry Bones is excellent, even it's somewhat more squishy than dry. Smile

Apologies to anyone I've missed.

Would it help if I started writing up ecologies for the various creatures that have been posted, like the ones I do for my concepts? I still have access to a scanner, so I'll continue to post concept art as I draw it.
   
Hogulus


I can't come up with a good idea for the ending of my little Magikoopa story back there, but here's some of my ideas on them:

-They belong to some sort of insane cult devoted to the elder god Wart (think Cthulhu, only a frog). Their emblem is a square, triangle, and circle arranged in a triangle formation. (Remember how their spells look? I'm pretty sure those are the symbols, there might be an X and I may be confusing it with my PS2 controller.) Unlike most gods in religion, Wart needs sacrifices but dislikes vegetable crops, and all offerings to him must be flesh. The Magikoopas believe that their master will be ressurected as a walking skyscraper-height giant once he gets a taste of the right kind of meat, and have kidnapped one of virtually every kind of animal in the Mushroom, Beanbean, and Koopa Kingdoms, not to mention Sarasala, for sacrifice in the most painful manner possible. They're getting desperate, and the alien organism that is Mario looks like a last hope for their religion...

-Kamek, the founder of the Magikoopa cult, brought followers to him by demonstrating numerous "magical" scepters. Most believe now that these were an abandoned weapon project stolen from the Toads, but not the Magikoopas. Through some unknown mechanism, they can alter the chemical structure of specially-made yellowish cubes into a "yellow Koopa," a Koopa-like monstrosity that attacks anything in sight. Again, most think that the cubes are just pre-prepared robots, but the Magikoopas see this as the god Wart's power in action. Rumors say that the scepters work the same way against Toads, but these are widely disbelieved. The original scepters are still in use today, and have been duplicated many times through unknown means to distribute to every member of the cult. Rumors say that the scepters hold other abilities within their glowing orbs...

-The Magikoopas are aligned with the Koopa Kingdom, though loyalty to their own species seems an unlikely reason, given that they seek the utter destruction of the entire world through the reign of the toad-god with no living things spared (not the Koopas, not even themselves). It is more likely that they are planning to betray the Koopas and capture Bowser as a sacrifice, as they have not captured one of his kind yet. If they succeed, they will likely sacrifice Pauline as well - if they're taking Bowser's keep, they might as well clean out the cell blocks. The Koopas are either ignorant of this or anticipate it, but are using the Magikoopas to their benifit in the meantime.

---

ElectronicSamurai, that would probably work for Thwomp. Besides, if Mario is ever in the situation of becoming Thwomp's food, he will be in no state to think about its logistics. Great Thwomp design, though, I'd never have pictured them organically.

Zombie Dry Bones pwnz. That is all.

This is very off-topic, and I'm by NO MEANS suggesting changing from Mario or anything, but a lot of old games can be made creepy if you think about it. Think of Sonic the Hedgehog. The world is devoid of almost all life, and all that remains is mechanizations that use the planet's former population as living CPUs, often making mockeries of it in the process (read: Crabmeat and other animal-like Badniks). The only apparent purpose these robots have is to find and kill the few remaining life-forms. Their creator, apparently hell-bent on completely wiping the planet out, often takes matters into his own hands and hunts the only surviving hedgehog... You get the idea. Of course, the above only applies to the original Sonic the Hedgehog series (plus Sonic and Knuckles), they threw humans in for the Sonic Adventure games and you know Eggman doesn't have the whole world roboticized. Megaman can be made all dark and stuff too. Sorta like the above, only the only remaining organisms are two warring scientists and, uh, Roll. (I haven't played much of the Megaman games, what relation does Roll have to everyone else?)
   
Bean

Hogulus wrote:
This is very off-topic, and I'm by NO MEANS suggesting changing from Mario or anything, but a lot of old games can be made creepy if you think about it. Think of Sonic the Hedgehog. The world is devoid of almost all life, and all that remains is mechanizations that use the planet's former population as living CPUs, often making mockeries of it in the process (read: Crabmeat and other animal-like Badniks). The only apparent purpose these robots have is to find and kill the few remaining life-forms. Their creator, apparently hell-bent on completely wiping the planet out, often takes matters into his own hands and hunts the only surviving hedgehog... You get the idea. Of course, the above only applies to the original Sonic the Hedgehog series (plus Sonic and Knuckles), they threw humans in for the Sonic Adventure games and you know Eggman doesn't have the whole world roboticized. Megaman can be made all dark and stuff too. Sorta like the above, only the only remaining organisms are two warring scientists and, uh, Roll. (I haven't played much of the Megaman games, what relation does Roll have to everyone else?)


