MUGEN (Marvel!)
So, I've been working on a MUGEN project, having not touched MUGEN since 2009 or something... My thumb is getting sore because honestly this old USB controller is a bad one. I'm going to have to start making my own, custom characters. I mean, this is supposed to be a "Marvel Universe" game. And I want there to be a lot of choices and stuff to have fun with, a lot of stages and places in the Marvel Universe to play in.
This is really more of an experiment in game design than anything, to show that I can take stuff and put it together and make it work properly. Though I am just taking a lot of characters that someone else made and putting them in MUGEN more than anything. I think that in order for it to be 'game design' I have to somehow make my own characters, well, Marvel characters, to put in the roster.
Here are just some ideas I am throwing around in my head...
Magik:
One character I want to make, probably more than others, is Magik from the New Mutants. There's a 'helper' Magik in Cannonball's moves, maybe that would be a decent enough starting point. Thinking about the move list, you could steal some graphics from Scarlet Witch, the demons from Blackheart, etc. I am putting her here at the top of the list because she is my favorite mutant character from the New Mutants which was one of the comics that really introduced me to comic books in the mid-80's.
Warlock:
Another New Mutants character, and a favorite, Warlock has a lot of interesting possibilities, along with making his 'lifeglow' dimmer when he has less life. (The silver surfer character does this already). He is pretty malleable, so making him wacky would be good. Have Doug Ramsey as his 'helper' character. And definitely his 'selfriend' speak. (He is in an episode of x-men...) Maybe have a move where he 'infects' someone with the transmode virus?
Viper:
I am in need of more HYDRA type characters. She would go well with Silver Samurai, who is also in the roster. (He would make a good 'helper' character for her, too). Viper is basically also called Madame Hydra, so yeah. (I just saw The Wolverine, a shame that X-men movies aren't part of the MCU... they could have set up more HYDRA stuff with her in that) Overall, she would be a fighting character with a lot of helpers.
Howard the Duck:
No, I am serious. I want there to be a Howard the Duck character in this game. I mean, he can fight. He knows quack-fu. Why are you looking at me like that? At one point he had "Iron Duck" armor. (That would make a cool special) Maybe have a Man-Thing helper? I think Man-Thing would make a cool character on his own, too.
Dr. Strange:
Come on, Dr Strange is in MVC3. No one has made a MUGEN version yet? I wouldn't want a direct port of that character, it would be interesting to add some uniqueness to it, while at the same time still adding stuff. And, that reminds me to get MVC3. Damn, we don't have that?
SHIELD Operatives:
I want to have Agent Coulson. Special move... he has that gun from The Avengers. Nuff said. Agent Maria Hill also. I left spaces for more SHIELD type characters, though I don't think I would go so far as to put ones from the TV show in there other than Coulson. And possibly also a "SLJ version" of Nick Fury.
More Iron Man enemies:
I have virtually no major enemies from Iron Man in there. I mean, there's a MODOK. But no Mandarin, no Crimson Dynamo, or anything like that. I don't know how to put "Extremis" villains in there. That should be relevant. Iron Monger, Hulk-buster Armor, and the Original Iron Man suit should be in there, too. (To be fair I do have a few 'version' of Iron Man and War Machine in there, already)
Watcher Uatu:
Why am I putting this in here? Can Uatu fight anything? I don't know. It would probably just make a good stage, where he watches Earth from the Moon. (I think I already have the Blue Area of the Moon somewhere...) Or... his power is "What if..." related, and he can call alternate universe versions of characters to protect and fight for him... Also, he has a big freaking head. I think he would go Bonk's Adventure on people's asses if he could.
Other character ideas:
I definitely want more New Mutants type characters. Sunspot would be decent enough, and probably an easy character to make, though you should have him 'power up' in his intro into his all-black mode. Some Generation X characters. Emplate, Chamber, M, Penance, Husk would make decent characters too. The Reavers (because there is a Lady Deathstrike character already) would be interesting.
* Mr. Sinister
* Beyonder (I think this would probably be an overpowered character, but it would be fun to make him an endgame boss)
* Original Bucky Barnes (because I have the Bucky Cpt. America)
* Winter Soldier (again, another version of Bucky Barnes, lol)
* Cloak/Dagger (Because it would be cool)
* Impossible Man (shame on you if you don't know)
* Typhoid Mary (Daredevil enemy)
* Blade (and probably Dracula...)
* Bloodscream (Wolverine enemy, though also someone Blade could fight...)
* Albert (Robot Wolverine) and Elsie Dee (Mostly because it would be cool to have another alternate Wolverine, I think)
* X-23 (she's in UMVC3, isn't she?)
* Maverick/Agent Zero (Because you gotta have the other members of Team X)
* HERBIE (From Fantastic Four, their robot.)
* Doc Samson
* Franklin Richards (actually very powerful, and responsible for creating Onslaught, iirc, who is in the MVC games...)
* Captain Britain (need more eXcalibur peeps)
* Wendigo (W/ a Sasquatch recolor? Because Alpha Flight, yeah? And I have a Department H level with nobody to put in it)
* Crossbones (more HYDRA. He's in Capt. America: Winter Soldier, btw., he's the guy that's fighting Falcon in the building before the [Spoiler] crashes into it.)
* Falcon (speaking of which, he would make a more diverse SHIELD/Avengers addition, esp. with his pet falcon, Redwing)
* She-Hulk (another UMVC3 character. Hmmm. Better look into that game..)
