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Game Radical Adventure (working title)

MagicianArcana

Green Hill Zone
Nov 5, 2018
6
3
12
31
zlsinger.itch.io
Since December of 2017, I've been working on a Sonic Adventure inspired 3D platformer that I've been referring to as Radical Adventure.
I have an early demo build on Itch here: https://zlsinger.itch.io/radical-adventure-working-title
(It's browser playable too! No need to download anything. But if you want to try the split screen mode, I'd recommend downloading a build as it's not optimized for browser yet.)

Once I figure out the finer details of the game's plot and characters, I'll come up with a different title. Right now it's still sort of in the prototyping phase. The game is being developed in Unity and for the character controller, I've decided to handle physics and collisions myself. So there's a lot of custom movement that I've been playtesting and tweaking a lot over the last year. The reason I decided to not use Unity's physics and to code my own is because I found that Unity's physics conflicted too much with what I was trying to accomplish. I decided that I need to have complete control over player locomotion in order to create the best experience that's most evocative of what people loved about the Adventure games.

(On a side note, I've also looked towards Crash Bandicoot a bit for inspiration and ideas in regards to level design and camera movement.)

I made a short video showcasing some of the key features of the game:


I really loved the Sonic Adventure formula. I want to create something that captures the spirit of what made the Adventure games so much fun. I want to make a game with fun, fast paced 3D platforming, a good sense of speed and momentum, and a story that the player can experience from multiple perspectives by playing as each character.

Going forward, I plan to release incremental updates to continue to get feedback. The last update I put out there was in August in which I added a hub world and split screen multiplayer.

Key things I'll be adding/addressing in the next build include:
  • Smoother movement controls
  • New character models that are actually unique to each playable character.
  • The player won't come to a stop after using the homing attack. Instead the momentum will carry them forward.
  • More responsive targeting for the homing attack.
  • Hub world music.
  • A re-designed tutorial level that will hopefully eliminate some of the sign-posting issues I've noticed while watching playtesters.
  • (I also HOPE to have the first boss fight done, but for now I'm focusing on getting the first level right.)
I've brought it to various game development events in my local area to have it playtested. But most of the people playtesting aren't very familiar with Sonic games. I mean they may still like the game in general, but unless they've played Sonic Adventure, or any 3D Sonic game, they have a hard time understanding what I'm going for. Which is why I want to share it here.

So I'd love to get some thoughts and opinions from this community on the progress I've made so far.
 
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MagicianArcana

Green Hill Zone
Nov 5, 2018
6
3
12
31
zlsinger.itch.io
Cool, I'm glad that you like what's there so far! The game looks like Roblox because at the moment I'm the only person doing the art for the game and I'm a programmer lol
I want the finished product to look not so low-poly.
 
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MagicianArcana

Green Hill Zone
Nov 5, 2018
6
3
12
31
zlsinger.itch.io
Sweet thanks for the feedback! You make a good point that the main character controls pretty much exactly like Sonic. Because of that, I've considered changing her boost ability to something else that allows the player to run faster. It might not be completely necessary to remove it just because it's similar to an ability from modern Sonic games, but I think it might be worth looking into other ideas. I may come across something that fits my game even better.

And for the homing attack, I've found players have a lot of fun with it. So I wanna at least keep that.
 
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MagicianArcana

Green Hill Zone
Nov 5, 2018
6
3
12
31
zlsinger.itch.io
I've just uploaded a new build! Lately I've been focusing more on getting the movement controls and overall game feel right rather than the art-style and overall aesthetic. So the art is still low-poly programmer art, but I've added some simple textures for grass and concrete. I am working with a composer now and we have music for the hub world. Level 1 music will be coming soon, so I expect to be uploading another build later this week once that's ready.

Most notable things in this new build are:
  • New terrain and areas in the hub world
  • NPCs you can talk to
  • Unique models for each playable character
  • Music
  • Re-designed first level
  • Further improvements to movement controls
  • New ability for Hazel
  • New visual effect for Faye's boost ability
I re-designed the first level because the old version had a number of sign-posting issues. The sharp turns were unnecessary and some players would miss them and get lost if they went around or missed the boost pads that were supposed to guide them. So I took a more linear approach to the design this time.

https://zlsinger.itch.io/radical-adventure-working-title