Note: As of 31/Dez/2023, now it's the Rentry file that copies from Google due to how I have like 3 versions of this and ended up focusing more on one version.
Chances are there's mistakes or missing info in one of the versions.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ua-ShLy6Z346w-tCx2dfHLl5o2VNHW3KdFtUMO6fTlw

Plans for the main story of Project Nortubel. May change because i get too ambitious at times (And it's my first game, one which is already too ambitious to begin with). Note that the game exists so i could use OC characters of mine and if you dare to check an extremely long post with probably 3322 lines and 140 pages on Google Docs.

You can see most about my characters here:
https://www.diffchecker.com/t7GS8iEi/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QWjE2D9l4qEJQ3rzirwRv3P5pTL15K1Hf8es6vMVG4k
https://eyeballtank.tumblr.com/tagged/oc

ACTUAL ORDER NOW

Nortubel > Hirdrih > Nortubel > Krimb-stone > Nortubel > Massag-Coav > Nortubel > Greklovick > Nortubel > Brinkaedea > Nortubel > Lahiurn > Nortubel > Herrko > Nortubel > Untotern > Nortubel

NORTUBEL PART 1 (This part is already ingame)

The 6 friends show up on a familiar but strange place and meet Bonka
They try to find an exit
LevelTutorial1 - tutor1
LevelTutorial2 - tutor2
LevelTutorial3 - tutor3
LevelTemplate - c4rr13
LevelTemplate2 - k4tr1n
LevelTemplate3 - m3lv1n
LevelTemplate4 - osc4r0
LevelTemplate5 - p33tt3
LevelTemplate6 - ang3l4
When they find a portal, Bonka notices it's a portal to Brinkaedea and she runs to it
The 6 friends notice a strange device

HIRDRIH

Cute robot world
Cutscene:
When the 6 enter this world, Leon and Otto greet them nicely by saying "HELLO WORLD"
They do warn the 6 that they're currently with an issue of a "virus" invading Hidrih
Even Borhr claims it could be a very dark force, an evil AI full of hate
Gameplay:
The level has its software/hardware themes and fun bits until you face the corrupted Hirdrih servants
Another area is the "junkyard" section of this world
Cute NPC robots
Prefab: Window pop ups that can be closed with the knife melee
Maybe i could add a reference to Cube World, like robo houses vaguely resembling those toys
Leon gives the 6 a magical device that allows them to understand other characters, just to justify why most will still speak EN/PT

NORTUBEL PART 2

Cutscene:
The 6 return to Nortubel(?) and Pamela shows up through a portal before it disappears.
So you see her disappointed in her attempt at rescuing the protagonists and Shelly and Bernard are also there.
Gameplay:
Some more levels as usual
After a few levels, a cutscene plays:
They look for something and noticed text is flipped horizontally
Melvin picks up an anatomy book showing flipped/inverted anatomy
Then the 6 are spotted by the age swap versions of them, with each character looking at their counterpart.
Alt Angela mentions alt Oscar and Pete being very athletic, which means they challenge Melvin to a race
Gameplay
This could be the "race" idea or something (Should probably add an actual win/loss system)

KRIMB-STONE

The blatant Sin City inspired setting
Gameplay:
The 6 start at a prison cell and escape while encountering inmate NPC's and even death sentence rooms
They escape through someone's escape route, which takes them to a generic street and one NPC is a generic homeless man
Some walls have graffiti and with a clever use of posters and papers, they are censored but otherwise hint certain things that are why i thought this setting could use its own game
Ricotto makes a cameo in which he's looking for something. This is the first NPC to have a "trade system": Find something for him and he rewards you with something else
Matysha could be there too
Cutscene:
The 6 friends run against a mean guy before Booker easily takes him down and tells the 6 to come with him if they want to live
Inside a van, Booker introduces himself to the 6 before he takes them to a warehouse he uses as his hideout/base
In the warehouse, Katrin finds Stella who was in Booker's protection for a while
Some random guy shows up and Booker easily takes him down and asks him who he works for, before it's revealed that Phineas is outside with his henchmen planning to kill Booker
Booker tells the 7 to use a escape route as he takes care of the mob army
Gameplay:
In a sewer area, Stella becomes a companion
"Smart" enemies (Humans with guns) are introduced and the game ends up with stealth elements
Cutscene:
When the 7 reach a safe area, Booker returns and claims he got all of them except "that coward" Phineas
One of the 6 brings up the magic box and tells Stella they can return home
Booker tells Stella to take the opportunity and even how she's too pure for Krimb-Stone
As the 7 escape, Booker thinks about how Stella reminds him of his daughter
Meanwhile, he returns to his base, with that one intruder tied to a chair and Booker prepares to torture him (Alternatively, i could have Booker force the guy to dig his own grave and a revelation that the intruder was a former cop in the same police force that screwed up Booker)
"How did Stella get to Krimb-Stone?"
She accidently stepped on/tripped on the magic box that the 6 protags would eventually find and accidently got herself in a new place
When Stella and Booker are talking (Before she leaves him), I could use an AnimatedSprite node for an effect where flashbacks of Booker’s family/backstory show up while he talks about how Stella “gave him something he thought he lost years ago”.

