I think Triplefox noted up the thread, there's always haXe for javascript and as3 compilation from one source.

Oi! I'm going to have to check into haXe again!

The thing that bugs me the most about Canvas is the fact that turning off anti-aliasing is impossible. So when the canvas element is scaled, pixel art gets this ugly blurry effect as you can see with Akihabara's example games.

I was actually wondering about this, since non-AA is really important for big pixel games to look good. For that matter, I'd rather watch or see just about anything with AA turned off if it meant a better framerate.

Good luck with your canvas-based game engine, I think there is a lot of potential for HTML5 + javascript games, even though I love flash. Part of me wants to actually write a flash compiler to NATIVE code, that would support just a few core libraries (I'm thinking like whatever FlashPunk/Flixel uses). However that is an absolute pipe dream! =) Still, one can dream, can't one?

Hellooooo everybody!

I remember when this thread was about the exciting and very-important-to-indie-devs idea of games in HTML5 + Javascript. It's... turning into something else, can we please just all be friends an L<3V3 L<3V3 L<3V3?

Here's my contribution to gettin' us back on track:

- I only *just* got comfortable with flash, and I like the reach of flash. Not really that happy personally about all the stuff going on with Apple trying to murder Adobe. So on the one hand I'm feeling like, "wow actually AS3 is nice to work within, and when supported by something like flashpunk it starts to feel like console development which is a great, great feeling" but on the other hand I'm like "crap, I'm late to the party!"

- Right now flash (I would imagine) has a greater reach than HTML5, but will it always?

- Can we get FlashPunk/Flixel for HTML5?

PsySal, your link does not take me to your game. But this one does.

I already played it, and I remember being pretty baffled for a couple minutes, and then I randomly chose to go east and some sharks/worms were biting my blobs but I ignored them because they didn't seem to be impeding my progress. Eventually I reached a pillar and I clicked on the pillar and my blobs a few times and stuff happened and then it took me back to the title screen.

Man, this game is really hard to describe. 

Link fixed, thanku! And yeap, that's about it =) The world is randomly generated, so it can be interesting to play a few times, though. I might make a few small changes to help elucidate a bit, and there were some balancing issues with the worms. There are male and female blobs, and close to the end I beefed up the females' defence; however it sort of made the passage a moot point. I also shortened the length of the game overall which affected more than I had planned on (fewer islands, whales, etc.) and lastly, I changed the body generation code to use fewer blobs for more interesting shapes, but that caused the juveniles to be invisible (you can sometimes see juveniles on your sensor but you will never actually see them on-screen.)

All in all, oops! =) But the game itself still usually works at conveying what I wanted to convey, which isn't far from WTF. =)

Okei here is my game:



Click for the LD game page

This is a game designed to immerse you in an alien ecosystem, or at least a small part of it. It's winnable but I think too obscure, I'm not sure that anyone has actually beaten it yet.

SMB2 didn't just change the characters, it backported certain mario features (such as mushrooms to grow bigger) that broke certain aspects of the game.

What aspects of the game?

Isn't the mushroom a simple graphic swap from the heart? I thought the only change was the addition of running on B.

To be honest, this was a long time ago so I don't remember the specifics... I just remember the distinct (and lasting) impression that the original design was much more finely tuned than SMB2.

At any rate, what I seem to recall is (at least) two things, running on B and the change of size when you have > 1 heart. I think it was mainly the running on B that breaks many, many levels where princess can float thru huge sections.

Here's my $0.02, or more like my two suggestions!

1. Don't get discouraged!!! Honestly, we all feel discouraged, I remember Derek or Alec H. posting once about laying in bed while working on Aquaria wondering what the heck they were doing with their lives. I feel that way too sometimes and so it's weirdly encouraging to know that other devs do, too. I think more than anything you need to step outside of your particular world. A life without socialization is never fun, so hang out with friends if you are able to. Or at least hit the mall and people watch! My philosophy is that my game will always be there for me to work on, and if I'm not careful it will suck up a near-limitless number of days so I always try and prioritize socializing over game dev. Always! (try)

2. I'm with the other people who say you don't really need to bet the farm on a game. It just is too big of a risk, even the major studios fail time after time again. For me, I have a half-time job as a web developer that pays the bills, and a very understanding partner, and that's enough for me. Beyond that I just try like the dickens to finish it, do side projects for fun.

