I'm making a game. I call it Lunar Scythe.

[Erreip199]

Im just going to give my opinion on the gameplay since the aestetics are redundant at this point of development

The combat was very lackluster, i quickly realised that all i needed to do was mash light attack and special whenever i had the energy to get a high damage combo, launcher into air combos felt sloppy to land and werent really that satysfying to use.

The game had too many controls that served no real purpose, you have a double jump that isnt really nessesary unless you want to do an air combo that is forced upon you due to the 5th hit launcher, i never had a reason to dash away since the enemies attack are slow enough to walk away or wack em with a light attack and run was there to just get to the next area of enemies faster (you move too fast while running too). The heavy attack is too slow and the damage wasnt an enough motivator to use it over mashed light attacks, and you get WAY too much special meter to use.

I believe the controls of the combat can be optimized to work with just one button and the level can be designed in ways that dashing and jumping wouldnt be nessesary

Theres this game that i HIGHLY recomend you to play that might give you some good ideas for your game, its called Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword for DS, pretty much you play the whole game with the touchpad and the controls are super tight and responsive, you're going to love it

That being said, i believe you should reconsider making your game exclusively for mobile devices, keep the pick up and play with short lvls mentality you mentioned in the OP. The competition is too fierce on PC and i feel youre being too ambitious with your current build of the game.

PS: i think i took longer writing this than actually playing the build lol!

 

[EvaXephon]

I agree with everything you've said, Erreip. That combat system is nothing special. The primary purpose of that prototype was to prove to myself that I'm a good enough programmer to code the basic mechanics a side-scrolling hack-and-slash game. I didn't want to be seen as an "idea guy" who spits out game ideas but never produces anything, so I decided that I had to create something playable before I could say a word about my game to anyone.

After making that prototype, I went on a hunt for recently-released side-scrollers with really tight controls and fun combat, and I found a few really good ones (and bad ones) to learn from. Now I have a much clearer idea of how I'd like the game to play. The next prototype (whenever I find the free time to work on it) will be much better.

 

[Bucky Barkley]

Everything about the character's design, however implausible it might seem at first glance, does have a justification. The reason she dyes her hair, the reason Death thought a scythe would suit her best, the reason she wears a sexy outfit - it's all worked into her backstory.

If it's all justified, keep it. If the design is a product of her history and personality, that's great! As to whether the design works for your character works or not is kinda hard to answer right now, though. We don't really know too much about her, so it's hard to say if you should or shouldn't change it. For all I know, it could be perfect! Then again, I don't really know anything about character design.

At the end of the day, it's your decision. If you feel that it's what you want for her, you should keep it.

 

[Zidiane]

Just played through the game. I realize it's a demo and going to change, but I want to say a few things still.

You really didn't need to stress so much about the whole "reading the read me" thing. Air combos are really.... unpolished and unnecessary. I could only pull them off like once half the times when I launched them and jumped up after them the attacks would miss, so instead I just mashed light attack on the ground. I think instead maybe a launch attack button would be better, or a direction you hold and do it, cause I was trying to launch and jump and was having a hard time just doing it. Also, it seemed not at all needed to do air combos, I got 140 hits on my second play through. I ended up not jumping at all, except to do this thing that I'll upload in a minute. Other than that, heavy attacks didn't feel at all relevant, they seemed to be there just because games have heavy attacks.

I also think the enemies were placed too far apart and too bunched together. And it was like the same 5 or 6 dudes in the same spot 3 or 4 times before the level's done. I also had a really hard time telling I got hit. I would be mashing buttons and hitting people and I'd take damage at some point, but it was really hard to tell that that's what was happening. It also felt like the only reason I should care if I got hit or not was I wouldn't get that ranking bump from not getting hit. I didn't get knocked down, didn't lose any soul energy, or flinch and ruin my combo. The only bonus to not getting hit was the ranking thing.

Also, the death animation, cause I died to see what'd happen, was just kinda awkward. Sudden and weird. Didn't feel like I was getting hit the whole time through, like I said above, and then suddenly I explode in blood (also, I think it'd be cool if she exploded in souls instead).

