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A fun 2D retro platformer inspired by Sonic games and a game creation system

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#1 Re: Assets » Waterworks concept art candidates » 2018-10-15 23:25:47

G.E.R. wrote:

A transparent transport pipes in Waterworks:

illust_1_111018.png

I feel like there's too many conflicting art styles and some of it looks a bit off. Maybe there should be some kind of guidelines regarding the style of the game.

Smooth gradients vs pixelated art together looks a bit unnatural imo, and the lighting/shading seems inconsistent. (those BG blocks could be mistaken as platforms based on how they appear to stick out of the wall)

#2 Re: General » [Suggestion] using OGA assets » 2018-09-02 00:43:24

Alexandre wrote:

Regarding the background of Sunshine Paradise, take a look at the act 1 of this game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j3GlgraO5A

See that the background (not so much the platforms) is pixel art with vivid colors. I see something as colorful as that for Sunshine Paradise. A beautiful first level, that causes an excellent first impression to the viewer. Blue sky. The platforms can take inspiration on Palmtree Panic (Sonic CD) - with that orange/vivid green.

Honestly, maybe there should be more distance from the classic games with the stage concept itself. For example, seeing as the name is Sunshine Paradise, has water already implemented into its stage design, and is really close to Waterworks Zone, maybe it could be better off as a beach stage instead of a Green Hill clone. So many modern Sonic games are using/rehashing Green Hill constantly. (Sonic Forces, Sonic Generations, Sonic Mania)

Keep in mind this is the very first stage a person will see, their first experience with the gameplay, and probably the part of the game that will have the most exposure to the internet (screenshots, youtube videos, etc). This is the single most important stage in the entire game.

There should be a focus on originality and experimentation for level concepts given the engine is literally built for it. The high contrast style and vivid colors are something to definitely keep, but the game should go for creative themes that haven't been seen as much in Sonic games. It would likely draw in more people and lower the amount of opinions along the lines of 'It's just a Sonic game with different characters and I'd rather play Mania instead'.

#3 Re: Assets » Black Forest Music » 2018-08-07 00:12:27

I actually just recently got in contact with Joe. He said he preferred the V1 version as well.

I think if you do decide to use this song, it should be that one (the link in the first post) since he is the co-creator of the track.

#4 Re: Assets » Black Forest Music » 2018-08-06 04:58:43

Alexandre wrote:

I like the first one way better. Sounds better and contains no hearable artifacts ('pops').

Another member suggested to make it more ambient, so I did. Musical taste is subjective. If you want to use the first version instead, that is fine.

I tried changing the instrument and lowering the pitch of the lead, and updated it here:
https://soundcloud.com/negablitz/black- … v3/s-oasL0

However, I don't hear any artifacts. Can you give specific examples of when they occur?

Alexandre wrote:

Cool, but can you use these soundfonts? Meaning: can the song you create be released under the Creative Commons (as CC-BY, or CC-0)?

If the soundfont is released under the public domain or under the CC-BY as well, no problem. If it is protected, you need a license from the developer. If it's unclear, no way.

I'm extra cautious about this, as one of the core values of Open Surge is software freedom.

I could also ask the same to you of Sunshine Paradise, the Template, and Waterworks' themes that are already in. I hear samples that are very reminiscent to genesis sounds in all of them. Have you confirmed those? Not really sure why this keeps coming up with my tracks in particular.

Anyways, it's under 'just give credit' according to this: https://www.polyphone-soundfonts.com/en … -sgm-v2-01

My personal notes say 'Give credit to David Shan http://www.geocities.jp/shansoundfont/ somewhere in the game' regarding the resource. This is the only Soundfont used in every version of the song here. I really doubt there will be any serious problem as long as you credit him.

Make of this what you will, if that isn't okay, this song doesn't have to be included in the game and I can simply continue to use it myself.

#5 Re: Assets » Black Forest Music » 2018-08-02 00:04:27

I'm increasing the ambience a bit but leaving the main bits of the track intact. I think the result sounds more ominous but still pretty good. I remember Joe being inspired a lot by the Donkey Kong Country series' music so I made it sound a little more like that. Still nothing incorrectly used as far as copyright in this track as well.

https://soundcloud.com/negablitz/black-forest-v2

I'm still gonna do some work on it for a while, I'm thinking about improving the part from 0:33 to 0:45 a bit more. Let me know what you guys think.

