Project Overview
I'm working on a Spyro-Skylanders fan project intended to bridge the gap between the two game series. This would mean re-imagining the classic Spyro series to include elements from the Skylanders franchise, and vice versa. The simplest way to summarize this project is that I want to make levels more like the classic Spyro (free-roam, emphasis on exploring and collecting) but use the art direction of Skylanders.
Project Goals
As much as I would like to make an actual game, that goal is unrealistic at the present. I can do sketches and artwork, 3D modeling and animation, and I have some experience with Unreal, but I lack the programming skills necessary for game production and I lack the time, resources, and inclination to attempt a full game on my own. So while I am going to work on asset creation throughout the project and may very well end up doing some level prototypes in Unreal, the main goal(s) of this Reddit project would be to develop a GDD and get much-needed outside input from other Spyro enthusiasts.
Game Concept
Many Spyro fans are critical of Skylanders, and I do get that. They redesigned Spyro, and the gameplay isn't specific to Spyro. With the latest game and Skylanders Academy series on Netflix, they are actually bringing more focus to Spyro, and part of my goal for this game is to recapture some of the fun of the original series, but use the Skylanders aesthetic.
Level Design
I want to take all the levels from the original Spyro and merge them into one continuity. This may upset the Spyro purists, but the idea would be to add the swimming, climbing, and head-bashing from Ripto's Rage! and Year of the Dragon to the original levels, and flesh out a singular realm of Avalar rather than the separate realms in each title. Ripto's Rage! introduced level inhabitants and level objectives that were lacking from the original Spyro the Dragon and I would like to consolidate all the original titles, from Spyro the Dragon to Shadow Legacy. I was not a huge fan of The Legend of Spyro games, but I did like the idea of Spyro being able to switch elements, of other dragons having more of a role in the game, to say nothing of the addition of Cynder and the redesign of Sparx. So while not entering as heavily into my project design, I'm still incorporating some of LoS.
I would like to create a cohesive world map, and while I will retain the portal mechanic from the classic series, the Skylanders element of floating islands will also play a large factor, with levels and areas having more RPG/MMO design rather than being discrete entities.
Input is most welcome.
darkspyro
net