On the special move, eh, just a generic attacking spinny attack that hits a bunch of times. Don't know if you're set on it, but I'd like to see something else. Different specials would be cool, one to heal yourself might be cool. And the last thing is that there was a glitch after using the special move that caused me to be incapable of not running. I was running the whole time until I was hitting enemies, and then when I stopped doing that she busted out into a run again.

 

[Erreip199]

Right now im mostly just an "idea guy" myself lol!

and try Ninja gaiden Dragon sword, it has like the perfect concept for a good mobile beatem up

 

[EvaXephon]

You really didn't need to stress so much about the whole "reading the read me" thing. Air combos are really.... unpolished and unnecessary. I could only pull them off like once half the times when I launched them and jumped up after them the attacks would miss

After launching someone, did you try to follow after them with the jump button, or with the dash button? I call it a "dash" button, but it's function is more like a "follow" button; if you launch someone, then hit the dash button, you zip STRAIGHT to whoever you just launched, and you become "locked on" to them. Then you can combo them, do another launcher, and dash/follow them yet again. I guarantee that it works 100% of the time. However, your first instinct is probably to hit the jump button instead of the dash button...that's why I stressed reading the readme file so much, because it explains that you need to hit the dash button, instead.

Of course, this system is strange and unintuitive, so I will scrap it, and launchers will work far differently in the final version of the game.

As stated earlier, that "demo" was really just a programming exercise to confirm that I can script the things that happen in side-scrolling beat-em-up games; "Can I spawn a group of dudes, prevent the player from proceeding until they kill the dudes, and then spawn more dudes afterwards? Yes! It works! The prototype is a success! Time to post it to Skullheart!"

I'm starting to think I made this thread a little too soon. I mean, I'm TOTALLY aware that I could never, ever ship a game that plays exactly like that prototype you played. Obviously, the final game won't just be killing sets of 5 dudes over and over. Obviously, the final game won't have that lame death animation. Obviously, the final game won't have a special move that is just spinning in a circle. But since people are getting the wrong idea, I guess it was a mistake to post that prototype and call it a "demo". Maybe I should have called it a "proof of concept". Or maybe I should have called it a "programming test". Or maybe I shouldn't have posted anything at all just yet...

 

[Zidiane]

I'm starting to think I made this thread a little too soon. I mean, I'm TOTALLY aware that I could never, ever ship a game that plays exactly like that prototype you played. Obviously, the final game won't just be killing sets of 5 dudes over and over. Obviously, the final game won't have that lame death animation. Obviously, the final game won't have a special move that is just spinning in a circle. But since people are getting the wrong idea, I guess it was a mistake to post that prototype and call it a "demo". Maybe I should have called it a "proof of concept". Or maybe I should have called it a "programming test". Or maybe I shouldn't have posted anything at all just yet...

No one's attacking you or anything. I mean, I just wanted to make sure you knew how I felt when playing. What if I left something out that I thought you knew but you thought it was fine, and you brought it further into production? That'd suck and I'd feel like a dick. There's nothing wrong with showing what you have as soon as it's ready, you just have to try and step back a bit and not get personally invested in trying to defend what you've done or justify anything.

Here's actually this Extra Credits video that I recently watched that may be relevant.

 

[Zidiane]

Also, here was the thing with the jumping I found.

 

[Vadsamoht]

Answers will be short because I'm lazy, not because I'm mad.

I'm totally aware of how ridiculously impractical it would be to use a scythe as a weapon...in real life. But this is a video game, where the Rule of Cool is the only rule I need. I'm willing to throw realism and practicality out the window for the sake of having the coolest weapon possible, and to me, that's got to be an energy scythe. An umbrella isn't a practical weapon to use in a fight, either, but that doesn't stop Parasoul. You can argue that Parasoul is using a special fantasy umbrella that shoots projectiles - and, likewise, my character is using a special sci-fi scythe with an energy blade rather than a solid blade, which opens up combat options that a grass-cutting tool does not.

