Kalum before the Størm

This was originally an idea for the Brackeys Game Jam 2024, with the theme Calm before the storm.

I eventually ran out of time to do anything for this game jam. But I really liked this idea, and still do. It’s just very intuitive to players:

You have a red line moving from left to right over the screen. (And then resetting back to left to cycle again.)
You don’t want stuff to touch the red line. (And/or you don’t want it to touch you.)
So, every cycle, you try to put yourself or other into safe locations, while trying to “grow” your power bit by bit.
Such that you can, eventually, defeat that line and win the level.

Below are just the more complicated vague notes as I was trying to figure out this idea.

The Summary

Name = “Kalum before the Størm”

Inspired by Stormlight Archive book series.

A storm circles around the world.
- It starts slow and not that terrible; it ramps up in speed and terror as you play longer.
- Visual? This could be a simple line from left to right (if 2D side view), or something with more variation like diagonal or circular (if 3/4 view or 3D).
The storm mostly moves and destroys.
- The player has to protect people/things from its wrath.
- But anything moving around/not “fixed” (including the player) realistically reacts to the wind.
The objective is to stay alive as long as possible.
- Each level starts with a random island/city/setup (“Kalum” as it was “before the storm”).
- Once you lose too many people / things, you die.
The twist is that everything in the game (or at least the most powerful/useful things) are powered by magic stones.
- While holding the stones, you can use them once, then they’re “exhausted”.
- To recharge them, you have to leave them out in the open, and let the storm pass over them.
- (This only happens if the storm is deadly at that time!)

The Specifics

I’ll only enter the jam very late, so I’ll have only a day or two to make this. So the actual thing you’re managing/doing should be very simple. Also, I’d like this to have local multiplayer potential again.

So, what are you actually doing?

Press MOVE_KEYS to move around the world.
Press INTERACT1 to pick up or drop your gemstones => this might be automatic. (They automatically drop once depleted; you automatically grab them when walking over them.)
Press INTERACT2 to use your current gemstone (if full) to do something. => this might be automatic too. (There are predetermined spots to do stuff. Or it rotates automatically through the options.)

@IDEA: The storm is one continuous line (in a certain direction), but speed/strength starts HIGH and becomes LOWER over time. As such, the storm is only “deadly” within a certain range. After that, it’s just wind (that blows stuff around, but destroys nothing) => Your job, as the player, is to weaken this line in the right places every time it comes around.

@IDEA: Can we make this line realistic? Make it a set of points, which are automatically deformed ( = pushed out of wind-resistant objects). They need to stay within X distance of each other. This means the line can shrink, deform, end up somewhere else.

@IDEA: This means the line should be able to come from/go anywhere. (Over time, the wind direction rotates and changes. At first, only in small increments. Near the end, it can flip around on a dime.)

HERE’S AN IMPLEMENTATION:

The line starts as a set of points that are circular physics bodies (like a rope).
All those points have a built-in “wind velocity” that pushes them every frame
They react realistically to physics, but also try to stay within a certain distance (“constraint”).
If their distance becomes too great (for too long), the wind “breaks” into two separate winds.
(Optional: if two unconnected wind nodes are close again, the wind “reconnects”?)
Over time, and for every interaction/breakage, the wind weakens.
Until it’s not deadly anymore => and then just gone

TO TURN THIS OFF (if that’s easier/more fun): we just don’t let those bodies “bounce off” stuff and we don’t let it “break”. Instead, we check if it overlaps, and then pause / slow down the entire wind thing.

@IDEA: There’s a “weather forecast”. At the start, it’s very vague (timestamps/changes have an error margin, it misses certain events). But you can upgrade it over time, getting a better and better forecast.

@IDEA: One ACTION of the player is to become a shield. They break the wind/pause it as long as the gemstone they’re using for it lasts.

@IDEA: Another ACTION is to BUILD/UPGRADE a home. All people within range will automatically walk to that home. => Whenever the storm hits, it destroys 1 level of the home. (And if it destroys the entire home, the people are simply left free again.)

Possible Perspectives

Side-View Platformer: you only move left/right. Gusts of wind can move you up/down. This frees your up/down keys for your actions. (Manage gemstones / Protect people.)
3/4 view city: your movement is in two directions, and Kalum is more a traditional 2D city/island. We’d need one or two extra keys for the actions, which I don’t like. (Otherwise, this is simpler and less experimental.)

