KANTO_RUKI'S PROFILE

I am thinking of making a 2 player game (hold your tongue on how blah making one would blah since I already got the concept down and a demo working, surprisingly)

However, I hit a "brick wall" of sorts for what kind of game it should be...

-Ideas that come to mind are:
*Capture the Flag {CTF} (Player with the most flags win)
*King of the Hill {KOTH} (Players stay in an area to accumulate points)
*Collector (Collect as many of an item as possible)
*Tag (Players try to chase one another down, whoever is "it" at the end loses)
*Assult (Players try to kill each other, taking X number of lives to win)
*Shovel (Pretty much like the game Spleef, but renamed)
*Ghost (Like Pac-Man, players take turns in trying to collect X number of points while avoiding the other)
*Labyrinth (Like Maze, players take turns in trying to get the other until a player gets out of the maze X number of times)
-Suggested by Rannith (Steam):
*Maze (Players navigate a maze to reach the end)
-Suggested by Seiromem:
*Kill the Carrier {KTC} (Players try to keep ahold of an item for as long as they can)
*Dodge! (Avoid obstacles as long as possible/try surviving as long as possible)
-Suggested by multiple people:
*Race (Players try to reach an end of a track)

Also thought up some ideas for powerups beside gamemodes;

Ideas for Powerups:
*Speed Boost (Makes the player 2x as fast)
*Speed Down (Makes the player 1/2 as fast)
*Steal (Player has the power to steal from the other if they touch)
*Shine (Like the Power Star from Mario series, stuns the player when the powered player touches them)
*Plus Life (Adds an additional life to the player)
*Bonus Bunny/Animal (If a player can catch it, they get bonus point(s))
*Minion Summon (Allows the player to summon a minion on the map that blocks the opponent's path, but not the summoning's player)
-Suggested by CashmereCat:
*Stun Spark (Shoot a projectile that stuns a player)
*Cross Bomb (Creates a blast within a specified range in both vertical and horizontal directions)
*Inverter (Inverts opponent's controls)
*Poison (If you touch a player, then if they move, they will lose points. this lasts for a specified duration)
*Extra Slot (Creates a new slot for a new item)
*Perma-Speed Boost (Makes the player x1.1 as fast for the rest of the game)
*Down Speed Storm (Makes every other player have x0.5 speed for a specified duration)
-Suggested by Seiromem:
*Shield (Protects you from 1 physical blow)
*Trap (Damages any player who crosses it, even the player who set the trap)
*Swarm (Monsters appear on the map and attacks players)

The game hopefully will include a player select (shouldn't be too hard) and a campaign that, when played, unlocks new characters and maps. This is all the ideas a came up with, most of the power-ups are good ideas (at least I think so) however, I wish to find a gamemode that would be fun and sounds great to play (idk, can't word the second reason quite right)

EDIT: I was thinking of adding a health bar, a slot for players to hold a power up, and instead of sprint (for now) change it to a basic attack (semi-range/close attack). Might make the game interesting. Of course, if I go with a gamemode that would allow for combat, otherwise just make landing hits cause stunning.

Thank you for your time and please leave any ideas you come up with :3 any are helpful <3

*NEW* Powerups (Powerups I have thought of/inspired from other games)
*Lightning Shrink (Opponents get shrunk for a span of time and can be stepped to take points/health away/stun them. Shrunk players can not pick up items or capture flags, also dropping any flag they are carrying)
*Teleport (Moves you to a random location on the map)
*Fly (Allows you to go over pits)
*Meteor (A Meteor lands randomly on the map, changing the field for a short time w/ damage to nearby players)
*Bag'O'Points (The player who is carrying this generates points, like KTC, however, the player can't pick up items or capture a flag unless they use it to get a sum of points. The longer held the more points obtained when used. Players can grab this to earn points and when used the sum of points is collective)
*Giant (Like Lightning Shrink but inverse, player becomes huge for a span of time and other players can be stepped on, causing numerous effects. Giant player can not capture flags or p/u items)

NOTE: I changed this to general since these ideas can be applied to pretty much any platform and can be useful none-the-less!

