SyntaxBomb - Indie Coders

General Category => Game Coding Competitions => Topic started by: Qube on April 11, 2018, 23:15:46

Title: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 11, 2018, 23:15:46
Okie dokie folks, it time to vote in the Movie and TV theme game competition - Jan 30th - Apr 10th 1028

We've had a nice wide variety of games this time around ;D

If you are voting then please do take the time to play each game in order to keep the voting fair and in the good spirit of the gaming comps.

Voting rules :

1.. State your favourite three games in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
2.. You are not allow to submit any updates to your game until after voting has closed except for bug fixes. No feature updates.
3.. Voting must only be done in this thread.
4.. You can not vote for your own game.
5.. Members with less than 10 posts can not vote unless they themselves have submitted a game for the comp.

Voting takes place from now and will close on Apr 18th @ 23:59:59 GMT.


The games ( in order of submission ) :

Blue TIGAR by freeman69
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4421.0.html

Inferno by iWasAdam
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4412.0.html

Envahi by Xerra
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4030.msg15352.html#msg15352

Pipanic by Holzchopf
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4414.0.html

ExBiEn by Qube
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4420.0.html

Creature Corp by Derron
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4294.msg15399.html#msg15399
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: therevills on April 12, 2018, 10:20:04
Great entries all of them! But my favs:


1. ExBiEn: Great theme - if only the controls were more natural! And the when moving forward the team should continue past the mouse cursor...

2. Pipanic: LOL! Thought this was a unique take on the film!

3. Blue TIGAR: Reminds me of one of my favs Helicopter games back on the Amiga: Gunship 2000

(4. Inferno)

Love the look of Creature Corp, reminds my of Theme Hospital.

Seems we mostly like helicopters here!
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: round157 on April 12, 2018, 10:35:01
Quote from: Qube on April 11, 2018, 23:15:46


Blue TIGAR by freeman69
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4030.msg15253.html#msg15253

Inferno by iWasAdam
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4412.0.html

Envahi by Xerra
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4030.msg15352.html#msg15352

Pipanic by Holzchopf
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4414.0.html

ExBiEn by Qube
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4420.0.html

Creature Corp by Derron
Link : https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4030.msg15393.html#msg15393

Hi, I find a mistake. Only Creature Corp and Envahi don't have threads in Showcase sub-forum. There is a thread of Blue TIGAR in the Showcase sub-forum. Please change the URL for Blue TIGAR. Thank you very much!!!
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Derron on April 12, 2018, 10:42:25
Creature Corp has a thread in the worklog-forum.
https://www.syntaxbomb.com/index.php/topic,4294.0.html

bye
Ron
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: iWasAdam on April 12, 2018, 11:20:34
I loved all the entries. Here's my list:

1. Blue TIGAR: a bit confusing in the menus, but such a great achievement and fun to play

2. Pipanic: Brilliant. who can resist playing as the iceberg! some very unique ideas and interesting gameplay

3. ExBiEn: Definitely the best theme - and best executed, but didn't like the controls

I also really liked the base look of Creature Corp. It has something if it can be worked out how to really make it glue together with a killer gameplay and concept

Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Xerra on April 12, 2018, 17:31:39
I've had a play of all five games now.

1st place - ExBIEn

Loved the atmosphere and the sound effects.
I got by ok with the controls but I didn't like it much. Personal taste. I played Last V8 on the C64 which works the same way.
Title music simple and effective - I liked it.
Game mechanisms such as the rotating scanner, pulsing radar excellent.
Strongest game idea and atmosphere by far.
Weak AI -locking on walls.
Players could get stuck on corners splitting the team.
I was crap at it. Didn't even get off the first level. I'm the idiot who stands on exploding barrels that I'm shooting, though.

2nd place - Blue Tigar

Impressed with the speed of the game generally. Ironically not enthused with how long it takes to fly to the actual locations. Especially crashing as much as i did and having to keep restarting. Made the game a bit too slow.
Controls felt a little too responsive for a helicopter taking off. I crashed from high up just trying to move down slightly. This was my fault i discovered - not using left height meter.
Pitching forward seemed to take me down even though i was high up. Perspective seemed off from that view.
Wanted to play it full screen but couldn't.
This game took some time to get used to all the controls so people need to persevere.
Annoying long wait before you could exit the death scene.

