CBC Remaster!?
Gasp!
I’ve been working on converting Clarence’s Big Chance over from Flash ActionScript 3 code to Unity C# code, and it’s been going well!
Here’s a screenshot of that! …Which isn’t all that interesting since it looks like the original game. Which is the point. The aim so far has been to convert over all the code and assets as accurately as possible.
Thankfully, unlike a lot of my other Flash projects, CBC was coded in AS3, and I saved all its assets in external files (the AS2 projects, like MARDEK, have all their assets and code in their .fla file, which can only be accessed via old, obsolete versions of the Flash editor; opening such old projects in Animate, the recent version, deletes all the AS2 code). Plus it uses pixel art exclusively, rather than Flash vectors.
So I’ve just imported all the original image assets into Unity, and have been going through the original AS3 code files more carefully (since I can’t just import them and they’ll magically work) and writing new code which is a combination of the same logic as the original and some new techniques to get it working with Unity.
I’ve spent maybe 3 or 4 days on it so far, and have done the following:
Level maps can be loaded from the old data and drawn.
Clarence can be controlled and his movement feels the same as in the Flash version. Doing all the collision detection stuff and figuring out how to retain the ‘feel’ of the much-lower-framerate Flash version took the most time. He can’t climb ladders yet and there’s no water to swim in, though.
Transitions between rooms work.
I’ve got simple enemies working, and the ability to stomp on them.
Pickups work, though only coins so far.
There’s still a lot to do, but the movement stuff was what seemed most daunting before I started. That’s already out of the way, though, so the rest should be fairly straightforward… unless the menus turn out to be a pain, but I’ll find out when I get there.
While I’m working on this, I can’t help having the urge to make changes.
Nothing like a total ‘reimagining’ like Taming/Divine/Atonal Dreams were for MARDEK, but little tweaks here and there, some more significant than others.
For example:
That’s a potentially redesigned sprite for Clarence (WIP; may change significantly if I stick with it). From what I very hazily remember, I drew the original rather haphazardly with no aim, care, revisions, or forward planning, and in hindsight I don’t feel it reads very well, especially the nose. There are also a bunch of dialogue lines in the game calling him fat, which that old sprite isn’t particularly!
I drew this in 2014 - about three years after I released the game - which was more deliberately planned, and which I find amusing from a character design standpoint. The revised sprites are based on that.
(He’d keep the same hitbox despite the larger sprite.)
I could also change it so that Clarence puts on individual items of clothing as you get them, rather than transforming from the underwear-only mode to fully dressed when you get the shirt + pants + shoes. Maybe other silly sprite changes, too, like the removal of visible grime when you ‘have a shower’, or a pearly white grin if you clean your teeth.
I could potentially update most of the graphics with similarly redrawn sprites, keeping the idea of each one but improving the execution. There aren’t all that many graphics I’d have to revise in this way.
I could also add a toggle between the old graphics and new ones, as I’ve seen in other remasters.
I personally feel that the protagonist having that build adds to the absurdity of the game, but these days I’m more aware of how people can get offended/upset by things in media. I’m concerned about releasing the game at all for that reason, since it’s rather mean-spirited in its overall concept.
I’m curious to hear some thoughts about this, especially if you played the original.
Also, if there are any things you feel could or should be done differently with the game in general, now’s the time to mention them (as long as they’re similar to the tweaks I made to MARDEK - eg increasing the availability of certain items - rather than huge overhauls to the mechanics or story).
A brief note about life stuff: I had another counselling session yesterday, but just felt awful during it and the walk home afterwards. Miserable, depressed. No particular reason, other than the usual life situation stuff (lack of independence and direction, hopelessness, isolation); the mental weather’s just dismal some days. Shows that getting out doesn’t always magically improve mood. I’ve been feeling better today working on this CBC remaster.
I've played CBC several times over the course of my life, it's an enjoyable platformer with a unique setting that lets it stand out a bit from the competition. I remember when it just came out! I'd definitely buy it on Steam if you put it on there!
I quite like the new sprite! Obviously it's very different, but it's also inarguably closer to how the game describes Clarence. I assume you used the old version of the sprite since it has a shape more similar to Mario, which is the primary inspiration for the game, even if it doesn't really convey Clarence's corpulence, though it does get across that Clarence isn't much of a looker. I'd like to see what you'd do with the rest of the sprites, I'd say your sprite art has definitely evolved over time!
As for the tone, I think parts of the game hold up, I particularly like the parts where it's just zany and absurdist like Clarence's mom and dad just being all over the place, or the comically evil company Clarence works for. Some of the other dialogue/writing is a product of its time, but nothing I think a disclaimer can't address. There's probably a version of Clarence out there who looks the exact same and is also a wonderful person. But that's not the Clarence that CBC is about.
I do still wish we'd have gotten that Clarence RPG sequel! I am quite curious what exactly your plans were for that game, like whether Ernest was actually as pure-hearted as he seemed or was secretly as depraved as Clarence is.
Ohai Toby~
MARDEK seems to have some depth to its lore and a lot of people take seriously its continuity. It's something that people have followed and want to see its conclusion. Clarence isn't quite the same for me because its story seems to be lighter and doesn't have a continuity that makes people expect more out of the story... or something. This means that perhaps you can probably just change its story in every which way you please without upsetting some sort of rabid fanbase. You probably won't ruin someone's childhood for it.
If you were to remake Clarence, I would probably play it again. I don't get into a lot of new games these days because between work, sleep, my Youtube channel, my wife, and my other chores, I just don't have a lot of time to go around. If a game requires me to commit more than 4 hours of my time, I'm already much less inclined to try it out, no matter how compelling the story or gameplay might be.
Oh! I actually made my wife play a bit of Clarence. She is decidedly not a gamer at all, and she didn't even make it out of Clarence's house. She didn't care any bit about the story. I don't think she even commented on Clarence being in his underwear! It's actually interesting watching her not get the "hold the jump button to jump higher" mechanic that comes natural to people like me.
There was some isolation stuff I wanted to comment on in your previous post. In fact, I totally read it on the first day. But every time I thought of something to attempt to encourage you, I feel like it might just backfire and make you feel worse!
You know my coworkers and I have a lot of casual interactions that I feel just help build relationships, just by virtue of being right next to each other for long periods of time. I'm wondering if mixing it up could help with your isolation. I know you have anxiety issues with other people, and you still consider yourself a video game maker/music composer-type person, so I can totally see you not agreeing to this at all.
Perhaaaaaaaaps just TRYING OUT a part-time job where you get a lighter exposure to strangers, while still giving you a chance to escape isolation might help? It's definitely not a perfect solution, and it requires you to deal with your anxiety (which I know is physically difficult). But the pros are plenty:
1. New source of income
2. Chance to meet new friends
3. Perhaps learn new life skills
4. May inspire new music or game/s
5. Can foster independence
6. Only part time, so you can still work on your games and art and music and stuff
7. Can always quit if it's not for you. It's just trying, after all
8. If nothing about it works at all, it might give you a newfound appreciation for your current situation?
I'm sure it has been suggested before, and you've probably already had reasons to not go for it. Or perhaps you've actually tried it at some point and it hasn't worked out? I'm just thinking I could perhaps provide some additional perspective for it. If it hasn't worked out, I'm interested to know how exactly it failed. Then I'll try to think of different ways to help!