golemshaper









Level 1 Two Brothers IS COMPLETE! available 11/11/2013 « on: July 13, 2012, 09:37:42 AM » Available 11/11/2013 http://projecty2k.com/two-brothers-pre-order.html

DRM Free via humblestore!

$10 for the game.

$15 for game/soundtrack/prequel comic.



Two Brothers is an Action/Adventure/Role playing/Nostalgia game that I have been working on for the past few years. Development began just before I started my college thesis. I used programming and sprite creation as a way to calm down from animating and modeling my thesis. Before long I had a full running game with a story on my hands. Now that I am out of college I put together a team of a few people, one other programmer, another artist, and a composer, to finish the game for release.



WE GOT ON STEAM!!



Latest Trailer:







*UPDATE*



*UPDATE <-- This is the first proper trailer of the game.



If you like what you see, please like us on







The idea for Two Brothers came from seeing all of those fantastic demake mockups around the internet. I started mocking up my own screen shots in the style of Gameboy games and soon realized I actually really wanted to make this game.





The general story of Two Brothers goes something like this: You take on the role of Roy Guarder, a young inventor who is begin to obsess with the idea of finding a new color on earth after a near death experience shows him an after life filled with color. Your brother, Bivare, is also an inventor and explorer, he soon takes on your obsession and you begin a quest.





Of course, making a new color is completely out of my abilities so I am using the green on green aesthetic to show the player how out of place the colored objects of Roy's desire are. Also, many of my memories are of Gameboy color games as a child, so I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to go closer to games I remember playing clearer, or go with the more common demake look. I guess in a way, the the change from green on green to spurts of color is a chronicling of the shift from Gameboy to Gameboy Color. Only in my head, it doesn't sound as pretentious.







As for the Gameplay, I wanted to stay true to a game that felt as if it could have existed on the system, although I wasn't meticulous about what could actually be done by the hardware as this is a PC game... Lufia 2 was a big inspiration for me, although it wasn't on the Gameboy. I loved how the game felt like Zelda outside of combat, but had a great leveling system, and lots of story driven content. The combat is real time, with a system that allows for various weapons. It is very much the bastard child of Lufia 2/Wild arms/and Links awakening. Although the game contains no leveling up system, it still very much feels like an action RPG, as everything else fits in the the category.





As for the demake aspects , there were a few modern games I kept picturing on the Gameboy. I imagined what Mass Effect would have been like on the Gameboy. Not so much the shooter aspects, but the character interaction and choices you could make. Now, as we didn't have the man power that Bioware had, we have created a simplified conversation system using three basic emoticon reactions to any question. This isn't a triumph in game design, but it adds some realism and believability to the game as characters react differently to each choice.







Really, what we're trying to create is a game that we would have LOVED to have played as a kid. Something that is intelligent, but not over the head of kids, but still had enough violence and questionable content (like drinking in bars, and getting towns people dates) that only in the future you'd appreciate what was going on. I should note that I don't plan on marketing this at kids, or anyone in particular... I just hope people enjoy playing a game I wish someone else had made.



As for what's left in terms of development... we've already created a large portion of the games towns and such, so now we really just need to buckle down and smooth out some of the game and add a few more places to explore that aren't part of the main quest!

I look forward to your comments!



Here are a few shots unrelated to the content of the description...







