The Professor Layton for SSB4 thread!

[MegaMarioMan9]

I'm liking this fan-game idea, and I'd definitely be in on it if we plan to go through with this. Couple things I want to point out though.

The Layton series isn't dead (yet), so we really shouldn't be planning on continuing any sort of story. I'd say it would have to be some sort of spin-off story, one that sort of stands on it's own without directly referencing events in the main series games. Having certain characters appear in the game is of course fine though. They definitely had that cliffhanger in Unwound/Lost Future for a reason, and we shouldn't go stealing it from them, haha.

I also just want to say that this is perfectly feasible if a good number of us actually work on it. We'd each need different jobs sort of like actual game developers, and we'd need someone/some people to sort of be in charge of it so we all know what to work on. I can see us being able to make a proper game, perhaps make it in a program like Unity or something else of the sort. I personally feel like the hardest parts will be the cutscenes, music, and maybe voice acting (also don't forget that there are Americans here too so I expect an American Luke ). Even still, the puzzles, visuals, etc. will still be difficult to do, but not impossible.

All I know is that we need to keep it fairly simple or we'll never get anything done. I'm definitely excited by this idea, and I'd love to be a part of it in some way. Just keep my points in mind when we get this baby goin'.

 

[GWTCN]

I'm liking this fan-game idea, and I'd definitely be in on it if we plan to go through with this. Couple things I want to point out though.

The Layton series isn't dead (yet), so we really shouldn't be planning on continuing any sort of story. I'd say it would have to be some sort of spin-off story, one that sort of stands on it's own without directly referencing events in the main series games. Having certain characters appear in the game is of course fine though. They definitely had that cliffhanger in Unwound/Lost Future for a reason, and we shouldn't go stealing it from them, haha.

I also just want to say that this is perfectly feasible if a good number of us actually work on it. We'd each need different jobs sort of like actual game developers, and we'd need someone/some people to sort of be in charge of it so we all know what to work on. I can see us being able to make a proper game, perhaps make it in a program like Unity or something else of the sort. I personally feel like the hardest parts will be the cutscenes, music, and maybe voice acting (also don't forget that there are Americans here too so I expect an American Luke ). Even still, the puzzles, visuals, etc. will still be difficult to do, but not impossible.

All I know is that we need to keep it fairly simple or we'll never get anything done. I'm definitely excited by this idea, and I'd love to be a part of it in some way. Just keep my points in mind when we get this baby goin'.

Like I've said before, I'm a pretty good writer, and regarding the voice acting, I can do a very good Layton impression, and I am a good voice actor in general.

 

[MegaMarioMan9]

Like I've said before, I'm a pretty good writer, and regarding the voice acting, I can do a very good Layton impression, and I am a good voice actor in general.

You've got the job! Uh... I'm allowed to hire you in my position right?

But yeah, if you've got a good Layton impression then by all means, I can't do a Layton for the life of me. And I wasn't saying that the story would end up being bad, it's just that I think we shouldn't try to continue any official storylines since the games probably aren't completely over yet. I'm definitely excited to see what kind of stuff you got!

 

[GWTCN]

You've got the job! Uh... I'm allowed to hire you in my position right?

But yeah, if you've got a good Layton impression then by all means, I can't do a Layton for the life of me. And I wasn't saying that the story would end up being bad, it's just that I think we shouldn't try to continue any official storylines since the games probably aren't completely over yet. I'm definitely excited to see what kind of stuff you got!

I've been brainstorming ideas for Layton plots since Pandora's Box. This is the moment I was made for. My entire life has been leading up to this.

 

[Curious Villager]

Well it's not like the story we'd come up with would be any more canon than say, a fan fic or fan comic etc. I mean, the Mother 4 fan game is not really going to be canon to the Earthbound franchise but it's a neat little fan game for those who have been craving another Earthbound game. The same thing would be going for this. (And considering the commotion the Layton fandom has been making over certain silly things lately, I think they could really do with a new game......)

