Beat ‘Em Up using Unity

[runticuts]

Hey Community,

We were previously exploring the options for developing a commercial release using the OpenBOR engine. But I experienced some pushback from publishers as many were unfamiliar with the openBOR engine which increased costs for getting the game Ports done for various platforms.
Seeing that some of the game mechanics of the openBOR Games is quite advanced I was curious if any developers here would be interested in a beat em up using Unity or something more modern. I would prefer to get a developer who has advanced understanding of all the great OPENBOR game functionality.

Previously we had concept art that we wanted to have redrawn into the low bit sprites. Now that we are looking to possibly develop on another engine without limitations of artwork and level resolution.

Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated or any developers interested in getting involved please reach out.

 

[oldyz]

@runticuts

sorry to hear about the openbor issue and the publishers.

i hope some our members who do spriting and such join you on your endeavor,
on the programming side i dont know how much of the scripting could "transate" into unity, but maybe some of the best scripters here can probably manage to learn to adjust fast.

i hope i can get enough skill with AI tools to maybe be of some assistance, but it will take me about a year to get some useful skill with such, because unfortunately some of the tools require pricey/modern hardware...

 

[runticuts]

@runticuts

sorry to hear about the openbor issue and the publishers.

i hope some our members who do spriting and such join you on your endeavor,
on the programming side i dont know how much of the scripting could "transate" into unity, but maybe some of the best scripters here can probably manage to learn to adjust fast.

i hope i can get enough skill with AI tools to maybe be of some assistance, but it will take me about a year to get some useful skill with such, because unfortunately some of the tools require pricey/modern hardware...

Hey Mate,

Thank you for the reply. Yes I’m hoping to find some talent and experienced devs who have a good understanding of the mechanics. We are exploring a lot of AI options also. It’s amazing to see how far that has come

 

[DCurrent]

Hey Community,

We were previously exploring the options for developing a commercial release using the OpenBOR engine. But I experienced some pushback from publishers as many were unfamiliar with the openBOR engine which increased costs for getting the game Ports done for various platforms.
Seeing that some of the game mechanics of the openBOR Games is quite advanced I was curious if any developers here would be interested in a beat em up using Unity or something more modern. I would prefer to get a developer who has advanced understanding of all the great OPENBOR game functionality.

Previously we had concept art that we wanted to have redrawn into the low bit sprites. Now that we are looking to possibly develop on another engine without limitations of artwork and level resolution.

Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated or any developers interested in getting involved please reach out.

Honestly, this post indicates you (or your friends) don't know nearly enough about OpenBOR to make anything close to an informed decision. Just to start, OpenBOR DOES support HD (you can literaly write in the resolution you want), and it has a far more advanced 2D physics engine than Unity. OpenBOR is also a lot more optimal in how it manages sprite assets in memory. The modern thing in particular is just plain silly. Both engines are coded with C derivatives and are roughly the same age. If by "modern" you mean visual editors, you're barking up the wrong tree with either of them. Go mess with Fusion or GoDot instead.

There are a lot of other misunderstandings, but I'm not really keen on doing a TLDR line item list at 03:00 in the morning.

This is not to say anything bad about Unity, because Unity has its place, and for certain types of games would be my first choice. For beat em ups? No way. Horses for courses.

DC

 

[runticuts]

Honestly, this post indicates you (or your friends) don't know nearly enough about OpenBOR to make anything close to an informed decision. Just to start, OpenBOR DOES support HD (you can literaly write in the resolution you want), and it has a far more advanced 2D physics engine than Unity. OpenBOR is also a lot more optimal in how it manages sprite assets in memory. The modern thing in particular is just plain silly. Both engines are coded with C derivatives and are roughly the same age. If by "modern" you mean visual editors, you're barking up the wrong tree with either of them. Go mess with Fusion or GoDot instead.

There are a lot of other misunderstandings, but I'm not really keen on doing a TLDR line item list at 03:00 in the morning.

This is not to say anything bad about Unity, because Unity has its place, and for certain types of games would be my first choice. For beat em ups? No way. Horses for courses.

DC

Hey Thanks for the detailed response and pardon my lack of understanding.
But I’m very glad you responded as this changes things for the direction we are taking things.
We had not had any luck exploring HD options for a game built with openBOR. Are there any examples of high resolution games build with openBOR that we could check out?
The priority for us is in game functionality/physics etc and being able to use our high resolution artwork. Without any playback issues.
The game will need to be ported for release on all major platforms. Currently we have quotes ranging from 30k-50k to port the game from openBOR to all major platforms. Which also brings me to the commercial release question. I couldn’t seem to find any crystal clear advice regarding commercial release of a game built using openBOR.
There was a little pushback from a couple of publishers about license and rights regarding a game built with openBOR.
Just to clarify, if we were to work with a dev and produce a game using openBOR is there any restrictions or risk associated with a commercial release of the game we built. Note all artwork and audio will be 100% original.

