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[DrRabbit]

(click on the image above to play)

A friend of mine and I spent a month building a game based on a comic book author's IP called 'Beeserker', using Flixel and DAME. The goal was to make a game that showed off some of the comic book's art, and tell some kind of coherent story. We wanted to make something small, tight, and a throwback to the NES and MS-DOS platformers we grew up with. We didn't try to make something new or surprising in the gameplay - we only wanted to give a nod to our favourite old school sidescrollers of yore.

About the team: I've played around a bit with Love2d, Python, etc, but this was my first experience with Flixel/AS3. It was the first time my teammate Jamie Love had done any programming, and it was the first time the comic book author had done pixel art. The composer has done lots of chiptune-style stuff in the past.

We'd appreciate any feedback you have, whether it's on the art, sound, music, gameplay or the overall experience. Thanks for your time.

[Quicksand-S]

we only wanted to give a nod to our favourite old school sidescrollers of yore

Well, I think you managed that, for the most part. The graphics, in particular, made me feel like I was playing an old DOS game and I love that feeling.

That said, I really hated collecting bees. When I finished the first level, the cutscene said something like "I don't think we'll need any more bees" and I was glad...but then the next level had more. I thought maybe it'd only be every few levels that we needed to power up again.

Personally, I think it would work better if there were fewer bees but in tricky-to-get-to locations. As it is, it's just going through the motions because where there's one, there are ten more that you can reach from that spot without any challenge.

The walking animation doesn't look like walking at all.

Using space to jump and X to shoot seemed a bit strange (and Z was strange too for a different reason, lol. Not sure if there was a purpose to that). I actually didn't even notice the tutorial signs at first and went on to figure out everything on my own. Maybe they need more contrast between text and background.

I stopped playing on the second level because the gameplay was tedious and getting sent back to the beginning of the level because of some spikes was discouraging. There was nothing that made me want to keep playing because it all seemed so pointless.

I like the environment graphics, the simple sound effects, the parallax background, many of the color choices and the cutscene art. I also thought the movement was very well done and felt very comfortable in terms of speed, gravity and acceleration.

Suggestions:

-a variety of items in addition to the bees (mostly just for score, which is something I remember a lot from my early days of gaming)
-either checkpoints or a level that gets slightly easier as you get farther so that the feeling of "WHAT? I HAVE TO START OVER??" is minimized because you die from a big mistake rather than feeling like the level design is cheap
-maybe a longer music track, because this one seems to loop very often (although it's not bad as it is. I only really noticed the looping when I listened for it)
-more interactive objects (things that can be broken by shooting them; things like switches may be a bit cliched, but they break up the monotony of jumping around collecting items)
-more movement/animation in the environments (moving platforms, bubbling acid, dripping water, etc. anything that adds life to the world)
-in the original Duke Nukem games, they had security cameras that watched you and which could be destroyed for points - something like that would add "life" to this world, fit fairly well into the setting, and give the player more to do
-different controls would be great - maybe use X,C and Space (jump,shoot, then dance) to accommodate AZERTY keyboards and the many people who are used to the jump key being left of the shoot key

[moi]

I liked the simplicity of the game,and it's a good tribute to the awesomeness of flixel.

[Tor]

The mains points have been addressed. I´ll just add:

There are features in the level I thought where interactive like the men in yellow or the cat etc. It adds confusion, and fails to meet the player expectation.

[DrRabbit]

Well, I think you managed that, for the most part. The graphics, in particular, made me feel like I was playing an old DOS game and I love that feeling.

Great! I think our artist did a fantastic job given that he's never done pixel art before.

That said, I really hated collecting bees. When I finished the first level, the cutscene said something like "I don't think we'll need any more bees" and I was glad...but then the next level had more. I thought maybe it'd only be every few levels that we needed to power up again.

Personally, I think it would work better if there were fewer bees but in tricky-to-get-to locations. As it is, it's just going through the motions because where there's one, there are ten more that you can reach from that spot without any challenge.

Very good point. I suspect if we had playtested it more, we might have caught that problem earlier. Definitely will revise that for our next platformer.

The walking animation doesn't look like walking at all.

Noted. I'm hoping that our artist will use that as a chance to refine his animations in the future.