I agree that the costume is impractical, but that doesn't matter to me very much. Once again, I'm willing to completely suspend my disbelief as long as something looks cool enough...or sexy enough. I'd rather have an impractical and cool-looking character than a completely realistic, practical, boring character. With that said, it may be entirely possible for her to be wearing a much more cool-looking outfit than her current corset / skirt combo...but whatever outfit I eventually decide on will definitely not be restrained by practicality. So, what would you suggest for the outfit?

About the cleavage, midriff, and legs...well, there is a story-related reason why she desires to dress up in a sexy outfit when she fights, but even if there wasn't a plot-related reason, I'm going to fall back on the Rule of Sexy. I absolutely love sexy-looking femme fatale characters. ...aren't we on...the Skullgirls forum...?...

Each one of these is a valid point, but together I think there's a problem. You can only ask the audience to suspend their disbelief up to a point. I think that rather than going for one key characteristic you're giving the character many smaller qualities, which naturally brings them close to being percieved as a 'normal' person. Normal isn't necessarily bad, especially when your game has a realistic art style, but it runs contrary to making a character unique and memorable.

I agree that black and red is way over-used. So, what other color scheme would you suggest?

I'm trying to avoid giving specific suggestions because this is your game, not mine. All I can suggest is creating an image of the character (using whatever design you already have on hand) and create copies for Red-and-every-colour-you-can-think-of and Black-and-every-colour. By not just running through the combinations in your mind, you'll have time to actually consider each one, and if you still decide that Black/red is the way to go then that's great and you can explain to anyone why those colours are the best choice.

The reason I wanted to give the protagonist a simple hairstyle is because I haven't been able to get cloth physics or long hair physics working in my game engine.

That's cool, but it cuts down on one avenue for potential individuation.

What's wrong with having a young, white, female protagonist? If this is a "social justice warrior" thing, I'm definitely not going to argue about that subject in this thread.

It's wrong if the whole point of having a young white female protagonist is simply to enable you to look at a young white girl's body without her age/race/gender either affecting other elements of the game or being a consequence of it. The same could be said with choosing a 30-odd white male for assumed identifiability or a 20-something black person for "cool" without considering what it implies for the game as a whole. But if that's not up for debate, that's cool.

Everything about the character's design, however implausible it might seem at first glance, does have a justification. The reason she dyes her hair, the reason Death thought a scythe would suit her best, the reason she wears a sexy outfit - it's all worked into her backstory. Is that what you're talking about?

Not quite, it's more to do with how one element of the character's design justifies other design choices. See the next quote for an example, and I can further explain if you want me to.

(However, because the game takes place predominantly in LITERALLY dark environments, it may be a good idea to give her a brighter color scheme...)

This kind of thing is what I'm talking about. e.g. You could say that having a glowing weapon is justified (from a design standpoint, not one that the player cares about) by the fact that she'll be in dark environments, and the glow provides a reason to have a limited distance of visibility around her. By contrast, having a glowing weapon because "It's cool" or "It's a sci-fi energy blade" might doesn't give a reason for it to exist within the context of the game, only the story.

Maybe it's because all of these aspects of her design appeal 100% to my personal tastes, but I just can't imagine that choosing to go with this character design could actually result in "practically no revenue". Is that what you're really suggesting? Or are you just saying that every time I make a decision about a character's appearance, I should treat that decision, no matter how minor, as being a choice that could ruin the game financially? Because that doesn't seem realistic to me, either...

I think I misexplained my point a little. I'm not saying that you should treat each choice as though that one choice will be make-or-break, but you need to decide whether you are fine with the game potentially making next to no revenue because people don't find the same things cool as you or think you've gone too far. If that's good with you, then feel free to stick with your ideas as much as you want. If you feel uncomfortable with the prospect of potentially making no money, then you need to accept that the opinions of the people who you want to buy the game (i.e. not me or you) matter more than your own in these areas.

