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[Ashkin]

What if as you're digging further and further down you run into certain things that hint at something dangerous down the bottom e.g you run into a little creature person escaping from some underworld who hints at something terrible destroying things down the bottom (the big bad). Then the further you get down the more you see the destruction and valuables left behind. Can help with adding a tense atmosphere by hinting at unseen things. So in some ways you're off to these different planets to collect minerals but also monitor these strange disturbances you've been receiving spreading all over the universe.

Just rambling so no need to listen to me. Was just an idea that crossed my mind  

... I'm going to need bigger maps.
[EDIT]

All of the graphics Subterrane uses. Time to overhaul them all.

[baconman]

I'm just impressed with how quickly, steadily, and rapidly this grew into something pretty stellar already. It's quite inspiring.

[Franklin's Ghost]

Like the spritesheet, something I definitely want to learn to do with Flash. What type of graphics overhaul you thinking?

[Ashkin]

Like the spritesheet, something I definitely want to learn to do with Flash. What type of graphics overhaul you thinking?

This isn't actually a sprite sheet, it's just all of the game's graphics slapped onto one canvas. I'll have to rearrange them into their individual graphic files when I'm done with them.
I plan on redoing the colours, for starters- there are 72 colours there already. I'll also probably tweak other things that have been bothering me for a while and just generally try to improve as much as possible.

I'm just impressed with how quickly, steadily, and rapidly this grew into something pretty stellar already. It's quite inspiring.

Thanks. However, if you look back to the first pages of the devlog, it's kind of depressing how little has changed in teh core gameplay since then.

[baconman]

If you'd compare your current build with your first, maybe you would be surprised at how much has.

[rek]

escaping should be a last-minute thing as your energy runs out and should invoke panic. I want people to be frustrated if they run out of energy before escaping.

As long as the player is aware of his energy level there's no way you can force them to make a mad dash for the surface at the last possible second. The risk/reward relationship here is pretty obvious, but unless there's something the player absolutely has to do at some nigh-unreachable depth, there is little advantage to delving that far when you could return to the surface early and still win the level.

So perhaps instead of gold and more gold, you need something way down deep that the player needs to retrieve – and return to the surface with, burdened by its weight and/or size – that spells the difference between winning and losing the level.

I've never actually thought of how you'll 'win' the game completely- probably when you pay off all your debt.

I thought that was the point, actually. Combined with the above, the McGuffin at the bottom of the mine could be a mother lode or artifact that puts the player in the black for the level. In other words, that thing more than covers the cost of the expedition, and all the gold you picked up along the way is icing on the cake.

[hyperduck]

Love the idea of paying off debts.

[eigenbom]

All of the graphics Subterrane uses. Time to overhaul them all.

Not necessary! Make the game funnerer first plz!

[jotapeh]

is the latest build in the same place as the first post? the controls feel really loose, like drilling has no weight or crunchiness to it, etc.. am I playing a debug build?

i tried to ninja back through the posts but they seem to link to more or less the same build.

[Ashkin]

is the latest build in the same place as the first post? the controls feel really loose, like drilling has no weight or crunchiness to it, etc.. am I playing a debug build?

i tried to ninja back through the posts but they seem to link to more or less the same build.

Yeah, it hasn't been updated and all that tight controls/better drilling etc. was just me theorizing. Hasn't actually been added in yet.

So perhaps instead of gold and more gold, you need something way down deep that the player needs to retrieve – and return to the surface with, burdened by its weight and/or size – that spells the difference between winning and losing the level.

Yeah, I really like this idea. It seems like the only way to make the player stick around is to place an incentive further down. Probably an artifact chosen from a select group of artifacts placed in a pregenerated room. I think this would tie together with the cave levels/biomes idea well.

Love the idea of paying off debts.

Thanks :> At this point, it's still in a very rough stage and I need to make it more 'central' to the game- maybe I'll ptu the debt counter in the bottom right corner of the menus, making it omnipresent.

All of the graphics Subterrane uses. Time to overhaul them all.

Not necessary! Make the game funnerer first plz!

Yeah, I guess you have a point here. Weekend just started, so funnening will begin.

[08--n7.r6-79.84]

OMG! I played your game and i have delighted with it!! Awesome! AWESOME!!!

