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Before starting the work on your game, ask yourself the following question:
"What makes the Dizzy games so great?"
The answer may be complex and there are a lot of factors that brought success
to the original series.
Sure among them, there are their classic stories and the Yolkfolk universe, their simplicity and humour.
The fluent movement of the main character plays an important part.
The nostalgia, makes the old Z80 graphics look beautiful even today.
Dizzy games, as I see them, are not about fancy 3D graphics, millions of colors and
dolby surround audio experience. They are about an egg with red gloves and his adventures,
about his friends, and his enemies, all of them presented in a funny way, always dramatizing about
the importance of the events.
Play the original games, trying to follow the elements you love, the story and the puzzles.
Try to understand the graphic design, so you can replicate it in your own games.
Use propper sound effects and music. No one wants a Dizzy game with a heavy metal solist
screaming in the background.
Try to understand each character's profile and make their actions and speeches match.
Choose a good story and create logic puzzles.
Try to follow every path the player may choose and make sure that he won't get stuck
because of the order of his actions, like forgetting an object behind and being unable to return for it.
Be very careful with the gameplay. Don't make the player run from one end of the map to another,
just to make the game longer. Don't place obstacles too difficult to pass, just to make the game harder.
It will annoy the player and ruin his experience. Try to keep the puzzles logical.
There is a lot of place for changings, but you must be very careful to fit them in the same universe,
to preserve the original feeling. Don't make a totally different game and hope it will be a Dizzy game,
only because you have used the same characters.
Compare your game with the originals and ask yourself what would you think of it,
if it would have been released back then, by the original authors.
As a recommandation for the DizzyAGE games, use an introduction menu with a nice painted
cover, or combine it with an attract scene (like in Dizzy V). Study the original game's covers
(loading screens) and paint yours in the same style as the game. Don't use a realistic true color
cover, if your game have only eight colors. Same thing about the top menu (HUD).
Keep the fancy graphics for posters or desktop images, t-shirts, coffe cups, or anything else.
A "save game" option may be very appreciated these days, but keep in mind that the
original games didn't have one. It's absence may frustrate the player on long or dangerous games,
but it's presence might take some of the tension and trill of the game. Some games could offer
"saving points", in fixed locations. It is your decision how to use it.
Ask other people's opinion about your game, before releasing it. However, be careful whom do you ask,
because not everybody is an "expert" in Dizzy games. Try the Dizzy community.
Like any other fan sites, DizzyAGE official web site is welcoming your questions.
Give the game to your friends and watch them playing. Take notes of where they got stuck and what
they didn't figure out. Make adjustments on your game, if they are really needed.
Creating a Dizzy adventure game is a wonderfull thing and if you have a great idea,
make sure you do your best to make a great game out of it. Good luck!
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