I do agree that it should be kept simple as the first project in order to not burn ourselves out as well as making sure everyone (who actually want to go through with this) is actually involved so things can actually get done etc.

 

[GWTCN]

Would it be worth it for me to start pitching story ideas?

Also, at this point we should rename this thread to be 'Professor Layton and the Apparently We're Making a Fan-Game'

 

[Curious Villager]

Well sure I suppose if you want. (Something tells me we should probably share this kind of stuff in a PM or the Professor Layton group though.....)

It's a good thing that there are quite a lot of tools such as Unity, Blender, Gimp, FL Studio and Synfig etc for us to use. A lot of these being open source and pretty powerful tools too. The only thing we'd need is time and dedication....

 

[GWTCN]

You're right that it should probably be in a PM. I guess for now I should just work on expanding my ideas for when we actually start this.

 

[Laytonite]

Just kind of running with what MegaMario9 and others have said about continuing the series from that cliffhanger, are we sure we can actually use these characters anyway? I don't know what is and isn't trademarked from the series and I don't know how to find out either. The MOTHER 4 guys can probably get away with a lot because they've made everything from scratch - including the engine - without crowdfunding or selling the finished game. The word Mother probably isn't trademarked (I would assume, anyway) and they've altered the logo a little, which are problems we may have to overcome. Basically what I'm saying is let's not get into a legal pickle.
Another thing that might be worth considering is if it will be translated into other languages (read: Spanish, apparently he's big over there)... because that would be fun...
I will volunteer for team Music. If danbrysmi is still up for it, we've got at least two people on the music front. Cutscenes will be a challenge but if anyone can work software like Synfig it could well be doable (especially now we have a voice actor!) if we have the artist manpower.

But yeah, this probably isn't the place for this considering there is A LOT to discuss and think through and this is not even remotely Smash related. We have a Layton social group, yes? Perhaps we should take it there. That way people won't be able to google this and find out all our plans

 

[GWTCN]

It's a good idea to make a new thread in the social group. Considering that this is still a character discussion thread specifically regarding Smash 4. If this fangame is to become an actual topic of discussion, it might warrant a separate discussion.
In case it hasn't been made blatantly aware, I'm volunteering to write and voice act. In the new thread, it might be worth making a list of the things each person will handle, just so it's all in one place.

 

[The Light Music Club]

So question.... Why would he be doing Layton recording anyway? I thought the most recent Layton game was the LAST with him as the protagonist.

 

[GWTCN]

So question.... Why would he be doing Layton recording anyway? I thought the most recent Layton game was the LAST with him as the protagonist.

That's precisely why we're all thinking the recordings were for Smash.

 

[Mnaterap]

Just kind of running with what MegaMario9 and others have said about continuing the series from that cliffhanger, are we sure we can actually use these characters anyway? I don't know what is and isn't trademarked from the series and I don't know how to find out either. The MOTHER 4 guys can probably get away with a lot because they've made everything from scratch - including the engine - without crowdfunding or selling the finished game. The word Mother probably isn't trademarked (I would assume, anyway) and they've altered the logo a little, which are problems we may have to overcome. Basically what I'm saying is let's not get into a legal pickle.
Another thing that might be worth considering is if it will be translated into other languages (read: Spanish, apparently he's big over there)... because that would be fun...
I will volunteer for team Music. If danbrysmi is still up for it, we've got at least two people on the music front. Cutscenes will be a challenge but if anyone can work software like Synfig it could well be doable (especially now we have a voice actor!) if we have the artist manpower.

But yeah, this probably isn't the place for this considering there is A LOT to discuss and think through and this is not even remotely Smash related. We have a Layton social group, yes? Perhaps we should take it there. That way people won't be able to google this and find out all our plans ]

If you need someone that can translate to spanish, you can count on me.

