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The official Hollandia website

June 12th, 2009 by Marthe

This is the development weblog of the action-adventure game Hollandia. For more information,

please visit the official website!

Spinning top behaviour (2/4): Abilities

April 19th, 2010 by Maxine

Summary:

· Abilities: Charged, grabbing items, winding

· Top animations: No charge, partially charged, fully charged

The top possesses special abilities that are triggered either when it is hit or when the top itself hits certain objects.

Charged

The top has two states: charged and not charged. When the top is charged, it becomes more powerful and can do things it cannot do when uncharged.

· When the top is launched, it is not charged.

o No charge animation

§ No wind around the top.

· To charge the top, you must hit it with your whip.

o It does not matter which hit you use (horizontal or vertical).

· The more times you hit the top, the more charged up it becomes.

o Partially charged animation

§ Some wind is flowing past the top.

· The top needs a fixed amount of hits to be fully charged.

o Charge hits [3].

· Only when the top is fully charged, can it perform certain abilities.

o Fully charged animation

§ A full gush of wind is blowing around the top.

When the top is charged, it can…

· Deflect enemy attacks.

o If the top is hit (see collision LINK), the top does not glance off. Instead, the top hits the enemy, causing it to flinch.

· Destroy props, such as…

o Blowing up piles of leaves

o Popping poisonous mushrooms, that release toxic gas.

Grabbing items
Sometimes items can be found lying in the game world. Some can be easily obtained, other lie in hard to reach areas. Luckily, the top can be used to retrieve these items.

· When the top touches an item, it picks the item up.

· The picked up item is displayed on top of the top.

· When moving through tight spaces, there must be room for both the top and item to pass through, else the item will be knocked off.

Winding
Some objects need to be winded up, before they can be activated.

Example: A gate is down. Before the gate lies a pedestal in which the top can be placed. Once Tulpje puts the top into the pedestal, the top can be hit (using the horizontal hit only).The top starts spinning on its spot (it cannot leave the pedestal until it is removed from it) and a mechanism is activated that raises the gate. Once the gate is fully raised, Tulpje must quickly grab the top and run beneath the gate, before it comes crashing down again.

· There is a pedestal.

o In example, by a gate that is shut tight.

· Top must be placed in pedestal.

o Tulpje places the top in the pedestal near the gate.

· Top must be hit by horizontal hit.

· Top starts to spin.

o Top does not move, it only spins on the same spot.

· Something is winded up.

o In example, the gate is raised.

· Top is removed from pedestal.

o In example, when the gate is up, Tulpje can finally pass through the gate.

· Winding up effect is slowly undone.

o In example, a gate that slowly starts to fall down again after being raised.

Destroying objects
Such as the props named earlier, or bigger things, such as fallen tree trunks. The tip of the top is used to destroy them.

Killing enemies
During Tulpje’s travels, she will encounter many enemies. She uses the top to defeat them, by making the top jump and hitting the enemy with its tip.

Core gameplay: Spinning top skills

April 16th, 2010 by Maxine

The core mechanics are inspired by traditional top spinning play, using a top and whip, and tries to capture as much of the feeling of actual top spinning play as possible. In the game, top spinning is broken down into the following activities:

spinning_top_play_circle

· The player launches the top.

· The player hits the top.

· The player picks up the top.

The emphasis lies on hitting the top, which causes it to spin and react in various ways. These moves are used to beat enemies, destroy obstacles and solve puzzles. While launching and picking up the top are activities not so much related to actual fun play, they have been put into the game for strategic reasons and to add to the perception of the top spinning experience.

The articles below discusses the different activities and moves the player can perform by hitting the top. (Click on any of the articles to read more.)

· Launching the top.

· Hitting the top.

o (1/4): Overview

o (2/4): Conditions of hitting

§ Variables: Top distance, spinning time*

§ Animations: Inactive hit

§ States: active/inactive

o (3/4): Horizontal hit

§ Variables: Travel distance, top speed, top distance, spinning time*

§ Moves: Boomerang, Crossover

o (4/4): Vertical hit

§ Variables: Jump height, jump width, top trajectory, torpedo angle, torpedo speed, top speed

§ Moves: Jump, Torpedo

· Picking up the top.

o Variables: pick up distance **

o Animation: pick up ***

* Note: Spinning time is discussed here in Spinning top behaviour.

