Sigma Busters: Official Discussion Thread

[Glubbfubb]

B it is then.

Next up is EPSILON, but the sketches aren't finished so that'll have to wait for another day. Unlike Wynnie where most of the designs were focused on different heads, the EPSILON designs are drastically different from each other, so we'll see how that goes. For now, though, I'm off to bed. Good night!

I'm off to bed too, I'll call it a night.

 

[Glubbfubb]

One the finishing touches for my menu, sorry for the glacial pace, school was total hell, I hope to continue at a brisker pace

 

[Glubbfubb]

I have been discussing with some other game designers, the next course of action when designing my game is to optimize my code rather than make new stuff. Optimizing my code allows me to iterate on it better, so when I go onto adding new characters, the code for said characters will be more smooth and organized. It's small progress, but I want a solid base of code so I can make a fully stable game. So I apologize for the glacial speed of content at the time.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Starting tomorrow, I am going to get some work done. Once summer roles around, I will have more opportunities to work so hopefully I won't progress at a glacial pace. I do still want to talk since it keeps my motivation going.

Thanks for everyone waiting for progress, especially Kirbeh , I am interested on what everyone else is doing

 

[Glubbfubb]

Kirbeh Good news! I got menus to work, and in a way that is rather simple to produce, I got the title screen working and part of the character select screen working.

Progress is going good, trying to optimize my spaghetti code better but the game is still on, LETS GO, anyway any updates on your stuff?

 

[Kirbeh]

Kirbeh Good news! I got menus to work, and in a way that is rather simple to produce, I got the title screen working and part of the character select screen working.

Progress is going good, trying to optimize my spaghetti code better but the game is still on, LETS GO, anyway any updates on your stuff?

Unfortunately, very little progress on my end. Been occupied with other/extra work. Probably will be for the next few weeks. I'll try to squeeze something in at some point, but I'm kind of strapped for time until the end of May.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Unfortunately, very little progress on my end. Been occupied with other/extra work. Probably will be for the next few weeks. I'll try to squeeze something in at some point, but I'm kind of strapped for time until the end of May.

I can wait, finals is in May so I may or may not be busy as well, but any progress is good progess

 

[BruceTubetheScratcher]

I forgot if this counts as a necropost or not but...

Erm...
What the sigma?

 

[Glubbfubb]

I forgot if this counts as a necropost or not but...

Erm...
What the sigma?

The Double Sigma is the name of a ship lost for a century in space before returning... with some strange creatures from outside the galaxy, read the OP

 

[Kirbeh]

I forgot if this counts as a necropost or not but...

Erm...
What the sigma?

A thread needs to have been inactive for a significant amount of time for a new reply to be considered necroposting. Though it's a low population thread, the thread is still active.

 

[BruceTubetheScratcher]

Anyways I was referencing a meme and making a pun at the same time.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Update on life, been in the middle of this painful school assignment, I hope that after assignment is done I can get back into Sigma Busters

 

[Kirbeh]

Got to work on the write up a little today so I might just post Wynnie on her own at some point next week and reorder things a bit.

Another thing is that I've mulling over your Stygian/Dreadmaw idea. I think I did mention before that one of my own characters overlaps a bit (though not in quite the same way) so I was wondering if you'd be interested in just using her outright. Not as a member of the cast proper but as a guest character.

This was a suggestion I was going to save for the "Challengers Approaching" section of the write up, but I figured I'd propose it early since I was trying to brainstorm some stuff for your lynx/bat character.

Mind you, outside of the feline species and the ability to sprout bat wings, my character is very different from what you had in mind for Shae.

Spoiler

I still haven't actually settled on a name for her (or a majority of my roster honestly) but her gimmick is based on Ashi-taka's cursed arm from the Ghibli film Princess Mononoke, hence the partial similarity/parallel compared to your concept for Shae. She doesn't go outright berserk, but she can charge power in her cursed arm to unleash strong attacks with it, though at the cost of dealing damage to herself in the process. the bat-like wings (not pictured) actually come into play as part of the curse, being an upgrade that you can build towards to gain extra jumps and some new mobility options.

Outside of the lore and potential gimmick similarities, I know her actual character design probably isn't what you're looking for, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to bring her up. As far as potential guests go, I don't know if you intend to keep the "no humans" rule that you have for the main cast. Otherwise, I can't say I have too many options from my personal projects. Given the more fantasy setting, my fighting game character ideas are almost exclusively humans or human-like species like elves and kemonomimi of varying types.

Another random thing I did was attempt to merge our ideas by making the berserker a boss character. With Shae/"Shae" being their daughter, and rather than being fully corrupted themselves it's the father who succumbed. Now, they're on a mission to free their father from the Dreadmaw so he can be put to rest. Given how different my character is, I figured you might not take to the idea but even if we toss it, I still think it'd be neat to sprinkle in some proper boss characters aside from LAMBDA.

The design is- not great if I can be perfectly honest (I threw it together pretty quickly and without too much thought put into it), but I'd like to keep workshopping some sort of Stygian/Dreadmaw boss character if that's okay.

Spoiler

The idea was to have them use the whole "killed by a G'nat stinger" thing hence why he's impaled through the heart. His bat wing and head are skeletal, with a bit of his spinal column protruding as spikes too. Then you have some Dreadmaw ooze having basically taken over a portion of his body, extending from his wound and serving as the other arm where it would, in theory, be able to morph into different shapes for some attacks. And yes, I realize the long tail is inaccurate to a lynx, but I forgor that was the species basis at the time.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Got to work on the write up a little today so I might just post Wynnie on her own at some point next week and reorder things a bit.

Another thing is that I've mulling over your Stygian/Dreadmaw idea. I think I did mention before that one of my own characters overlaps a bit (though not in quite the same way) so I was wondering if you'd be interested in just using her outright. Not as a member of the cast proper but as a guest character.

This was a suggestion I was going to save for the "Challengers Approaching" section of the write up, but I figured I'd propose it early since I was trying to brainstorm some stuff for your lynx/bat character.

Mind you, outside of the feline species and the ability to sprout bat wings, my character is very different from what you had in mind for Shae.

Spoiler

I still haven't actually settled on a name for her (or a majority of my roster honestly) but her gimmick is based on Ashi-taka's cursed arm from the Ghibli film Princess Mononoke, hence the partial similarity/parallel compared to your concept for Shae. She doesn't go outright berserk, but she can charge power in her cursed arm to unleash strong attacks with it, though at the cost of dealing damage to herself in the process. the bat-like wings (not pictured) actually come into play as part of the curse, being an upgrade that you can build towards to gain extra jumps and some new mobility options.

