30 replies to this topic

[Jacques]

Hi everyone ! 

 

Firstly I was not sure on weather or not I should post this topic here or in the Off-topic section, so don't hesitate to move it, if I did the wrong choice

 

We've been working with some friend for 2 years now, on a puzzle adventure game with an ant as main character.

 

To sum up the game in two words; In the future, ants are the last surviving species on earth due to extreme climat changes and must face an ice age. In order to survive, they decide to dig towards the earth's core to enjoy its heat and escape from a certain death.

 

The player incarns a little scout ant that must open the way for her fellow ants. He will come across some puzzles and will have to solve them in order to move closer to the center of the earth.

 

Here are two short videos so that u can know what I'm talking about

 

 

 

Where I'm going to need your help is with the look of the ant. We start designing a regular Lasus Niger ant, but the player will have the possibility to customize his character. We are really keen on basing our design on actual ants and stuffs in the nature for thoses customisations. We think there are amazing ideas in the nature that we could put in the game.

 

What look, species, type of ants or whatever cool stuff do you think we should include in the game ? Or what are the amazing things ants do, that we could integrate into the game ?

 

We will have mainly nature-based designs, but also a couple of crazier stuff just for fun. Like this cosmonaut suit for instance. You can give ideas on these as well ahah

 

 

Here is how the ant look like as for now in the menu of the game : 

 

  

 

And in the levels :

 

     

 

So far we've been looking for inspiration from honey-pot ants and messor barbarus. We find out some crazy stuff as well on other ants such as army ants or Oecophylla smaragdina ( what beautiful colors imo) or even Cephalotes varians that block the entrance of the galleries with their alien flat head.

 

 

Looking forward to reading your ideas don't hesitate to come up with crazy stuff

[drtrmiller]

No idea how your concept will play with consumers, but I think there's a seriously distracting mismatch between the environments and the protagonist (ant character).

 

I'm really not sure why you chose an ant, when you could have easily chosen a worm, a mole, or any other subterranean digging creature.  I'd have gone with a mole—you can do some really cute and cool designs/looks with moles—and people identify with higher vertebrates more than insects.

 

The issue is not that you simply used the ant, but that the form of the protagonist has little connection with the gameplay element or scenery. "SimAnt" was an incredible game with an ant protagonist because the gameplay and environments were completely designed around the organism—whereas your puzzle game lacks any meaningful connection to the ant in my mind, in its present form.

 

I can not answer your question without addressing the thing holistically.

[Jacques]

Hi, it's true that it's not a game about managing ants or especially linked to ants in the gameplay because we wanted to make it an adventure game first and foremost.

 

However we choosed the ant first because we love these insect and also because we believe that they would be the most likely to survive in our scenario. They are more sociable, organised and smarter then moles for instance. That's why we thought we should go for ants even though here they are personified. I doubt a mole would move heaven and earth or put their life under the line to save their fellow. ( though I have nothing against cute moles ) ^^ It made less sense to us anyway. 

 

But we are for sure not as scientific as an ant simulation game, and we do not intend to be. We just wanted to know what funny ideas you though we could put in the game. Even though it's more look oriented than in the gameplay itself.

 

So if you have ideas of ants that are visually interesting or with interesting behaviors please share with us ! 

[William. T]

Hi, it's true that it's not a game about managing ants or especially linked to ants in the gameplay because we wanted to make it an adventure game first and foremost.

 

However we choosed the ant first because we love these insect and also because we believe that they would be the most likely to survive in our scenario. They are more sociable, organised and smarter then moles for instance. That's why we thought we should go for ants even though here they are personified. I doubt a mole would move heaven and earth or put their life under the line to save their fellow. ( though I have nothing against cute moles ) ^^ It made less sense to us anyway. 

 

But we are for sure not as scientific as an ant simulation game, and we do not intend to be. We just wanted to know what funny ideas you though we could put in the game. Even though it's more look oriented than in the gameplay itself.

 

So if you have ideas of ants that are visually interesting or with interesting behaviors please share with us ! 

I think what the community wants, and a game that will do very well, is one like SIMAnts, with choosing a species, growing a colony, and fighting and hunting. An ant's life is brutal and filled with death, from battling other ants, predators, and prey. Ants species can shoot formic acid, sting, bite, or have castes that can function from tanks(super majors) to spies(minors). If you make it look realistic, you will make it very successful. Try making a co op. I know Roachant is looking to doing one, try giving him a PM.

