I’m finding that I do emails more than anything else right now. The programming stuff I have left to do is add controller support, get it to jive on my XBox and do some AI stuff. All of that of course requires a controller and/or enemy animations. So I’m waiting and getting on the stuff I can do, like send emails, poke the Team, and get thinking about the Wall level.
The original idea just got the toss, since it simply no longer works in the context of the game systems. Previously, I had designed the Wall areas into a kind of maze. But that was before I had built any of the levels after it. Now with other levels to compare, the conceit is both way out past Left Field and would feature a concept that is never used again. It made an odd wet noise when it was thrown from the car window at speed, like what I assume one of these would sound like.
In any event I think I need to start from scratch again. I need to build a level in the middle of the game, not too hot and not too cold, but just right, using conventions established in other parts of the game without being boring. The other thing is I built a Front Wall in the Tower Level, and the profile is only about 500 pixels wide.
An idea that I’m enjoying the rattle of, is to build another tower. In my sketches of the Castle, for symmetry there is always a second tower on the far side from the main Tower (referenced in the sketches usually as The Sun Tower – hence the “Chasing the Sun” chapter title). The other tower was labeled as either the “Moon Tower” or more commonly, “The Observatory Tower.”
I don’t want to construct another great big tower though, since the player does an awful lot of climbing upwards. So the idea rattling, is to make the tower fall over onto its side, and then build the level like it’s sideways. With floors and ceilings that aren’t and lots of angled surfaces (hello scripting!) and slides. Add in the broken pieces of wall and the last couple bits on the roof of the Castle Section from Chapter 7 and I think I may have something.
Now I just need to figure out some platforming puzzles.