Third place - Pipeanic

Intro stuff good. Liked the intro animations for logo etc.
Liked the water effects and turbulence.
Had no sound at all when I played - seemed odd for a game that's so developed? Bug on my machine?
Should have a skip so you don't have to go through all the intro text each game constantly pressing space.
Don't like the scrolling system where you push to a certain part of the screen and then it catches up. I felt it should be moving as you do.
Chasing coins was annoying as they're moving almost same speed as you are. Took me forever to catch up to some.
Confusing at first. Thought I was meant to sink boats from the off and wondered why i kept dying. This is me being a div not the game, though.
Personally didn't like the graphics style but it's consistent and I can see it would appeal to some people.
Of all the titles this one felt the most developed.

On Creature corp, that would have been my winner, if it had been built into even a simple game. I feel sorry that Derron couldn't get it there in time but I wouldn't feel right voting for a framework over a completed game. Sorry.

Probably my crap laptop but I couldn't get the full window to actually fill the screen - annoying.
A little small for someone visually impaired like me but the animations and characters I really like.
You can't really do anything short of sell or buy structures on location of boxes. It's not a finished game so wouldn't vote for it as one.
Of all the games I tried this is the one I wish was complete as it reminds me of Game dev tycoon.

On Inferno I was technically very impressed as Adam has tried very hard to do something different.

Liked the title scene with the rotating buildings on fire.
After only playing two games I noticed all five high scores were populated - bug?
Felt more like a technical demo.
Had no idea what I was actually doing.
Rotation effects, disasters like tidal waves, meteors were good.
Didn't like it as a game. Didn't feel like one.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Steve Elliott on April 12, 2018, 18:32:06
Some great feedback there Xerra.  I'm busy with work at the moment but will give some thoughts when I can properly play them all - when is the deadline for voting Qube?

For me, a few things that contestants should bare-in-mind is give clear instructions for one!  We are talking about pretty unique games here - and quite quirky at that.  You need to be clear in the objective of your game!  Threads here don't count - give some damn instructions in-game.  Explain what you are facing exactly.  You should know what every adversary on-screen purpose is, rather than trial and error.

Don't ever use Shift as a fire button, because you get Windows 'Sticky keys' problems.

For me personally *always* offer a full-screen mode.  I feel games should be immersive (even if retro) and having an Operating system behind your game window destroys that vibe.

But some great entries here guys, well done!   :D



Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 12, 2018, 19:02:06
Quotewhen is the deadline for voting Qube?
Voting takes place from now and will close on Apr 18th @ 23:59:59 GMT.

QuoteThreads here don't count
Sure they do. Think of them as an instruction book ;D - Ideally it'd be great to have configuration options, in-game instructions & how to play tuts built in but by the time you'll done all that you'll only have enough time to code up a space invaders clone.

I think at the very least detailed instructions in your games post should be made and not just "here's my game and a link".

Perhaps next competition should have a check list of things your game MUST have just so everyone is happy :)
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Steve Elliott on April 12, 2018, 19:16:12
Thanks, regards voting deadline.

Quote
Threads here don't count

Sure they do. Think of them as an instruction book ;D

lol not everybody reads every sentence here and not everybody on the internet is a member of SyntaxBomb!  Remember these games are hosted off-site.  :P

Quote
in-game instructions & how to play tuts built in but by the time you'll done all that you'll only have enough time to code up a space invaders clone.

No, clear text n graphics instructions would let you know, you don't need to go over-board.

Maybe that should be the next comp - a Space Invaders clone...Taken to the next level!  You could go crazy on music, sounds and visuals.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Derron on April 12, 2018, 20:32:41
Quote
Probably my crap laptop but I couldn't get the full window to actually fill the screen - annoying.
A little small for someone visually impaired like me but the animations and characters I really like.

If you want to elaborate about it: write in the worklog-thread of the game. I used to develop it on another virtual resolution (75%) so stuff was bigger there but then remembered that I did everything "full hd" so I scaled back to 100%. Think for such a game one should really be able to add some kind of "scaling" as there is no element required to cover the whole screen (map could be scrolled, lists to buy/sell stuff or hire/fire persons already fit on screen).

And yes, it is no "game" but I wanted to at least expose what I have done in the competition time. Should only bite what I am able to chew :)


bye
Ron
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Xerra on April 12, 2018, 20:48:40
Quote from: Steve Elliott on April 12, 2018, 18:32:06

Don't ever use Shift as a fire button, because you get Windows 'Sticky keys' problems.


