next »

[Theta]

I would like to present my newest game:

Concrete Trees Burn Violet

Download from Mediafire

GameJolt

YoYo Games



Overview:

Our main character receives a message from the girl he loves, telling him to look at the sky.  Unfortunately, a thick (procedurally generated) concrete jungle blocks his view of the sky.

However, he has the power to conjure violet flames, which are capable of setting the concrete trees on fire.  Somehow, he must use this power to climb to the top of the structure, and gaze upon the sky - all without creating a dangerous wildfire.


Controls:

<LEFT>, <RIGHT>:  Move left or right
<UP>:  Aim up
<Z>:  Jump
<X>:  Conjure violet flames
<R>:  Generate new level


Screenshot:




Playthrough Video (CONTAINS SPOILERS!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uqpryDQNfg&feature=youtu.be


Specifications:

Title: Concrete Trees Burn Violet
Download Size: 4.88 MB zipped
File Type: A '.zip' archive that contains the main executable, README.txt, a folder containing the game music, and two DLL's used to play the Ogg Vorbis music.
Version: 1.3
Written In: GM8 Registered

[ortoslon]

the game slows down during large fires

[Theta]

the game slows down during large fires

I know it can slow down a bit when there is a lot of fire on the screen - I worked hard to make it just a minor slowdown (although, I couldn't eliminate it altogether).  Was the slowdown serious for you?

[ortoslon]

twice as slow as usual during the largest fire i could reasonably start

[Theta]

twice as slow as usual during the largest fire i could reasonably start

I just uploaded a new version, with a small change that hopefully will reduce this slowdown further.  I started a massive fire, and it only slowed down a bit (down to 25 FPS, when the game normally runs at 30 FPS).  This is noticeably different than before, at least on my old laptop.

[ortoslon]

right when i start v1.1 i get an error that repeats if i press Ignore:

___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 1
of Create Event
for object presentsdrawer:

Error defining an external function.

[Theta]

right when i start v1.1 i get an error that repeats if i press Ignore:

___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 1
of Create Event
for object presentsdrawer:

Error defining an external function.

I have seen this message before with some of my other games that use BGM.DLL and BASS.DLL.  It is unrelated to my fixes of the earlier slowdown issues - I think it has something to do with the way Windows handles DLLs, but why this error message only sometimes appears mystifies me.  I did not ever get this error when I tested this; however, whenever I got it in the past with my other games, usually a computer restart allows it to work.  Also, someone posted on YoYoGames a way to prevent this exact same error from occurring in one of my other games:

"In order to make the game work. Disable Data execution prevention for this game. Im using windows 7"

(http://sandbox.yoyogames.com/games/90856-mr-jones-dream)

I'm not sure if it works, but it makes it seem like this error is caused by an overzealous Windows security measure freaking out about programs running DLLs.  I'm not sure, though.

Anyway, I uploaded a new version with further optimized code - maybe the new version won't cause the error for you, but if not - try restarting.  I appreciate your help with pointing these things out.

[ortoslon]

yeah, v1.1 ran after a reboot and i haven't seen the error in v1.2

EDIT: i don't see speedup between 1.0 and 1.2, though

[Theta]

yeah, v1.1 ran after a reboot and i haven't seen the error in v1.2

EDIT: i don't see speedup between 1.0 and 1.2, though

Perhaps some slowdown with large fires is unavoidable.  I don't see it as too much of a problem - if you set large fires, it makes it very difficult to climb to the top and win the game.

Does it slow down when you set "normal-sized" fires to try to climb to the top?

[ortoslon]

depends on what fires you consider normal-sized. it doesn't slow down if i'm extra careful but that's no fun

[Theta]

depends on what fires you consider normal-sized. it doesn't slow down if i'm extra careful but that's no fun

By "normal-sized," I just mean setting fires only to allow the player to climb higher, not throwing fire around indiscriminately (which can make it impossible to climb to the top).  But, you're right - the player should be able to do that without excessive slowdown (after all, large fires do look pretty cool in this, in my opinion, even if they are not conducive to beating the game "properly").

I made one small change which seems to improve things, and uploaded it.  I do still have slight slowdown with large fires (i.e. I run around, trying to set every possible block on fire), but only sometimes (there are times when I have the full framerate despite there being a large fire).

[Theta]

I decided to record a playthrough video, to give a better impression of the gameplay:  It contains spoilers, though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uqpryDQNfg&feature=youtu.be

[ortoslon]

nope, still slow. i blame GM

posted the game on owVideogames with your playthrough