Don't feel discouraged, but don't let life pass you by!

I just want to jump in and say that the original Doki Doki Panic is actually superior by quite a bit to SMB2. SMB2 didn't just change the characters, it backported certain mario features (such as mushrooms to grow bigger) that broke certain aspects of the game. Playing Doki Doki Panic is revelatory because you see what the original conception was, and it was really really good.

Glad you are feeling better. As somebody once said in an armour shop in CD, "Don't overdo it!" =)

AFAIK HTML5 has realtime audio capabilities. Again I'm not sure this is going to impress anybody at first but I am interested because a) javascript is pretty powerful esp. with engines like Google's V8 b) seems long term like it could be a more compatable, smoother experience than flash.

At any rate I'm going to keep making games in flashpunk for now, but I really do think that one day (10 years from now?) this is going to be the way to get it done.

I was thinking about this today, actually. I do think this will eventually take off; it would be cool to write games with a javascript-based game engine something like flashpunk, but for HTML5. Maybe flashpunk for HTML5?

EDIT: Just played the games here, this is really cool! It runs nice and smooth in Chrome...

I think that your animation and robot design is awesome, but to turn it into a game seems like it would be an incredible amount of work. If you don't feel like working on it anymore (which is what it sounds like) then don't sweat it! Work on something else =)

Aye, please lock this Melly.

It's kind of surprising the hate for a free game, but at least some people liked it!

I think I fixed it now?
If I did, thanks for the help guys!

The absolutely amazing thing about this is that it's the first digital clocktower ever =) This thing is cool and I'd love to see a real game in this style.

professional tools I have found. So I can also publish on the Desktop just in case Flash gamers are not ready for it yet 

I really think this game deserves to be able to go fullscreen, and yes; having ads and that sort of thing would really hurt it. This is an amazing game in any language and I think you should just plain old charge money for it. The trick is to get a nice trailer made and hopefully get some sites to cover/review it.

I remember seeing the trailer for this a looong time ago, I think on GameSetWatch or else IndieGames.com. Excited to see this, it looks really cool. Please introduce yourself in the introductions thread so we know a bit more about you...

Also: what is the Chinese indie scene like?

Heheh awesome! Score one for livin'!

blink *** PRETENTIOUS ART GAME WARNING *** /blink

I put a couple games up on Kongregate, these were made way back when for the 531-in-1 pirate kart at glorioustrainwrecks.com.



So these definitely aren't any big thing but I do hope you get something out of them. My intent isn't actually to be pretentious; these are sincere little games with a sincere little message. Just don't go thinking these are some big deal!

Thank you =)

They were made with flashpunk and they won't be the last! (actually I'm sitting on two 100% complete but unreleased games, one in flashpunk...)

Here are three interesting greek words from the idea of rhetorical arguments:

1. Logos - logic and reasoning
2. Pathos - emotions and feeling
3. Ethos - ...

Here is where it gets interesting. Having looked this up on wikipedia, Ethos has to do with making an appeal to the character of the person making the argument ("Would I lie to you?"). But, how I had it explained to me was different than this.

Imagine you are having a discussion with another person. Certain forces guide this discussion, including your logical arguments, the feelings of both parties, and then Ethos - which is the environment you are in (NOT the true definition but how I had it explained to me.)

So for instance, if you are making an argument or having a discussion about McDonald's food and health, it's a significant thing if you are actually inside a McDonald's; that's the Ethos.

When people say "Atmosphere" in the context of games I most strongly associate with this (again, probably wrong) interpretation of the greek word Ethos. That is, it's what's surrounding us. So a block-puzzle in Zelda: Ocarina of Time has a very different meaning in the Ethos of the Desert Palace (whatever it was called) than it does in the Ethos of the Forest Palace (or whatever IT was called...)

But the logos in both cases is the same; they are block puzzles.

I just think these three distinctions are interesting to make, that's all! Interesting thread, and also it's interesting that's sort-of heated.