Dammit. I didn't even think of that as I use a Mac for development. I'll remember this for next time :(
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Xerra on April 12, 2018, 20:52:06
Quote from: Qube on April 12, 2018, 19:02:06
I think at the very least detailed instructions in your games post should be made and not just "here's my game and a link".

Perhaps next competition should have a check list of things your game MUST have just so everyone is happy :)

You know what? Both of these are quite good ideas.

I was thinking towards the end of how my game would be perceived by the player who knew nothing about it. That's why the very last thing that went into it after fixing all the bugs was the two boxes on the title screen that showed what keys you use to play it. I did two boxes because I wanted left handed players to be able to play it properly as well.

Up until then I just assumed people would know exactly what keys to use and how to play it. This is actually pretty poor on my part.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Xerra on April 12, 2018, 20:55:50
Quote from: Derron on April 12, 2018, 20:32:41

And yes, it is no "game" but I wanted to at least expose what I have done in the competition time. Should only bite what I am able to chew :)


I'm glad you took my comments how I meant them to come across. As I said, your work would have been my top vote but we're judging finished games here. Maybe something a little less ambitious for next time and work on this game without the struggle of a deadline.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: col on April 13, 2018, 07:48:34
Peeps,
Some pretty cool games! You can see that a lot of effort has gone into them.

Don't forget that ExBiEn will have a proxy vote - ie it won't be counted in the winners circle, so some people may want to include a 4th entry?
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Naughty Alien on April 13, 2018, 09:00:46
1) ExBiEn

2) Creature Corp

3) Pipanic

4) Blue TIGAR

Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: freeman69 on April 13, 2018, 09:44:58
Not actually voting, as I had problems running some of the games on my clunky laptop, but wanted to praise all the entries...

Envahi was the first I had a go at - fully functioning, lots going on and just a couple of very minor niggles that would have been smoothed out with more time. That grabber seems easy to avoid, but it still got me more than once! Multiple control systems for differently behaving objects. Nice package overall.

Exbiens - clever control system for steering and moving a group and firing towards a single point. Found out that it's okay to shoot a team member in the head when attacked by a face-hugger, but then I'm a dead shot  ;D Loved the atmosphere and the A+ graphics. Got to level 2 so far and was wiped out pretty quick. Enjoyed every moment.

Pipanic - Very cute and very efficient with system resources. Loved the wake effect. The player's berg and the ships didn't want to draw properly on my old machine, showing a black surround instead of being transparent. Unique and fun idea.

Creature Corp - yet to unzip the download (not a bog standard zip), but the images showed amazing isometric graphics. Hope Derron intends to finish it as the idea is very appealing.

Inferno - I know iWasAdam put a lot of effort into the high spec 3D. Intriguing control system - although I never got to play  :(

(Then there was Blue TIGAR... least said...)  8)

It's a real pity there weren't as many entries as before, but the open theme seems to have given people too much choice?!
It would be nice if there was also beginner's thread, so people aren't intimidated by all the high end output. Some of us are using basic facilities and can't draw for toffee (me), and if we can't run all the entries it would be nice to submit an entry to a class 'B' category that isn't part of the final vote and prize.

Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Holzchopf on April 13, 2018, 10:57:23
Thank you very much for your feedback, Xerra. It really helps a lot =)

Quote from: Xerra on April 12, 2018, 17:31:39Had no sound at all when I played - seemed odd for a game that's so developed? Bug on my machine?
I intentionally didn't put any sound and let me explain why: I plan to port the game to mobile. And as long as I don't know how I can ensure how to play sounds only via headphones but not the speaker, I'm not going to implement any sound. Period. Maybe it's a swiss thing, where almost everyone uses public transportation daily and just likes it quiet - believe me, if you're sitting in a train here and hear noises coming from a phone, you could ask who'd like to throw that person out of the bloody moving train and fifty people would silently raise their hand. Of course you can mute your phone, of course I could put sounds in the game and hope people wouldn't annoy others by playing my game loud. But it's considered rude insomuch, that I'm simply not going to put sounds unless I can guarantee it's not going on someone's nerves ever. :D

Quote from: Xerra on April 12, 2018, 17:31:39Should have a skip so you don't have to go through all the intro text each game constantly pressing space.
Hmm I see... Not having the time to play a game while having the will for it seems to be more and more common :( You're not the first one to mention this. The animations are already going to speed up. I'll find a clever way to also make the intro skippable. ;) edit so right now I just put "don't show intro if player is not level 1" onto my to-do list, hope this will help already.

