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[saimo]

heh, video quality wasn't that bad.

Happy to hear the quality didn't impair your enjoyment so much

it looks fun.

Thanks. I hope I'll manage to make it even funnier with more block types and more gameplay modes.

and hard, but I wouldn't expect much less from you. 

Eh eh
Well, I'm not trying to make a hard game. But, of course, one can't expect the last levels not to be very challenging/demanding. The difficulty curve will grow very smoothly (it already does, but it will have to be tuned according to the other elements I'll add later). Currently I'm thinking that the kind of crazyness seen in level 22 (at the end of the second part video) should more or less be what is found in the very last level.
Please take these statements with a pinch of salt: being quite an open project, I myself don't have a perfectly definite idea of where it's going.

[saimo]

Quick notice: the videos are available also on YouTube now.
Part 1:


Part 2:

[saimo]

After the pause due to the video, I'm back with an update.

The changes list (excluding the internal/minor/mentionworthy stuff as usual) goes like this:
 * I've added a password system that allows the player to start from any level he has previously finished (and the last password entered or obtained is automatically remembered);
 * now there are the "special levels", which coincide with those multiple of 5; they distinguish by the different background and, more importantly, because the gameplay changes in some way; for now, the only new mode is the "storm" one, where the bricks move at different speeds;
 * given the existence of the "trimmer" bricks (now renamed "ground crusher"), it couldn't be that the "opposite" one didn't exist: so I've added the "ground riser" bricks, which, when they land, they raise the ground by 1 row;
 * somebody may be thinking that I've been evil as usual, but this time you're wrong I've also added the "8ballbox" bricks, which work as follows: when hit the first time, they change color and position; when hit again, they free 8 balls like those of the "ballbox" bricks (the only difference is that they last less).

See you...

[saimo]

No update yesterday because I was working on the following changes:
 * I have worked on levels;
 * I have added bosses!

Levels are organized this way now:
 1-4: normal;
 5: "storm" mode;
 6-9: normal;
 10: boss 1;
 11-14: normal;
 15: "storm" mode;
 16-19: normal;
 20: boss 2;
 21-24: normal;
 25: "storm" mode;
 26-29: normal;
 30: boss 3.

As for bosses, I tried to merge them with the game mechanics nicely (I didn't want them to provide a totally different gameplay altogether). This is how they work:
 * they're made of normal bricks, plus a "heart" brick;
 * a boss dies only if its heart is hit;
 * normal bricks try to "heal the wounds" by shifting laterally in order to replace the destroyed bricks; this way, it isn't possible to hit the heart before all the bricks in the rows between the heart and the cannon are cleared;
 * destroying all the bricks (thus, also those in the last two), awards a point prize;
 * bosses shoot "ground raiser" bricks, which means that while you find the ground brings you closer to death (so you'll have to decide when to shoot at the falling bricks or at the boss);
 * the shooting percentage of the player isn't affected by the boss levels.

If a new mode occurs to me, I'll add it. Same goes for new brick types. In the meanwhile, it's about time I start working on music and refining/adding graphics...

[saimo]

If anybody is wondering, yes, the development temporarily stopped. Things went like this:
 1. I needed to add a certain feature, and I thought that it would be better to implement it in the framework Huenison is based on;
 2. I implemented the feature in the framework, but then I thought I'd better exploit it also in the other projects of mine that use the framework, so I updated/adapted all of them;
 3. during the update process, I made some minor changes to a few projects, and some significant changes to another project which I want to re-release ASAP; moreover, I have a few ideas for other projects that I can hardly resist
 4. at the same time, I decided to rework of all my websites, and this took me forever!
 5. as the above was not enough, yesterday a filesystem failure corrupted my work partition: rescuing the data and rebuilding the repositories has been a struggle Luckily, I ended up losing only some recent intermediate revisions of various projects (basically, all those that were made after the last backup, except for the very latest versions which are always backed up).

In short, development will resume as soon as I'm done with the other stuff (working in recursive mode here)...

[saimo]

After a headlong series of updates, a sudden and lengthy pause might have led you to think that Huenison was dead... but, luckily, reality is different! I "just" got a new job, moved country and started a new life, so development suffered quite a lot from this, but the game remained alive and, indeed, even grew. The game - as one of my betatesters reported - tastes like it's approaching the finalization.