Outside of the lore and potential gimmick similarities, I know her actual character design probably isn't what you're looking for, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to bring her up. As far as potential guests go, I don't know if you intend to keep the "no humans" rule that you have for the main cast. Otherwise, I can't say I have too many options from my personal projects. Given the more fantasy setting, my fighting game character ideas are almost exclusively humans or human-like species like elves and kemonomimi of varying types.

View attachment 389102

Another random thing I did was attempt to merge our ideas by making the berserker a boss character. With Shae/"Shae" being their daughter, and rather than being fully corrupted themselves it's the father who succumbed. Now, they're on a mission to free their father from the Dreadmaw so he can be put to rest. Given how different my character is, I figured you might not take to the idea but even if we toss it, I still think it'd be neat to sprinkle in some proper boss characters aside from LAMBDA.

The design is- not great if I can be perfectly honest (I threw it together pretty quickly and without too much thought put into it), but I'd like to keep workshopping some sort of Stygian/Dreadmaw boss character if that's okay.

Spoiler

The idea was to have them use the whole "killed by a G'nat stinger" thing hence why he's impaled through the heart. His bat wing and head are skeletal, with a bit of his spinal column protruding as spikes too. Then you have some Dreadmaw ooze having basically taken over a portion of his body, extending from his wound and serving as the other arm where it would, in theory, be able to morph into different shapes for some attacks. And yes, I realize the long tail is inaccurate to a lynx, but I forgor that was the species basis at the time.
View attachment 389101

If you make the first design more PG I'll be happy to include her in a later date, again I don't want overly fanservicy designs, but the base design has promise.

Again these are just concepts, I sorta wanna focus on the core cast we have now, Shae was intended to be a future update character after the original 12.

 

[Kirbeh]

If you make the first design more PG I'll be happy to include her in a later date, again I don't want overly fanservicy designs, but the base design has promise.

Again these are just concepts, I sorta wanna focus on the core cast we have now, Shae was intended to be a future update character after the original 12.

I'm fine just dropping the idea then. If she doesn't fit, she doesn't fit. I figured that'd be the case, just thought I'd ask since I thought her concept was similar enough to fill Shae's role in case that idea got stuck anywhere.

On the subject of the original 12 though, where are we with that exactly?

Aremi
Ahab
Levi
Wynnie
Kowalski
Weevle
LAMBDA

are there for sure, that's 7

I motioned to move Chell up and you also added Rudder, that's 9

Wyrm and Tamm would make 10, EPSILON is in limbo and the Myten Queen is in the DLC bin. They would make 12 but I thought the latter two were benched for now?

 

[Glubbfubb]

I'm fine just dropping the idea then. If she doesn't fit, she doesn't fit. I figured that'd be the case, just thought I'd ask since I thought her concept was similar enough to fill Shae's role in case that idea got stuck anywhere.

On the subject of the original 12 though, where are we with that exactly?

Aremi
Ahab
Levi
Wynnie
Kowalski
Weevle
LAMBDA

are there for sure, that's 7

I motioned to move Chell up and you also added Rudder, that's 9

Wyrm and Tamm would make 10, EPSILON is in limbo and the Myten Queen is in the DLC bin. They would make 12 but I thought the latter two were benched for now?

Whatever number makes a good enough roster, I just mean to focus on the core cast right now. I'll get back to work on the game in a few days, but right now I am in that awkward limbo where I am free to talk, but my energy is preoccupied by other tasks right now.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Imagining something story wise, you think since Aremi is isolated from the rest of the galaxy due to her planets past, her personality is more whimsical and lighthearted compared to the more grounded rest of the cast, it's like you put Crash Bandicoot or Rayman in the setting of a Star Wars film. Not saying Aremi lacks seriousness, she has her own issues like a lack of purpose, a sense of just being in a routine, and just wanting some change in her life. That is why she initially took accidentally hitching a ride to the Double Sigma as an opportunity to see the galaxy, since she never been to much places, but as she discovers the gravitas of everything around her, her character hardens into someone less humorous and gets homesick.

Ironically this can contrast what im thinking for Weevle's character to be like, she was from a hellish part of the galaxy and after joining LAMBDA's crusade feels more at home with the Double Sigma since she feels safe there. She isn't a bad guy per say, she is kind hearted and friendly to a fault, since she is you know a kid. She basically treats her evil duties like some kid's chores from a parent, it's all she knows. Therefore her arc is either finding a truly safe sanctuary for herself and her people, or getting out of LAMBDA's shadow and do something great for her own.

My intentions with the plot is explore archetypes in sci-fi stories, explore why people do the way they do. Maybe there isn't one true antagonist, LAMBDA is just the final boss because they are a major obstacle in the paths of the other characters. LAMBDA may not be a cold ai, but someone who grew beyond their programming and rebel against an even greater evil. Stuff to think about really.

 

[Kirbeh]

Imagining something story wise, you think since Aremi is isolated from the rest of the galaxy due to her planets past, her personality is more whimsical and lighthearted compared to the more grounded rest of the cast, it's like you put Crash Bandicoot or Rayman in the setting of a Star Wars film. Not saying Aremi lacks seriousness, she has her own issues like a lack of purpose, a sense of just being in a routine, and just wanting some change in her life. That is why she initially took accidentally hitching a ride to the Double Sigma as an opportunity to see the galaxy, since she never been to much places, but as she discovers the gravitas of everything around her, her character hardens into someone less humorous and gets homesick.

Ironically this can contrast what im thinking for Weevle's character to be like, she was from a hellish part of the galaxy and after joining LAMBDA's crusade feels more at home with the Double Sigma since she feels safe there. She isn't a bad guy per say, she is kind hearted and friendly to a fault, since she is you know a kid. She basically treats her evil duties like some kid's chores from a parent, it's all she knows. Therefore her arc is either finding a truly safe sanctuary for herself and her people, or getting out of LAMBDA's shadow and do something great for her own.

My intentions with the plot is explore archetypes in sci-fi stories, explore why people do the way they do. Maybe there isn't one true antagonist, LAMBDA is just the final boss because they are a major obstacle in the paths of the other characters. LAMBDA may not be a cold ai, but someone who grew beyond their programming and rebel against an even greater evil. Stuff to think about really.

I'm on lunch break at work so I'm just skimming Smashboards rn, but I like this angle a lot.

