SyntaxBomb - Indie Coders

Welcome to our 5th Code a Game Competition.

Competition Theme :

Mixed Genre.

Choose from one of the following three options and make a game that has a mix of those genres.

Option 1 : Retro / Strategy
Option 2 : Puzzle / Endless
Option 3 : Arcade / Open World

Genre Descriptions :

Retro : Old school games mostly associated with 8-bit ( and to some extent 16-bit ) computers / consoles. Retro games usually emulate a graphic resolution from computers / consoles of that era. Retro games may also be palette limited or colour matched to a certain computer / console.

Strategy : A game that focuses on skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. It emphasizes strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration. They are generally categorized into four sub-types, depending on whether the game is turn-based or real-time, and whether the game focuses on strategy or tactics.

Puzzle : Games that emphasise puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test many problem-solving skills including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion. The player may have unlimited time or infinite attempts to solve a puzzle, or there may be a time limit, or simpler puzzles may be made difficult by having to complete them in real time, as in Tetris.

Endless : A game in this category could have one never ending level ( like Flappy Bird ) or other forms of continuous play like Temple Run. Endless games are considered to have no true ending.

Arcade: Arcade refers not to games that originated as arcade machines, but to action games with very simple gameplay interaction similar to coin-op arcade games. These games usually require little puzzle solving or tactical thinking and rely solely on the "twitch" gameplay. Related sub-genres include Maze games and Paddle/Pong games.

Open World : Is a term for a video game in which a player can roam a virtual world and approach objectives freely, as opposed to a game with more linear gameplay. While games have used open-world designs since the 1980s, the implementation in Grand Theft Auto III (2001) set a standard that has been used since.

Limits :

No limitations beyond your game must clearly demonstrate the mixed genre.

Competition length :

From May 4th to June 30th 23:59:59 BST

Rules :

1.. No copyright media or modified pre-built game templates allowed.
2.. Game frameworks are allowed as are free / purchased media.
3.. Individuals and teams are allowed to enter.
4.. Provide a download with at least a Windows executable ( or link if a web browser game only ). Include other OS's too if you want.
5.. Choice of language is totally up to you. You do not have to provide the source code.
6.. One entry per person / team.
7.. Syntaxbomb has zero rights to any work posted here. You / your team hold total control.
8.. Prize to the winners payable via PayPal only.
9.. All entries must be in by 23:59:59 on the 30th of June 2018 ( GMT ). No extensions to the deadline will be granted.

Prizes :

£500 split over the top three winners ( £250, £150 and £100 ).
£250 bonus for the most complete and original game as voted for by our members.

Members who want to help with the prize fund can send donations via PayPal to my email address ( <myusername>@syntaxbomb.com ) but are under no obligation to do so.

Prize fund donations :

freeman69 - £250

How to submit your game :

Game submissions must be made in this thread. You may link to your external webpage or showcase post about your game. If you have no means of hosting your game then please PM Qube and arrangements will be made.

When submitting your game please adhere to the following format ( if relevant ) :

Game Title and the mixed genre of choice
Download link and OS requirements
Required dependancies
Brief info about your game
Media information ( If using free / purchased media then please state where you obtained said media. )


How are the winners picked :

Voting will take place from the 1st of July 2018 for one week and a dedicated thread will be made and relevant voting information provided.


Side note : If I enter any competition on SyntaxBomb I will not be part of the winners prize fund. If my entry does get votes then they will just be proxy votes and classed as an honourable / joint place mention. This way I have the option to play along while having zero effect on any entries or winners placements.

How the mixed genre themes were chosen :

For those that are interested in how the themes were chosen. Here is a video showing the date / time and source code. Source initially provided by Derron and mauled by me :P

Quote9.. All entries must be in by 23:59:59 on the 10th of April 2018 ( GMT ). No extensions to the deadline will be granted.

Dang! missed the deadline before the contest even started.  :D

Quote from: TomToad on May 04, 2018, 01:15:02

Quote9.. All entries must be in by 23:59:59 on the 10th of April 2018 ( GMT ). No extensions to the deadline will be granted.

Dang! missed the deadline before the contest even started.  :D

Oh well, I guess we'll have no winners this time around :P - I've extended the deadline until the 30th of June :))

What exactly is meant by "Arcade?"  When I think arcade, I think synonymous with retro.  So a Zelda clone would probably fit option 3.  Or do you mean "remake an arcade classic in an open world setting?"  for example, Mario, but instead of going left to right from one castle to the next, Mario can move around in any direction, searching for several castles that can be completed in any order.

QuoteWhat exactly is meant by "Arcade?"

It's a category :P

After a quick Google search "Arcade: Arcade refers not to games that originated as arcade machines, but to action games with very simple gameplay interaction similar to coin-op arcade games. These games usually require little puzzle solving or tactical thinking and rely solely on the "twitch" gameplay. Related sub-genres include Maze games and Paddle/Pong games."

I really really hope someone makes an openworld Pong. It needs to happen.

I like the categories, some good fun to be had with them.

Hmm:
retro/strategy: pixel chess
puzzle/endless: jigsaw with stormy weathers :)
arcade/open world: pheww whack-a-mole-around-the-world-with-build-your-own-hammer?

Think for now I am seeing "retro/strategy" as the only "viable" genre - with many ideas in my head. But as it is retro...hmpf.


@ endless
(pun intended:) this left me puzzled.
What does this "endless" (as genre) mean? In a shoot'em'up I would guess it means you will fly forever, enemies getting stronger and stronger until you do no longer achieve to survive?
Hmmm if so, I am building up a simple idea in the darkest corner of my brain.

@ puzzle
Is it "logic games" ? Does this include "match 3" (or Dr. Mario-style games?). I think this is some kind of "lights on" genre.



Phewww...things to think about.


bye
Ron

Quote from: Derron on May 04, 2018, 07:41:22@ endless[..]
What does this "endless" (as genre) mean?

I'd say like Tetris where you either lose or play on.

Quote from: Derron on May 04, 2018, 07:41:22@ puzzle
Is it "logic games" ?

OR: I'd say like Tetris where you have to put different tokens together so they best fit.

Quote from: Qube on May 04, 2018, 00:56:06Option 2 : Puzzle / Endless

Soooo.... Tetris? ;D

Just kidding. I don't think Tetris would meet the requirement. Or would it ::)


btw I'm still busy with the aftermath from last the last compo (I got a lot of feedback (including from you :-* ) which I want to incorporate for the next / final release of Pipanic), so I don't know if I find the time to run this time.

Yes, after handing my post to Qube's attaché (read: the forum script) I thought of "tetris" too - so same for "dr. mario", and so on.
Hmm...Dr. Mario ... 3D monster design ...
PS: Remember to have played "Blockout" in the early 90s - 3D tetris.

If I take part in the competition I need to find something which includes learning new things. Need to tackle "cloth simulation" in Blender or "hard surface modeling" (scifi/technics props). Music is also on my todo but it is like teaching a baby how to drive a (non automatic!) car.


@ aftermath
I still have "Trick or Sweets" to complete, thinking about "Creature Corp" (still writing a Blender script to automate iso-tile rendering of split-apart characters/objects), coding along on my "TVTower" ...
At least all of them benefit from code I write for each of another.

bye
Ron

So after all the debate, we still haven't got a consensus on what the Game Competition Theme should be!  lol  ;D  Because there are still 3 possible options.   :o

A nice amount of prize money though, thanks to the contributors.

Good luck to all.

for some strange reason I'm thinking of arcade mashup with food and starwars!

Salad Wars: May the food be with you?

Quote from: Steve Elliott on May 04, 2018, 09:55:53
So after all the debate, we still haven't got a consensus on what the Game Competition Theme should be!  lol  ;D  Because there are still 3 possible options.   :o

Most agreed on "mixed genre" and didn't want to be tied up with limits, so we have three mixed genre options to choose from. Pick one and get creative... Simples ;D

If everyone is still confused as to what it's all about then I can easily just make up a comp off the top of my head today with dumbed down rules?

Just a tongue-in-cheek comment lol  :P

Quote from: Steve Elliott on May 04, 2018, 10:46:09
Just a tongue-in-cheek comment lol  :P

But not far from the truth :P

FoodFruit Wars: you could also do a retro strategy game:
- build fruit plantages to produce fruits
- build fruit mashing machines to produce juice jars / marmelade ...
- build Fructarian Converters to build Fructarian units to fight your opponents (other fruit farms)
- Fructarian units have different attacks depending on fruit and product type (orange juice splash/AOE, marmelade is sticky and acts as slowdown, ...)


bye
Ron

Quote
But not far from the truth :P

True lol.  Sshhh!  Or you'll start another debate on the theme.   :P

Nobody blamed the choosable themes - I just asked what you (others) expect from the genres - just as things could get misinterpreted - see "arcade".

Also I want to use the discussion to have some kind of "group brainstorming" as this might lead to some game ideas.



@ Publishing
Do some of you AGK users mind promoting the compo on their forum? Maybe it attracts people.
Same for the cerberus-forum - and maybe even the m2 forum.


bye
Ron

of maybe i'm thinking of a retro 2d turn based game with psychotic pandas!

OK. what I now need is a 2d sprite based animation thing - I'm on it...

You mean with animation "skeletons"/spines ?
This is also on my "have to try out" list.


