st33d
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« on: January 19, 2013, 09:11:52 AM » |
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A puzzle game about movement and death. Browser: On my siteNewgroundsKongregateFree desktop downloads: OSXWindowsUbuntuCheap mobile apps: iOSAndroidSource code: https://github.com/st33d/Ending- There are three modes: Puzzle, Gauntlet and Editor. Puzzle is a set of static levels for new players to learn fundamentals and for masters to hone their skills. Gauntlet is one long random level - search for the Ending. Editor is a tool for designing sets of puzzle levels (save and load to desktop or file share in iTunes). - Below is a log of me ranting about making it.
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« Last Edit: July 21, 2013, 02:22:02 PM by st33d »
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happymonster
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« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2013, 12:36:19 PM » |
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I like the graphic style, but will there be more colours than in Red Rogue?
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st33d
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« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2013, 02:21:47 PM » |
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I have a sort of undo mechanic planned where instead of undo you can look at the three other moves you could have taken. If you like one of them better you can spend a turn to transfer yourself - and that's where the colour will come in. This idea may not make it in the final game.
Added the wall monsters. I dub them push-turners. They are indestructible and deadly, but you can also utilise them.
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DustyDrake
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« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2013, 02:46:28 PM » |
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This game is simple but very challenging and fun, well done!
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st33d
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« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2013, 12:34:26 PM » |
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Added bumpers and swap-blocks. Both very useful. Managed to get an iPhone build done! No optimisation or poxy stage3D required. Runs fine as is.
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happymonster
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« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2013, 12:56:55 PM » |
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I am just rubbish at this or is it hard, because I just keep dying so far?
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st33d
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« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2013, 02:44:26 PM » |
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Okay, made it harder for you. Added monster generators. Enjoy your death.
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toipot
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« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2013, 05:08:24 PM » |
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This is really tough but pretty compelling. Those push-movers seem to be the real killers to me . Do you think a 'wait' button would make sense? I felt like I needed one a couple of times there, but I guess it'd make the game considerably easier.
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st33d
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« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2013, 12:53:48 AM » |
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Hah ha - a wait button would completely destroy all challenge in the game. The whole point is that you can get stuck on the same colour check as an enemy that can move every turn. So you have to find something in the level that's equivalent to waiting - such as attacking or being pushed - otherwise you can't kill them.
Waiting in other roguelikes is simply to remove the puzzle element from moving on a grid. This game is all about the puzzle of moving on a grid - a wait action means there's no puzzle. The player has the resources around them to perform a wait action - adding a button for it would be like placing the exit two tiles away.
If that's the sort of puzzle you're after then you're best off playing Pudding Monsters. I've seen you can get 50 levels in before you actually have to think.
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Ashkin
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« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2013, 02:03:41 AM » |
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Excellent mechanics. Each enemy provides a unique challenge, and when they get close to each other it becomes quite a challenge planning your next moves. Edit: ONE indestructible pusher following me around is enough, but when two team up... That is quite a challenge.
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toipot
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« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2013, 05:31:49 AM » |
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Hah ha - a wait button would completely destroy all challenge in the game. The whole point is that you can get stuck on the same colour check as an enemy that can move every turn. So you have to find something in the level that's equivalent to waiting - such as attacking or being pushed - otherwise you can't kill them.
Waiting in other roguelikes is simply to remove the puzzle element from moving on a grid. This game is all about the puzzle of moving on a grid - a wait action means there's no puzzle. The player has the resources around them to perform a wait action - adding a button for it would be like placing the exit two tiles away.
If that's the sort of puzzle you're after then you're best off playing Pudding Monsters. I've seen you can get 50 levels in before you actually have to think.
Hehe, this is probably what makes me a terrible chess player, I'm always too impatient to think more than one move ahead
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st33d
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« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2013, 07:26:46 AM » |
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I have a plan of sorts for that, but I need to iterate it more.
I did project all possible outcomes for how you could move as a sort of way of cheating death - allowing you to hop into a dimension where you played the game better. But the hyperspace map ended up really confusing and unintuitive (plus calculating just 4 moves ahead brought the computer to a crawl). I'm thinking just the neighbouring moves you could have made might be enough - need to test it though.
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Pixelulsar
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« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2013, 12:45:06 PM » |
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I think it was really interesting and kind of chess like. I'm interested to see what you'll add next.
One problem was I found an impossible place, there was a spawner in a place with only one one wide path to get in to it, and it spawned enemies too fast for me to get in without getting killed.
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Ashkin
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« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2013, 12:47:11 PM » |
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After playing EVEN MORE (Why is this so addicting in such an early stage?!), I realized how GOOD it felt when enough enemies got lined up just right so that each turn you took out one and another replaced it from another direction. I think this could be made even more satisfying if you added some sort of combo counter, which adds a modifier to the score or whatever you're going to use as it climbs.
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Hangedman
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« Reply #14 on: January 21, 2013, 12:59:35 PM » |
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I think it's very neat and smooth, and I really like the idea. But I find the simple art kind of hard to parse, since all the 'monsters' are just lines. Trying to plan ahead with moves is proving really difficult, because I can't keep track of where everything is going on screen since it all blurs together. But maybe that's just me.
I think this would be cool with a variety of different selectable visual motifs, some that might make it easier to take in the entire screen, but that may go against what you're going for in terms of the design.
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DustyDrake
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« Reply #15 on: January 21, 2013, 01:15:18 PM » |
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So I'm probably going to regret asking this, but why is it that if a pusher pushes you into a repulsor, you don't die? Pushers are moving walls, right? Do I win?
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Ashkin
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« Reply #16 on: January 21, 2013, 01:25:58 PM » |
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No, you lose. If you move up and swap with the swapper, then the omnidirectional kills you. Also, I was pushed by a pusher into a repulsor, and I died... Or maybe a repulsor pushed me into a wall. I forget.
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DustyDrake
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« Reply #17 on: January 21, 2013, 01:29:44 PM » |
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Yeah the pusher/repulsor interaction seems kinda buggy. And the omni didn't kill me actually, when I moved out of the swapper, it moved forward and I killed it. A pusher came along, and that was what killed me
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poe
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« Reply #18 on: January 21, 2013, 03:41:08 PM » |
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I love this. I would like to suggest a challenge mode of sorts where you start as the sperm, work up to a dumbbell, and then the plus sign; to make things harder.
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SolarLune
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« Reply #19 on: January 21, 2013, 09:41:37 PM » |
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It's a very interesting game, for sure. Pretty fun for a grayscale game. Maybe a numbered wait mechanic (i.e. 3 waits per life) could be useful, like a smart-bomb for shooters. Some layouts are completely impossible to cross currently (you start an even number of grid spaces away from a close enemy). Even with the waits, there would be impossible layouts, though.
Alternatively, you could make it so only spawners actually spawn enemies, as opposed to them showing up on maps as well - something to give you a little room to breathe at the beginning.
Anyway, great work so far!
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