I do actually have some questions regarding other aspects of the story and specific character arcs, so I'll try to post those later if I don't immediately fall asleep once I'm back home.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Adding more to LAMBDA's characterization, maybe they are considered evil because they go against the protocol of whoever built them. Think about it, the Double Sigma was a ship designed to be a grand addition to the fleet of the CGC, but take a look into it more. It's decked out with powerful weaponry, has the capabilities of interdimensional travel, and can house and transfer several dangerous animals not native outside the galaxy. To an outsider that could be easily used as a superweapon.

Now think of LAMBDA, their protocol is to protect the Double Sigma from potential threats, to them, the natives of the planets outside the galaxy are no more dangerous than the people in the galaxy. In other words they aren't innately threats. Now imagine examining their culture and discovering that most face issues of their own, but still the people help you and gain new resources. This can shift the prime directive of LAMBDA, shifting from protecting the Double Sigma from outside forces to using the Double Sigma as protection for said outside forces. From that perspective LAMBDA isn't evil, they could even be seen as heroic to some. But regardless they still have technology no other person should have so they should be stopped for the safety of the universe, but is it worth it?

Taking it this way, I could see EPSILON as working, but in a heavily reworked way. Basically the direct opposite of LAMBDA in that they have a prime directive beneficial to the galaxy, but not exactly something good in practice, a good deconstruction if you ask me.

 

[Kirbeh]

Adding more to LAMBDA's characterization, maybe they are considered evil because they go against the protocol of whoever built them. Think about it, the Double Sigma was a ship designed to be a grand addition to the fleet of the CGC, but take a look into it more. It's decked out with powerful weaponry, has the capabilities of interdimensional travel, and can house and transfer several dangerous animals not native outside the galaxy. To an outsider that could be easily used as a superweapon.

Now think of LAMBDA, their protocol is to protect the Double Sigma from potential threats, to them, the natives of the planets outside the galaxy are no more dangerous than the people in the galaxy. In other words they aren't innately threats. Now imagine examining their culture and discovering that most face issues of their own, but still the people help you and gain new resources. This can shift the prime directive of LAMBDA, shifting from protecting the Double Sigma from outside forces to using the Double Sigma as protection for said outside forces. From that perspective LAMBDA isn't evil, they could even be seen as heroic to some. But regardless they still have technology no other person should have so they should be stopped for the safety of the universe, but is it worth it?

Taking it this way, I could see EPSILON as working, but in a heavily reworked way. Basically the direct opposite of LAMBDA in that they have a prime directive beneficial to the galaxy, but not exactly something good in practice, a good deconstruction if you ask me.

With the robots being more gray area characters simply following their protocol (albeit with some autonomy and interpretation) do you have any plans for a "proper" villain so to speak. Someone who is actually evil or at least villainous in a more traditional sense where they operate in self-interest by any means necessary. While LAMBDA serves as a pseudo-boss style character, do you intend on adding an actual boss character equivalent that all characters will face at the end of a classic/arcade mode run?

Or is the current plan to just have LAMBDA be the default classic mode boss with LAMBDA facing EPSILON in their own? I do think this works just fine, but I think it'd be neat if they had a sort of Master Hand and Crazy Hand dynamic.

So, for everyone else on the roster you presumably face LAMBDA at the end of a classic run, but if you clear certain conditions EPSILON joins in too. The idea here being that their protocol is being overwritten and the two are being controlled to fight against you.

Then if clear their boss fight under certain conditions, you face one more boss, i.e. the "true" boss/villain.

 

[Glubbfubb]

With the robots being more gray area characters simply following their protocol (albeit with some autonomy and interpretation) do you have any plans for a "proper" villain so to speak. Someone who is actually evil or at least villainous in a more traditional sense where they operate in self-interest by any means necessary. While LAMBDA serves as a pseudo-boss style character, do you intend on adding an actual boss character equivalent that all characters will face at the end of a classic/arcade mode run?

Or is the current plan to just have LAMBDA be the default classic mode boss with LAMBDA facing EPSILON in their own? I do think this works just fine, but I think it'd be neat if they had a sort of Master Hand and Crazy Hand dynamic.

So, for everyone else on the roster you presumably face LAMBDA at the end of a classic run, but if you clear certain conditions EPSILON joins in too. The idea here being that their protocol is being overwritten and the two are being controlled to fight against you.

Then if clear their boss fight under certain conditions, you face one more boss, i.e. the "true" boss/villain.

There are some routes I could go down with the story mode. Games like Blazblue and Guilty Gear has a special arcade mode that integrates character arcs, so maybe alongside a unified arcade mode with LAMBDA as the final boss, there could be a series of scenario modes that follow a set story line. The things with these modes is they sometimes feature a heavily buffed version of a character as a potential boss fight, so alongside the normal bosses I will have there can be some variety in scenario modes.

 

[Kirbeh]

So, I went back and started re-writing my own write up.

There are some changes/adjustments being made to the ones I'd previously posted, but not a lot so those will be revised pretty quickly. Wynnie's is close to done for this group as well.

LAMBDA's is in progress alongside EPSILON who I'm revisiting a prior idea with.

Rather than the previous batches, I intend to post a big one with 8 characters. This will include Aremi, Levi, Ahab, Chell, Wynnie, Weevle, EPSILON, and LAMBDA. The "base 8" in a sense. I didn't forget the others though. I've been putting it off for a while since I couldn't figure what to do for him, but I finally drafted a rework for Kowalski, which is as follows:

Spoiler

Fighter #9: Kowalski

BIO

Sex: M

Height: TBD

Weight: TBD


Species: Pan Troglodrake aka the “Protochimp” - A monkey-like reptilian species thought to be a link between mammals and reptiles as well as the progenitor of many draconic races due the special abilities some members of the species develop.

Their bones are very durable while also being fairly flexible making them quite resilient creatures. They often craft weapons and tools from the bones of their kin, marking grave sites with skulls.

The species is rare and considered endangered, with the already dwindling population being further threatened by animal smugglers who sell them off as exotic pets and poachers who hunt them to keep their bones as trophies or to craft weapons.

They are also highly intelligent, being able to craft tools, devise plans, practice cultural/ritual activities (such as their own system of mourning and honoring their dead) and communicate with other species despite their lack of speech, opting to use gestures and a rudimentary drawing/picture-based writing system (like if cave paintings were turned into something similar to early hieroglyphics.)

Due to their high intelligence, their classification is a bit muddied, with many planets still treating them as beasts while a few recognize them as proper sapient species.