{OPEN} Mirror Mirror:
I wish for a mirror object like one from the default RTP in a character sheet. It would be really nice and super cool if you can make its animation (when turning dif directions like a door and/or a chest for example of animation) have a doppelganger appear in the mirror and jump out. Perhaps have the sprite sheet set up as:

Down(Mirror is normal)
Left(Mirror shows reflection)
Right(Mirror shows reflection altered; like it changes to an evil reflection/monster)
Up(Evil reflection/monster pops out of the mirror, but top half only since it is coming out of the mirror and is still partially in it)

I would like the character to be the one from RTP in character sheet "Actor3" The Top-Middle-Right one with the purple hair.

{CLOSED} Grabber: Done by Me
For this sprite, I wish it to be a giant hand, something like the ones from the Legend of Zelda series that bring Link back to the beginning of the Temple (I think their called WallMasters). I would like it if it had a grab animation as well. You can surprise me on the sprite's color. I would also like the grabbers to be the size of a boss.

{OPEN} Gate:
This sprite I wish to be a gate that fits the theme of the 8th wall in the Inside tileset_A4. It can be a recoloring of !$Gate2 to make it easy on ya.

{OPEN} Baby Carriage/Cradle:
I would like a baby carriage or cradle that fits the RTP default style. Perhaps colored in a creepy color. I would like it to be the size of an average sprite (person like an Actor3 sprite).

All credit will be given to you for the sprite and you will be mentioned in the credits.

The sprites are for the game Hall01 (Link at bottom) in case you wish to get a feel/wondering what it will be used for.

This is the link to Hall01!

I want to change the screen's tint based on a variable, I know Ruby is different from Java but the only thing I can think of is something like:

if (Var != Current_Var) {
Color_Tone_Red = Current_Var
Color_Tone_Green = Current_Var
Color_Tone_Blue = Current_Var
Var = Current_Var
} end if

A PseudoCode of what I wish to desire, given that Var is within the boundaries of the color tones (max value at 200 || 250). I would have the script in an event that performs a parallel process running. Unless there is an easier way to increment color tones (besides {Tint Screen...} which changes the screen to a set value)

PS: Forgot to submit this for a few hours, which is not very helpful... hehe...

So I have thought up a few controls for my game I'm making. As soon as I got to the end of the Keyboard mapping I only thought "Surgeon Simulator: Keyboard Controls" so I looked up to see if I can map to a Controller and opted to map to a Xbox 360 controller by default. So is there a way to make the Keyboard less messy looking? Here is the mapping I made, hope you can read:

Keyboard Mapping:
-Keyboard Controls (Keep)
Press {W} || {↑} to move upwards
Press {S} || {↓} to move downwards
Press {D} || {→} to move rightwards
Press {A} || {←} to move leftwards
Press {B} to turn off the light source
Press {F} to turn on the light source, press again to cycle through available light sources, if only one available pressing again turns light source off
Press {tab} || {esc} to pause game/access menu/cancel choices
Press {R} to rotate/cycle through party members
Press {(Space)} to interact
Hold {shift ↑(left)} to sprint
Hold {V} to bring up vision obj (ie Camera)
-Keyboard Controls (Edit)
Press {U} to cycle between vision objs
Press {J} to attack
Press {H} for special
Press {N} to switch between specials
Press {M} for map (if present)
Press {P} || {;} || {[} for powered mode
Press {} to pick up/hold/throw objects

Controller Mapping:
Press (Start) to pause game/access menu/cancel choices
Press (Back) for map (if present)
Press (A) to interact/confirm
Press (B) to attack/cancel
Press (X) for powered mode
Press (Y) for special
Press (Left bumper) to pick up/hold/grab objects
Hold (Left trigger) to sprint
Press (Right bumper) to turn on/off the light source
Hold (Right trigger) to bring up a vision obj (ie Camera)
Use (D-pad) to move
Use (Left stick ↕) to cycle between objects of column
Use (Left stick ↔) to cycle between objects you wish to change (Light Source/Visual Obj/Key Item/Weapon)
Press (Left stick) ???
Use (Right stick ↕) to switch between specials
Use (Right stick ↔) to rotate/cycle through party members
Use (Right stick) to rotate object (if your holding one)
Press (Right stick) to chat with party

NOTE: I cleaned up controller so you can read it better, the Keyboard... not so much...

