It's really a bit too early to do this, but since some folks are quite eager and are gently prodding me ![;)]()
, I figured I'd post something now, and add to it as I go. ![:)]()
These are actual 5200/A8 graphics (done by AA member LS_Dracon in 2010. He bowed out already because he's busy with other stuff) , mixed with mock-up ideas by me. This is what I'm going for , for the city streets. Not sure what Holmes himself will look like yet, or how many colors he'll be.
Screen Description:
Top: Holmes will talk to you as you go, as though you are Watson. If you make a mistake, he'll say (for example) "Really Watson, this will NOT do!". Some of the clues he finds are footprints. I will put in verbiage that actually appears in various canonical Holmes tales.
Middle: the gameplay area. If your Detective Powers meter is charged, you'll find clues easily. Avoid Thugs. Use Observation to notice things that are supposed to be noticed.![:)]()
There will be items to pick up & use at the right times - for example, a Gold Coin can be used to bribe a guy at a pub, or to send the Baker Street Irregulars kid off to find clues for you. Another item will be a "disguise", which Holmes will need before he enters seedy places, else he'll be attacked.
Bottom Left: the Detective Powers gauge. If you get attacked by Thugs, you lose some DP. Over time, your DP decreases slowly. But find an item or clue, you gain more, making the game easier. If DP is depleted, the mystery turns into a "three pipe problem" and you'll need to find 3 pipes to refill it. It's all Atari-era abstraction, I'm not going for boring 'realism' here!
Bottom Right: your COLOR CLUE gauges. As you find clues, colors will disappear. To illustrate: after finding footprints, Holmes might say something about the art of reading footprints (read the books!), and it may either reduce 1 SUSPECT color, or it may reduce several. Once the suspect color of RED is the last remaining SUPSECT COLOR CLUE, you know that you'll need to touch a RED character - but you'll also need to deduce which Street and Door colors too. So if you touch a RED character on a GREEN street , you'll lose DP if GREEN isn't the correct street clue. If you enter a YELLOW door into a building but that's not correct, the police will eventually come & try to nab you - trespasser!
It will make more sense once I get it playable, and there will be simpler cases leading to more complex cases of increasing difficulty.
Oh, and this is NOT based in any way on "Elementary" (although I kinda like it) or the Robert Downey, Jr "interpretations. I'm thinking of Jeremy Brett!
, I figured I'd post something now, and add to it as I go. 
These are actual 5200/A8 graphics (done by AA member LS_Dracon in 2010. He bowed out already because he's busy with other stuff) , mixed with mock-up ideas by me. This is what I'm going for , for the city streets. Not sure what Holmes himself will look like yet, or how many colors he'll be.
Screen Description:
Top: Holmes will talk to you as you go, as though you are Watson. If you make a mistake, he'll say (for example) "Really Watson, this will NOT do!". Some of the clues he finds are footprints. I will put in verbiage that actually appears in various canonical Holmes tales.
Middle: the gameplay area. If your Detective Powers meter is charged, you'll find clues easily. Avoid Thugs. Use Observation to notice things that are supposed to be noticed.
There will be items to pick up & use at the right times - for example, a Gold Coin can be used to bribe a guy at a pub, or to send the Baker Street Irregulars kid off to find clues for you. Another item will be a "disguise", which Holmes will need before he enters seedy places, else he'll be attacked.Bottom Left: the Detective Powers gauge. If you get attacked by Thugs, you lose some DP. Over time, your DP decreases slowly. But find an item or clue, you gain more, making the game easier. If DP is depleted, the mystery turns into a "three pipe problem" and you'll need to find 3 pipes to refill it. It's all Atari-era abstraction, I'm not going for boring 'realism' here!
Bottom Right: your COLOR CLUE gauges. As you find clues, colors will disappear. To illustrate: after finding footprints, Holmes might say something about the art of reading footprints (read the books!), and it may either reduce 1 SUSPECT color, or it may reduce several. Once the suspect color of RED is the last remaining SUPSECT COLOR CLUE, you know that you'll need to touch a RED character - but you'll also need to deduce which Street and Door colors too. So if you touch a RED character on a GREEN street , you'll lose DP if GREEN isn't the correct street clue. If you enter a YELLOW door into a building but that's not correct, the police will eventually come & try to nab you - trespasser!
It will make more sense once I get it playable, and there will be simpler cases leading to more complex cases of increasing difficulty.
Oh, and this is NOT based in any way on "Elementary" (although I kinda like it) or the Robert Downey, Jr "interpretations. I'm thinking of Jeremy Brett!