Quote from: Xerra on April 12, 2018, 17:31:39Don't like the scrolling system where you push to a certain part of the screen and then it catches up. I felt it should be moving as you do.
I'm sorry, but I'm not going to put this on my to-do list (immediately, maybe later on as an option). But I tried it and the fact that the movement is not digital and therefore the view starts to jump single pixels every now and then while de- or accelerating just gave me an headache. I'm trying to find a way to implement a pleasant "two speeds autofocus" where just a bit out of centre will move the cam at a lower steady rate, though.

Quote from: Xerra on April 12, 2018, 17:31:39Chasing coins was annoying as they're moving almost same speed as you are. Took me forever to catch up to some.
Huh... Thanks for that clue. Another thing I have to make Iceberg mention! There are so many things missing in the greeting, like telling the player level 20 is max, Pipanic will only appear then or that ships should always be rammed from the sides ::) The extra thing that should solve your problem: Once a ship has zero health and starts sinking, you shouldn't ram it any more. Simply let it slow down and the spawned loot crate will quite soon just be sitting there :)

Quote from: Xerra on April 12, 2018, 17:31:39Personally didn't like the graphics style but it's consistent and I can see it would appeal to some people.
Thank you =) I really put a lot of efforts into the graphics. I'm glad not to be the only one who thinks the style is consistent.

Quote from: Xerra on April 12, 2018, 17:31:39Of all the titles this one felt the most developed.
Thank you again! This is a great compliment :)
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: GaborD on April 13, 2018, 11:25:08
1) ExBiEn

2) Pipanic

3) Creature Corp
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Derron on April 13, 2018, 11:31:11
@ Holzchopf
If you are able to call external java code (eg. creating a function which you provide "native implementations" for ... should be possible with Monkey/Cerberus as "mojo" and the likes were done htis way), then you could just do as suggested there:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16395054/check-whether-headphones-are-plugged-in

Basic approach would then be to have a function "IsHeadphonePlugged()" which calls this stuff when targetting android as platform. And yes, I fully understand that "noise" thing - people doing "whatsapp audio conversation" in the public transports or on the street. Listening to it via "loud" speakers of course, not the ones for the ear. So it is exciting to know who got cheated, who does not care for his kids or if one has drunk too much.


bye
Ron
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Holzchopf on April 13, 2018, 12:04:58
Cool! Bookmarked. ;D
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 13, 2018, 12:17:42
QuoteLoved the atmosphere and the A+ graphics. Got to level 2 so far and was wiped out pretty quick. Enjoyed every moment.
Glad you liked it ;D - Level 2 is a big level and there is a simple strategy to not dying quick. The trick is as soon as you hear the motion tracker beeps getting higher in pitch, stop moving and get ready to blast the EBE's. Even switch to grenades if needed as they blow up anything in one shot but you only have 8 of those until you pick up more ammo. The game saves the level you've reached so you don't have to replay from the start once you've completed a level.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Steve Elliott on April 13, 2018, 15:48:21
1) ExBiEn

2) Pipanic

3) Blue TIGAR

.4 Inferno

Creature Corp looks excellent but more a tech demo - as was Inferno in my eyes, but was completed.  A real shame Creature Corp wasn't completed in time.  A nice retro shooter in Envahi.  Well done guys!
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: 3DzForMe on April 13, 2018, 18:25:54
My Votes:

1. Blue TIGAR
2. EnvahI
3. ExBien

Edit I'd some problems running some of the entries, I was intrigued by I WAS Adam 3D however couldn't run it on my rig. Also failed to extract the 7z compressed thing despite downloading a 7zip utility.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Holzchopf on April 13, 2018, 22:36:35
Blue TIGAR
Wow, I'm impressed. It has a story (or something similar, you call it introduction), training missions, the controls can be adjusted, sounds and the graphics? nostalgic! :D I even had fun playing it, although it's quite hard. One thing I have to critique: the menu controls aren't consistent. But you sure provided a lot of game content =)

Creature Corp
Looks cool! Unfortunately it lacks a goal to achieve? For a tech demo it's already pretty sophisticated, meaning it seems to run solid. Well except for the one core of my CPU that has to suffer a lot while the game is running ::) This can definitely develop to something playable and long lasting. The concept seems to be of that kind where content makes an awful lot of the end product, but I'm impressed how professional it looks :o I hope you plan to make some sort of introduction? Maybe just start with one single guy that works for almost free and only does... idk drawing and you have to pick a few contracts to make up for a good income/effort mix.

