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This page details the structure of towns in Episode 2 (still under construction)

Overview[]

Towns in Episode 2 will expand upon the concepts introduced in Episode 1 with the primary difference being the introduction of a raocoin currency system. Raocoins will be used to rent catllamas, purchase costumes and unlock powerup generators. In addition to collecting them in levels players will also be able to obtain them from minigames and as rewards for sidequests.

General Design Process/Workflow[]

Towns should be built vanilla-first but with later lua insertion in mind; try and leave enough space and resources for the required elements (listed below), and do so in a way that they can easily be repurposed if any of the related features don't make the final cut.

Lua peeps will handle code insertion & collaborate with town creators who aren't proficient with lua to ensure designs are converted to code correctly. Assuming scope is not reduced, this includes converting all vanilla NPC messages to cinematX dialogue calls.

Creators may handle some or all of their dialogue and quest conversion if they want assuming they still provide a vanilla version. They may also opt to crowdsource any of the required or ideal elements if they don't want to bother with them and don't mind others taking part in their design.

Any elements to be crowdsourced should be given the necessary space/sections/resources for others to implement them (i.e. if you want a crowdsourced minigame, leave a section for it; if you want others to come up with a sidequest for you, include hiding spots and/or landmarks they can build the quests around; see the 'Utility Buildings' section of the requirements for info about the sanctuary and stable.)

When submitting the vanilla town files, creators should include a readme.txt specifying which elements they would like crowdsourced with ideal specifications (i.e. "I'd like the minigame to incorporate blarggs if possible", "at least one NPC should talk about scented candles", "please do not use the giant robot statue for the sidequests but the fountain is A-OK") and which of the non-mandatory elements they absolutely do not want included ("a minigame would conflict with the tone I'm going for, so please don't add one").

NOTE: Any non-mandatory elements that are not included/specified and not explicitly opted out of are assumed as "crowdsourcing permitted, include at others' discretion".

Requirements[]

General[]

  • Each town must have the following utility buildings: costume shop, powerup shop, leek sanctuary. A catllama stable is also required unless the majority of the world's levels filter catllamas or otherwise have catllama-unfriendly design (i.e. climbing, forcing the player into a specific mount like a boot, etc).
  • Each world will have a hidden Peng for the player to collect in its town(s). Some pengs will be standing around in a hidden area while others require solving small puzzles to collect (i.e. wait in an area for a certain amount of time, lured out of a hole with an item).
  • Every town should have switch blocks for all 5 characters, ideally grouped together in the same room/screen. There should also be a 6x6-block spot reserved for a portal to the hub, preferably near the switch blocks.
  • No life farms or non-reward raocoins (both are used as currencies in Ep. 2), goals/level-ending leeks, or free powerups.
  • No start-of-level cutscenes in the towns aside from dynamic entrances (for example, crashing through a window).
  • Progression through Worlds 1, 3, 5 and 7 will require leaving their respective town(s) through a special exit:
    • W1 is the Goopinati elevator
    • W3 is leaving the town in the past
    • W5 is meeting Denmark at the top of his resort
    • W7 is taking the train (iirc?)

Ideal, but not strictly required[]

  • 1 to 3 sidequests that take place within the town.
  • 1 sidequest that requires the player to do something in a level within the same world or a town/the huv in a previous world.
  • A replayable minigame that can award players with raocoins and/or collectibles.
  • 1-3 placeholder signs to mark spots for treasure chests containing raocoins/collectibles (use "CHEST" as the message).
  • NPC dialogue related to the story or easter eggs/advice for specific levels in the world (some NPCs can be reserved for these to be added later).

NPCs[]

  • No developer self-insert NPCs in the world towns. They will be located in the Tempura Anomaly and the developer room in the hub.
  • Two NPCs should be reserved for common utility: a black market shopkeeper that deals
  • A custom pause menu system for viewing obtained collectibles/a quest log/library-related options is in the works; if we cannot replace the regular pause menu with it by the time all towns are ready for lua insertion, the menu will instead be accessed by a "lorekeeper" NPC in each town. Try to set aside an NPC near one of the shops/switch blocks as a candidate for the lorekeeper.