NORTUBEL PART 3

not yet
I could have Stella show up as a basic NPC if she still shows up in some Nortubel levels.
Even thought of a Convo NPC variation where she talks with Zarina (If I were to add Zarina and even Shihiro in Nort part 3 before Massag-Coav).
Here I could add art for Pamela, Bernard and Shelly and perhaps Zarina and Shihiro too.
Maybe the third level with Shihiro could involve some martial arts stuff like those wooden practice assets and even dummy dolls that the Player attacks.
Context being Shihiro wanting to see the combat skills of our protagonists.
Another AnimatedSprite trick: Shihiro seen as muscular, shirtless and with purple energy effects (I wonder if he’s the closest I got to a Dragon Ball inspired character).

MASSAG-COAV

A world full of anthro/furry characters. Also has fancy architecture, sports elements and is probably one of the nicer worlds.
Despite having anthro/furry characters, there's still actual "animals" so i need to figure out a way to justify them in the setting.
Cutscene:
Holmes is at his bar, doing his job and Fernaanda shows up
Then the 6 land on his bar
Gameplay:
The 6 start at Massag-Coav, which has Art Deco/Neo-Andean/Jazz elements
Enemy: Giant black chickens that try to charge at characters is an enemy type (According to an NPC, there's a zoo outbreak)
There's a "sports" section with a skate park (Karoline cameo) and a basketball field (Karla/Touni cameo)
Karoline could be a trade NPC where you find her skateboard.
Prefab: A pictures booth where the Player/Comp can get inside and make funny photos (Which could show up in a CanvasLayer i guess)
Maybe they could play soccer with Karla.
Cutscene:
Barney helps them go back home.
want to include McSherry the shark girl
Also want to include Atlantis (World for fish/aquatic characters) and Elegantissia (World of bird/avian characters)
Holmes, Barney, Fernaanda and Feelix show up as basic NPC's in the 4 main levels, as they introduce their world to the main characters.
(Barney also floats with his hoverboard)
h0lm3s: Holmes' bar, Massag-coav and mostly that
mcshry: Atlantis
jl13t4: Elegantissia
b4rn3y: Probably the train level I wanna do
k4rl44: The level where you play soccer and sports stuff happens
After the soccer level, the 3 cheerleaders show up in a cutscene and go “wooow”.
Karla congratulates Melvin and the 6 leaves, then McSherry tells Holmes something about Valentinou and Mluto and Barney is worried.

NORTUBEL PART 4

(level 2 needs props)
By this part, I should come up with new tiles for Nortubel because most of the current ones are a bit of an eyesore to most players.
When our characters return, our current Nort cast takes advantage of a beach-like area to take a break.
Melvin and Angela being playable means potential beach sprites for them, but by level 2, we go back to normal sprites, while Carrie and Oscar are playable in a level with a seesaw train gimmick.
Maybe here, I could add the alt 6 as NPC's with the basic interactions (hug, hurt, honk) and art of them.
And the third level could feature the “haunted house” monster boss fight in which the monster is called “Amalia” and captures Stella, so our characters must fight the monster.
In terms of looks, the monster house could resemble some Portuguese style houses.
Maybe have the monster lose in gameplay but in the next cutscene, tries to rise again until Shihiro and Bao Bao defeat it, while Stella is treated by Zarina and the main 6 end up on bad terms with the alt 6.
After Stella recovers, the 6 continue their dimension travel journey.
Entering Greklovick and Isaac assumes their portal is related to a machine he worked on.

