Hi guys,
so, as we get nearer to the beta, I thought I'd start discussing each stage; how they work, and where they got their inspiration.
You'll notice the term 'stage'. Staying true to DK, a level is a combination of stages, and our stage progression mirrors DK's.
Let's start with Stage 1: The Castle Wall
Based on: The Barrel StageMain obstacle in DK: barrelsMain obstacle in CK: Oil GoopsLike in DK - as you get from Level 1 to Level 3 and beyond, the barrel stage gets consistently harder and then tops off either on the 3rd iteration or shortly thereafter. Here, you will face 1 vat of falling oil, and then incrementally more until there are 3 vats.
One of the trickiest parts of the design of this stage which I've had much less problem with on stages 2-4, and I believe I'm not done tweaking it yet, is being original while staying true to the intent of the barrel stage. The whole point of the barrel stage is to overwhelm you with incoming projectiles and force you into a mistake. As opposed to the elevator stage (timing) or the rivet stage (strategy), this stage is about controlled mayhem. It would've been all too easy to just make 4 ramps and have you jump over the oil nonstop and point press.
In CK, instead of 1 source (Donkey Kong) firing barrels galore at you, BaronMan has installed 3 vats that turn over flaming hot oil. Similar to DK, in CK the oil can land on a specific platform and start oozing it's way down until it leaves the screen entirely.
On the first ramp, you will encounter a knight. He can be avoided altogether, or killed with the pitchfork.
On the second ramp is a moving platform that requires expert timing and also watching out above you as you will be pray to falling oil
on ramp three are platforms that move up and down and require watching the oil pattern to decide when to go for it.
Climbing to the top of the castle wall forces BaronMan to grab PrincessGirl and get outta town.