Y'see, though, those two titles have already been done this way... to some extent. The Sonic comics, I've been told, are quite dark and have a very post-apocolypse feel to them. Then there's also the Megaman X series which does sort of the same thing. While they're not exactly what we're doing here, the idea actually has been explored a bit already. Mario is pretty much open as far as I know. It would be interesting to see what other games could be used in this way though.
   
friendlyHunter

Bean wrote:
It would be interesting to see what other games could be used in this way though.


I, Kirby

The entire world of Dreamland is in chaos, ruled by a giant evil penguin! He must be stopped, lest the human race be plagued by terrifying nightmares forever, slowly killing the entire population in their sleep... Dreamland is overrun by grotesque cyclopses, shooting lasers without remorse, fire that seems to have a mind of its own, and even worse - sinister maniacs with heavy explosives, known simply as, "The Poppy Brothers". Can a single puffball guy save the land - nay, the entire universe - from utter destruction??!?!?!?

Ok that was lame.


[Edit]
Sorry, I'm bored, here's another one:

I, Pacman
"As I turned the dark corner, picking up and gobbling the dots, I couldn't help wondering what the hell those things are. Mrs. Pacman always told me I ate too much, that I enjoyed eating too much, but this... this is a nightmare. I couldn't stop eating everything I see, and I couldn't stop thinking about cherries. Just then I saw a pill. Do I take it? Do I leave it? With a horrific scream, a huge ghostly figure rushed towards me, blanketed in etherial sheets like a badly made Halloween costum. I swallowed the pill quickly, and the ghost suddenly halted and wailed a sound of pure and utter fear. It started to flee, but I caught up with it just in time, and it dissapeared from the shadowy hall like a burger on 2 for 1 Tuesday. I could sware I saw a pair of eyes rushing down the hall. At last I regained my thoughts, and realised I had to eat the dots... eat ALL the dots - forever!"

   
friendlyHunter

Oops I double posted =/
   
SoloGamer87
If I, Mario ever becomes world famous, you guys could always get back together to remake other games. You could create an entire line of dark and gritty game remakes. There are tons of games that it could be applied to (I, Zelda maybe Laughing ).

Since I'm not much of an artists or a writer, I can't contribute as much as I'd like to, but you have my full moral support. Keep up the good work you guys. I'm looking forward to seeing the fruits of your labor.
   
DarkMagnus

I <3 that Magikoopa idea.

Hahaha, I, Pacman. Should the fruits be drugs?
   
[-Smoke-]

Hogulus wrote:
Sorta like the above, only the only remaining organisms are two warring scientists and, uh, Roll. (I haven't played much of the Megaman games, what relation does Roll have to everyone else?)


Roll was created alongside with Rock for a similar purpose: To be a lab assistant. So yeah, she's an android.
   
CTcronoboy

Bean wrote:
CTcronoboy wrote:
Well the only things that I could be considered good at are photoshop and writing, so if there is anything I can do tell me where to go.


Just work on stuff you'd like to see. Even if it's not picked for the game, it's still something and will be useful and entertaining nonetheless. You can make stuff that's already posted that you'd like to see differently, or things that haven't been thought of yet. Since you say you're good at PS, you could simply color works that others haven't gotten around to coloring. I for one, am really bad at leaving my drawings uncolored. Heheheh.

On another note, Straz, you should post your outline so other people can get an idea of how it looks. We also might want to tweak a few things. It would also get a lot of the work off your shoulders by allowing the other writers to work on other pieces of the story. Just a thought I had.



Sounds like a plan, when I get home tonight, Ill check the database Citrus made to see what still needs coloring. And if Straz is interested in conceptual editing I would be glad to help out there (my grammar is horrid).
   
Electronic Samurai

Hey all, I think I've finally got all my stuff posted on downthepipe except the ecologies. I tend to do those off the top of my head and forget about them soon afterwards. They could, realistically, be anywhere.

Oh, and my scanned pictures need some colorin' love, if no one minds. It looks like I won't be getting a new computer anytime soon, so more horrible scans and MSpaint are on the way! Bleh.
   

