The Game Developer Thread

I've been working on a video game mechanic that revolves around sword-fighting, and have reached a point in that project at which I could use an external perspective on it, and—as with my previously-posted prototype—would like to ask whether any of the posters in this thread would be willing to try a small prototype and give me some feedback.

Bear in mind that it is a very basic prototype at the moment: the graphics are terrible, there are bugs, the win/loss conditions are bare-bones, etc.

Speaking of bugs and the like:
- There's a minor feature that isn't mentioned in the on-screen instructions: press "=" and "-" on your keyboard to increase and decrease the resolution, respectively.
- If the game doesn't start in full-screen, try one of the above to change the resolution and hopefully force full-screen.
(It's a good idea to play the game in full-screen, as the mechanics involve swiping the mouse around a fair bit, and having the mouse escape the window can be problematic, I find.)

Regarding feedback, I'm interested in any impressions, but I have a few specific questions listed below. However, I'd appreciate it if anyone inclined to try the prototype read them after playing, simply to reduce any bias that they might introduce if they're in mind during play; to that end I'm hiding them behind spoiler tags.

Feedback questions:
How intuitive did you find the control method?
Was the combat fun?
How challenging was it to beat the enemy character?

The download is a Windows installer about 22MB in size. (It should work on both 7 and XP; I don't know about 8, I'm afraid.)

You should be able to download the prototype via this link.

(Cross-posted in the Troper Fencing Academy thread in Yack Fest.)

edited 10th Jul '14 6:43:29 PM by ArsThaumaturgis

It's a month old, but Edge did a feature about boss fights that i thought was interesting.

I wish I actually had time to work on things, or was actually hired on to code for something. Ever since I got out of school, it feels like nobody is willing to take me on no matter what lengths I go to in order to make a good impression. Instead I have to worry about getting a job to pay my student debts, which has been largely unsuccessful for over a year at this point.

Half-tempted to just make a cheap marker sign saying "WILL CODE 4 EXP & $$$".

Well anyway, I might be wanting to find a spriter and co-programmer to help me with a project, after I left the Clash Of Universes team. It's a Unity Fighting Game which allows some awesome effects and whatnot, and I'm getting most of the engine done.

Currently the engine is still in development, but it's going at a rapid pace. Will show vids once most of it is ready.

Sorry man, I'm only accepting Unity. But you could ask the Clash of Universes team.

edited 26th May '15 2:34:54 AM by ironcommando

OMG! I might be interested in the stuff you're doing! I know how to do Game Maker games, are you able to accept me?

Who else plans on getting RPG Maker MV?

I might, the side view would be defenetley interessting for me since I plan to make a FFV/Bravely Default clone some day.

(Ignore me, wrong thread somehow)

edited 13th Oct '15 11:54:42 AM by Elle

I know this might seem lazy but there isn't anything I can say that my Creator page can't say better so...Dark Flame Wolf

However, I am looking for a solid programmer and sprite/tile artists at the moment for a potential second Megaman fan game. :)

I've made a game called Creature from the Ashen Wood.

While you tend to your farm in the forest, something lurks behind the trees. Will you survive?

Link

Tried it for the first couple of pages. The images took a while to load; I'd strongly recommend having a preloader that caches all the images for the next possible step, so the player is less likely to have to wait for an image to load.

Did you play the download version or the online version?

Presumably you played the online version. Sometime I'll investigate whether it's possible to make the online version preload the images.

If you'd like to play the game though, I'd suggest playing the download version instead. The files don't need to be loaded individually if they're all already on your computer. More detailed instructions are in the description on the game's page.

edited 9th Feb '16 11:49:28 PM by StateOfBedlam

It still doesn't preload in the browser, but I've moved the download recommendation higher in the game's description and rewritten it to be more clear and insistent.

Creature from the Ashen Wood

edited 31st Mar '16 3:02:33 PM by StateOfBedlam

For the past... well, quite some time, now, I've been working on a game titled A Door to the Mists. It's a first-person fantasy game involving traversal, exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat.

I'll confess that I've been a little hesitant about showing it to others—in part, I think, as a result of a more general shyness about showing off my projects. On top of that, for some time I felt that it wasn't quite ready for public view—although I think that it is now, or at the least that it's getting there.

I have been slowly making progress on showing it to the world. For the past few months I've been running a blog (see my signature for a link), and just the day before yesterday I uploaded my first gameplay video.

(Although please note, as mentioned in the video, that the footage shown there is somewhat old. I've appended some recent screenshots to the end of the video, and I hope to soon put together videos that show a more up-to-date look at the game.)

edited 7th May '16 7:09:03 AM by ArsThaumaturgis

I'm working on planning out a game I've been wanting to make for quite some time. I'm more of a designer than a developer, though. Is that still within the scope of this thread, or is there a different thread that would be more relevant to me?

I don't think there's going to be anyone able to answer your question about the scope of this thread, considering how long it's been since the thread's seen use.

Huh, I realized I wasn't even aware of this thread existing even during time I was still in middle of game production studies ._.

You can use this thread however you want, as long as it’s game dev related :)

I suppose this is the right thread, then...

So, in my game, the player would have a plot of land that they would tend in order to get various mythical creatures to live there. There would also be areas that they would send these creatures to, controlling them in platformer levels with emphasis on exploration and collection. The things collected and unlocked through these levels would help attract even more creatures, with capabilities that allow the player to explore these levels further, rinse and repeat. Think Viva Piñata meets classic Spyro.

I've been planning out how things are going to work, and so far it looks great on paper, but I realized how different the simulation and platforming segments are, and I'm afraid it'll feel disconnected, going from one to the other. I'm considering having a character for the player to control in the simulation part so they're at least not going from disembodied cursor/camera to controllable creature and back again. What are some other ways to make the transition between playstyles less jarring?

How much direct interaction is there in the simulation with the mythical creature? The way I’m imagining it, if I get to like play with and care for the creatures like a tomagachi, then it wouldn’t be too jarring when using it as an avatar in a platformer.

Also need to be able to name the creatures.

My primary suggestion, I think, would be to prototype it and see what some test-players think: that's one of the more reliable ways to find out how something feels to play.

That said, I don't think that I'd expect it to be too jarring, especially since I imagine that there would be a transition or loading screen between the "simulation area" and the "platformer levels".

(And if you want to study a game that does something similar, look perhaps at Princess Maker 2.)

If you do find the switch to be too jarring, you could perhaps have your "simulation" element control in a manner similar to the platforming: set it up as a set of vertical tiers—no hazards or enemies, just layers of (varied and nicely decorated) platforms—and give the player an avatar with which to move around this environment and interact with the creatures.

The creatures can be named, fed, and bred. Playing with them is a possibility, but I'm not yet sure to what degree.

I can definitely see the transition being smoother if there's not as much that changes. That solidifies my decision to have a player character.

If I can’t give pets hats what’s even the point

I actually did consider hats at one point. While not central, they're definitely on the "this would be good to have if at all possible" list. My first priority, though, is getting the core elements of the game (the gardening, exploration, and breeding) sorted out.

Well, I just released a new demo of my game! (The one that I mentioned above; A Door to the Mists.) It's a "redux" demo, an iteration on a previous demo that incorporates myriad changes, tweaks, and fixes (some in response to feedback on the previous demo).

Now to see how people react...