Utility Buildings[]

  • All utility buildings will have standardized mechanics and storefront sign graphics
  • Insertion of the leek sanctuary will be mostly automated through its' own library, so all you need to do is include the appropriate sign by a door/warp/pipe and reserve an empty section. The same goes for the catllama stable; place a storefront & warp, reserve another section.
  • For powerup and costume shops, give them their own section(s) with a bit of space for the blocks/other purchasing objects, and a flexible enough layout to expand or shrink the space if necessary; both types of shops will require space for the transaction blocks/pipes, and costume shops will also need space for an additional changing booth door/curtain/broom closet (the costume changing will be handled via a pop-up menu that appears after the player enters the warp, so the room behind the door/curtain should not be defined).
  • Shop selections and prices will be determined and balanced during lua insertion and testing
  • To save on BGOs and blocks, shop interiors can be made as images and displayed with lua (provided they aren't too ridiculously large)
  • If you want to do unique variations like a run-down leek sanctuary or combo shops like outdoor markets/bazaars, malls/department stores, etc., those kinds of things can be arranged, but the space/layouts need to be planned accordingly.
  • Sanctuaries and stables will use music packaged with their libraries. Shops should use different music from the town's main theme, though which music is up to the creator; pre-made themes are available here but creators may use any music of their preference.
  • Plan for things that can take the place of the storefronts/shops, just in case.

Collectibles/Rewards[]

  • Sidequest/chest/minigame rewards will be determined and balanced during lua insertion and testing
  • Possible rewards from minigames and sidequests will include leeks, exclusive costumes, trading cards and raocoin bundles
  • Raocoins are the main currency and are used to unlock powerup generators, buy costumes, and rent catllamas
  • Trading cards are unique arbitrary collectibles for fun/100% completion (card planning here, mockups here)

Minigames[]

  • Minigames can be done through mostly vanilla means, let us know if you need lua written for things like scorekeeping or rewards.
  • Minigames will have leeks and cards as first-time prizes and high-score prizes, respectively, with raocoins being awarded otherwise.
  • Minigames may or may not charge raocoins for replaying, we'll decide this during reward/raocoin balancing

Sidequests[]

  • Sidequests will follow this general format:
    • Player starts quest by interacting with a specific NPC/object and accepting their request/choosing to investigate further.
    • Player must complete one or more tasks (can be in a set order or any order the player wants)
    • Player finishes the quest by interacting with an NPC/object (doesn't have to be the same one that started it) once all tasks are done
  • Sidequests-related UI, progress management, etc. will be implemented through an upcoming API (altruistX), not cinematX's sidequest system
  • Sidequest activities/sequences can be implemented through vanilla event/layer shenanigans or submitted as design plans/notes; we'll handle converting/implementing the necessary lua.
  • Place a moon on a hidden layer near the NPC you plan to end the quest with as a placeholder reward.
  • Additional guidelines for quests that require the player to do something out of town:
    • Could be in the hub, one or more previous towns or one or more levels in the same world.
    • Out-of-town quests will be run as self-contained scripts launched by altruistX in lunaworld (no changes to level or level's code will be necessary and quest scripts will only run in their respective level(s))
    • Get permission from/collaborate with the creator of a level or town before involving their level in a quest.
    • Likewise, consider allowing others to include your town in their quest.
    • Design them around mechanics/NPCs/objects/etc already present in the level.
    • Out-of-town sidequests may be left out of Ep. 2 if we don't end up with enough to justify their inclusion, so keep that possibility in mind.
  • Example quests:
    • The test quest in this video
    • Mail carrier is bad at their job, dropped several packages (resprited mushroom blocks) throughout town. Find the packages and deliver them to the correct recipients based on given info ("the red one goes to this person", etc.), then return to the postal worker and get rewarded.
    • Someone wants a tour around town, agree to escort them. After you take them there, finish the level and then meet back in town for a reward.
    • Sneak into a heavily guarded facility to retrieve the house keys someone dropped in there.
    • Kill X number of enemies from any level in the current world.
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