DKC Atlas Forum

[Qyzbud]

If Donkey Kong Country were a real place (and who's to say it isn't?), and you were able to watch DK and Diddy scampering through the levels, uninhibited by the linear presentation of two-dimensional side-scrolling, how do you think they would be travelling? Do you think they would be taking lots of twists and turns in order to take paths that have bananas (so that they are following the Kremlings' trail), and of course finding the bonus rooms? Or are they following a mostly straight line within each level, aiming to beat the bosses and get to K. Rool as soon as possible?

Basically, how do you think the adventure would look, if you were there?

I like to think that it would be a very explorative adventure, with lots of curves and corners. How about you guys?

[BlueTronic]

Then the levels would be completely different. There's probably a path that just winds up the island. It's their island wouldn't they make a simple path to get where they need to go?

[Jomingo]

I think that DK would like to follow the banana's, trying to get his hoard back as soon as possible, but Diddy would say that it'll be faster if they just go beat K. Rool down. They would probably do a little of both.

[Tiptup Jr.]

In reality, this question could be applied to any 2-D sidescroller. Super Paper Mario was a good(ish) example of the whole 2D/3D paradox, but the whole game is a paradox in itself in that numerous three-dimensional Mario games already exist, so... well, you see the problem. Basically it would just be DK and Diddy walking in a straight line, but in three dimensions.

Yeah, and why would DK and Diddy need to traverse the entire island just to fight K. Rool? They could just walk around the beach and swim across to the Gangplank Galleon.

[Qyzbud]

Yeah, you get what I mean. It's an adventure that is restricted to 2D movement due to it's genre... like all sidescrolling platformers of the era. Games like Pandemonium are sort of what I was thinking, if we look at the 2.5 dimensional gaming concepts.

The main reason for going around the island like they do is primarily (I think) to defeat the bosses. After all, those bosses have the bananas, K. Rool only has one (or two, really...) of the big bananas like the other bosses, and maybe a couple of dozen in his ship... so defeating him is just a "don't mess with me again" statement from DK, really. Of course, he didn't pay much attention to the statement, but eh. The message had to be sent.

Edit: I only just noticed... the Gang-Plank Galleon sails closer and closer as the Kongs make their way around the island... It doesn't sail into our view until DK and Diddy are already on their way; and by then, the Kongs can't see it, as it's out of their line of sight because of where they are.

I put together an animation to illustrate this...

dkc-map-progress.gif (36.56 KiB) Viewed 36713 times

[Stone]

Woah, I've never noticed that!
Rare putted so much detail in the game and no one noticed it

[Tiptup Jr.]

Really? I've always noticed that... But I guess they went around to get the bananas, you're right. Nevermind.

[Kowbrainz]

Realisticly speaking, travelling through the jungles would be a lot different to how it was portrayed in the game; not just in a non-linear level sense, but because jungles don't have huge paths carved through them that you can stick to; everything is much more overgrown, you'd never see such long stretches of bare rock/dirt like in the jungle and forest levels.

The mines and industry levels are a little bit more realistic, in that they'd certainly be more linear, but no where near as large nor as numerous. Besides... what are the Kremlings doing that requires so many separate factories?

[Qyzbud]

Awesome, Kowz is talking my language.

I don't believe the inhabitants of DK Island would have gone to the trouble to do excavation/landscaping just to create those long stretches of dirt... Sure there may be a few beaten paths, but they'd bend around trees and rocky outcrops, and some areas of foliage would be way too dense. It's just presented that way in the game because of the art and design that was appropriate for the genre. I'm sure they'd be curving every which way, especially to find those hidden bonus areas.

I've thought of a couple of counter-arguments, though:
Embankments; DK and Diddy have to jump quite a bit, everywhere they go... if the path they followed was the type to go around obstacles, surely they wouldn't need to vault over so many embankments. Barrel Cannons; Many of them are probably put in place to get over obstacles that could be walked around, if the Kongs decided to do it that way. Bonus Areas; lots of bonus areas are like shortcuts directly through rockfaces. Again, moving straight through instead of around. Kremling escape route; the Kremlings would have tried to get away from DK as quickly as possible as they stole DK's bananas, and so would have probably chosen the most direct path.

That last one might hold some clues, though... Didn't the Kremlings take DK's bananas away in carts of some kind? They would have to take them on cart-ready terrain, for the most part... I do wonder how they spilled so many in mid-air around Barrel Cannon Canyon, etc... (and why there were so many left floating underwater)

Eh. I'm thinking about this more than is healthy. Better head off to bed I suppose!

[Jomingo]

I just watched your animation, and yes, it makes sense that the ship is getting closer and closer, but I think that it's more important to point out that DK and Diddy leave a trail of what appear to be either cheerios or possible donuts between each world. Very interesting indeed.

[Qyzbud]

Hahaha. Yeah, that's the really cutting issue at hand.

Perhaps it's their version of the Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs? Leaving crocodile vertebrae in a trail behind them...

[Kowbrainz]

I'd really like to see someone make a new Donkey Kong 3D adventure game, with a proper overgrown jungle to explore... not like DK 64 where there were like 4 trees in the entire jungle, lol.

The game wouldn't really be played in levels, but at the same time it would be pseudo linear so that you've still got a path to take and aren't just wandering around aimlessly. Every now and then you'd come across a temple or Kremling factory while exploring the overgrowth, and have several bosses etc.
Something with no cheerios between the levels; just a continuous flow of gorilla gameplay on an all too real jungle island. Ah...

[Qyzbud]

That sounds like pure, unadulterated awesome. I think what you describe is exactly how the DKC adventure would look if viewed as a 'fly on the wall', within the game world. I can't wait to have a true next-gen DKC game which will take this approach... Not that I expect it to happen, but I'll live in hope until it does.

[Diddy_Gal]

That's Great! I would love to see DK and Diddy take down some Kremlings, baddies and thowing barrels at them in real life! Hehe! I'm taking my cell-phone and record this amazing action! And plenty of snacks and bottles and bottle of spring water for the trip...