[Gainsworthy]

So perhaps instead of gold and more gold, you need something way down deep that the player needs to retrieve – and return to the surface with, burdened by its weight and/or size – that spells the difference between winning and losing the level.

Yeah, I really like this idea. It seems like the only way to make the player stick around is to place an incentive further down. Probably an artifact chosen from a select group of artifacts placed in a pregenerated room. I think this would tie together with the cave levels/biomes idea well.

Absoloutely. Folk love surprises, and physical goals. Maybe the artifacts could burden the player with more than just weight, though? Perhaps each could change something fundamental about how the game works? Causing regeneration of soil, or attracting enemies to its location, endlessly pouring out water (does this game do water?). You know, something which forces a shift in play style whilst held - and is simple to implement. Could be fun! The best treasures are always booby trapped - what could be more glorious than a treasure which IS the trap?

Also, gonna second Eigenbom: get your game working before you overhaul the presentation. It worked for Puzzlejuice. Slick art won't make a dull game great - though it will make a solid game shine.


Also, apparently my browser doesn't have the plugin required to play your game? That's a shame, wanted to see where it's at these days. What's this built in?

Keep it up, Ashkin! 

[Ashkin]

Absoloutely. Folk love surprises, and physical goals. Maybe the artifacts could burden the player with more than just weight, though? Perhaps each could change something fundamental about how the game works? Causing regeneration of soil, or attracting enemies to its location, endlessly pouring out water (does this game do water?). You know, something which forces a shift in play style whilst held - and is simple to implement. Could be fun! The best treasures are always booby trapped - what could be more glorious than a treasure which IS the trap?

Also, gonna second Eigenbom: get your game working before you overhaul the presentation. It worked for Puzzlejuice. Slick art won't make a dull game great - though it will make a solid game shine.


Also, apparently my browser doesn't have the plugin required to play your game? That's a shame, wanted to see where it's at these days. What's this built in?

Keep it up, Ashkin! 

Ooooh, I really like the idea of the artifact changing everything. Maybe just do the classic thing where the whole cave system begins to crumble, blocks falling around you as you try to make your way out. I want the player to get OUT after getting the artifact, rather than loitering around. And no, water is not a thing that this game can do. :c
I guess you're right about presentation. Like I usually do with graphics, though, I'll probably work on programming and graphics parallel to each other so that when I get burnt out on one I can switch to the other.
Someone else actually had that plugin problem the other day. I'm not sure what causes it- the whole thing just uses Flixel and I'm sure I haven't added on anything special. Weird.

OMG! I played your game and i have delighted with it!! Awesome! AWESOME!!!

Thank you very much, Winged- your style is inspiring to me.

[Ashkin]

Tweaked flixel's autotiling so it adds a little variety to the tiles. Barely noticeable but whatever.
Other than that, not much has been happening aside from some tweaking here and there. Movement is a lot slower and heavier now.
Changelog for upcoming update:

Code:

-Added tiles that drop from the ceiling.
-Added earthquake handler + naturally occuring earthquakes.
-Added mining laser.
-Added more prefabs.
-Added vines/rocks/brick variations to prefabs to make them visually interesting.
-Added hanging mushrooms.
-Integrated Mochibot for viewcount stuff.

28.2.12
-Gold now breaks into bits that can be collected.
-Re-added smoke to bullets.

29.2.12
-Tweaked map generation (better surface terrain, ability to generate non-square maps)

2.3.12
-Integrated new graphics

3.3.12
-Tweaked movement
-Tweaked cave-ins

4.3.12
-Added dust
-Tweaked autotiling to allow random tile variations

5.3.12
-Finished new tile graphics (with variations)

I'm having a bit of trouble with textboxes, but I should (hopefully) overcome that soon, or maybe just leave it for later while I work on other stuff.

[Gauss Jordan]

This game is so fun to play on a tablet-pc (aiming and digging with the stylus)! :D Had a blast and can't wait for more content and gameplay!

[Ashkin]

The grand chest, for the big artifact at the core of the planet.

[Franklin's Ghost]

Nice chest 

[BlueSweatshirt]

Nice chest 

[ink.inc]

Nice chest  

[BlueSweatshirt]

Nice chest