Wilhelm's game concept

I've never really heard of someone refer to themselves as a game 'designer' when they do the coding among other things. What language are you planning to use?

In any case I think you should start off much much smaller... people who decide to create their first game end up giving up like 99.9% of the time unless they actually have a track record, so best off making something pretty small like angry birds or whatever...not saying that style of gameplay, but something extremely simple, work your way up. It's like trying to climb mount everest as your first mountain when you have no climbing experience, no.

I'm 34, and was raised to call em game programmers, I didn't think age had anything to do with it though but since you mention it =P.

Well, to be fair I said I was getting into game design.  That's a bit different.  I have very little idea of what I'm getting into.  My skills are more based in writing, artwork, spriting (Remember the "SpritesInc" website back in the day?  I used to do work on there for the Megaman and Castlevania games), and music composition.  When it comes to the game design itself, I see this specific game's process as more of a culmination, a tribute, of everything we've seen in past games that worked, then adding my ideas or contributed ones, just things I like or that sweeten the deal and polish it.  But afterward you can call me whatever you want - game designer, director, village idiot - it's the finished product that matters.

ANYWAY, the idea was to use GameMaker Studio Pro.  I already have it, and I'm currently toying with it and learning the mechanics.  Coming from a guy who taught himself CAD when he was 13, then CubaseScore and Cakewalk, then Photoshop and so on. I don't think it will be very difficult - but I do expect it to be time consuming.  Intensely so.

Also - proof of concept.  That's something I intend to throw out here soon (or "as soon as I can, given this isn't my full time job").  BUT in the meantime, I do totally appreciate any input the community might have.  Like "Hey, that one level in MegaMan X, when... That's cool, I liked it."  Or just some off-hand suggestion.  I'll take that and see what I can do, and it might even change the entire aesthetic of the gameplay.  Who knows?  If anyone wants to help me make this a 'thing' by actively helping?  ohdeargodineedit...  One guy whipping all this up -is- going to be difficult.  Keep in mind the Bloodstained crew and Iga have a full staff.  I'd be satisfied with a sprite artist, another  GameMaker Studio Pro user, and maybe a composer.