I was thinking of doing special editions of Sketch 2 when I release it. I don't know quite yet, but it might bring in more people downloading and playing it.
- The Regular Edition is just the game by itself.
- The Special Edition will come with the original Sketch, another game, and desktop wallpaper.
- The Notebook Edition will be available to people who "pledge" to play the game. In other words, a week before I release the game, you can message me on the Game Maker forum and I'll put you on a list. When Sketch 2 comes out, I'll send you the link to the Notebook Edition. It will contain the Special Edition, another desktop wallpaper, a walkthrough, and bonus levels in the game.
Hopefully it'll work and garner some interest in this thing.
Oct 29, 2010
Oct 28, 2010
WikiSketch
This has been up for a while, but please visit WikiSketch to learn a little about the series and its storyline. I'll be updating it every so often.
Oct 25, 2010
Secondary Weapons
Jumping on top of enemies doesn't work much anymore. Some enemies like Deppies can be killed by jumping on top of them, but your Wand Of Small Red Triangles will be your main weapon. However, you won't get infinite shots with it this time around. To use it, you'll have to pick up Happy Energy Drink cans which increase your "Happiness Points". One point per shot of the Wand. On top of having your Wand to dispatch enemies and damage bosses, you will now have secondary weapons which use up Gold Coins. Some secondary weapons use more than others. The list of secondary weapons thus far is:
- Slingshot (Throws a rock in an arch pattern, allowing you to shoot over obstacles or reach enemies above you.)
- Trick Coin (A coin that bounces off of walls and doesn't stop until it hits an enemy.)
- Black Molasses (Throws a big black glob of molasses on the ground that stops most enemies in their tracks.)
- Thumbtacks (Throws six thumbtacks on the ground around you which damage enemies that go over them.)
- Megablaster (Pull out a big cannon and blast pure energy at your enemies. Goes through most enemies and keeps on going. Once it hits a wall, it explodes.)
And of course, you have your Bombs, but they're not technically weapons. Their main use is for destroying some walls, but the explosion can kill enemies.
Oct 23, 2010
Comparing A Game And Its Sequel
I made the first Sketch in about a week and didn't add a lot of features that I wanted to in the game because I was too eager to rush it out for download. As a result, there were some bugs, problems (the player wasn't fast enough for example), and other things. It could have been a better game. It should have been a better game.
With Sketch 2, I'm not going to be as eager to push it out. I'm going to work diligently on it, and put every effort to make the game as bug free and as fun as I possibly can. Granted, I'll certainly have to release patches to fix bugs and glitches, but that comes with the territory.
First of all, let's look at the graphics.
As you can tell, Sketch hasn't changed much. He's still the monochromatic little farmer man we know and love. The "Deppy" enemies, however, have changed. They've gotten bigger, and greyer.
Extra lives now take the form of 1UPs, whereas you couldn't get extra lives in the original. Gold Coins replaced "Happiness Coins" of the original and are used to buy 1UPs, items, and for other purposes. And yes, that's a Bomb. Bombs can be picked up (or bought) and used to kill enemies and blow up certain types of walls.
This makes the game a bit more of an adventure game. You'll find to get to certain areas, you have to use bombs. You'll have to save your Gold Coins if you want something in particular, and Gold Coins come in multiple variations (1 single coin, a pile of 6 coins, and a box of 20 coins).
Second, how will Sketch 2 be like a RPG?
If you exclude the storyline and dialogue, which can also be found in non-RPG games but are used heavily in RPG games, there's also a "static inventory system", which means you pick up items but don't use them whenever you want (eg. when an item allows you to deflect lasers, you don't have to use or activate it, once you have it in your inventory, you always deflect lasers). Likewise, three item types will change the way your character behaves: Buying better Shoes increases your jumping ability, Rings increase your walking speed, and Shirts give you increased "firepower" with your Wand.
Akin to games like Legend of Zelda and certain Castlevania games (such as Castlevania 2), some items will do special things that will allow you to enter areas and spots you normally wouldn't be able to enter otherwise. The Noclippian Staff item lets you pass through "false walls", the Rusty Key unlocks a pirate's treasure chest, a Dreamcatcher allows you to enter a portal to another world, etc.. In some cases, to get an item, you have to have another item to get to it. Or, you have to have a certain Shoe to jump high enough to reach a special area of a level.