#6 Re: Assets » Black Forest Music » 2018-08-01 16:15:49

TheSeventhEmerald wrote:

It is very nice! I like it a lot. I am currently working in music for Open Surge too.  Looks like you know a lot more than me on how to work with GENNY. I may ask you some questions about it. My current status of the work is "I have some ideas, but they don't sound as I want them to sound".
For example, how did you get that clean sound on the drums? Seems impossible to me to get that with the synth.

Some technical comments on the song: at 0:31, the F# in the melody clashes a bit with the other instruments -maybe there is some F in the harmony colliding with it. I can notice something similar that also at 0:29. Maybe you should relax that part.

The drums and strings are actually soundfont based, but those are compatibly licensed as well. I like mixing them in with the retro sounds from Genny to modernize it a bit.

Sorry if my first post was unclear, not the entire song is generated with the plugin. (For those wondering, it involves the SGM soundfonts I believe) I meant that there are no copyrighted samples used.

I'm still playing around with the track actually. As above, I could make it a bit more ominous by increasing the impact of the strings. I'll take a look at that F# bit in particular when I get home today and I'll see about posting an update when I can.

#7 Re: Assets » Black Forest Music » 2018-07-31 01:10:11

Alexandre wrote:

Cool one.

A question, though. Are you using sounds from Genesis?

I'm using a synthesizer that takes advantage of the YM2612 chip to a near exact level. It can use the same algorithms as some genesis games but it's completely possible to customize to make your own sounds:
https://gendev.spritesmind.net/forum/vi … f&start=75

It's all fully generated by this plugin. Due to this, there are actually no copyrighted samples in this song at all, believe it or not. Doing it this way actually makes a cleaner sound than samples as well (pitching up and down can make it sound bad).

#8 Assets » Black Forest Music » 2018-07-30 01:37:24

SilverstepP
Replies: 9

I remade the track from many years ago to fit Open Surge better for the Black Forest zone.

https://soundcloud.com/negablitz/black- … ge-version

Let me know what you guys think!

#9 Re: General » Physics update: automatic angles » 2018-07-29 21:44:43

Alexandre wrote:

Thank you for the comment, Silver.

SilverstepP wrote:

I do still think the characters are just a bit heavy and have a little too much weight to them though; I find myself slipping off of platforms a bit too easily.

I'll take a look at it. Do you mean the acceleration?

Actually both the acceleration and deceleration values. It feels just a bit sluggish to get going and difficult to stop once you do start moving.

Aerial control feels especially difficult because you can't really correct yourself once you're airborne. This can make it pretty easy to miss those moving platforms and fall back down to the lower path in the level. Having very little jump control is fine when jumping out of a rolling animation, but if you're standing, walking, or running, it probably should be a bit easier to manage your momentum.

#10 Re: General » Physics update: automatic angles » 2018-07-29 14:41:11

I'm liking the new physics a lot and I've noticed the slipping off of shallow angles issue is completely gone too! I do still think the characters are just a bit heavy and have a little too much weight to them though; I find myself slipping off of platforms a bit too easily.

The level design isn't bad at all though, the only thing about it to criticize is that there isn't any enemies or threats to hit, but I figure those will be added in eventually.

#11 Re: General » Physics update: automatic angles » 2018-07-17 01:18:34

This looks fantastic! This looks a lot like how the classic Sonic games did it and one of the most interesting updates to Open Surge in years.

Here's my two cents on things that can make this even better:

- My biggest criticism is that there's still a lot of sliding around on super shallow slopes, like in previous versions. You can't stand still on anything but a completely flat surface. Maybe there can be a threshold set so the character doesn't slip down small hills as a statistic in .chr files? While rolling, this behavior is fine because you sacrifice control for speed, but when the character is out of ball form, they need to be capable of coming to a standing stop on angles that between 0 to ~35 degrees (just as an estimation). This is probably the only critical thing that needs to be adjusted, but it's extremely important.