Anyway, why even criticize the original design? I'm ready and willing to replace it with one of the new re-designs that I posted. So, please tell me what it is you like / dislike about the NEW designs.

I'll make another post for this later :^).

 

[EvaXephon]

Also, here was the thing with the jumping I found.

Oh god, that's embarrassing! It would be nice to know what steps you took in order to make the game enter that state. I mean, I'm fairly certain what's happening (the "Jumping" boolean is getting set to true and never getting set to false), so I can just comb through that section of the code and look for the issue...but if you happen to remember what you did to cause that, then it would help.

Hmm...Vadsamoht has made a lot of incredibly good points, and given me a lot of good advice! I can't think of much to say other than "I agree" or "Oh, I see what you mean now" to most of those statements.

I'll put some thought into what her one key characteristic might be, and what other color schemes would suit her. Opening up Photoshop and playing with the colors is a good start.

A lot of artists were kind enough to doodle on my character and try to improve her, so I'll review those designs and consider which ones have color schemes that appeal to me....

 

[SpaceCadetKeon]

Hey guys, what's going on in this thre-

redesign talk

Spoiler: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

 

[KaboomKid]

I'm starting to think I made this thread a little too soon.

Hey man, just thought I'd say, thanks for sharing your prototype with us! Yeah, a forum like this probably isn't the best place to get feedback so early in development, but it's cool that you put it out there anyway. I played the demo before and thought it was neat, so I wish you luck getting it all together. Ultimately, this is all just a stepping stone for you as you work towards the game you want.

Also, I figured I might as well chime in on the new character designs you've been posting. Personally I'm not fond of most of the ideas shown in the recent paint-overs, but combining your original design with some of the ideas on the previous page could be interesting. Aside from its color scheme, I actually like the hoodie/jacket combo in the 5th design on the last page, and I think it plays off well with the "night-vigilante" aspect of her character. The original concept still feels like the strongest overall, but there's definitely potential to add more flare with her attire.

I also suggest that you try re-commissioning the original artist for concept ideas going forward, just to keep things simple. You might still want to switch up artists later, but I think settling on a consistent visual style for now might help you stay more focused on the gameplay programming work you have. It's actually pretty early to be debating this level of detail for these designs anyway.

Anyway, keep at it, and you'll be fine!

 

[Squire Grooktook]

I've heard a lot of negative feedback about my character's appearance. I've heard people say that she looks too generic, she doesn't look memorable, her silhouette is not recognizable, or that she looks too similar to other characters (like Ruby Rose from RWBY, or Ryuko from Kill la Kill, or Cassie Hack from Hack/Slash).

So, I've been commissioning new designs for the character. I told each artist to go in a different direction with the character's appearance. If you guys have a moment, I'd like your feedback on these designs.

The original:

Spoiler

More practical/realistic clothing, like something you might actually be able to find in real life:

Spoiler

A "Not so grim, dark, goth, and edgy" design:

Spoiler

A more cheerful and happy-looking design:

Spoiler

Another potential design:

Spoiler

Well? What do you guys think?

Alternatively, do you think I should simply stick to my own personal vision, pursue my own creative desires, ignore what anyone else wants the character to look like, and use the design that I favor the most, regardless of what anyone says about it?

I like 3 and 5 the best, personally.

 

[Zidiane]

Oh god, that's embarrassing! It would be nice to know what steps you took in order to make the game enter that state. I mean, I'm fairly certain what's happening (the "Jumping" boolean is getting set to true and never getting set to false), so I can just comb through that section of the code and look for the issue...but if you happen to remember what you did to cause that, then it would help.

It wasn't me getting stuck in anything, I just kept hitting jump and heavy simultaneously when I landed.

 

[southpawper]

Beautiful work so far! This looks like some really advanced stuff. The fact that you got a crazy combo/fighting system is insane, especially if you've been working on it by yourself all this time.

 

[EvaXephon]

Here's actually this Extra Credits video that I recently watched that may be relevant.

Wow! What a coincidence. The latest concept art for my character was drawn by the guest artist in that video.

