Game
Belgrad: Curse of the Castle
9 years ago

Belgrad Q and A


Here’s a list of questions about this game for the common Metroidvania player:

Does it have weapons?
Yes. They work like the old Castlevania weapons. (This means candle-smashing, too.)

Does it have Level-ups?
No. This isn’t an RPG.

Does it have equipment you can equip?
No. This isn’t an RPG.

Does it have those weapons you use to advance the game like in Zelda?
No. This isn’t Dragonian.

Are there stat boosters?
No. This is a gamer’s game.

Does it have a big map?
Yes. If one tester says it’s big, then it’s big.

Is there stuff you need to collect to progress?
Yes, but most of them work sort of like the Jiggies in Banjo-Kazooie.

Are there NPCs?
Heck, yeah. Talking to people is how you find out things.

Are there multiple characters to play as?
Yeah, but you have to play the game with the main character first, preferably.

Does it have a save feature?
Heck, yeah. A game this big needs one.

Why is this game rated Teen?
Disturbing imagery. Just… trust me on this one.

Will this game cost anything?
…uh… We’ll get back to you on that. You know… When it’s done.

Is it good?
That’s a matter of opinion.

Can I hax game?
Uh… no. Don’t.

Do you have a beta?
Heck, yeah. I just need to make bosses and cinematics, and somehow get a good soundtrack for this game. Do you know anyone who’s good at making Synthwave MP3s? I wish I could.

Can I play the beta?
Uh… in my past experience, if I release a beta, people won’t be as excited when the real game comes around. So, the answer is NO, unless you’ve got some good street cred and understand that QA stands for Quality Assurance. (I.E. making sure the game is actually good and NOT buggy!!!) Right now, the beta is pretty stable with two bosses.

Now, here’s a list of questions for the people who liked my previous games:

Does it have a sense of humor?
You know me too well. (…that’s a yes.)

Is there more conversing with characters?
Yes… and no. There’s less enforced investigating, but plenty of NPCs to talk to.

How is this a sequel to the previous Belgrad game?
It runs on the same engine, and built from the same source. It saves on programming time, I’ll tell you that much. Beyond that, it does deviate a lot from that engine.

Is it more action-packed than the previous one?
Oh, yeah. Monsters are everywhere this time.

Is it bigger than Dragonian?
No. Not in terms of gameplay, anyway. 30 MB (and counting) is bigger than 8 MB, and most of those are dedicated to filler music in MP3 format.

Is it better than Dragonian?
That’s another matter of opinion. The story isn’t, since it’s trying more to be a
game. Then again, it’s hard to write a good game story without it turning into a movie. This game is not a movie.

Is it easier to “Let’s Play” than Dragonian?
Oh, yeah. I’ve had to do quite a few speedruns on this to QA this game. It’s shorter, isn’t it?

Will you ever make a sequel to Dragonian?
Do you have YandereDev’s number? I love that engine of his. …but seriously, I’ll
get to it when I actually can make it.

Why are all the games you make strictly in English?
…uh… because I’m American, and I’m not fluent in other languages. Occasionally, I’ll use Google Translate, but that leads to interesting results if the language being translated is complicated.

Will you make another Dragonian?
Not yet.

Will you make another Shiro Ninja Mayhem?
Eh heh… no. Not now.

Will you make another …?
Not now.

When will you release this game?
When it’s done. Wait a few more months.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy it when it gets here.

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To quote George Lucas, "I might have gone a bit too far in a few places."

I figure it would be a bit cooler if we started flying at night, then as we cross time zones across the Atlantic, it would be daytime by the time the player reaches their destination in the UK.

...but it doesn't look like "night" yet.

I don't normally do mockups, but since the mockup is in-engine, I'll make an exception. It helps me figure out whether or not drop-shadows (and enemies that move in the background) would be effective in this level.

...I think the answer is "yes".

If you're flying over the ocean, it doesn't leave you much choice in what kind of bad guys you fight. They have to fly, too.

Apparently, there are only three time zones between Brazil and the UK.

So, I might as well add some clouds and rain.

Screenshots for Belgrad: Curse of the Castle

What? Did you think all robot maids had jet skis? Of course not. This one takes rides on top of a flying car.

I'm gonna have to draw scene-specific sprites for Pinafore, though. One doesn't simply stand on top of a car and not have that hair flap.

Testing out a tentacle...

This is how I know Game Maker's random() function isn't very random:

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Why does this robot get twin six-shooters? Because these robots can only keep so many missiles, but you never run out of energy blasts from six-shooters.

That, and symmetry, and they look cool.