Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length

 
Advanced search

1411283 Posts in 69325 Topics- by 58380 Members - Latest Member: bob1029

March 29, 2024, 03:10:24 AM

Need hosting? Check out Digital Ocean
(more details in this thread)
TIGSource ForumsCommunityJams & EventsCompetitionsOld CompetitionsVGNGTAOD EPISODE 1: Emo Harvest on The Oregon Trail [Done! OSX + Win]
Pages: [1] 2
Print
Author Topic: TAOD EPISODE 1: Emo Harvest on The Oregon Trail [Done! OSX + Win]  (Read 41666 times)
superflat
Level 10
*****



View Profile WWW
« on: March 24, 2008, 05:14:57 PM »








THE STORY:
=======

  You play Death on one of his days off, who's been called in to do a bit of soul-harvesting while skiing down the Rocky mountains. 

  A whole bunch of emos have collected on the side of the mountain for a mass-suicide. 

  You must harvest them while getting some good ski-time in!

  You will find several alternative routes down the mountain (many secret ones) and must find the balance between getting to the bottom in time, and dismembering as many emos as you can. 

  You'll receive bonuses for stylish cuts (for example the 'Blood Zit' which must be performed at almost top speed).  Don't forget to look out for the special emos (you'll just have to play to find out).  Try to get your scythe going in a rhythm to score combo points.

THE CONTROLS:
==========

  [RIGHT ARROW] - accelerate
  [DOWN ARROW] - duck (for low friction - gain speed while going down steeper slopes)
  [Z] - jump
  [X] - scythe

=====================================

OSX VERSION:

www.spacerecordings.co.uk/EHOTOT.zip

Windows VERSION:

www.spacerecordings.co.uk/EHOTOTpc.zip

 
================

Please don't judge the earlier version if you actually played it!
« Last Edit: March 25, 2008, 09:36:19 PM by superflat » Logged

ChevyRay
Guest
« Reply #1 on: March 24, 2008, 05:18:39 PM »

The emo joke got old ages ago, but skiing as death sounds like lots of fun. :D

FINISH!
Logged
superflat
Level 10
*****



View Profile WWW
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2008, 12:38:28 AM »

Noticed you couldn't quit in the OSX version so I've fixed that, also that re-starting was broken...  Sorry if I froze your machine!

[edit:  just leaves me to re-do the map, but I think I'm gonna call it a day for today!]

[edit2: please post up your scores... oh and see if you can find the secret emo horde!]
« Last Edit: March 25, 2008, 12:42:32 AM by superflat » Logged

superflat
Level 10
*****



View Profile WWW
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2008, 05:09:25 AM »

Ok so I've uploaded a new version with lots of bug-fixes, a nice new clean map and all-round betterness!  Please forget the first one if you downloaded it and give it another try...  It almost killed me!
Logged

Lukas
Level 3
***



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2008, 05:58:31 AM »

The gameplay isn't very deep, of course, but hell... it's so much fun. xD

Chris Crocker rocker! Epic win.

BaronCid
Logged

I make (60s/70s) rock music. Listen to my band's new album here: www.speicher.bandcamp.com
superflat
Level 10
*****



View Profile WWW
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2008, 06:06:37 AM »

Thanks so much for your kind comment. 

I've been mulling over how to make it deeper - perhaps it needs more of an element of danger, spikes + pits like YMM or maybe emo's having some kind of attack. I dunno though.  It might just need a load more detail in the map [edit: in the sense of having more secret emos and pathways, maybe even things like lifts, switches that turn on wind etc...]

One thing to try for a real challenge is to find and hit the red, green and blue switches (really hard, believe me, I've only managed it once - this leads to a secret path loaded with Crockers for a big-arsed score!  Kind of an example of the kind of thing I'd like to put more into if I did finish it.  I was a bit-over ambitious with a 1.5 million tile map!

I've managed around 550,000 that way on the new build - would love to know what people are getting!
« Last Edit: March 25, 2008, 06:59:04 AM by superflat » Logged

superflat
Level 10
*****



View Profile WWW
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2008, 04:49:52 PM »

Hi there... Just wondered if anyone had a chance to check it out on older systems.  Have a bad feeling it won't do that great, but if you have d/loaded and have a minute could you let me know if it was jerky and if so, what spec.  I'm trying to figure out the bottleneck.

