Our own Super Smash Bros. Style Game

[AJ Infinity]

Has anyone ever making a Super Smash Bros. style Game with characters like Rollie McFly (Bugdom), the Airburst characters, some of the monsters from Giants: Citizen Kabuto, etc. We'd have some major licensing issues to get characters from commercial games but if indie developer are willing it may be possible. It could be called Chaos Tournament. I had planned on making something like this before, but with original characters. I've always like the game Super Smash Bros. because there is just something fun about using Donkey Kong, Fox McCloud, or Link to knock Mario out of the arena. I've always noticed that Super Smash Bros. has always entertained kids but we could make Chaos Tournament to entertain anybody. Actually, Super Smash Bros. is a pretty violent game, esp. the GameCube version.

[GoodDoug]

Lets see, what Mac-only/first characters can we come up with...
Rollie McFly, Otto Matic, Nanosaur, Ferazel, Moon, BPM and the other Airburst characters, Marathon marine, Monte and Jen from Freeverse, Toolots from GreenDragon, Harry the handsome executive... am I missing anyone?

I'd play it just for the kitsch.

[ERaZer]

That would be cool, but I think it would be rather impossible to get the licensing.

BTW, Super Smash Bros(both of em) appeal to any age(except too young, they can't respond to all the action). Believe me, I have cousins that are 10 thats playing it and I have people that are 40 thats playing it.

[w_reade]

but then, people on this forum might be more inclined to let their own characters be used in such a game, particularly if there were some sort of little marketing incentive for them (like a link to somewhere they could download the original game featuring each characterÖ?).

If I'd actually designed any suitable characters, I'd offer themÖ ok, I would if I'd designed any characters at all :rolleyes: :)

How about Hooptie? And the guy from the Dark Castle games (were they originally on the mac?) and not just the marathon marine, we could have "pfhor warrior"

I'm sure there are more - I don't actually recognise a lot of the characters in SSBM, except possibly in a vague "oh, that's X from Y on the snes, is it? I heard it was goodÖ" sort of way, so they don't all need to be that well known.

[Josh]

I wouldn't mind beating on Cap'n Hector...

[Dr. Light]

It might be possible to get licensing for all the characters, if you take them from the same company, and then let the company market it. Ambrosia seems like a good target, lots of games and they market the software of small third party developers.

[DaFalcon]

Hooptie in Chaos Tournament.. now that I'd want to see :-)

And he's just pushed a chunk of ice onto Cap'n Hector from above...!

[Ian Kerr]

I've been programming a game similar to what you guys are talking about. I've been using the CEGL Engine that I've been working on for years. I have a large code base to work with as far as graphics go, however I have almost no networking and sound code. If people are interested I can give you some more info...

-- Ian Kerr

[AJ Infinity]

I had hoped to make Chaos Tournament with characters from some of my future games, plus characters from indie game developers. I don't have time to work on Chaos Tournament right now though because I'm bogged down with too much stuff (school work, working on my Flash game, and trying to beat Tomb Raider Chronicles and Myst 3:)). I just wanted to throw a cool idea into the iDG forums.

[geezusfreeek]

Hmm... Hooptie fighting like a maniac should be as entertaining to me as Mario and Link beating each other up. How many characters could we possibly get just from the developers associated with the forums?

[ZeroCool]

I loved smash bros...

and since liscensing would be suh a problem, we should just use characters from this idevgames competetion and the ones before. Share, and share alike.

Of course I wouldn't be interested in programming it, but I could make some 3D characters (remade if they were not previousley 3D), in Meshwork.

[AJ Infinity]

OK, since I stopped working on my Flash game, I now have a little time to do this. How 'bout this...we use characters from:

Shareware GameMakers (Ambrosia, Freeverse, etc)
Indie Developers
Our Future Games
Our Games that Never Made it Past the Design Stage

Hey! Maybe we could get Freeverse to use some of their monkeys:cool: !

[geezusfreeek]

I'm not sure about any of the others, but I bet Ambrosia charges quite a bit for a license. As much as I love their games (they're my ultimate favorite shareware publishers) they are always finding ways to make more money....