- Surge and friends feel just a bit heavy in a clunky way, I think amping up the acceleration and deceleration will help things feel a bit better. I know that can be done with the .chr files, but I think that the defaults could use some small tweaks.

- I know this may be a bit difficult, but having the characters' sprites not rotate angles while rolling around loops and slopes would also look a bit better.

This approach is actually much more tile-based from what I can tell, so perhaps bricks isn't the appropriate word anymore... at least, unless you make super small parts and combine them together. tongue

Really looking forward to seeing what comes out of this! Designing bricksets and levels never looked easier. smile

#12 Re: Games » Open Sonic JS » 2018-05-22 03:16:24

Hey guys, I'm back.

So, wow.

It's been a while since I've posted here, but this is a huge deal, especially if this is all just native JS. Alex, this could be a really good opportunity to update everything, especially if there is a way to combine this and integrate it with the SurgeScript language you've been developing! It could even perform better than the current version, since it might be capable of reading scripts and mods faster.

Not sure what version he used as the base at just a glance, but this is honestly something I've wanted to see out of Open Surge for a while. This essentially allows for easy and real mods, ones that actually change the internal code of the engine and can be made without having to compile each time to debug.

This is such a big find, though I wonder why nobody has been told of it here before this? It would be nice if the guy could be contacted somehow.

Also, good to see everyone, and glad to see the community here is beginning to grow again. smile

#13 Re: Off-topic » Ummm... » 2015-12-25 03:10:07

I'd imagine there would be a separate release exclusively as the Android edition, just like there's one for Linux right now. Resolution isn't too hard to change in the code honestly, I've compiled Open Surge with different screen sizes before.

The reason I mentioned controls is because while I'm confident that there's a ton of things that can work, it has to work very effectively. It needs to feel good and responsive. (Buttons spaced properly, no input lag, etc)

#14 Re: Off-topic » Ummm... » 2015-12-22 19:09:34

Alexandre wrote:
SilverstepP wrote:

Big developments? What happens in 2016?

the release of 0.2.0 and possibly an Android port.

Nice stuff. Though the android port might be a bit difficult (controls mainly?), it'd be interesting to see.

Alexandre wrote:

ps: welcome back.

Heh, thanks. I've committed myself with this a bit too much to disappear permanently, plus, if this starts moving again, I definitely wanna keep my eye on it.

#15 Re: Off-topic » Ummm... » 2015-12-22 04:46:45

I've lurked around every now and then, but I'm generally busy with college and my own game at this point.

Alexandre wrote:

There are some modders working on their projects, and we can expect to see big developments in Open Surge in 2016.

First I heard of this though. Big developments? What happens in 2016?

#16 Re: General » Rename? » 2013-09-10 19:32:32

Does there even have to be a '_____ the ______' title for him? I mean Sonic games do it constantly; Sonic the hedgehog, Knuckles the echidna, Espio the chameleon, Rouge the bat, Original the character, and so on.

I feel like we can deviate ourselves from Sonic here a bit more easily, there doesn't necessarily have to be a title on the end of the word, describing what species Surge is, and I definitely think it shouldn't be the title of the game.

Plus, main titles don't always have to revolve around the main protagonists, games like the Legend of Zelda and Metroid didn't. So there's some room for creativity.

I just feel like I'd go into the game with a different mindset if it wasn't named so similarly to a Sonic game, that's all.

#17 Re: General » Selling games » 2013-08-27 15:37:16

Yuush wrote:

I wasn't talking about the engine. I'm really concerned about the design of the characters and backgrounds, really. No trolling here, I swear.

Same basic idea, I guess.

It's not Sonic. But again, in my opinion, Surge really needs to not have a completely identical moveset to Sonic. You can't really copyright an art style either, I suppose.

Like I said, as long as it remains inspired by Sonic, and isn't a direct copy of anything actually in the games, no legal action should be necessary.

But there's still something to be said for originality, as I mentioned. It's better to create a game similar to Sonic as opposed to a direct clone of it, imo. But, as far as what will be done to make Open Surge truly unique to Sonic is yet to be foreseen, I suppose, aside from the different characters, art, and plot.

