DKC Atlas Forum

[Simion32]

You can dump your ideas here, and discuss what kinds of levels would be great to have. Even though the DKCLB isn't that far yet, I thought it was about time this topic was made. I've noticed quite a bit of off-topic chatter about what would be a cool level, and etc. So now we have a definitive place to post our great level ideas.

I've already put into motion an idea of mine to combine concepts from Barrel Cannon Canyon and Orang-utan Gang into a level called Barrel Hijinxs. Let's see what kinds of levels we can all think of!

If you have any major feature request for the DKCLB, post it in the DKCLB thread.

[Soniccuz]

Something I don't recall in any DKC games are desert levels, a level I’ve had in mind for awhile opens up in a canyon, levels out into a desert, and ends in a desolated old village. I didn’t have DK in mind when I thought it up and had the idea for a robotic scorpion boss that would bury itself in the sand and strike with its tail, with its head being the Achilles' heel.

Sounds more like a whole area then just one level now and the Boss idea would be useless for a level editor. But, still wanted to get it out there.

[Kiddy14]

A cool idea I thought about when getting the idea for Pallete Paralysis was:

An ice cave level where you mainly are going to get to the top (just like Slipslide Ride), where every minute, a transparents icy foreground layer comes and freeze the Kongs for 10 seconds. You can get stuck jumping, walking, falling, that stuff. Only you get stuck, enemies don't, so it would be tricky =) You won't be able to move on ropes, but they would still be slippery, and you would move in them, just very very slow...

Ideas for names:
Icy Ascendence (is ascendence written like that )
Slippery Scalade
Freaky Freezing <— My favorite

About gameplay:
If you get stuck in the air, and a jumping Kritter appears and hits you in your legs, you would inmediatily get un-freezed; the same with holding barrels and an enemie hits it, you un-freeze. The same applies to getting hit.

[Simion32]

the Boss idea would be useless for a level editor.

Umm... it will include custom Boss AI, even though it's a level builder. But I don't know about making new bosses quite yet...

(...) Ice level (...)

Yeah, that's a good one! It could use the same freeze effect that the clouds do when fighting K. Rool in DKC2. I agree, Freaky Freezing sounds the best!

[Soniccuz]

the Boss idea would be useless for a level editor.

Umm... it will include custom Boss AI, even though it's a level builder. But I don't know about making new bosses quite yet...

If the AI is in there that makes it a little more likely. But, was there any desert scenery in the Country games?

[Jomingo]

No, not in the original trilogy. There was in Donkey Kong JungleBeat, and I think in Donkey Kong Jungle Climber, and there was in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, but not in the DKC's.


My idea: Stop and Go Mountain.

It would be like Stop and Go Station but in the Icy Cave areas. It would be the same basic concept, with the RockKrocs and the Stop and Go barrels, but it would be slippery, and there would be some slippery rope sequences too. The idea sounds kinda bland, but in my head I can imagine the Ice level with the dark lighting and the red and green lights, and in my head it looks really cool.

[BlueTronic]

Some of a level with the Millstone Mayhem terrain.
http://links.pictures.aol.com/pic/53b0CJY2NBrBhJw4ja35OJHyhMQ7meLYHWKQv4xQp5Fd3Ig=_l.jpg ← link broken as of 4/12/2012 -Qyzbud

That transparent green balloon means it's invisible, by the way.

[Jomingo]

The Clambo seems a little out of place, don't you think? At least your idea is illustrated. It's much fancier than my mini-paragraph.

[Raccoon Sam]

I'd love a Jungle level more reliant to vines and treetops and stuff like that instead of just the plain Mario-like 'walk the ground, avoid pits, jump on enemies' -schema.

[Jomingo]

This wouldn't be possible with the Level Builder, but I'd like to see a level set in the Banana hoard levels, you know, where you fight the bosses? Just take that same level, and then add platforms going up, with Neckys and Zingers and other obstacles.

[Kiddy14]

...a level set in the Banana hoard levels...