GREKLOVICK

The grim sci-fi setting
Gameplay:
First area is a military base with sci-fi tanks, target practice and soldiers hanging out
The 6 get to leave and reach the city, full of stores, floating vehicles (Platforms) and robot maid NPC's
Secret NPC: Fragile, a very damaged female robot who wants to play before she screams
NPC: Raymond (Old soldier) can be seen in a bar and says depressive things about his life
NPC: Lahrn, a cyborg ninja
Rodchenkot: Radioactive wastelands in which the Lifeguard Ring is reskinned into a sci-fi hazmat suit
Kler (NPC) tells the 6 to be carefull and some other NPC (Trashy "Mad Max" looking guy) explains why Kler is that tall
A random teleportation device takes the 6 to a lab in the Venus base (Could i figure out low gravity zones here?)
There's scientists and a sneak peak of Tfoorie and Seturh aliens inside large glass containers
tfoorie operation table
Then they return to Grek city
Cutscene:
The 6 comment on how dirty the air is, before a cop almost gets them until B-Man shows up to help them
B-Man even gets to talk with Melvin about their fathers
Something happens and B-Man is separated from the 6
Gameplay:
An enemy in Grek is the Ammo Dispenser: A snack vending machine-like robot throwing grenades
B-Man's Multigun can serve as a death hazard: If the Player interacts with it, they activate its ID check system
Grek level 4 hazard: Meteors
Prefab: A factory treadmill floor with 2 deadly lasers in the left/right ends and moving boxes that act as platforms. You must try to get to the ladders with your sibling for safety
Moment where a guy steals B-Man’s gun and is met with the id check system
Potential Zarkovill boss fight (The 6 must use switches to turn off his shield so B-Man can shoot him)
To indicate B-Man is shooting Zarkovill, i'd have his gun show up on screen in a first person-esque view (Because B-Man is like an FPS character in an otherwise-2D game but i'd need to do something about the camera that is currently focused on the Player).
After the fight, Clarity shows up ready to help but B-Man already took care of it
B-Man also tells the 6 that they did a good job helping him and that he promises next time, he won't put them through this because he knows they're not child soldiers and deserve better
Moment where B-Man interacts with holographic buttons/screens but struggles and asks Clarity for help
One cutscene could show off Clarity's screen on her belly (Like when she analyzes the 6 after entering Grek).
Another thing to show off in Grek's cutscenes: The inside of Yiegour's helmet with UI/HUD elements (Yes, like MCU Iron Man) and Clarity's AI/Digital version because I like to think she could also be equivalent to Cortana.
(Could use AnimatedSprite tricks)
y13g0r: Could be the Grek Merc base showing up first with: Sci-fi tanks and robots in a warehouse; Clarity's room; Shooting range area with bullet holes in some targets; Weapon area, some interactable with the dangerous ID system; Computers and boxes; Large revolver shaped energy cannons: Isaac's lab maybe.
clr1ty: The actual city.
kl3rrr: The wastelands
tf00r1: The Venus space base with Tfoorie
zrkv1l: The boss fight

NORTUBEL PART 5

The older 3 talk with Shihiro about why they ran to the treehouse and family issues.
Could be a cutscene with flashbacks
Carrie talks about her dad's musical career and her mom mad at whether or not he cheated on her
Melvin talks about his mother's death and his dad feeling guilty about it, following it up with passing his mom's lessons to Angela
Katrin talks about Pete only being her half-brother and how her uncle is an awful person, it'd explain why Stella preferred having Booker as her father figure
Booker shows up in a flashback portrayed with regular caucasian skin and light brown hair because the black/white effect is something neither outsiders or residents of Krimb-Stone notice (Except maybe Leon/Otto, so they view this as an anomaly nobody else can notice)
Maybe in some other level/cutscene, this stuff could be explored

BRINKAEDEA

Cutscene:
The 6 meet Monica and Illou
They also describe Bonka to the 6
Gameplay:
The level starts off easy and visually, you except elements like giant musical instruments, food, toys, drawing tools etc
An enemy type could be a "clone" imp/jester: Something involving clones and you hit the real one to defeat them all
Linda's house can be seen, which is shaped like her head
Some random NPC's can show up like some mentioned in the OC post Brink NPC part
Better make use of the straw and piano key scenes
Maybe a snow area with Christmas stuff
Bumper cars (and maybe more theme park stuff) for Brinkaedea
They meet Bonka again and she tries to prank Katrin with a water spray flower
Bonka's fun house: A "boss" puzzle in which the 6 must escape a set of silly traps set by Bonka
Eventually, the "fun house" starts actually damaging you and even Bonka realizes this isn't part of the plan
It ends with Odin saving them.
Odin shows up and Bonka is upset, even though she secretly has a crush on him
It may turn out that Bonkette, Monika and Dr Ill-ow (evil versions of these characters) are behind this but they just make a cameo at the end of this chapter
They see planet Earth and it reveals Nortubel's Earth, confusing Bonky
Brinkaedea gets to speak PT/EN because Bonky claims he went through Earth once and brought his friends info from the world
(But the 6 come from a different version of Earth)
Even though Bonky is supposed to be cute, i could try to make him cartoony a bit more in some art
Should i also add the NPC's i mentioned like the Homestar Runner reference?
Maybe I could do a ball pit prefab.
Pinball stuff.
Use of the red button/wall introduced in Nort part 3.
Brink could get 2 skies, one horizontal and another in both directions like most Nortubel skies.
An idea Horbror gave was making using cake related tiles for the slow scene.
In the cutscene before Bonka’s “fun house”, I like to imagine a goofy TV where she shows up in a pre-recorded video, maybe with some presentation like her dancing and some stars or something.
(or comic book style panels and some spinning stars?)
m0nic4: A Brink level
ill0uu: Another level
b0nk44: Bonka's fun house