Thanks!
Logged

deadeye
First Manbaby Home
Level 10
*



View Profile
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2008, 05:40:32 PM »

Awesome.  Good sprite art, good gore.  I like how the level layout is a little open-ended.  Well, as open ended as it could be for a skiing game.  Being able to zoom along the level and choose a different path kinda reminds me of Sonic.  I also like that the level is friggin HUGE.

Couple of crits, and they mainly have to do with speed.  Sometimes Death just doesn't have enough oomph to get to the top of even a small slope.  Which means I have to slide backwards down the slope, and hope that I pick up enough speed on the next try.  You should always be able to produce some kind of forward momentum, even if he's just trudging up the slope at a snail's pace because you weren't fast enough on your approach to make the jump.  On my first game I thought I was actually stuck for good and I reset it.

Second, Death loses speed when he hits the ground even if he lands at a really shallow angle.  If I'm zooming really fast through the air when I hit a steep slope going downward most of my momentum should be conserved.  But it seems like no matter what when I hit the ground my speed is cut in about half, or more.

And finally, the speed of the final score tally is so slow.  You should show it line by line instead of counting up number by number for each line. Like *blink* here's one part of your score *blink* here's another, all the way down the list.  *blinkblinkblink* there's your score Smiley

Overall it was pretty damn good, though.  With some tweaks it could be killer.  I'd like to see you develop it further... maybe air tricks?  Maybe some kind of air tilt control that will let you catch better speed on landing if you get the angle right, but will make you biff it if you land funny?

Edit:  Oh, and I have an old ass computer and the game ran fine for me.  It lagged pretty hardcore on loading, but the gameplay itself was good and speedy.
Logged

tweet tweet @j_younger
superflat
Level 10
*****



View Profile WWW
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2008, 06:35:48 PM »

 Grin Mr. Deadeye you've made my day.  Thankyou so much for your useful and kind review!

I totally agree with you about every point - especially the speed ones.  I should put in a min forward speed as long as you are pressing right.  Also, as it stands, when you land, it only takes into account your x velocity (my physics is totally fake - when you're landed you move in one dimension only, hence it discarding the v velocity on landing).  I really like the idea of turning mid-air to get the optimum conservation of momentum, and it's something I did consider, but just didn't get round to.  Would be great if you could bail this way for a time penalty too.

As for the score page, I think you should just be able to hold fire to skip through it quicker, but again, agreed!  Did it at 4 in the morning after a 17hour session and so that's how that happened.

Air tricks is the one thing I really wish I had time for - you could even use them to reach new places.  In fact it could bring in a whole new element ala Tony Hawk (the whole experience reminds me of grinding in that game actually).  Could also introduce bailing here.

Food for thought definitely, and I might keep developing a non-competition version for my own pleasure, cos believe it or not I actually quite enjoy playing it even after 2weeks solid haha!
Logged

superflat
Level 10
*****



View Profile WWW
« Reply #9 on: March 26, 2008, 02:34:48 AM »

Just wondering if anyone else had any tech issues that I could deal with before the official post-compo thread goes up.  If it's running slow or whatever (it's locked to 60hz, no proper timing code, so if your machine isn't up to it it'll choke SNES style.)

Obviously at this stage I don't wanna alter the gameplay itself, just wanna make sure it's optimised enough for most people to play.

And any glaring bugs if you find them (occasionally I've noticed you can fall so fast you miss a platform - a simple fix which I don't think I really need to bother with unless I do another build anyway.)

Thanks!
Logged

PHeMoX
Level 2
**


"All bugs are belong to us."


View Profile WWW
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2008, 08:46:36 AM »

Nice game! My score probably isn't much, but I did find Chris Crocker hahahaha, nice.


Logged

"Fun is rule."
superflat
Level 10
*****



View Profile WWW
« Reply #11 on: March 26, 2008, 07:17:54 PM »

Ah great...  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  No-one's found the super-secret-run yet though I think!
Logged

fullspectrum
Level 1
*


Rogue Harvester


View Profile
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2008, 04:00:43 AM »

I'm loving this.