I feel that swapping characters to use different abilities in a more puzzle-oriented fashion could be considered more unique, though I'm seriously not sure it's enough. I honestly do feel that Surge is still just a reskin of Sonic, Neon is a reskin of Tails, and Charge is a reskin of Knuckles. There's probably more that can be done to set them apart, maybe more abilities to be added to them or replacing the ones they have. Maybe Neon's jetpack could work differently than Tails' flying (as a very vertical double jump?), Charge could dig as a special ability (breaking ground that nobody else can go through), or Surge can have those lightning powers we mentioned way, way back (powering up objects that require electricity).

There's all kinds of ways to do it, it's just difficult to figure out the best method sometimes.

tl;dr:
similar =/= copied
less similar = more unique
more similar = less unique

#18 Re: Off-topic » messed-up » 2013-08-27 03:29:36

Dat Urban Rush brickset tho ;P

#19 Re: General » Selling games » 2013-08-27 03:27:40

If it uses characters, story, and art that is copyrighted? Yeah.

If it just uses similar mechanics? Nah.

If that were the case, there would be LOTS of people getting sued.

Look at Mario Kart, for example. That's basically the first wacky, power-up using, kart racing game ever made, right? Now look at all of these games. (The last one had kart racing as a mode in it)

Even just Mario in general could count, that was one of the first platforming games ever. It pretty much made the genre.

It's basically impossible, and likely pointless, to copyright a game mechanic or genre. It's like having a musician copyright an instrument, or a style of music, like Jazz. It would completely cripple creativity.

Of course, there's still respect at stake for completely ripping off the mechanics. Lawsuits might not happen, but people might not think you're very creative if you just copy and paste every single mechanic from a game into your own. But being inspired by something and adding your own flavor, style, or even completely new mechanics to it, would be a decent idea for a good game.

#20 Re: Off-topic » Hi! » 2013-08-09 06:33:35

Yuush wrote:

Still, I think it's crucial for you guys KNOW what's going on.

STALTZ wrote:

Omg youre absolutely clueless what we are talking about. Just stop, its getting too funny.

...

SilverstepP wrote:

it's hilarious how disorganized you all seem to be

I'm sorry, this just brought me to tears in laughter. You explain to me what happened (or attempt to) and start screaming 'you don't understand'?

roll

Oh you people.

Don't worry though. This will be the last response I give, since I'm so unwelcome here. Clearly nothing is going to change. Hell, it didn't after over 6 years, and I actually have things to do between now and 2019 that don't involve obsessing about a disagreement in a forum.

So.... bye. wink

#21 Re: Off-topic » Hi! » 2013-08-09 05:18:39

Yuush wrote:

Sirs,
You're not gonna be smarter if you're here just to show off without knowing the facts.
We're here with a purpose. You guys are defending blindly.
You're the one being a troll, douche bags.

Heh.

Oh, I'm pretty sure Alex can tell you that him and I don't see eye-to-eye on everything, so I'd definitely not consider myself 'defending blindly'. I've been told about this situation. I looked at the web links posted here, did some rooting around, and went to the site that Alex took down. And I saw the message there.

You'd probably achieve a lot more by being straightforward and talking about the issue than posting GIF images of kids dancing "for the lulz" and dramatically complaining over and over again to cause chaos. How can you expect anyone to take you seriously after doing that?

Still, that said, I don't really know what you're wanting out of this, and I still haven't gotten an answer as to why this issue suddenly has re-emerged after 6 years.

#22 Re: Off-topic » Hi! » 2013-08-09 02:49:48

neves wrote:
SilverstepP wrote:
neves wrote:

i just used google translate on all texts and i gotta say, it's the least intelligent thing you could do
oh, wait, there's another one actually: trying to argue over a topic you were not part of back then
sorry again, there's yet another one: feeding trolls

thanks, man!