 

[Curious Villager]

From what I've seen of other projects getting shut down. It's usually whenever money gets involved in any way (Which means no crowd funding or selling the game in any way. Resources and everything has to come from your own pocket) or if it's a remake of any sort. If the company decides to rerelease said game, it gets shut down too.

At least this is what I've seen from Nintendo. I'm not sure how Level-5 would operate. If you guys want to do a brand new project involving brand new characters, that's fine as well. (Although I'm not sure how the rest of the Layton fandom would take it since they weren't so keen on supposedly a future Layton game not involving Layton in any way but still....)

Anyway, this may be for the best to be discussed over at the Professor Layton social group since it's kinda off topic here plus the social group has kinda been collecting dust lately....

Feel free to open up a new thread there.

 

[BluePikmin11]

A drawing I found in Miiverse.

Ferris

Mario

 

[GWTCN]

http://smashboards.com/threads/professor-layton-and-the-apparently-were-making-a-fan-game.416625/

Here's the new thread in the social group.

 

[Erureido]

I just realized it's been one year since I first posted in Smashboards, and my first post was on this very thread when I asked to join the supporters list. I'm happy to see the Layton community has developed really well over this past year!

Anyways, now that conversations are back on track regarding Layton and Smash 4, I thought I'd start a discussion that hasn't been discussed yet, and I think the responses will definitely be creative and interesting.

If Professor Layton were to be in Smash Bros, what do you think his character title for the Boxing Ring stage would be?

Here are a few potential ones I thought of:

• Archaeology's Finest Gentleman
• Archaeology's Greatest Puzzle-Solving Gentleman
  
• The Top Puzzle-Solving Gentleman of Archaeology
• The True Gentleman of Archaeology
• The Puzzle-Solving Gentleman
• The Puzzle-Solving Gentleman from London
• The Puzzle-Solving Gentleman of London
• The London Gentleman Who Solves Puzzles
• He'll Remind You of a Puzzle
• He Already Has This Puzzling Battle Solved

The first eight character titles are meant to look more like the character titles that are used for the NA versions of Smash Bros (using actual titles that prominently use words like "The" or "of" for a majority of the characters), while the last two character titles resemble a style that is used for some of the fighters in the PAL version (using a sentence to describe the fighter; most of the other fighters in the PAL version mostly use adjectives in their Boxing Ring titles).

I have a feeling the actual Boxing Ring title would allude to any of the following characteristics: Puzzle-Solver, True Gentleman, British, Archaeologist. The first three are the ones that will mostly likely be referenced considering they define Layton the most; yet, I think the archaeologist aspect to him could be possible since most of his adventures had archaeology involved, not to mention that's what he teaches as a professor.

The first few character titles was my attempt in capturing Layton's archaeological and gentleman qualities, with a few others trying to combine those two traits with his puzzle-solving quality. The following three focus on the most important traits regarding Layton: A London man who is a true gentleman that can solve puzzles.

The ninth character title is an allusion to one of Layton's most famous quotes: "This reminds me of a puzzle". I changed it up a bit to reflect on what an average smasher's reaction would be when they see Layton in Smash for the first time; he/she willl be confused and puzzled, hence why Layton will "remind him/her of a puzzle."

The tenth character title is a reference to another important quality Layton has: as a master puzzle-solver, he is always one step ahead of his opponents! In the world of Smash Bros, Layton will likely view each battle as a puzzle (this is where "Puzzling Battle" comes from), and the solution to the puzzle will be the means he will take to win agains this foes. Luckily for the professor, he will study his foes and learn their strategies quickly, using his knowledge and what he has prepared to take them out. Thus, he is one step ahead to the point he already has the puzzle (the battle at hand) solved.

Fill free to share any feedback with any of the above titles I provided. I like all of them, but I just can't decide which one is the best. I also want to hear what your ideas for Professor Layton's Boxing Ring title if he was included in Smash Bros.

