Crescent Moon Games Founder on Creating a Game That Blends 2D and 3D Platforming
Josh Presseisen, Founder of Crescent Moon Games, spoke with us about Screenbound, discussing how they created the 2D and 3D worlds, how they chose the art style and the same color range for both worlds, and detailing how the mechanics work.
Introduction
The original vision of the game came simply from an image that I saw of someone holding a handheld gaming device. I believe it was a picture of someone holding a retro game emulator. Somehow, that immediately inspired me. In the picture I saw, the background became important to me. I wondered what would happen if the real world in the photo (3D world) was linked to the 2D world on the screen, and how they might interact.
Development
We use Unity. The whole idea of Screenbound is a very difficult one to manage both technically and mentally. Early on in development, we decided it would be better to create a level editor that has the creator drawing levels in 2D, rather than 3D. The reason being it would be more consistent with what is generated in 3D, instead of trying to line everything up perfectly by hand.
A good example is how Minecraft generates worlds, but imagine drawing those worlds in a 2D level editor. It is all automatically generated with each corresponding block or layer conforming to its 2D counterpart. Also makes building levels fast, easy, and fun. Making the rules between these two worlds has been a real challenge.
What is visible in 2D? When is it visible? Which objects are connected, and how are they connected? For instance, some blocks span infinitely on the Z axis in 3D but only show up as a 2D sprite. How do enemies behave in 2D versus 3D? Do they have different behaviors in each dimension?
Art Style
Both Kyle and I (Kyle is the Lead Programmer) are big fans of retro games. We both grew up playing NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis. It only felt natural to have these types of graphics on a retro gaming handheld device. I would say it's more of a matter of keeping the tone of the art style consistent, versus the art style of both.
By tone, I mean color and feeling. I wanted to make sure that the tone of both worlds felt the same, while having a lot of contrast between the vibrant 3D world and the 2D pixel world. Within those strict dimensions, they must stay absolutely consistent.
Game's Mechanics
Your character moves in 3D as you would in a 3D FPS game, but in 2D, you are only moving in a 2D space. How we made this work is with a system of layers. Think of games like Super Mario 2, where you have different platforms behind one another. This allows us to give depth in the 2D world yet keep it 2D.
How the puzzle interaction works is by using triggers in one dimension that trigger something in the other dimension. When you hold onto a balloon in 2D and start gliding down, you also do this in 3D, but you can move in all directions in 3D space. When you open a door in 2D, you may be transported to another section of the world, or even enter a zone of the game that is entirely 2D, think retro side-scrolling platformer.
Conclusion
I do wish I had stepped out of my boundaries a little more and tried more experimental types of game mechanics like Screenbound. Prototyping simple ideas until something really resonates is probably the best way to approach game development. Try not to get stuck on one idea, unless you see a very good reaction out of people playing or seeing it.
Something hard to get around is when you are very attached to your own idea for your own personal reasons, but fail to see what others think of your idea. It's very important that both work in tandem.
You can find more information about the game on the Screenbound Steam page or the website.