If you like what you see, please like us on DRM Free via humblestore!$10 for the game.$15 for game/soundtrack/prequel comic.Two Brothers is an Action/Adventure/Role playing/Nostalgia game that I have been working on for the past few years. Development began just before I started my college thesis. I used programming and sprite creation as a way to calm down from animating and modeling my thesis. Before long I had a full running game with a story on my hands. Now that I am out of college I put together a team of a few people, one other programmer, another artist, and a composer, to finish the game for release.http://www.facebook.com/AckkStudios The idea for Two Brothers came from seeing all of those fantastic demake mockups around the internet. I started mocking up my own screen shots in the style of Gameboy games and soon realized I actually really wanted to make this game.The general story of Two Brothers goes something like this: You take on the role of Roy Guarder, a young inventor who is begin to obsess with the idea of finding a new color on earth after a near death experience shows him an after life filled with color. Your brother, Bivare, is also an inventor and explorer, he soon takes on your obsession and you begin a quest.Of course, making a new color is completely out of my abilities so I am using the green on green aesthetic to show the player how out of place the colored objects of Roy's desire are. Also, many of my memories are of Gameboy color games as a child, so I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to go closer to games I remember playing clearer, or go with the more common demake look. I guess in a way, the the change from green on green to spurts of color is a chronicling of the shift from Gameboy to Gameboy Color. Only in my head, it doesn't sound as pretentious.As for the Gameplay, I wanted to stay true to a game that felt as if it could have existed on the system, although I wasn't meticulous about what could actually be done by the hardware as this is a PC game... Lufia 2 was a big inspiration for me, although it wasn't on the Gameboy. I loved how the game felt like Zelda outside of combat, but had a great leveling system, and lots of story driven content. The combat is real time, with a system that allows for various weapons. It is very much the bastard child of Lufia 2/Wild arms/and Links awakening. Although the game contains no leveling up system, it still very much feels like an action RPG, as everything else fits in the the category.As for the demake aspects , there were a few modern games I kept picturing on the Gameboy. I imagined what Mass Effect would have been like on the Gameboy. Not so much the shooter aspects, but the character interaction and choices you could make. Now, as we didn't have the man power that Bioware had, we have created a simplified conversation system using three basic emoticon reactions to any question. This isn't a triumph in game design, but it adds some realism and believability to the game as characters react differently to each choice.Really, what we're trying to create is a game that we would have LOVED to have played as a kid. Something that is intelligent, but not over the head of kids, but still had enough violence and questionable content (like drinking in bars, and getting towns people dates) that only in the future you'd appreciate what was going on. I should note that I don't plan on marketing this at kids, or anyone in particular... I just hope people enjoy playing a game I wish someone else had made.As for what's left in terms of development... we've already created a large portion of the games towns and such, so now we really just need to buckle down and smooth out some of the game and add a few more places to explore that aren't part of the main quest!I look forward to your comments!Here are a few shots unrelated to the content of the description...If you like what you see, please like us on http://www.facebook.com/AckkStudios « Last Edit: November 10, 2013, 05:59:29 PM by golemshaper » Logged Check out Two Brothers on Facebook!

And check out the Check out Two Brothers on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/AckkStudios And check out the DevLog here.

clockwrk_routine Guest

Re: Two Brothers « Reply #1 on: July 13, 2012, 09:51:53 AM » the artwork in this is gorgeous and I love the plot. I'm looking forward to playing this. Looking again, some of the graphics look like they were taken from pictures, with reduced color count, and some pixel work. very neat! the artwork in this is gorgeous and I love the plot. I'm looking forward to playing this. Looking again, some of the graphics look like they were taken from pictures, with reduced color count, and some pixel work. very neat! Logged

Allansona









Level 0 Re: Two Brothers « Reply #3 on: July 13, 2012, 11:18:51 AM »

OMG is that dead Link!? I think maybe a smashed ocarina and a fairy crawling out of a bottle? That's hilarious. Really does look fantastic Golemshaper. OMG is that dead Link!? I think maybe a smashed ocarina and a fairy crawling out of a bottle? That's hilarious. Really does look fantastic Golemshaper. « Last Edit: July 13, 2012, 11:36:25 AM by Allansona » Logged - Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind. - Johannes Brahms

jmcmorris









Level 1 Re: Two Brothers « Reply #4 on: July 13, 2012, 01:45:43 PM » This looks great! I too am a huge fan of Lufia 2 and those early Zelda games. Then again, I'm sure anyone has who has played them are. I also see some Secret of Mana in there.



Keep up the good work! Logged @SiegeGames) Crea by @jmcmorris

retrohelix







Hip hop array





Level 1Hip hop array Re: Two Brothers « Reply #6 on: July 13, 2012, 02:21:52 PM » perfect! to me, this really looks above and beyond those old games that even I loved as a kid, in terms of graphics, storyline and everything else. Logged

Allansona









Level 0 Re: Two Brothers « Reply #8 on: July 14, 2012, 04:06:53 PM » When can we expect to see video or a demo of the game? Logged - Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind. - Johannes Brahms

golemshaper









Level 1 Re: Two Brothers « Reply #10 on: July 14, 2012, 06:14:59 PM » Quote from: SolarLune on July 14, 2012, 05:25:04 PM Yeah, it's looking cool, and I like the plot. I was thinking that since the world is monochrome, a new color would be anything not green, to the people, but a brand new color would be interesting.