2nd NOTE: I did not test these yet, it's a "planning phase" but I wish to clean up the Keyboard Mapping before I try implementing it (cuz it seems like Tartarus to try implementing that mess out). However, I LOVE how I mapped the Controller (or is the controller messy also?).

3rd NOTE: I add additional keys to either help a player choose what keys to use or to help the player at a critical moment (hence why I have a target area for the "Powered" key). I'm always bad at trying to innovate the keyboard like my game "Meava Shinnon" where I always try to opt for the best interest of the player but end up making it clunky and bad.

4th NOTE: Was going to ask what I could do for left trigger but then changed left bumper to left trigger and made left bumper a p/u object key. No key exists for the keyboard for this function as it needs to be cleaned up a little first...

QUESTION: How do I keep from making the keyboard controls "clunky"? && How do I fix the mapping that I have already created?

GAME: The game is a horror that traverses through different, large areas. Like an open world horror type game. Combat is an overworld (combat in horror?) even though most mobs will not be combative (meaning RUN!). I have my reasons for adding certain things in, even though it looks like I'm doing WAY too much (which I will agree to) but...I can not remember where I was going with this... (DMV is not a very fun part of your day) So something blah something... the game is spoopy if you're wondering what the point was (or A point).

Too tired to think of what else to say... except Thank You for reading this and helping me fix it.

EDIT: Had to change "" to "{}" as it was causing problems in the article...

EXTRA EDIT: The {B} key for turning a light source off is a reference to Markiplier's let's play of Dungeon Nightmares. I wish to keep the light source usage mechanics please :3

UPDATE:
I would like to give my players options, perhaps I should look for a script that allows you to change key bindings for Keyboard (Then options to change controller mapping)

The reason for why {V} is mapped where it is is to create slight discomfort to the player when they need to use a visual obj to see a monster nearby, but not inhibiting them the ability to hit {space}. So {V} is ment to be held by the left thumb and not one of the other fingers. {B} also works in this fashion if you understand how its mapped relative to the keyboard.

The reason why I want an additional button for pause is because I had to many experiences in Minecraft for this. There have been countless times, not as much as it used to been, that for no apparent reason the {esc} key would suddonly stop working (luckily I found a method to get out of the game thanks to hitting a button that my computer has multiple that took me outside of the game) so I'm adding another button to both help me (in case the {esc} breaks again as it could happen in another game) and anyone who may not have the {esc} still on their keyboard.

Just as a general question, I don't mean to cause any uproar of any kind about thievery, but I was wondering:

How much over editing is needed to make a sprite original?

Just using a sprite as a base of reference, can you keep small qualities of that sprite as long as you edit it so much that it would be hard to see if they are related?

If not, how can you make a sprite without infringing on someone else's work?

NOTE: I am a little tired as it is in the early morning so sorry if the question is not being asked properly.

UPDATE (3/24/2015-2:13AM)
Now the reason why am asking this question is because sprite creation seems to be similar to the Ship of Theseus Paradox (but altered). Logically if you make a sprite from scratch, no matter how infinite the number is, there is always a chance that you will create a sprite that someone else did or close to. So the question is if that number does occur, would the sprite that you made from scratch be considered plagiarism or your own? What/Where are the exact rules for when something is considered plagiarism or not?

I know this thought may not be completely relevant to the case, but it's something standing in my way of knowing how this originality works.

However here is another question: Does telling you that I used a sprite for a base or drawing inspiration from that sprite base impact on how you consider the sprite as a whole to be original or not?

Another thing, if drawing inspiration from something makes it not completely original, then nothing really would be original then, would it? If not, then what are the levels and fine lines of how original a specific thing can be? Is there a rating system to originality?

I maybe asking a lot of questions (even though its early in the morning again) but I want to know/see what the answers are to these questions.