 

[Niki]

Hey!
I've been reading this forum thread actively for quite a while now, and I'm a big fan of the Professor Layton series as well as the idea of him being in Smash Bros. So, you can definitely add me to the supporter list!
Also, the idea of making a fan game sounds really interesting to me, and I would be able to help in some parts regarding programming and translation. For viewing the extra thread I need to be in the Social Group, right? Would be very nice if you could add me into that too!

 

[Curious Villager]

Oh hello there @ Niki

I have indeed seen you view the thread a couple times. Happy to see you drop by and say hi. And sure, I'll add you to the supporters list. ^^

That's good to hear. I wasn't sure if people could actually view the Professor Layton group or not (Since if we intend to do a couple projects there. It may be for the best to keep that group private to only those who joined the group.) but if you can't, I'll be sure to send you an invite.

(I might ask a moderator to double check for me though since apparently I don't seem to have as much control of the group as I remember....)

 

[GWTCN]

There's less than a month until the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot closes. I don't know about you, but I'll be making a submission for Layton everyday until then. I suggest you all do the same.

 

[Reila]

So hey, I just finished Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I have the game since 2010 but the puzzles were way too hard for me to solve (some of them still were really difficult now in 2015) so I gave up back then. I finished the game with 96 puzzles solved, which is not too bad, I think? Anyways, the story is amazing and the ending was adorable. The Baron is the best father ever. Anyways, I already supported Layton but now I don't have any doubts he must be playable in Smash.

 

[Laytonite]

I just realized it's been one year since I first posted in Smashboards, and my first post was on this very thread when I asked to join the supporters list. I'm happy to see the Layton community has developed really well over this past year!

Anyways, now that conversations are back on track regarding Layton and Smash 4, I thought I'd start a discussion that hasn't been discussed yet, and I think the responses will definitely be creative and interesting.

If Professor Layton were to be in Smash Bros, what do you think his character title for the Boxing Ring stage would be?

Here are a few potential ones I thought of:

• Archaeology's Finest Gentleman
• Archaeology's Greatest Puzzle-Solving Gentleman
  
• The Top Puzzle-Solving Gentleman of Archaeology
• The True Gentleman of Archaeology
• The Puzzle-Solving Gentleman
• The Puzzle-Solving Gentleman from London
• The Puzzle-Solving Gentleman of London
• The London Gentleman Who Solves Puzzles
• He'll Remind You of a Puzzle
• He Already Has This Puzzling Battle Solved

The first eight character titles are meant to look more like the character titles that are used for the NA versions of Smash Bros (using actual titles that prominently use words like "The" or "of" for a majority of the characters), while the last two character titles resemble a style that is used for some of the fighters in the PAL version (using a sentence to describe the fighter; most of the other fighters in the PAL version mostly use adjectives in their Boxing Ring titles).

I have a feeling the actual Boxing Ring title would allude to any of the following characteristics: Puzzle-Solver, True Gentleman, British, Archaeologist. The first three are the ones that will mostly likely be referenced considering they define Layton the most; yet, I think the archaeologist aspect to him could be possible since most of his adventures had archaeology involved, not to mention that's what he teaches as a professor.

The first few character titles was my attempt in capturing Layton's archaeological and gentleman qualities, with a few others trying to combine those two traits with his puzzle-solving quality. The following three focus on the most important traits regarding Layton: A London man who is a true gentleman that can solve puzzles.

The ninth character title is an allusion to one of Layton's most famous quotes: "This reminds me of a puzzle". I changed it up a bit to reflect on what an average smasher's reaction would be when they see Layton in Smash for the first time; he/she willl be confused and puzzled, hence why Layton will "remind him/her of a puzzle."