With mini bananas in the floor, that if you touch them will make the Kongs fall making a whole loop in their getting hit animation, then recover! =)

It could use the same freeze effect that the clouds do when fighting K. Rool in DKC2.

I imagined the sprites staying in place Like the kongs turning blue and the "getting hit" sprite appearing for half second and the last Kong sprite appearing blue (like, if you were jumping, the getting hit sprite would appear for half a second, turn blue and the "jumping sprite" where the kong left would appear blue), then at 8 seconds the blue-ish colors would start to dissapear and the transparent icy foreground layer dissapearing too =D Then regaining control again =)

[Soniccuz]

Level 2 River Ride plus Over The Hill

The player begins on a cliff in a river with a fast current during the stormy midnight hour. Falling in would whisk the Kong back to the cliff. You jump from rock to rock over to a Kremling patrolled dock. Past the dock you enter a chain of barrel cannons that put you at the top of a mountain the goal is set at the end of a bridge at the bottom of the mountain.

Another that's not too well thought out...

[Simion32]

Another that's not too well thought out...

Actually, it sounds like a good idea. Might require combination of several terrain types (dock + cliff/mountain). That will be possible too, by the way.

I'd like to have terrain types combined to create very unique scenarios:
Mine Cart + Factory: This could be the place where mined material is brought to be processed, and the factory has since been shut down and is overrun with kremlings.
Temple + Volcano: Basically a temple level set inside a volcano, and the temple's terrain would be black from being in the volcano.
Snow Glacier + Volcano: An icy volcano mountaintop which is undergoing an eruption, the terrain melts away and you have to escape the falling ice.
Temple + Cave: Would be yet another temple buried deep underground, like a pyramid.

[Stone]

I have an idea for a racing level:
Maybe a jungle level, you can choose between some animals like Rambi or Expresso.
Every banana you catch would make your animal slightly faster , and animal tokens would give you a short boost.
Of course this could also be a multiplayer mode

[Jomingo]

Wait, Simion32, Volcano? You mean we can do DKC2 level terrains too?

[Simion32]

Wait, Simion32, Volcano? You mean we can do DKC2 level terrains too?

As soon as I get the other games in the trilogy into the resource extraction, and implement the features needed for handling the graphics (which isn't much) you will be able to cross-combine backgrounds, terrains, and foregrounds from every game.

Two layers will be capable of collision detection, which are the main layers (unlike the SNES which only has one main layer). From there, you'll have two backgrounds, three foregrounds (one of which is for status counters), and a background color which is at the bottom of the layer stack. Finally you would have special effects, like what's needed to blacken the temple stones.

I plan to use the extra layers to add in the missing foreground in DKC forests, it will give those levels a little more depth.

[Kiddy14]

As soon as I get the other games in the trilogy into the resource extraction

I actually wanted my Freaky Freezing level to be played with Diddy and Kiddy, is it posible? =) I remember Cosmicman (correct me if I'm wrong), said he could make custom sprites, like Kiddy Team-ed up with Diddy and viceversa =D

[Simion32]

I think most of it is possible even without sprite editing. Remember, Kiddy and Diddy are both seperate objects.

It might, however, be a problem when Diddy tries to throw Kiddy, as that would just look weird if normal sprites were used.

[Soniccuz]

It might, however, be a problem when Diddy tries to throw Kiddy, as that would just look weird if normal sprites were used.

Diddy the super human monkey!

Why do they have to use team up DK and Diddy didn't have it in the first game. I can't imagine it'd look any weirder than Diddy tossing DK.

[Kiddy14]

Maybe we can make it so that Diddy tossing Kiddy is unavailable (as in, when pressing the button, Kiddy wouldn't be dragged and Diddy would make an angry face), Kiddy throwing Diddy may be posibble though.

Or maybe Diddy throwing Kiddy would be for the same purpose of Dixie's, breaking item caches

[Jomingo]

It would be cool to make our own Minecart/Roller Coaster levels. Those are some of the best in the games.

