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(http://famicase.com/08/softs/21.jpg)

This image is amazing and I am inspired to make a game! Sadly I have a bunch of other projects going on and haven't made a game since I was 14 (and what a sack of crap that was) so don't get your hopes up too high.

I know what kind of game it's going to be though, it's a multiple people on one keyboard deal where everyone is pressing too many buttons at once for them to all register and there is lots of screaming and finger-pointing and "WHY DIDN'T YOU GO RIGHT, I TOLD YOU TO GO RIGHT", just like when you were a kid and played computer games together with your neighbour friends, way before any of you understood what a LAN was or played any games that required it.

Edit: Oh and if anyone could tell me what the hell my title means I'd appreciate it.

Son of Edit: v0.2 AGBIC version is out!

GET IT HERE (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2907197/Tamanegi02.zip)

Onion punks on a strange adventure.

You should keep that as the title, it's pretty funny

I'm worried nobody will be able to remember it, lol.
Maybe I should just call it "strange adventure" and keep the Japanese title as an alternate name?

This was another one that caught my eye. I'll be watching this! Haha.

Good luck! :)

I love this cover; if I were to enter this competition, this is probably the one I would choose. Good luck, hope you make something of this!

"Punk" is just an inherently awesome word.

I've hit on the idea of designing the levels around colours. For example, this is the blue level:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/blue.png)

That's pretty much what the game is going to look like, with any luck. Sadly, the actual game right now looks like this:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/2010-07-01.jpg)

I r not programr.
Anyone know where I can get some help with Game Maker? I tried posting on the Yoyogames forums but they've been ignoring me. I can't even get the jump mechanic to work right.

I've noticed there isn't really a whole lot going on the vertical axis and this game *is* a game about running to the right forever, so I think I'm going to resize the screen to be a bit flatter and longer. That way you can see more of the upcoming screen and allows for larger sprites, etc without feeling cramped.

Ok, so I managed to solve my jumping problem, but I hit upon a somewhat more serious and much more stupid problem... the game requires three keys to be pressed in order for the horse to jump, and three keys for it to move at a reasonable pace. Sadly, most keyboards (or at least mine) are not very happy about accepting 6 key inputs at once, making it impossible to jump and move simultaneously. Since I meant for this to be part of the core mechanic I guess I've been hoisted by my own petard. Back to the drawing board!

Is that tree's shadow about to attack the horse?  Wow!

Really liking the mockups, and the idea of players struggling to organize themselves is great too.  It sounds a bit like a computer three-legged race.

Their ought to be a lot of creative ways you can solve the 6 key problem.. I'd suggest using some sort of one-button style control scheme two map both actions to one key, or introducing a rhythmical player-turn mechanic of some sort.  Several specific options occurred to me whilst writing that, but it's your game, so I won't foist them on you (unless you want me to!)

If you're having coding problems I'd advise keeping your scope as simple as possible, and rely as much as possible on the physical player-to-player interaction to make the game compelling.

If you need programming help then framing specific problems you are having will do a lot towards getting people to step in.  There are (sadly?) relatively few saints that are willing to commit to providing 'general help', but yet many people that will be willing to take a few minutes to help solve a specific problem.

Seeing as PC's don't like more than 3 inputs at once, you could do as Johnathan suggested. Maybe you could make it so that when you hold the button down the player moves forward, and when the button is released they jump whilst still moving forward.

Also out of curiosity, how are you handling world movement? By this i mean does the player character move on the level, or does the level scroll behind the player and the player always stays in the same position?

Just FYI I love the art direction you're taking.

Maybe you could try something like having the order of the buttons matter, almost like a rhythm game, where the 3 players have to hit their buttons in order to move (1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3)? Or, you could do a binary compression of the commands. 3 buttons gives you 8 combinations of up/down. Maybe you need 1 and 2 down to go forward, 3 is jump, 1+3 and 2+3 could be speed up/slow down/turn/whatever you need

I was planning on having the world scroll past at a constant rate, but the players would be able to move forward and backwards relative to the screen, kind of like a side-scrolling shooter.

Also, thanks for the gameplay suggestions, everyone! I'll definitely keep them in mind. I was thinking of changing it to a two-player game, though, to solve the more low-tech problem of finding two people to play with. I remember being pretty frustrated back when Treasure Treasure (http://db.tigsource.com/games/treasure-treasure) was released because it took me about a month to find someone to play it with (because "can you come over so I can play this indie game you haven't heard of" is kind of a lame reason to call someone if none of your friends are particularly into indie gaming). I don't want to make a game nobody can play. If I did switch to two-player I'd be a little sad, though, since three onion-heads feels more like a proper expedition. But anyway even with two players the controls could probably do with a little refining, hmm.

