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[threesided]

DEMO of Build:http://www.threesidedpolygon.com/AWG_0.5.exe
Latest Build:


Description: Poor little Angelo has had his halo stolen! Without it he can't return to the pearly gates and get back in to heaven. Without it, he's as vulnerable as a baby kitten. So it's up to Angelo to seek it out and save... well, himself.

Gameplay: It will be primarily platforming in nature, with emphasis on tricky flying and gathering, and not so much attacking, although it will probably make its way in. I wanna stick to something that is finishable within a very short timespan, so I would imagine the first polished pass to remain fairly short and straightforward. I'm not going for anything big here, just something fun that looks good.

Progress: 07.05.10: I've gotten Angelo running properly in-game. I'll be using the Grandma Engine, as it is a dream to work with and I'm most familiar with it.


Feedback:

Help me out with the main gameplay goal: would it be more interesting to collect a bunch of halos throughout the level/levels in order to complete it, or would it make more sense for there to only be 1 halo that you have to get to to move on?

Should it be one big level, or a series of little ones he needs to get through? I don't want there to be bosses or anything of that sort to concern myself with on this one, so the MAIN component will be traversing terrain and exploration/collection. He is an angel after all, so he should be a pacifist.

Again, something that I could finish to at least a polished demo state in say, 2 weeks tops would be ideal.

Let me know guys! Help me out, this is only my 2nd serious attempt at a compo!

[J. R. Hill]

Huh, I kinda figured this would end up as a western lasso game, but I like platformers that involve flying too.  I think it makes better sense to only have THE ONE HALO TO RULE THEM ALL, though that means trickier level design.  I think it would also be funny if every time you almost got to the halo some mischievous demon or something steals it away to the next level.

[Inanimate]

I agree with JR Hill, that would be pretty awesome. I also think acrobatics would be better than attacking; perhaps check out Cat Planet and When Pigs Fly.

[J. R. Hill]

That's true, you could say that without his halo he can't fly or something.
 

[threesided]

Update (07.06.10): Flying mechanic is all in and working beautifully! Which means the core mechanic of the game is done and fully functioning, and should only have to be minorly tweaked later on.



Basically once I have the room transitions figured out and a couple enemies/traps coded (I've already sprited 2 baddies, with 2 more sketched out), I can get on to making the levels themselves. I'm undecided between one persistant world or a mario-esque level system.

For the sake of efficiency, I'm leaving all the prettying up with tiling to the end, as well as limiting the features and enemies to what I've come up with today. I've got enough substance that I can make interesting enough levels I think.

More to come very soon!

[Inanimate]

Do mario-style levels, with a 'halo' (the equivalent of a power star in the 3D games) to collect in each.

Also, loving that flight-meter.

[threesided]

Update (07.07.10):
-Angelo has been fine-tuned for balance and difficulty.
-2 enemies have been coded in to patrol with different paths and stuff (pretty proud about figuring that one out)
-Rooms are working out great!

Main things left to do:

-Implement Halo collection/Level completion mechanism.
-Implement other 2 enemies.
-Life system.
-Level building/Start Screen/Pause Screen/Game Over Screen

Once those are in:
-Tiles/Minor Graphical Elements/Screens
-Level design/implementation.

This is actually moving at a really great pace considering it's only my second attempt and i'm a noob coder!

Expect something in the form of a tech demo/ level runthrough soon. Maybe even tonight/tomorrow!

And since I know everyone here will probably ignore this without it:



 

 

[Inanimate]

Looking absolutely fantastic. I can't wait to see the graphics realized.

[JaJitsu]

looking really great! can't wait to see some tiles in there.

[Melly]

I think you can make something pretty fun with what you got going here.

[threesided]

Hey, I'm back and rejuvenated from a nice relaxing weekend at the cottage!

I started on some tiles and collectibles. I've decided on the theme that will encompass the released version of this game. Whether or not I expand it beyond the competition depends on how much fun it really turns out to be for players.


