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[phr00t]

Hey all,

A little more than a month ago, I was going over this thread: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=10382.0

... and I decided to make my own procedurally generated "Super Metroid" game

Let me know what you guys think, I tried to make it pretty polished for version 1.0:

http://sites.google.com/site/gentrieve/

Thanks,
- Phr00t

[phr00t]

Here is a screenshot:

[John Nesky]

Nice!

I chose the default settings the first time I played, and I got a bunch of items but then the difficulty curve kinda skyrocketed. There was a difficult area that was far from my spawn point, so it took a long time to get there and when I arrived I died quickly. So then I started again with easier settings and it was more fun.

The music and the wall textures served to distinguish areas a bit, although I felt more could be done here. It didn't take long for me to notice that rooms seemed to be generated from templates. Like, it seems there's just one room to serve as a lock for explosives and lasers, so now when I enter that room I immediately know what I'm supposed to do there. I guess the grappling hook and morph ball have different lock rooms, and I like that the game continues to reinforce them after you pass the lock.  

The twitchy grass had an otherworldly feel, but I didn't spot any other graphical details like that...

I like the way the secret passages were handled.

I spotted one large boss. Are there more kinds of large bosses?

EDIT: Oh, and it looked like the map is a tree, with no loops/shortcuts. Shortcuts and checkpoints would have been helpful when I was playing a harder map.

[phr00t]

I chose the default settings the first time I played, and I got a bunch of items but then the difficulty curve kinda skyrocketed. There was a difficult area that was far from my spawn point, so it took a long time to get there and when I arrived I died quickly. So then I started again with easier settings and it was more fun.

That is why the difficulty settings are there... when you take more time to take out the baddies and dodge shots, you should be able to play harder difficulties. Also keep a look out for health packs which may be behind secret walls (there is a health pack for every 2 major items you get).

The music and the wall textures served to distinguish areas a bit, although I felt more could be done here. It didn't take long for me to notice that rooms seemed to be generated from templates. Like, it seems there's just one room to serve as a lock for explosives and lasers, so now when I enter that room I immediately know what I'm supposed to do there. I guess the grappling hook and morph ball have different lock rooms, and I like that the game continues to reinforce them after you pass the lock.

That was more or less by design... the "lock" rooms are suppose to be relatively obvious, so you will know which rooms to go back to when you get an item. I have to use some templates, because some rooms need to only be passable by a certain item, and no others. The non-lock rooms are loosely based off of about 10 different templates.

Do you have any ideas on how to mix up the areas more? I'll see if I can come up with any...

I spotted one large boss. Are there more kinds of large bosses?

The "boss" is an enemy (or two) that is about 3x to 4x times stronger than your average enemy for your current "level" -- and you have to kill them. The bosses are randomly generated from the available enemy types, weapons and graphics. There are more types of enemies than graphics, though.

EDIT: Oh, and it looked like the map is a tree, with no loops/shortcuts. Shortcuts and checkpoints would have been helpful when I was playing a harder map.

Yeah, it is a tree for now. I haven't figured out how to do shortcuts yet, because the shortcuts need to make sense without breaking the normal progression of the game.

Also remember that the game gets saved when you get a major item, so you won't have to go back to get it if you die. A kinda shortcut does exist already: once you pick up an item, you can quit the game and come back at the starting point.

[baconman]

Gimme a couple days to poke around with the executable, see how the rooms are templated and so forth. I might be able to help you here, too.

[baconman]

Bug #1: Minor setback.

First tried to run the game with NET framework 3.1 installed; it required 4.0. Installed framework 4.0, and the first thing the game does?

Checks for NET framework 3.1.

Easily fixed though, I'm sure.


Bug? #2: Again, easily fixed.

This may be my fault for playing this on my netbook (1024x600 res), but the help screen cuts off at the bottom, and I have no way of scrolling it to read past the (5th, IIRC) line in any help text.


Bug? #3: "Must have at least one item checked!"

What "items?" All I see is "fully revealed map, minus secrets." I can't scroll or resize the window, either. What it does ask for:

Name
Length
Difficulty
[ ] Fully-Revealed Map (Except for secrets)

... that's it.

It's a subwindow, but the main executable window doesn't display anything besides faded options for How To Play/New Game/Load Game/Exit Game.
__________

And so far, that's as far as I've got.


EDIT: Present workaround for item box problem! Choose "Custom..." game length to open the items box. THEN, you can choose a game length, and it remains open. No other length options enables the item box.


Bug #5: Choosing "Full" length executes it into nothingness. Choosing other lengths just appears to change the rooms-per-item value.


Suggestion #1: Item randomizer. Allow players to enter a number of unspecified items, which are then chosen at random from the set.

Now that I THINK I can get this to launch, I'll mess with it more before edit-spamming this post. Unless of course, it doesn't launch on other settings.

Okay. Now the "Gentrive.exe" process is running, and capping at 25,996 kb. But not an application of it. And apparently, it doesn't allow a reexecution while the process is running. o.O

Bug #6: Checkboxes (on Items list) is requiring a double-click to check them. Or at least, that's what it appears to be doing. On "Short," it's still running as a process, and not an application. This time the cap is 17,694 k.

Windows XP Service Pack 3

Intel Atom
CPU N270 @ 1.60 GHz
0.99 GB of RAM

DirectX 9.1 and Microsoft NET Framework 4.0 installed

DISREGARD. MY BAD.

I thought I had XNA 3.1 installed, turns out I didn't.