Latest Concept:

Spoiler

I wonder what you guys would change / add to / take away from this design.

SpaceCadetKeon, I absolutely love that Eliza re-color! That looks fantastic!

And to everyone else, thanks for the words of encouragement, and the advice as well!

 

[Zidiane]

And to everyone else, thanks for the words of encouragement, and the advice as well!

Oh wait, hold up, that's messed up, I don't get no thanks for my words of encouragment? That's jank. (jk, I know you didn't mean it like that)

I personally really like that day/night concept. I like the hoodie in the day version, but think if you're going to give her two different versions maybe the day version should be a little more normal a not have fishnet stockings (that's the only thing I think makes it odd). I think there's too much going on in that Night version though, looks just a bit too much like a hooker. I like that she has subtle differences in her hair and her hoodie, that's really cool and both of the changes weren't obvious immediately.

Edit: Also, if you could have her before she dies with all of these thoughts and not really voicing them to people's face but looking more or less normal, this night version of her where she shows how she really feels could be like a really cool personification of her repressed feelings.

 

[Erreip199]

Hey is it posible for you to make a new prototype featuring the game mechanics you truly wanted to implement? You dont need to change any of the art assets in the current prototype, just new gameplay, so we can help you polish it into a fun pick up and play beat em up

 

[DARKNESSxEAGLE]

Yo, just thought I'd give my input on the character design as a dude with no experience in anything at all. Personally I think her old design doesn't need to be completely reformed (although I am a fan of the more realistic clothing design). I do think that she needs something more though; at the moment all I would think when I look at her is 'hot chick with attitude and a scythe' but that is clearly not all there is, neither for her back-story nor for what is actually going on in the game.

You have a character with a lot going on in respect to Death, justice, souls, the night and so on so I doubt it's too hard to consider what you could add to her (i.e. the relation of chains/shackles to justice, auras for souls, skeleton aesthetic for Death, etc.). The fact that her powers are nocturnal means you can get away with giving her particularly exaggerated decorations without worrying about the effects on her casual appearance.

I think that day/night thing is a step in the right direction.

Spoiler

Also don't be afraid to dislike other people's opinions on something you're making for yourself. I'm not saying act stubborn just that there is no requirement for you to bend over to other people's desires.

PS
Gameplay stuff probably is currently the most important thing right now.

 

[EvaXephon]

Don't worry; in addition to appreciating words of support and encouragement, I also appreciate criticism, because no matter how harshly it might be worded, the intent is to help me improve the game, so it wouldn't make sense for me to not be thankful about it. The only time it's not helpful is when it's directed at something entirely temporary/placeholder, which brings me to my next point:

Hey is it posible for you to make a new prototype featuring the game mechanics you truly wanted to implement? You dont need to change any of the art assets in the current prototype, just new gameplay, so we can help you polish it into a fun pick up and play beat em up

Yes, my very next step should be to create a new prototype that reflects what I want the game to actually play like, as opposed to representing my desire / ability to make a game.

And, DARKNESSxEAGLE, I agree, I feel like the character represents a lot of themes and ideas, and that none of that is really coming across in her designs so far.

I'm actually having a hard time figuring out how to make the character represent her themes - vigilantism, justice, and punishment - without dressing her up like a traditional superhero, which is just not the look I want for the character...

 

[Balder]

Following DARKNESSxEAGLE's lead, I'd just chime in with my own humble inexperienced 2 cents: bearing in mind the character's visual themes, shouldn't her palette be of cool colors (blue, violet, etc and maybe even white and silver)? Just a idle thought.


Anyway, really digging that last concept art as well as the Day-Night appearance shifts. However, IMHO, the design would benefit from finding a medium between the simplicity of the original and the elaborateness of those last ones. To put it more plainly and as Zidiane said, trim some unneeded details.
It's certainly not a easy thing but when we look at some of the more iconic characters in gaming (and comics and animation), they're all quite "straight-forward" in their appearance.


Is Luna having a Sun-themed rival? :3

 

[Zidiane]

The only time it's not helpful is when it's directed at something entirely temporary/placeholder.

