The side-scroller: Outdated or underused?

[unreason]

I'm thinking of doing a side-scroller, probably one similar to a cross between metroid and contra. I notice that I don't see very many of these games in the more prominent indie game sites. Is this because they're not successful, or just because developers haven't been doing them lately? Is there a market for my game if it's well done, or would I be better off spending my time making something different?

[princec]

There have been a few lately.. Absolute Blue and Jets 'n' Guns spring to mind. They could do as well as any other game in theory.

Cas

[unreason]

True, but those were more a gradius style-side scroller, as opposed to a metroid type of thing. The only thing I can think of like that is Abuse, or Duke Nukem: Mathatten Project.

[nvision]

I love side-scrolling platformers...shooters, too, but moreso platformers. I think that well-made action platformers could sell just as well as any genre, provided that they've got quality gameplay and gfx.

If you're interested, I have the core gfx made for just such a game (main character, HUD/FX, one level of tiles/enemies). I produced them while working at my former company, but since they failed to pay me (bastards!), the gfx are still mine. If you'd like to discuss a possible collaboration, I'd love to get these graphics working they way they're supposed to. PM me if you want to talk further...

[GBGames]

Does Professor Fizzwizzle count?

If not, there are still Alchemist Wizard (why does my review make it seem like I can't spell platformer?), Bud Redhead: The Time Chase, Gish, Mage Bros, and Wik & the Fable of Souls.

Other platformers: http://www.gametunnel.com/review_nav.php?gen_c=6

You probably could ask the respective developers how well each game did compared to others they might have made.

[Dan MacDonald]

I'm working on one

[Ricardo C]

I would say "underused". A good side-scroller will always be very welcome indeed.

Hell, when the PSX and the Saturn came out I had little interest in either because the move to RT3D meant few old-school side-scrollers would be produced.

[impossible]

Cave Story and N, both released last year, both freeware. Although N technically isn't a sidescroller (no scrolling.)

[Pyabo]

Definitely check out Cave Story. Great little game.

And I would definitely say UNDERUSED.

[PoV]

I'm working on one

Now I know all your secrets. Glad to hear you're up to something Dan. It seems I'm doing one as well.

Keith goes painting was an interesting little platformer for those looking for them.

[impossible]

The thing is, during 8-bit and 16-bit console gaming sidescrolling platformers were ridiculously overused. You still see a lot of them on mobile platforms (GBA, NDS, mobile phones, even PSP.) I'm sure that 10 years from now people will be saying the same thing about FPS games.

Also, I don't think sidescrollers were ever very popular on PC, mostly due to the lack of decent gamepad support. This is still a pretty big barrier, and will continue to be until a company like Dell starts shipping a standard (Xbox 360) gamepad with all of their home market computers.

[Anthony Flack]

I think it's a combination of tricky controls and the fact that they're quite involved games to make. But the game I'm making is sort of one anyway. I love them.

Hell, when the PSX and the Saturn came out I had little interest in either because the move to RT3D meant few old-school side-scrollers would be produced.

You might want to reconsider the Saturn - it's a 2d powerhouse, with plenty of great sprite games. Even the Playstation had a few funky platform games, like Skullmonkeys.

[Mike Wiering]

And I'm working on a system to (easily) create side scrollers

[electronicStar]

I think there is a potential market among the thirty something nostalgics.
I plan to do a sidescroller as one of my future projects.
The only thing you have to take care of is to implement modern, state of the art graphics and effects, what I mean is that it should look more like a neogeo game than a megadrive one(even better:atomiswave). And make sure the gameplay,progression and the controls aren't too hard either because people don't have the same patience nowadays, and a downloadable indie game should definitely not have the same difficulty than an arcade one ,or even a console one.

[PoV]

And I'm working on a system to (easily) create side scrollers

Doesn't everyone that makes one do that anyways? Or are there people out there that write games just to throw them away?

[lexaloffle]

Sure, I do. Writing something in a way general and robust enough for other people to use is much harder, right? My development philosophy is to start with an elegant robust core and expand it with a large outer layer of extremely hacked up, un-reusable meatloaf. The idea is to finish the game just before it starts crumbling, to achieve the optimum compromise between quality and development time.

Despite my sophisticated approach, I've still spent a long time working on my current platform game. It has 21 levels, and I could easily spend a couple of weeks refining the code which is particular to each level. So, yes, development time is a big factor.

I can't believe there isn't a decent audience for platform games though - portal unfriendly controls and all. If someone came up with a nice simple platform game with proper action (none of this casual-platformer fluff), I would buy it in a second. And there must be people out there like me. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.