Envahi
Ok the different objectives make it a bit more interesting. Basically I like the sounds and music, but somehow the music from the menu doesn't fit the ingame music (latter one seems to be too much lo-fi in my ears). Some of the graphics also seem a little off, e.g. the "lives" display in the top right looks a bit too much like carelessly resized ;D Let's pretend, the styles would be following the same line: The game could be spiced up by adding... Power-Ups! Yay! Why just the upward shot? You could also have: triplets, fast-fire, explosions (come on, EXPLOSIONS!), lasers, all in different directions and crazy stuff ;) But now it's almost only keep shift pressed and avoid crashing into something. Nice credits btw. I like details like these.

ExBiEn
One of the games where the graphics are just so nicely done. Respect! And not only the graphics but also the sounds build a really strong atmosphere. I got used to the controls on one hand (pun intended) but on the other, I couldn't get used to the difficulty of the game. Level 2 is final stage for me. Am I missing something about the radar? Is most of it decoration which I shouldn't bother about too much?

Inferno
It took me a while to understand the game mechanics. And I'm still not sure if I fully do :D But I like the concept. Great job if you came up with this! I guess it's an adoption of 2048 or what-it's-name-was, but a clever one. I like the graphics, the fake news and basically the game as a whole! I had some trouble after rotating the view, but then I rotated it more and everything seemed to be back to normal. But boy, this game grabbed me.

You make it really difficult for me to decide. I mean, I have three favourites and all for their own reason: Blue TIGAR for it's content, ExBiEn for it's atmosphere (and also it's distinctively movie relation) and Inferno for it's simplicity and cleverness. :-\

But finally, here are my votes:
1. Inferno
2. Blue TIGAR
3. ExBiEn
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Derron on April 13, 2018, 23:21:59
QuoteMaybe just start with one single guy that works for almost free and only does... idk drawing and you have to pick a few contracts to make up for a good income/effort mix.
This was exactly the plan - this single guy would be named "You". All figures are able to "learn" new skills (autolearning was disabled in the release) so the whole stuff with "training" etc was already in the concept. And once you played 10 years everything gets replaced by computers - where you then improve by learning new techs (like Pixars OpenSubdiv and the likes). But right, it is really much content to create :-)

If you have more ideas - feel free to add them to my worklog thread (also your computer hardware - if your 1 core was at 100%, on my AMD of 2011 it uses 30% - I think its the FullHD rendering and your GPU at the end...).


bye
Ron
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Xerra on April 14, 2018, 00:58:17
Quote from: Holzchopf on April 13, 2018, 22:36:35

Envahi
Ok the different objectives make it a bit more interesting. Basically I like the sounds and music, but somehow the music from the menu doesn't fit the ingame music (latter one seems to be too much lo-fi in my ears). Some of the graphics also seem a little off, e.g. the "lives" display in the top right looks a bit too much like carelessly resized ;D Let's pretend, the styles would be following the same line: The game could be spiced up by adding... Power-Ups! Yay! Why just the upward shot? You could also have: triplets, fast-fire, explosions (come on, EXPLOSIONS!), lasers, all in different directions and crazy stuff ;) But now it's almost only keep shift pressed and avoid crashing into something. Nice credits btw. I like details like these.


Thanks for your feedback on Envahi. I've now created a - probably far too - long post on the game development in the showcase forum if you're interested. I'll go over your points here:

You've got me bang to rights on the lives counter. It's something I noticed just yesterday because I did exactly what you said and just used resized player image for testing in the game and forgot to flippin' put in proper ones before release. How embarasing :-) Ron is going to have a field day with this admission.

The title screen music is my main link to the theme of the game, which was Airwolf. I specifically wanted that music as it's so recognisable and gives the game a bit of identity, with the player being a helicopter and all that. The music in the game was something I added very late on as it was a bit too quiet for my liking and I didn't want to try and over-compensate with too many whiz,bang,crashes. I had 19 8 second bursts of retro music that I used 8 from in a random manner. I found that this worked very well and didn't get annoying so kept it in. I wasn't trying to match to the title theme at all with that.