* Sharon Carter/Agent 13 (probably to round out the SHIELD agents)
* Black Panther (I have a Wakanda Palace stage ready to go for this... Would go in the Defenders columns)
* Moon Knight (again, just a badass character, for the Defenders, Heroes for Hire columns)
* Absorbing Man (Hulk & She Hulk villain...)
* Spider-Woman (because! She has 'fear pheromones' too)
* Doctor Bong (Okay, look, he has a bell for a head, okay. Stop laughing. If I have Howard the Duck and She-Hulk I have to have Doctor Bong, though, because, you know, contractual obligations and stuff)
* Ka-Zar (what, no love for the Savage Land? Could have Dino and sabretooth helpers, it would be fun! I have a Savage Land stage...)
* Hawkeye (because arrows)
* Ruby Thursday (cause, again, more Howard the Duck/She-hulk enemies, yeah?)
* Hellcow (because there must always be a cow level. And a vampire cow sounds funny. I mean this would be the next movie enemy of Blade, right? Definitely a hidden character...)
* Dormammu (wait, isn't he also in MVC3? Damn. One of his voice overs in the past was done by Robert Englund. )
* Mephisto Possibly a better version of Mephisto that looks more like the comic books.
* a Dire Wraith or something like that, as a minor boss battle.
* Black Bolt (need more Inhumans!)
* Daken (probably just another Wolverine alt/recolor)
* Sebastian Shaw (Hellfire Club! Also absorbing/expelling stuff)
* Sauron (c'mon, he's a pterodactyl-man, that's freaking awesome! Also, the Savage Land, someone to oppose Ka-Zar, I guess. Oh, you were thinking of LOTR, weren't you?)
* Dark Beast
* Legion
* Nate Grey/ X-Man
* Toad
* Deathlok
* Loki (everyone loves Loki)
* Kang (more space ppl?)
* Stryfe (isn't this just Cable?)
* Arnim Zola (And possibly Nomad?)
* Vertigo (I am confusing the Reavers with the Marauders again... her dizzy power would make for fun screen effects! But a servant of Mr Sinister...)
* Cameron Hodge (this would be weird, actually, but I am thinking a Phalanx version of him or something)
* N'astirh (Included for the sake of including Magik, Inferno related stuff, Cameron Hodge, and possibly Madeline Pryor [Goblin Queen version]. Maybe also have S'ym? But one recolor should be techno-organic looking)
* The Vanisher
* Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy. (what... you never read the Fallen Angels miniseries? shame on you! I mean, it has Gomi with robot lobsters and everything...)
* Longshot
* Shatterstar
* Mojo? (I mean, there's a Spiral character in XM:COTA, so why not Mojo?)
* Protocide (Capt. America enemy and basically him recolored with a sharp shield)
* Shadow King (Definitely a bosslike character, like Apoc, Galactus, or Onslaught)
* Stepford Cuckoos (hmm, one at a time, or fight all 3/5 at once?)
* Xorn (the real Xorn, not the Magneto-Xorn...)
* Fantomex (interesting though I have no idea what his powers are)
[Edit: Crossing out stuff I managed to find already]
Stage Ideas:
Things that would look impressive or that are significant within the Marvel Universe timeline.
* Australian Outback (Gateway)
* Inferno NYC (Magik, Madelyne Pryor)
* Limbo (Magik, Nastirh)
* Dr. Strange's House
* Black Air Base (Excalibur-related)
* Phalanx Homeworld (Warlock?)
* Somewhere in Cleveland (Howard the Duck)
* Massachusetts Academy (Generation X chars)
* Guthrie Farm (Husk, Cannonball)
* Swamp (Man-Thing)
* Kraven's Trophy Room
* Arcade's Murderworld (for alt versions of characters)
* Dracula's Castle (Blade? Hellcow? Dracula?)
* Dark Dimension (Dormammu, etc.)
* something w/ Terrigen Mists in the background (I have a few Inhuman characters in the game)
* House of M timeline places
* Cybertek industries
* Age of Apocalypse places
* Genosha (x-tinction agenda version)
* Krakoa (living Island)
* Madripoor
* Roxxon oil field/refinery
* Apocalypse stage w/ Ozymandias in the background
* Battleworld (From Secret Wars I)
* Zenn-La (home of the Silver Surfer...)
* Avalon/Otherworld (Captain Britain)
* Mojoverse (Longshot/Shatterstar?)
* Negative Zone Prison Alpha
* The Vault (prison for superheroes)
* The World (Weapon Plus facility)
* Trask Industries (Sentinels)
* Oscorp Tower (Superior Spider Man?)
* Hell's Kitchen
* Kingpin's Hideout
I know this is a lot of characters and stages but I have 35x11 slots to fill, so I'm just trying to include EVERYTHING I can think of. And, also, now you know how much I know about Marvel comics. Most of this stuff I already knew about because I collected the Marvel Universe guides and read the hell out of them.
Cause if I was going to make a Marvel Fighting Game in the vein of MVC or MSH or XM:COTA, I would want to include as many as possible. I'm crazy like that, and I want to see what would happen, for instance if Ant-Man fought Howard the Duck or the Blob fought the Hulk in a video game. The ultimate "What if..." generator. :P
I wonder when Marvel will hire me to write comics for them... I'll just fire up the "Plot Generating Simulator Device" aka MUGEN and get to work.
Again, I am not making this for money, or to even release to the public, just as a one-off 'example', of what I can do and really for my own amusement, to show that I can put stuff together, design and balance a bigass game by myself from scratch components, make new characters and animate them, level design and whatnot...