Jason Wilson's notes

"This little book being a thing that I recently found, a nostalgic look back on all my notes and reviews based on playing the game before it was finished and released." ― Jason Wilson

File:JasonWilsonNotes.png

The notepad with the notes.

Transcript

Cover

Fri 9-1-98
12 Days (circled)

Need to outline

• H.P. of weapon on a monster
• Level map = routes
• Coin system = buy weapons etc
• More attacks
• Monster attacks = orchestration
• Learning curve = help gargoyles.
• Distinctive pattern of play = clues.
• 65% action, 35% puzzles
• Need to design the shop!!
• New weapon effects
• Q.A. testing
• Look at map redesign

MediEvil Tues. Jan.

• 30th June without Time Device/Great Machine.
• Big levels: Sleeping Village, Haunted Ruins, Pools of the Dead
• Dragons Graveyard is lost?
• Ant Caves
  Asylum Grounds
  ↓
  Pools of the Ancient Dead
  Enchanted Earth
  ↓

MediEvil Meeting (6-1-98)

• 3 Months!!
• Too many boulders.
• 5 levels for the Disc.
• No Scarecrow Fields.
• Nina is gathering info for unfinished work.
• Mike is helping James.
• More of a plot depth to the game.

City of Madness

• A.G. = Paul/Sam
• A.C. = Matt/James
• T.D. = Matt/James
• ??? =
• G.G. = James/Matt
• S.V. = Paul/Sam
• P.G. = Derek
• Z.L. = Derek
• D.C. = Chris
• C.H. = Chris
• ??? = Matt/James X
• ??? = Dan/Sam

The Great Machine

• The Switch (|) has big clipping problems.
• The skull door teleports need textures.
• When teleporting there needs to be an effect or a camera track to suggest Dan is being sucked through pipes.
• The conductor top needs textures.
• Not too happy with the textures on the big skull at the start of the level.
• The carriage on the train needs proper textures.
• Dan can easily fall off the train.
• The train carriage can merge with the train when the train stops moving.
• It is hard to see if you have actually moved a level (as the camera is top down). Movable platform needs sorting (it is black at the moment).
• Metal gauntlets that move conveyor belts need textures.
• The big chain on the first lift needs re-texturing.
• Big wooden wheels need re-texturing.
• The animated chimneys need to be enlarged - they look too puny at the moment.
• Boilers need to breathe out fire when active.
• The warp zones are a bit displaced.
• Dan is far too slippy!
• Trainwheel texture needs to be alpha channel.
• Do not like the fire that comes out of the mouth of the boy robot machine.
• Box robot machine needs proper textures.
• Edges of floor surfaces are a fookin nightmare!!!
• Pounding up/down drums need textures

Improvements

• Better Dan controls
• Cut sequences
• Secrets = mechanisms
• Devices that must take effect on other levels

The Lake

• The L shape mechanism needs to be redesigned as I do not like the current machine.
• When Dan falls into the water (off a roadwalk)
  • Is it possible to have a water splash? Without one it looks like he is falling into space.
• Should only be able to kill the barnacles when they open up.
• If Dan dies by being pushed of a boardwalk by a jumping fish then he should not be replaced in the fish's path only to be knocked off again.
• On my demo the warp zones are incorrect.
• When a crystal machine is activated there should be a cut scene showing the machine coming to life - also can we show the whirlpool slowing down.
• Like the crystal glow.
• Barnacles need textures.
• There does not appear to be a portcullis where there should be.
• You cannot kill the barnacles!
• Toadmen do not seem to protect themselves.

Lake ideas

• Have to find the crystals to plug into the machines that stop the lake whirlpool.
• Eyeball barnacles
  • If one of these eyes should see for longer than 2 seconds, it will shriek thus alerting the toadmen.
• Turret barnacle
  • Once in its sights this barnacle will open up like a turret and fire away
• Once alerted toadmen will pull themselves up from the ground in order to attack. Is this possible?
• Toadmen will be associated with their designated barnacles.

Pumpkin Gorge

• Moshybase * stem colour = create texture

Time Device

• Negotiating the clockface platform; section is too easy, need to make this harder
• Texture map on the huge clock puzzle needs reorienting - texture map on the door clock needs replacing.
• Are the flying eyeballs going to fire electric bolts at Dan?
• Do not like the rune key holder section before the rotation floor disc before the planet.
• When you tell the time on the big clock there should be a sound effect (or a visual effect) to tell you you have activated 'something' - not a cut scene!
• Cuckoo clock monsters need a lot of work.
• Killing the eye balls appears to crash the game.
• Electricity does not appear when the crystal is destroyed - no rune key.

Pools of the Ancient Dead

• High jump potion
• To reach the dragon's graveyard, Dan has to collect shields to give to the boatman.
• A ??? undead knight controls the level - Collecting the shields weakens his power - if so desired the player can destroy the knight once all of the shields have been collected. This will lead to Dan getting the Dragon Dan potion.

The Ghost Ship

• Can we have the sky moving to suggest the ship is travelling.

More onto The Ghost Ship

• confusing gameplay
• camera problems

• Changes to Time Device + The Great Machine should just be based around alterations with new game controls. No new elements!

• Zarok's lair = get feedback from the others incl. knight horse monster

Demo Disc

• You can fall through the terrain on Cemetery Hill (the paths).
• Are we going to have animated grass fringe on the cliff edges.
• In the church I do not like the geometry of the columns on either side of the hall.

Imps

• Throghout a level there are a big number of dead pyres - an imp runs through these areas on a pre set course setting fire to the pyres which when lit will impeed Dan's progress.

Monster moves / combat

• Zombies
• Shadow demons } Strategies
• Imps

• More substance? = level interaction in connection with other levels
• More plot

• More use of potions (invisible potion).
• Channel of water - something floating at end of water - have to get to object.
• Deforming ground.
• Items spread out across levels that allow other sections to open up.

Potions

• Dragon dan (defense raises/fire breath)
• Serpent
• Smart bomb
• Shrink potion
• Firefly target
• Invisible (for a limited period monsters cannot see you)
• Skeleton Key (can pass through one door only)
• Levitate (Dan can float upward but is unable to move - only jump)
• Hit point reveal (reveals enemies hit points every time they are hit)
• Name reveal (enemies name appears on screen)
• Body shield aura (protects Dan from being hurt)
• Body shield aura 2 ( "" but also hurts enemies)
• Various weapon power ups
• Power-ups
• ???

Scarecrow Fields

• Scarecrows should jump a lot?
• Change hay carts (static) to hay stacks
• Corn killer sprite (tail?) design
• Scarecrow only killed with swords and not projectiles.

Potions

• Turn doors transparent (Allows Dan to see through doors but not pass through)
• Freeze enemies (Very limited freeze effect)
• Free mechanisms (Same as above but on mechanical problems such as firing statues)
• Longer jump (to reach far away areas)
• Destroy demonic plant life