PAGE 70

Author Message
Straziante

CTcronoboy wrote:
Bean wrote:
CTcronoboy wrote:
Well the only things that I could be considered good at are photoshop and writing, so if there is anything I can do tell me where to go.


Just work on stuff you'd like to see. Even if it's not picked for the game, it's still something and will be useful and entertaining nonetheless. You can make stuff that's already posted that you'd like to see differently, or things that haven't been thought of yet. Since you say you're good at PS, you could simply color works that others haven't gotten around to coloring. I for one, am really bad at leaving my drawings uncolored. Heheheh.

On another note, Straz, you should post your outline so other people can get an idea of how it looks. We also might want to tweak a few things. It would also get a lot of the work off your shoulders by allowing the other writers to work on other pieces of the story. Just a thought I had.



Sounds like a plan, when I get home tonight, Ill check the database Citrus made to see what still needs coloring. And if Straz is interested in conceptual editing I would be glad to help out there (my grammar is horrid).


What timing! I'm finally back, and I just read everything that I missed. Some great ideas floating around here.

First, Buzzy beetles MUST have 6 legs. They wouldn't be classified as an insect if they didn't.

Second, I like the Starry Caves ideas. I'll work that in.

As far as Magikoopas, they've been planned for. They are actually quite instrumental in the story as far as bring Mario and his peeps over. Remember that I haven't specified a time frame of how much MK time passed between the 3 being drawn over. If you think Peach should appear in the MK well before Mario, she does. A little help with the whole time-space idea would be appreciated.

I also had an idea for warp pipes. They aren't warps at all, but actually the Mushroom Kingdom Warp Transit, or a subway system. They have the Mushroom Line, which runs N-S, the Flower Line, E-W, Star Line, NE-SW, and the Royal Line, NW-SE, which runs directly into the MK capital city from the central station at Star Hill. It's a logical representation of the warp pipes. The entrances could be green with arched ceilings for a nostaligic effect.

As far as an outline, I'm working on getting a good detailed one written up. I'm having to hand-write everything at the moment, since this computer I'm using right now is about to die. I'm going to get a laptop tomorrow in Knoxville, so process with the script will pick up quite a bit, despite the fact that I started classes again last night.

As far as Mario starting out good, he does. If you read the script that I have so far, you can tell that Mario has a lot of good in him, he's just angry inside about Luigi's success and his own failure. You can tell he really loves Pauline, and you'll see exactly how much in an upcoming scene. I'm trying to go for the mental scariness rather than the physical type, so Luigi's involvement in the story is going to get a little more complicated. He's going to appear a lot less, but what he tells and shows Mario is going to be severely screwed up. The next couple of scenes that are nearly written give us the first mention of Shy Guys, an idea of where Pauline could be, and our first glimpse into the fragility of the MK government. Once I get in the mood, I'll definitely write up a better outline for you guys. I'm rather certain it'll only need a few changes.
   
Kamoh

Straziante Synthesized wrote:
CTcronoboy wrote:
Bean wrote:
CTcronoboy wrote:
Well the only things that I could be considered good at are photoshop and writing, so if there is anything I can do tell me where to go.


Just work on stuff you'd like to see. Even if it's not picked for the game, it's still something and will be useful and entertaining nonetheless. You can make stuff that's already posted that you'd like to see differently, or things that haven't been thought of yet. Since you say you're good at PS, you could simply color works that others haven't gotten around to coloring. I for one, am really bad at leaving my drawings uncolored. Heheheh.

On another note, Straz, you should post your outline so other people can get an idea of how it looks. We also might want to tweak a few things. It would also get a lot of the work off your shoulders by allowing the other writers to work on other pieces of the story. Just a thought I had.



Sounds like a plan, when I get home tonight, Ill check the database Citrus made to see what still needs coloring. And if Straz is interested in conceptual editing I would be glad to help out there (my grammar is horrid).


What timing! I'm finally back, and I just read everything that I missed. Some great ideas floating around here.

First, Buzzy beetles MUST have 6 legs. They wouldn't be classified as an insect if they didn't.


Buzzy Beetles aren't really insects, or at least I've never thought of them that way. Koopas, Buzzy Beetles, Spinies, Hammer Bros...I've always thought of them as a kind of turtle. Buzzy beetles just have a hard black shell.

Whoever I'm quoting wrote:


Second, I like the Starry Caves ideas. I'll work that in.