With Sketch 2, I'm not going to be as eager to push it out. I'm going to work diligently on it, and put every effort to make the game as bug free and as fun as I possibly can. Granted, I'll certainly have to release patches to fix bugs and glitches, but that comes with the territory.
First of all, let's look at the graphics.
As you can tell, Sketch hasn't changed much. He's still the monochromatic little farmer man we know and love. The "Deppy" enemies, however, have changed. They've gotten bigger, and greyer.
Extra lives now take the form of 1UPs, whereas you couldn't get extra lives in the original. Gold Coins replaced "Happiness Coins" of the original and are used to buy 1UPs, items, and for other purposes. And yes, that's a Bomb. Bombs can be picked up (or bought) and used to kill enemies and blow up certain types of walls.
This makes the game a bit more of an adventure game. You'll find to get to certain areas, you have to use bombs. You'll have to save your Gold Coins if you want something in particular, and Gold Coins come in multiple variations (1 single coin, a pile of 6 coins, and a box of 20 coins).
Second, how will Sketch 2 be like a RPG?
If you exclude the storyline and dialogue, which can also be found in non-RPG games but are used heavily in RPG games, there's also a "static inventory system", which means you pick up items but don't use them whenever you want (eg. when an item allows you to deflect lasers, you don't have to use or activate it, once you have it in your inventory, you always deflect lasers). Likewise, three item types will change the way your character behaves: Buying better Shoes increases your jumping ability, Rings increase your walking speed, and Shirts give you increased "firepower" with your Wand.
Akin to games like Legend of Zelda and certain Castlevania games (such as Castlevania 2), some items will do special things that will allow you to enter areas and spots you normally wouldn't be able to enter otherwise. The Noclippian Staff item lets you pass through "false walls", the Rusty Key unlocks a pirate's treasure chest, a Dreamcatcher allows you to enter a portal to another world, etc.. In some cases, to get an item, you have to have another item to get to it. Or, you have to have a certain Shoe to jump high enough to reach a special area of a level.
Oct 21, 2010
Continuing A Tradition
The first Sketch was made entirely within Game Maker (except for the music, which was made in FL Studio). All of the graphics were created with Game Maker's wonderful little drawing system, and although I admit I could have done a better job on some of the sprites (for those who don't know, sprites are the name for the actual graphics, not including backgrounds), I was happy with the overall results. Even though I'm not exactly a Da Vinci when it comes to drawing, I pride myself in being imaginative and creative and "bringing to life" creatures never seen before in a game.
With Game Maker 8's updated and improved drawing system, I want to continue the tradition of "hand drawn graphics". That means:
- No Photoshop
- No GIMP
- No Illustrator
- No MS Paint
- No use of somebody else's graphics
I was sort of alone in that respect when I made the first Sketch, when a lot of people were making Mario and Zelda clones, or using sprites from video games. But now I realize I was on the verge of a sort of trend of hand drawn, amateurish graphics. I didn't start the trend, far from it, but I was doing it when few were, before it became popular.
I wish more people would do it, it's awesome building a game entirely by hand like that.
And with Sketch 2, things will be no different. My drawing skills have gotten a little better, but that quirky, humorous effect of somewhat poorly drawn sprites and backgrounds will still be there.
With Game Maker 8's updated and improved drawing system, I want to continue the tradition of "hand drawn graphics". That means:
- No Photoshop
- No GIMP
- No Illustrator
- No MS Paint
- No use of somebody else's graphics
I was sort of alone in that respect when I made the first Sketch, when a lot of people were making Mario and Zelda clones, or using sprites from video games. But now I realize I was on the verge of a sort of trend of hand drawn, amateurish graphics. I didn't start the trend, far from it, but I was doing it when few were, before it became popular.
I wish more people would do it, it's awesome building a game entirely by hand like that.
And with Sketch 2, things will be no different. My drawing skills have gotten a little better, but that quirky, humorous effect of somewhat poorly drawn sprites and backgrounds will still be there.
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