Hey,

I thought a good idea for the next game or expansion, there should be ropes that you can climb on, like vines, but you can also swing on too. Another idea I had are hanging lights, these could be used in dark rooms to make a small area of lint around it, they could also be on the end of some of the ropes so when you swing on them the area of light moves with the rope too.

What do you think?
Leon

I think in general, using dynamic lighting (where lights are swinging) would be very cool. The trick is coding it...

I have lots and lots of ideas for MM3, so it'll be a matter of picking and choosing the best, since there won't be time to do them all. In general, I hope to make the game more puzzle-based.

I like the thought of making the game more puzzle based.  There is one pit that you, Vern, should avoid at all cost IMO:  Letting the graphics overtake the gameplay so the game will become much too big and slow without any real improvement to the play.  I have seen many game developers fall into this pit.

Well, I've just spent the last several weeks optimizing the game's performance to make sure it performs well, even with the improved graphics resolution that is coming in the game's update.

I like the idea for a swinging rope/vine mechanic for MM3.  Vines and ropes should have some kind of physics built into them so that when you are moving fast and grab one, it will swing with your momentum, and you can use the arrow keys to build more speed to swing over large gaps, etc.

Of course, this really changes the gameplay style to much more action and physics based as opposed to slow puzzled based movement.

New Super Mario Bros is an example of a game that does rope swinging mechanics very well.

Something I'd *really* like to see is vines/ropes that can be attached to moving platforms.  Also, being able to unfurl a vine via switch.  Like some curled up vines on a ceiling, and you have to go above and "untie" them.

Torches and lights, when used in dark areas could provide small bubbles of light. You could also add shadowy/misty areas which could be lighter around the areas which you walked in, yet still somewhat dark. You could also add light switches. And perhaps ropes could also be moved by wind?

VernJensen wrote on 21.01.2011 at 15:16:12:

In general, I hope to make the game more puzzle-based.

Puzzle based is the best.