Homeworld: Viprin (I don't know if you have a designated home planet for their species)


Story Intro –

Spoiler

He awakens to find himself in an old rusty cage, a tracking device strapped around his ankle. His brethren surround him, all unconscious, and also in cages. They all sit in the cargo bay of a ship, it's destination unknown.


Before he can truly collect himself, there is a loud “bang” and the whole ship shakes, his cage falling from its place. The impact breaks the lock of cage door and the door creaks, falling open as the cage had been knocked over onto it's side. Dazed, he crawls out of the cage and tries to make sense of the situation, though again, before he can even start, alarms blare, and the sounds of heavy footfall can be heard from the floor above and just outside.


Head still spinning, he gets up. Though the environment and situation are unfamiliar, he instinctively knows; he is being hunted. He must escape.


As the the hurried footsteps draw near, he scans the room. Among the now messy room of knocked over cargo likes an overturned crate, in it, his spear and tools. Draped over another is a large cloth and the jacket of an old, long abandoned uniform.


He quickly gathers his things and drapes the jacket over himself and the cloth over the cage he'd been occupying. He then moves to a corner and lies still as the door to the cargo by opens.


Many figures file in and begin to assess the damage and begin cleaning up. It won't be long until they find his cage, remove the cloth and find it empty. Though he must save his brethren, he is outnumbered and in an unknown place.


For now, he resolves to escape alone. Slipping out the door while using the jacket for cover, he finds himself in a hall. Smoke fills the hall making a bit hard to see, but he discerns some light seeping in from a large open window; there's his exit.


He breaks into a run down the hall, shouts echoing behind him as his empty cage is discovered. Just as he reaches the window however, he feels a presence right behind him. Another room faces the window and it's occupants stepped out just in time spot the escapee.


A large hand reaches out through the smoke and quickly grabs hold, but as they pull back, all they have is a jacket. The name tag reads Kowalski.

Background – Dubbed Kowalski by his captors, Kowalski and his colony of Protochimps were captured by poachers and being transported to a black-market trading hub to be sold to the highest bidder. En route however, a rival gang attacks the poachers, creating an opportunity for Kowalski to escape.

While Kowalski is successful in his escape, the poachers are also successful in driving away their rivals and getting back on track. The ship drives off into the distance as Kowalski watches on, determined to find his way to wherever it's going, and free the other Protochimps.

Kowalski himself was a sort of shaman among his colony, capable of manipulating small objects to move or seemingly animate them, including the ability to use this ability to propel himself to jump higher and strike harder than other Protochimps.

Likes: TBD


Dislikes: TBD


Skills: TBD


Notes/Other: As part of this move set revision, I am also proposing a size change for Kowalski to make him much smaller. Both to better fit the proposed move set and to counterbalance the now abundant large/heavy characters (LAMBDA, Rudder, Ahab, Chell, etc.)

He'd be on the smaller side but is still not the smallest, being larger/taller than Wyrm, Weevle and Aremi but smaller than Levi and Wynnie.

Minor story note: the uniform with the Kowalski name tag belonged to someone who worked on the ship before it was stolen by the poachers, hence why they go ahead and name him that. None of the thugs themselves are named Kowalski.


GAMEPLAY

Archetype: Spacer/Zoner

Gimmick

Strengths

• Good reach
  
• High jumps
  
• Reliable projectiles
  
• Varied recovery options using Up Special, Forward Air, and Down Air

Weaknesses

• Light; easy to launch
  
• Requires more careful spacing and precision for some attacks
  
• Individual attacks aren't very strong

STATS (Graded from a lowest of E- to A+ at the highest)

Walk Speed - D
Run Speed - C+
Traction - C+
Jump - A-
Air Acceleration - B-
Fall Speed - B
Weight - D+


MOVELIST

Ground Attacks


Neutral Attack: Fury Spear – Two short spear swipes followed a rapid jab of short spear thrusts.

Forward Tilt: Spear Thrust – A long reaching, forward spear thrust. Can be angled.

Back Tilt: Back Kick – Kowalski performs a short hop, using his spear for balance while kicking backward.

Up Tilt: Sky Thrust – An upward spear thrust, has good reach but a thin hitbox.

Down Tilt: Ground Thrust – Kowalski thrusts his spear forward along the ground.

Dash Attack: Leaping Monkey – Kowalski performs a short flying kick.


Charge Attacks


Side Charge: Spear Smash – Kowalski will rear back and then perform a downward swing, slamming the length of his staff into the ground.

Up Charge: Springboard Staff – Kowalski will stab his staff's spearhead into the ground and bend it backward. He'll then kick off the ground and fling himself upward, hitting opponents. This move will launch both Kowalski and caught opponents into the air where he can then follow up with any of his aerial attacks.

Down Charge: Roundhouse Swing – Kowalski will stab his staff's spearhead into the ground and then perform a sweep kick while swinging around it.


Aerial Attacks


Neutral Air: Spinning Spear – Kowalski spins his spear for a short-range, multi-hit attack.

Forward Air: Piercing Thrust – Similar to forward tilt, this move can be angled upward or downward. This version however deals more damage and has more end lag as Kowalski throws all his weight into it. If it his a wall, the spear will lodge itself, allowing Kowalski to briefly stall and jump up.

Back Air: Spear Slash – Kowalski swings his spear backward for a quick strike. Fast, with good reach, but not very strong.

Up Air: Primate Kick – A strong upward kick in a wide arc. Useful for juggles.

Down Air: Pogo Spear – A downward spear thrust than bounces Kowalski upward on contact. Will bounce when hitting enemies or off of projectiles, including his own. Won't work on explosives as the bounce will cause them to explode.


Throws


Grab: Monkey Hop – Kowalski has a unique grab where he performs a high hop a short distance forward, attempting to land on the opponent. If successful, he'll hold onto their upper body after which he can pummel or perform throws like normal.

Pummel: Monkey Fang – Kowalski will bite at the opponent.

Forward Throw: Monkey Kick – Kowalski will kick off of the opponent, launching them forward as he flips back and lands on the ground.

Back Throw: Monkey Slam – Similar on startup to Monkey Kick, but instead Kowalski will flip back while still holding onto the opponent, slamming them into the ground as they land.

Up Throw: Monkey Flip - Kowalski will grab the opponent by the shoulders while performing a forward flip off of the them. At the peak of his flip, he'll lift the opponent off the ground and throw them. This throw doesn't send opponents directly upward but launches them forward at a high angle.

Down Throw: Head Bonk – Kowalski hops up from the opponent and swings his spear down, smacking them on the head with the length rather than the spear head.


Special Moves

Neutral Special: Skull Stalker – Kowalski conjures a skull using spiritual energy, and sends it forward as a projectile.

