The Penguin and the trap

Released information from various stages of VSB's development.
User avatar
olzen
Co-Lead; Producer, Composer, Director, Writer
Co-Lead; Producer, Composer, Director, Writer
Posts: 2132
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2003 11:07 pm
Location: Denmark
Contact:

Post by olzen »

I agree, it'd make more sense if there was a group of spewters. The latter idea sounds good, but I think it needs to be a bit more challenging than just crossing them.

Honestly, I don't see the problem about using the bit where Roger uses the penguins as a raft. We can poke fun at Broken Sword-type puzzles where the solution is the least logical one here, and where's the problem in making people think a bit?
WARNING: Will often post redundant anecdotes about the history of the "Vohaul Strikes Back"-project.
User avatar
Datadog
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Posts: 1460
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:41 pm
Location: Vancouver
Contact:

Post by Datadog »

Hmmm... I was actually thinking of using them as a sled, but the raft idea sounds better. Instead of skimming over a hole in the ice, there could be a big unfrozen section of water, and you could use the penguins to float across to the ladder.

If we wanted to involve a Spewter, we could have it so that if Roger DOES fall in the water, he can resurface momentarily before a Spewter pops up from below and swallows him whole (Jaws-style.)

Bleh. There's too many ways to do this.
User avatar
olzen
Co-Lead; Producer, Composer, Director, Writer
Co-Lead; Producer, Composer, Director, Writer
Posts: 2132
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2003 11:07 pm
Location: Denmark
Contact:

Post by olzen »

Ah, yes. I did mean to write "sled", but whatever you think works better...
WARNING: Will often post redundant anecdotes about the history of the "Vohaul Strikes Back"-project.
User avatar
MartyMcFly
BG Artist / Coffee Retriever
BG Artist / Coffee Retriever
Posts: 811
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2003 7:38 pm

Post by MartyMcFly »

ok i kinda had an idea to work around. so we have the ice ramp which rog slides down and we have the icey water stretched out to the side of the screen with a ladder hanging from the ceiling. obviously the idea is for roger to ride the penguides down the ramp and grab onto the ladder.
how about when roger slides down he actually doesnt make it and he comes to a halt and sinks to his death. on that note i thought he could either freeze to death as we see his head bob up completely frozen blue and then sink again. or, i had the idea of having a few spewters bathing in the water and perhaps just all swim to where roger has sunk (could even have rogers arm reaching out in agony and then slowly sink down as the spewters do their job).
the trick is to get momentum or a boost. there could be some sleeping spewters or maybe just one where roger enters. now i thought it would be a good idea for roger to have a plunger considering the amount of times its used on SQ covers but hardly in the game itself. roger could stick the plunger over the spewters rear end spout thingy. it could then build up lots of preasure to the point where it pushes roger at a fast speed down the ramp. maybe to make it more interesting, roger could slide over a floating spewters back like jump and then grab onto the ladder.

either way i think it would be interesting to include a plunger in the game and could be used near the end of the game like on the cover of SQ4.

once Roger exits up through the ladder i thought it would be funny if you see the next scene including a few porta-loo's (or whatever you call those portable toilets). suddenly one of the doors slam open and roger crawls out and maybe says "don NOT go in there!"
User avatar
olzen
Co-Lead; Producer, Composer, Director, Writer
Co-Lead; Producer, Composer, Director, Writer
Posts: 2132
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2003 11:07 pm
Location: Denmark
Contact:

Post by olzen »

That general outline works for me. I'm all in favour of adding a plunger as well - it could eventually be used to defeat Never as a homage to the SQ4 cover pic. I guess getting your brain pulled out with a plunger is quite the pwnage. Maybe the plunger could in Roger's inventory from the beginning, like the helium balloons and leaflets in CMI.

As for your idea with Roger climbing out of the toilet, I'm not sure I'm really into that one. It's true that it's impossible totally avoiding toilet humour with the sewers and all, but I think a waterfall of sewage is more than enough. Another toilet joke would be going overboard, I think, making this area look like the section of the game where we just have to get rid of all the fartypoop stuff.
WARNING: Will often post redundant anecdotes about the history of the "Vohaul Strikes Back"-project.
User avatar
mjomble
Writer / Efficiency Facilitator
Writer / Efficiency Facilitator
Posts: 2416
Joined: Sun May 11, 2003 4:44 am
Location: Estonia

Post by mjomble »

Not to mention that usually portaloos are self-contained and not connected to sewage systems ;)

But yeah, he should just exit from the sewer lid as usual.
"Man, we're gonna get so much pie when all these droids start coming back."
User avatar
Datadog
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Posts: 1460
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:41 pm
Location: Vancouver
Contact:

Post by Datadog »

Okay... I'm really running out of ideas on this room.