Well, it's all entirely temporary atm, isn't it? All of these things in the thread are subject to change, aren't they? And if they aren't subject to change, then there's no point in asking for opinions about it. I'm a bit confused as to whether or not I'm supposed to give feedback if you don't want it. Trying to find the best way to help out, here, since you'll be dropping a new prototype at some point.

Also, on themes, how about something not quite good? A theme that's selfish, or greedy, or innately un-heroic? Like contempt for people who do these things, or disgust, or maybe even repressed jealousy (maybe not at the acts of criminals, but the freedom to do what you want)?

 

[EvaXephon]

Well, it's all entirely temporary atm, isn't it? All of these things in the thread are subject to change, aren't they? And if they aren't subject to change, then there's no point in asking for opinions about it. I'm a bit confused as to whether or not I'm supposed to give feedback if you don't want it. Trying to find the best way to help out, here, since you'll be dropping a new prototype at some point.

Aw, shucks. I seem to have a habit of unintentionally making statements that can be misconstrued as confrontational. I bet somewhere in this post I'll manage to screw up and make it sound like an attack aimed at everybody in this thread, but I guess I'll reply anyway...

I definitely wasn't trying to say that other people were being unhelpful by criticizing the prototype; I was owning up to my own mistake of posting something which was pointless to provide feedback on. The character design, however, I definitely want feedback on. If at all possible, it'd be great to get proposals for what the character could / should look like, or feedback on why some of the new designs aren't working. I'm already super aware of why the original design isn't working, so feedback on the recent re-designs, or proposals for brand-new designs, are most appreciated.

Also, on themes, how about something not quite good? A theme that's selfish, or greedy, or innately un-heroic? Like contempt for people who do these things, or disgust, or maybe even repressed jealousy (maybe not at the acts of criminals, but the freedom to do what you want)?

How do I best represent this visually through the character's appearance?

Is Luna having a Sun-themed rival? :3

Her sister is named Stella (that's Latin for "Star") and I don't want to say too much more, or else I'll spoil the story. :3

 

[Zidiane]

Aw, shucks.

I love that picture, omg, that's adorable.

How do I best represent this visually through the character's appearance?

I have no clue, maybe you can talk with one of the artists you commision about the different ways to represent a feeling in a characters outfit. But from what I've observed so far in other games/stories, those kinds of themes are expressed through the story and the gameplay (in games) and the character themselves. Anyway, I just think it would be really cool for her to have a physical manifestation of the "appearance vs reality" sorta thing with her day/night transition.

Her sister is named Stella (that's Latin for "Star") and I don't want to say too much more, or else I'll spoil the story. :3

Will the rest of the stages/bosses/important characters have an astrology theme to them?

 

[EvaXephon]

Will the rest of the stages/bosses/important characters have an astrology theme to them?

Wow - I can't believe that I never thought of that! That makes a lot of sense, considering the Latin / astrological naming conventions I've been using up to this point.

The original idea was for each boss to represent a different philosophy that justifies murder. One character represents euthanasia. One character represents eugenics. One character represents money/assassination. Another character represents mindless bloodlust. But it wouldn't hurt to give them astrology-themed names or attacks, or even just subtly sneak planetary symbols into their designs somewhere...

Heck, I could even give the city an astrological theme. One of Luna's part-time jobs could be to flip burgers at Space Burger, a joint that serves dishes such as "Onion Rings of Saturn".

 

[Zidiane]

Sounds good! I smell a well hidden Sailor Moon reference in your future (please).

Also, this is probably just me, but it irks me when games are super in-your-face about their theme. They don't need to be super discreet, just not super "Hey, look, they're actually all planets! Did you see?! Planets!" I probably don't have to say it, but just felt the need to make sure I said it. Also, aside from just naming things after planets, there's the avenue of astrologers who discovered things, telescopes, constellations, comets, and zodiacs. One Comet's name is actually Swift-Tuttle, you could reference it with something or someone named Swift Turtle or something.