The third onion head could always be a slightly-intoxicated AI that's just along for the ride  :beer:

Maybe he is your half-dead friend and you are trying to get him to Onion Hospital.

Make it so the 3rd Onion still has a button, but instead of contributing it just does something silly, like give the horse a mustache or something.

Ooooh. I'm going to be watching this one. I too really love that case. Your art will do perfectly. It matches well.

I'll be out most of today and tomorrow doing more useful and less optional things than making games about onions, but here's a question for Game Maker users. I couldn't find an answer online because it's honestly pretty vague and I might have to just try it out to see, but is it feasible to have a single (or, um, several) background images span the entire length of the level? I don't know how long my levels are going to be but I'm thinking they'd take maybe a minute to run across. Since there's a pretty big visual focus I thought hand-drawn backgrounds would give it a unique look, but I recall this kind of thing causing pretty significant slowdown when I tried it in the past. Anyway I guess this question is pretty hard to answer but if it's completely undoable let me know.

I don't want to post too much in a row without showing some kind of progress so while I sort out the control scheme here's a doodle of a forest level I drew at work.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/2010-07-02.jpg)

It'd probably be better to make a "staging" system that loads the next "map" and appends it x number of pixels before you reach it.  (Assuming you want long, seamless play without breaks)

Ah ok. I made a functional background loading/deleting system, though I haven't tested it to see how well it works yet.

I've decided to change the control scheme so that the horse is constantly moving forward with no input, but pressing the three jump keys simultaneously will cause it to dash forward, and releasing them will make it jump. Making this work seems simple but my solution inexplicably doesn't work (I'm pinpointed which part isn't working, but I can't figure out why the hell it doesn't). In addition to this, the onions can jump and duck independently to avoid dangers.

I'm still using placeholder blocks so no screenshots, they're boring. When I have the mechanics working right and the first level done I'll post a demo but until then this'll probably be my last update so don't assume I'm given up... at least not until the 31st rolls around :P

Edit: Also, I've decided to keep it 3 player, but with the simplified controls it's not too difficult to play alone. I guess that's a reasonable compromise.

OK. I said I wasn't going to post again until I had a demo, but I guess I lied! This is the AMAZING PROGRESS I've made in the 9 days I've been working on this thing.

Beautiful graphics! (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/2010-07-10-1.jpg)
Robust engine! (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/2010-07-10-2.jpg)*
Panoramic backgrounds! (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/2010-07-06.jpg)
And this unfinished animation of a running horse.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/nagauma-run.gif)

I have work to go to and freelancing to do, and in the meantime increpare has finished his game. Fuck this contest!

*In case you can't tell, this is what happens when you miss a jump. My elegant solution doesn't actually work. I can't make heads or tails of my terrible code. No one is even looking at my topic on Yoyogames. I am incapable of anything and hate my life.

In the words of that great philosopher Parappa the Rappa, "You gotta believe!"

Ok, temper tantrum over!
Making good progress!
Replaced the placeholder sprites with the real deal, which necessitated a lot of tweaking and getting everything working properly again, but fortunately I'd designed with this in mind so I didn't have to go too elbow-deep-brain-surgeon on my code. Did I mention I've started writing code more than using drag and drop? And finding it easier? Lemme tell you a story, today I discovered that my three-button jumping mechanic was completely broken. Not slightly buggy, or somewhat unreliable; it didn't work at all (and I'd somehow managed to go over a week without noticing). Basically I'd set up a complex system of checks and variables that allowed the damn horse to jump at any time, using any button. That clever solution had taken me a full day to implement, too. I despaired a little, then jotted down a few notes, deleted several pages of actions, wrote about 10 lines of code and fixed it in half an hour. So really, what I saying is I like to think I'm getting better at this.

My main concern now is that I won't be able to finish in time. I wanted to get the parallax scrolling set up today and record a video but I didn't even manage to start on that, and I feel like I should probably spend tomorrow doing real work. I DO have a hilarious old gameplay video but I feel that it's best paired with a video that's actually... you know... good :P

Anyway sorry if you find this boring and would rather I just posted more content. Here's my finished horse!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/nagauma-run-1.gif)

Edit because I don't want to bump this post: This morning I attempted to sit down and work on a website and brush up on my css. Drawing up designs was like chewing on cardboard. I can't stop thinking about this game and all its little niggling problems and their solutions. It's like a spot of technicolor brightness while all the world around it has faded to grey. Instead of making website mock-ups I implemented an obstacle check for my horse. Thanks for nothing, AGBIC.

Second edit: I wonder if my ground object is actually necessary. Clearly, this way lies madness, but still...