The other parts you mention about additional shooting angles, power-ups and so on weren't part of the original game so I didn't deviate much from that design. The only real changes were me adding the two shields, being more forgiving with wall and city impacts on the player part and multiple acid rain clouds. I did have some new parts that I was considering adding to the game, like a day/night transition, high score table for example. None of that made the cut as my slackness meant I was running out of time. My worklog goes into this in a bit more detail.

Glad you liked the credits. Original plan was to have a dynamic text system so I could use different fonts, colours and a kind of attract mode sequence that showed the aliens and what they did, points total etc. In the end I had to scrap all that too and just cook up a large sprite with the logo's and credits text due to time. Totally my fault but I'm not that unhappy with how i got at least the basic scrolling system going. I reckon you may be the first to have noticed that screen as nobody else has mentioned it. It's waiting for around 10 seconds on the title screen or you can press "F1" to launch them - for the interested.

Thanks for playing my game.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 14, 2018, 04:45:19
QuoteI couldn't get used to the difficulty of the game. Level 2 is final stage for me. Am I missing something about the radar? Is most of it decoration which I shouldn't bother about too much?
Level 2 is quite easy really ;D - The trick is when you hear the motion tracker beeps go up in pitch, stand still and get ready to shoot. Little bursts of movement are best on level 2. Don't rush and it'll become a lot easier. Level 3 is time based before the space station blows up, so on that level you have to move a little quicker.

The motion tracker / radar is 100% accurate based on the direction your players are looking in. The little green arrows represent the direction your players are looking in and all the white dots show where the EBE's are in distance / angle. If you find the motion tracker a distraction then just press M to remove it.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: iWasAdam on April 14, 2018, 06:24:39
QuoteIt took me a while to understand the game mechanics. And I'm still not sure if I fully do :D But I like the concept. Great job if you came up with this! I guess it's an adoption of 2048 or what-it's-name-was, but a clever one. I like the graphics, the fake news and basically the game as a whole! I had some trouble after rotating the view, but then I rotated it more and everything seemed to be back to normal. But boy, this game grabbed me.
Congratulations on guessing the base mechanics was 2048. What were the rotation issues you had?
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Holzchopf on April 14, 2018, 16:39:58
The picking wasn't working properly any more. IIRC it was off by one tile, but then I rotated the view once more and it worked again.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 14, 2018, 20:27:14
1st - Envahi
2nd - Pipanic
3rd - Blue TIGAR
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: chalky on April 14, 2018, 23:20:31
1) Blue TIGAR (utterly brilliant - took me back to my A1200 days)

2) ExBiEn (reminded me of Alien Breed on the Amiga)

3) Inferno (technically impressive - despite me having no idea what I was supposed to do)
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Xerra on April 14, 2018, 23:41:45
Quote from: chalky on April 14, 2018, 23:20:31
1) Blue TIGAR (utterly brilliant - took me back to my A1200 days)

2) ExBiEn (reminded me of Alien Breed on the Amiga)

3) Inferno (technically impressive - despite me having no idea what I was supposed to do)

Think you have to have 10 posts on the board before you're eligible to vote. Or has that rule been changed?
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 15, 2018, 04:50:39
Quote from: Xerra on April 14, 2018, 23:41:45
Think you have to have 10 posts on the board before you're eligible to vote. Or has that rule been changed?
That is correct. An unfortunate rule to try and aid against "friends" joining up to influence the votes. Not that I'm saying this is the case here but it's the best I could come up with to avoid that scenario :(
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: therevills on April 15, 2018, 05:02:20
Quote from: Qube on April 15, 2018, 04:50:39
Quote from: Xerra on April 14, 2018, 23:41:45
Think you have to have 10 posts on the board before you're eligible to vote. Or has that rule been changed?
That is correct. An unfortunate rule to try and aid against "friends" joining up to influence the votes. Not that I'm saying this is the case here but it's the best I could come up with to avoid that scenario :(

Well chalky has been a member since August 14, 2017... but them are the rules :)
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 15, 2018, 05:12:40
QuoteWell chalky has been a member since August 14, 2017... but them are the rules :)
As much as I know that his vote is genuine, it does fall into that rule :(
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: freeman69 on April 15, 2018, 08:39:18
Quote from: Qube on April 15, 2018, 05:12:40
QuoteWell chalky has been a member since August 14, 2017... but them are the rules :)
As much as I know that his vote is genuine, it does fall into that rule :(