Sorry to keep you up. Eager to chat further once you are back online

Thanks again for the detailed response. It’s appreciated.

 

[DCurrent]

We had not had any luck exploring HD options for a game built with openBOR.

Graphics Overview

Are there any examples of high resolution games build with openBOR that we could check out?

Two HD examples are He-Man and Mass Effect. The later runs on a version of the engine from way back in 2012. Both are 960*540 IIRC, but you can dial up 1080p or whatever you else you feel like.

He-Man

Remember the glorious 80's when 30 minute toy commercials ruled the animation world? Filmation's masterpiece of swords, sorcery, and hokey moral lessons is back in high definition glory, and this time you're in control! Play as He-Man, She-Ra...

www.chronocrash.com

Demo - Mass Effect - Dark Corners of the Galaxy

@mtrain brings the hurt with a stylish take on the Mass Effect franchise. This impressive demo delivers haunting high res environments, effects, and a fast paced play style. Note this module is considered abandoned for nearly a decade and runs...

www.chronocrash.com

The priority for us is in game functionality/physics etc and being able to use our high resolution artwork. Without any playback issues.

Assuming you know what you're doing, HD modules will run butter smooth at 100+ FPS. Mechanics are a wash - there's literally no mechanic you can't create with the scripting system. Odds are whatever you want to do, we've already done it and could provide code samples.

The game will need to be ported for release on all major platforms. Which also brings me to the commercial release question. I couldn’t seem to find any crystal clear advice regarding commercial release of a game built using openBOR.

This one could be your deal breaker. We're not a console house. The official ports are Android, Wii, PC, and coming soon, Apple devices. There are no plans at all for Playstation, X-Box, etc., and if you do find a port, it's an unofficial version we don't support.

There was a little pushback from a couple of publishers about license and rights regarding a game built with openBOR.
Just to clarify, if we were to work with a dev and produce a game using openBOR is there any restrictions or risk associated with a commercial release of the game we built. Note all artwork and audio will be 100% original.

None at all. We ask for a "Powered by OpenBOR" splash screen of some kind, same as you see in any other engine, but even that's unofficial. The OpenBOR license requires that you provide source-code for the engine on request, but all that would mean is if someone asks about it, you just link them to us. The engine is royalty free, and there is nothing at all in the license that affects your game material or restricts distribution.

It is up to you to lock your content in a way others can't unpack it. We had a lock system about 10 years ago, but it was a failed experiment (long story). We are looking at a locking system in upcoming releases, but right now it's your responsibility. @Kratus is a good guy to talk to about that.

HTH,
DC

 

[NED]

*English mode activated = errors and lack of vocabulary from me*

I also experienced this reject from programers/publishers for Openbor.
THey basically are scared because they have a different image of Openbor... Just like some people think Mugen is just mixing up random different characters without any kind of gameplay balance + stability etc.

As some of you know, I have tons of projects in my bag, but no skills to make them.
And reaching some programers really interested in my stuff was a chance. And they ALWAYS want to go for Unity and reject Openbor.
Unless they are really motivated, for me it's a big "NO", because I know I'll had no control in the coding/animation/tweaking etc if it's with Unity.
And in the case they give up in the midle, no chances to continue the project myself unless it's Openbor. (or Mugen of course)
And they never observed what the engine can actually make. (the real problem is how to make these stuffs ^^)

Sadly, I think Openbor still have a wrong reputation or is just ignored because not that popular.
Also, Unity and other popular engines have tons of content ready to use to make your own game when reaching such scripts in Openbor is a pain in the a* from my point of view.
The only resources we can have until now are for very generic things.

I'm always surprised when someone coming from nowhere in Youtube tell : "Hey, I have zero coding knowledge and look, I made a game with Unity, Cool Huh ?" ^^;

Now, about his project.
Looks OK, from some "art guy" like me, from my experience, it's hard to imagine such "detailed " art style moving in a fluid/natural way.
Also, I'm not so into the color chosen and unecessary details. THe lines for muscules just seems to "fill" the space to avoid as much as possible to have empty areas.
Same thick lines for characters oulines and inner details make the arwork a bit flat.
This is a common error that my 11-15 yo student do (and some adults too). Same for the shadding that don't give a definition of the body , just filling here and there.
But for a preview/concept it's already very NICE !!
Beside of the fact all the characters seems to have a different scalling. (considering the size of their heads)
Are these enemies based on the zombies sprites pose from Night Slashers ?

 

[runticuts]

*English mode activated = errors and lack of vocabulary from me*

I also experienced this reject from programers/publishers for Openbor.
THey basically are scared because they have a different image of Openbor... Just like some people think Mugen is just mixing up random different characters without any kind of gameplay balance + stability etc.

