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

This page features a transcription of the contents of Jason Wilson's A6 Daler Spiral Pad as seen in the MediEvil's design history video.

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
  • E.E. =
  • ??? = Paul/Sam
  • G.G. = James/Matt
  • S.V. = Paul/Sam
  • P.G. = Derek
  • Z.L. = Derek
  • D.C. = Chris
  • C.H. = Chris
  • C.S. = Matt/James X
  • H.R. = 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 huge 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

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