As far as Magikoopas, they've been planned for. They are actually quite instrumental in the story as far as bring Mario and his peeps over. Remember that I haven't specified a time frame of how much MK time passed between the 3 being drawn over. If you think Peach should appear in the MK well before Mario, she does. A little help with the whole time-space idea would be appreciated.

I also had an idea for warp pipes. They aren't warps at all, but actually the Mushroom Kingdom Warp Transit, or a subway system. They have the Mushroom Line, which runs N-S, the Flower Line, E-W, Star Line, NE-SW, and the Royal Line, NW-SE, which runs directly into the MK capital city from the central station at Star Hill. It's a logical representation of the warp pipes. The entrances could be green with arched ceilings for a nostaligic effect.

As far as an outline, I'm working on getting a good detailed one written up. I'm having to hand-write everything at the moment, since this computer I'm using right now is about to die. I'm going to get a laptop tomorrow in Knoxville, so process with the script will pick up quite a bit, despite the fact that I started classes again last night.

As far as Mario starting out good, he does. If you read the script that I have so far, you can tell that Mario has a lot of good in him, he's just angry inside about Luigi's success and his own failure. You can tell he really loves Pauline, and you'll see exactly how much in an upcoming scene. I'm trying to go for the mental scariness rather than the physical type, so Luigi's involvement in the story is going to get a little more complicated. He's going to appear a lot less, but what he tells and shows Mario is going to be severely screwed up. The next couple of scenes that are nearly written give us the first mention of Shy Guys, an idea of where Pauline could be, and our first glimpse into the fragility of the MK government. Once I get in the mood, I'll definitely write up a better outline for you guys. I'm rather certain it'll only need a few changes.
   
Straziante
Well, I feel we have enough reptiles. We need to have a bigger variety of native wildlife. Sure, the Koopas could be aliens or what-have-you, but there had to be animals of some sort in the MK before the Koopas arrived. I think we should have some wild canines and felines, and some other mammals as well. Wild animals generally stay away from humans, so we could include them, but not actually use them as main enemies.
   
Bean


And that's exactly what my buzzy beetle is. It doesn't have to be an insect to be called a beetle. A koala isn't a bear and yet they're called bears. This place is, as Luigi put it, "a whole new world." There's no reason things need to be classified in the same way that they are here on earth. Buzzy beetles, as far as I can tell by the sprites and such, have only four legs, so that's the way I drew them. Besides, the legs are the only things reptilian about them, and they're generally covered up by the shell.
   
Straziante
It's your pic. You've decided for us. Works for me!
   
friendlyHunter

Apparently strawberries aren't berries, but bananas are. So I don't think that the beetle's name should necesarily show the number of legs. Although there's nothing whrong with a six legged buzzy beetle, we've already got some cool goombas with four legs.

Anyway, I think there should be real SMB pipes. Like sewer pipes and stuff, they'd be all under the cities, but they'd show above ground more than in human cities. They're also big, so toads can go in them for maintainance, but tall enough that toad kids can't climb up them. Maybe they're made out of green metal, or metal that turns green like the statue of liberty. Or painted green, just like painted fire hydrants. Actually, some unpainted shiny metallic pipes would look kinda cool too...

The transportation system thing could simply be another use for the toads' sewers, the toads use "underground" levels to travel long distances. Maybe they were going to house a big subway, but they collapsed/got bombed, and now they're infested by goombas and pirahna plants.
   
Straziante

friendlyHunter wrote:
Apparently strawberries aren't berries, but bananas are. So I don't think that the beetle's name should necesarily show the number of legs. Although there's nothing whrong with a six legged buzzy beetle, we've already got some cool goombas with four legs.

Anyway, I think there should be real SMB pipes. Like sewer pipes and stuff, they'd be all under the cities, but they'd show above ground more than in human cities. They're also big, so toads can go in them for maintainance, but tall enough that toad kids can't climb up them. Maybe they're made out of green metal, or metal that turns green like the statue of liberty. Or painted green, just like painted fire hydrants. Actually, some unpainted shiny metallic pipes would look kinda cool too...

The transportation system thing could simply be another use for the toads' sewers, the toads use "underground" levels to travel long distances. Maybe they were going to house a big subway, but they collapsed/got bombed, and now they're infested by goombas and pirahna plants.