@ psychotic pandas
Maybe rescuing their living environment? "Pand'bo - First bamboo!" if it is an action centered real time strategy game. But do not make it too retro, 2x4 pixels of white and black do _not_ make up a panda bear :)


Jungle... hmm, my son sung "Where is the coconut?" (of course in German, English will come later :)) very often the last weeks. Maybe have 2 armies of apes fighting each other - with the "castle" being the defense center of a stolen/to steal golden coconut. So some kind of "dota" or "castle siege" ... Hmm hmmmmmm.

Palm tree catapults
Bamboo sticks for ranged attacks
Tamed snakes for venom/slowdown attacks
Slapstick bananas as placeable trabs to immobilize/"stun" enemies for a while
..

but again, "retro" is not my kind there ... except nowerdays "retro" includes games of 2 decades ago (which means you could easily do 800x600 ;-))

bye
Ron

I've got the base gl code already sorted for the rotation, etc. I'm going to use my fontsprite system, so a grid of 16x16
Here's the base panda design (I knocked this up very quickly). I'll use it to write and test the editor:
(https://vjointeractive.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/screen-shot-2018-05-04-at-12-13-43.png)

Hi, I am the creator of a programming language called rcbasic. A member of my forum told me about this competition so I decided to enter it. I just finished LD a few weeks ago and had so much fun that I really wanted to try another competition. I have to say that this theme is very similiar to the theme from LD which was to combine 2 incompatible genres. But I do like this theme a little more since atleast one of the 3 options gave me a few good ideas for a game.

Quote from: Qube on May 04, 2018, 10:41:29

Quote from: Steve Elliott on May 04, 2018, 09:55:53
So after all the debate, we still haven't got a consensus on what the Game Competition Theme should be!  lol  ;D  Because there are still 3 possible options.   :o

Most agreed on "mixed genre" and didn't want to be tied up with limits, so we have three mixed genre options to choose from. Pick one and get creative... Simples ;D

If everyone is still confused as to what it's all about then I can easily just make up a comp off the top of my head today with dumbed down rules?

This is a trick one.  Maybe a specific set of definitions for the genre's (and some examples of games which fit into the 3 categories) would help me to keep within the rules. 

All games require some form of strategy to play/win so retro / strategy would be any retro styled game .. right?  ;D 
I'm not sure about the 'open world' genre either - is is basically a case of no limitation as to where you can go and what you can do in the game universe i.e. No level structure - sandbox like?

Lots to think about  :D

Yes "open world" is kind of sandbox - but also "GTA" and the likes offer a "open world". There is no straight "step by step"/"level by level" thing to play. You do not need to fulfill missions as long as you have your needs satisfied (if you can get hungry you need to eat, if you are able to die and need to evolve: search a partner or do what other cells do to multiply).

Strategy does mean "strategy to win" but most often in a kind of "military context". So armies fighting each other, nations fighting for rulership. Of course it does not need to be a military thing. you can have two school bully-groups fight each other with "tricks" and less cruel traps.
There is turn-based strategy ("click to finish turn) like "Battle Isle", "Civilization"... and there is Real Time Strategy (time moves on even if you do nothing) like Warcraft, Dune 2, Command and Conquer, "Z" ("Zed", which reminds a lot optical wise to "Battle Isle"). But even a "Plants versus Zombies" can be "strategy" in a wider sense, or Tower Defenses - as the "layout" of your weapons defines weather you can win or not.
Games with Level Bosses needing certain "strategies to win" are not "strategy games" per se.


PS: Not providing a manual or any clue how to play a game does NOT make it a puzzle game :-)

bye
Ron

To qualify for one of the named genres, the game should heavily focus on that style of gameplay. Simple enough.
Strategic thinking, twitch based gameplay, solving puzzles. Pick your poison.

Quote
To qualify for one of the named genres, the game should heavily focus on that style of gameplay. Simple enough.
Strategic thinking, twitch based gameplay, solving puzzles. Pick your poison.

But we are talking about contradictions - like Arcade AND Open World.

So create a GTA with arcade halls - and mini arcade games - instead of stealing cars :)

bye
Ron

Quote from: Steve Elliott on May 04, 2018, 20:30:46
But we are talking about contradictions - like Arcade AND Open World.

I don't see that as a contradiction. I'd actually like to play a game with good arcade style game mechanics in an open world setting.
You can explore, go anywhere, pick any fight you choose and enter any dangerous area, but the resulting battles will be arcade style twitch based fights. If you attack that huge angry looking boss mob before killing some easier looking things for powerups first... have fun!  ;D

Qube has posted an explanation for how Arcade is meant earlier in the thread, it's quite loose and leaves us with lots of options:

Quote from: Qube on May 04, 2018, 02:46:15
After a quick Google search "Arcade: Arcade refers not to games that originated as arcade machines, but to action games with very simple gameplay interaction similar to coin-op arcade games. These games usually require little puzzle solving or tactical thinking and rely solely on the "twitch" gameplay. Related sub-genres include Maze games and Paddle/Pong games."

Obviously, not all arcade sub-genres are a great fit for an open world setup, but the overall genre could work really well. Just like open world FPS games work nicely, similar concept. Fill up your open world with fun arcade style encounters.

It's an interesting competition  :D

Quote from: Steve Elliott on May 04, 2018, 20:30:46

Quote
To qualify for one of the named genres, the game should heavily focus on that style of gameplay. Simple enough.
Strategic thinking, twitch based gameplay, solving puzzles. Pick your poison.

But we are talking about contradictions - like Arcade AND Open World.

Agree 2 of the options are almost polar opposites - I guess that's the luck of the draw though so not complaining.  Can you solve an endless puzzle? ;D 

Looks like Retro/Strategy is the option for me.  8)

What is twitch based gameplay btw?

Quote from: STEVIE G on May 04, 2018, 17:19:28
This is a trick one.  Maybe a specific set of definitions for the genre's (and some examples of games which fit into the 3 categories) would help me to keep within the rules. 

All games require some form of strategy to play/win so retro / strategy would be any retro styled game .. right?  ;D 
I'm not sure about the 'open world' genre either - is is basically a case of no limitation as to where you can go and what you can do in the game universe i.e. No level structure - sandbox like?

Lots to think about  :D

I 've added the below to the 1st post to hopefully clarify a little more on what each genre is. Probably subjective but good enough so we all know what's expected :)

Genre Descriptions :

Retro : Old school games mostly associated with 8-bit ( and to some extent 16-bit ) computers / consoles. Retro games usually emulate a graphic resolution from computers / consoles of that era. Retro games may also be palette limited or colour matched to a certain computer / console.

Strategy : A game that focuses on skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. It emphasizes strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration. They are generally categorized into four sub-types, depending on whether the game is turn-based or real-time, and whether the game focuses on strategy or tactics.

Puzzle : Games that emphasise puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test many problem-solving skills including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion. The player may have unlimited time or infinite attempts to solve a puzzle, or there may be a time limit, or simpler puzzles may be made difficult by having to complete them in real time, as in Tetris.

Endless : A game in this category could have one never ending level ( like Flappy Bird ) or other forms of continuous play like Temple Run. Endless games are considered to have no true ending.

Arcade: Arcade refers not to games that originated as arcade machines, but to action games with very simple gameplay interaction similar to coin-op arcade games. These games usually require little puzzle solving or tactical thinking and rely solely on the "twitch" gameplay. Related sub-genres include Maze games and Paddle/Pong games.

Open World : Is a term for a video game in which a player can roam a virtual world and approach objectives freely, as opposed to a game with more linear gameplay. While games have used open-world designs since the 1980s, the implementation in Grand Theft Auto III (2001) set a standard that has been used since.

Quote from: STEVIE G on May 04, 2018, 21:41:29
Agree 2 of the options are almost polar opposites - I guess that's the luck of the draw though so not complaining. 

The joys of randomness :P

Quote from: STEVIE G on May 04, 2018, 21:41:29
Can you solve an endless puzzle? ;D 

No, but I have an idea for an endless puzzle. Doubt I'll do it though as it might be boring as flippity flip.

Quote from: STEVIE G on May 04, 2018, 21:41:29
What is twitch based gameplay btw?

Isn't that some spooling based service where the twats never stop talking?

Quote from: iWasAdam on May 04, 2018, 10:29:15
for some strange reason I'm thinking of arcade mashup with food and starwars!

Salad Wars: May the food be with you?

Erm, you are going to stick with this idea, I hope?

I could shoot tie-fighters while munching on a bacon sandwich. AWESOME!!!

Quote from: iWasAdam on May 04, 2018, 10:29:15
for some strange reason I'm thinking of arcade mashup with food and starwars!

Salad Wars: May the food be with you?

Shouldn't it be "May the sauce be with you"? :P

Arcade / Open world - this seems most favourable - what to do though.....

Retro / Strategy also seems appealing though, decisions decisions.... :-\

Endless... just sounds too cruel. Everything needs a beginning and an end, although I do confess to rather enjoying the theme park genre over the years. ;D

Retro/Strategy jumps out of the page for me as I've not done anything like that before. I'll go with a retro theme and the type of game has been around since the late 60's so that should qualify it. I'm pretty much decided what I want to do now and how to expand on it to include multiple game modes to hopefully make it interesting. Biggest worry is if I could actually finish it in 8 weeks - it's a lot more ambitious than my last game.