Neutral Hyper: Stalking Dead – Kowalski summons a skeletal Protochimp that walks forward. The summoned skeleton will cause damage on contact while continuing to walk forward and turn around upon reaching a ledge. It will disappear after a short while or if it takes enough damage (15%).


Side Special: Bone Boomerang – Kowalski throws out a boomerang made of bone. Can be angled.

Side Hyper: Ghost Boomerang – Kowalski throws out a boomerang that tracks and homes in on opponents.


Up Special: Dragoon Jump – Kowalski jumps straight up and then comes back down delivering a strike spear strike from above.

Up Hyper: Dragon Dive – The jump goes higher and Kowalski can angle his descent, either going straight down or striking diagonally to the left or right.


Down Special: Rib Trap – Kowalski conjures some rib like bones at his feet that remain partially buried in the ground. When an opponent steps over them, the bones will clamp together, dealing light damage and launching them upward.

Down Hyper: Rib Cage – Rather than launching opponents, the bones pop out and clamp around the opponent, dealing damage and holding them in place.

HYPERMAX MOVES

Level 1: Bone Club Batter – Kowalski charges energy in his spear and swings it like a bat. High launch power but very short range. Can also be used to reflect projectiles at 2x the damage.


Level 2: Bone Staff Smasher – Similar to his forward charge, Kowalski performs an overhead swing, slamming his spear into the ground lengthwise. The key difference is that the bone shaft will elongate to the point that the reach is extended to half a stage length (using FD as the example.) Long ranged with good damage, but poor knockback.


Level 3: Bone Dragon – Kowalski uses his powers to construct a dragon made of bone and sends it flying in the direction held. Deals high damage, multi-hits as it drags opponents with it, potentially carrying them off stage and into the blast zone. Comparable to the Mario Finale in Smash Bros. But with better utility and overall power.

After the main 8 post will another with 10-12 consisting of Rudder, ?????, and ?????.

Wyrm and Tamm will get a solo post like Kowalski.

Then I'll round it off with Erycles, Guy, ????? and the multiple-choice selection.

 

[Glubbfubb]

So, I went back and started re-writing my own write up.

There are some changes/adjustments being made to the ones I'd previously posted, but not a lot so those will be revised pretty quickly. Wynnie's is close to done for this group as well.

LAMBDA's is in progress alongside EPSILON who I'm revisiting a prior idea with.

Rather than the previous batches, I intend to post a big one with 8 characters. This will include Aremi, Levi, Ahab, Chell, Wynnie, Weevle, EPSILON, and LAMBDA. The "base 8" in a sense. I didn't forget the others though. I've been putting it off for a while since I couldn't figure what to do for him, but I finally drafted a rework for Kowalski, which is as follows:

Spoiler

Fighter #9: Kowalski

BIO

Sex: M

Height: TBD

Weight: TBD


Species: Pan Troglodrake aka the “Protochimp” - A monkey-like reptilian species thought to be a link between mammals and reptiles as well as the progenitor of many draconic races due the special abilities some members of the species develop.

Their bones are very durable while also being fairly flexible making them quite resilient creatures. They often craft weapons and tools from the bones of their kin, marking grave sites with skulls.

The species is rare and considered endangered, with the already dwindling population being further threatened by animal smugglers who sell them off as exotic pets and poachers who hunt them to keep their bones as trophies or to craft weapons.

They are also highly intelligent, being able to craft tools, devise plans, practice cultural/ritual activities (such as their own system of mourning and honoring their dead) and communicate with other species despite their lack of speech, opting to use gestures and a rudimentary drawing/picture-based writing system (like if cave paintings were turned into something similar to early hieroglyphics.)

Due to their high intelligence, their classification is a bit muddied, with many planets still treating them as beasts while a few recognize them as proper sapient species.


Homeworld: Viprin (I don't know if you have a designated home planet for their species)


Story Intro –

Spoiler

He awakens to find himself in an old rusty cage, a tracking device strapped around his ankle. His brethren surround him, all unconscious, and also in cages. They all sit in the cargo bay of a ship, it's destination unknown.


Before he can truly collect himself, there is a loud “bang” and the whole ship shakes, his cage falling from its place. The impact breaks the lock of cage door and the door creaks, falling open as the cage had been knocked over onto it's side. Dazed, he crawls out of the cage and tries to make sense of the situation, though again, before he can even start, alarms blare, and the sounds of heavy footfall can be heard from the floor above and just outside.


Head still spinning, he gets up. Though the environment and situation are unfamiliar, he instinctively knows; he is being hunted. He must escape.


As the the hurried footsteps draw near, he scans the room. Among the now messy room of knocked over cargo likes an overturned crate, in it, his spear and tools. Draped over another is a large cloth and the jacket of an old, long abandoned uniform.


He quickly gathers his things and drapes the jacket over himself and the cloth over the cage he'd been occupying. He then moves to a corner and lies still as the door to the cargo by opens.


Many figures file in and begin to assess the damage and begin cleaning up. It won't be long until they find his cage, remove the cloth and find it empty. Though he must save his brethren, he is outnumbered and in an unknown place.


For now, he resolves to escape alone. Slipping out the door while using the jacket for cover, he finds himself in a hall. Smoke fills the hall making a bit hard to see, but he discerns some light seeping in from a large open window; there's his exit.


He breaks into a run down the hall, shouts echoing behind him as his empty cage is discovered. Just as he reaches the window however, he feels a presence right behind him. Another room faces the window and it's occupants stepped out just in time spot the escapee.


A large hand reaches out through the smoke and quickly grabs hold, but as they pull back, all they have is a jacket. The name tag reads Kowalski.

Background – Dubbed Kowalski by his captors, Kowalski and his colony of Protochimps were captured by poachers and being transported to a black-market trading hub to be sold to the highest bidder. En route however, a rival gang attacks the poachers, creating an opportunity for Kowalski to escape.

While Kowalski is successful in his escape, the poachers are also successful in driving away their rivals and getting back on track. The ship drives off into the distance as Kowalski watches on, determined to find his way to wherever it's going, and free the other Protochimps.

Kowalski himself was a sort of shaman among his colony, capable of manipulating small objects to move or seemingly animate them, including the ability to use this ability to propel himself to jump higher and strike harder than other Protochimps.

Likes: TBD


Dislikes: TBD


Skills: TBD


Notes/Other: As part of this move set revision, I am also proposing a size change for Kowalski to make him much smaller. Both to better fit the proposed move set and to counterbalance the now abundant large/heavy characters (LAMBDA, Rudder, Ahab, Chell, etc.)