[papillon]

Side-scrolling beat-em-up, not too difficult, not too complex controls = Dad'n'Me.

unlike the alien game that was insanely hard, that one is pretty easy to pick up and experiment with. It's psychotic and evil, but it's easy to play, and popular!

[djdolber]

Im working on a 2D vertical/horisontal scroller. Ive always been asking myself why nobody makes 2d platformers now-adays. Just think of the possibilities with the new consoles for example. Just think, a new Castlevania:SOTN or Super Metroid... I hate it how everybody goes for 3D...

Super Metroid > Metroid Prime

[unreason]

Thanks for the offer or graphics, nvision, but I already have some artwork, and I'm probably doing this as a solo project.

Based on everyones replies, I guess there is a demand if the game's done right. A side scroller it is, then!

[Mike Wiering]

Doesn't everyone that makes one do that anyways? Or are there people out there that write games just to throw them away?

It's actually a kind of game maker for platform games / side scrollers.

[jankoM]

Mike W. , when will you make it available..? I am planing some simple platformer in near future and I would check something like that out before coding it from scratch.

[Anthony Flack]

And there must be people out there like me.

Well, there's always your identical twin brother, right?

Based on everyones replies, I guess there is a demand if the game's done right. A side scroller it is, then!

Excellent! Good luck.

[Mike Wiering]

Mike W. , when will you make it available..? I am planing some simple platformer in near future and I would check something like that out before coding it from scratch.

I hope to have it ready by the summer, but it's been much more work than I thought at first, so I don't know really.

But here is a tiny version of CHARLIE THE DUCK made in it: run executable directly (not sure if that works everywhere) or zip file (separate exe and data file). Walk with left / right arrow keys, jump with space bar.

If you use Tile Studio for graphics, you will (fairly) easily be able to import them when the program is finished. See the example projects for how to set things up (also contains Charlie.tsp, which I used in the demo above).

[GBGames]

Side-scrolling beat-em-up, not too difficult, not too complex controls = Dad'n'Me.

unlike the alien game that was insanely hard, that one is pretty easy to pick up and experiment with. It's psychotic and evil, but it's easy to play, and popular!

Dad'n'Me was a great game, but Alien Hominid was great when I played it on a console. It just seems to play better when you're using a controller as opposed to the keyboard. Then again, I didn't play it much on the computer, so I probably could have gotten used to it.

[whisperstorm]

Wierd, I too am working on a side-scroller - more akin to Eternal Daughter meets Megaman type thing with rpg elements but alot of shooting. Imagine something like this:
http://www.enterbrain.co.jp/techwin/...tents/atulado/
(download demo: http://home.dlsite.com/work/=/product_id/RJ014595.html )

I think games like this are awesomely fun - its good to hear that more folks are working on games in this genre.

[Uhfgood]

Try http://gamedev.sourceforge.net/

Although I don't know if i'd use it in a finished app.

In any case i'm making a platformer as well, but with a little different take... stay tuned ;-)

Keith

[Leper]

Has anyone mentioned Gradius V yet?

check out these awesome videos of a NEW sidescroller shooter:
http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/498/498344/vids_1.html


Also, I'm hosting a contest filled with lots of hot prizes right now over at www.shmup-dev.com that is revolving around horizontal shmups!

Also, I think Metal slug was an extremely popular recent side-scroller shooter that is like "contra"

[Anlino]

I am positive, and believe that it is an underused market. Side scrollers like Abuse are wonderful to play (and Duke Nukem manhattan project rocked!), and i am sure that a game like that could sell. (The saturn, wasn't that the huge handheld from Sony?)

[jankoM]

Mike W. : Charlie example runs too fast to controll on my computer. ((Btw. your charlie 2 is one of few really the best nonviolent platformers IMO. And one of rare indie games my two nieces know by name.)) I will try to play with TileStudio a little, I wasn't aware you made it. Please notify us here (or better just me ) where platform maker is ready.

[Anthony Flack]

(The saturn, wasn't that the huge handheld from Sony?)

Nope, huge TV console from Sega. Competitor to the Playstation (the Playstation won, obviously - Sega lost a massive fortune and were financially broken).

It's a CD-based system, and although its 3d capabilities weren't quite up there with the Playstation, it had superior 2d capabilities (it has no problem handling graphically intensive sprite games like Metal Slug and Vampire Savior).

It's home to lots of fantastic games, including very good ports of tons and tons of Sega arcade games, from oldies like Outrun and Space Harrier to then-current games like Virtua Cop and Sega Rally, legendary Treasure games like Guardian Heroes and Radiant Silvergun, excellent original games like NiGHTS into Dreams, and a version of Bomberman that you can play with 10 people.