Also, I'd like to make some formal requests for help right now to speed up my process, namely: music and sfx. I don't need many, just one track and like 3 or 4 sfx really simple. I wouldn't expect anything beyond an hour or 2 of work on it.

Also, if anyone is feeling particularly generous, perhaps some level design help? I can give you all the basic tiles and props to work with, and from there we can brainstorm some fun puzzle platforming to maneuver through.


In terms of gameplay, it will revolve primarily around some tricky flying and maneuvering, without an action element. This is a vulnerable, docile angel, and as such has to avoid confrontation at all costs or face some serious damage.

For now the AI is being kept to simple paths for the most part, and it will most likely just be your job to dodge/look for the best way through.

I'll post up my test demo so you guys can get a feel for the flight mechanics and let me know if I should tweak things.

[threesided]

Working build is now available. All the core mechanics are there, and all but one enemy is coded and ready to go. These are my test levels I've been using to see how everything works together and get a feel for gameplay. These are by no means finished product quality levels!

Things I want you to look for for me:

-glaring glitches.

-If anyone could explain how I can get the bats to react individually instead of all at once, that would be nice too. I can't for the life of me get a good detection code for them. Coders, halp!

Next up will be making the necessary game screens methinks, and getting some less shitty looking tiles. I hate making tiles and backgrounds . I'm more of a character person.

Enjoy, and I appreciate any and all feedback on what I have thus far!

[Melly]

Some people more experienced in GM around here may be of help.

I think you should make each extra jump in the air give you more lift, or make the jumping a bit more floaty (which isn't farfetched with those wings), as right now pounding the jump button can get a bit tiresome.

Enemies like the devil have a somewhat big collision area. You should probably make them a bit smaller than the sprite itself so it doesn't look like we shouldn't have been hit when we were.

Enemies in adjacent screens should maintain their position and movement as you switch them. At least in one part when I had to go up above a couple of devils, when I didn't manage and came down they seemed to have warped back to their original positions, hitting me when I thought I was safe (or maybe they're working as I said and I just noticed it wrong)

Needs better feedback for when you're hit and a time of invincibility.

I noticed a few seams in between tiles.

Overall it's looking pretty nice.

[threesided]

Thanks for the feedback Melly!

The devil's collision box can definitely be adjusted, I didn't even think to play with that.

The point about objects resetting definitely came to mind, but I'm not entirely experienced enough to know how to keep an object in a room you're not in moving. I'll have to look into it.

There is a 2.5second invincibility right now I think, and it's working fine, I just haven't figured out how to code the visual feedback for it (that being a flashing main character for the duration of the invincibility). Again, on it 

Small but important progress from today, and because I know you're all gluttons for images and not words:

[Melly]

Images are instant information, everything else requires time and work, so people tend to gravitate to nice images.

[JaJitsu]

I played the demo a while back and didn't reply for some reason.

I think Melly said it all in terms of feedback.

Overall I really like the graphics and the controls are pretty good.
rdein is pretty good with gm, so when he comes back I'm sure he can help.


also the tile screen is really lovely. so minimalistic but fits great. it would be cool to have a small cloud below him. just to add a bit more depth.

keep it up!

[threesided]

Hey, I'm sure no one noticed when this fell off the map, but it's not completely dead. I ran into trouble with my laptop dying, and had to spend the last little while reformatting and backing up files. Thankfully nothing from the project was lost, but nothing got accomplished either. So I'm hoping I can make something at least playable by the deadline. Won't be levels as planned, more of a single level exploration game for the sake of getting finished. There'll still be collectibles, and probably about halfway through you can find the halo and play the rest with infinite flight ability. That's what I'll have to settle for this time I guess.

Anyways, wish me luck... if you want...

[JaJitsu]

Good luck!

[J. R. Hill]

Looking forward to it!

[Melly]

I want!

I wanna get!