NORTUBEL PART 6

The 6 meet Claudia, who is from Brinkaedea but an alt version, so she’s a nice old lady.
When she leaves, she accidentally drops a piece for the dimension travel box that the 6 have.
You meet her after visiting Brinkaedea and before Lahiurn, because of the implication of her giving gifts to some war victims.

LAHIURN

Mix of alt history WW2 and 1984 setting
Gameplay:
First, the level takes place in a battlefield/trenches with bullets, planes and explosions in the background
There's also traps, which can be used against the soldiers (Both armies)
Later, there's the dystopian city which has burning books (Hazard) and giant screens with propaganda
Maybe they find a hole that leads to a military base set by Charles and join Jerold
Maybe I could have a submarine area in one of the levels.
They may end up meeting Namylea, even if at a Nortubel world level (I wanna make her interact with Zarina)
Prefab: A wooden platform with ropes you cut with the knife, so it falls.
j3r0ld: The battlefield
chrl3s: The submarine level
lmshtn: The Lahiurn city

NORTUBEL PART 7

This could be where they meet Namylea

HERRKO

Fantasy setting, i'll try to make it look less "DarkSidersy" as possible
Gameplay:
Starts at goblin village on the trees where you see Pebble (NPC) and the level makes use of both crawl zones and swingable vines (Due to lore fitting the goblin characters and a way to split Player and Companion)
Then the Orc village, with tropical/wild trees and rock houses
There is a "climbable" wall with swords stabbed on and it drains health when climbed (Unless you find a Ringfloater reskinned to look like a fantasy armor design)
maybe i could add that one place i said copied a bit of that one Turok 2 level
Then the Herrko village and inside Euloria's castle
NPC: A small drawer storage/shelf unit/sideboard that happens to be alive and is a servent of Euloria
Then Uulga’s ship and then an ancient cave
A character may say "Tarrak" and it's explained to be "carriage" in Herrkian language
Hazard: Lava. Maybe the 6 sneak through some passage to discover Herrko castle's security system
Enemy: evil goblins with treasure chest armor and bow and arrow
Trap idea: Floor switch you want to avoid or else arrows are shot at you.
Enemy: An “earthquake” enemy, which means “forced jump”, really.
Cutscene:
Ivan impresses the 2 girls, making Melvin a bit jealous
The first cutscene of this world could have Ivan’s vines as their own image/sprite.
When the 6 leave, Dirlindu talks to Uulga, Ivan and Euloria about something related to Lakk.
You can see giant monsters with wooden cabinets/platforms that are like Herrko's version of Star Wars ATAT with some Barlowe-esque influence.
Use of the red button/wall introduced in Nort part 3.
A moving platform would be a magical carpet
The 6 get to visit Uulga's pirate ship.
Not sure if Uulga's ship should be a bit of a time based challenge area where you have to attack enemies before the boat reaches the island
I'd like to figure out making Uulga an AI character that fights enemies while the Player and Companion try to survive for a while
I could make Uulga like Stella where she'd be an additional companion type character but with different stats and she'd automatically attack enemies, while her flaws are being too big to get into some places, meaning the 2 main characters would use level puzzles to help Uulga get in some areas
(But she doesn’t lose health and doesn’t need to climb)
Uulga takes the 6 to an island believed to be where a piece of the magic box is located.
It’s the same cave that shows the history of Herrko’s people and you’ll see statues/illustrations hinting at what creatures the people descend from, but with destroyed statues hinting at bizarre large creatures.
Like an eerie past that could give anyone an existential crisis (Imagine if it turns out we humans were relatives to some bizarre looking monsters)
Maybe the cutscene where Ivan saves the 6 could have his vines show up as sprites not tied to any panels.
UULGA_NPC_HURT: something about strong skin resisting knives but also how she lost her eye

