15 replies to this topic

[juur]

Hello,

First of all apologies if this is the wrong place, or wrong content, to post here; this forum seemed the most appropriate. I've been hacking away at a 2D retro game in my spare time (of which there is not a great deal with a family and a job!) and I'd like to see if anyone would provide any constructive feedback.

I am most definitely not an artist (some would question if I'm even a coder) so I accept looks may not kill.

The game is Java based and is on a site as per below, I hopefully won't be bankrupted by bandwidth charges! The VM is not the fastest in the world so on the first play, when it downloads the LWGJL stuff, it might take a while.

Applet: http://fortune3.to/game/
Download: http://fortune3.to/game/survive.zip

NB: It requires Java to be installed, and the Applet will have permission popups as it's not signed properly.

Anyway, any feedback gratefully received!

Regards,
Ian

Edited by juur, 15 December 2012 - 03:42 AM.

[J. Evola's Apprentice]

http://fortune3.to/game/ (NB: It requires Java to be installed)

People don't like java applets nowadays.

[juur]

http://fortune3.to/game/ (NB: It requires Java to be installed)

People don't like java applets nowadays.

I know, but it's the least effort way of putting something up there. It also runs as a normal jar.

[Álvaro]

My browser complained about the applet getting access to all of my computer, or something of that sort. I thought these things were supposed to be run in a sandbox...

Edited by Álvaro, 14 December 2012 - 01:20 PM.

[juur]

My browser complained about the applet getting access to all of my computer, or something of that sort. I thought these things were supposed to be run in a sandbox...

I added a link to download standalone, as applets are full of all these issues...

[Morikubo]

You just throw player into some strange world.
I tryed to fight dogs. Then i saw some stuff on the ground.
Was chased by sceletons, run through upper door, see coast, pick stick, pick stick, run back - different place.
Same door - different place. And i'm dead. I love it, no jokes.

[black_darkness]

I thought it was fun. Is the default resolution 1080p? Or does the game dynamically size the window to match monitor resolution? I also couldn't hear anything.

I liked the gameplay. Is there a way to pick up that armor or fight the skeletons, and dogs?

[juur]

I thought it was fun. Is the default resolution 1080p? Or does the game dynamically size the window to match monitor resolution? I also couldn't hear anything.

I liked the gameplay. Is there a way to pick up that armor or fight the skeletons, and dogs?

I disabled the music due to copyright issues on the MOD I was using.
"." picks things up, then you use the inventory (i) or 1-0 to equip a weapon. I'm not sure if auto-pickup is better/worse, but there is a weight limit to the inventory.
The dogs (who are cats!) are (a test of) pets so they help you / annoy you.
It autoscales based on desktop resolution, window resizing kinda works ish, a bit.

Edited by juur, 15 December 2012 - 02:03 PM.

[Verik]

Wow. As I'm working on something similar, I appreciate all the technical details in this game (LOS with lighting!). I think it it has lots of potential. It runs very smooth, path finding is nice, the graphics are basic but work and I even found that there is some strategy using lava to deal with the undead.

But as Morikubo implies: the first thing you need to work on is the pacing of the game. The first minute seems to feature everything there is in the game:
- bad guys
- pets
- treasure
- gear
- deadly lava
- doors
and probably some stuff I didn't figure out yet

What annoyed me about this version was that I did not have time to figure out the controls before the first group of bad guys arrive, making it hard to actually explore the game. Oh, and please look at the control scheme. The use of the mouse to pick up gear clashes with the rest of the keyboard interface. Can't you just pick stuff up when you touch it, like you do with coins and health?

But I applaud your effort and I love seeing a game like this in Java!

[juur]

Thank you for the feedback Verik :-)
The first map is very much a "everything in one place for testing" and not a proper level.
Auto pickup I think is probably one I'll revert back to. Regards the mouse I coded it in, then out, then in again. I agree pickup is NOT a winning use case for the mouse.
The main bit I'm playing with is crafting, you can see this on "p". On the random map you can hit grass to farm it, pick it up, then activate from inventory to craft. Item creation is broken currently as I'm torn between a Minecraft like placement craft table or just a list of items, which is better for more complex patterns.

The game also has stats (press c) with xp and levels, damage types etc.