Arcade / Open world - this seems most favourable - what to do though.....  Theres always the platformer I wrote in ZXBasic platformer I wrote some.... 35 years ago (now I'm giving the game way!) - Suspect I'd be biting off more than I can chew, but I've always been a bit of a glutton. Why not aim high ?

Come on then, guys. Let's hear who's planning to enter this time. If you want to keep silent on what you're actually doing then that's cool. I'm just curious if we're going to get a few more people having a crack this time.

And if some people are going to give themselves enough time to finish  :P

I have some ideas ... and planned to enter, but I think my wife might get angry if I did ... our second child will be born in early june and I doubt that I have much sparetime in the first weeks.


So I had:
"Rock'n'Mole": whack-a-mole-open-world (like Pokémon) - instead of whacking you roll stones ;-). Have this as a "rough game idea" for a while now and even registered a domain for it as I think the name sounds cool.

"Inner World Trip": you travel in a Jules-Verne-esque Hot-Air-Balloon through a doomed/magic cavern within the deeps of our earth. You need to solve little switches/machine puzzles to move on and on and on and on ...
So this would be the puzzle-open-end game. Machines would be "steam punk" like pipes or so. Pipes with air jet streams who would move your balloon to the world (next to your own simple "air vent"-thingy to move slowly but steadily). So you needed to close these pipes to make the air streams start ... or go away.
In some areas you would not be able to close pipes, they would sooner or later make you crash at a stalagmite or so. In that areas you would need to use switches in a specific order to make super-strong upward/downward air-streams go away - or metal barriers "someone" has build or so.
Think the biggest headache would be the auto-level-generation (so it can become endless).

I also thought of using the game mechanism/idea of my "Ape's Banana Conquest" (as it is "endless") to add some puzzle elements - and a new theme. Eg. collecting things at A and bring them to B. Again I would prefer some steam-punk theme as I would like to 3d-model such things and assume it is pretty easy compared to organic modeling (which I am struggling with).


bye
Ron

Hi Folks,

I've watched the last couple of competitions with interest! I probably won't have time to do anything, and if I do it won't be good, but I thought I'd register and give myself the option...

I've been interested in generating fractal landscapes, and more latterly with rendering them using Direct3D. One dream is to create an Elite-type space game, where the random seed for the fractal generation would be determined by space "sector", so you could recreate worlds consistently, and effectively infinitely.

A slightly more modest extension would be a flight sim, with fractally generated landscape and features. If that had a fairly simple physics flight model and controls, would something like that fit the "arcade/open" requirement?

Best wishes,

D

I've got a few ideas running around. But I really like the idea of a follow up game to SyntaxBomb with a more 16bit vibe going on (limited 48-64 colors and a reduced window size - probably stick with the 320x256 size for now, or maybe even flip it so its 256x320)

Anyhoo - here's a look at the palette I am currently tinkering with...

(https://vjointeractive.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/screen-shot-2018-05-07-at-15-03-36.png)

@DaiHard
Welcome to the game. Start with something simple that you can finish and work your way up. dont forget to ask loads of question, cause we like answering things and being helpful too :)

Quote from: DaiHard on May 07, 2018, 11:08:22
Hi Folks,

I've watched the last couple of competitions with interest! I probably won't have time to do anything, and if I do it won't be good, but I thought I'd register and give myself the option...

I've been interested in generating fractal landscapes, and more latterly with rendering them using Direct3D. One dream is to create an Elite-type space game, where the random seed for the fractal generation would be determined by space "sector", so you could recreate worlds consistently, and effectively infinitely.

A slightly more modest extension would be a flight sim, with fractally generated landscape and features. If that had a fairly simple physics flight model and controls, would something like that fit the "arcade/open" requirement?

Love the sound of this. Please give it a go, mate. Would be wonderful to see some new people entering the competition.

Welcome to SyntaxBomb too :-)

Quote from: Xerra on May 07, 2018, 10:22:44
Come on then, guys. Let's hear who's planning to enter this time. If you want to keep silent on what you're actually doing then that's cool. I'm just curious if we're going to get a few more people having a crack this time.

And if some people are going to give themselves enough time to finish  :P

I'm going to see if I can cobble something together.
Whether I will have enough time is a good question. :))

I see quite a few worklogs have sprung up with great ideas ;D - Love to see them all as fully completed games :)

Not even sure if I'll enter this one as currently I have zero ideas on what to do :o - Well, I have ideas but they are way over scope for the time scale. I'll see if anything pops into mind over the next couple of days.

The only idea I have currently is an endless puzzle game which may be the cure to insomnia :P

Quote from: Qube on May 09, 2018, 03:40:16
The only idea I have currently is an endless puzzle game which may be the cure to insomnia :P

Sorting sheeps instead of counting?


bye
Ron

Quote from: Derron on May 09, 2018, 06:36:44
Sorting sheeps instead of counting?

No, I just think the idea I have for an endless puzzle game will be very boring :(

I'll hopefully do something but nailing down an idea that I personally won't find boring is proving to be tough.  Problem is that I don't find strategy or puzzle games fun.   Arcade games - yes but open world would require alot of content and interesting elements which is just too much for 8 weeks.

My thinking also - that arcade open world is the best category, but content could get out of hand for the timeframe.

Maybe a 'proof of concept'?  Get as much in as possible and playable, with extra features coming after the deadline.

QuoteMaybe a 'proof of concept'?  Get as much in as possible and playable, with extra features coming after the deadline.

I think proof of concept entries into a game coding comp should be marked down as I personally don't class them as "games". I think those entering can aim for at least a 90%+ complete game, even if a little rough around the edges :)

Or perhaps change the game coding comp to a proof of concept comp :P

Oooo lol  :P

Quote from: Steve Elliott on May 10, 2018, 15:52:21
Oooo lol  :P

Exactly ;D

Quote from: Qube on May 10, 2018, 15:44:15

QuoteMaybe a 'proof of concept'?  Get as much in as possible and playable, with extra features coming after the deadline.

I think proof of concept entries into a game coding comp should be marked down as I personally don't class them as "games". I think those entering can aim for at least a 90%+ complete game, even if a little rough around the edges :)

Or perhaps change the game coding comp to a proof of concept comp :P

Agree - just a proof of concept is a cop out and should have no chance of a place.  I do have an idea which I think might have legs - retro/strategy, a turn based vehicle/combat in a post apocalyptic setting (less media  :P). No racing this time - just fighting it out with other scavengers.  Simplicity / fun is key for me so hopefully get a 'proof of concept' test done in the next few days.   

Quote
Agree - just a proof of concept is a cop out

lol I don't mean a very basic game, I mean as much depth as possible given the time frame and a complete game.  But with open world games there is always the scope for adding and adding and adding.

Quote from: Steve Elliott on May 10, 2018, 17:29:58

Quote
Agree - just a proof of concept is a cop out

lol I don't mean a very basic game, I mean as much depth as possible given the time frame and a complete game.  But with open world games there is always the scope for adding and adding and adding.

Ah, I see.  The thought of writing an open world games gives me a haematoma  ... don't think feature creep would ever allow me to finish it  ;D

You got any ideas nailed down Steve?

Quote
Ah, I see.  The thought of writing an open world games gives me a haematoma  ... don't think feature creep would ever allow me to finish it  ;D

lol but it would be an interesting project (too me).  Like an evolving story - always something to add.  Media could be a nightmare though - a lot of work!

Quote
You got any ideas nailed down Steve?

Not exactly.  But I'm thinking retro-style graphics to keep the graphics more manageable.  I see this as a simulation in many respects.

@ open world extension
Hmm, you could expose as much as possible to LUA - and then in your game have ingame updates. So you could add little "games" (simple stuff) without updating the game itself. Means you could even add a game at 06:00 after the compo deadline - and claim this was already available before, you (player) just did not explore enough of the world :-)

Same for AI in other games: either updated scripts, or it starts dumb and learns by the others playing the game too (sharing "experiences").

bye
Ron

So.. Arcade + Open World.. Would a metroidvania-ish platformer count?

Quote from: Dwapook on May 12, 2018, 08:33:00
So.. Arcade + Open World.. Would a metroidvania-ish platformer count?

Hi,

No one answers you. Maybe they don't understand what "metroidvania-ish" is. (include me) They don't know how to answer you.

Anyway, I suggest that the rules of the 3 options should not be too strict. Therefore, all the potential participants will be encouraged to make entries for this competition.

Quote from: Dwapook on May 12, 2018, 08:33:00
So.. Arcade + Open World.. Would a metroidvania-ish platformer count?

If that fits into "open world" as specified in the first post of this thread then yes. I think the rules of the comp are well defined enough :)

Quote from: round157 on May 14, 2018, 03:03:05
Anyway, I suggest that the rules of the 3 options should not be too strict.

I will not be too strict but I expect each entry to adhere to the categories and the descriptions presented. For example if your chosen category has strategy then I'd expect there to be a clear strategic element following the description presented in the first post. As an example, strategy is not just avoiding something or killing something as strategy implies a long term goal based on planning.