  • p3bble: Maybe Herrko should start at the Goblin village level, with Ivan rescuing the 6 from falling after the portal takes them to a weak tree branch that breaks and then they meet Pebble.
  • iv4nnn: The orc village and sword hill etc. Uulga is an NPC there
  • eul0r1: The main Herrko city/castle
  • uulg44: Uulga's pirate ship and the cave

NORTUBEL PART 8

not yet

UNTOTERN

Cutscene:

  • Kalub and Allis speak in weird patterns and laugh to confuse the 6
  • The 6 end up in a dark mansion at night, before going to an underground catacomb full of skeletons and graves
    Then there's references to other mythologies and scary stuff
    There is an area made of flesh.
    Hazard: Giant zombie hands
    Maybe i could add something about the other 5 undead characters being locked in something and you must unleash them?
    The 5 undead would start off as imprisoned/trapped but after being rescued, they could be like any NPC that you can hug/knife/honk
    They soon discover the Vimana that the 7 undead use to travel dimensions
    Kalub almost bites Oscars before Beatrice tells him "Don't you dare" but both comment on how him and Carrie have "familiar blood"
    Enemy idea: Demonic/skull spider with rotating body/head with hurt/hitboxes in opposite sides
    Use of the red button/wall introduced in Nort part 3.
  • k4luub: First level with the mansion and catacombs stuff
  • al1sss: Maybe the second with flesh stuff
  • b34trc: Maybe the level where you rescue the 5 other undead

NORTUBEL PART 9

Maybe I could have AB-YZ show up here, explaining why things are the way they are (“Fake”/dream copycat dimensions, some still having their own rules or “personality” while others are random, some being fused, elements from other worlds that the 6 visited showing up but only because of a side effect of their traveling, so they must do something before other worlds are sucked into the already weird Nortubel based dimension they’re in)
Still not sure how the main 6 could confront the alt versions
I'm also thinking on how some characters could show up: Like Bonka trying to help the 6 but she kinda fails and cries, before the 6 forgive her.
There could also be a scene of some characters falling and being saved by some like Yiegour or Leon (I like to imagine Leon summoning some computer OS stuff like arrows or windows to save someone).
maybe some endgame scene where bman faces tfoorie but it's there as a mystery? i dunno
party with invited multiverse characters (like if pamela and shelly were to study the magic box and figure out something)
I also thought of a "Memories" menu that displays optional cutscenes with "lore": Maybe have Pamela interview other characters for this.
also need a "normal Nortubel" where the 6 may actually return home and it could lead to Pamela's house

What about secret levels?

  • Just in case I do some:
  • Hirdrih: av13t4
  • Krimb-Stone: r3pt1l
  • Massag-Coav: f3rnd4
  • Greklovick: r4ymnd
  • Brinkaedea: ood11n
  • Lahiurn: gust4v
  • Herrko: drlndu
  • Untotern: m4rcus
    Maybe when you finish the game, you also get a password list, with some character icons next to their respective passwords.

WORLD TITLE REDESIGN (So there’s stuff behind the letters):

  • Nortubel: Maybe like the title pic with the tiles?
  • Hirdrih: Like an old computer OS window
  • Krimb-Stone: A brick wall with bullet holes?
  • Massag-Coav: Some sort of theater billboard
  • Greklovick: Something sci-fi like hexagon patterns or a computer screen
  • Brinkaedea: Something with toys? Candy?
  • Lahiurn: Something like a war poster, probably
  • Herrko: A fantasy scroll?
  • Untotern: Maybe a solid rock tombstone with skulls

PLOT POINTS TO CONSIDER AND HOW/WHAT ELSE

  • If a level is too big, use the checkpoint
  • Always give levels their own world themed game stuff like switches, pushables, jump pads etc
  • What level could use construction stuff?
  • Platforms based on weight? Like 2 on opposite ends of a rope and if one has someone in it, the other rises?
  • Rotating/pendulum platforms? A rotating cross shaped thing with 4 solid lines?
  • For Nortubel: An animated “prop” that’s a giant door opening and revealing door within door, with different angles etc
  • When the 123456 inputs are figured out, edit tutorial texts
  • visible keys input system
  • ingame manual with tutorial info?
  • cake with a paper message "from A to B, what do you do when you get to Z?"

WHAT ABOUT STELLA AFTER BEING RESCUED?

