Greetings, hello and welcome!
This is the blog of
Rolling Barrel Studios. Here we will inform you of our activities. Our team consists
of six individuals, each with their own set of skills and ideas. Read more
about us here.
Time to start the show! Rolling Barrel Studio is
going to bring you information of our first project: remaking the old Donkey
Kong.
Our
plans:
We want to modernize the concept of Donkey Kong. We
plan to do this by expanding the gameplay with a complex physics-simulator and
(secondary) by adding characters with improved A.I. Other improvements we might
make are improving the graphics, adding particle effects and supporting
randomly generated levels. We are planning however to abandon the old story of
Donkey Kong, because the original story is incompatible with our ideas and
neither the story or the characters are free to use.
First an
analysis of the old Donkey Kong:
(re-released
multiple times, but this is about the original arcade version)
The story:
“In
Donkey Kong Pauline is kidnapped by the big gorilla Donkey Kong. Mario
(Jumpman) is the designated person to rescue her and take out Donkey Kong”
The gameplay:
The game
takes place upon a field where beams, ladders, the score, Mario, Donkey Kong,
Pauline and several barrels are drawn.
The
player (Mario) begins at the bottom of the screen on the bottom beam. At the
beginning of the game Donkey Kong throws a burning barrel downwards that lands
at Mario’s starting location. The burning barrel spawns a flame which patrols
on the bottom beam. Afterwards Donkey Kong begins throwing barrels that roll
down the beams, falling off the edge, or falling down a ladder. At the start
Donkey Kong also throws barrels straight down.
It is up
to Mario to climb the structure, by climbing the ladders, while dodging the
rolling barrels either by jumping or climbing, until he reaches Donkey Kong and
Pauline.
Upon
arrival, Donkey Kong grabs Pauline and climbs upward, where the next level will
start.
In the
original Donkey Kong there are three different levels which repeat themselves
after the third level has been achieved, although these levels will increase in
difficulty after the repeat(s).
What we will try to do:
The gameplay:
In our game, the player will start at the bottom of the level, just like in Donkey Kong. The goal will be at the upper part of the level. The player can walk, jump and interact with several objects. For example, the player can push smaller objects (and possibly pull them). The player can die if he is touched by a certain force and touching objects with a certain force may break them (provided they don't kill the player). The player can also manipulate gravity and use objects in a limited amount of situations. Think of picking up a portal-gun, using a jetpack or aiming a laser beam by moving a crystal.
While the player attempts to reach the top of the level, barrels will roll and bounce down. These should move at a significant speed and have a high durability, so they won't break simply by moving through the level. It should still be breakable by other means.
The story:
You'll find yourself in a spacestation, which falls apart around you. Therefore, you must make your way forward and, more importantly, up. The spaceship is already damaged, so the normal transportation systems are non-functional. However, the damage to the station creates new roads to safety. All is allowed when despair strikes... Luckily you have your artificial-gravity remote with you. You just have to watch the battery life...