[AJ Infinity]

A possible character list for Chaos Tournament:

The 4 Airburst Characters
The 6 Characters from Ambrosiaís pop-pop
Blinky and some other characters from Ambrosiaís Bubble Trouble.
Jen, Monte, and some Freeverse monkeys
Hooptie the penguin
Capín Hector
AJ Infinity (Character from a game Iím making in dim3)
A.robo (Robotic character from a game Iím making)
Otto Matic and a Brain Alien from Pangeaís Otto Matic
Rollie McFly from Pangeaís Bugdom
Dinosaur from Pangeaís Nanosaur
Marathon marine and a Pfhor warrior
Stic-People (from my Stic-Games Iím making in Flash)
The Marathon marine and pfhor warrior

A possible control system for Chaos Tournament:
Arrow Keys-Move
Spacebar-Jump
Shift-Duck
Control-Shield (Defend)
Option-Grab
<-Kick
>-Punch
Command-Special Attack


Iím going to send emails to Pangea, Ambrosia, Freeverse, & the other companies, asking them if itís all right if we use their characters in CT and if they will help us publish it, etc. Any
suggestions? I also may be able to get Freeverse or Pangea to allow us to use some of their characters, and maybe I can get ZSculpt entertainment to allow us to use the Dark Castle character. Maybe Ambrosia might allow us to use their characters, if we let them publish CT, but I donít want to see Ambrosiaís logo on the gameís intro screen. I want to have all the logo from all the developers, designers, and artists involved in CT. Second thought, why donít we just make Chaos Tournament a game w/ characters from iDevGames.com members. The characters can be from our future games and from our past games.

[codemattic]

Originally posted by AJ Infinity
Iím going to send emails to Pangea, Ambrosia, Freeverse, & the other companies, asking them if itís all right if we use their characters in CT and if they will help us publish it, etc. Any
suggestions? I also may be able to get Freeverse or Pangea to allow us to use some of their characters, and maybe I can get ZSculpt entertainment to allow us to use the Dark Castle character.

dont take this the wrong way - but are you crazy? Why not call Disney up and ask to use Mickey Mouse whlie you are at it?* Companies and authors are usually very very very defensive about the use of their characters/mascots/icons. These little cartoon/polygon characters represent the image of the company. (contrasted of course to the widespread use of Tux from the opensource linux world) If I was in their position I want to know what kind of quality I can expect from you (assuming Im even interested). The first question Im going to ask is for you to show me the last projects youve completed. You better not tell me this is your first big project. Your reputation should preceed you.

My suggestion is to code. You need to produce. If you are an artist - model, draw, design, compose, etc... but produce your own original works before trying to appropriate others'.

Code talks - you know what walks.

Codemattic

* actually if our bought-and-paid-for politicians didnt keep extended copyright indefinitely we actually *could* make a fighting game with good ol Steamboat Willy. Disney gets to remake all those Brothers Grim stories without paying a cent of royalties - but now wants copyrights for themselves to infinity and beyond. Go get em Lessig!

[OneSadCookie]

Well said.

Good to see there's someone on these forums with the guts to say what the rest of us can't ;)

[AJ Infinity]

Second thought, why donít we just make Chaos Tournament a game w/ characters from iDevGames.com members. The characters can be from our future games and from our past games. (I said that before, didn't I?). When I made that last post, I hadn't slept for who knows how long, and I was up during the wee hours of the morning. I don't normally stay up that late (it ages you, y'know) and as I now reread my last post I see how stupid it was. Thank you codemattic for using that granite boulder on me.



/ / the man from infinity senses he should go to sleep earlier/ /

[codemattic]

What about "VideoGame Reject Chaos Party"?

featuring all the videogame characters that couldnt quite make it into the big time. They are all bitter and angry and want their 15 minutes of fame back. I dont think parody is covered by copyright - so it might even be legal. Each could their own little backstory.

Alfonso:
<picture of Alfonso - a skinny Italian man> "When I went for my audition, Myamoto told me they were looking for someone heavier. So like Brando - or any serious method actor I went home and starting eating the pasta and quickly gained 100 pounds <picture of Alfonso as a big fat man>. I was so big that I could barely walk and I needed my brothers Mario and Luigi to help carry me to the next audition. Now the designer says to me Im *too* fat - but then he hires my brothers on the spot. They go on to become big big stars - but nobody remembers Alphonso. And now I cant lose the weight. You guys were my brothers - it was always Mario's turn, Luigi's turn - well when is it Alfonso's turn?! I coulda been a contender. <anguished> I coulda been... somebody.
special powers: his hulking weight
catchphrase: "Itsa me, f***in Alphonso - now go get me muffins!"

