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[Zack Bell]

The dude that gives you mission info is now playable in multiplayer modes. BIG update coming soon (via KS).

[Scott]

To comment on the stretching - it really does feel totally at home paired with the main game mechanic of transporting. It almost seems obvious now.

[Zack Bell]

To comment on the stretching - it really does feel totally at home paired with the main game mechanic of transporting. It almost seems obvious now.

Oh, I know. It even feels better with it!   Here's an update to this thing.

[Rebusmind]

I wonder how you did it. I've been working on a platformer for Ludum Dare and was struggeling for hours to get the collision detection to work (as I always do). Is the stretching done solely with the image_xscale/image_yscale variables or do you also stretch in the sprites directly? Cause changing the scale also changes the mask of the object. Or do you use a seperate mask (don't know if that changes anything)?

[Zack Bell]

I wonder how you did it. I've been working on a platformer for Ludum Dare and was struggeling for hours to get the collision detection to work (as I always do). Is the stretching done solely with the image_xscale/image_yscale variables or do you also stretch in the sprites directly? Cause changing the scale also changes the mask of the object. Or do you use a seperate mask (don't know if that changes anything)?

I draw using my own xscale/yscale, as well as use a mask for collision

[Rebusmind]

Ah, yeah, well, that makes perfect sense. :D

[Rat Casket]

I wonder how you did it. I've been working on a platformer for Ludum Dare and was struggeling for hours to get the collision detection to work (as I always do). Is the stretching done solely with the image_xscale/image_yscale variables or do you also stretch in the sprites directly? Cause changing the scale also changes the mask of the object. Or do you use a seperate mask (don't know if that changes anything)?

draw_sprite_ext in the draw step. Lets you draw the sprite however you want without fuckin' up the mask it uses. It lets you address all kinds of fun stuff.

draw_sprite_ext(SPRITENAME,SUBIMAGE,x position, y position, xscale, yscale, roation, color, alpha);

So in practice it looks something like...

draw_sprite_ext(sPlayer,animationSpeed,x,y,facing,y,0,c_white,1);

sPlayer being my character sprite.
animationSpeed being my own variable that increases at however fast I want the animation to play.
x and y are the x and y position of the object that is drawing the sprite.
facing is a variable I used to determine which way the player is facing so I can flip the sprite.
y scale mostly stays the same but if you wanna do stuff like Zack is doing above, this is what you need to mess with.
rotation is obvious.
colors is obvious.
alpha is obvious.

[Zack Bell]

Yeah, basically what he said.^

The only minor complication with scaling them is if the sprite is supposed to stay stuck against a surface while being manipulated. If the origin of the sprite is its center, you'll need to calculate a draw offset while the scale is off.

For example, when he lands after a jump, his y is actually

y + (spriteHeight - (yscale * spriteHeight));

[Sam B]

I loveee technical posts!

When doing platformers, I put the origin at the middle-bottom of all my sprites. That way when they stretch, they grow up and out, and don't stretch below the floor.

[Zack Bell]

I loveee technical posts!

When doing platformers, I put the origin at the middle-bottom of all my sprites. That way when they stretch, they grow up and out, and don't stretch below the floor.

Haha, I should definitely do more technical posts. The reason I don't set my origins at the middle-bottom is due to all of the raycasting stuff in SUPER III. The teleporting and the kills via teleporting are all calculated by drawing lines out from the center of the player sprite, as well as from the corners. Luckily, GM holds the coordinates of the edges of bounding boxes (bbox_left, bbox_right, etc).

This thing is pretty much done. Big update coming tomorrow!

[mushbuh]

make one with a pompadour

[AleHitti]

We made a new update on our Kickstarter page where we teased a bunch of information from the Deathmatch mode! Here's the link:

Kickstarter Update #4: Deathmatch Teaser

There will be a big update trailer coming up on Sunday or Monday, so be sure to check that out!

[Zack Bell]

Everyone who has tested the multiplayer is really digging it. We have a bunch of simple modes planned. Finally squashed a ridiculously simple bug today, so JUMPING ON EACH OTHER'S HEADS FEELS GOOD.

Also, messing w/ the blood on respawn. It acts as blood for a few frames and then homes in on the spawn point. It looks neat, but idk if it adds anything. Let me know what you think!





EDIT: Testing multiplayer alone is so depressing.  

[SUPER 91]

Faking Physics in Game Maker Studio

Desired Result

As mentioned above, we are currently working on content/polish within our new multiplayer modes. A few of you have enjoyed some of my more technical posts, so I thought that I would explain a simple way to simulate or "fake" physics objects in Game Maker Studio.

In the GIF above, you can see the screw drops that are used in one of our multiplayer modes. When you teleport through another player or jump on his/her head, the player drops 'x' percentage of the screws that they are currently holding. When time runs out, the player with the highest number of screws wins.

Code:

// CREATE EVENT

// Set the sprite to draw at a random scaling factor
image_xscale = random_range(0.25, 0.75);
image_yscale = image_xscale;

// Set the sprite to draw at a random angle
image_angle = random(360);

// Set a random starting speed + direction of travel
direction = random(360);
speed = random_range(3, 8);

Code:

// STEP EVENT

// Apply some form of gravity
vspeed += 0.5;

// Rotate the screw according to its direction of travel
image_angle += (-hspeed * 10);

Code:

// COLLISION EVENT ( w/ oParentSolid)

// Come to a stop when moving at an arbitrary "slow enough" speed
if (abs(speed) < 2) {
    speed = 0;
    exit;
}

move_bounce_solid(true);

// Decrease speed after bouncing away from solid objects
speed *= 0.66;

[Zack Bell]

A quick look at tomorrow's Kickstarter update! :D



EDIT: I typically tweet while I'm working. Figured I'd cross-post.

[SUPER 91]

Ok, so I've been messing with the complexity of the multiplayer modes. When playing w/ three others, things got pretty hectic and teleporting freely was nuts. Most have already noticed that I added a small stamina bar. When this bar is empty, you can't teleport. Basically, there's just a small reload time on your teleport ability.

Today, I added a mechanic that allows you to dodge the teleport, as well. As of now, dodging uses the same stamina bar as your teleport. When you jump you can eight block or teleport, then reload. It almost adds a rock, paper, scissors mechanic in some ways.



I also liked how it felt when I took out gravity during dodge frames. It's similar to smash bros. I think? It almost adds a little dash and distance to your jump. You can use it to travel farther at the expense of wasting your stamina.



^In practice. (Playing by myself, haha)

EDIT: Added temporary dodge art...

[mirrorfish]

Impressive stuff dude! Very cool to see how far you've come from boxes to the finished product! Platforming looks nice and love the art style! 

[Rat Casket]

since there is gonna be a new SMB what are you gonna do Zack? basically theres no reason for you to keep making games now.

[Zack Bell]

since there is gonna be a new SMB what are you gonna do Zack? basically theres no reason for you to keep making games now.

Tommy lives less than an hour from here. I'll go give him a stern talking to.

[Rat Casket]

i feel like he will just run  you over in his robot car