Sun Baking: Edition 1
In Edition 1 of Sun Baking, I intend to look at a possible control scheme for Super Mario Sunshine.
My ideas aren't really based upon any solid information from Nintendo, but rather, they are based around ideas I've heard from others and various concepts I came up with myself.
Super Mario Sunshine is based upon the Super Mario 64 game engine. and thus, I think it's safe to assume that the game's control will "feel" similar to Mario's first 3D outing, especially since many believe that Super Mario 64's movement system still hasn't been beaten by another 3D platformer.
So, if we assume that controlling Mario in Super Mario Sunshine will be similar to Super Mario 64, how can the control scheme of the latter be improved upon? Well, I have a few ideas. In this particular feature, I'm going to look at a dual control scheme. That is, two primary control schemes for the entire game; a "Normal" control scheme and an "Underwater" control scheme.
Normal Control Scheme
Normal Control Scheme
The above control scheme utilizes several aspects of Super Mario 64's controls, including the ability to select a "Camera Mode" (ie: Mario Cam, Lakitu Cam etc...) as well as the ability to move the camera freely using the C Stick (in place of the C Buttons). Mario's movement would, of course, be controlled by the left analog stick.
Controlling the Cannon
This is perhaps the most exciting part of this particular control scheme. as we know already, the Water Cannon is used to clean up black splotches of paint in the game. However, the device has several other potential uses. In my example, I have noted that the L Button fires cool water while the R Button fires warm water. The primary idea behind this setup is that various puzzles in the game might require clever use of both warm and cool water. You might enter a room where a particular switch needs to be hit; that switch might be green, indicating the need for cold water. Other switches might be red, indicating the need for hot water.
Warm and cold could also have other beneficial uses. For example, let's say you come across that big squid boss (you know the one) and you discover that normal attacks won't do much damage. Perhaps you need to wait 'till he drops his guard and then fire a blast of hot water into the pool/lake in which he sits. The water bubbles and subsequently takes damage from the boss.
Furthermore, the L and R Button "click" feature could be used in much the same way as Luigi's Mansion. For example, a single blast of water (either hot or cold) may use a specific amount of the Cannon's resources. Let's say, a single blast uses 1/20th of the Cannon's capacity. Therefore, you effectively have 20 "shots" before your next refill.
However, there might be situations where single shots just aren't good enough (perhaps in the case of a boss or a particularly nasty enemy). In these situations, you could use the L & R click function to perform a "special attack" of sorts. Clicking the L Button might prompt Mario to shoot a ball of ice, while clicking the R Button may prompt Mario to shoot a ball of fire/lava.
You will also notice in the above diagram that I have used the D-Pad for "Cannon Mode". The core idea here is to have different modes for the Water Cannon, in much the same way that the camera has different modes of view.
I haven't completely thought this element through (so you're welcome to email me if you have more ideas), but basically, you are able to use the Cannon in various different ways while on land. I'll attempt to describe each function of the Cannon below.
Jump Mode is an idea I had a while ago. I discussed it with a friend, who had also had a similar idea. Before I describe this mode, it must be noted that these different modes may not be available straight away. Rather, each may require a different "nozzle" for the Water Cannon. This means, of course, that Mario would not begin the game with every single ability. as time goes on, he would need to acquire extra Cannon abilities in order to progress.
When you press "up" on the D-Pad, the nozzle of Mario's Water Cannon becomes very narrow. It performs a 180 degree rotation and points downward, directly toward the ground. Now, you're ready to do a Cannon Jump
This system is somewhat similar to the "rocket jump" from Quake.
Let's say you need to jump on top of a very tall building. Or perhaps you need to reach a Sun Coin which is high up in the air, out of your grasp. Once you have set your Cannon on Jump Mode, you simply stand underneath the coin and hold down the Jump Button (a Button). When you do this, the water in the Cannon begins to bubble and the entire device it self begins to shake. after a couple of seconds, you release the button and a powerful blast of water fires directly downward, propelling Mario high into the air. ahh, now you can reach that annoying Sun Coin. ^_^
This ability could potentially get even better, of course.
The Spaceworld 2001 video showed Mario jumping up against walls and kicking off them, doing all sorts of cool tricks. Perhaps the Cannon Jump move could be used in conjunction with these actions. Maybe you could hold down the a Button, shoot yourself high up into the air and kick off a wall to go even higher. Or perhaps you could start running and then release the a Button, in order to do an extra-long jump.
Once you have successfully acquired the Water Cannon's Reflect Mode, a new ability is opened up for Mario: Reflect Shot.
Several other games have used a similar technique, though I don't ever remember a platformer using it. The idea is simple; you activate Reflect Mode when you are in a room full of enemies. You may enter an area where there are simply too many enemies to handle with single blasts from your Water Cannon. This is where Reflect Shot could be very handy.
Basically, in Reflect Mode, when you fire a shot at an enemy, the water blast bounces from one enemy to the next, taking out three or four nearby enemies at the same time. Of course, such an ability would give Mario too much power if it were available all the time. Therefore, the Reflect Shot may be the equivalent of 5 standard shots of water. This means that with a total capacity of 20 shots, you would only be able to use Reflect Shot four times without refilling.
Distance Mode allows you to perform Distance Shot. In some of the Super Mario Sunshine screenshots, we can see objects high up that might be difficult to reach with your standard "squirt range", so to speak. Perhaps a simple upgrade to the nozzle of your Water Cannon would allow you to squirt longer distances (yes, I'm fully aware of how rude that sounds).
ahem.
Once again, such an ability would utilize more water than a standard single shot from your Water Cannon. Perhaps a Distance Shot, like the Reflect Shot, would also be the equivalent of 5 standard shots.
as the name suggests, Shield Mode uses your Water Cannon purely for protection.
There might be moments in Super Mario Sunshine where Mario needs to defend, rather than attack. For example, Mario might be required to run through a field full of enemies. Or perhaps he might have to run through a wall of fire.
In this situation, the Water Shield could be activated. By pressing "down" on the D-Pad, the nozzle of Mario's Water Cannon opens right up and points directly upwards. When this happens, the Water Cannon begins to squirt water out from all directions, creating a kind of protective "bubble" around Mario.
Other Controls
Okay, so you've seen my ideas for the Water Cannon. But what about the other controls?
X Button - Camera Mode
This one's pretty self explanatory. The Camera Mode functions the same way as in Super Mario 64, allowing the player to choose an optimal camera setup.
Y Button - Fill Water Cannon
The moves listed above are going to require a lot of water. That's where this action comes in. Simply stand next to a well, pond, pool or visit the beach. Then simply press "Y" and Mario will automatically fill his Water Cannon for you.
a Button - Jump
Once again, pretty self explanatory. The Jump Button could be pressed a second time when touching walls/signs to kick off them. Jumping could also possibly be used to take out smaller enemies (so that water doesn't have to be used every time).
B Button - Context Sensitive
I didn't have many ideas when it came to assigning the B Button to a particular task. Perhaps someone else will have some ideas on that front. Basically, I assigned the B Button to a "context sensitive" role. It could be used to push buttons on walls, to pull/push levers or even to punch/kick enemies at close range (where using the Water Cannon might prove too cumbersome).
Start Button - Pause/Option
Pretty standard stuff; the Start Button could be used for pausing your game as well as for changing sound/music options and other basic gameplay/file options.
That's all for the first ever edition of Sun Baking. Feel free to send in your own ideas, as they will be published in the next edition. also, I will use the second edition of this feature for an in-depth explanation of the "Underwater" control scheme. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed reading Sun Baking as much as I enjoyed writing it.