This game started as a reworking of a game called "Goudlopers", which was later reworked to "magische Mickey". The concept of the game was based on the classic game: pitfall.
When Sanoma introduced the element of snowball-throwing, I warned them:
"We won't be able to build on the same game-engine."
There were some parts we could reuse. The scrolling we could reuse, although the character couldn't be in the center of the viewport anymore, so that needed to be re-written.
Some of the animations of goudlopers could be reused, but we needed a few more. All in all it turned out to be a completely new game, instead of a PIMP of SKIN.
This seemed a perfect opportunity to go to AS3..
But it also illustrates the importance of playing a game in your head, before you start programming. If I hadn't spotted the fact that snowballs would mean a whole different game, we would have been in trouble. Because we would just get paid for reworking the graphics and not the engine..
Sometimes little things added or thrown away can make a HUGE difference in gameplay.
Because of the snowballs the AI-opponents in the game, make the game much more intense, than a simpel exploring-game. If we would have the traps, slings, jumping frogs and whatever of the old pitfall-like game, it would be too much for the player.
It also means, we could make a smaller level, because the player has many other things to do, than look at the surroundings. The player needs to evade the snowballs thrown at him, and time his own throws at the oppenent, to hit them. Also he could only carry three snowballs and then has to return to a pile to load up..
After we introduced a life-meter for our opponents, as well for our hero, we had a game..
But it was quite different from where we started.
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