I know plenty of people that'd love that horse's design.

The horse is fantastic and I appreciate its wavy hair.

I love the horse, and the idea behind this game.

I am in awe at your continued adventure, and these updates are more than entertaining enough! Your game has such a fantastic little story behind it already, and it's actually intriguing to get updates. And the game itself sounds fun too! What I'm trying to say, is that you're doing a swell job! Keep it up!

Ok, gameplay video time!

First video (beautiful!!!!!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M8yMfheXtA

Second video:
The graphics are kind of screwy here, reason being I banged them out in an hour as a sort of self-imposed deadline to have a video by the 15th. I'll have to fix them later. The ground tiles don't even exist (I made 'em, but decided I wanted hills instead of flat ground so I had to scrap them).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfy4MiMGIQg

I REALLY should attend to some real-world responsibilities so I probably won't be working on this over the weekend. Sadly this leaves me a week and a half to finish up my engine as well as draw and implement the five levels I have planned (and one of them is a real doozy). I'm seriously considering withdrawing from the comp (but not giving up on the project, mind you) because I hate the idea of releasing something so unfinished. Then again, I feel like my main motivator these past two weeks has been the deadline, even though I don't really have any hope of meeting it. Thoughts?

I laughed out loud when the horse fell into that hole.

I suggest you release a sort of demo or prototype, something playable, for the compo, as a sort of appetizer. Then you can continue working on it later.

Heh, I laughed out loud when the castle attempted to escape the level. I recorded that just before setting off to work so I was like "aw geez maybe I should fix that NO NO FUCK THAT YOU'LL BE LATE FOR WORK".

Do not give up! Your little onion punks are adorable, and I would play your game just to jump the horse over holes.

I think it looks quite entertaining. :handthumbsupR:
I agree that you should release at least a demo for the compo even if it is only one level.   You can do it!

Sounds like it could tons fun. There aren't nearly enough "multiple-players-on-the-same-keyboard" games coming out these days. Art looks like a cross between Wind Waker and Patchwork Heroes. Great stuff.  ;)

Well I always thought eventually the onslaught of technical problems against my inexperienced programmer mind would kill my motivation and bring this project to a halt, but actually these past few days I've been having a little minor personal drama that broke my combo and killed all my motivation. It's like I can't finish something if I'm not thinking about it 24/7 uninterrupted (and seriously, I WAS thinking about this damn game 24/7 for days on end). Sigh. I'll see what I can get done by the 31st.

Just keep going with it. Sometimes you get events that sap some of your energy, but it is possible to return to your original mindset for making the game, and a big part of that is just sitting down and getting to work on it.

What I find that is helpful is to spend time working on something superficial that is pleasant, like a nice title screen. It helps build momentum.

Let me say, I do like sausage horse!  :handmetalL:

I think this game has a feel that is utterly charming.

Shucks, guys :V
I figured I should post an update to show I haven't died or given up. Though... you may be disappointed by how little has changed. I'm pretty jealous of the progress and pace some people have managed because it seems like 95% of my development time is me spinning my wheels.

I finally forced myself to pick this back up today and set about fixin' shit up - not doing anything new, just attempting to fix my many many problems. Spent several hours scratching my head over one particular problem, but now I'm pretty glad to say I learned a new gml function and Mr Longhorse no longer gets stuck on edges of pits. Also set up a new system where everything stands still until a variable is triggered, thus paving the way for a title menu (no title screen here - it'll make sense when you see it).

Graphics are my biggest headache right now, kind of ironic considering I'm supposedly an artist. Why can't I knit beautiful graphics out of code? Why?! I can't seem to work out an appealing colour scheme, tiled graphics are giving me a huge headache and the thought of animating anything makes me shudder. Sigh.

I'll try to get a compo version out by the 31st if we're not getting an extension, otherwise... I may release a demo anyway. Here's the rather ugly image I've been basing my graphics on. I'm torn between staying true to the cart and not being ugly (specifically, the sky should really be much darker... but I haven't been able to pull that off).

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/hills.jpg)

Love it. Reminds me a lot of Katamari Damacy.

Cramming such a long title together in an aesthetically pleasing way was a bit of a challenge.
I realized a while back the word is actually "chindouchuu" but screw that, I'm going with what the cartridge says :P
I also realized I have to work all day tomorrow. Oops! Hope we get that extension, or no compo entry for miconazole.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/title.png)

I sat down and wrote down everything I have left to do. The list is... longer than I thought :S

But hey, at least I have a title screen now.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/title2.png)

It is coming along pretty well, look at all of the people who want you to finish. Keep trying dude.

This game is seriously beautiful and sounding great. Best of luck!