[Verik]

One of the things that I think is interesting is that you showcase a lot of technology, but not a lot of gameplay yet. This is not a critisism, it is more of something I recognize from my own work. As a programmer I am delighted that it all works. But as a game designer I think; that does not make a game yet. I have this with my own work more often than I would like.

Maybe you can make a few playable levels first to get a feel for what is fun in this game, before creating the entire crafting engine. I know this might sound boring, but I'd bet that you get some ideas and some more valuable feedback if people can play a level or two.

[juur]

I've no idea if etiquette is to reply or create a new topic, so I'll go with a reply...

 

As well as never ending technical tinkering I have updated the website to offering a choice (move your mouse over the logo) of windows installer (exe, does not require elevated permissions, it's not signed though so you get a load of warnings), a java web start (probably the 'best' in terms of effort & benefit of auto update), the existing applet and a ZIP of the game.

 

I have also made a little tutorial level to guide through the game features a little more. I've also included some background music (m turns it off), which has made the download a little larger (still only a couple of MiB).

 

It is as usual available here: http://fortune3.to/game

 

My general view is technically it is about feature complete, and bug removal/ease of use should be the technical focus. Content should form the bigger focus. Do people agree?

[CryoGenesis]

Really nice! Think I found a bug though. In the area when you find your first mob, I got hurt a few times, walked to the upper wall and the applet blacked out instantly. Not sure if it's a bug or a feature;)

I actually really like it apart from the mob. It's annoying when you're trying to hit it with the left control when you're moving around with the WASD keys. Also, at one point the skull thing could hit me when I couldn't hit him, strange stuff. Never the less, cool game!

[Khatharr]

You just throw player into some strange world.
I tryed to fight dogs. Then i saw some stuff on the ground.
Was chased by sceletons, run through upper door, see coast, pick stick, pick stick, run back - different place.
Same door - different place. And i'm dead. I love it, no jokes.

Almost sounds like 6 Days a Sacrifice, lol. Let's have a looksie...

Amassed an army of stray cats.
Acquired flamethrowers and discovered the OPness of the mighty BRANCH.
Defeated the restless dead.

Some problems I saw:
* Seems like pets wait for you to take damage before they defend you. I had like 4 HP and my army of cats would not attack the enemy because I had to run away lest I take any damage.
* WTH is going on with the timer?
* My inventory vanished consistently. I need a place where I can safely store more branches.
* Is the crafting system implemented yet? I dunno if that was just my inventory vanishing or if the system isn't there yet.
* I eventually ended up going up a staircase that somehow led underwater. I could not move and I seemed to be offscreen. There was a label on the top bar that said 'oxygen:' but there was no accompanying display.

It's fun to play with. Feels fast-paced without forcing you to play fast-paced and the exploratory "Gee, what's in THIS room? OMGOMGOMGOMG" style is something I miss from retro days.

Edited by Khatharr, 01 January 2013 - 05:12 PM.

[juur]

* Seems like pets wait for you to take damage before they defend you. I had like 4 HP and my army of cats would not attack the enemy because I had to run away lest I take any damage.
* WTH is going on with the timer?
* My inventory vanished consistently. I need a place where I can safely store more branches.
* Is the crafting system implemented yet? I dunno if that was just my inventory vanishing or if the system isn't there yet.
* I eventually ended up going up a staircase that somehow led underwater. I could not move and I seemed to be offscreen. There was a label on the top bar that said 'oxygen:' but there was no accompanying display.

* Yeh, I guess this could be changed from defensive to aggressive pets, maybe a stance thing?

* Yes, time is somewhat accelerated so I can test the day/night cycle you can see when outside, it should run at 1 second = 1 minute i think.

* Hmmm, this sounds like a bug!

* I think this is due to the randomly generated map allowing the player to spawn inside solid walls/water. But I'll check it's not something else.

 

Thank you for testing, it's great to get feedback!

[juur]

It's annoying when you're trying to hit it with the left control when you're moving around with the WASD keys. Also, at one point the skull thing could hit me when I couldn't hit him, strange stuff. Never the less, cool game!

 

I'll add right CTRL as an attack shortcut too.

The issue with not hitting is the collision is with your sword, which if you stand on the skull, your sword spawns off him. Need to fix that!