Another example is "Retro". Retro games are generally considered as those in lower resolution and / or palette restricted and / or emulating an older era of 8-bit / 16-bit computers / consoles. This includes both graphics and sound / music. I think we all know what "retro" means :)

For those entering, please please please read the category descriptions in the first post to make sure your games meet the criteria. I'm not going to be super strict but I do want to see a clear mix in themes based on your category chosen ;D

Does a low-poly flat shaded look count as retro?

me personally I would say yes - just as long as it's not Polymaniacs  :P

Quote from: iWasAdam on May 14, 2018, 07:51:03
me personally I would say yes - just as long as it's not Polymaniacs  :P

Obviously not BUT I was going to re-use some of the assets?

I'm re-using some of my old assets too, so I wouldn't be too concerned :)

Quote from: STEVIE G on May 14, 2018, 07:48:13
Does a low-poly flat shaded look count as retro?

Yup, I'd class that as in the retro 3D era. I'd even go as far as unfiltered 3D textures ( Doom style look ) as retro style.

Quote from: iWasAdam on May 14, 2018, 10:31:58
I'm re-using some of my old assets too, so I wouldn't be too concerned :)

Quote from: Qube on May 14, 2018, 11:16:19

Quote from: STEVIE G on May 14, 2018, 07:48:13
Does a low-poly flat shaded look count as retro?

Yup, I'd class that as in the retro 3D era. I'd even go as far as unfiltered 3D textures ( Doom style look ) as retro style.

Phew ... I think building assets takes the longest time.  I did make an attempt to convert the 3d models to 2d images but doesn't look as good as I would have liked and working in 3D is much easier IMO.  Also considered re-using the Van from Van Tourisimo but it just isn't detailed enough.

Anyway, I've made a start at least ...  I'm thinking kinda like Steam Birds but with cars with weapons etc... 

(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.steviegoodwin.plus.com%2Fimages%2FTBtest.png&hash=aa2d2dd16bd88cace40e4f46870aa345cc3a637a)

Just a small annotation for next compo: I would allow Qube to win - and his price will be used for the next compo.
Why?
Assume you are eager and currently on vote-place "#2". Now you can't vote for yourself and you do not want to vote for a game to take your #2 ... so you vote for Qube's game as it won't make you loose your rank. It is like voting for a party which cannot reach a minimum percentage to enter government.

While above is more of a theoretic scenario I think an "increased pot" might attract people too. Money isn't lost - just "delayed". And to avoid that a money price is delayed to a "very easy compo", I would suggest to always split the price into half. And add one half to the next, and the other half to the next but one. Or to spend half on the compos "total pot" and the other half for a special price (best appearance, best story, .... - also selected randomly before a compo start).


@ Stevie G
Ohh, that little car...looks nice. Hope you come up with a worthy successor to Van Tourismo

bye
Ron

Quote from: Derron on May 14, 2018, 11:41:11
Just a small annotation for next compo: I would allow Qube to win - and his price will be used for the next compo.
Why?
Assume you are eager and currently on vote-place "#2". Now you can't vote for yourself and you do not want to vote for a game to take your #2 ... so you vote for Qube's game as it won't make you loose your rank. It is like voting for a party which cannot reach a minimum percentage to enter government.

While above is more of a theoretic scenario I think an "increased pot" might attract people too. Money isn't lost - just "delayed". And to avoid that a money price is delayed to a "very easy compo", I would suggest to always split the price into half. And add one half to the next, and the other half to the next but one. Or to spend half on the compos "total pot" and the other half for a special price (best appearance, best story, .... - also selected randomly before a compo start).

I think the current method works OK as it doesn't effect the winners placement or prize money in anyway.

Also I'm not entering this current game comp as in my spare time I'm updating and separating my game framework, level maker and pathfinding routines into contained units so they are easily plugged into new games. At the moment it's all a bit of a mess so I need to clean up everything and make it more portable. There's also a lot of features I want to add to my framework too. Hence, not entering this comp :)

I'm not entering either, getting my Grid Fire project finished instead:

https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;pic=84

@ Qube
Even if you do not enter I am pretty sure we see some interesting projects - the more the better (and it also enforces people to do more "polishing").

Hmm, there came another post ... less candidates. Please drop a line if less than 3 enter. I will then come up with an endless puzzler (every second something is removed again from your jigsaw :p).

bye
Ron

Quote from: Derron on May 04, 2018, 07:41:22
Think for now I am seeing "retro/strategy" as the only "viable" genre - with many ideas in my head.

That's because retro is an art style, not a genre. So option 1 is easy because you don't have to actually mix genres, you can just do any old strategy game like Civilization 1.

Quote from: iWasAdam on May 04, 2018, 10:29:15
for some strange reason I'm thinking of arcade mashup with food and starwars!

Salad Wars: May the food be with you?

omg I still vividly remember that video for Salad Wars someone posted once over a decade ago on blitzbasic.com. must find and link it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4UCb7ZiiJs

@Stevie G, I love your in progress stuff... looks great.

Its all I can do to keep my creaky W7 rigs working. S'pose its my own fault, I went and turned W7 updates back on recently... goddamn OS takes longer and longer to turn on and off due to config blah. Time to disconnect the dev box from tinternet altogether and use a newer machine as a ftp thing. Jeez, such hard work.

So, anyway, Postman Plat might get another outing..... just maybe.

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the board, this is my first post. I followed the last competition and enjoyed playing all the entries.

I am going to have a go at the this one. already lost 11 days due to a big wedding in the family. And will miss a week towards the end of the competition as I am having surgery on my wrist  :o

So I am thinking I have less than 5 weeks to make something. Currently have a idea for an Endless/Puzzle   ???

Good luck to all entries!

Quote from: Morpheus on May 16, 2018, 11:56:24
I'm new to the board, this is my first post. I followed the last competition and enjoyed playing all the entries.

I am going to have a go at the this one. already lost 11 days due to a big wedding in the family. And will miss a week towards the end of the competition as I am having surgery on my wrist  :o

So I am thinking I have less than 5 weeks to make something. Currently have a idea for an Endless/Puzzle   ???

Good luck to all entries!

Welcome aboard. Don't forget to create a worklog post when you have an idea taking shape so you can show off how your effort is coming along.

Quote from: Qube on May 14, 2018, 07:07:44

I will not be too strict but I expect each entry to adhere to the categories and the descriptions presented. For example if your chosen category has strategy then I'd expect there to be a clear strategic element following the description presented in the first post. As an example, strategy is not just avoiding something or killing something as strategy implies a long term goal based on planning.

Another example is "Retro". Retro games are generally considered as those in lower resolution and / or palette restricted and / or emulating an older era of 8-bit / 16-bit computers / consoles. This includes both graphics and sound / music. I think we all know what "retro" means :)

For those entering, please please please read the category descriptions in the first post to make sure your games meet the criteria. I'm not going to be super strict but I do want to see a clear mix in themes based on your category chosen ;D

Hi, a very detailed explanation of the rules of the compeitition.

I hope that Dwapook will create a very outstanding entry for the competition.

Welcome Morpheus  ;)
Look forward to seeing your entry

How are the entries coming along? Just over a month ro go  :o

I didn't even start yet. Not even a single scribble or note on paper, everything is still just an idea. But I have to finish other stuff first and when I'm done with that (if I'm done early enough), I'll contribute with something tiny ;)

I've some time today to gets some ideas fleshed out... just need to ignore some 'pink' tasks in order to get some coding done (pink tasks = housework)   ;)

Mine is called 'Sacred Lands'
UI getting sorted.
Smoothing of landscape now turned off so everything is very sharp and low poly:
(https://vjointeractive.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/screen-shot-2018-05-28-at-08-50-15.png)
power bar operational and you can now plant trees!

@iWasAdam, loving the sharpness. Managed to dust the covers of an old B3D directory, who knows... I might get an entry in for this compo yet. ;)

Pink tasks done also.... Well, enough of them to let me play with B3D.

A lot of the games that we know about - I'm sure there'll be a few surprise entries like Pipanic was last time - have worklog entries so you can keep track of them. I think the ball may get knocked out of the park in this competition as there's a couple of entries that are making me green with envy. As in I wish I could do something like them :-)

We're just under halfway to the deadline now so would think anyone who's going to have a go has already started - unless the mad buggers are prolific enough to turn something around within four weeks. I doubt I could do it.

My game (RAM) isn't really a game yet, as there was a lot of background stuff to do, and it's a lot more ambitious than it might at first actually appear. I have finally got all the cards data and images done now, and implemented stuff like the shuffling of the pack, so I'm quietly confident I'll be able to play it in some form by this weekend.

I've also got the first chapter of an Eight part story that's going to be in the game but I'm a bit behind with that so will have to crunch it near the end when I've got to put it into the game itself.

The best part of what I've done so far is all the work I've done that's going to benefit me in the future, specifically working with imported data, image editing and using grids and lists to manage array data. It's much easier for me to configure levels and information into something like excel than actual code lines in the editor - and obviously hugely more flexible. And the potential is there for non-coder friends to be able to help design levels and stuff if it's importable like this. I've now got code written that I'll transplant into my framework after I've finished the game and can make use of in future.

Hopefully I'll have a very interesting game out there at the end of June as well.

Quote
A lot of the games that we know about - I'm sure there'll be a few surprise entries like Pipanic was last time - have worklog entries so you can keep track of them. I think the ball may get knocked out of the park in this competition as there's a couple of entries that are making me green with envy. As in I wish I could do something like them :-)

I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet.  A couple of very promising entries last time were either unfinished, lacked game play or were only playable by the author.  While Pipanic kinda threw everybody with it's simple graphics and better game play.

yep. What Steve said

Quote from: Steve Elliott on May 29, 2018, 20:36:32
I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet.  A couple of very promising entries last time were either unfinished, lacked game play or were only playable by the author.  While Pipanic kinda threw everybody with it's simple graphics and better game play.