The tenth character title is a reference to another important quality Layton has: as a master puzzle-solver, he is always one step ahead of his opponents! In the world of Smash Bros, Layton will likely view each battle as a puzzle (this is where "Puzzling Battle" comes from), and the solution to the puzzle will be the means he will take to win agains this foes. Luckily for the professor, he will study his foes and learn their strategies quickly, using his knowledge and what he has prepared to take them out. Thus, he is one step ahead to the point he already has the puzzle (the battle at hand) solved.

Fill free to share any feedback with any of the above titles I provided. I like all of them, but I just can't decide which one is the best. I also want to hear what your ideas for Professor Layton's Boxing Ring title if he was included in Smash Bros.

You forgot "Here to kick ass and drink tea", but these ones are all pretty cool! It could also be something like Top-hatted Terror... yeah not sure about that one. This is a fun thing to think about though! Especially since it will appear on his unlock screen if Lucas and co are anything to go by.

 

[Curious Villager]

Just made this in anticipation for Mario Maker.

I might make a whole sprite sheet for them in order to pass the time until the game's release. ^^

I hope DLC characters will get Mario Maker sprites too at some point. (I know Lucas and Mewtwo have though) I would love to see an official 8-bit Layton for Mario Maker if he where to make it into Smash 4......

 

[BluePikmin11]

Those sprites are awesome. Do Emmy and Jean next!

 

[fogbadge]

Just made this in anticipation for Mario Maker.


I might make a whole sprite sheet for them in order to pass the time until the game's release. ^^

I hope DLC characters will get Mario Maker sprites too at some point. (I know Lucas and Mewtwo have though) I would love to see an official 8-bit Layton for Mario Maker if he where to make it into Smash 4......

fantastic

 

[BluePikmin11]

New Big Poll! It's Source Gaming's biggest Smash poll yet!

NEW POLLING EFFORT BY @@ BluePikmin11
The SG team has helped BluePikmin reorganize his individual character polls into 4 parts. We've also provided pre-filled out forms with neutral responses so people can navigate quickly. Hopefully this will yield more and better information for future posts.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Layton is doing fairly well here:

Goes to show he's not an unpopular character people claim him to be.

 

[Martingale]

Layton is doing fairly well here:

Goes to show he's not an unpopular character people claim him to be.

He was fourth in the third parties when I checked after the first day, with only Snake, Bomberman, and Banjo-Kazooie above him, and judging solely from observation of the poll, seems to still be around there. And I'm not too certain if the first three have a good chance given company policies and, in the case of Konami, going off the wall entirely in a pachinko machine rampage...

Either way, great to see the general concensus on Layton is "yeah sure, why not?". Makes me feel good!


On an unrelated note, the Smashified team have decided to now create the #SmashifiedBallot tag to properly accept nominations. I rallied a few troops to give Layton a substatial early lead, but those pesky Bandana Dee supporters are shoving their spears in. Throw your hat into the ring if y'all are on Twitter!

 

[BluePikmin11]

Hey @ Martingale do you mine checking who the top 10 3rd parties are now?
We got 1000+ votes for part 4 now!

 

[Martingale]

Hey @ Martingale do you mine checking who the top 10 3rd parties are now?
We got 1000+ votes for part 4 now!

Here ya go!

10. Bayonetta: 2997 (avg 2.964)
9. Simon Belmont: 3155 (avg 3.121)
8. Phoenix Wright: 3168 (avg 3.134)
7. Professor Layton: 3171 (avg 3.136)
6. Rayman: 3190 (avg 3.155)
5. Shantae: 3244 (avg 3.209)
4. Shovel Knight: 3394 (avg 3.358)
3. Bomberman: 3572 (avg 3.533)
2. Banjo Kazooie: 3618 (avg 3.579)
1. Snake: 3830 (avg 3.788)

Surprisingly, Bomberman is still riding high, above the popular indies Shovel Knight and Shantae. I find it hilarious that Layton and Wright have essentially the same score!

The characters that were close but missed out were Geno, Lloyd Irving, Amaterasu (that's probably spelled wrong), Black Mage, Crono and Viewtiful Joe. Some real surprises just outside top 10!