[Soniccuz]

A shifting river current level. The waters rush you to the right for 10 seconds, then turn and rush you to the left for 10 seconds. You'd want the reach a dock platform before the waters turn, so you can wait for the current to shift back.

[Raccoon Sam]

It would be cool to make our own Minecart/Roller Coaster levels. Those are some of the best in the games.

This'd probably be the easiest thing to do; in fact, I think it'd be very possible to do it with a Hex Editor and some patience, since the Mine Cart levels don't have such strict seam rules as other levels.
This is, for hacking DKC, at least.

[Jomingo]

I like your idea, Soniccuz, it reminds me of that windy level in DKC2 with Rattly.

[Kiddy14]

Soniccuz idea is simmilar to DKC3's Ripcurl Reef, except it's a river, so you're kinda more "safe" =P

[Soniccuz]

Ah, it's been awhile sense I played DKC3.

[Kiddy14]

Oh that level is only in the GBA version so don't worry =)

[Cosmicman]

Edit: I always wanted a level where you could walk on the mine cart tracks, I recently saw it in a video so I know is possible.

[GamerXX]

My Idea is a level where you are in a canyon as wide as the average DKC2 castle level which is full of brambles. you start at the bottom and have to jump, climb, and blast through the brambles with toxic water or lava filling the canyon.

[Soniccuz]

This one just popped into my head, a Prison Break Level. It would have factory settings. The Prison Break part stems from moveable walls that block your progress and you would have to push them down the corridor. While Kremlings come at you from the left so you would have to take a break from pushing the wall so you can clear the room.

[CaptainEddie]

How about one like Inka Dinka Doo's temple on the Oragutango episode of DKC?

You could have the floor drop in certain places...and maybe add some stuff like tire bouncing over Zingers, like that level that I don't remember the name of.(It's in Kremcroc Ind. Inc.)

[egruntz]

I'd like to focus more on the bosses. I've always liked the idea of having an underwater boss. In Donkey Kong Country, the boss battles all took place in one location (that cavern with the load of bananas). It'd be really neat if you could include boss battles into the level builder (assuming you haven't already thought of that idea). All of the bosses in Donkey Kong Country were defeated in the same way...and that's pretty much the only gripe I had with the game.

Keep up the good work!

[Jomingo]

I don't think we are going to have much original content. We are just going to make our own levels using the same old environments.

[Simion32]

Well, just don't forget that I'm still open to ideas, even if they aren't exactly level-related. Remember, the primary reason we're making a non-ROM editor is so that we can add things that are impossible via hacking the ROM. One notable feature being the insanely large maximum level size. In fact I'm thinking about extending the possible level length, because 65536 pixels long could be a useful size for race type levels.

Strangely, an idea for a "race level" came to me in a dream a few nights ago, to make a level where you are riding Rambi the whole time, and he is going at about two times the speed that Ellie did in Stampede Sprint. I would call this stage "Rhinoceros Rapids", and it would be a DKC Jungle archtype with a variating water level. If you got in the water, it would slow you down, and this could be used to create some mini action-puzzles.

The speed in the above idea would alone be impossible to do in a real hack, as DKC's camera can only scroll at 8 pixels a second. If DK goes any faster than that, the camera won't be able to keep up and you'll lose sight of him.

How about having bosses place-able within levels, where you could have a level with all of the bosses in a row, or could use them as mini-bosses? I'd like to see both happen. For the boss gauntlet, make it an all-or-nothing: you must defeat each boss with only DK using one life to pass the level.