[Jacques]

Yeah definitely agree. I would love to play this sort of game. What could be awesome indeed for a next game is to have a multiplayer strategy game like starcraft, based on ants. Where you need to choose your race of ants and then you can evolve and use their real capacities such as you said before with the acid. Or we could even go further and use strategie of queen faking or kidnapping as some ants do in the real world. I even saw ant hold on to each other in order to make a raft ! This could have immense potential ! What other strategy there could be ? ( though that doesnt help me to design my ants for this one it's cool to think about an ant strategy game ahah

[William. T]

Yeah definitely agree. I would love to play this sort of game. What could be awesome indeed for a next game is to have a multiplayer strategy game like starcraft, based on ants. Where you need to choose your race of ants and then you can evolve and use their real capacities such as you said before with the acid. Or we could even go further and use strategie of queen faking or kidnapping as some ants do in the real world. I even saw ant hold on to each other in order to make a raft ! This could have immense potential ! What other strategy there could be ? ( though that doesnt help me to design my ants for this one it's cool to think about an ant strategy game ahah

Have you PMed RoachAnt? He could help. It would be nice if you could make satellite nests as forts, hitch hike on human machines to invade other parts of the world, with rafts to use for a navy or transport. I know some ants have "doorkeepers" to block out their nests." Make it like Red Alert 2: Command and Conquer. The community has some good ideas about a game.

Edited by William. T, August 26 2015 - 6:38 PM.

[Roachant]

Yeah definitely agree. I would love to play this sort of game. What could be awesome indeed for a next game is to have a multiplayer strategy game like starcraft, based on ants. Where you need to choose your race of ants and then you can evolve and use their real capacities such as you said before with the acid. Or we could even go further and use strategie of queen faking or kidnapping as some ants do in the real world. I even saw ant hold on to each other in order to make a raft ! This could have immense potential ! What other strategy there could be ? ( though that doesnt help me to design my ants for this one it's cool to think about an ant strategy game ahah

I'm doing something along those lines. I hope to have a small video clip to show you all what I've done so far and what my general plan for the game is. I was hoping for this weekend.

[Jacques]

@ Roachant, Awesome! Looking forward to seeing your video clip ! It would be such a big project but the end result could be fabulous !

 

Besides I've designed 2 ants for the game based on actual ants 

 

I've gone for the Cephalotes atratus

 

 

and the Oecophylla smaragdina

 

 

What are you thought about them ?

[William. T]

 

@ Roachant, Awesome! Looking forward to seeing your video clip ! It would be such a big project but the end result could be fabulous !

 

Besides I've designed 2 ants for the game based on actual ants 

 

I've gone for the Cephalotes atratus

 

 

and the Oecophylla smaragdina

 

 

What are you thought about them ?

 

Are you still based on an ant mining game?

[Roachant]

I like the art style, it has a 1950s kind of look to it.
As for my video of my project, I'm afraid it will be a while...again.
I looked it over and decided to re-do it from the ground up. It wasn't looking right in terms of what I had hoped and there were a few flaws with some of my code.
But, I'm learning as I go and I will have something to show everyone that wants to see it soon enough.

[Mdrogun]

I have two great ants for your game

 

1. Solenopsis invicta

2. Crematogaster sp.

 

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[Jacques]

@Roachant Thanks . It's a shame for your video but these things take a lot of time to be well done. Ill be looking forward to seeing your project when you'll be ready. May the force be with you ahah.

 

@Mdrogun Awesome i love the look of those little cremogaster sp. I decided to design them then and here it is what do you think?

 

[Mdrogun]

They look great!

[Roachant]

Nice!

[William. T]

Same mining idea?

[Jacques]

Thanks to you all glad you like it  ! means a lot! But yep same mining idea for now as the game is almost done ahah

[Roachant]

When is it coming out?

[William. T]

Will you be doing a colony idea?

[Mdrogun]

Thanks to you all glad you like it  ! means a lot! But yep same mining idea for now as the game is almost done ahah

 

Will you be doing a colony idea?

He clearly stated he won't be

Alt+MAlt+N

Edited by Mdrogun, September 11 2015 - 11:52 AM.

[dspdrew]

Alt+MAlt+N?