Well, this is as much as I'm going to get done before the deadline! It feels a little... unfinished, probably because I haven't really sorted my colours out and everything blend into everything else a little. But I guess it's too late to worry about that! I hope this lives up to your expectations :V

Now with that said... I spent so much time creating graphics the past couple of days I haven't really tested a whole lot, plus this game is actually pretty damn hard to play alone. So I'm gonna to seek out some friends for some last-minute testing, but in the meantime here's the demo:

-- link removed, look below --

And here's a request for all of you: if you film yourself playing this game with friends, I will draw portraits of all of you as onion-heads. This is a multiplayer game, guys!

Actually disregard that, here's a slightly updated version with some minor bugfixes: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2907197/Tamanegi02.zip

Good job on this game. The graphics were very fun to watch. Unfortunatly I found it quite difficult, but I'll see how it plays when I round up some friends.
Oh, also, if possible, I'd love to see a fullscreen option.

Yeah, I was a little torn on the difficulty. While testing it alone I turned off the collision events for two out of three onion heads and found it fairly easy. When I turned them on I found it impossible to finish (well maybe I could have, I didn't spend that much time trying). When I played with friends it took us 20 minutes to clear the level which seems excessive for such a small demo, though a good part of that was us adjusting to the controls. I might turn down the difficulty in the future, but for now it could be a good thing since it pads the play time a little (lol). In any case it is designed to be very difficult for a single player, so sorry :V

I uploaded a new version that lets you switch between screen modes with F4. Can't be bothered updating the version number, though I did squash a minor graphical bug while I was at it.

i manage to play 1 man but its really cramping having one hand on DHL and the other on SGK, so to mention they're crossed :P

Damn onion dude kept slapping the barrier

Guys, is the difficulty TOO ridiculous? I now find it pretty easy to beat it alone, but I fear I've fallen into the game creator's trap of thinking everything is a piece of cake due to having playtested everything a million times. I'd especially like to hear from anyone who has played this with others.

ya its pretty hard. but im playing by myself.

love the graphics and music/sound effects though.

Oh man this really came together well!
That title screen is like my favorite title screen of all time.

Well done you! This game is absolutely delightful, and makes me feel happy even when I try to play it by myself.

Games looks absolutely stunning, I'll be sure to download it now and give it a go, even if I am on my own at the moment.

And if you're sticking to that offer of drawing people as onion-heads if they upload a video of them with friends playing the game, I'll definitely do that at some point.


I loved this idea, but of course I guess it's impossible now unless you randomly implement this anyway where a random button causes this to happen.

Really like the look.

Could do with more animation, and save points (I've struggled on and only got to the third hurdle!)

Good work, though.

Oh, I've already made good on that promise. If you send me a video I'll definitely draw you :V

And I guess that settles it, I'll tone down the difficulty in future releases. Sorry guys!

i dont think youve fallen into that trap, although maybe its because im used to playing games that do, *cough* NES&SNES 3rd party games *cough* and my own games.

i never really did enjoy games that are just a walk in the park, winning something frustrating makes it oh so much more enjoyable.

First of all, mighty charming graphics you got there. I imagine this game must be great fun with two buddies, but alas I don't have two buddies with me right now. I'll be sure to try and get an opportunity, though my friends don't tend to like this kind of game. :(

I'm not sure you know, but you can jump 'over' the fence, or at least jump at the right time for all onions to avoid it, but it's sometimes impossible so I don't think that's an issue.

Haha, yeah, I noticed that, though I was hoping no one else would. Sadly, one of my friends did... and you... and probably plenty of others too. Whoops. Right now the horse gets an additional speed boost when it begins to jump, and I'm getting rid of that in the future because it's annoying rocketing halfway across the screen every time you jump. Plus it makes clearing pits too easy, when the allowance for that is generous enough already. So hopefully this'll also make it impossible to simply jump the horse over barriers, otherwise I'll have to edit the sprites.

I'm sucker for party games, and even more so if they are wacky and co-op, so I'm sold on this one. Only thing I want is a bit more variety, but I'll let that slide. Are you planning on expanding on this after the compo? I think you should. I did have one oddity/bug though. When I exited the game my desktop resolution switched to 640x480, which is  a bit odd considering the game runs in a window. Good work.

YES! I actually had 5 levels planned for the competition, but, um, everything takes longer than you think it will. My original plan was to switch up the challenges every level, for instance some levels you'd have to jump to avoid pits, others you might have to pay attention to your position on the screen to avoid falling objects, etc. I will make this version someday!

That resolution thing IS really weird :\ I'm not sure I can even do anything about that, since I made it in Game Maker. Does it happen consistently?