He'd be on the smaller side but is still not the smallest, being larger/taller than Wyrm, Weevle and Aremi but smaller than Levi and Wynnie.

Minor story note: the uniform with the Kowalski name tag belonged to someone who worked on the ship before it was stolen by the poachers, hence why they go ahead and name him that. None of the thugs themselves are named Kowalski.


GAMEPLAY

Archetype: Spacer/Zoner

Gimmick

Strengths

• Good reach
  
• High jumps
  
• Reliable projectiles
  
• Varied recovery options using Up Special, Forward Air, and Down Air

Weaknesses

• Light; easy to launch
  
• Requires more careful spacing and precision for some attacks
  
• Individual attacks aren't very strong

STATS (Graded from a lowest of E- to A+ at the highest)

Walk Speed - D
Run Speed - C+
Traction - C+
Jump - A-
Air Acceleration - B-
Fall Speed - B
Weight - D+


MOVELIST

Ground Attacks


Neutral Attack: Fury Spear – Two short spear swipes followed a rapid jab of short spear thrusts.

Forward Tilt: Spear Thrust – A long reaching, forward spear thrust. Can be angled.

Back Tilt: Back Kick – Kowalski performs a short hop, using his spear for balance while kicking backward.

Up Tilt: Sky Thrust – An upward spear thrust, has good reach but a thin hitbox.

Down Tilt: Ground Thrust – Kowalski thrusts his spear forward along the ground.

Dash Attack: Leaping Monkey – Kowalski performs a short flying kick.


Charge Attacks


Side Charge: Spear Smash – Kowalski will rear back and then perform a downward swing, slamming the length of his staff into the ground.

Up Charge: Springboard Staff – Kowalski will stab his staff's spearhead into the ground and bend it backward. He'll then kick off the ground and fling himself upward, hitting opponents. This move will launch both Kowalski and caught opponents into the air where he can then follow up with any of his aerial attacks.

Down Charge: Roundhouse Swing – Kowalski will stab his staff's spearhead into the ground and then perform a sweep kick while swinging around it.


Aerial Attacks


Neutral Air: Spinning Spear – Kowalski spins his spear for a short-range, multi-hit attack.

Forward Air: Piercing Thrust – Similar to forward tilt, this move can be angled upward or downward. This version however deals more damage and has more end lag as Kowalski throws all his weight into it. If it his a wall, the spear will lodge itself, allowing Kowalski to briefly stall and jump up.

Back Air: Spear Slash – Kowalski swings his spear backward for a quick strike. Fast, with good reach, but not very strong.

Up Air: Primate Kick – A strong upward kick in a wide arc. Useful for juggles.

Down Air: Pogo Spear – A downward spear thrust than bounces Kowalski upward on contact. Will bounce when hitting enemies or off of projectiles, including his own. Won't work on explosives as the bounce will cause them to explode.


Throws


Grab: Monkey Hop – Kowalski has a unique grab where he performs a high hop a short distance forward, attempting to land on the opponent. If successful, he'll hold onto their upper body after which he can pummel or perform throws like normal.

Pummel: Monkey Fang – Kowalski will bite at the opponent.

Forward Throw: Monkey Kick – Kowalski will kick off of the opponent, launching them forward as he flips back and lands on the ground.

Back Throw: Monkey Slam – Similar on startup to Monkey Kick, but instead Kowalski will flip back while still holding onto the opponent, slamming them into the ground as they land.

Up Throw: Monkey Flip - Kowalski will grab the opponent by the shoulders while performing a forward flip off of the them. At the peak of his flip, he'll lift the opponent off the ground and throw them. This throw doesn't send opponents directly upward but launches them forward at a high angle.

Down Throw: Head Bonk – Kowalski hops up from the opponent and swings his spear down, smacking them on the head with the length rather than the spear head.


Special Moves

Neutral Special: Skull Stalker – Kowalski conjures a skull using spiritual energy, and sends it forward as a projectile.

Neutral Hyper: Stalking Dead – Kowalski summons a skeletal Protochimp that walks forward. The summoned skeleton will cause damage on contact while continuing to walk forward and turn around upon reaching a ledge. It will disappear after a short while or if it takes enough damage (15%).


Side Special: Bone Boomerang – Kowalski throws out a boomerang made of bone. Can be angled.

Side Hyper: Ghost Boomerang – Kowalski throws out a boomerang that tracks and homes in on opponents.


Up Special: Dragoon Jump – Kowalski jumps straight up and then comes back down delivering a strike spear strike from above.

Up Hyper: Dragon Dive – The jump goes higher and Kowalski can angle his descent, either going straight down or striking diagonally to the left or right.


Down Special: Rib Trap – Kowalski conjures some rib like bones at his feet that remain partially buried in the ground. When an opponent steps over them, the bones will clamp together, dealing light damage and launching them upward.

Down Hyper: Rib Cage – Rather than launching opponents, the bones pop out and clamp around the opponent, dealing damage and holding them in place.

HYPERMAX MOVES

Level 1: Bone Club Batter – Kowalski charges energy in his spear and swings it like a bat. High launch power but very short range. Can also be used to reflect projectiles at 2x the damage.


Level 2: Bone Staff Smasher – Similar to his forward charge, Kowalski performs an overhead swing, slamming his spear into the ground lengthwise. The key difference is that the bone shaft will elongate to the point that the reach is extended to half a stage length (using FD as the example.) Long ranged with good damage, but poor knockback.


Level 3: Bone Dragon – Kowalski uses his powers to construct a dragon made of bone and sends it flying in the direction held. Deals high damage, multi-hits as it drags opponents with it, potentially carrying them off stage and into the blast zone. Comparable to the Mario Finale in Smash Bros. But with better utility and overall power.

After the main 8 post will another with 10-12 consisting of Rudder, ?????, and ?????.

Wyrm and Tamm will get a solo post like Kowalski.

Then I'll round it off with Erycles, Guy, ????? and the multiple-choice selection.

I love the moveset rework, works quite well and adds something missing in Kowalski. The choice to make Monkey Flip its own grab now fits well as a spiritual successor to that move.

I have some story ideas, maybe this rival gang is a hoard of G'nats (Weevle's species), whether they can be feral G'nats or G'nat pirates looking for food is up to you. G'nats are essentially the Primids of this game, common enemies with a lot of variation, fitting for an insect race. Adds some contrast in that from the outset the G'nats are mindless drones, but we actually play as a G'nat and they are far from that, they are their own species that are trapped between pillaging other races for food or devolving into insane beasts. Maybe the G'nat enemies have different variants that do attacks based off Weevle's moveset, adds some subtle character growth for Weevle in that with some practice she can be the pinnacle of her species.