'Speed' the Squirrel:
"Sega hired me cause I was fast. They wanted this speedy character and they liked how I moved. But after every take, the designer would say 'thats great speed - but lets do one more - and see if you can turn it up a notch!' Turn it up a notch - what an *******. You try running upside down and smashing into a spike strip all day long. And every time I protested that I couldnt go any faster - they kept hinting that there were other characters they had in the wing that were younger and more eager and more flexible than me. So I kept pushing and pushing myself. And it was around this time that I started to use the crystal meth. At first it was great - I could do a 24 hour shoot with no slowdown at all. Of course I ground my teeth down to nubs and kept pulling out my blue spikey hair in fits of anxiety - but none of that mattered to the firm as long as I kept running around in circles like an imbecile. When I finally bottomed out - they found me curled in my trademark ball in the corner on a pile of magic rings. They replaced me with some non-union hedgehog for one tenth the price and discontinued my health insurance. I need this job on VideoGame Reject Chaos Party. Do you guys offer Dental?"
special powers: manic energy

Crash Bandicoot:
"I never hid the fact that I was *** - it just never came up. Then I went and marched in one pride parade and got my picture in the paper and suddenly Sony isnt returning any of my calls. They have to understand its a new world - havent they ever heard of Will and Grace for heavensake! For the pride of all my ***/lesbian/bisexual/bi-curious/transgendered bandicoot brethren I must now kick some ass."
special powers: pink triangles (used like throwing stars). rainbow laser beam.

The frozen re-animated corpse of Walt Disney:
"The company was worried that we might not be able to extend copyrights yet again - so they reanimated me to start laying down the law!"
special powers: ice ray - which freezes characters and transfers them into Disney's copyright.

ok - now *I* need some sleep,
cheers,
Codemattic

[ERaZer]

Hehe, those where funny :D

[AJ Infinity]

Codemattic that was HILARIOUS (too bad you couldn't hear me say that in a nasal voice). Ian Kerr, you mentioned earlier in this post that you were working on a game of this style. Could we hear more about it? Also, sometime ago I considered asking Ambrosia and Freeverse to make a game in which characters from many of their games would fight against each other, kinda like in the cool Dreamcast/arcade game Marvel vs. Capcom (ie: Spiderman vs. Megaman.)

[Ian Kerr]

Here are a couple screen shots from the prototype...

http://www.mnsi.net/~rkerr/uDev/screens.html

I was going to enter it in the uDev contest but it's not going to be done. A little demo (that runs very slowly) can be found at http://www.mnsi.net/~rkerr/source/CEGL_August_26_2002.sit

-- Ian

[AJ Infinity]

Hey! That looked good. What characters are you using in there? The game looks good. You might need to adjust the walking speed of the dwarf, though, and you should give him an axe. It looks like you used LightWave .mot files. Could I see the code for the reading of them? It had really good graphics.

[Ian Kerr]

The character you saw was one of mine (he has no name). The walking speed is most definitely too large, but that is a really old build and the problem has been fixed. I haven't given him an axe yet simply because I'm not sure if I want to build the axe geometry right into the dwarf geometry or if I want to keep them separate. One advantage of keeping them separate is that it makes it easy to add features like the dwarf dropping his weapon or having it get knocked out of his hand. I did use .mot except they weren't exported from Lightwave, they were exported from Animation Master. I'm going to look at the Lightwave SDK to see if they are in fact the same (I hope they are but I have my doubts). The code wouldn't be any use to you because it depends on other files from my engine, which in turn depend on other files, etc, eventually you'd need the whole engine. I can't find the SDK with the file format specs on their ftp site anymore. If you really want the specs you can e-mail me and I'll send them to you, but they're probably only useful to you if you have the program.

-- Ian Kerr

[akisha]

Originally posted by AJ Infinity
A possible character list for Chaos Tournament:

and maybe I can get ZSculpt entertainment to allow us to use the Dark Castle character.

I believe that Delta Tao is marketing Dark Castle.

[AJ Infinity]

Well, I thought the first Dark Castle game was done by ZSculpt. Maybe I'm wrong. :???:

[OneSadCookie]

Dark Castle and Beyond Dark Castle were done by Silicon Beach Software way back in the way-back-whens.

Delta Tao bought the rights and source to the games, and colorized Dark Castle and made it run on System 7.

ZSculpt are currently making Dark Castle 3, which seems to be in an interminable state of public beta. The game will be published by Delta Tao.