Gosh, darn, wouldn't-you-know-it! :))
Still, it's always nice to have positive feedback (thank you Chalky).
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: iWasAdam on April 15, 2018, 08:42:52
yep me too. Thanks Chalky. I'm very pleased with the feedback as well. people like the look and are confused (or have no idea) about the gameplay. Really good points and lots to learn about :)
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: chalky on April 15, 2018, 14:32:31
QuoteWell chalky has been a member since August 14, 2017... but them are the rules :)
I've been a member here since June 10, 2017 - having joined shortly after the demise of the official forum (where I'd been a member since 2006) - but didn't make my first post until August 14.

My bad - I didn't realise I wasn't allowed to vote (or that I'd only made 5 posts (6 with this - only 4 more to go!) since joining!) - apologies for breaking any rules. I will make sure I'm eligible for the next competition...

Quote from: Qube on April 15, 2018, 04:50:39
That is correct. An unfortunate rule to try and aid against "friends" joining up to influence the votes. Not that I'm saying this is the case here but it's the best I could come up with to avoid that scenario :(
What's a 'friend'...? :))
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: col on April 15, 2018, 16:10:11
@Chalky.. start a thread and you'll easily get to 10 posts before voting finishes :))
kidding :p

My votes are
1. ExBiEn / Blue TIGAR
2. Envahi
3. Inferno

CreatureCorp is an excellent entry too however as already mentioned... not much of a game. Very impressive as it is though!
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: round157 on April 15, 2018, 16:40:26
Quote from: col on April 15, 2018, 16:10:11


1. ExBiEn / Blue TIGAR


Hi, the vote may be invalid. (two champions)
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: round157 on April 15, 2018, 16:48:44
Quote from: chalky on April 15, 2018, 14:32:31
I will make sure I'm eligible for the next competition...



Hi, maybe you can actually vote again in this contest. Right.? (write 4 more posts first)
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Xerra on April 15, 2018, 16:51:50
Quote from: round157 on April 15, 2018, 16:40:26
Quote from: col on April 15, 2018, 16:10:11


1. ExBiEn / Blue TIGAR


Hi, the vote may be invalid. (two champions)

Ugh, I get the feeling I'm about to drop into third  :o
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Scaremonger on April 15, 2018, 17:26:01

Ok Guys, those are some seriously good entries.

1. ExBiEn.
2. Pipanic. I had some issue with graphics on my laptop, but gameplay was fun so I based my vote on the enjoyment factor.
3. Inferno.
4. Creature Corp.

I've included a fourth vote because it looks to have a lot of potential (and I'm not sure if Qube is included in the results). I'd like to see it when it's finished.

Now that I've played them all, I'm going back to ExBiEn for a couple of hours ;)

Si...
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 15, 2018, 18:02:18
@col - you will need to have just a 1, 2, 3 please :)

QuoteI'm not sure if Qube is included in the results
My placement will be a proxy placement like joint 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc etc and of course won't effect the top 3 winners or the prize allotment ;D
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: col on April 15, 2018, 19:17:15
No probs. I just assumed because your game wasn't counted in the winning votes I'd put them side by side  ;D

1. ExBiEn
2. Blue TIGAR
3. Envahi
4. Inferno
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: TomToad on April 15, 2018, 19:35:55
1 Blue TIGAR
2 Pipanic
3 Envahi
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 15, 2018, 20:44:49
Quote from: col on April 15, 2018, 19:17:15
No probs. I just assumed because your game wasn't counted in the winning votes I'd put them side by side  ;D

1. Blue TIGAR
2. Envahi
3. Inferno
Lol, so you go from having my game joint 1st to nowhere? :P
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: col on April 15, 2018, 21:13:17
Quote@col - you will need to have just a 1, 2, 3 please :)
;)

QuoteLol, so you go from having my game joint 1st to nowhere? :P
No sweat... I'll edit and put you back in to the same spot as I had decided 8)

I'm giving you your £50 pound bribe back too.
Just kidding folks there was NO bribe  :))
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 15, 2018, 21:16:34
QuoteI'm giving you your £50 pound bribe back too.
Thought we agreed on a £100? :))
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Derron on April 15, 2018, 21:46:18
Nope, 50 for you - and 50 for me to not finish my game in the timeframe ;-)


bye
Ron
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 15, 2018, 22:59:15
Quote from: Derron on April 15, 2018, 21:46:18
Nope, 50 for you - and 50 for me to not finish my game in the timeframe ;-)
Ah, that explains why I thought it was £100 :P
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: STEVIE G on April 17, 2018, 18:33:58
1.  Pipanic

Genius idea, love the lo-res graphics - just up my street these days.  Great wee time waster. 