This is very true and shows that swishy wishy graphics a good game does not maketh. Pipanic made you smile from the start as it's unique game play was something different to the norm and the whole thing just fitted together.

Pipanic was my 2nd choice vote with Envahi being my first. Envahi was another game with straight forward graphics but I enjoyed playing it the most. Granted it was a remake of the one the finest 8-bit computers ( Vic-20 - don't argue, grr ) but it was well done and worked well.

My game, ExBiEn lacked in one huge vital field, beta tester feedback to point out the controls were not great. While I think the game was fine for the time we all had I should of gone with my first instinct that the controls would not be to everyones liking and changed them. Personally I found the controls fine but then I was playing it a lot, which kinda negates the first time user and instant pick me up and play. Sure, there are many games that require learning but those introduce a progression with them. Big mistake on my behalf.

This time around I would love to see some great pure replayable games. All the worklogs look really interesting and it'd be great if the gameplay matches. Gameplay is one thing that no graphic / music artist can beat you on ;D

I assume this was the inspiration for this competition
http://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/results

The inspiration was a list of genres/thingie - and to randomly choose 2 of them. The mix might have also been "action + rpg", so "incompatible" was no required criteria.


bye
Ron

Got some ideas, managed to extract an old hard drive from a dead PC, gobsmackingly I was able to get some stuff from nearly 10 years ago almost working. Mainly prototype stuff that didn't really make the light of day, I confess my dev time is somewhat restricted of late, but I hope to have an entry before the finish line.

Inspiration is Homeworld (remastered) - someway to go at the moment though ;)

[EDIT] Got some place holders and rudimentary physics stuff started:

Quote from: round157 on May 17, 2018, 02:18:38

Quote from: Qube on May 14, 2018, 07:07:44

I will not be too strict but I expect each entry to adhere to the categories and the descriptions presented. For example if your chosen category has strategy then I'd expect there to be a clear strategic element following the description presented in the first post. As an example, strategy is not just avoiding something or killing something as strategy implies a long term goal based on planning.

Another example is "Retro". Retro games are generally considered as those in lower resolution and / or palette restricted and / or emulating an older era of 8-bit / 16-bit computers / consoles. This includes both graphics and sound / music. I think we all know what "retro" means :)

For those entering, please please please read the category descriptions in the first post to make sure your games meet the criteria. I'm not going to be super strict but I do want to see a clear mix in themes based on your category chosen ;D

Hi, a very detailed explanation of the rules of the compeitition.

I hope that Dwapook will create a very outstanding entry for the competition.

Aye.. thanks.. Apparently a metroidvania style game isn't open world.. but I did decide on what I want to make and am working on it, not sure if I'll finish it by the 30th.. I don't have a lot of free time right now.. >.>;;

Hmmm, my effort - Open world.... just outside of a world is where mine is based. Open Universe trumps open world?

Shouldn't you be able to interpret "open world"?

open can
open door
... open world

Evil alien machinery cruises through space and to refill "fuel" they break apart planets they come across. Each planet has different mechanics to get gently break apart without destroying the tasty inner core or "honey-esque" between core + hull of a planet.
yamm yamm.


bye
Ron

WIP  ;D

Quote from: Derron on June 09, 2018, 10:37:02
Shouldn't you be able to interpret "open world"?

open can
open door
... open world

Umm, no, open world is clearly defined in post 1... you rebel :P

A pity. Earth 2 was so tasty at that time....in my youth.


Bye
Ron

Quote from: therevills on June 09, 2018, 11:45:56
WIP  ;D

Sensible soccer with machine guns?

Oh wait, Cannon Fodder?

/Intrigued

What he said lol.

QuoteOpen World : Is a term for a video game in which a player can roam a virtual world and approach objectives freely, as opposed to a game with more linear gameplay. While games have used open-world designs since the 1980s, the implementation in Grand Theft Auto III (2001) set a standard that has been used since.

as opposed to a game with more linear gameplay.   I can firmly tick the no linear gameplay box. Just need to make sure there is 'gameplay' in the first instance  :))

[EDIT] Been looking at Charrua's path generation again to see if I can get the planets in our solar system doing something in 3 dimensions, yep, a bit of an ambitious goal - good to aim high ;)

Just wanted to say that the idea I had should work, so you can count on me delivering an entry. I'm going for option 2 (Puzzle / Endless). After almost 12h of work, I have a partly functioning prototype :)

Quote from: Holzchopf on June 11, 2018, 11:50:46
Just wanted to say that the idea I had should work, so you can count on me delivering an entry. I'm going for option 2 (Puzzle / Endless). After almost 12h of work, I have a partly functioning prototype :)

Hi, very, very good.

Pipanic is a Cerberus X game. This new entry is also a Cerberus X game? What will be the name of this new entry? Thanks.

Yup it's Cerberus X again and the name is PuzzPair. Maybe I'll post WIP screenshots someday, but for now everything is still too "prototypy"  ;)

@ Holzchopf
Dunno what your game is about but be aware that the German "Puzzle" is called Jigsaw (or long form: "jigsaw puzzle"). Just want to avoid that you mix it up.


As I do not have the time for a compo entry I am still available to help out if someone needs some (semi) simple assets / gui stuff.


bye
Ron

Quote from: Derron on June 11, 2018, 17:57:11
As I do not have the time for a compo entry I am still available to help out if someone needs some (semi) simple assets / gui stuff.

Want to finish coding mine for me, Derron? :-)

You know what happens if you get the code of someone else?

stage 1: overwhelmed by the pile of code
stage 2: understanding pieces of the code
stage 3: appending stuff here and there
stage 4: rewriting the code of the other one: "this can be done better" / "how does this even work" / "this is surely bugged" ...
stage 5: expanding the own code now to do something with the project (except one already lost interest)

Using modules is a different story, but (successful) jumping into an existing project is always a big hurdle to overcome.


Nonetheless (I know you did not mean your proposal serious): once your gameplay is done, feel free to approach users in this forum if they want to help you with GFX.


bye
Ron

Quote from: Derron on June 11, 2018, 17:57:11@ Holzchopf
Dunno what your game is about but be aware that the German "Puzzle" is called Jigsaw (or long form: "jigsaw puzzle"). Just want to avoid that you mix it up.

Thanks, but worry not! It hasn't much to do with jigsaw puzzles.

Quote from: Qube on May 04, 2018, 00:56:06Puzzle : Games that emphasise puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test many problem-solving skills including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion. The player may have unlimited time or infinite attempts to solve a puzzle, or there may be a time limit, or simpler puzzles may be made difficult by having to complete them in real time, as in Tetris.

It's mostly targeting the problem-solving skills "logic" (10%) and "avoiding headaches" (90%) plus it's in real time. So I think I'm pretty save  :D

Quote from: Derron on June 11, 2018, 17:57:11
@ Holzchopf
Dunno what your game is about but be aware that the German "Puzzle" is called Jigsaw (or long form: "jigsaw puzzle").

There's an interesting idea, an endless jigsaw puzzle.  Someone can try that if there is enough time. :)

@ tom toad
A scale-in-able fractal jigsaw? zoom a level closer and a previous jigsaw puzzle piece becomes a new puzzle in its own.


bye
Ron

@TomToad: Just take satellite images from the earth (e.g. from https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov), write an algorithm that cuts out "100x100 km" jigsaw puzzle pieces, which should give you around 50'000 pieces, shuffle them and you're almost good to go. ALMOST. To comply with the endless spec, you just let all the pieces on the globe's side facing away from you fall down again :D

So after ~26h of work the game is pretty well playable. Which is bad because I now spend much more time playing than adding stuff. ::)

Quote from: Holzchopf on June 13, 2018, 08:34:10
So after ~26h of work the game is pretty well playable. Which is bad because I now spend much more time playing than adding stuff. ::)

This is a good sign. Judging will be more about gameplay than anything else - certainly that's how I look at it anyway.

Mine's not even quite playable yet and I've been working on it for six weeks so don't panic :)

oh lordy... Just a week to go...  :o
Where are those graphics ?
Why doesn't this work?
That doesn't sound right!
What was THAT!
.... :o

Quote from: iWasAdam on June 22, 2018, 08:44:35
oh lordy... Just a week to go...  :o
Where are those graphics ?
Why doesn't this work?
That doesn't sound right!
What was THAT!
.... :o

I know what you mean. I'm away until Monday on a stag do from tomorrow morning.

I've taken the week off but have to be done with my game by Thursday as I'm away next weekend as well. Still have so much to stitch together and a story to finish but I've not chopped out too much as yet. Hope I can make it :-/

I'm done! :D

(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4503.0;attach=1040;image)
PuzzPair - an endless pairs action puzzle

(I went for Option 2 : Puzzle / Endless ;) )

You can download the Windows version (https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4503.0;attach=1044) or the Android version (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.holzchopf.puzzpair).


