Reboot Comp Entry: Tiny Tales 2

[Imerion]

Hi everyone! I have been way too busy to post a worklog this time, but I did manage to finish my game in time. So I thought I'd create a thread in case anyone has some feedback or bug reports.

Short info for my game is as follows:
Game Title: Tiny Tales 2
Game competition chosen: March 2019, Theme "8-bit Wars"
Game chosen: Tiny Tales
Download link and OS requirements: https://gamejolt.com/games/tinytales2/495187 (Available for Linux, Windows and MacOS)
Required dependancies: None.
Brief info about your game: Single-screen metroidvania with C64 limitations.

For the 8-bit Wars compo I did an adventure game called Tiny Tales (https://imerion.gamejolt.io/tinytales/), where the entire world was contained on a single screen. I had an idea for a follow up that used the same concept but as a metroidvania-style platformer. Therefore this REBOOT competition felt like the perfect way to realize that idea. I hope you like it!

[STEVIE G]

Loving the pixel art  Looks like a contender to me 

[Derron]

"tiny" question: why are moon and "skeleton" 2bit while other sprites use more colors? Think they both could well have used the light grey the castle sprites offer.


Level "view" could work well for a lemmings clone too

bye
Ron

[3DzForMe]

@Imerion, really like your levels platform esque design, reminds me of a platformer I coded just over 3 decades ago. 

[Steve Elliott]

This looks like a big step-up from Tiny Tales 1 - well done.

[iWasAdam]

nicley done, do I spy "Abbaye Des Mortes" 


worked solid on MacOS, no problem (possible suggestion for windowed mode)

Also remove spaces from app title, add .txt to help file
and add the following for running on MacOS if 'application can't be run' dialog appears:
1. open terminal
2. goto the folder where the app is installed
3. type the following:
chmod +x App_name.app/Contents/MacOS/*

that will help with the permissions

[Imerion]

Loving the pixel art  Looks like a contender to me 

Thanks! I'm so happy to hear that!

"tiny" question: why are moon and "skeleton" 2bit while other sprites use more colors? Think they both could well have used the light grey the castle sprites offer.

Level "view" could work well for a lemmings clone too

Good question. For the moon I thought it would make more of an impact this way, but the skeletons could probably use a bit shading. Will fix that once the cometition is over. A Lemmings-clone would be fun to do, I've played that game so much.

@Imerion, really like your levels platform esque design, reminds me of a platformer I coded just over 3 decades ago.

This looks like a big step-up from Tiny Tales 1 - well done.

Thanks!

nicley done, do I spy "Abbaye Des Mortes"

Wow, that does look similar. I had actually not seen that before, my main inspiration were the old Castlevania-games.
Good tips about the MacOS build! Will update that for the next release. Window mode should be possible to add as well.

[iWasAdam]

Wow, that does look similar. I had actually not seen that before, my main inspiration were the old Castlevania-games.

Went and had a quick look at them and can see the resemblance - either way a nice job

Question for you. How do you find Gamejolt as a platform, What is the usual amount of views/downloads you have. I've noticed that the general game quality is much higher than at itch.io?

[Imerion]

Question for you. How do you find Gamejolt as a platform, What is the usual amount of views/downloads you have. I've noticed that the general game quality is much higher than at itch.io?

Interesting question! The page itself works great. I'm not a big fan of the design, but the tools are practical and easy to use. Views and downloads seem to vary between 500 to 5000 views and 200 to 1500 downloads for my games. The first Tiny Tales has been there a year now and has 4178 views and 1193 downloads, but that one also got a mention on PC Gamer which resulted in a lot of hits. There are lots of community functions, so these numbers would probably be higher if I spent a bit more time on the page interacting with others or implemented achievements, high scores, etc. I haven't used itch.io that much myself, so I can't comment on the game quality. But I have found many nice games when browsing around on GameJolt (though of course also many that I just scrolled past...).

[Imerion]

Small bug fix release 1.0.1:
- Fixed a few enemies standing above the ground.
- Made some improvements to the MacOS build as per comments above (thanks!).

Can be found on the usual page: https://gamejolt.com/games/tinytales2/495187

[iWasAdam]

nice

[Xerra]

I'm testing out Tiny Tales 2 at the moment but i'm struggling getting anywhere with no instructions.

I've worked out that CTRL will jump but there's a shortcut on Mac that when you press that with the left cursor key then it switches screen. I don't think i've set that up so it must be either something I'm running or the Mac always does this. Maybe the keys could be configurable to get round this?

Pressing space seems to beep and not much else. I'm assuming it's for picking up or switching something perhaps, but I'm on the lift and I can't make it go up/down no matter what I try. Or maybe it's not a lift but there's nowhere else to go otherwise, once I've jumped the 3 ghosts and gone through the door.

Little guidance could be helpful here, please?

[Xerra]

Actually, found Z jumps, X fires and C does whatever the beep indicates. Still not sure how to progress beyond getting past the first three monsters, however.

[Imerion]

I was about to add a tutorial, but I ran out of time. Sorry! I will at least add the controls to the Readme for now.

Controls are as follows:
Arrow Keys to move around.
Ctrl or Z to jump.
Alt or X to use magic.
Space or C to switch magic. (Once you have picked up the Blue or Yellow Magic Orb)

Magic power will fill up over time. Pick up magic orbs to get access to new spells or increase your magic generation speed.

To get a bit further in the game, after the three first monsters, go down to the room with a skeleton enemy and push the lever by touching it or hitting it with your magic. That should open up several new areas.

[Imerion]

The ReadMe now contains this text. Uploading new versions with it now. After the competition I will add instructions in the game, accessible from the title screen!


Instructions:

Arrow Keys to move around.
Ctrl or Z to jump.
Alt or X to use magic.
Space or C to switch magic. (Once you have picked up the Blue or Yellow Magic Orb)

Magic power will fill up over time. Pick up magic orbs to get access to new spells or increase your magic generation speed. Touch levers or hit them with magic to activate them. Doors open automatically when approached. Explore and experiment to find out how to get all three magic spells, find all seven hearts and defeat all the different enemies. Can you reach the top floor and win the game?