MIX-IT-UP Comp Entry - Creepy Crawlies

Started by Xerra, September 18, 2019, 17:23:24

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Xerra

Working on the beast all day today and have added a few things:

Frog - appears every 10,000 points but you gotta shoot it to get an extra life. Every so often he hops forward a bit just to make it harder.

Firefly - replaces the old gold ring for bonus activation. Not so easy to hit, either, as it's a bit quicker.

I've been working on creating everything to be aware and adjust to the window size while creating this game as I'm conscious that none of my previous games had any kind of resolution option. Not sure I'll have time to get it working well enough to support in the time we have left as there's so much more still to get done but I'm planning for it. Screws everything up in full screen mode too as i'm only checking window size but I'm pretty sure I can get that fixed.

I've replaced the centipede with more coder art (I'm so sorry, please forgive me). I'll have to replace it later but I've set it up so that I can have different coloured Centipedes just for more variety. They also move a lot smoother now as I've lowered the pixel update and made them update less often to compensate.

I now have three rather than five game levels. As I've got most of the creatures and the centipedes adjusting to this to control speed and frequency, and I can code in new ones to do this from the start, it's much more playable using just three. I always play it on the hardest setting just for balancing as it is now anyway.

Next on the agenda is to add in the turtle. This old beast is going to come in either left or right and you can shoot it for some points. Same old, same old until you notice that he will change direction each hit. And double his speed and points each time as well. See how long you can keep him on screen to boost your score up, while trying not to get yourself killed with everything else going on.

So far, apart from a little fading trick on the HornBug and the points display for shooting a mosquito, I've done very little to the creatures when they get shot apart from remove them from screen. Once I get everything in and working well is when I plan to start thinking about how to get them removed in creative ways. That means explosions, and traps possibly.

There's literally very little time been spent on presenting the game at the moment. I'm determined to do it the right way this time and have the game nailed down before I spend the rest of the time polishing as much as I can.

If I could just stop playing so long on testing sessions then I might just make the deadline .....
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Xerra

Worked out an awesome system for implementing the use of methods within an object using GMS2 today. Doesn't really help the game too much but it's going to help loads when I update my game project framework/template after this game is finished. The high score table object that I've put into Creepy today can almost be dropped into one of my other games as a complete object and work right off. I know proper support for stuff like methods is coming but at least I don't need to wait for it now. Prior to this I've had to use loads of external scripts and hard-to-remember references to integrate stuff.

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Xerra

Gameplay is now complete apart from the polishing up element of each creature.

Today I finished the addition of the elusive frog that appears every 10,000 points that you need to make sure you kill else you're not getting that extra life.

I also put in the turtle who likes to plod across the screen and will give you points every time you shoot him, but can't actually die. Each time you hit him he does increase his points value and reverse direction, though. You can rack up a nice score boost if you can shoot this creature more than a few times while the bonus is active.

What's still to do:
Implement a proper HUD - only the bonus countdown progress bar is done at present.
Spruce up the rather spartan title screen.
Add some explosion effects onto the creatures when they get destroyed.
A level complete sequence so the player can move to the next planet.

Despite my terrible graphics skills I have actually gone with mostly my own stuff this game. Some of the creatures are from an asset pack I purchased an a couple of bits are free artwork I could use but, other than that, I'm going to leave it be.

So, unless i have some kind of disaster, I should be good for making next Sunday's deadline.
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Qube

Quote from: Xerra on October 12, 2019, 17:53:06
Gameplay is now complete apart from the polishing up element of each creature.

So, unless i have some kind of disaster, I should be good for making next Sunday's deadline.
Great news :) - Happy to hear you will complete in time ( pending any disasters ) ;D

Quote from: Xerra on October 12, 2019, 17:53:06
Despite my terrible graphics skills I have actually gone with mostly my own stuff this game
Ack! never worry about that as each time you do something you'll learn and improve for the next time. I'd say continue with creating your own graphics as it's great fun and an achievement to see your own work in action.
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Until the next time.

Xerra

Thought I'd put up another video now that the end is in sight. Again, video is a bit slower than actual gameplay and it's on easy mode so don't expect to last as long as I did.

Still lacking a lot of whiz-bang creature destruction but that's where i'm going to do as much as I can once the planet stuff goes in and i finish off the title screen. That way I don't run out of time with game stuff still to put in.

https://youtu.be/1E4QWIh7dyU
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RemiD

2 quick comments / suggestions :
->your sound effects are disturbing to listen to (imo), why not use sounds of insects instead of these weird sounds (you can probably create them with your own voice / tongue/  lips with some experimentation)
->maybe split your existing images of insects in parts, and when an insect dies, make it exploses in several parts, with some added green blood particles, and it will be more fun ! (imo)

Xerra

I think two of the sounds do need to be replaced. The boom sound when the player explodes and the looped screech when the hornet dies. The more i listen to it by playing the video so I don't have to concentrate on the game, the more it seems out of place. That laugh when the turtle gets away has to stay though. It sounds like a witch cackling and it's my little reminder that haloween is coming.