I wasn't looking for a way to use the underground properties of the warp pipes, but the actual travel aspect. I agree that there should be sewers, which are infested with enemies. But the idea of having to trek by foot across the continent to go talk to someone cos you forgot something just irks me. After a certain point in the game, a quicker travel means should be available.
   
friendlyHunter

Maybe instead of subway cars, they use subway BOATS in partially water-filled pipes with swift currents. Just an idea...
   
FalconNL


How about at some point Mario acquires a raft or something with which has has to traverse an underground sewer system full of rapids, waterfalls and such (think mini cart scene from Indiana Jones Temple of Doom for an idea on speed and danger level)?
This idea actually occurs in a mild form in the SMB universe. In SMB2 you have the waterfalls (I think already in the first level) where logs fall down the waterfall. From there it's not really a large step to white-water sewer rafting.
   
CTcronoboy

Straziante Synthesized wrote:
CTcronoboy wrote:
Bean wrote:
CTcronoboy wrote:
Well the only things that I could be considered good at are photoshop and writing, so if there is anything I can do tell me where to go.


Just work on stuff you'd like to see. Even if it's not picked for the game, it's still something and will be useful and entertaining nonetheless. You can make stuff that's already posted that you'd like to see differently, or things that haven't been thought of yet. Since you say you're good at PS, you could simply color works that others haven't gotten around to coloring. I for one, am really bad at leaving my drawings uncolored. Heheheh.

On another note, Straz, you should post your outline so other people can get an idea of how it looks. We also might want to tweak a few things. It would also get a lot of the work off your shoulders by allowing the other writers to work on other pieces of the story. Just a thought I had.



Sounds like a plan, when I get home tonight, Ill check the database Citrus made to see what still needs coloring. And if Straz is interested in conceptual editing I would be glad to help out there (my grammar is horrid).


Stuff that doesnt coinside with above quotes


So do you want any help? I didnt see a direct answer out of the post.
   
DarkMagnus

Straz, are you ever going to get on Yahoo? I've been dying to read those new scripts!
   
1link-jing1

Wart from SM 2:

   
carra

friendlyHunter wrote:
Anyway, I think there should be real SMB pipes. Like sewer pipes and stuff, they'd be all under the cities, but they'd show above ground more than in human cities. They're also big, so toads can go in them for maintainance, but tall enough that toad kids can't climb up them. Maybe they're made out of green metal, or metal that turns green like the statue of liberty. Or painted green, just like painted fire hydrants. Actually, some unpainted shiny metallic pipes would look kinda cool too...


Careful!! We have not spoken yet about the concept of a city in Mushroom Kingdom. If we think of a city similar to human ones, we could end in a world much like SMB the movie.
   
Bean

That's a very nice Wart there, 1link-jing1. He's got a very sophisticated, and regal sense about him. Quite different from some of the other designs and thoughts on him. If we're adding the Magikoopas into the story, and they do indeed worship Wart, that pic would make a really cool relief in one of their ceremonial chambers or possibly two statues of them facing a central alter with elaborate patterns on the bases or something.

carra wrote:
friendlyHunter wrote:
Anyway, I think there should be real SMB pipes. Like sewer pipes and stuff, they'd be all under the cities, but they'd show above ground more than in human cities. They're also big, so toads can go in them for maintainance, but tall enough that toad kids can't climb up them. Maybe they're made out of green metal, or metal that turns green like the statue of liberty. Or painted green, just like painted fire hydrants. Actually, some unpainted shiny metallic pipes would look kinda cool too...


Careful!! We have not spoken yet about the concept of a city in Mushroom Kingdom. If we think of a city similar to human ones, we could end in a world much like SMB the movie.


Good advise. We're definately gonna have to keep that in mind. I'd hate this to be considered another SMB movie.

Alright, I have another picture... only it's Electronic Samurai's. He asked me to make him a sig image so I colored his thwomp.



I figured they'd basically be one solid color. I chose a blueish-gray because it would obviously be the best for hiding amongst cave and dungeon walls, not to mention that's the color they were in the games.
   
Specter

Hey, I just had an idea for the shyguys. They could be like the KKK of the MK, but to an extreme. They're toads who are obsessed with the idea of toad supremacy, and they will kill/attack anything that is not a toad. That way, we could have them as sorta-allies and enemies, since they would be trying to kill the Koopas as well. Think like the Sentinels in Halo; they would attack you, but they would also attack the Flood. this is just kind of a random comment, so feel free to ignore it, or not use it.