Well, since I'm not arguing regarding my game....
But I see your point.
It's competition time!
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Lachie Dazdarian
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KristopherWindsor
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These were all surprisingly good games... hmm, where's Sir Mud's entry? :-P
Some games seemed to be equally good, so I can't say I am the most accurate judge here. :-)
There was one thing in multiple programs that I didn't like, though. If you are in the middle of a game, and you press the Escape button, the program should not close and lose your progress without warning!
15 Final Invader (ChangeV)
I liked this game; the cut-scenes were the best part of this competition. :-)
Sounds and graphics were used well.
The second part was especially well done. The beginning and end of that part seemed hard to program; this doesn't look like a low-budget program.
I see ChangeV worked on this entry almost everyday, and tried harder even though he didn't win the last competition.
Overall it was easy to learn and fun to play, although I would only play it for an hour or less.
13 Invaders (Ssjx)
I got a score of 1410 on my second try near the end of level 9 or 10 (can't remember, but it had "Earth's new weapon" and two other things shooting at me). On my first try, I did not see the Warp object, so I had fun intentionally dropping the stranded aliens right above the bullets. Hmm, I got 0 points. :-P
This seemed to be writing a bit slowly, but was quite fun, has replay potential, sound and high scores. I could play it for over an hour if I didn't have other things to do. ;-)
11 Invatris (Lachie Dazdarian)
I do not like Tetris (or Space Invaders, for that matter), but the main game in this version was well-themed, so it did not seem like a gimic. ("Hi, I'm an alien, and I'm in the wrong game." :-P)
I suppose if you like Tetris, you can play this game for a long time. This game is complete and polished, so I will score it well.
09 Amaranth (Duke4e)
I ran this on my secondary computer, and it ran smoothly in full-screen, without any graphic glitches. The graphics are amazing, especially the firey explosions. I have to learn HGE!! :-)
This game played well with the arrow keys, but there was no sound (for me?) or high scores, which are essential for this type of game. With those added / fixed, this would be a good HGE demo.
Overall it was fairly fun, but seemed a bit monotonous (I never beat level 1? :-P) so I would not want to play this for a full hour. I know much time went into the graphics, but it should have come with some original gameplay.
07 Vandris Escape (Vdecampo)
I scored 14700 points. This game is mostly good, but I seemed to die annoyingly fast. Once there were 4 or 5 turrets all clustered within a space about half of the window's length. The cave didn't let me move vertically at this point, and the turrets all fired frequently, so I think this part was impossible. I wish the game would not pause after every hit.
Controls were a bit odd, because you will usually want to fire to the right, but the spacebar only does that a forth of the time. I had to press the [D] key instead, and didn't have much reason to fire vertically. Also, it seemed odd how the player's missiles can go through the cave.
If the frequent pauses don't frustrate you, then you might be able to replay this for an hour.
05 Sector Shock (Ryan)
I was about to give up on the first portal level, but I finally beat it. Mounting the aliens was an interesting feature, but it didn't seem to work some times when I thought it should.
To me, this seemed a bit too slow and monotonous, although the idea is nice. With some small tweaks I might have liked it much more.
It's hard to get good at a game that uses 11 (!) different keys, and even though I found it a bit unrewarding, it may still be a fun game with some more practice.
03 Aleofjax
This is an interesting concept that would be good for two players, but I cannot seem to comprehend the WASD keys. Why not use the arrow keys?
This might be a good game, but I just did not like it; maybe it was too tedious / slow.
Some games seemed to be equally good, so I can't say I am the most accurate judge here. :-)
There was one thing in multiple programs that I didn't like, though. If you are in the middle of a game, and you press the Escape button, the program should not close and lose your progress without warning!
15 Final Invader (ChangeV)
I liked this game; the cut-scenes were the best part of this competition. :-)
Sounds and graphics were used well.
The second part was especially well done. The beginning and end of that part seemed hard to program; this doesn't look like a low-budget program.
I see ChangeV worked on this entry almost everyday, and tried harder even though he didn't win the last competition.
Overall it was easy to learn and fun to play, although I would only play it for an hour or less.