 

[Laytonite]

What really struck me about this was just how similar Layton's results were to supposed heavyweights like Rayman (in particular), Shantae and Shovel Knight overall. That's a pretty good sample size if the internet's anything to go by, and since it's probably not going to be a case of the characters with a simple plurality of votes are made into fighters, all we really need is Layton to be in the devs' eyes as a reasonably popular pick. (The fact that this is split across both genders pretty much evenly and across a somewhat large age range is huge, in my opinion anyway) Maybe the fairly high support for Phoenix Wright might help us out a little too, you never know! Not that I don't like Wright... I just like Layton more
I know this poll is in it's early days, that the results are liable to change dramatically and it will never be a perfect reflection of the ballot - and I suspect we'll never get any kind of results table released for that,sadly - but I feel pretty good about this one.

Just out of curiosity more that anything, do we know where Layton stands overall?

 

[Martingale]

Just out of curiosity more that anything, do we know where Layton stands overall?

Oh man, that's some big data. From a feeling, I'd say Top 25, but I'll take a proper look at the figures soon. I'm a data nerd sorry not sorry

 

[Laytonite]

Oh man, that's some big data. From a feeling, I'd say Top 25, but I'll take a proper look at the figures soon. I'm a data nerd sorry not sorry

Don't bother if it's a lot of digging you don't want to do! I was just curious if we had a spreadsheet that amalgamated all the characters. A feeling of top 25 is good enough for me!

 

[Curious Villager]

Layton is doing fairly well here:

Goes to show he's not an unpopular character people claim him to be.

Here ya go!

10. Bayonetta: 2997 (avg 2.964)
9. Simon Belmont: 3155 (avg 3.121)
8. Phoenix Wright: 3168 (avg 3.134)
7. Professor Layton: 3171 (avg 3.136)
6. Rayman: 3190 (avg 3.155)
5. Shantae: 3244 (avg 3.209)
4. Shovel Knight: 3394 (avg 3.358)
3. Bomberman: 3572 (avg 3.533)
2. Banjo Kazooie: 3618 (avg 3.579)
1. Snake: 3830 (avg 3.788)

I suppose those who still claim that he isn't a popular character or that "nobody" wants him are just burying their heads into the sand at this point.....

 

[Martingale]

I just complied a ton of the data from this. And I've determined Layton is the 16th most wanted based on the poll so far. I regret absolutely nothing about this undertaking.

In fact, this undertaking made me begin a Wordpress now where I'll throw all my data freakouts instead of littering them all over the Internet. You can check out the Top 25 of this ballot so far here.

 

[GWTCN]

So, we're getting a new stage on the 30th. Finally, some new Smash Bros. news.

Do you guys think that with this new stage, we'll be getting an official announcement of some characters as well? It can't just be one stage being released, surely?

 

[Martingale]

So, we're getting a new stage on the 30th. Finally, some new Smash Bros. news.

Do you guys think that with this new stage, we'll be getting an official announcement of some characters as well? It can't just be one stage being released, surely?

A new character is likely, but another new stage is a certainty. If you watch the video closely, you'll see that the Mario Maker Stage is not centred, rather positioned to the side as though another stage was hidden in the SSS. It's natural to assume that alongside this stage, a new character may be arriving. In the case of it being a bundle, it'd be a newcomer unless we're being heavily trolled.

 

[fogbadge]

So, we're getting a new stage on the 30th. Finally, some new Smash Bros. news.

Do you guys think that with this new stage, we'll be getting an official announcement of some characters as well? It can't just be one stage being released, surely?

i dont think its unreasonable to assume that

 

[BluePikmin11]

@ Martingale
Do you mind me sharing the preliminary results for the top 25 to reddit?

 

[Martingale]

@ Martingale
Do you mind me sharing the preliminary results for the top 25 to reddit?

Not at all, go ahead!