At some point, Pamela opens a portal to help get the 6 back but only Stella successfully gets in or something. Meaning Stella is at least safe with Pam but the 6 still need to travel a bit more
This is to justify her not being present in next levels

THE 6 RIVALS

Maybe i could go with races?

AB YZ AND KNOE

AB-YZ shows up as a red crystal the 6 pick up after an emotional moment
One of them holds it with their hand before the crystal turns into dust and disappears
As for Knoe? Probably at the end, where his role is hinted as being evil or doing something shady behind the scenes
Oh and HHGHH? I like to think each character has their own interpretation of HHGHH's appearence just to make them even weirder

Boss: Sky covered in “cow pattern” black and white webs, with giant spiders that have humanoid faces.

(but i also wrote something in a Tumblr post about a spider monster with some weird helmet, maybe mix the 2?)

ENDING IDEAS (SPOILERS MAYBE)

The 6 rivals turn out to have something that makes them seemingly evil to create a conflict with the main 6
Need to figure out how a boss fight can work
Something causes the rivals to disappear and the main 6 don't know what happened
Even in a party where various characters show up, the 6 still wonder about their rivals
Meanwhile, the rivals are in a boat and then end up rescued by someone in a high-tech space ship
As the rivals enter the ship, they are greeted with a mysterious man (seen in the dark, silhouette view) interacting with holographic buttons
When asked who he is, he turns around and says his name is Yiegour, revealing himself to be an alt dimension version of B-Man (Instead of a face mask and cyber arms, he has a robotic body but a very human face with glowy white eyes and human arms)

MUSIC PLANS

This will be the last part to focus because 1: I want to get everything else out of the way (Levels, cutscenes etc) so the potential composer(s) does/do their job (As opposed to the Doom Eternal situation where id whipped around Mick over music while the game barely had material)
And 2: While my art/gamedev skills are flawed, music is the one area i did nothing with even though i have vague ideas of what i want music to be in this project and other projects in the future.
A way to figure out music is to think of the characters and settings like personality, story or at least what other characters they are inspired by/copy.
On top of that, i also have a list of music and artists i like, so i feel they could be used as influence, whether it's "how they think/get there" or even bits of melody and sounds but specially the "mood/feeling" they give you.
(Maybe it'll end in plagiarism lol)
Even in the long "Secret-ish OC post" i listed examples.
Could also lead to actually "study" these musicians/artists in a way (And i do mean without using AI).
Because there's also basic things like "i guess this song copies Castlevania/Touhou/etc a bit" so using non-videogame music can help (Though with japanese music i sometimes think of (K)NoW_NAME, Daito Music and Akatsuki Records first before other references).
Variety is a big deal here because i treat these characters/settings as a crossover where they might have to clash to "sell" what they are.
And variety could also lead to a "clash" of "characters vs setting" where even "within worlds" there's variety of genres or tones.
This means plagiarism isn't just bits of melody but even certain sounds and stuff.
And if some songs are unused in levels/cutscenes, maybe i could make a "jukebox" menu where you could select music i guess (Since i plan to add a art gallery)
Vocals are one thing i'll never get but that's obviously not a big deal.
Also, the albums selected for certain musical groups/artists don't have to be definitive because there could be other stuff of theirs to use as reference.
Cutscenes are a tricky part because of the speed control, so ideally:
I plan all the potential dialogue, panels etc and have all the music and sounds in one file for the AudioStreamPlayer node, right?
Then have the script acknowledge that scene and have controls related to that speed, since the script is used in all cutscenes.

NORTUBEL

You expect Portuguese stuff but i think Manu Chau kinda works as something to plagiarize. But because of the 6 characters being young, i kinda thought Gorillaz (Demon Dayz and Plastic Beach) or even "teen rock" sort of songs you'd expect in Tony Hawk Pro Skater could work.
Meanwhile the character Zarina is inspired by Fatoumata Diawara.

HIRDRIH

Daft Punk is too obvious.

BRINKAEDEA

Copying music from other platformers or cartoony shows is easy.
Bonka could get a circus song but remixed to sound cool (Specially different from the theme given to Bonko, a character referencing her in Dreams of Joy Departed) while Monica is a blatant Touhou rip-off.

MASSAG-COAV

Jazz could work and one reference i use is David Bowie (Earthlings, Outside, Reality, Heathen, Hours and The Next Day).

UNTOTERN

Lazily copying Castlevania and horror/halloween music is one thing, but a good reference might be Type O Negative.

LAHIURN

I guess "generic WW2 movie music" is okay enough.
I did thought of an “angry violin song” like Apocalyptica’s Path.