Using space to jump and X to shoot seemed a bit strange (and Z was strange too for a different reason, lol. Not sure if there was a purpose to that). I actually didn't even notice the tutorial signs at first and went on to figure out everything on my own. Maybe they need more contrast between text and background.

I also had that problem unfortunately :\ I originally wanted to have the signs animated (e.g. like a neon sign) so they stood out some more.

I stopped playing on the second level because the gameplay was tedious and getting sent back to the beginning of the level because of some spikes was discouraging. There was nothing that made me want to keep playing because it all seemed so pointless.

Unfortunately that was a drawback to keeping things fairly MS-DOS-like. Games like Crystal Caves (Apogee) were a major influence there, and probably did not help us much. Noted for next time!

I like the environment graphics, the simple sound effects, the parallax background, many of the color choices and the cutscene art. I also thought the movement was very well done and felt very comfortable in terms of speed, gravity and acceleration.

Great! Will pass along that to the creative director.

-a variety of items in addition to the bees (mostly just for score, which is something I remember a lot from my early days of gaming)

-either checkpoints or a level that gets slightly easier as you get farther so that the feeling of "WHAT? I HAVE TO START OVER??" is minimized because you die from a big mistake rather than feeling like the level design is cheap

We had trouble deciding on that one. Part of it being a throwback to oldschool games is not allowing checkpoints. Frustration is part of the game... but I guess, it didn't work for some players

-maybe a longer music track, because this one seems to loop very often (although it's not bad as it is. I only really noticed the looping when I listened for it)
-more interactive objects (things that can be broken by shooting them; things like switches may be a bit cliched, but they break up the monotony of jumping around collecting items)
-more movement/animation in the environments (moving platforms, bubbling acid, dripping water, etc. anything that adds life to the world)

Those were all on my wishlist too With a larger time budget, and enough commitment from the team, I would have loved to see those.

-in the original Duke Nukem games, they had security cameras that watched you and which could be destroyed for points - something like that would add "life" to this world, fit fairly well into the setting, and give the player more to do

Ha! I was going to code in moving security cameras that followed the player, but I ran out of time! Having them destroyed for points is a great idea.

-different controls would be great - maybe use X,C and Space (jump,shoot, then dance) to accommodate AZERTY keyboards and the many people who are used to the jump key being left of the shoot key

That's something that we can do for v1.1 of the game for sure.  Thanks!

And thanks again for all the generous feedback, and your time.

[DrRabbit]

I liked the simplicity of the game,and it's a good tribute to the awesomeness of flixel.

Fantastic. Simplicity was one of our goals, and Flixel was a perfect library for it.

[DrRabbit]

The mains points have been addressed. I´ll just add:

There are features in the level I thought where interactive like the men in yellow or the cat etc. It adds confusion, and fails to meet the player expectation.

Very good point. Those characters were added at the last minute (they are characters from the comic) and unfortunately didn't play a meaningful role in the story. We'll have to figure out something for them.

[Quicksand-S]

Inspired by Crystal Caves, eh? I loved Secret Agent (one of my favorite DOS games) but hated Crystal Caves even though it was pretty similar. It's interesting, actually. My biggest problem with Crystal Caves was the same problem I have with Beeserker: it felt pointless. I hated having to collect things in order to finish the levels. Secret Agent was much more focused.

Anyway, I thought I'd say more about the frustration factor. I've played the old Contra games, as well as Ghouls and Ghosts. I've played through Dark Souls. I don't mind tough games. The trick is to make sure that they don't seem cheap. A death should always seem like the player's fault. In Beeserker, I seemed to die because my jump had to be pixel-perfect, which is just annoying for any non-"I Wanna Be the Guy" game. A game also has to motivate the player to keep trying even if they do get frustrated. In Beeserker, the first level was tedious, so I had no incentive to keep trying after I died in the second level.

I don't mind a lack of checkpoints but the game has to really be built with that in mind. The Commander Keen games only let you get hit once, but the levels were really short and often had multiple paths so it wasn't too bad. Crystal Caves let you get hit three times before starting over. Cosmo and the old Duke games let you get hit something like eight times. (Ah, I love thinking about those old games. Duke 2 was great.)

On a related note, I'd really rather get killed by an enemy and have to start over, than get killed because of the level design. An enemy can be approached differently on the next try, whereas there's often only one way to get past an environmental hazard.