13 Invaders (Ssjx)
I got a score of 1410 on my second try near the end of level 9 or 10 (can't remember, but it had "Earth's new weapon" and two other things shooting at me). On my first try, I did not see the Warp object, so I had fun intentionally dropping the stranded aliens right above the bullets. Hmm, I got 0 points. :-P
This seemed to be writing a bit slowly, but was quite fun, has replay potential, sound and high scores. I could play it for over an hour if I didn't have other things to do. ;-)
11 Invatris (Lachie Dazdarian)
I do not like Tetris (or Space Invaders, for that matter), but the main game in this version was well-themed, so it did not seem like a gimic. ("Hi, I'm an alien, and I'm in the wrong game." :-P)
I suppose if you like Tetris, you can play this game for a long time. This game is complete and polished, so I will score it well.
09 Amaranth (Duke4e)
I ran this on my secondary computer, and it ran smoothly in full-screen, without any graphic glitches. The graphics are amazing, especially the firey explosions. I have to learn HGE!! :-)
This game played well with the arrow keys, but there was no sound (for me?) or high scores, which are essential for this type of game. With those added / fixed, this would be a good HGE demo.
Overall it was fairly fun, but seemed a bit monotonous (I never beat level 1? :-P) so I would not want to play this for a full hour. I know much time went into the graphics, but it should have come with some original gameplay.
07 Vandris Escape (Vdecampo)
I scored 14700 points. This game is mostly good, but I seemed to die annoyingly fast. Once there were 4 or 5 turrets all clustered within a space about half of the window's length. The cave didn't let me move vertically at this point, and the turrets all fired frequently, so I think this part was impossible. I wish the game would not pause after every hit.
Controls were a bit odd, because you will usually want to fire to the right, but the spacebar only does that a forth of the time. I had to press the [D] key instead, and didn't have much reason to fire vertically. Also, it seemed odd how the player's missiles can go through the cave.
If the frequent pauses don't frustrate you, then you might be able to replay this for an hour.
05 Sector Shock (Ryan)
I was about to give up on the first portal level, but I finally beat it. Mounting the aliens was an interesting feature, but it didn't seem to work some times when I thought it should.
To me, this seemed a bit too slow and monotonous, although the idea is nice. With some small tweaks I might have liked it much more.
It's hard to get good at a game that uses 11 (!) different keys, and even though I found it a bit unrewarding, it may still be a fun game with some more practice.
03 Aleofjax
This is an interesting concept that would be good for two players, but I cannot seem to comprehend the WASD keys. Why not use the arrow keys?
This might be a good game, but I just did not like it; maybe it was too tedious / slow.
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Sisophon2001
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I am right handed.
ever play an first person shooter?
WASD are standard default controls.
just think of them as arrow keys.
Arrow keys are fine for keyboard only games but for ones that require a mouse as well your right hand is using the mouse so your left hand is on wasd and that open up the whole keyboard for use.
arrow keys would've been fine for this game but it seems weird to me as a gamer that someone doesn't know WASD.[/code]
ever play an first person shooter?
WASD are standard default controls.
just think of them as arrow keys.
Arrow keys are fine for keyboard only games but for ones that require a mouse as well your right hand is using the mouse so your left hand is on wasd and that open up the whole keyboard for use.
arrow keys would've been fine for this game but it seems weird to me as a gamer that someone doesn't know WASD.[/code]
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Sisophon2001
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I understand your position, and I think you properly play many more games than I, but all the games I liked allowed me to adjust my keyboard preferences, so I never adapted to WASD. If I have the source, I just modify it and recompile. The solution should be flexibility in keyboard input.DaveUnit wrote:I am right handed.
ever play an first person shooter?
WASD are standard default controls.
just think of them as arrow keys.
Arrow keys are fine for keyboard only games but for ones that require a mouse as well your right hand is using the mouse so your left hand is on wasd and that open up the whole keyboard for use.
arrow keys would've been fine for this game but it seems weird to me as a gamer that someone doesn't know WASD.[/code]
Garvan
well yeah, all good commercial games offer customizable controls but I always found WASD to be really good, especially since you can rest your thumb right on the space bar and your pinky on shift, and then q, e, r and c are all within easy reach as well.
but again, doesn't matter for keyboard only, but if the mouse is involved WASD is awesome.
but again, doesn't matter for keyboard only, but if the mouse is involved WASD is awesome.
15 ChangeV - Really fun game, love the "cut scenes"
13 ssjx - This is actually a really nice game, the only problem is that it gets really repetative after a while.
11 vdecampo - This was a pretty fun game. A little higher resolution, and little better handled controls whould make this game awesome.
9 KristopherWindsor - With better level design and more responsive controls, this whould be a really good game. Currently controls make player frustrated.