GREKLOVICK

Nine Inch Nails (Downward Spiral, Fragile, With Teeth) is obvious in a way.
Although with NIN, you can also bring up the Ghost tracks.

HERRKO

I like to think of Susumu Hirasawa and not just because of his work in Berserk, he has a lot of experimental songs that show his great range.

KRIMB-STONE

Maybe some songs from The Prodigy like what you think suits a very bloody bar fight.
But even NIN or other rock stuff could work just to sell how gritty and dark the setting should be.
Like what kind of music comes to your mind when reading something like Garth Ennis' run on the Punisher?

Anyway, maybe there's other stuff in the EXTRA: Musical influences/references: section mentioned in that long post that i could consider.
But for now, this should be good enough.

Fictional language stuff

This is something I need to figure out because so far, Nortubel, Hirdrih and Krimb-Stone used the ABC alphabet but I want certain settings to have made up languages and use more original symbols.

Each "gallery" shows off designs, props and aesthetic bits related to the worlds and then showcases the "full" designs of the characters (Or at least specific details)
I could show off NPC/enemy designs and stuff related to characters' backstories or lore
I could also show off weapons of certain characters and "cosmetic" stuff like alternate hair styles
Maybe "Galleries" could be levels that feel like museums and there's artwork showcased on CanvasLayer node stuff is the Player touches something

Nortubel

  • Bits of Nortubel's aesthetic and maybe fully shown sky backgrounds
  • Some objects
  • Proper showcases of Carrie, Katrin, Melvin, Oscar, Pete and Angela's designs
  • And also Pamela, Bernard, Shelly, Stella, Shihiro and Zarina
  • And the "alt 6" or the parents

Hirdrih

  • Bits of their world and aesthetic
  • Leon, Otto and Borhr
  • Maybe Avietta too.

Brinkaedea

  • Bits of the world's aesthetic
  • Bonka, Bonky, Lana, Illou, Monica and Odin
  • Claudia, Monika, Dr Illou and Bonkette (I forgot about the alt version of Bonky)

Massag-coav

  • World's aesthetics but also Altantis and Elegantissia
  • Holmes, Fernaanda, Feelix, Barney, Horatio, Karla, Karoline, Touni, McSherry, maybe Dexter and Marie Joolietta i dunno

Greklovick

  • Bits of the world and also Rodchenkot and the Venus base
  • B-Man, Clarity, Bolt, Isaac, the Grek soldiers/cops, Zarkovill, Kler, Raymond and even Tfoorie

Herrko

  • World's aesthetic and stuff (Maybe reference Tsoovukut too)
  • Uulga, Pebble, Euloria, Ivan, Dirlindu

Untotern

  • Props, etc etc
  • Kalub, Aliss, Beatrice, Cornelius, Taaf, Marcus and Maikouto

Krimb-stone

  • Setting stuff
  • Booker, Phineas, some random criminals, Ricotto, Matysha, Reptile and even a Bullet cameo lol

Lahiurn

  • Again, world aesthetics
  • Generic soldiers, Jerold, Gustav, Charles, Namylea, the dictators

Other?

  • Maybe characters like AB-YZ or HHGHH
  • Maybe some fun interactions between characters from different worlds
  • I could even add art like that one height reference thing with Leon, Kalub, Holmes, Bonka, B-Man and Uulga or other "bad art" i could still preserve
  • Some fanservice.
  • Carrie and Katrin holding Melvin’s arms like in the FF7 remake where Cloud has Tifa and Aerith on his arms.
  • Oscar and Pete dreaming about them with Katrin and Carrie respectively.
  • Maybe how Carrie and Katrin met for the first time (When they were 8 or 10) and how they met Melvin (When they were 14)
  • “Short characters” showcase with both the kids (Oscar, Pete, Angela, Kalub, Monica) and “shorties” (Leon, Otto, Bonky, Pebble).
  • Something related to wrinkles (Claudia, Raymond, Dirlindu, Booker).
  • Something related to Asian eyes (Shihiro, Maikouto, Lahrn).
  • Some characters hanging out (Kalub and Ricotto).
  • Some characters fighting (Booker and Odin).
  • Age face examples (Monica, Ivan, Booker).
  • Something related to black characters just because.
    There's still stuff worth considering i guess

Art style stuff i'll probably not achieve properly

My "art style" will be inconsistent and maybe some experimentation/inconsistency can be good but anyway:

