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[wilbefast]

I've just published my first HTML 5 (one button) game Check it out:

It's a sort of Paradise Lost themed Helicopter Game clone. Use the mouse of the space-bar - if I've done my job right you should be able to figure out how to play If not, here's a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOJBEs5NkBU

William

[mihai]

So every time I drop what looks like a gear, I have to press one more time on the rise key to rise? Am I correct?

[wilbefast]

So every time I drop what looks like a gear, I have to press one more time on the rise key to rise? Am I correct?

No - is there a problem registering input? What's your system/browser? If you're having to click multiple times there's a problem somewhere  

"Weights" measure progress: you win when you have none left - otherwise they shouldn't change gameplay whatsoever (except that the fewer you have left the harder the game is)

[mihai]

I'm using Chrome, latest version. I was rising using the space bar. Maybe there is no bug but I was out of feathers, if I'm thinking back. Didn't know what weights are for, so I assumed there were some mechanic. Maybe you should put that in the front screen, that each "rise" consumes a feather.

[wilbefast]

I'm using Chrome, latest version. I was rising using the space bar. Maybe there is no bug but I was out of feathers, if I'm thinking back. Didn't know what weights are for, so I assumed there were some mechanic. Maybe you should put that in the front screen, that each "rise" consumes a feather.

I suppose I have a certain perverted philosophy to game design which is that figuring out how to play is part of the game 
Besides, if I've done my job right it should be reasonably obvious - so clearly I haven't done my job right 

Maybe the feathers UI needs to be bigger or more eye-catching...

[mihai]

The feathers should be a little eye catchy and the weights also should be more intuitive. I mean I didn't understand what they are.

[Hima]

I have no problem with not explaining and let the players learn by themselves. However, I think the problem is the way the weight and the feather are represented. I honestly don't understand what they are and though that the weight is actually my life and I lose the weight because I hit the mountain in the background.

The weight and the feathers are shown in a very similar way while they serve entirely different purpose. I think it'd be better if their representations are distinct enough to let the player know that they aren't the same.

I also found a bug that if you hold you mouse button while you get hit at the top of the screen, after you recover, you will automatically rise, which pretty much cause you to hit the top again. I thought it would make you glide, so I'm not sure if this is intentional or not.

Other than that, it's pretty fun and challenging game. I love the atmosphere and the 'Black Dog'!

[LiquidAsh]

Using an up to date Chrome (17.0.963.83), I was having some trouble with the controls: clicking quickly seems to select the text outside of the game.  I also had some trouble with differentiating when a click would glide rather than flap.  I thought it might have something to do with where in the animation the avatar is, but that didn't seem to provide a consistent cue.  Keep up the good work!

[wilbefast]

I also found a bug that if you hold you mouse button while you get hit at the top of the screen, after you recover, you will automatically rise, which pretty much cause you to hit the top again. I thought it would make you glide, so I'm not sure if this is intentional or not.

Thanks - it's fixed now You're right, that was a bug: normally you should only ever flap when you click/press. Let me know if it ever happens at random when you're already clicking/pressing.

Using an up to date Chrome (17.0.963.83), I was having some trouble with the controls: clicking quickly seems to select the text outside of the game.

This seems to occur on Chromium... but only if you click like mad. Not sure how to fix it I'm afraid, I tried this but it doesn't seem to make any difference. I'll keep looking.

I also had some trouble with differentiating when a click would glide rather than flap.  I thought it might have something to do with where in the animation the avatar is, but that didn't seem to provide a consistent cue.  Keep up the good work!

Clicking always makes you flap unless you're out of feathers (or there's a bug). Seems like this is the problem everyone's having: the feather counter in the top left is not visible/clear/evocative, and in particular running out of feather is not signalled in any way, so people just aren't realising they can't fly any more.

I'm working on an Android version: any advice on how these things could be improved would be most appreciated. I think for now I need some indication (visual/sound) when you're out and feathers, and also when you try to flap when out of feathers...

[Hplus]

I also didn't understand how the feathers worked on my first play, but on reading the replies here picked it up again and really enjoyed it.

The flap/glide mechanics are a pretty big diversion from the helicopter game, and I wouldn't call it a clone. It's definitely less mindless of a game.

Something feels a bit unpolished about the art, but the general direction it is in, especially with the colors (though these could use some tuning up as well) is really strong.


Kudos on the good work!

[RamSteelwood]

nice work.  not sure if it would just destroy the challenge of the game, but what about seperate controls for flap and glide?  quite often i found myself wanting to drop then glide, but then i'd flap straight back up and hit the ceiling again...

[wilbefast]

I've changed the tutorial messages slightly to explain things, and I added a sound-queue for when you try to flap when out of feathers. Obviously I can't really test these things on you who have already struggled to get to grips with things, but future player might appreciate them 

Thanks for all the feedback 

.Something feels a bit unpolished about the art, but the general direction it is in, especially with the colors (though these could use some tuning up as well) is really strong.

Programmer art any advice would be welcome: my background is computer science so I've just barely heard of complimentary colours and tend to think in RGB rather than HSB

nice work.  not sure if it would just destroy the challenge of the game, but what about seperate controls for flap and glide?  quite often i found myself wanting to drop then glide, but then i'd flap straight back up and hit the ceiling again...

This is indeed a problem with the current scheme, but I'd like to keep the one-button-game badge if at all possible. It also means you can play with the mouse (if you enjoy carpal tunnel syndrome). Wait, can HTML5 capture right-mouse clicks? I know Flash can't.

[jsepia]

nice work.  not sure if it would just destroy the challenge of the game, but what about seperate controls for flap and glide?  quite often i found myself wanting to drop then glide, but then i'd flap straight back up and hit the ceiling again...

This is indeed a problem with the current scheme, but I'd like to keep the one-button-game badge if at all possible. It also means you can play with the mouse (if you enjoy carpal tunnel syndrome). Wait, can HTML5 capture right-mouse clicks? I know Flash can't.

Yes it can! Sadly there's no such thing as a right click in mobile devices, so if you ever wanted to make it work on those, you'd have to implement an UI of some sort.

I had the same problem as RamSteelwood. Maybe if you don't want to move away from the 1-button concept, you could try to modify the tunnel generation algorithm so that the player never needs to start gliding immediately after a drop. I haven't looked at the code, but I figure it could be done by avoiding abrupt walls in the ceiling and things like that.

[wilbefast]

I had the same problem as RamSteelwood. Maybe if you don't want to move away from the 1-button concept, you could try to modify the tunnel generation algorithm so that the player never needs to start gliding immediately after a drop. I haven't looked at the code, but I figure it could be done by avoiding abrupt walls in the ceiling and things like that.

The variation ("delta") varies based on the difficulty, but it can be tweaked pretty easily. It might make the game too easy in other circumstances though - perhaps it's the mark of a bad generation algorithm that I can't really control exactly what sort of tunnel it makes, only the girth and "pointy-ness". Then again it's supposed to be random, isn't it

I've found that this situation occurs quite rarely - and if it does you either have enough feathers to bunny-hop down the decent or you don't, in which case you can glide directly.

I've just had a thought: perhaps the real problem here is the "variable jumping": the longer you hold down the mouse button the higher you go, so you can't actually glide from a little "hop", only a giant leap (as you always need to hold the mouse down till the apex). Try it out quickly and let me know what you think.

edit: just noted that I tend to be quite precise about exactly how far I let myself fall: generally you want to be brushing the ground before you rise again. If you do this just right you don't hit the roof even at minimum girth. That said as creator my opinion on the difficulty isn't the best placed (ie. I've played this game a LOT while making it).