Last try. I can't come up with a logical puzzle involving Spewters. But what if we took the "riding penguins over frozen waterfall" idea, and had it so that you had to take the penguins off a ramp, and click the HAND on the ladder to grab onto it before they land in the water and swim off. There could even be a drum roll pause before Roger pushes off that allows the player time to grab the ladder.

I don't really like the idea of a timed puzzle however. But after a few days, I'm still coming up with blanks for this puzzle. I think we've come up with an entire section of the game's worth of puzzles for this one room alone. In fact we could probably use a lot of those ideas later on.
User avatar
Datadog
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Posts: 1460
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:41 pm
Location: Vancouver
Contact:

Post by Datadog »

Okay, back to this.

The ladder is raised above a river of sludge. There a frozen ramp of garbage coming off the waterfall. There are no penguins here.

-Take a can of anchovies from Merf's hut.
-Give anchovies to one of Penguin's penguins (in the Lair)
-Take the penguin (the penguin will protest if it hasn't eaten yet)
-Go to Waterfall
-Use penguin on ramp
-Roger will use the penguin as a snowboard, go off the ramp, and fall into the river of poo.
-To avoid this, click the HAND on the ladder before the snowboard animation finishes and changes to the death animation. Roger will grab onto the ladder mid-jump and climb to the surface. The penguin will fall in the river and swim away.

Simple, slightly tricky, and doesn't involve duct taping two penguins together. Better or needs work?
User avatar
pcj
Site Admin, Webmaster, Programmer
Site Admin, Webmaster, Programmer
Posts: 2949
Joined: Sat May 31, 2003 9:19 am
Location: USA

Post by pcj »

Better.
User avatar
mjomble
Writer / Efficiency Facilitator
Writer / Efficiency Facilitator
Posts: 2416
Joined: Sun May 11, 2003 4:44 am
Location: Estonia

Post by mjomble »

Yeah, pretty good. If we keep the flowing water more water-y and not a literal river of poop ;)
"Man, we're gonna get so much pie when all these droids start coming back."
User avatar
Datadog
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Posts: 1460
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:41 pm
Location: Vancouver
Contact:

Post by Datadog »

Well, I was imagining both the river and waterfall to be more green and slimey, except that the waterfall is mostly frozen and there is a noticeable sheet of ice over the river in some places.
User avatar
Datadog
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Posts: 1460
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:41 pm
Location: Vancouver
Contact:

Post by Datadog »

Walkthrough for Sewers

-Take Anchovies from Merf
-Take Umbella from Drink
-Enter Sewers
-Use Cotton Swabs in Nose (used to be Surgical Mask, but same purpose, less animation changes)
-Cross over Smelly Goo
-Walk through Main Sewage Area; enter Lair
-Talk to Penguin, get covered in Goo; exit back to entrance, cleaned up
-Go to Main Sewage, wedge Can into Gears
-Go to Penguin's Lair; watch Penguin get covered in Goo instead
-Give Umbrella to Penguin; be allowed access
-Give anchovies to Penguin Minions
-Take Penguin
-Go east to waterfall
-Use Penguin on Waterfall
-Grab onto Ladder before clearing jump
-Exeunt
User avatar
mjomble
Writer / Efficiency Facilitator
Writer / Efficiency Facilitator
Posts: 2416
Joined: Sun May 11, 2003 4:44 am
Location: Estonia

Post by mjomble »

*approve* on this, and the moonbase and memory ones as well :y:
"Man, we're gonna get so much pie when all these droids start coming back."
User avatar
Datadog
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Character, Sprite & GUI Artist
Posts: 1460
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:41 pm
Location: Vancouver
Contact:

Post by Datadog »

Then in terms of puzzles, we're probably done!
User avatar
olzen
Co-Lead; Producer, Composer, Director, Writer
Co-Lead; Producer, Composer, Director, Writer
Posts: 2132
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2003 11:07 pm
Location: Denmark
Contact:

Post by olzen »

I agree with Justas. You've done a great job on all three areas!
WARNING: Will often post redundant anecdotes about the history of the "Vohaul Strikes Back"-project.
Post Reply