As some of you know, I have tons of projects in my bag, but no skills to make them.
And reaching some programers really interested in my stuff was a chance. And they ALWAYS want to go for Unity and reject Openbor.
Unless they are really motivated, for me it's a big "NO", because I know I'll had no control in the coding/animation/tweaking etc if it's with Unity.
And in the case they give up in the midle, no chances to continue the project myself unless it's Openbor. (or Mugen of course)
And they never observed what the engine can actually make. (the real problem is how to make these stuffs ^^)

Sadly, I think Openbor still have a wrong reputation or is just ignored because not that popular.
Also, Unity and other popular engines have tons of content ready to use to make your own game when reaching such scripts in Openbor is a pain in the a* from my point of view.
The only resources we can have until now are for very generic things.

I'm always surprised when someone coming from nowhere in Youtube tell : "Hey, I have zero coding knowledge and look, I made a game with Unity, Cool Huh ?" ^^;

Now, about his project.
Looks OK, from some "art guy" like me, from my experience, it's hard to imagine such "detailed " art style moving in a fluid/natural way.
Also, I'm not so into the color chosen and unecessary details. THe lines for muscules just seems to "fill" the space to avoid as much as possible to have empty areas.
Same thick lines for characters oulines and inner details make the arwork a bit flat.
This is a common error that my 11-15 yo student do (and some adults too). Same for the shadding that don't give a definition of the body , just filling here and there.
But for a preview/concept it's already very NICE !!
Beside of the fact all the characters seems to have a different scalling. (considering the size of their heads)
Are these enemies based on the zombies sprites pose from Night Slashers ?

Hey Ned! Thanks for sharing some really valuable feedback. I understand what you are saying with regards to the opposition from some publishers and devs.
I’m really open to exploring all the options. We have been in discussions with @Kratus about utilising one of his builds. We initially aimed to go with a full retro 8BIT style. But eventually the goal was to move towards having the high res comic book style look. Similar to SOR4 or mayhem brawler. The the consept art and designs are just parts of the game overview docs. We definitely will be guided by the devs once we have figured out what the approach is going to be.
Have you published anything to any of the major platforms that was built with openBOR?

 

[runticuts]

*English mode activated = errors and lack of vocabulary from me*

I also experienced this reject from programers/publishers for Openbor.
THey basically are scared because they have a different image of Openbor... Just like some people think Mugen is just mixing up random different characters without any kind of gameplay balance + stability etc.

As some of you know, I have tons of projects in my bag, but no skills to make them.
And reaching some programers really interested in my stuff was a chance. And they ALWAYS want to go for Unity and reject Openbor.
Unless they are really motivated, for me it's a big "NO", because I know I'll had no control in the coding/animation/tweaking etc if it's with Unity.
And in the case they give up in the midle, no chances to continue the project myself unless it's Openbor. (or Mugen of course)
And they never observed what the engine can actually make. (the real problem is how to make these stuffs ^^)

Sadly, I think Openbor still have a wrong reputation or is just ignored because not that popular.
Also, Unity and other popular engines have tons of content ready to use to make your own game when reaching such scripts in Openbor is a pain in the a* from my point of view.
The only resources we can have until now are for very generic things.

I'm always surprised when someone coming from nowhere in Youtube tell : "Hey, I have zero coding knowledge and look, I made a game with Unity, Cool Huh ?" ^^;

Now, about his project.
Looks OK, from some "art guy" like me, from my experience, it's hard to imagine such "detailed " art style moving in a fluid/natural way.
Also, I'm not so into the color chosen and unecessary details. THe lines for muscules just seems to "fill" the space to avoid as much as possible to have empty areas.
Same thick lines for characters oulines and inner details make the arwork a bit flat.
This is a common error that my 11-15 yo student do (and some adults too). Same for the shadding that don't give a definition of the body , just filling here and there.
But for a preview/concept it's already very NICE !!
Beside of the fact all the characters seems to have a different scalling. (considering the size of their heads)
Are these enemies based on the zombies sprites pose from Night Slashers ?

I would love to stay in touch with you through the process and gather your feedback. Your experience would be greatly valued. I took the zombie sprites from the BOR Russian game that had zombies in it as reference.

We currently have a small team building code to train AI to complete some art tasks for us also. Which has been a really fun experience to watch some of the results.

 

[NED]

Hey Ned! Thanks for sharing some really valuable feedback. I understand what you are saying with regards to the opposition from some publishers and devs.
I’m really open to exploring all the options. We have been in discussions with @Kratus about utilising one of his builds. We initially aimed to go with a full retro 8BIT style. But eventually the goal was to move towards having the high res comic book style look. Similar to SOR4 or mayhem brawler. The the consept art and designs are just parts of the game overview docs. We definitely will be guided by the devs once we have figured out what the approach is going to be.
Have you published anything to any of the major platforms that was built with openBOR?

I can give feedback, sure.
But I cannot engage into any art content, I'm already full at too many fields of creation (big frustration for me^^)

I definitely think the graphics can be improved/simplified.
If you check SOR4 graphics closely, you would see that the use just few lines and color shading in the actual character "sprite"
Other are texture effects + ingame effects.