[Qyzbud]

My ideas:

Level types:

DKC: Jungle, aquatic corals
DKC2: ship/mainbrace, castle, jungle, haunted forest
DKC3: lake

Thats my favourite stages

About enemies...the best enemies are the DKC and DKC2 enemies...DKC3 enemies sucks...this is the enemy list i think it would be cool:

Kritter, Krusha, Klump, Klampon, Krook, Kutlass, Kaboing, Zinger, Flitter, Spiny, Army, Chomps, Puftup, Lockjaw, Flotsam

[Kiddy14]

The topic's purpose is to tell your ideas for Custom levels, as in:

"A mainbrace level where ice crystals fall and if you touch them you die, having to climb in a simmilar way of Kreepy Krow's boss battle" or something like that

If you like those kind of levels, you can tell us if it's just a normal kind of level, or if in the, for example, DKC2 castle the floor is now going down and you have to fell in order of being crushed. Things like that =P

[Goe]

i like those kind of levels...that's all

[Jomingo]

I like Simion's Race idea. I would've called it Rapid Rapid Rhino.
And then there could be a time limit so you actually have an incentive to avoid slowing down.


And I like Kiddy14's idea too. Except I would've made them cannonballs instead of ice crystals.


My idea:
Playing through a DKC3 "dock" level, with Nibbla in the water, and Clapper being able to freeze the water. But the water would only freeze for a very short amount of time. Thus, there would also be lots of niknak's and booty birds flying around for you to jump off of.

Another idea:
Playing a DKC3 hollow tree level, without any platforms in the tree. No platforms at all, but you have Squitter, so you'd have to navigate through the tree on Squitter while dealing with loads of Zingers, so there could be lots of tricky spots.

[Goe]

The topic's purpose is to tell your ideas for Custom levels, as in:

"A mainbrace level where ice crystals fall and if you touch them you die, having to climb in a simmilar way of Kreepy Krow's boss battle" or something like that

If you like those kind of levels, you can tell us if it's just a normal kind of level, or if in the, for example, DKC2 castle the floor is now going down and you have to fell in order of being crushed. Things like that =P

Well...Simion said "You can dump your ideas here, and discuss what kinds of levels would be great to have" so i think telling him about our favourite stages and enemies isn't off topic, but in any case i was thinking about levels and i'll tell you my level ideas:

-DKC3 Lake level with pirate enemies like Klomp, Krook, Kutlass, etc, and it could be called "pirate port"...if you can put the stage at a rain night it would be cooler, because it would be a sinister stage...if you can put too a pirate flag in somewhere it would be great
-DKC Coral level with a Nibbla like DKC3 stage "Fish Food Frenzy"...you must feed the Nibbla with bitesizes...and there are a few lockjaws...when the nibbla becomes to be pink...you can bring him over a lockjaw...The lockjaw will eat the pink Nibbla and he will be replaced by a new light blue nibbla...

[Kiddy14]

No no... I didn't say you were off-topic, just, that you could bring more specified ideas...
Sorry if I made you feel mad or bad...

Anyway I really like your idea of the lake level. Super Donkey Kong 99 offered that kind of level, but the gameplay was too rubish, with the LB it would be awesome!

[Goe]

don't worry mate, you don't make me feel bad

I'm glad you like mi idea of the lake

[Cyclone]

Sorry if this has already been posted.

This is more of a general idea rather then a specific level. I always felt the DKC games were adventure platformer like games but at the same time too linear. What about creating each level with more then one path or way to beat the level and maybe even include secret exits in some of them. When finding a secret exit the level on the world map would split into two separate paths and then you must choose which way to go. You could still play the level on the other route but it would be up to you to choose the final path to K.Rool.

[DKCplayer]

Enemy Essentials!
Picture this, a level like Animal Antics except...

Enemy Essentials.PNG (33.61 KiB) Viewed 180668 times

You turn into enemies instead! Each enemy you turn into has it's own attack.
Example:

Enemy Essentials 2.PNG (34.93 KiB) Viewed 180666 times

Zinger with it's sting!
And of course at the end, you go past a sign with a cross on it and you turn back to the Kongs!

[gamer_boy997]

[quote removed]

I really like that idea DKCPlayer! I have a few ideas. One could be that one level enemies could appear more often, (examples are the purple jumping klaptrap, Rockrocs, purple bomb-throwing barrels from DKC3, (I forgot their name), and the giant zinger from Rambi Rumble). I also went to this thread: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=142&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=35, scroll down to Teeth's post that was posted on June 2nd, I think that will be a good idea for the boss fights, thanks Teeth!