** Note: Pick up distance is discussed here in Basic skills and abilities.

*** Note: Pick up is discussed here in Basic skills and abilities.

Core mechanics: Basic skills and abilities

April 16th, 2010 by Maxine

Introduction

This category discusses the basic skills of Tulpje; the moves she can perform without the top or the whip:
(Click on any of the basic skills to immediately be linked to the article describing them.)

· Walk/Run

o Variables: Walk speed.

o Animations: Idle, walk, run, slide.

· Jump

o Variables: Jump height, jump speed, walk speed.

o Animations: Jump.

· Cartwheel

o Variables: Cartwheel speed, cartwheel distance.

o Animations: Cartwheel.

While running and jumping are primarily used to move back and forth in the game world, the cartwheel serves another purpose. Though it does not involve the use of the top or whip, it is specifically designed to be used while actively playing with the top and whip, namely to easily create distance between Tulpje and the top or enemies, without having to run back and forth.

Apart from moving, Tulpje also possesses another range of basic abilities:
(Click on any of the basic abilities to immediately be linked to the article describing them.)

· Picking up resources

o Variables: Pick up distance.

o Animations: Pick up.

· Holding conversations (no article available right now)

Basic skills (1-3): Walking/Running

April 16th, 2010 by Maxine

Summary:

· Variable: Walk speed.

· Animation: Idle, walk, run, slide.

Goal: The horizontal movement of Tulpje through the game world.
Controls: Nunchuck, analog stick.

nunchuck_rennen

Animation:

rennen

How fast Tulpje moves is determined by walk speed.

· Walk speed. The speed in which Tulpje moves about horizontally.

o Walk speed [min]. The minimum speed that can be registered.

§ Walk speed = [0].

o Walk speed [ini]. The minimum speed that must be registered, before Tulpje starts walking.

§ Tulpje speed = [10].

o Walk speed [max]. The maximum/full speed in which Tulpje moves horizontally.

§ Walk speed = [100].

o When Walk speed = 0 < 10, then show idle animation.

o When Walk speed => 10 and < 50, then show walk animation.

o When tulpje speed => 50, then show run animation.

Push the analog stick to directly control the direction and speed in which Tulpje moves.

· Push left to move Tulpje to the left.

· Push right to move Tulpje to the right.

· When the analog stick is default, Tulpje does not move.

· When the analog stick is pushed diagonally, Tulpje moves to the horizontal direction of the diagonal.

· The further the analog stick is pushed, the faster Tulpje moves.

o NOT: The longer the analog stick is pushed, the faster Tulpje runs.

§ Good example: ‘Mario 64’, Nintendo 64.

§ Bad example: ‘Odin Sphere’, Playstation 2.

o When the analog stick is pushed halfway (to either horizontal direction), then Tulpje speed is halve.

o When the analog stick is pushed fully, then Tulpje speed is full.

What happens when the analog stick is pushed…

· Fully to the right, then abruptly fully pushed to the left:

1. Tulpje slows down quickly, slide animation showing.

2. Tulpje runs to the left in maximum speed.

· Fully to the right, then abruptly let go (analog stick default):

1. Tulpje slows down quickly. (Perhaps a ‘hop’ animation?)

2. Tulpje stands still.

· Briefly to the right:

1. Tulpje briefly walks to the right.

2. Tulpje comes to a stop and stands still.

· Briefly to the left (when Tulpje is facing right):

1. Tulpje turns around.

2. Tulpje stands still.

Art

November 15th, 2009 by Maxine

Concept Art

Promotion

Environments

Characters

Monsters

Items

Interface

Press

September 4th, 2009 by Toby

own youtube trailers:

dream build play hollandia:

dream build play hollandia features:

Aftermath

dream build play hollandia forum comments:

other languages || video sites:

dutch indie games?

September 2nd, 2009 by Toby

http://www.control-online.nl/index.php/business/nieuws/346-dutch-indie-games-nieuw-label

 

en iets over gamefonds

http://www.control-online.nl/index.php/business/nieuws/348-dubbelslag-voor-monobanda

dutch indie games?

September 2nd, 2009 by Toby

http://www.control-online.nl/index.php/business/nieuws/346-dutch-indie-games-nieuw-label

dutch indie games?

September 2nd, 2009 by Toby

http://www.control-online.nl/index.php/business/nieuws/346-dutch-indie-games-nieuw-label

Press

August 22nd, 2009 by Toby

own youtube trailers:

dream build play hollandia:

dream build play hollandia features:

dream build play hollandia forum comments:

other languages || video sites:

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