  • Adult characters like B-Man or Booker are canonically 200 cm or at least "a head taller" than teen/young adult characters like Carrie or Bonka
  • Short characters (Leon, Bonky, Pebble) have different proportions from kid characters like Oscar or Kalub: The former may have bigger heads and smaller torsos along with longer legs
  • Kid/short characters have "big anime" eyes, teen/YA characters have "mid but still anime-ish" eyes and adult characters have "realistic" eyes
  • (This bit about the eyes was kinda inspired by SpyXFamily because of how Anya looks compared to Loid and Yor, even if characters in that series come in more different styles and this isn't a rule, because i don't want to sound like those guys that do "what if X character but in Power Puff Girls/Megaman style" and cherrypick specific characters etc)
  • Adult men and women may be at times drawn to have the exact same height but different proportions (women with wider hips, men with broader shoulders) can still be acknowledged
  • Women are more likely to have "pointy" chins and men more likely to have "kinda flat" chins
  • Furry characters should be drawn in an appealing way (Even if I try to use Solatorabo/Arknights/kemono or specific Western art styles as reference)
  • Most characters should look good (Cute, pretty, sexy, cool etc) and even if they have wrinkles, you try to make them still pretty (Claudia because she's a 2D old lady) or cool (Booker because he's a blatant Marv/Hartigan/Dredd/Frank Castle mash up)
  • In terms of gameplay, notice how solid level tiles, interactable objects and characters have pure black outlines while props or background stuff have at best a light black or gray-ish outline
    Again, if you look at the section "EXTRA: What i think could be an ideal art style:" in the long OC post, you'll find other examples of this

How I hope to fix art:

At least in cutscenes and after most of the levels/cutscenes are done.
Because I'd also like to keep some inconsistencies in both "art style" and design.
It's also worth considering 2 things:

  • Part of why some art has thick lines is because of the game's weird resolution.
  • I'd want to edit art in a way that doesn't require lots of changes in the cutscenes/animations.
    But anyway:
  • Add proper shading: It could be basic in some ways but give a proper sense of "direction" to avoid "pillow shading".
  • Add backgrounds in areas where there's none, I guess.
  • Some proportion fixes like weird hands or face muscles and tweaks.
  • Making faces/poses look more "alive" or add "gravity/motion" and stuff (Specially because of the traced model nature of the art).
  • Worst case scenario: Do add some new panels to make scenes less confusing.
    I might remind you that I don't even save the kra files.
    I do think it may be worth preserving some "uglyness" since this is someone's first game and with lot of ambition.
    If the game looked too great, people would hate it more just because of some decisions in terms of gameplay and all.

Future Nortubel remake ideas:

In a good future where my gamedev career goes somewhere and there’s no natural disaster or life threatening condition on my way:

  • Proper save system, even if I still use passwords or something creative like icons.
  • The fishhook could be an actual grapple hook in some places, even if swingable ropes are still a thing in some levels.
  • Better art, even if I’d keep inconsistencies in art style/designs because I like to experiment with my characters and stuff.
  • Some level geometry can be changed, even if some places are still familiar enough (Like new areas to make levels a bit bigger etc).
  • Certain ideas done more interestingly like Stella and how she interacts with those traps or the “rival” race levels.
  • If some other characters (Bonka, Leon, Kalub, Yiegour, Uulga etc) are playable, might as well make them different genres.
  • Different UI/HUD aesthetics that reflect on certain worlds.
  • Options to move forward/backwards for the dialogue/lines from cutscenes.
  • Having a better structure behind the scenes, so I could properly use the same type of switch in the same level (Krimb level 3 is an exception because the switches are part of the same scenes as the traps).
  • More levels just in case, to extend certain themes.
  • Could probably add more props and stuff to extend certain themes as well.
  • More interesting NPC interaction and maybe portraits for NPC dialogue text boxes.
  • Optional menus to view cutscenes, art illustrations and lore texts in case the original game doesn’t have those.
  • Maybe more options for gameplay like customizable controls or even an alternate “The Lost Vikings” system for players they could select over the current system (But please, consider the level design).
  • Actual “end level” screens with stats, some neat victory music and even images of our characters celebrating, maybe.
  • I'd like to give the levels actual "atmosphere", though still not sure if a remake would be a very good looking 2D game or even have the levels be somewhat 3D but stuff like characters and props still as sprites.
  • Maybe some cutscenes would use more panels and texts.
  • Cast “section” at the end showing all the possible characters in the game (Maybe all that matter and some NPC’s) and there’s different versions based on each world
Edit
Pub: 05 Jul 2023 14:17 UTC
Edit: 10 Feb 2024 00:26 UTC
Views: 422