The major changes visible from outside are:
 * addition of a new special mode called "RUSH" (joins the "STORM" and "BOSS" modes);
 * addition of introductory levels, to let the player come to grips with the mechanics of the game;
 * redefinition of the levels sequence/parameters, for a better feeling of progress, discovery and variety;
 * addition of the first original music piece;
 * addition of special graphic bars for the various countdowns.

Now the question is: when the next update? I dunno. The next step is adding lots of other tunes, but I want to do that only when seriously inspired...

[saimo]

Another long delay since the last update, but work, albeit a bit slowly, goes on...

1. Reworked cannon graphics to show all colors (this enriches a lot the gameplay).
2. Made in-game music level-specific (plenty of chiptunes are planned for the final version).
3. Added first chiptune for normal levels and chiptune for RUSH mode levels.
4. Added configurable dot-matrix modes (2x2 square, 3x3 square and 3x3 round).
5. Moved tutorials from the levels sequence to an own, freely-startable sequence.
6. Replaced transition effect with 2 variants of a rotzooming & fading effect.
7. Added logo.



Screenshot in the 2x2 square mode showing the new cannon (it might  look weird/stupid, but it's incredibly functional... and after a while  it also starts looking nice!).

[rek]

Uhm, let me try to understand how problematic the issue is...
How did it sound? Any (other) native English speakers here who would pronounce it differently from how it's meant to be spoken?

"hyu-en-is-un" is how I was reading it. I thought it was Hue + Dimension at first.

[saimo]

"hyu-en-is-un" is how I was reading it. I thought it was Hue + Dimension at first.

Well, sounds quite close to the intended combination (hue + unison, to be read with "hue" in place of the "u" of "unison").
Thanks for the feedback.

[saimo]

Again several months passed without news, but the development hasn't stopped: it's just that I've been too busy with life and a number of other projects (QUOD INIT EXIT, which about to be published on cart for the C64, being one of them).

Since the last update:
 1. the second tune for "normal" stages has been composed & tracked;
 2. the menu functionality and looks have been improved;
 3. tons of refinements and improvements have made the game a lot more polished;
 4. some gameplay details have been refined (scores and some level parameters);



I've had some new ideas that will make the gameplay even cooler. But you'll hear about them with the next update. Stay tuned.

[saimo]

Development pace went up lately - and it shows! And you'll be able to see with your eyes, hear with your own ears and play with your own hands at the Play Expo in Manchester in a couple of weeks - just search for RGCD's booth

Prelimirary version of menu tune: http://www.facebook.com/v/4553926137108

These are the latest changes:
 * finished music - all tunes and jingles are in place now;
 * added the first sound effects;
 * ensured that the "8-balls" bricks, when relocated by the first hit, never merge with the ground;
 * removed training levels and made pieces kinds appear progressively in the first regular levels;
 * implemented hiscores;
 * added cyclical messages to menu screen in pinball display fashion;
 * made menu more user-friendly;
 * changed handling of pause/quitting/focus - now everything is done from a single screen, and the player can always restart comfortably;
 * made tons of internal improvements;
 * fixed a few bugs.

[saimo]

Huenison development proceeds at full steam!


Most of the sound effects that were missing have been added. Several of them are speech samples synthesized with Software Automatic Mouth (a program from 1982!) running on an emulated C64! The result, in the context of the game, is just perfect - so perfect that I've used the samples to give the game a (wicked!) personality!


C64 screen showing the phonetic strings I fed to SAM and the post-processed "game over" sample (which, eventually, was replaced by something totally different, but that's another story...)


Implemented bricks families/representatives that not only give a visual representation of the bricks in play (handy when you want to check if there's a certain piece somewhere), but are also fundamental to add a new twist to the gameplay (primary reason of their implementation).


actual in-game screenshot


Moreover, although it's the typical game that doesn't need one, Huenison has now also a little introduction (whose audio part will warm the hearts of many)!


introduction temporary text


Finally, there have been lots of improvements here and there to make the game more and more polished.

[Nu-Type]

So your making this game for the C64? That is pretty cool! Looks great by the way.