[Jomingo]

The giant bee from Rambi Rumble was actually King Zing a Sting, the boss of that world.

[Ribo Zurai]

I even dreamed to make my own Bramble level... The graphics/music are the best ones that I've seen in the SNES (the music is the best of ALL consoles)!

[Qyzbud]

I've been meaning to read and contribute to this topic for a while now. Some great ideas in there, guys (I too like the idea of designing custom bramble levels, Ribo). We'll have plenty of ideas for creating levels by the time the DKCLB comes out. I've got some of my own ideas to share, too.

But first, a question or two about cross-combining level terrain graphics...

...you will be able to cross-combine backgrounds, terrains, and foregrounds from every game.

This sounds great, and will really let us expand and diversify level layouts and appearance. I've got a concern, though; level tiles are hard to align to look right even within a single archetype's tileset... I would bet there would be extreme difficulties involved with blending multiple tilesets. Are we going to be able to define custom palettes for terrain tiles (collectively, or even for a single tile)? As long as the colour schemes don't clash too much, it might be possible to blend elements from different terrains, but if we combine light/dark tiles, or vivid/dull colours, it would almost certainly hurt the eyes.

It would be really nice to be able to add subtle colour changes to give the impression of moss growing on forest/jungle floors and that sort of thing... and I've been working on a level idea of DKC's snow archetype with mine cart tracks and perhaps walkway or factory elements to give the impression of a frozen-over industrial level that I want to call 'Snowdrift Station'. I'll elaborate on this idea soon, but the design/aesthetics of the level really depend on custom colour palettes to work, or all the mine cart tracks and other industrial elements will stand out way too much amidst the powdery white snow.

Are we going to be able to have customised colour palettes?

In your post (here) you indicated that "special effects" would be needed to blacken the temple stones if making a temple/volcano level... What are these 'special effects'? Are they like (for example) filters, or blending layers in Photoshop?

[Gnawzooka]

I really like some of these level ideas. And combining different types of levels would be very nice if you could pull it off. I think it'd be cool to have a level that involves defeating lots of enemies before you can move on to the next part of the level I'm not sure if that'd be possible though.
edit:

a robotic scorpion boss that would bury itself in the sand and strike with its tail, with its head being the Achilles' heel.

Have you ever played the first Rayman game? There is a kinda similar boss in that. It's a scorpion that lives in a cave and shoots...something out of it's tail which you need to dirtect at his head. It's not quite the same but, it's vaguely similar.

[Qyzbud]

I think it'd be cool to have a level that involves defeating lots of enemies before you can move on to the next part of the level

Ah, well DKC2 and DKC3 have something like that in the way of Destroy Them All and Bash The Baddies bonuses, so it should be something reasonably easy to implement. Jet Force Gemini had areas like this that were closed off by 'life force doors', so maybe something like that could work in sections of a DKC level... Perhaps a barrel could appear once certain baddies are defeated, and that can be used to open the door. It's a cool idea, and not too much of a departure from DKC's play style.

[Simion32]

Are we going to be able to define custom palettes for terrain tiles (collectively, or even for a single tile)?

I want to implement this, but there are several things I need to consider. Particularly where in the whole process that custom pallets should be defined.

If I add this as part of the engine, then it will have to be color-based: not really using pallets, but where one color can be switched to another color using a conversion table (possibly with individual tiles). This would increase level loading time. On the other hand, it could be done using the Resource Editor (extractor), but that would probably not be worth the effort.

What are these 'special effects'?

Actually, I'm quite unsure as of yet what all will be special effects. The engine cannot handle very large amounts of alpha-blending, so anything with tons of alpha is out of the question. Alpha blending (or subtraction, really, such as the the Jungle Hijinxs night effect) and gradient effects would fall under the special effects category. I haven't thought of many other things, do you have some suggestions?

Oh, and simple effects like brightening/darkening would be a special effect, which could be applied to layers individually.