Anyway, sounds like a fun game, and I like the graphics.

Yeah, that's what we're doing. Like red in the game is not red at all just a color not able to be expressed with our limited color spectrum.



@Everyone else- I want to thank you guys for the positive response! I'll be recording video showing some different elements of gameplay within the next few days.





In the mean time I'll post this:





I didn't ever intend to show this publicly. It was created for the Artist(2d drawing artist) so that she could have a quick reference.

Sorry it's so wide Yeah, that's what we're doing. Like red in the game is not red at all just a color not able to be expressed with our limited color spectrum.@Everyone else- I want to thank you guys for the positive response! I'll be recording video showing some different elements of gameplay within the next few days.In the mean time I'll post this:I didn't ever intend to show this publicly. It was created for the Artist(2d drawing artist) so that she could have a quick reference.Sorry it's so wide « Last Edit: July 14, 2012, 07:11:50 PM by golemshaper » Logged Check out Two Brothers on Facebook!

And check out the Check out Two Brothers on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/AckkStudios And check out the DevLog here.

kamac







Notoriously edits his posts





Level 10Notoriously edits his posts Re: Two Brothers « Reply #11 on: July 15, 2012, 01:59:06 AM »



Is it going to be "static" - so you can come up to somebody, talk with him, he gives you quest like go there, kill some of these and bring me that



Or is it going to be "dynamic" - you can come up to somebody, play a little cutscene where some bad guys enter the tavern, have a talk, make few choices, fight them, complete quest



Which of these? In general, I mean will you have cutscenes played on the fly, like you would have them made in RPG Maker, or simple quests?



And if you're going to have that "dynamic" thing, how did you do it / plan on doing it? (My curiosity originated by me doing something like that. In the end, I succeeded, but I'd like to know how others do it, since I've just made my *doh* simple scripting language, and every event was scripted like this (this is displaying an animated torch):



Code: # EVENT STARTING X CELL

6

# EVENT STARTING Y CELL

11

# EVENT STARTING CHARSET NAME

game_objects1.png

# EVENT STARTING CHAR NUMBER (number from 1 to 8)

1

# COLLIDE ABLE? 1 FOR YES, 0 FOR NO

1

# SCRIPT GOES BELOW

if:onauto



turn:down:

frame:1:

setvar:0:1:

parallel:active:0.4:



endif



if:onparallel

addvar:0:1:

if:var:0:3:

setvar:0:0:

endif

if:onparallel

frame:v0:

endif

Though, now I know I should've used LUA / Python / Some other nice scripting language, since I didn't even implemented 100% working nested ifs )





And the final question, what is it being programmed / made in / with ?





Again, looking great so far. I'd like to see that combat though. Looks neat. May I ask how do you guys plan out "events"?Is it going to be "static" - so you can come up to somebody, talk with him, he gives you quest like go there, kill some of these and bring me thatOr is it going to be "dynamic" - you can come up to somebody, play a little cutscene where some bad guys enter the tavern, have a talk, make few choices, fight them, complete questWhich of these? In general, I mean will you have cutscenes played on the fly, like you would have them made in RPG Maker, or simple quests?And if you're going to have that "dynamic" thing, how did you do it / plan on doing it? (My curiosity originated by me doing something like that. In the end, I succeeded, but I'd like to know how others do it, since I've just made my *doh* simple scripting language, and every event was scripted like this (this is displaying an animated torch):Though, now I know I should've used LUA / Python / Some other nice scripting language, since I didn't even implemented 100% working nested ifsAnd the final question, what is it being programmed / made in / withAgain, looking great so far. I'd like to see that combat though. Logged Tweet Tweet | Mages'n'Peasants

golemshaper









Level 1 Re: Two Brothers « Reply #12 on: July 15, 2012, 05:06:46 AM » @kamac

It's more like the Dynamic option. Quests and events that only happen once are handled the same way getting an item is handled: it appends that item or quest to the save file.