7 Ryan - Good controls, but i find the game not so challenging and too simple. Also higher resolution whould be nice.
5 Lachie - Compared to others, this game is just too simple and doesn't bring anything new to classic tetris gameplay. Controls are not responsive too well, you can actually "feel" the lag. Biggest issue with game is that gameplay is just on a small portition of screen. I like games where whole screen is used for playing.
3 aleofjax - This game just seemed to be really boring, and with lack of good controls.
13 ssjx - This is actually a really nice game, the only problem is that it gets really repetative after a while.
11 vdecampo - This was a pretty fun game. A little higher resolution, and little better handled controls whould make this game awesome.
9 KristopherWindsor - With better level design and more responsive controls, this whould be a really good game. Currently controls make player frustrated.
7 Ryan - Good controls, but i find the game not so challenging and too simple. Also higher resolution whould be nice.
5 Lachie - Compared to others, this game is just too simple and doesn't bring anything new to classic tetris gameplay. Controls are not responsive too well, you can actually "feel" the lag. Biggest issue with game is that gameplay is just on a small portition of screen. I like games where whole screen is used for playing.
3 aleofjax - This game just seemed to be really boring, and with lack of good controls.
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Lachie Dazdarian
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KristopherWindsor
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I could get used to them eventually, but the game where I mentioned this the most does not use the arrow keys at all, and I think that is a flaw. For what it's worth, my favorite PC games don't really use the keyboard much.DaveUnit wrote:Can't comprehend WASD? that's a standard control scheme for games. they work just like arrow keys, and it's a more comfortable position for your hand.
I'll try to tweak the jump shortly to make it a bit better. Also, I did not use the down arrow key, but I will add it to slow the player's horizontal velocity.Currently controls make player frustrated.
It would be more enjoyable if...
Orb by Kristopher Windsor: 15 points
It would be more fun if continue feature is added, so player can start from last stage he/she died.
Amaranth by duke4e: 13 points
It would be more helpful if player is blinking/invulnerable for a moment when hit.
it worked perfect on my desktop PC (both graphic and sound)
black half-box sprites and no sound on laptop.
Vandris Escape by vdecampo: 11 points
black screen when dying intrerrupts the game flow.
It would feel more smooth if UFO explodes rather than showing a black screen.
INVATRIS by Lachie Dazdarian : 9 points
It is a TETRIS!!
Bomb tile is little hard to notice. flashing colors would be nice.
Sector Shock by Ryan : 7 points
too many keys for fast action game.
simplifying the control will help a lot.
Aleofjax's entry (jellyfish) : 5 points
little bit faster moving crab will be helpful.
tossing squid higher will also be a help.
Invaders : Drone Rescue by ssjx: 3 points
it would be helpful if UFO moves a bit faster.
also, enemies fire all shots at once then they wait. it makes the game too easy.
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about my game...
Did anyone get the UFO Robo Grendizer(goldorak) parody? and Darius style warning parody?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW8JKCouIA4
Orb by Kristopher Windsor: 15 points
It would be more fun if continue feature is added, so player can start from last stage he/she died.
Amaranth by duke4e: 13 points
It would be more helpful if player is blinking/invulnerable for a moment when hit.
it worked perfect on my desktop PC (both graphic and sound)
black half-box sprites and no sound on laptop.
Vandris Escape by vdecampo: 11 points
black screen when dying intrerrupts the game flow.
It would feel more smooth if UFO explodes rather than showing a black screen.
INVATRIS by Lachie Dazdarian : 9 points
It is a TETRIS!!
Bomb tile is little hard to notice. flashing colors would be nice.
Sector Shock by Ryan : 7 points
too many keys for fast action game.
simplifying the control will help a lot.
Aleofjax's entry (jellyfish) : 5 points
little bit faster moving crab will be helpful.
tossing squid higher will also be a help.
Invaders : Drone Rescue by ssjx: 3 points
it would be helpful if UFO moves a bit faster.
also, enemies fire all shots at once then they wait. it makes the game too easy.
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about my game...
Did anyone get the UFO Robo Grendizer(goldorak) parody? and Darius style warning parody?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW8JKCouIA4
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KristopherWindsor
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Well... it's Monday morning in GMT land. :D :D
Has every competition entrant voted yet?
Has every competition entrant voted yet?
That is a good idea. The player will be able to play all the levels even if he is not good, but once he gets good at the game, he will want to start at level 1 to get the most points. :-)It would be more fun if continue feature is added, so player can start from last stage he/she died.