This was originally an idea for the _Brackeys Game Jam 2024_, with the theme _Calm before the storm_. I eventually ran out of time to do anything for this game jam. But I really liked this idea, and still do. It's just very intuitive to players: * You have a red line moving from left to right over the screen. (And then resetting back to left to cycle again.) * You don't want stuff to touch the red line. (And/or you don't want it to touch _you_.) * So, every cycle, you try to put yourself or other into safe locations, while trying to "grow" your power bit by bit. * Such that you can, eventually, defeat that line and win the level. Below are just the more complicated vague notes as I was trying to figure out this idea. ## The Summary Name = "Kalum before the Størm" Inspired by _Stormlight Archive_ book series. * A **storm** circles around the world. * It starts slow and not that terrible; it ramps up in speed and terror as you play longer. * _Visual?_ This could be a simple line from left to right (if 2D side view), or something with more variation like diagonal or circular (if 3/4 view or 3D). * The storm mostly **moves** and **destroys**. * The player has to protect people/things from its wrath. * But anything moving around/not "fixed" (including the player) realistically reacts to the wind. * The **objective** is to stay alive as long as possible. * Each level **starts** with a random island/city/setup ("Kalum" as it was "before the storm"). * Once you lose too many people / things, you die. * The **twist** is that everything in the game (or at least the most powerful/useful things) are powered by **magic stones**. * While holding the stones, you can use them once, then they're "exhausted". * To recharge them, you have to leave them out in the open, and let the storm pass over them. * (This only happens if the storm is _deadly_ at that time!) ## The Specifics I'll only enter the jam very late, so I'll have only a day or two to make this. So the actual thing you're managing/doing should be _very simple_. Also, I'd like this to have local multiplayer potential again. So, what are you actually _doing_? * Press **MOVE_KEYS** to move around the world. * Press **INTERACT1** to pick up or drop your gemstones => this might be automatic. (They automatically drop once depleted; you automatically grab them when walking over them.) * Press **INTERACT2** to use your current gemstone (if full) to _do something_. => this might be automatic too. (There are predetermined spots to do stuff. Or it rotates automatically through the options.) **@IDEA:** The storm is one continuous _line_ (in a certain direction), but speed/strength starts HIGH and becomes LOWER over time. As such, the storm is only "deadly" within a certain range. After that, it's just _wind_ (that blows stuff around, but destroys nothing) => **Your job, as the player, is to weaken this line in the right places every time it comes around.** **@IDEA:** Can we make this line _realistic_? Make it a set of points, which are automatically deformed ( = pushed out of wind-resistant objects). They need to stay within X distance of each other. This means the line can shrink, deform, end up somewhere else. **@IDEA:** This means the line should be able to come from/go anywhere. (Over time, the wind direction rotates and changes. At first, only in small increments. Near the end, it can flip around on a dime.) **HERE'S AN IMPLEMENTATION**: * The line starts as a set of points that are circular physics bodies (like a rope). * All those points have a built-in "wind velocity" that pushes them every frame * They react realistically to physics, but also try to stay within a certain distance ("constraint"). * If their distance becomes too great (for too long), the wind "breaks" into two separate winds. * (Optional: if two unconnected wind nodes are close again, the wind "reconnects"?) * Over time, and for every interaction/breakage, the wind weakens. * Until it's not deadly anymore => and then just gone **TO TURN THIS OFF** (if that's easier/more fun): we just don't let those bodies "bounce off" stuff and we don't let it "break". Instead, we check if it _overlaps_, and then pause / slow down the entire wind thing. **@IDEA:** There's a "weather forecast". At the start, it's very vague (timestamps/changes have an error margin, it misses certain events). But you can upgrade it over time, getting a better and better forecast. **@IDEA:** One ACTION of the player is to become a shield. They break the wind/pause it as long as the gemstone they're using for it lasts. **@IDEA:** Another ACTION is to BUILD/UPGRADE a home. All people within range will automatically walk to that home. => Whenever the storm hits, it destroys 1 level of the home. (And if it destroys the entire home, the people are simply left free again.) ### Possible Perspectives * **Side-View Platformer:** you only move left/right. Gusts of wind can move you up/down. This frees your up/down keys for your _actions_. (Manage gemstones / Protect people.) * **3/4 view city:** your movement is in two directions, and Kalum is more a traditional 2D city/island. We'd need one or two extra keys for the actions, which I don't like. (Otherwise, this is simpler and less experimental.)