That said, I do like much of the game so far, and the aiming mechanic does a good job of providing some tactical challenge. Although playing on a netbook, it's difficult to deal with the whole "can't aim while moving thing," it is a total pain in the butt, ESPECIALLY MOVING BETWEEN ROOMS, but that's not really your fault.

I suppose if you wanted to mix up the identical corridors a bit, you could have togglable (and likely, destructible) barriers set up in specific places that could be worked around, and have each instance generate one or two of them. Other than that, the execution of this is TERRIFIC. Especially impressive if you're really only using 10 templates for bridging room layouts!

Also, very cool move externalizing the graphics; and allowing potential themesets that way. A winner is you!

[baconman]

And, first win. Short/Normal, 9/10 items (90%) and about 45 minutes. The countdown didn't take into account the lag it caused (perhaps a "minutes/seconds" option would help slower machines), but it was doable nonetheless. I figure this may be even more fun on longer/the "Full" settings, as well.

After the escape, the map function key still worked, so you could check out what you explored, which is a nice, cool touch. The savegame appears intact still, however; and there wasn't anything else you could do with it after the win. I guess you can still go back and reload/continue your game, unless you overwrite it. All in all, it's rather nifty! I like how there's such a good variety of weapons and abilities, too; and all of them implemented well and fairly, too. Simple, but divine.

[phr00t]

I'm working on version 1.1 that will fix a few bugs and add a new feature -- picking up enemies and rocks and using them as weapons! 

[TwilightVulpine]

This game seems very promising and it is a great experiment, but it isn't very fun to play in it's current state.

To have all enemies in the room to rush and fire in your direction as soon as they see you is kind of annoying, especially because you can't kill them as fast as they come, since most weapons are not very strong. It would be nice to have slower walking enemies and to have enemies less aware of you in general, like some enemies that don't attack you unless you attack them first and even enemies that never attack you, just walk around, but still hurt you if you touch them. Another interesting thing to have would be more portals/checkpoints. Even if you don't have to get all the items again, it still becomes quite a walk to get where you were before you died in longer games.

I found a bug: When you are touching the side of a solid tile as a rollerball, you can't get up. The (uncharged) ice shot also doesn't seem to actually slow down enemies. If it delays the enemy fire or something like that, it would be good to have a visual cue.

[baconman]

The enemy behavior is great, totally appropriate - but I do agree it can be somewhat overwhelming at times. I'd suggest adjusting the room's population via difficulty, too; or give them a limited range "attention span," so they only go after you if you're within a specific range (flyers, especially). Crawlers/jumpers appear to take a CONSIDERABLY HIGH amount of damage to kill, that's their only catch. The ones that stay in one place, and fire at you within range, however? TOTALLY FAIR.

But as it is, it's a good level of challenge to it; only on rare occasion (maybe once/twice per game) does it really feel unfair. And in those cases, you always have the option of running/evading them instead (it never locks you into a clear-the-room showdown, save for item-protecting bosses). Which is probably the wise move to make. _{And the point to HAVING rooms like that to begin with, along with mobility items.}

And the Ice Beam does only freeze enemies as a charge shot. Perhaps a "2-frame freeze" for uncharged shots would make it more tactically valuable, but that's just a suggestion.

[phr00t]

Thanks guys for your input.

I'm introducing "rocks" in the next version -- things you can pick up and throw to do damage, and more importantly, act as barriers to weapons. These rocks will prevent enemies from just unloading at you from distances, as they will hit the rocks instead. This "pick up and throw" feature will also include picking up and throwing enemies Throwing a rock at a frozen enemy will perform an instant kill 

Yeah, I need to make the ice shot slow down enemies more. Right now, it just halves their speed -- I will make it stop them temporarily.

Even if you don't have to get all the items again, it still becomes quite a walk to get where you were before you died in longer games.

The "walk back" is the punishment for dieing.. if I removed it, there would be practically no downside to dieing, and it would remove tension in the game when you are at low health. If you are low on health, farm for some health by killing some weak enemies. If you die, you need to pay some price.

Thanks for the bug report -- I'll fix the rollerball thing.

[phr00t]

... and v1.1 is here Please let me know what you guys think.. I hope I improved the difficulty! It will be compatible with previous versions, but the new maps it generates will hopefully put health packs in easier places.

http://sites.google.com/site/gentrieve/

[TwilightVulpine]

The game seems to be getting nicer.

I liked the addition of rocks, they work nicely as cover. I also liked the new electric
shot, that makes things stumble and fall, but I didn't notice any difference between the normal electric shot and charged electric shot.

I think bosses should be bigger than the correspondent normal enemy, since going to a boss room and fighting one or two little enemies is kind of disappointing, even if they have a lot of HP.

Something strange: every now and then I see two turrets spawning in the same exact place.

[phr00t]

I didn't notice any difference between the normal electric shot and charged electric shot.

Bug! I reduced the power of the electric shots (maybe a bit too much) to compensate for their throwing ability, but now it doesn't trigger the "charged" effect... uh oh! Fix coming...

I think bosses should be bigger than the correspondent normal enemy, since facing going to a boss room and fighting one or two little enemies is kind of disappointing, even if they have a lot of HP.

I'll see what I can do here.. the enemies can only get so big before they start having problems (can't fit passed platforms or walk on platforms correctly)..

[phr00t]

v1.1.1 is here, with fixes:

http://sites.google.com/site/gentrieve/

EDIT: now up to v1.1.2