Besides, when the missus plays the game, I can keep mentioning that it sounds like her mother. Says me typing from my hospital bed :-)
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Derron

Quote from: Xerra on October 14, 2019, 07:05:27
Says me typing from my hospital bed :-)

Tell them you have a non-reallife deadline you cannot miss - and let them send you home :)


bye
Ron

Xerra

Quote from: Derron on October 14, 2019, 21:28:22
Quote from: Xerra on October 14, 2019, 07:05:27
Says me typing from my hospital bed :-)

Tell them you have a non-reallife deadline you cannot miss - and let them send you home :)


Or maybe, to be even safer, I should just avoid making jokes about the mother-in-law  ;D

Title screen jazzed up a bit today so i could add the starfield I've been promising myself that I would add finally. This ticks another milestone off the list.

Started work on balancing some of the creatures - especially the mosquito's - today. They move a bit faster depending on level now while still retaining the "Shit, get out of the way" aspect they had due to their speed at any level. I did have them generating mushrooms at varying amounts on the way down dependent on the game level but I found it was pissing me off because the screen filled up too quickly making the centipedes a threat way too early.

I've made the hornet collision window a little smaller now as it's always been the toughest creature to deal with and avoid. I want it to be nasty still so it's wider than the size of the creature appears, but not by too much. The danger element has always been offset by the fact that it's actually helping clear mushrooms in the player area while it's active so the game decision is to leave it if you need some space made quicker than you can or shoot it if you can nail the bugger before it gets you.

I'm thinking mushrooms may need to be cleared with fewer shots as it's a slow process right now - which doesn't feel very game-play friendly. I may strip out some of the decomposing animation to do this when I do some more balancing near the end.

So, planet intermissions based on a timer goes in next session and that's the final major element. After that it's just tweak, tidy and polish. Bet I still end up tinkering with it late on Sunday evening....
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3DzForMe

#24
QuoteThey move a bit faster depending on level now while still retaining the "Shit, get out of the way" aspect they had due to their speed at any level. I did have them generating mushrooms at varying amounts on the way down dependent on the game level but I found it was pissing me off because the screen filled up too quickly making the centipedes a threat way too early.


....... just an idea - the first time your Mosquitos get 'hit' I'd like to see them get one of their wings 'holed', thus causing their flying to become somewhat erratic. In fact, this logic could be expanded in one form or another to all enemies.

This would probably entail a couple of additional collision entities for each wing....?

Hmmm, wonder where that idea came from......

Quote
Quote from: Xerra on October 13, 2019, 09:20:43
We best have the first headshot taking the hats off or I'll be right grumpy  :P

;D ;D ;D ;D 8) :P

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Xerra

Grumble. Try to make me more work, would ya? Eh! Eh!

Guess I deserved that  :P
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Xerra

Planets now in and working correctly for attract mode. Now working on implementing the level change intermission that happens every time you get 5000 points and move onto the next planet. It's not going great at the moment but I still have time to get it right.

Also replaced some of the wonky sounds and made the mushrooms a little quicker to shoot through.

The missus loves my game but it's possible she's a bit biased so I won't let my head swell just yet.

Two days to go /panic
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3DzForMe

#27
Xerra, you are highly priveleged - you'll have your very own 'hat mode' of the game (thats if I get it far enough to actually release into the wild!)

QuoteGrumble. Try to make me more work, would ya? Eh! Eh!

Guess I deserved that  :P

The concept is good - however - seeing as I've got the functionality in there - it just needs some ironing (which time wise I can ill afford) - it needs to remain in its un-polished state.

Will I be able to refine it during thwe bug-fix week without incurring penalties - who knows.

Anyway, my point - not too worry you - best I have my 'winged' mosquito mode (Have you seen that film involving a horses head - or was it an antelope, I can't recall.......)  :o  ;) :D ;D
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Xerra

Quote from: 3DzForMe on October 19, 2019, 07:19:35
Anyway, my point - not too worry you - best I have my 'winged' mosquito mode (Have you seen that film involving a horses head - or was it an antelope, I can't recall.......)  :o  ;) :D ;D

Gulp! Are you making me an offer I can't refuse, Don Vito Corleone?

If I get a chance I'll see if I can give them a little wiggle. I don't want to end up with an extra head in my bed. Not enough room with the missus nicking all the flippin' duvet....

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Xerra

Finally game itself is done bar a couple of bits to polish up. Spent ages reworking Mosquito's so mushrooms could be dropped randomly by them as they fall today and almost got in a panic about how much I had to rewrite shit to get it going. I felt guilty about removing that bit due to laziness a couple of weeks back.

Planets and level intermissions are all finally in and working correctly. I wanted to have the mushrooms left on screen have a points totaling bonus display between levels to give the player a few seconds down-time from critter extermination and to break the game up a bit.

Hopefully all the sounds disliked from earlier videos are replaced now. The game is no longer an assault on the ear-drums especially for Remid :-)

Tempting to put another video up but I'll be putting it online for people to play tomorrow anyway so I shall restrain myself.
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