I write too much, don't I...

[moi]

I don't agree, not every game has to be contra or comander keen, I think there is room for more pointless less engaging games

[Quicksand-S]

I don't agree, not every game has to be contra or comander keen, I think there is room for more pointless less engaging games

Maybe so, but I'd have to ask, "What's the point of making pointless games?". A game has to have some sort of draw. Maybe it's a random time-waster but really fun, or it's repetitive but fast-paced and intense. There has to be something or it's not really a game, just a coding test that not many will want to play.

DrRabbit, I don't think your game falls into that category. Yours is, in my opinion, on the right track and could just use some tweaking. I'm just trying to make a point.

[moi]

Maybe so, but I'd have to ask, "What's the point of making pointless games?". A game has to have some sort of draw. Maybe it's a random time-waster but really fun, or it's repetitive but fast-paced and intense. There has to be something or it's not really a game, just a coding test that not many will want to play.

In the present case, there is an obvious story-telling element, it ties-in to the webcomic

[omgnoseat]

I enjoyed playing this, just a good old fashioned platformer. I love the somersaults and the dancing. Should be a good promotion for the comic, I don't read comics myself but am somewhat interested by playing with the character and seeing the environment.

[DrRabbit]

Inspired by Crystal Caves, eh? I loved Secret Agent (one of my favorite DOS games) but hated Crystal Caves even though it was pretty similar. It's interesting, actually. My biggest problem with Crystal Caves was the same problem I have with Beeserker: it felt pointless. I hated having to collect things in order to finish the levels. Secret Agent was much more focused.

Crystal Caves just had a special place in my heart because it was one of those shareware disks that I got from the grocery store when I was a kid. The game itself was awfully frustrating (part of it's charm I guess?) I haven't yet played Secret Agent. Crystal Caves was definitely not great level design.

Anyway, I thought I'd say more about the frustration factor. I've played the old Contra games, as well as Ghouls and Ghosts. I've played through Dark Souls. I don't mind tough games. The trick is to make sure that they don't seem cheap. A death should always seem like the player's fault. In Beeserker, I seemed to die because my jump had to be pixel-perfect, which is just annoying for any non-"I Wanna Be the Guy" game. A game also has to motivate the player to keep trying even if they do get frustrated. In Beeserker, the first level was tedious, so I had no incentive to keep trying after I died in the second level.

We had a tough time with incentives to keep the player going - either through story, through design, or through puzzles. Next time, we're on it. Ghouls 'n' Ghosts is one of those games that I've never finished precisely because the frustration factor is way too high - 'save the princess' is a dead metaphor, and isn't enough motivation to keep my attention. Don't get me wrong - I love the game, and I love the simplicity of the design - but after the Nth restart of the level I have completely lost my interest.

I don't mind a lack of checkpoints but the game has to really be built with that in mind. The Commander Keen games only let you get hit once, but the levels were really short and often had multiple paths so it wasn't too bad. Crystal Caves let you get hit three times before starting over. Cosmo and the old Duke games let you get hit something like eight times. (Ah, I love thinking about those old games. Duke 2 was great.)

We probably should have went back and played some Commander Keen - that would have given us some shorter levels, and definitely more interesting ones. I think what I like about Keen is that the environment itself is enjoyable - the storyline is adorable, and I feel like I'm moving through a fun space. I think that next time, I'd like to use some brighter colours and environments to reflect that - nothing is more boring than a dark lab and an office.

Cosmo was awesome btw

Thanks again for the thoughts.

[DrRabbit]

I don't agree, not every game has to be contra or comander keen, I think there is room for more pointless less engaging games

Indeed. Non goal-oriented play is one of our major goals for the next game. But it's also pretty dicey, because players who don't want to just explore a level for the sake of exploring it, quickly become either bored or frustrated. We added the 'Z' (dance) key to the game for that very reason. Because what's cooler than watching a girl in a beesuit dance?

[DrRabbit]

I enjoyed playing this, just a good old fashioned platformer. I love the somersaults and the dancing. Should be a good promotion for the comic, I don't read comics myself but am somewhat interested by playing with the character and seeing the environment.

Awesome! The artist will be so happy to hear it - he puts an unbelievable amount of work into his comic.

[Quicksand-S]

I haven't yet played Secret Agent.