2.  Exbien

Obviously alot of effort put into this one and it shows.

3.  Blue TIGAR

I'm a stickler for low-poly minimalist games and this is very well done.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Derron on April 17, 2018, 19:26:59
1. ExBiEn
2. Pipanic
3. Inferno

All of the games (also the other places) lack a bit of "variety" but this could easily get overcome with extended versions once they won their prices :-). Congrats to all contestants but there could only be 3 choosen ones. Blue TIGAR had good approaches (missions!) but it failed for me graphics wise (I know it is chosen by intention / knowledge of personal skill limitations or whatever). Nobody cares for the way you go, people judge the result. Envahi could be a way better presented game - it just needs a bit more spare time to get the polishing it needs for a small "arcade like" game. Think some "clay"-style or fancy-low-poly-plus-effects like game would really do well (yes I understand the idea of a "remake", no "revamp" but I compare it to other games, so it ...gets rated this way).

The vote-gainers:
Exbien: game with some addicting gameplay and good presentation (gfx+sfc).
Pipanic: seems most feature complete (aside of sound/music), a bit slow animations but overall also addicting and worth a "second 1st place". Please enhance gameplay variations to increase chances of "play over and over again" :-)
Inferno: had some pretty good looking "entities" (building crane and the likes) and a good game idea. It missed a catchy "how to play" introduction (@Adam, your last competition entry had one :-)). Presentation (gfx+sfx) was better than Blue TIGAR - which else would got this place (or better)

Nonetheless - as said already: good job all participants and you can only get better.


bye
Ron
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 17, 2018, 19:43:33
QuoteAll of the games (also the other places) lack a bit of "variety" but this could easily get overcome with extended versions
ExBiEn will be getting an update and uploaded at some point in the coming days / weeks. Mainly :

1.. New control system \o/
2.. Side panel gone ( optional to turn it on / off )
3.. Health bar below the dudes
4.. Bullet and grenade info via little popup if player left clicks and holds on a dude
5.. Improved A.I
6.. Difficulty settings
7.. Advanced features like being able to exit the game during play
8.. Might add a couple more levels ( maybe )
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Derron on April 17, 2018, 19:51:02
(5.b.. add pathfinding - maybe not on each update but every "tile" and every "second" so mobs do not run against walls :-P)
(9.. give each of the team members a lamp so "stucking" ones are not kept in the dark - they are afraid then).

BTW: Interesting to see that "less entries" correlates with "less votes" - so maybe it's all in all just "less buzz" than in the last compo. Next one really needs a bit more promotion "in advance" so people could prepare (team up, get rid of their jobs to have more sparetime, ...).

bye
Ron
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 17, 2018, 20:15:17
Quote(5.b.. add pathfinding - maybe not on each update but every "tile" and every "second" so mobs do not run against walls :-P)
Yes, by improved A.I. I meant A* Pathfinding rather than the crude direct line approach. I did have A* Pathfinding in the game but doing it when you've got a dozen EBE's after you dropped the frame rate and my quick attempt to split up the working over frames to ease the workload wasn't successful and so I just had to go another route. Now there's no worry about doing everything I wanted to do in time I can begin again on that side of things and split all the working across multiple frames.

Quote(9.. give each of the team members a lamp so "stucking" ones are not kept in the dark - they are afraid then).
I'll probably add path finding to combat the left behind scenario. That way if a dude gets stuck behind a barrel or wall and you don't notice then he'll catch up on his own.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Rick Nasher on April 18, 2018, 23:06:21
Can't wait to see it. Previous video already really rocked.  8)
And, well it's pretty obvious what I would have voted  :), but too late. Missed the deadline I guess.
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: Qube on April 19, 2018, 00:44:36
Voting closed :)
Title: Re: Voting time for Movie and TV theme game competition - Apr 10 2018
Post by: 3DzForMe on April 20, 2018, 10:25:37
Quoteget rid of their jobs to have more sparetime, ...

The wife and kids might not wear me opting for that, and besides - its beneficial to have a house with electric and stuff to code in on occasion  :))