Oh, also, since we were talking about Luna having a theme, is she going to represent one of those philosophies? She's obviously going to, because she's going to have justifications for killing, but are you incorporating that anywhere/consistently?

 

[EvaXephon]

Hmm...I'll try to be discreet about the theme, then. It'll be there for the people who go looking for it.

Oh, also, since we were talking about Luna having a theme, is she going to represent one of those philosophies? She's obviously going to, because she's going to have justifications for killing, but are you incorporating that anywhere/consistently?

Luna represents corporal punishment and execution for criminal acts. I've been wondering if it would be a good idea to make this come across as clearly as possible in her nighttime design.

When you look at Captain America, you instantly know about his nationality and patriotism, just by looking at him. I would also like people to know exactly who Luna is just by looking at her. Perhaps Luna's nighttime attire should somehow express her ideals and beliefs. However, I'm having a hard time figuring out how to visually represent justice and crimefighting with clothing. The first thing that comes to mind is making Luna dress up like an "extreme cop", but I definitely don't want her to look like a police officer. She doesn't intend on enforcing justice through lawful means (and beyond that, she is a person who has lost faith in law enforcement).

Luna idolizes comic book superheroes, because they fight crime. Her favorite characters are the anti-hero characters who are willing to kill criminals (The Punisher being a prime example). The entire reason that Luna puts on a costume at night is to complete her personal "fantasy" of being just like her favorite vigilantes and femme fatales from her favorite comic books and video games. However, I don't think that Luna should dress up in a superhero costume; she is not a master tailor who can instantly build a superhero costume in one night, and the game isn't about being a superhero; it's about being a citizen who takes the law into her own hands.

The reason I love this particular concept sketch is because it really does look like an ordinary citizen tried to improvise some armor and a costume, using materials that would actually be available to an ordinary person. Those spiked wristbands? I get the feeling that she went to a pet store and bought a spiked collar for a dog, and then slapped it on her wrist.

However, even though that concept sketch gives off an "ordinary citizen improvising a vigilante costume" vibe, I don't think it's really pushing that idea far enough to be effective. I have to wonder if it would be improved by representing Luna's philosophy, or by giving her a stronger visual theme.

When you look at this guy, is "Tiger" the first word that comes to mind? Probably not. But there are tiger stripes on his jacket, his motorcycle has "tiger" in its name, he can transform into a tiger during gameplay, and one of the boss battle songs has lyrics that refer to him as a "tiger in disguise". You don't instantly think "tiger" when you see this guy at first glance, but there are a bunch of little subtle tiger-themed things for the players to notice throughout the game. Perhaps Luna would be improved by having a bunch of traits that fit with a theme.

Because her name means "Moon" and her powers are only active at night, it makes sense that her visual theme could be the moon. The most easy and obvious way to incorporate this into her character is to literally stamp a moon on her head in the form of a crescent hairclip. But what else could be done? Perhaps the fur color on her jacket should have crescent-shaped locks of fur? Each of her belt buckles could display a different phase of the moon, similar to Bayonetta's outfit. Her boots and gauntlets could have "craters" in them, similar to the craters on the face of the moon.

These are all just random ideas thrown out as examples...but what do you think? How do you think this character's ideals and beliefs can come across through her appearance? SHOULD her appearance scream "I'm a vigilante!" and if so, how exactly would a concept artist accomplish that? Do you think a moon-related visual "theme" would help her, or just seem ham-fisted and forced?

EDIT: All of my links were totally busted ;( I fixed them.

 

[Zidiane]

What's Luna's goal? You said she's being a vigilante, but it seems like Death is forcing her into this position. So is she killing to save people, to not die, or for something else? What's the ultimate reason she's doing what she's doing? She can be doing it out of fear of dying, she can be doing it because she feels justified, or what ever else.

I'm sorry, in the middle of typing, I had to leave for about 20 minutes and forgot completely what the point of that was. But the other thing I wanted to ask, when it's night time is this a transformation she undergoes, or is she putting on a costume? I kinda thought she was just going to transform, akin to Ghost Rider.