The goal of the game is to... well it's an endless game, let me restart my sentence: You play the game by revealing matching pairs of symbols to make them disappear.² The twist is that the symbols on the cards are initially only visible while in free fall plus a short time after while fading out. So you click/tap the cards to reveal the symbol. If you reveal two identical symbols, they disappear. Your motivation to do so? Well first you get points for doing so and second this makes room for new cards that fall in from top periodically.

Every 1000 points you're rewarded with an item. When used, they will randomly
- reveal all cards
- stop new ones from coming
- make them drop slower
- make them fade out slower
- let you pop one
- let you pop all of a kind
- or keep the top row clear

When you manage to clear all cards you're rewarded a little bonus score and you proceed to the next stage. The higher the stage, the faster the pace of the game. :)

You can't win the game, but you can lose: That's when a card covers any spot in the top row.³

Since my last compo entry was criticised for not having sounds, I even made some sound effects this time! :P I couldn't get the play-sounds-only-over-earplugs method to work so let's just hope everyone who plays the mobile version knows how to mute their phone ??? The Android version offers the possibility to make a donation (directly to my piggybank), that's why it asks for in-app-purchase permission. If it works out, I'll let you know.

(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4503.0;attach=1042;image)


²) That pretty much sounds like the Wikipedia article on tile-matching puzzle games (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzle_video_game#Tile-matching), so I'm convinced it's a qualified puzzle game.
³) The you-can't-win-but-lose mechanics applies to Flappy Bird, one of the examples of endless games the contest creator mentioned (https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4503.msg16232.html#msg16232). I think I can't get any more spot-on. I guess a "game over" can be considered "not a true ending".

Played it.  Excellent.  Rated on play store too.

I think there's a maximum level you can reach where all the blocks auto fill the level.

@Holzchopf - PuzzPair is a cool little game and like Matty, I got to stage 10 and it was like zip zap Game Over :o

Perhaps you could issue a quick tweak and ease the difficulty progression? as it seems a big jump from stage 9 to stage 10. I assume at some point the games difficulty doesn't get any harder? or else that would mean at some point it becomes impossible ;D

Overall though, you've a nice little time wasting puzzle game here, me like :)

Another way to increase difficulty in such games is:
- introduce more colors/symbols (so more harder to find "pairs")
- decrease tile size / increase game area

You might consider adding "malus"-blocks. So instead of helping the player, they create some chaos. Eg. a "Mix tile" could fall down and on landing it shuffles some tiles on the game board.
Or consider adding some "stone blocks". They need to get paired multiple times to crack their stone-border. Eg. 3 times paired = done.

In 2007 or 2008 I created a prototype of a similar "match 3 endless puzzler" (with elements of "Dr. Mario"). And I also had other blocks like "swords" (vertical clear), "axes" (diagonal clear), "sand clocks" (time givers), "bombs" (clear surrounding) ...  And spawns were based on difficulty and progress.

(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FHVOYII2.png&hash=3817bc14c552120a4357a77ce03038ec6d2c8a91)
(Man, I am really surprised how well some effects in that game looked ... will have to write an thread about it to convince me on finishing it somewhen.). Think many of us did such match-3-thingies and might come in with handy ideas for your game.


Nonetheless: you have enough time to update your game. Eg. I think it could benefit of some polishing in the top area on the phone. Make it look a bit more "candy", "child friendly", "cheering". For now it looks "plain and clean" which can attract certain people - but for Android games I think you need to find either a very individual look or follow the masses and create some polished-to-perfection-stuff. So if you did the "candy" way, you could have all blocks be a bit like "jelly" and when they land they wobble a bit (simple animation). Just use a base sprite (grey) animate it a bit, and when using them in the game, use a simple "setcolor" before to tint it to the desired block color.

Without having it tried: it sounds like a fun little time waster!


@ headphones
I would rate your game down if you _enforced_ wearing headphones when playing with my phone. My headphones were never pulled out of the original enclosure/foil. Some people play it at home - let them use their speakers.


bye
Ron

[SUBMISSION]

"A Knight's War" - Retro/Strategy
http://www.mattiesgames.com/retrostrategy/ (http://www.mattiesgames.com/retrostrategy/)
Best to use Desktop browser but can be played with mobile and tablet browser as well.
No required dependencies
"A Knight's War" is a strategy game allowing players to fight as the forces of 'order' against the hordes of 'chaos'.  There are three modes of gameplay available. Campaign (1 player), 2 Player (hotseat) and Online (multiplayer). 
It is a turn based strategy which was inspired by games I played as a kid such as Defender of the Crown, Lords of Conquest, Ancient Art of War and a few others. The retro component (probably not as interpreted by anyone else here) mainly referred for me to the style of the gameplay more than the graphics (- yes I know...not what it turned out was intended by the word 'retro' ).
Help is available in the battle mode through the 'advisor' as context sensitive text displays when he is clicked on.
There was a lot of helpful feedback from Derron and IWasAdam which was integrated into this - and I wouldn't have achieved what I have achieved here without their help.
There are loads of comments I've made throughout development in the worklogs area.
Oh....if you do end up playing it then I recommend at least once sitting through the 'demo mode' that occurs after about 20-30 seconds delay at the title screen....


Note.....there is a hidden mode in the Online game that allows the AI to control your forces....it was good for debugging and I've left it in....if you were to start the game, set this mode, and leave it run - you'd probably win the campaign while away from your desktop for several hours! I'll leave it for you who are programmers to find this mode if you choose.

Derron - I know you gave me some more feedback a few days ago about changes..it's late enough in the comp that I'm happy enough with it....not making any more changes from this point on...

Need to start thinking about my next game for my own purposes.

All Media apart from music created by myself. Most graphics drawn using references of online images found or images I have in books. Music purchased from shockwave-sound.com.
Source available as it is a web page, the only source I'm not providing is the php and sql code (which is minor and only applies to the multiplayer mode)

@ PuzzPair. Superb visuals and logos - really well done there :)

Competition Entry: BUG HUNTER Annihilation Complex

Showcase link: https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4756.0.html (https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4756.0.html)

Arcade / Open World (as in a large maze)

Okay - so it was also inspired by Aliens, a little.
It ran faster than expected but is limited to 70 bees plus a few ants & beetles with a top limit of 100 critters active at any time. Plus shrapnel.
The gameplay was a little experimental: given the proximity of the hives to each other, 'tile' scale and max path finding distance (v.short). The ants can only be destroyed by bomb shrapnel, because they absorb the robot's bolts, like the beetles do.
The eggs ejected from destroyed hives also have 'behaviours' if not collected.

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forums. HikeHeart linked to your coding competitions on the Cerberus-X forum, this is how I found this place  :). I used Cerberus-X and Monkey-X a lot  for my previous projects but in the last days and weeks I wrote a retro style strategy game in Monkey2. I didn't know if I could even finish it but somehow I did it ... at least most of it :). So here is a screenshot:

(https://i.imgur.com/sF8Hf1l.png)

As soon as it is completely finished I will upload it on itch.io.

@PixelPaladin - Looks really cool, love the pixel work :)

Welcome to Syntaxbomb ;D

Yep love that pixel art, and welcome.

Looks pretty cool! Hope it got some suiting music (a bit battle/a-team-ish).

As I always nitpick stuff - especially as welcome present ;-):
- plants/rocks and trees have a soft-shadow, buildings and units a hard shadow. Why not give them a similar shadow - is there a (for me) non-obvious reason?


Aside of that: I knew that some unexpected submissions/entries will come: nice to see some variation and seemingly worthy contestants.


bye
Ron

Quote
As I always nitpick stuff - especially as welcome present ;-):

lol yes, as you're new don't get offended by Derron's microscopic scrutiny, he will improve your graphics - even if they are very good already.

Thank you everyone!

@Derron: Good question. At the beginning I wanted to write a fragment shader to handle all shadows correctly, so that only colors of a specific palette are used. Then I noticed that I had not enough time for that but I already had the graphics for the trees, rocks and some units. For trees and rocks the dark shadows would be too extreme. For units it would be problematic when they use same colored shadows when they work over different terrains ... and transparency for shadows is something I don't like that much. So in the end units and buildings got dark shadows and map tiles got lighter shadows. The reason is lack of time :)
About the music: this is the only part I cannot do myself, so I have to use 3rd party music.

@Steve Elliott: I don't feel offended – feedback is always welcome :D Derron is absolutely right about this inconsistency. I sometimes notice how I shift towards a different style within one document. I absolutely hate that – especially when both styles look good in their own way but don't fit together :)

Quote
@Steve Elliott: I don't feel offended – feedback is always welcome :D Derron is absolutely right about this inconsistency.

Good, and yes, Derron is right.  :)

@PixelPaladin
..hey man..this is fantastic..it reminds me so sharply about Commander Keen :)

I'm loving those pixels :)

Thanks for the elaboration about shadows.
Think it is a good idea to create a thread about your game.


You could use the soft/light shadow without issues - think people will more likely see the difference of the shadows than checking if the shadows do not "add" when overlaying tree/plant/rock-shadows with the one of the units. The main culprit is the big distance (contrast wise) between light and dark shadow. This is also why it became so apparent for me.

Nonetheless: it looks really good and it is just a tiny tiny try to about your visuals in the screenshot. Are there pixel-blood-particles and explosions ?


bye
Ron

[SUBMISSION]

Hey everyone! I uploaded my game on my itch.io page:
»Tiny Pixel Wars« (Retro + Strategy)
https://pixelpaladin.itch.io/tiny-pixel-wars (https://pixelpaladin.itch.io/tiny-pixel-wars)

---

Quoteit reminds me so sharply about Commander Keen

Yes, there might be some similarity to commander keens overworld maps – mostly because of the trees and the single colored ground.