No? If you love all these DOS games, you might really enjoy it. It's short and not particularly hard, but just about every level feels unique and well-designed. You might find some inspiration there.

We probably should have went back and played some Commander Keen - that would have given us some shorter levels, and definitely more interesting ones. I think what I like about Keen is that the environment itself is enjoyable - the storyline is adorable, and I feel like I'm moving through a fun space.

Yeah. I loved how in Keen 4 there were subtle bits of environmental storytelling, like a statue of a king slug. Nothing ever comes of it, but it says something about the world "outside" the gameplay. One thing you might consider, if it works with the storyline, is some sort of world map. The Keen ones were pretty good, and there's that benefit of being able to choose which level to play. If one is too annoying, you can save it for later.

Cosmo was awesome btw

Yes it was.

[Blockjack]

Just a few quick notes that I've jotted up on my lunch break, so apologies if they've already been mentioned...

• Really great art and sound - no issues there
• Didn't come across any actual bugs
• Mute button would be nice (or, since it's Flixel, just an indication that you can press 0 to mute)
• Additional WASD controls and W/UP for jump would be good (just what my brain is used to)
• Would be great if you could drop down through platforms with S/DOWN
• There's a bit of inconsistency in that some platforms you can jump through, but they look exactly the same as some other platforms which are fully solid
• Level 1 gets a bit boring: there is no challenge and it felt a bit too long as an intro level
• However, the difficulty ramp up is ridiculous: level 2 introduces three new gameplays elements at once, all of which kill you (racoons, water and spikes). I might just be a bit crap, but I couldn't even get halfway through level 2 (double frustrating that there are no checkpoints and one hit kills)

[sc_q_jayce]

To add to everyone else's posts...

The final boss was interesting looking, but didn't require much of any challenge.  I simply sat in place and jumped the moment the boss shot their fireball.  The whole time I was plugging away at the boss with bees until it went kaput.  Perhaps vary the final boss so that I can't just stand still and shoot bees?

I enjoyed the aesthetics greatly.  Does dancing have any purpose other than just for aesthetic appeal?

Playing it through a second time, I would note that it wasn't obvious in level 3 that the staircases were not the platform, but instead we were supposed to be jumping on the small, thin, horizontal lines.  They blended into the background too well that the first time I just didn't see them and died "falling through" the staircase.

Another thought: if I dance and use the Ursinerator simultaneously, then the fireballs come out of Trigona's dress.

[DrRabbit]

No? If you love all these DOS games, you might really enjoy it. It's short and not particularly hard, but just about every level feels unique and well-designed. You might find some inspiration there.

Awesome. Am going to check it out - the screenshots look great.

One thing you might consider, if it works with the storyline, is some sort of world map. The Keen ones were pretty good, and there's that benefit of being able to choose which level to play. If one is too annoying, you can save it for later.

That's something we hadn't thought of - maybe in the next game, especially if we have a lot of levels. One advantage of the world map is that it gives the player a sense of the place in which the game is happening, and they don't have to stitch things together in their head.

[DrRabbit]

Just a few quick notes that I've jotted up on my lunch break, so apologies if they've already been mentioned...

• Really great art and sound - no issues there
• Didn't come across any actual bugs
• Mute button would be nice (or, since it's Flixel, just an indication that you can press 0 to mute)
• Additional WASD controls and W/UP for jump would be good (just what my brain is used to)
• Would be great if you could drop down through platforms with S/DOWN
• There's a bit of inconsistency in that some platforms you can jump through, but they look exactly the same as some other platforms which are fully solid
• Level 1 gets a bit boring: there is no challenge and it felt a bit too long as an intro level
• However, the difficulty ramp up is ridiculous: level 2 introduces three new gameplays elements at once, all of which kill you (racoons, water and spikes). I might just be a bit crap, but I couldn't even get halfway through level 2 (double frustrating that there are no checkpoints and one hit kills)

Those are all VERY good suggestions. I'm going to try adding the WASD controls this weekend, since those should have been in there in the first place.

I didn't realize that there was some inconsistency with the jump-through platforms? Yikes. We must have missed a couple.

I found Level 2 extremely difficult too - even after we had been working on the game for a couple of weeks. I think we'd definitely change the difficulty/flow if we reworked the level design - I'm in complete agreement with you.