Game
Rock Beyond Time
4 years ago

Why does this game need a game controller?


Hi. If you're new here, I'm making a game called Rock Beyond Time. It's designed with an XInput game controller in mind.

Why?

Well, first off, I was considering selling this for real consoles. I'll probably do that much later, but for now, the game will be a free HTML5 game.

Secondly, I didn't consider touchscreens.

However, I have the common courtesy of adding keyboard support, in the style of '90s Shareware games. That's why you move with the Arrow keys and use A/S/D/Shift/Z/X/C for the buttons.

whitecontroller.png

So... what are the controls?

Left Stick/Control Pad (Arrow keys) - Move Player

  • You know why. Players gotta move.

Right Stick (I/J/K/L) - Move second character

  • Since we can't guarantee two players with two controllers, I've made it possible to move your partner around if there's no Player 2.

Bottom Face Button (Z Key) - Jump

  • ...doesn't work over little rocks or other solid objects, but it's effective against bad guys.

Left Face Button (X Key) - Attack

  • You'll be using this one A LOT.

Right Face Button (C Key) - Talk/Run/Pick Up/Throw

  • Expect to talk to a LOT of NPCs.

  • If you want to throw certain objects, you must move while holding it over your head. If you want to set it down, DON'T MOVE.

  • You can only run if you're moving. If you want to run without throwing an item, push the Right Shoulder button.

Top Face Button (V Key) - Use Equipped Item

  • Heal, use magic, or do the time warp if you have the right item equipped.

Left Trigger/Right Trigger (A/S Keys) - Change Equipped Item

  • You can switch between healing items, magic rings, and even NO item to avoid any item misuse.

Left Shoulder Button (Shift) - AI Control

  • This is its own bag of worms. While holding the trigger down, push a direction to determine whether or not a character will follow, not follow, attack, or not attack.

  • Used for single-player, mostly.

  • Up/Down on Left Stick - Follow/Don't Follow

  • Left/Right on Left Stick - Attack/Don't Attack

  • You can just tap it to get your AI-controlled buddy to just follow you.

Right Shoulder Button (D Key) - Run

  • If you want to run without dropping something, use this.

Select Button (Spacebar) - Switch Characters

  • If you have a second controller, this lets the other player jump in/drop out of the play session.

Start Button (Enter) - Pause Menu

  • Contains Minimaps, stats, an item menu, options, and the Save feature.

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Some big motions require big animation.

The least I can do is try to get the big motions right before drawing all the other details.

Part of the expansion involves a cute little fight right here. ...in space for no apparent reason.

...too bad it won't be as epic as the final boss, but still...

He's coming back. ...but just this once.

The way her telescopic arms work has always been fudged in-game and in art, so I'm wondering if I should animate Pinafore cleaning the family portrait with this sprite-chain arm.

Coming soon to another update.

Lemme get some work done with it first, then we'll talk.

Line work first, then shading.

Also, if you're asking "where's her hair?", that's gonna animate separately.

I might have to put this in a little black box on-screen, but that's no problem for me.

Shocking.

Positively shocking.

Still doing cinematics.

It still requires a lot of drawing of new assets, and I just put in that Mode 7 effect for later cutscenes.

There. One sequence dedicated to the phrase "Breathe it in" has been animated.

It was either gonna be this, or a text box going "*sniiiifffffffff* Ahhhhh."

The hair might need work, though.

I felt some mechanics were underutilized, so I'm making an expansion.

...more or less just a side quest and extra dungeon. No more than that here.

Coming who-knows-when.