@iWasAdam: Thank you!

@Derron: you are right about the shadows, but don't expect me to change this – there is definitely not enough time to get all the graphics perfect. When I think about what features I planned and what features made it into the game ...

QuoteAre there pixel-blood-particles and explosions

There is no blood – this game is as violent as a Zelda game. But there are particles and explosions ... lots of them!

Wow... Tiny Pixel Wars has to be the most technically complex game I've seen since joining the group...

The number of components, the units and their interactions, 'AI', path-finding, buildings etc. I still enjoy playing a couple of the old Command & Conquer games and this is up there with them.

I gotta ask - you really only started putting this game together in the last few weeks?

Hey guys thanks for your feedback!

I'm on holidays this week so no updates on the game ;) At least not for the compo entry.

@Matty and Qube: Don't worry! Yeah the game get's harder with every stage and the biggest step might be from level 9 to 10 when four rows get filled at start. But it's certainly not insta-killing you  ;) There are at max sixteen different symbols, meaning when the first one drops in it's mathematically sure it can be paired with another symbol. So, if you're fast enough (at remembering all tokens and reacting), you can make it. Btw my GF got to stage 16 at her first try. My max is iirc stage 23. Of course you also have to learn not to hesitate to use items.

@Derron: Quite interesting point concerning the graphics. To be honest I'm not going to change anything there :P I just wanted to point out your argumentation

Quotebut for Android games I think you need to find either a very individual look or follow the masses and create some polished-to-perfection-stuff

which I can't really follow. Do you mean I should either make it more ugly (very individual lol) or more polished but the raw-unpolished-but-not-ugly style will fall in some kind of gap? :-\

@NotAdamAnymore: Thanks! *thumbs up emoji here*


Damn the other entries look fine as well... I'm really looking forward to play them once I'm back to "normal"!

@freeman69:

QuoteI gotta ask - you really only started putting this game together in the last few weeks?

Yes, From scratch. Path finding has still some problems with buildings (because I planned this completely different at first and the current solution is more like a hack). For path finding I used an approach based on flow maps. This way units walk more smoothly compared to older games. It is more similar to the way path finding works in games like StarCraft 2 and at the same time it is easier to implement. Basically all units with the same target share one flow field map instead of calculating their own paths via A*. For further reading: http://leifnode.com/2013/12/flow-field-pathfinding/ (http://leifnode.com/2013/12/flow-field-pathfinding/). Collisions are circle-circle collisions, which is very fast when combined with binning.

AI is absolutely stupid. All it does is build predefined combinations of units (but in a random order) and send them to your HQ. The AI has the advantage of having a little more money at start, knowing all about the map and making faster decisions than a human player could do – which means capturing buildings faster. As soon as you know how the AI works it is not that hard to deal with.

For unit vision I ported a line of sight algorithm I found on the web. To be honest I cannot find the exact page anymore – but there are a lot of cool algorithms on roguebasin: http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Field_of_Vision (http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Field_of_Vision)
In the end I think high ground was a bad idea to do because it caused the most problems. There are also some features that I implemented that didn't mad it into the game – like sight blockers (like in sc2: https://liquipedia.net/starcraft2/Sight_Blockers (https://liquipedia.net/starcraft2/Sight_Blockers)).

And then there is random map generation where I cheated a bit. Maps are made of 8x8 cells. These cells are like randomly rotated / mirrored tiles which are created using Tiled (https://www.mapeditor.org/ (https://www.mapeditor.org/)). Map generation is a bit inspired by Spelunky (never played it) by the way the map consists of randomly arranged pre designed cells:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqk5Zf0tw3o (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqk5Zf0tw3o)
To get these cool island shapes, I used this algorithm:
http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Cellular_Automata_Method_for_Generating_Random_Cave-Like_Levels (http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Cellular_Automata_Method_for_Generating_Random_Cave-Like_Levels)

So if you are interested in the source code, I could upload it – but I have to warn you because it is an absolute mess (like all of my game jam codes)!
If you are interested in my other game jam projects have a look here: https://pixelpaladin.itch.io/ (https://pixelpaladin.itch.io/)
I think the best one I did was Greedy Heroes for cga-jam which has been written in two weeks: https://pixelpaladin.itch.io/greedy-heroes (https://pixelpaladin.itch.io/greedy-heroes)

(edit: removed some typos)

@ Holzchopf
I talked about the unique look of certain games. Eg. some "stick man" graphics or "neon glow" ...
So gfx which distinguishs from other games. For now your "HUD" looks a bit boring/defaulty. Your blocks could stay this way if the HUD and background get a bit love and improve.

(Auf deutsch: Ein einzigartiger Stil waeren bspweise diese "Strichfiguren"-Spiele oder neonfarbene Bloecke (also mit Glueheffekt etc. ), halt etwas, was sich von anderen Spielen _wohltuend_ abhebt.)

Maybe adding some kind of "theme" would help avoiding such things? So if you had chemistry bottles/potions instead of "puzzles" you could design the whole stuff around "laboratory". If you had animals you could have a natural environment in the background ... and so on.

---

Animating blocks in such games will add some "pleasing for the eyes"-effect. It creates a bit of variation and movement in the visuals. Of course you can add too much of it, leading to a child-game effect (everything must wobble, everything needs to have eyes and does squeek when touched/placed).
All above depends on the visual style you want to use in your game.



@ PixelPaladin
Nice jam entries! 1hour pet looks preeeetty cute. It exposes that you are capable of doing various graphic styles. Good job.



bye
Ron

SacredLands launches for the compo (I got it all finished) with MacOS,Windows and Linux versions...

Game Title and the mixed genre of choice:
SacredLands, retro/strategy

Download link and OS requirements
https://adamstrange.itch.io/sacredlands (https://adamstrange.itch.io/sacredlands)
MacOS, Windows10 (win7 being checked), Linux

Required dependancies
OpenGL

Media information ( If using free / purchased media then please state where you obtained said media. )
me, all me, and no one but me

Brief info about your game:
It's a full on retro, low-poly, 3d strategy game...

Protect you Island, protect your Trees, protect your Horn!

Here's some in-game footage to whet your insatiable appetites...
(https://vjointeractive.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/sa2.gif)

(https://vjointeractive.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/sa1.gif)

(https://vjointeractive.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/sa3.gif)

(https://vjointeractive.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/sa4.gif)

You can also check out the worklog to see how it all came about...
https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4556.0.html (https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4556.0.html)

Be kind - be evil. Shoot them or power kill them. just don't let them get your Horn...
(https://vjointeractive.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/screen-shot-2018-06-28-at-12-04-46.png)

Ah ok. Yes in that case I misunderstood you a bit. I really thought expected me to make it either uglier or this "child-game wobbly squeeky" like over-polished. Yeah the HUD is a bit boring, but I'm fine with that. I could have gone with additional "background coloured container blocks" for stage / score / best / item but to me this looked not minimalist enough. And I wanted it to look absolutely that way. Since it's not the place where the action happens. Unless you gain an item or you use one - but for that occasion there are some (not too distracting) animations.

Animating the blocks is something I even considered doing first but then discarded since they behave too much "physical": I imagine it to be quite odd when wobbling blocks on top of each other create gaps or overlay just because their physical size/collision box doesn't match their appearance.

But thanks for your feedback anyway :)

The entries so far look really good...

A Knight's Tale - I won a battle using a Midori browser as my old Firefox version was probably out of date. Want to have another go and explore the game further!

PuzzPair - Very nice look and sound. Must admit I got wiped out twice on stage 10, but made it to stage 11 on the 3rd attempt.

Sacred Lands - Really wish there was a Windows 7 version as it looks superb and I remember Zarch well. (Tried the Win10 version just in case but it closed the window straight away.)

Tiny Pixel Wars - Amazing, although I've not gotten anywhere close to beating the enemy, it's an incredible little game. Looks like I need to go back to school too, as I'm still trying to understand flow field mapping! The things that can be done - wow.

I think these games have raised the bar to a whole new level.

Thank you muchly freeman69.  Your comment thrilled me to bits.  It's always nice to be praised from time to time.  Thank you.

@freeman69 I know you had problems with the last entry. so this entry does the same. no window or anything?
What ver of Win7 are you using?

@IWasAdam: Just checked again and I get the 'Sacred Lands, loading...' screen and then it closes down pretty quickly.

I know last time you tested your game on Windows 7 with positive results. My version of Win7 supposedly supports 32 & 64 bit with different 'program' folders for each. I'm thinking it's either a conflict between the two or I'm missing a component you would expect to be present :(

@IWasAdam: ... System info says Windows 7 Home Premium... Service Pack 1 - I've never upgraded, and had the machine for 6 years now.

I'll install a version of win7 and see what I can do :)
IThe fact you get the loading screen is good news as I now have a direction to look....
oh, windows 7 64 installed and up and running from iso in 10 minutes - hello old friend :)

windows 7 'close' bug - confirmed... working on a fix for you :)

ok. tracked down the error - it's a DX9 shader compile error. I'm on to it..
initial test are it now runs. Will let you know when new version is upped (checking versions now)...

