Overview Core Dump - Work In Progress Episode 27 June 26, 1997: Dracula X, bonusses Konami? Famous last words: "What has influenced me?" Lately, I've been looking a lot at Castlevania X: Symphony of the Night (Konami , for the PlayStation). Not that I own a PlayStation. Pat has one, but he hasn't got the game. Only the japanese version has been released as yet, the english version is about to be released in the fourth quarter of 1997, somewhere. Anyway, there's this amazing collection of tips and other stuff online for this great game at Darkhugh's Den. I went a few times through all this data, to see what Konami is doing to improve upon their old concepts. As it turns out, the game is huge, and stuffed with secret levels. There's great stuff in there. But what is it to me? Let's quote a review (John Ricciardi): "But Nocturne [Dracula X...] mimics an RPG in more ways than one: Experience is gained from killing enemies; attributes are raised whenever Alucard [Note: the main character] levels-up, which is good incentive not to pass up enemies when trying to get from one area to the next; [...]" Good point. Maybe I'll use that remark. Core Dump with experience levels, could that work? I am taking this into consideration. Akin was already very much a mix between an action game and an RPG. This time, both elements will be improved. More action, more story. This is also because the maps can now be twice as big as they were in Akin. There's going to be a lot of walking and fighting this time. Not for the faint-hearted. Enemy power-up systems The bonus system in Blade Lords proved to be a great incentive for players. I've already got a certain "reward" for killing enemies, but after ploughing through the Castlevania X files (no pun intended) I am inclined to expand the system somewhat. Expect to gain weapon power-ups and special items from enemies this time. I am also drawing on the system used in Magnar; certain enemies drop certain types of objects. This means the player can learn what to find where, and this knowledge can then be used to progress. Hmms. Friday I'll be going back to my trusty MSX and start coding the item system. That means the enemies will be dropping stuff from next week on. I can't wait, can you? Go on... Read the previous entry