Never know how easy/hard it will be for folks to play... I did write the code originally to have customizable keys, but it was a feature that had to be scrapped due to the time limit. I did feel that the keys were intuitive (from other games... props to DaveUnit), but I may have a better handle on that setup after playing Doom 2 for years.
Tips, if you're interested... this is how to play w/ that configuration. You rest your right middle three fingers on the the arrow keys and thumb near Ctrl for firing the turret in those stages. Left hand, rest your ring finger on A, middle finger on W, pointer finger on D. In this position, your pinky should comfortably rest on Shift and your thumb on Space. This makes all the controls easily accessible without moving an inch.
I simplified mounting quite a bit, multiple times as I went, and I honestly always land on the enemies. You have to aim for their bottom half, and as I said in the instructions, holding the shift key when you jump makes you mount as soon as you land - removes the guesswork.
Simplifying the keys would've been good, which is why I reused shift to fire the ion cannon... but I'm at a loss for how to simplify directional shooting. Only shooting in the direction of movement would've killed this game, as you're often running away and needing to shoot behind you or cruising up the side of the screen shooting toward the middle. It simply wasn't an option. (Notice it didn't even work for a game as simple as Vandris Escape.)
Basically, I did try to go for something a little more involved than a quickie arcade game, and so playing the game is as much learning how to effectively control the ship as it is blasting bad guys. I'm actually glad duke4e found it to be too easy after reading some of the posts. : ) I had made the game a little easier, especially in the later monster stages (modify settings.ini to start at level 21 if you're interested!) after some playtesting was done - but I preferred it harder, too.
There is variety in the stages, as well. My favorite is probably level 18... I just dump a hundred baddies on the screen, give them all the homing AI, and let 'er rip. I don't think I even give a turret. Much fun to run away shooting and screaming. : )
I just got back from vacation and haven't been able to submit my scores on games yet... haven't even been able to play them all! I'll try to this evening, but if the results need to be posted without my input, I understand.
Tips, if you're interested... this is how to play w/ that configuration. You rest your right middle three fingers on the the arrow keys and thumb near Ctrl for firing the turret in those stages. Left hand, rest your ring finger on A, middle finger on W, pointer finger on D. In this position, your pinky should comfortably rest on Shift and your thumb on Space. This makes all the controls easily accessible without moving an inch.
I simplified mounting quite a bit, multiple times as I went, and I honestly always land on the enemies. You have to aim for their bottom half, and as I said in the instructions, holding the shift key when you jump makes you mount as soon as you land - removes the guesswork.
Simplifying the keys would've been good, which is why I reused shift to fire the ion cannon... but I'm at a loss for how to simplify directional shooting. Only shooting in the direction of movement would've killed this game, as you're often running away and needing to shoot behind you or cruising up the side of the screen shooting toward the middle. It simply wasn't an option. (Notice it didn't even work for a game as simple as Vandris Escape.)
Basically, I did try to go for something a little more involved than a quickie arcade game, and so playing the game is as much learning how to effectively control the ship as it is blasting bad guys. I'm actually glad duke4e found it to be too easy after reading some of the posts. : ) I had made the game a little easier, especially in the later monster stages (modify settings.ini to start at level 21 if you're interested!) after some playtesting was done - but I preferred it harder, too.
There is variety in the stages, as well. My favorite is probably level 18... I just dump a hundred baddies on the screen, give them all the homing AI, and let 'er rip. I don't think I even give a turret. Much fun to run away shooting and screaming. : )
I just got back from vacation and haven't been able to submit my scores on games yet... haven't even been able to play them all! I'll try to this evening, but if the results need to be posted without my input, I understand.
Last edited by Ryan on Nov 26, 2007 21:45, edited 1 time in total.
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Lachie Dazdarian
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I didn't get from Kristopher's post that he found your game too easy. Where did he say that? And I think when he said «...but I finally beat it.», he was referring to the first level with a portal.
For what it's worth, I really liked your entry. The controls were a bit overwhelming, but one could get used to them. The mounting is quite easy once you start holding shift. Perhaps this should have been explicitly pointed out in the in-game instructions.
I really hope you’ll win one of the awards.
For what it's worth, I really liked your entry. The controls were a bit overwhelming, but one could get used to them. The mounting is quite easy once you start holding shift. Perhaps this should have been explicitly pointed out in the in-game instructions.
I really hope you’ll win one of the awards.