 

[EvaXephon]

What's Luna's goal? You said she's being a vigilante, but it seems like Death is forcing her into this position. So is she killing to save people, to not die, or for something else? What's the ultimate reason she's doing what she's doing? She can be doing it out of fear of dying, she can be doing it because she feels justified, or what ever else.

Luna lives in a city that makes Detroit look like the Garden of Eden. Think of Gotham City, but with no Batman to protect it. This city has the highest crime rate in the country. The police are hardly any better than the criminals; every single cop in the city is as crooked as a corkscrew, and takes bribes from the mob bosses to let them continue operating. The only reason anyone lives in this city is because they're either too poor to move out, or because they're a member of organized crime and loving every second of it. If the city was any worse than it currently is, it would be considered a state of anarchy. (Come to think of it, this trailer could be a trailer for Luna Scythe, right up until the turtles show up...)

Luna has lost all faith in humanity, and all hope for the future. She believes that the world is a horribly unsafe and dangerous place. She is very fearful and distrustful of strangers, believing every person she sees to be a potential criminal. She can't stand the thought of continuing to live in a world where evil goes unpunished. When she dies, she's completely apathetic about it. She was totally ready to check out. When Death makes her an offer, she initially tells him she's not even interested in returning to life.

Until he offers her power.

Death offers Luna the ability to fix this broken world, and reshape society to her liking. The strength to defend herself, and protect others. The power to punish evil, and ensure that justice is done. Now, Luna finally has something to live for. She can make this world safe. She can make this world fair. She can purge all corruption and create a utopia free of evil.

Have you ever heard of Death Note? It's like that, but with an energy scythe instead of a notebook.

Her ultimate goal is to kill every last "evil" or "criminal" person in the world, and create a paradise free of cruelty. This will require millions, if not billions of murders...however, I never said she would retain this philosophy all throughout the game. Every boss she fights has a conversation with her, and attempts to challenge her worldview. Will Luna always believe that her actions are perfectly justified? Or will guilt and self-doubt grow inside of her? And how exactly does Death deal with people who try to back out of a contract with him?
You'll have to play the game to find ooooout~

But the other thing I wanted to ask, when it's night time is this a transformation she undergoes, or is she putting on a costume? I kinda thought she was just going to transform, akin to Ghost Rider.

I always imagined that she would just put on a costume, as part of her (misguided?) attempt to emulate her favorite comic book heroines and game protagonists. Death only gives her a weapon and powers; no outfit.

At one point in time, I was toying with the idea that she might have to kill herself in order to activate her powers. For example, Luna might:

• Shoot herself in the head
• Blow herself up with a grenade
• Wheel a guillotine onscreen, and then chop her own head off

And after the act, a bunch of blood sprays out, envelops her, and after the blood disperses, we see Luna standing there in her outfit, with her weapon. However, I decided that this was too xXxSuperEdgyGrimDarkEdgelordxXx and didn't go with the idea.

 

[Verstande]

Um...if you have the time, I think it would be cool if you made a fully clothed model.

 

[Zidiane]

Luna's reasons for killing

Well, that all sounds very comic book. I was mistaken, I thought you were trying to not be super hero-y (looking back, it was just that you didn't want her outfit to be super hero-y(but having her dress up is going to give that feel regardless)). I also apparently misread somewhere else, I thought you said something about her being mad at criminals because they got to do whatever they wanted.

But, so, yeah, she's intended to not be heroic. Thought with the whole justice bit she wouldn't be just another person who takes advantage of her power over other people. But you said she's gonna change through the story, so maybe stuff will be stuff and stuff stuff stuffy stuff. I'm tired. I gots no more thats worth saying neither. Tag me when you got another prototype, I wanna play it.

 

[TechPowah]

Just gonna say if you go the head shooting to activate powers part, Persona 3 did it and it didn't seem too dark to me. Then again, P3 didn't show any actual headshot like what your suggesting.

 

[TrulyAmiracle]

*reads title*

.. Getsuga Tenshou?