Always happy to help. wink

legal, agora vai SE ajudar, acho que voce ta precisando
usar tradutor em conversa de troll pq vc liga pra isso eh muita idiotice

I care about the idiocy here mainly because of the execution of this 'plan' of all of yours. I honestly don't even know what any of you are hoping to achieve here, and it's hilarious how disorganized you all seem to be. Even more so considering that this didn't even happen in close proximity to the site going down. You're talking about something that's happened over 3 years ago. Seriously? It's a bit odd how dreadfully important this seemed to become in the last, say, couple of months to you all, so the motivation really shows here.

Alex might have done some stuff in the past that I don't know about, sure. I'm merely pointing out that any insults or claims of incompetence directed at the "sonicnoob" forum as a whole are quite untrue. I have provided pretty decent evidence of that.

But, yeah. Let's be honest here. I know this won't stop you, so troll away! I can't wait to see what fun is in store next. I'll go back to being silent and watching from the sidelines again. tongue

#23 Re: Off-topic » Hi! » 2013-08-09 02:29:56

neves wrote:

i just used google translate on all texts and i gotta say, it's the least intelligent thing you could do
oh, wait, there's another one actually: trying to argue over a topic you were not part of back then
sorry again, there's yet another one: feeding trolls

thanks, man!

Always happy to help. wink

#24 Re: Off-topic » Hi! » 2013-08-09 02:01:09

OK, OK, I know I said I wouldn't say anything else, but I'm sorry. X'D

I can't quit laughing at the fact that these guys claim to be intelligent yet don't realize I can understand basically everything that's said here.

Trying to use language barriers online to have a private conversation is almost as stupid as posting a conversation like this in a public forum or something.

But really, I have to say something about this:

diogo123 wrote:

Projects from the "intelligent folks" that once were Gaming Brasil users:
http://www.roguelegacy.com/
http://www.chasmgame.com/
http://joymasher.com/
http://www.oniken.net/
http://iroquote.com/
http://www.indiedb.com/games/cold-tension
If you think that this isn't any better than what come from the "sonicnoobs", I think that you are in delusion.

I giggled a bit at this. The games do look cool, actually. But... a few small questions.

So which one of these are made by you, or any of the others posting here? Are any of the creators for these games currently here and harassing everyone? If so then I want to ask why someone obviously so talented would waste their time here being an asshole to not just Alex, but now, everyone here by basically insulting the entire forum. Honestly, you should have better things to do. Maybe making more games for, you know, money, or something.

Even if any of you did make those games, I do believe you're being a bit biased in calling everyone here 'incapable sonicnoobs'. (and, FYI: 'Sonic' and 'noob' are 2 different words. Just thought I'd like to point this second-grade error out to someone with obviously higher intelligence than myself.)

Allow me to show you just how wrong you are.

I'm making this game called Haywire. Sure, its not on the Open Surge engine. It's made in Construct 2. However, it started out here. It's nowhere near done yet, I'll admit. But I'm still learning about this new engine I'm using. I am still making music for it, and still developing art for all the sprites and backgrounds. I'm doing basically this entire game by myself, on my own time, on top of a job and my college education.

Oh and let's not forget one member of the forum who was inspired from his game-making experiences here to make a game that won fourth globally in the Microsoft Imagine Cup. Some fun facts for you: I helped with that too by making music, and this entire game was liked by Alexey Pajitnov. For those of you don't know, that's the man who created Tetris. He was a judge in this competition.

But seriously though, for people claiming to be intelligent, you all are doing quite a great job at making yourselves look like idiots. Keep going, if you think it'll do any good. Really, I applaud every one of you involved in this whole situation here, it's quite fun to watch for a gringo 'sonicnoob' like myself. big_smile

#25 Re: Off-topic » Hi! » 2013-08-08 19:29:24

neves wrote:
SilverstepP wrote:
neves wrote:

silverstep don't know shit about the case, yet wants to make an adult of himself to totally strangers
don't buy other's problem, dude, just beat it wink

I don't really tolerate immaturity. I don't care what this is about, there's no excuse for how any of you are acting. I got mad at Alex at one point and I let go of the situation. You're the ones currently attacking the forum.

Really, what are you even trying to achieve here?

i bet you have better things to do, don't you? don't worry about us

Nice job dodging the question.

But, OK. I'll sit back and watch. Really.

You want to make idiots of yourselves? Go for it, if you think it will achieve anything.

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