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[Derek]

Very nice!  I was considerably interested in this game because I'm working on a cave explorey platformer in GM myself and I'm also a fan of the genre in general (Pitfall, Spelunker, Rick Dangerous, La Mulana, etc.).  Something very appealing about the whole thing to me!

I like the overall aesthetic and how vast the cave feels.  If you fixed up the movement and collision code, it'd be perfect.

EDIT: Those bridges are scary!  Are they supposed to keep falling like that?

[moi]

Very nice!  I was considerably interested in this game because I'm working on a cave explorey platformer in GM myself and I'm also a fan of the genre in general (Pitfall, Spelunker, Rick Dangerous, La Mulana, etc.).  Something very appealing about the whole thing to me!

Hey Derek, I'm working on a game exactly like that where you can also dig the ground, and swim in underground lakes and discover hidden treasures.
But my game will probably not be finished before 2015, so brace yourself for 2015.

[Moon Goon]

Ya, the collision sucks.  I really thought I had nipped the getting-stuck-in-walls bug in the butt.  I clipped the top row of pixels from registering a collision for the player and that really helped with getting stuck in tight places.  Didn't help enough though.  My punishment is waiting until judgment is over to even think about fixing my code.  Done is done!  Thinking back, my previous (unreleased) Super Pitfall clone had collision issues because of changing sprites instead of changing images within a single sprite.  Live and learn.. ..and forget and then have to learn again I suppose :p

Not sure which sucky part of movement you were referring to Derek.  There's the hard-to-leap-from-vines movement issue and the acceleration-surprises-you-and-you-run-off-a-cliff movement issue   If you were having weird issues with the keyboard double-check that no joysticks are plugged in.  Super Pitifall runs in joystick-only mode if a joystick/joypad is present.

Indeed, the dropping platforms are supposed to recycle.  I figured it was more fair then having them permanently disappear (leaving you stranded.)  It requires immense skill to time your jumps once they start cycling - maybe too much.  It's a game balance issue not a bug

My ultimate goal is a new platform game where you can move north or south by reaching the middle of the level and press UP or DOWN depending on which direction you wanna head.  So, in effect, you get west (left), east (right) up and down and now north 'n south.  I was even going to include time travel but I have to rethink how I calculate changes.  Super Pitfall in 4D?  It could happen..

My prize in this contest was actually producing a complete game (albeit with collision bugs).  I've already moved on to reviving another obscure game called Battle Master.  No, it's not the horrible, obscure SNES Battle Master - it's the horrible, obscure Sega Genesis game Battle Master.  I'm calling it "Bittie Mister"

http://www.mobygames.com/game/genesis/battle-master

Instead of platform it's top-down.  I'm also deviating from the Orcs/Humans/Elves/Dwarves formula and instead using Predatory Triangles/Wumpus/Toast/Living Piles of Poo motif.  Instead of low-res/low color I'm going crayon and paper.  The whole thing is sufficiently different from Super Pitfall as to give me a nice break from platform action

[Derek]

@moi: Right on!  Is this the game you're developing that awesome-sounding water system for?  In any case, I am eagerly awaiting its arrival in 2015.

My own game is just a little 'un to learn Game Maker with.

@Moon Goon: Yeah, the biggest problem is the collision - pretty much every game I played ended with me getting stuck, either in a wall or on a bridge.  How are you handling it, exactly?  Are you treating the player as a square?

Regarding the movement, yes, the vines and surprise acceleration is problematic.  But mostly I was thinking about moving up and down ladders, which feels wonky (and got me trapped at least once).

Battle Master looks like a wicked game.  I'll have to check it out when I get a chance!

[moi]

Yeah it will have water, expanding lava, boulders, etc...
I'm glad the TIGS compos exist because I can take a break from working on the same game for months

By the way moon goon great game a bit difficult, but among the favorites for me

[Moon Goon]

Thanks Moi!  I'm glad it's enjoyable.  Even the original game is an acquired taste so I appreciate the compliment.

As for yer question, Derek.. collision is a multi-level mystery in Game maker.

Step #1 is to not use hspeed and vspeed.  The built in physics will ALWAYS lead to player-stuck-in-walls syndrome.  When the player demands movement I check the next position for objects that would prevent that move.  Actually, I do that for every pixels worth of movement so moving four pixels would require:

Is x + 1 free of walls?  If so x is now x + 1
Is x + 1 free of walls?  If so x is now x + 1
Is x + 1 free of walls?  If so x is now x + 1
Is x + 1 free of walls?  If so x is now x + 1

To clarify I don't trust the "solid" that comes with Game Maker.  I have a base solid object that every brick is a child of.  I check for contact with that base solid object in all my collision checks.  Likewise spaces without gravity such as ladders and water have their own parent object called no_gravity.

I do not use precise collision checking for the player.  Don't wanna get him stuck in weird positions.  However, it's usually a good idea to make the collision bounds at least one pixel lower than the top of the sprite.  I've had some tight spots or tricky jumps not work unless I cut that top layer of pixels out of collision checking.  Looking back, I could have also clipped the very left and very right column of pixels and that *might* have solved the stuck while on ladder issue.. hmmn..  oh well :p

One mistake I made was using fractional x and y (i.e. x = 234.5) values to tweak the players speed.  I think that kinda led to even more tedious collision bug fixing sessions.  I duct-taped the problem by converting the x/y values back to an integer somewhere in the players step code and in the collision code.

The problem that wasn't ever fixed was that I trusted Game maker to retain proper collision checking when it switched sprites for an object.  When the player makes contact with the ladder his object does a sprite_index = player_ladder_up or sprite_index = player_ladder_down change.  In that brief space of time it loses collision checking *just* long enough to lodge the player firmly in the wall.  Nice.

To those who have never had that problem I envy you and fully believe that I am a uniquely cursed individual.  My advice still stands:  Don't take a chance!  Handle sprite animation yourself and JUST USE ONE SPRITE with many sub-images.  Changing an objects image_index has never caused this bug.

If yer still getting your feet wet with Game Maker I'd suggest ignoring most of my wacky advice with collisions (for now) and just use this piece of code that's been floating around the Game Maker forums for your own collision checks:

if (vspeed > 0 && place_meeting(x,y+vspeed, SOLID)) then
    {
    move_contact(270);
    }
vspeed = 0

[Synnah]

My prize in this contest was actually producing a complete game (albeit with collision bugs).  I've already moved on to reviving another obscure game called Battle Master.  No, it's not the horrible, obscure SNES Battle Master - it's the horrible, obscure Sega Genesis game Battle Master.  I'm calling it "Bittie Mister"

http://www.mobygames.com/game/genesis/battle-master

Instead of platform it's top-down.  I'm also deviating from the Orcs/Humans/Elves/Dwarves formula and instead using Predatory Triangles/Wumpus/Toast/Living Piles of Poo motif.  Instead of low-res/low color I'm going crayon and paper.  The whole thing is sufficiently different from Super Pitfall as to give me a nice break from platform action

I used to have Battle Master for the Atari ST! I'd completely forgotten about it until you posted that link. In my memory, it was kind of a precursor to Diablo, but I'm sure it was nothing like that at all. I'd be totally interested in your game, though!

[Moon Goon]

Will let you know how it goes Synnah.  This weekend I start sketches for the sprites.  I've been doing "research" by trying to win Battle Master.  Even with cheats the game is tough as nails!  I don't really like the inventory management in that you have to cycle through all yer items instead of just direction-pad navigate through them.  I've also been studying up on how to draw Chibi for this new game.  Hopefully I can extract the good parts of Battle Master while toning down the bad.  If anyone has any feedback on what was good about Battle Master let me in on it