Npcs with the "prompt attribute"(part of our system) will ask you a question (whatever the designer decides it will be.) then the 3 choice emoticon response box opens up and looks for input.

Based on the input of the player, the dialog will branch out in 1 of 3 ways.

we've put lots of attention to customizing each cut-scene with special animations and the like, so every once in a while simple scripting is needed to augment the system.



Today I'll upload a video of combat and the 3 choice system in action.



Does that answer the question? Logged Check out Two Brothers on Facebook!

And check out the Check out Two Brothers on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/AckkStudios And check out the DevLog here.

clockwrk_routine Guest

Re: Two Brothers « Reply #13 on: July 15, 2012, 05:44:15 AM » I really like that pic your artist put together. the bit about eating hearts is hilarious. Logged

Majestic









Level 2 Re: Two Brothers « Reply #14 on: July 15, 2012, 06:33:45 AM » The plot seems unique and creative



Also the game looks good! It has that retro gameboy nostalgic feel



Keep it up Logged

For custom game music tailored for your project contact me majestic8390[at]gmail[dot]com www.soundcloud.com/majestic8390 - My game music portfolioFor custom game music tailored for your project contact me majestic8390[at]gmail[dot]com

golemshaper









Level 1 Re: Two Brothers « Reply #15 on: July 15, 2012, 07:47:49 AM »

Video 1:







Video 2:











I've uploaded two videos. Both are from early on in the game.The first video is a scene from the "Pelican Bar" in the games second town, Volta. The purpose of this video is to show the basics of interacting with characters in an area. In each area there are always things you can effect other than the main goal in the story. A bit of love for Mother 2's quirkiness is showing up here in this scene, but I don't think that's a bad thing. You'll see what I mean when you watch it.



The choices you make in this do change the outcome, but in this case it doesn't make or break the plot, as the choices you're given are personal for characters you meet in the bar.





The second video I've uploaded shows simple traveling with combat against easy enemies. I died in the video show how Game-Overs work. In the game dying isn't a bad thing; in fact, sometimes you even need to do in on purpose to travel between the land of the living and the land of the dead. In "Heaven" there are lots of things to do... I didn't want to give



too much away to early, but the girl I push back to earth is a character who dies in the games story. Roy (the player) arrives at a town that recently had one of its young and important townspeople die. If you push her back to life the town changes completely, and allows you to further the story in a different way then if you just left her there. Also,



there are places to explore and items to find! So if you die in the game, don't be so eager to come back to life :D

Some videosVideo 1:Video 2:I've uploaded two videos. Both are from early on in the game.The first video is a scene from the "Pelican Bar" in the games second town, Volta. The purpose of this video is to show the basics of interacting with characters in an area. In each area there are always things you can effect other than the main goal in the story. A bit of love for Mother 2's quirkiness is showing up here in this scene, but I don't think that's a bad thing. You'll see what I mean when you watch it.The choices you make in this do change the outcome, but in this case it doesn't make or break the plot, as the choices you're given are personal for characters you meet in the bar.The second video I've uploaded shows simple traveling with combat against easy enemies. I died in the video show how Game-Overs work. In the game dying isn't a bad thing; in fact, sometimes you even need to do in on purpose to travel between the land of the living and the land of the dead. In "Heaven" there are lots of things to do... I didn't want to givetoo much away to early, but the girl I push back to earth is a character who dies in the games story. Roy (the player) arrives at a town that recently had one of its young and important townspeople die. If you push her back to life the town changes completely, and allows you to further the story in a different way then if you just left her there. Also,there are places to explore and items to find! So if you die in the game, don't be so eager to come back to life :D Logged Check out Two Brothers on Facebook!

And check out the Check out Two Brothers on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/AckkStudios And check out the DevLog here.

clockwrk_routine Guest

Re: Two Brothers « Reply #17 on: July 15, 2012, 08:55:22 AM » this is so epic. secret of mana + chronotrigger + zelda. I'm seriously happy and looking forward to this. Logged

oyog









Level 7 Re: Two Brothers « Reply #18 on: July 15, 2012, 09:20:27 AM » Will the text box be perpetually on later in development or is that temporary? It seems like it takes up a lot of the screen when there's no new text being displayed. Logged