Man, the music on this game is ill - your work I presume?

 I'll post my score when I can get a session in sfter work. It just aint the same when I can't hear the emo limb displacement.

I  have to agree with a point mentioned above, as my one criticism - the ability to gain a small speed boost would be great.

Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than listening to quailty elecronic music whilst 'harvesting' emos. I found that out back on the Himalayas, listening to speed-gabba while I rolled down the mountain on my sit-on lawn mower, as was the fashion at the time. Yip, the emos were out again that night..

Sequel's title suggestion: Ski-mo Harvest.
Logged
superflat
Level 10
*****



View Profile WWW
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2008, 08:53:17 PM »

Thanks fullspectrum.  I'm glad you enjoyed it. 

Yeah the music's my own work.  I'm actually a producer by trade. The intro track I did with another drum'n'bass producer called Makoto from here in Tokyo (it's called 'Death Note' - so I thought it was fitting!)  As for the main piece, it's a little side-project I've been working on called Mystery Machine (kind of odd singing on my own game haha). 

Anyway, I agree with the speed problems, it's definitely something I would tweak given more time.

As for the sequel - who knows?  I think the game was a fun experiment, but there's definitely something lacking in the final result.  I consider it a prototype that didn't quite work frankly.  I am kind of proud of the  feeling of speed and the gooey-ness of the gibs though.  Tongue

I've already thought of another game I'm gonna use the engine for, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.
Logged

ProgZmax
Level 0
**


I'm gonna get that kid!


View Profile
« Reply #14 on: March 27, 2008, 10:20:29 PM »

I really had fun with this game, though I could only figure out how to do the two basic moves reliably.  Oddly enough, by the score I had done the other moves several times but had no idea how!  Also, that could be the longest scoreboard I've ever seen.  Nice work!
Logged
superflat
Level 10
*****



View Profile WWW
« Reply #15 on: March 27, 2008, 11:04:13 PM »

Hi ProgZmax...

The system works like this:  if you're roughly on the same level as the emo, you'll do either of the most basic moves (no-arm or forced-diet).  If you're above the emo, you'll decapitate (quite often when going down hill, or definitely if you jump), and if you're below the emo you'll take off their legs with 'meaty stumps'.  Blood zit comes about if you're going at full speed (in retrospect it's perhaps a bit easy to do).   Chris Crocker Rocker is when you find said emo.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. What was your final score?
« Last Edit: March 27, 2008, 11:07:34 PM by superflat » Logged

fullspectrum
Level 1
*


Rogue Harvester


View Profile
« Reply #16 on: March 29, 2008, 02:47:08 AM »

superflat: what's be the new game of this engine of which you speak?
Logged
Boder
Level 0
***

Player One


View Profile
« Reply #17 on: March 29, 2008, 08:25:58 PM »

pretty fun, some nice drops, some strange slowdowns
Logged
Chris Whitman
Sepia Toned
Level 10
*****


A master of karate and friendship for everyone.


View Profile
« Reply #18 on: March 31, 2008, 10:17:28 AM »

I had some trouble with this one because I'm an old man and my eyes aren't what they used to be. That is to say, I felt I kept missing a lot of switches and things because of the speed at which I was travelling. It would have been nice if the view had zoomed out a bit once you got up to speed.

Other than that, though, cute graphics and some pretty tight gameplay. I enjoyed a lot of the little idle animations and such, and cutting down rows of emo kids was eerily satisfying.

Does that mean I should submit myself for psychiatric evaluation?
Logged

Formerly "I Like Cake."
superflat
Level 10
*****



View Profile WWW
« Reply #19 on: March 31, 2008, 05:42:17 PM »

Thanks I Like Cake!

I think you're right about the zooming (and actually it's built into the engine so it would have been an easy fix).  As far as switches go, I was trying something by having one large level that you definitely have to learn to get the highest scores - I'll post a speedrun at some stage to show the best route.  I guess it suffers from the same problems as Sonic in this respect. 

All in all it was an interesting failed experiment for me, but I'm glad you got something out of it, 'cos I worked on it solidly for about two weeks.  Anyway, onto hopefully better things! 
Logged

Pages: [1] 2
Print
Jump to:  

Theme orange-lt created by panic