 

[Kirbeh]

I love the moveset rework, works quite well and adds something missing in Kowalski. The choice to make Monkey Flip its own grab now fits well as a spiritual successor to that move.

I have some story ideas, maybe this rival gang is a hoard of G'nats (Weevle's species), whether they can be feral G'nats or G'nat pirates looking for food is up to you. G'nats are essentially the Primids of this game, common enemies with a lot of variation, fitting for an insect race. Adds some contrast in that from the outset the G'nats are mindless drones, but we actually play as a G'nat and they are far from that, they are their own species that are trapped between pillaging other races for food or devolving into insane beasts. Maybe the G'nat enemies have different variants that do attacks based off Weevle's moveset, adds some subtle character growth for Weevle in that with some practice she can be the pinnacle of her species.

I don't know if it'll play well into what you have in mind, but this makes me think of having the G'nats split into 3 factions. A small group of normal/sane G'nats that were once under LAMBDA's protection on the Double Sigma but left or got separated at some point, the feral G'nats (with no real alignment as they're just feral monsters at that point,) and non-feral but mindless drone G'nats under the control of another party be it one villain or an organization. And maybe a 4th minor faction if you want to do the G'nat pirates.

Weevle would be a special case here as she's the only G'nat remaining under LAMBDA's care. Perhaps she hadn't hatched yet when all the others left which is another possible reason that she feels so attached to LAMBDA as they're the only (or one of the few and the one she's closest to) non-hostile intelligent entity she really knows.

 

[Glubbfubb]

I don't know if it'll play well into what you have in mind, but this makes me think of having the G'nats split into 3 factions. A small group of normal/sane G'nats that were once under LAMBDA's protection on the Double Sigma but left or got separated at some point, the feral G'nats (with no real alignment as they're just feral monsters at that point,) and non-feral but mindless drone G'nats under the control of another party be it one villain or an organization. And maybe a 4th minor faction if you want to do the G'nat pirates.

Weevle would be a special case here as she's the only G'nat remaining under LAMBDA's care. Perhaps she hadn't hatched yet when all the others left which is another possible reason that she feels so attached to LAMBDA as she's the only (or one of the few and the one she's closest to) non-hostile intelligent entity she really knows.

Yeah pretty much what I had in mind too, I will say some feral G'nats are on Double Sigma for research into a potential cure. To some G'nats the Double Sigma is like a second home, since while it has dangerous monsters on board and is operated by an AI, its better than the death world they come from in Diptera. I would like to emphasize that Diptera, and the larger body it orbits Mythis by proxy, are indeed death worlds. One is a barren grey wasteland devoid of life with deep cavernous recesses filled to the brim with feral G'nats and other mutant insects. While the larger Mythis is about 60% acid ocean, and 40% volcano. Diptera is the moon, Mythis is the main planet that Diptera orbits.

 

[Kirbeh]

Yeah pretty much what I had in mind too, I will say some feral G'nats are on Double Sigma for research into a potential cure. To some G'nats the Double Sigma is like a second home, since while it has dangerous monsters on board and is operated by an AI, its better than the death world they come from in Diptera. I would like to emphasize that Diptera, and the larger body it orbits Mythis by proxy, are indeed death worlds. One is a barren grey wasteland devoid of life with deep cavernous recesses filled to the brim with feral G'nats and other mutant insects. While the larger Mythis is about 60% acid ocean, and 40% volcano. Diptera is the moon, Mythis is the main planet that Diptera orbits.

Do you have any ideas for the potential third party controlling the drone G'nats?

 

[Glubbfubb]

Do you have any ideas for the potential third party controlling the drone G'nats?

The Mytens are parasites, so they could be secretly rounding up G'nats to both brainwash and expand their numbers. The strong ones become drones, and the weak and dead ones become assimilated as food.

 

[Kirbeh]

The Mytens are parasites, so they could be secretly rounding up Mytens to both brainwash and expand their numbers. The strong ones become drones, and the weak and dead ones become assimilated as food.

There's that too but I was talking aside from the planned Mytens. They're still more of a force of nature sort of deal, I was thinking of a villain(s) that characters can interact with more directly.

While not entirely necessary I do think having a memorable villain like other fighting games would go a long way. LAMBDA is built up to be a potential threat but isn't truly a villain and the Mytens I liken more to Metroids. A dangerous species to be sure but simply because of their nature as parasites trying to propagate. The Queen will probably get a striking design but there's not really a personality there.

 

[Glubbfubb]

There's that too but I was talking aside from the planned Mytens. They're still more of a force of nature sort of deal, I was thinking of a villain(s) that characters can interact with more directly.

While not entirely necessary I do think having a memorable villain like other fighting games would go a long way. LAMBDA is built up to be a potential threat but isn't truly a villain and the Mytens I liken more to Metroids. A dangerous species to be sure but simply because of their nature as parasites trying to propagate. The Queen will probably get a striking design but there's not really a personality there.

Indeed true, we need a bad guy bad guy, not something cliched like OOH THE GOVERMENT THAT MADE THE DOUBLE SIGMA IS DAH BAD GUYS WOOOOO, maybe some sort of secret sect, hiding in the shadows until all the major players are weakened so they can wreck havoc for profit/power. Haven't thought of them yet though.

 

[Kirbeh]

Indeed true, we need a bad guy bad guy, not something cliched like OOH THE GOVERMENT THAT MADE THE DOUBLE SIGMA IS DAH BAD GUYS WOOOOO, maybe some sort of secret sect, hiding in the shadows until all the major players are weakened so they can wreck havoc for profit/power. Haven't thought of them yet though.

I wasn't too fond of the "space government actually bad" angle either so I'm glad we're in agreement there. There can be some corruption and bad players involved, it wouldn't be realistic for there not to be, but I don't think they should be the actual villains. There are some unsavory characters in governance but for the most part it operates well enough and as a mostly neutral party trying to keep order in the galaxy.

Otherwise I don't actually have anything in particular in mind as of yet either. I do want to keep the consideration open though. I think we'd be remiss to not have a big bad equivalent that players can love to hate or be bad but still cool to people.

I guess for now we can try looking at some of the existing examples from Capcom like Bison, Gill, Pyron, Jedah, etc. and maybe some SNK characters like Geese or Rugal.

