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Aquaria => Modding => Topic started by: Particlese on January 17, 2009, 06:45:36 am

Title: Pierogi Mod
Post by: Particlese on January 17, 2009, 06:45:36 am

Hi, there!  I've been working on a mod for Aquaria; mostly ideas so far, but I have a rough world map and a good chunk of the story done.  I won't go into detail with the story since exposing it bit by bit was one of the things I enjoyed so much about Aquaria, but here's a shrunken screenshot of what I have so far, story-wise, to lend some credibility to the mod.  The first page (plus a line) contains the story and major gameplay elements, which cover about a third of the world map below.  The rest is notes on the same and more.

(http://pjdeca.people.wm.edu/aquaria/pierogitext.png)

For better or worse, the mod is fairly large in scope (probably smaller than Sacrifice and Lost Treasures, though) and is tied to the main plot of Aquaria.  I also intend to mimic some of Aquaria's narrative style a bit, elaborate on the lives of some of its more mundane inhabitants, and perhaps let a bit of good-humoured parody sneak in somewhere.  Combined with the fact that the protagonist is a pierogi, prepare for a bit of silliness.  At first, the idea of following the life of a particular pierogi in Aquaria was just one to amuse myself, but I eventually decided I could make it work.  To get ideas for filling out the story a bit, I read up on Polish legends, and now I've based some of the bosses and bits of the story on them.  They're pretty cool legends, so I think they'll make the mod more interesting.  And anyone out there who's familiar with them already will hopefully get a kick out of seeing them.

Here's the rough world map I mentioned above, as well as a sketch I did to get me started on the beginning area.  After I worked on the story a bit, I decided to use the sketch for the title screen instead, and it even plays on Aquaria's title screen a little. :)

(http://pjdeca.people.wm.edu/aquaria/pierogimap_rough.png)

(http://pjdeca.people.wm.edu/aquaria/pierogisketch_title.png)

Title: Re: Pierogi Mod
Post by: Zeke on January 17, 2009, 07:12:36 am

Looking good!  I'm really anticipating some of the larger mods, and now I can add this one to that list.

Although, i can't get the picture of the four pages of notes to be anything but the very tiny image.  Is it supposed to link to the full view, or just show that the pages exist?

Title: Re: Pierogi Mod
Post by: Chibi on January 17, 2009, 07:20:47 am

Interesting idea, Particlese - you might want to have a smoother transition between the sections though - they look a little abrupt. I would use a leaf poultice as the protagonist, and a sea loaf as the baddy.  :D

Title: Re: Pierogi Mod
Post by: Hiro on January 17, 2009, 08:28:48 am

Heh heh. Sounds nice. Although I have little idea how you're going to make a Pierogi as the main character.  :-\

Oh, and if its based in the same places as Aquaria, you could use some of the same maps as the main game to save time, with a bit of re-decoration. ;) You can get them from the Native mod.

Title: Re: Pierogi Mod
Post by: Particlese on January 17, 2009, 04:57:03 pm

Thanks for the encouragement!

Zeke:  For now, I'm just showing that the work exists, but if people want spoilers, I don't mind making a link to most of what's in the text file.

Chibi:  Yeah, it's a very rough map.  Right now, it's only meant to show where the various areas are and the general ideas for transitions between them.  Huge open areas with abrupt connections can be very boring and hard to get your bearings in.  I ran into that problem when I tried making a large Morrowind mod off the top of my head several years ago.  And about the sealoaf:
<_<  There's a sort-of obscure hint on the map about this, and I have ideas on how to work it in throughout the game.  >_>
I might work the leaf poultice in, too, now that you mention it, but the pierogi will remain the player character.

Hiro:  It will be the usual silent protagonist, but it can "sing" by pulsating at the appropriate frequencies.  (Yes, pierogi are that awesome, and yes, I've given certain aspects of this mod more thought than they deserve.)  There's one map I'll definitely be reusing, so thank you very much for making that easy to transfer!  My thought was to have most of it in a separate (but similar) region of Aquaria since exploration was another great thing about the original game.  As a result, though, I'll probably need help when it comes to adding detail to the world.  I'm neither a Bit nor a Blot! O0 (Great smiley, by the way.)

Title: Re: Pierogi Mod
Post by: Particlese on January 26, 2009, 04:17:29 am

Here's the world map so far.  The veil areas in particular are still subject to change.
(http://pjdeca.people.wm.edu/aquaria/pierogimap_v1.png)
A bit of trivia:  the underground portion there is loosely based on a map (http://www.sktj.pl/epimenides/jura/smocza_p.html) of the real-life tunnels believed to be the basis of one of the legends I'm using.

I've done sketches of some other areas, but they're kinda cheesy.  :-X

Title: Re: Pierogi Mod
Post by: Chibi on January 26, 2009, 05:59:13 am

Looks very interesting - might I suggest something? Include more straight lines in areas of maps off the main one. Other than that, great job!  :)

Title: Re: Pierogi Mod
Post by: Particlese on January 26, 2009, 07:20:57 am

Hmm, Aquaria's maps' wavy sections generally are wide enough for you to swim straight through or in a wide curve, and there are a lot more alternate routes within each map.  Is that what you mean?  I was going for a more convoluted feel with that map (and having fun with my Wacom), but I guess that wouldn't make it very fun to play.  Thanks for the tip, whether that's what you meant or not! ;)

Title: Re: Pierogi Mod
Post by: Chibi on January 26, 2009, 07:34:40 am

I meant straight walls in areas leading to more artificial maps (e.g. temples). It does wonders as a transition between the wilds and civilization.

Title: Re: Pierogi Mod
Post by: prestart on August 26, 2009, 06:52:01 am

Interesting idea! I'm looking forward to this.
By the way, I love that natural,artistic map.

Title: Re: Pierogi Mod
Post by: Alphasoldier on August 28, 2009, 02:51:01 pm

Last post before yours was 26th january, I'm not sure if this mod is still in progress.