[saimo]

So your making this game for the C64? That is pretty cool!

No, this is being developed on and for AmigaOS 4 and will be available also for Windows (actually, it also runs on it).
But recently I did publish a game for the C64 (QUOD INIT EXIT) and the next game will be another C64 title

Looks great by the way

Thanks

[saimo]

During the month of October Huenison has matured into what I consider the first releasable version: it's complete, fully enjoyable and more finger/mind-breaking than ever! However, I'm not releasing it just yet because I have some pixels and ideas left

Let's have a closer look at what has changed (in no particular order)...

• added giant ghost-like bricks scrolling in the background, corresponding to the pieces just generated - they not just look cool, but might help spotting interesting pieces (see screenshots below);
• added level-specific introduction messages;
• added more sound samples;
• eliminated unfair points advantage given by shooting at the bricks fired by the bosses during the BOSS levels;
• made ground flash shortly in the places where it changes;
• added QUICKSHOT bonus - extra points are awarded and the ground is lowered everywhere by 1 step when 5 consecutive shots hit each time a different brick of a different color within 2 seconds (white beam shots are ignored);
• added bunches of bricks: at times, the bricks don't come as singletons, but in groups that form specific shapes (Tetris-like, screen-wide line and more);
• added RESTORE bonus - the ground is flattened to the initial state when requested after the player completes the "RESTORE" indicator, by destroying the slide bricks;
• added the WALL mode (see screenshot below);
• adjusted levels sequence and parameters;
• added instructions;
• reworked cannon: now it's bigger, so that it's easier to read the colors;
• retouched graphics;
• added more tunes and improved the pre-existing ones;
• made speed of RUSH modes level-relative;
• reworked introduction (which now transitions in the menu scrolltext), and added interludes and ending (this also increases the already strong personality of the game and the feeling of being challenged by a rival);
• added FACE-OFF level (the final battle!);
• added HIT STREAK bonus - extra points are awarded and the zapper line gets raised by 10 steps when 10 consecutive shots hit each time a different brick (white beam shots are ignored);
• made tons of (internal) improvements/optimizations/fixes.

Since all the blabbering above will probably sound vague in several places, here are a few screenshots...


WALL mode



In this mode you'll have to deal with avalanches of bricks!


Fully-lit status panel



This is just to give an idea, as not all of those indicators can actually appear at the same time. The HIT STREAK bonus indicator is not shown because the screenshot was taken before its implementation. In this screenshot it's also possible to see the bigger cannon and the "ghost" bricks in the background.


Additional screenshot



A little bit old, but why not sharing it?

[saimo]

*** HUENISON IS FINISHED ***

With this update I have the big pleasure of announcing that Huenison is basically ready for release
When and how that will happen is yet to be decided, but the game is ready since this January.

These are the changes since the previous post...

* Added BRAVERY bonus.
* Added ALL TYPES bonus.
* Added global hiscores.
* Made bosses speed level-relative.
* Excluded white beams for HITSTREAK bonus.
* Considered brick kills processed right after level end.
* Merged NORMAL and HARD bricks into a single family.
* Added simple success/failure effects to levels ending.
* Replaced beam, brake and chain sounds.
* Beautified status panel.
* Beautified menu mixers.
* Improved instructions.
* Randomized amplitude of wipe effects.
* Added icon.
* Made many internal improvements.

For the occasion, here's a couple of new screenshots in round 3x dots mode.





The website progressed as well (most notably, it now shows the global hiscores in real time), although it's not finished yet, and now there is also a Facebook page.

[pluckyporcupine]

Awesome! Congrats on finishing the game! It looks really interesting. Definitely has an awesome graphic style.

[saimo]

Thanks for the nice comment
Sooner or later I'll force myself to make a proper trailer, so that it can be seen and heard "live"...

[saimo]

Since it will take a while before I have a trailer ready, I thought I'd share this splinter made for testing...





BIG FAT NOTE: the dot-matrix graphics are badly ruined by the video compression and scaling, so the quality is not that good. Best seen in 720p (unscaled).

[delete me]

This game looks really good! I'm wondering how you're doing text in game. Did you have to make that font yourself or is the effect in game largely post-processed?