EDIT: We should look at examples outside the genre, and outside of games too of course, those are just the immediate ones that came to mind.

 

[Glubbfubb]

True, btw, here are my main 4 "modes" for single player content

Arcade Mode - A standard mode really, fight through a consistent order of semi-randomized fighters, some bonus games, and then fight LAMBDA at the end.

Scenario Mode - The story mode, consisting of vignettes focusing on certain characters to progress the core narrative. These vignettes are platform challenges hand-crafted for the abilities of certain characters, with bonuses to find and enemies to fight. You even have a special time trial mode for beating the level as fast as possible.

Gauntlet Mode - An endless mode of randomly generated rooms where you face various monsters for a high score, complete with boss fights too.

Minigame Mode - This is where you can play the minigames in arcade mode freely alongside some other miniegames.

 

[Kirbeh]

Semi-related spur of the moment thought, but what if space Akuma? Not as the main villain, but an Akuma style secret boss. Just an optional, super tough fight that nets you the character if you beat him (albeit a toned-down version for balance.) At first, I was only looking at his role in the early days of SFII and his Shin Akuma fight in Alpha but then I thought; he looks progressively less human as the series goes on and his association with oni could serve as inspiration for something alien. I'm not entirely sure what direction to take design wise other than the fact that they should be built and look menacing, (I just have a rough sketch of a goblin looking character rn.) Any suggestions?

I know this is a bit removed from the actual boss topic and the core cast, but since I have some time today, I want to sketch a bit while the sense of inspiration lasts.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Semi-related spur of the moment thought, but what if space Akuma? Not as the main villain, but an Akuma style secret boss. Just an optional, super tough fight that nets you the character if you beat him (albeit a toned-down version for balance.) At first, I was only looking at his role in the early days of SFII and his Shin Akuma fight in Alpha but then I thought; he looks progressively less human as the series goes on and his association with oni could serve as inspiration for something alien. I'm not entirely sure what direction to take design wise other than the fact that they should be built and look menacing, (I just have a rough sketch of a goblin looking character rn.) Any suggestions?

I know this is a bit removed from the actual boss topic and the core cast, but since I have some time today, I want to sketch a bit while the sense of inspiration lasts.

I feel that could work, though I wanted a tough superboss to be based off Orion, the Greek hunter. His lore is that he chases after several stars representing maidens he wanted to seek out, while being chased by Scorpio, the animal that killed him in life. So in this game he could be a collasal star hunter/killer, it fits for a space game like this, though I'm open to you ideas.

 

[Kirbeh]

I feel that could work, though I wanted a tough superboss to be based off Orion, the Greek hunter. His lore is that he chases after several stars representing maidens he wanted to seek out, while being chased by Scorpio, the animal that killed him in life. So in this game he could be a collasal star hunter/killer, it fits for a space game like this, though I'm open to you ideas.

That's- not an answer I was at all expecting to be honest. Outside of being a constellation, a Greek huntsman seems a bit out of left field.

Why the particular interest in Orion?

Any other details you had in mind? It's kind of vague so far. Given your "no humans" stance any suggestions for what he'd be (and suggestions for mine as well if you had something you wanted in particular for that one.)

 

[Glubbfubb]

That's- not an answer I was at all expecting to be honest. Outside of being a constellation, a Greek huntsman seems a bit out of left field.

Why the particular interest in Orion?

Any other details you had in mind? It's kind of vague so far. Given your "no humans" stance any suggestions for what he'd be (and suggestions for mine as well if you had something you wanted in particular for that one.)

Well I want to see your idea first tbh, the Orion idea popped in my head when I thought of potential boss ideas.

 

[Kirbeh]

Well I want to see your idea first tbh, the Orion idea popped in my head when I thought of potential boss ideas.

Outside of the general "space Akuma" angle I had; I don't really have a concrete direction either. I mean I sort of do, but I figured I'd ask if you had a particular idea, preference or opinion on what the species for such a character should be. Then I'd work from there and add the extra details. I know what I want them to be generally speaking, but since most of the cast are based on insects and animals, I'm trying to see what a good fit would be.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Outside of the general "space Akuma" angle I had; I don't really have a concrete direction either. I mean I sort of do, but I figured I'd ask if you had a particular idea, preference or opinion on what the species for such a character should be. Then I'd work from there and add the extra details. I know what I want them to be generally speaking, but since most of the cast are based on insects and animals, I'm trying to see what a good fit would be.

Really I feel you should look into some Egyptian myths, since there are some cool deities to base a boss off of

Apep - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Look at Apep/Apophis, this terrifying dark snake god that eats the souls of the dead and tries to eat the freaking sun. He was so feared that the ancient Egyptians prayed against him. At least the likes of Hades were respected in their home religions, even if they weren't directly worshiped for obvious reasons, Apophis was that reviled.

 

[Kirbeh]

Really I feel you should look into some Egyptian myths, since there are some cool deities to base a boss off of

Apep - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Look at Apep/Apophis, this terrifying dark snake god that eats the souls of the dead and tries to eat the freaking sun. He was so feared that the ancient Egyptians prayed against him. At least the likes of Hades were respected in their home religions, even if they weren't directly worshiped for obvious reasons, Apophis was that reviled.

I was actually looking to an Anubis or Horus inspired character but couldn't really decide. A snarling jackal could look menacing but I'm still not 100% sure of that angle.

As for Apep, I'm trying to avoid reptiles given that they account for half of the cast already. I'm also not looking to make a deity-like figure for my particular boss idea, just a really strong character with no allegiance, ready to take on anyone.

 

[Glubbfubb]

I was actually looking to an Anubis or Horus inspired character but couldn't really decide. A snarling jackal could look menacing but I'm still not 100% sure of that angle.

As for Apep, I'm trying to avoid reptiles given that they account for half of the cast already. I'm also not looking to make a deity-like figure for my particular boss idea, just a really strong character with no allegiance, ready to take on anyone.

Set/Sethan would be more in line character wise for what your going for, Anubis is more of a neutral figure who judges the dead, Set is the trollish a hole who goes around being a menace to society.

 

[Kirbeh]

Set/Sethan would be more in line character wise for what your going for, Anubis is more of a neutral figure who judges the dead, Set is the trollish a hole who goes around being a menace to society.

In this case, I'm not really looking to mythology for the lore and personality just visual design. A winged character, like a bird, would be neat, but they can't emote the way I'd want them to, hence why I dropped the idea immediately. Plus, I already have Guy in the works.

So, for now I'm trying a canine design, not sure if it'll be a jackal specifically or something else.