Inter-connected world and multi-game design in Ukulele?

[DKVineChad]

Fantastic work on building the worlds we've seen at EGX today! The hub shot in particular is looking very "Isle O' Hags." Are we to assume that the overall game and distinct worlds will be more interconnected, ala Banjo-Tooie? That was one of the major elements of that title that really pushed the genre so much further than Banjo-Kazooie, and really hasn't been capitalized on since. In fact, comparing Mario Galaxy to its sequel, the genre has regressed in that regard.

Thanks again fellas - good luck on the Kickstarter, though I doubt you'll be needing much of it. We'll definitely be throwing a few paychecks your direction! Anything for the P.O.O.P. Amiibo!

[XD375]

Yeah, the interconnected worlds in Banjo-Tooie were really fun, and I hope they do something like that again. They've already said previous worlds will have areas we can't reach until we get moves later on in the game, and I think that'll tie into the interconnected worlds.

[Maritimekeepers]

With their expansion of multiple games, it would be cool to have a single point where all the games connect (i.e. Spiral Mountain in BK 1 and 2. Something familiar to start a game but each one has its twist, like a giant hole in the wall that opens into an entirely new adventure. I always wanted Threeie to start out at Grunty Industries and just continue from there. This idea creates the effect that Project Ukulele's games never end but just continues with new characters and new goals.

[DKVineChad]

Yeah, imagine a Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie hybrid that simply didn't have rocks blocking the entrances in Grunty's Lair? Run all the way from the stage at Furnace Fun to the Tower of Tragedy from Tooie! In fact, I always suspected that might've been the original larger goal of Stop 'n' Swop.

NOT TO BRING THAT UP, MIND.

I have to wonder that now, in an era when games are downloaded from eShops and Steam, and stored on a local harddrive without the need for cartridges and discs... wouldn't it theoretically be possible to seamlessly switch from one game to another? Maybe a bit of loading spinning up in the background as you near the area from the other game, then the screen goes dark and there you are, in Game 2's world with the same character, moveset, and stats of the previous title.

Earlier games could be patched to accommodate characters from the new ones! Oh god. Oh god. I need to lie down.

[Guybrush]

I demand a snow level and a beach level. And a spooky level...

[cwiis]

this is probably what i want in the game the most
the whole inter-connected-ness in Tooie just added to how huge the game felt as a whole, instead of a collection of levels with a hub it felt like an entire world with passageways and tunnels weaving everything together until it just felt almost seamless
one detail i remember liking was how the sewage in Grunty Industries led to a drainage pipe in Jolly Roger's Lagoon, just little things that felt natural

[LankyKong]

[lavamario]

^Wicked.

[Alph]

[Cameron]

Interconnected worlds is probably my favourite aspect of Banjo-Tooie. I really wish more games would do something like this! Please, Playtonic, make the worlds interconnected!

[Taylor]

I loved that levels had connections (although I don't want to go through a connection, accidentally fall off a ledge and then be miles away from the level I had just come from with no way to return through the connection).

What I disliked, however, was backtracking. The inter-connected worlds in Tooie played into the whole backtracking aspect a lot and I really wasn't a fan of that... it was exhausting going back and forth for me. Then again, I'm just exceptionally lazy.

[HarmfulSpacenaut]

I liked the inner connectivity. But I think in tooie they overused it a bit, and made it kinda way too tedious to remain fun! It ended up being a... "Oh poo-poo... this brings me to this level... ffs..."

[tropicaldumpster]

I loved how the initial two banjo's had interconnected worlds and they worked really well. I can't say anything negative about them. Beats the hell out of selecting a level, level by level! Conkers bad fur day was great too, it was connected and developed as you went deeper.

[bvisness]

I loved how the Banjo games used hub worlds to get around. No selecting levels, you just wander in. And how the Isle-O'-Hags music changed to match each world as you approached it!

That, and Tooie's connected worlds. I still can't believe how clever it is to push an ice cube off of Cloud Cuckooland, into a scalding pool in Hailfire Peaks, which drains into Jolly Roger's Lagoon, which warms up the water and gets you a Jiggy. Stuff like that opens up a whole world of clever puzzles and challenges. And I honestly don't mind having to revisit other areas frequently to complete objectives. It makes the game feel less linear and more like one giant world to explore.

[John]

[Wizaldo]

Just an idea: As you unlock new areas and levels you'll encounter new enemies. Why not have some of those baddies wonder off into previous areas once you've unlocked the level they're from? This would be a good way to make back tracking more exciting. Say, for example, you're on one of the later levels and there's a scary invincible baddie you can only run from. You learn a new move in this same level and decide to revisit world 1 or 2 to look for pagies with your new moves and you find that scary baddie lurking in a spot where it wasn't before. This would help adventuring in places you've been before more fresh and keep you on your toes.

[Alph]

That's an interesting idea. I don't think it's been done before in a 3D platformer.

[Pgcrooner]

[Shelaylee]