Also, is there a system for telling how much a sprite is similar to another sprite? (The tiredness came back again... Odd questionings now...)

Just a last NOTE: I am perfectly fine with saying that I drew inspiration from the original sprite. I will try to contact the original creator for other related discussions.

UPDATE (3/24/2015-9:15PM)
►(This symbol will be used to highlight the paragraphs that are slightly important and may be referred to to be answered or to make an important read/clarification)
Sprite used for base (Top-Right) "Sprite #1":
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Vk1cXQ9uKd8/S3WD_kSWO0I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/W1gjQmqnSds/s320/RPG_Maker_VX_Sprites_IMP__by_NWinmore.png

End result sprite "Sprite #2":
http://fav.me/d8mt6cn

►I should clarify a lil what I mean on using Sprite #1 as a base for Sprite #2. I'll also tell what I exactly did to get what I have. When I refer to Sprite #1 as a base, I mean using its outline except for a couple features (Eyes, pixel for a nose, ). So more of an outline, after I got the outline I edited the outline a bit (Widen legs and feet, compressed the torso, raised the height, made the ears pronounced as being further back). Then I edited the eyes a little, moved the eyes and nose around, then added color. The only color palette I kept was the white, black, and green. The brown was my color palette and I shaded it myself (I has shading skills :3). I have noticed aspects of Sprite #1 are not original since eyes and feet style are from other RTP sprites. The tail is the only thing left that I did not edit (besides the pupils, irises, pixel for nose, and ears shape ).

►Sprite #2 is NOT a fox! (Fox like maybe but still not a fox) Here're references of what Sprite #2 is suppose to be with a quick synopsis of what it is:

A gallery to see what they actually look like
http://tmc-on-devart.deviantart.com/gallery/34948925/Total-Meava

The best reference I have
http://fav.me/d3bt6nl

►Sprite #2 is a Meava (Me-va), they are a race that stand at about 2'0" (2'4.5" if including antennas ). The part that are perceived as the ears are actually the antennas, which are used to receive and send signals to their own kind. To an extension, the antennas are ears but not enough to be called ears as their ear canals are located at the base of the antennas. There is a variety of breeds depending mainly on their environment.

►When I was asking the comparison of Sprite #1 to Sprite #2 I was asking could you tell if I did not say anything, and you decided one day to be random and just compare sprites to one another, that the two sprites were related in any way. (Besides having a slight RTP feeling to them?)

►The Main Question/Thought for why topic exists:
Let's say you start with a basic sprite base. You then start editing the sprite heavily, until you are happy with what you created. Looking back at the original sprite you used to start with, it looks little to nothing like the sprite you resulted with, except for some small details that only you yourself can call out. The question becomes, was the sprite you made original, inspiration, or plagiarism to the sprite that you used?
{This is a slight alteration to "The Ship of Theseus" paradox}

I know originality is "from scratch" (and that inspiration is an influence on the piece) does the level of "inspiration" influence the originality of something? (Actually going to answer this myself since I see a recursion among the answers as "Yes") However hearing how something was made, especially the answers that have been given so far, influence its originality. Speaking vs Hushing seems to play a lot in if something can be evaluated as originality.

I could just as easily have lied and said "I made the sprite from scratch with influence from " or even just cut the source out and it may seem (in theory) no one would be the wiser. However, because of how honest I am I admit that I did not make the sprite completely from scratch, and now its "authenticity of originality" is in question. This brings me to the thought of Brain Games' episode "Paranormal" Game #5, where people suddenly have a change of thought when they are told something. Then when they were told the truth, their thoughts change.

►Last NOTE: I have had lil to no luck in finding a means of contacting the original maker of the artwork. Either I am dumb or this site is bananars, but could any of you try deciphering the site owner or maker starting with the site link here:
http://2120.cl/rpg-maker-vx-95b44-sprite-c6ae6
(as this is the only known link to the sprite that I have found)

PS: Sprite #1 is originally for RPG Maker VX as Sprite #2 is intended for RPG Maker VX Ace. Also that I am working with RPGM VXA if you are wondering.