What features do you think are good to have in a platform movement engine?
Here are a few ideas:
- Grabbing Ledges (it adds so much to a game, and leaves an area of precision and mastery)
- Moving Ledges (same as above, but they move. Could add a nice puzzle feature, having to jump and catch moving ledges in the right combination)
- Standing on moving platforms (basic, but useful. Ties in with the above)
- Swimming (Opens up new areas, and creates opportunities for time-based challenges. Also gives you a chance to increase the time you can hold your breath via bonusses and pick-up-able stuff)
- Springs you can bounce on (they're just nifty, and can take you to hidden areas)
- Strong winds that can affect your movement (Could be great for a boss fight in the mountains where high winds risk throwing you off the platforms. Perhaps there's a huge gap between your platform and the boss's, with a moving platform below. You use the wind to long-jump across and attack the boss, but have to use the small moving platform to get back. Without getting blown off it)
They are all great features, but grabbing ledges, as nice as it is...to me isn't such a big deal, other than that the other features are great, and they're all in my current project as well
Now are you asking how to do it? Because I think this should be on general chat...if not. If you are..you could use the Platform Movement Extention, the only issue I have with it, is vertical moving platforms, which I have yet to master.
But if you are an expert, build your engine for the ground up, that's what I should've done, but was too lazy at the time.