YAY - Windows version now support win7/8/10. please update or re-download - And let me know if there are any other issues I can look at for you :)

I'm working on a Match-3 game with dragons, that will hopefully attack your stuff if I have enough time to code that. I might need to stay up all night. Looks like I have 20 hours left. I only started a week ago because I spent most of my time developing the language that lets me code on my phone. I coded most of this game on my phone.

I will post a link soon. It's a web game that's designed for phones but can be played on any device.

@IWasAdam: It works  :)
Loads up, can do a full screen nicely. Tried an easy game - short story line into gives it flavour. Able to fly about a bit (nice touch with the flaps). Have to dash off, but wanted to let you know that I tried it successfully.

My entry is: Redshirt Fodder :)

Option 1 : Retro / Strategy

Itch Page: https://therevillsgames.itch.io/redshirt-fodder

SyntaxBomb Page: https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4765.msg17973

oh, new entries  :D

Hi,

My entry is detailed in the Worklogs area. https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4768.msg17982.html#msg17982 (https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4768.msg17982.html#msg17982)

Just in case I posted in the wrong place  :o

Hope you all enjoy the game.

Morpheus

I fixed some bugs that broke the application for some users – download it again if you had any trouble running the game. If you still have issues, please let me know!
I also added a link to the music license that can be clicked with the mouse (since not everyone uses a qr-code scanner) :)

https://pixelpaladin.itch.io/tiny-pixel-wars

Here's my entry. Click to play instantly. No download needed.
TOWER SWAP, the endless puzzle.
http://touchbasicapp.com/6/play

Also you can try on your phone/tablet too if you have a newer android or have ios 10+

This game is open source, so have a look at the code. All coded in Touch Basic.

That's it folks. Time is up ;D

Well done to all those that entered and I look forward to playing each entry.

I'll get the voting thread for this comp put up tomorrow evening.

STEVIE G - What happened to your entry? :o

Quite a nice unique selection of games to play this time around.

I've only managed to have a quick play on a couple so far but thankfully it's Sunday ( no work coming through via phone or email \o/ ) and what better excuse but to grab a few beers with the sun still blasting down ( been no rain here for weeks ) and play some brand new games ;D

Quote from: Qube on July 01, 2018, 00:03:51
STEVIE G - What happened to your entry? :o

I should have marked my entry as abandoned 3 weeks ago as had very little free time to code with other stuff going on over the last month.   Holidays, illness, family stuff and the best weather Glasgow has seen in 10 years :)   

I'll be back with a vengeance next time!

Looks like there are lots of cracking entries again so looking forward to playing them all next week.  Good luck everyone!
 

 >:( I was looking forward to this one from you...

So far I've had a play on Knights War, Triss and Tower Swap. Standard is very high this competition just on the three I've played so far. Looking forward to trying Sacred Lands next as that one's the only Mac download, apart from Triss, so I'm going to have to extract my Windows laptop from the missus to have a go on the other four games tomorrow night.

Re tower swap.
Graphics were a bit 'chunky' but you get into it very quickly with no need for help. I really liked the mixup of PlantvZombies and CandyCrush. I could see this being polished into a superb mobile game and one with a nice twist.
I think this as a concept is brilliant. now wheres that big cannon gone...

Quote from: iWasAdam on July 02, 2018, 08:27:40
Re tower swap.
Graphics were a bit 'chunky' but you get into it very quickly with no need for help. I really liked the mixup of PlantvZombies and CandyCrush. I could see this being polished into a superb mobile game and one with a nice twist.
I think this as a concept is brilliant. now wheres that big cannon gone...

Thanks I'm glad you liked it :) I'll make a dedicated post for the project.

Ya the graphics don't scale well, they are meant for a fixed screen resolution. I'm realizing there's 3 types of 2D graphics. Pictures of 3D models, pixel art, and vector graphics. The former is the only one that doesn't stretch well. I'll switch all the graphics to either pixel art or vector graphics. And add sounds/music.

I didn't come up with the concept myself, I took the ideas from other games where they mix match-3 with other genres, there's lots if you search for them, all I did was try to simplify/improve it so you just focus on making good matches. And I still want to add boss dragons that attack your towers.

Quote from: PixelPaladin on June 27, 2018, 23:51:56
Tiny Pixel Wars« (Retro + Strategy)
https://pixelpaladin.itch.io/tiny-pixel-wars (https://pixelpaladin.itch.io/tiny-pixel-wars)

Really like this PP! But I dont think your frame rate limiting is working right, on my PC everything is running too fast!

QuoteBut I dont think your frame rate limiting is working right, on my PC everything is running too fast!

For me it ran at 60 fps on my Linux machine and on Windows, too.

Can you compare the game speed you experienced with the following video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=YdXrXOLAYoQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=YdXrXOLAYoQ)

I wanted the gameplay to be really fast compared to games like Age of Empires or Command and Conquer. But if the game runs much faster than in the video, I would need to fix that. In any case I uploaded an experimental version of the game to my dropbox. This version shows the frame rate in the upper left corner of the screen. If you test it, let me know if it is more than 60 fps.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gfip2w03gjf1bnb/AADPpfEO39T4VQcGmOwg1PpEa?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gfip2w03gjf1bnb/AADPpfEO39T4VQcGmOwg1PpEa?dl=0)

@curtastic (Tower Swap)

Your game is good fun and pretty easy I reckon, and it certainly spices up the old 'Match 3' idea a bit. I also like how it's a no-fuss, browser-based game.

I survived to Day 40 on my 3rd go  :)

Red Shirt Fodder is awesome fun, I confess my game strategy might be suffering through age, my son thoroughly enjoyed playing. said he liked the graphics and would pay for it.... I confess I didn't, poor excuse is I wanted to charge thru and try the game out in the first instance. Kudos. ;)

Tiny pixel wars looks awesome... don't have time to play this evening, No.1 on my to do list post work manyanna. ;)



... curtailed my dog walk, tried it out, unfortunatelythe game intro screen was presented like this:

@3DzForMe: Congratulations! It looks like you downloaded the broken version that was online for one or two hours – until I noticed what was going on :)
Can you try downloading it again or ask someone for a working copy, please?

Quote from: PixelPaladin on July 02, 2018, 16:18:35
For me it ran at 60 fps on my Linux machine and on Windows, too.

I run my monitor at 144Hz, if I select 60Hz it runs at a more playable rate :)

I'll run the FPS output version tonight.

Quote from: 3DzForMe on July 02, 2018, 20:27:23
Red Shirt Fodder is awesome fun

Glad you like it :)

@therevills: Okay, now I understand ... I thought monkey-2's request-render command runs at 60 fps ...
I will definitely fix this as soon as the competition is completely over.

Quote from: PixelPaladin on July 03, 2018, 02:22:35
@therevills: Okay, now I understand ... I thought monkey-2's request-render command runs at 60 fps ...
I will definitely fix this as soon as the competition is completely over.

You can stick in a Timer object for a quick limiter:
Declare your timer:
Field _timer:Timer

Initialise your timer running at 60FPS and calling your Update procedure:
_timer = New Timer(60, OnUpdate)

Perform your rendering just in OnRender:
Method OnRender(canvas:Canvas) Override
App.RequestRender()
GameRender(canvas)
End


And your Logic in OnUpdate:
Method OnUpdate()
GameLogic()
End

Quote from: PixelPaladin on July 02, 2018, 16:18:35
This version shows the frame rate in the upper left corner of the screen. If you test it, let me know if it is more than 60 fps.

Hey PP :) Attached are a couple of screenies running the FPS counter version of Tiny Pixel Wars, one when I had my monitor at 120Hz and the other at 144Hz.

Quote
I thought monkey-2's request-render command runs at 60 fps ...
I will definitely fix this as soon as the competition is completely over.

Bug fixes are allowed.

The game runs at 75 FPS here because that's my monitor's default refresh rate.  You really need to fix this bug.

Okay, I didn't know that it was allowed to upload bug fixes after the deadline. I fixed the bug and uploaded the new version. So everyone who had problems with the game running too fast, please download it again.

@therevills: Thanks a lot!

Thanks!  That's better - at least in Linux, I'll try Windows too.

Hi, tried tinypixelwars2 again from this link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gfip2w03gjf1bnb/AADPpfEO39T4VQcGmOwg1PpEa?dl=0

Sorry to report same issue on my Windows7 ultimate laptop. I've suspicions the 3D card in it may have issues though, one of my B3D projects failed to run properley a while ago... whereas it used to work.

Let me know if theres another hyperlink.

You could try to download the version from itch.io again, where I fixed some bugs with the frame rate and the window ... but in the end I don't think that it will change much. I also tried to compile a version that would run in a web browser – but I couldn't get emscripten to work properly.
If it doesn't work at all you could watch the video from Lokijki:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdXrXOLAYoQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdXrXOLAYoQ)
... but watching a video is not like playing it yourself – I'm very sorry :(

@Pixel Paladin - played your game on my main PC, works fine there no issues - great work and good fun. A very polished game.

I'm sure the issues I was experiencing were associated with my hardware, the laptop I tried it on in the first instance.   ;)

@3DzForMe: That is good news! Nice to see that you like it :)

V1.02 with windows download is no upped :)
https://adamstrange.itch.io/sacredlands (https://adamstrange.itch.io/sacredlands)