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TIGSource ForumsCommunityDevLogsBlink the Bulb (pseudorandom, faux 16-bit platformer)
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Author Topic: Blink the Bulb (pseudorandom, faux 16-bit platformer)  (Read 9990 times)
Tyro
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« Reply #40 on: July 29, 2015, 09:13:30 PM »

I'm back!

Sorry that the quasi-regular updates stopped for a while. I'm going to make more of an effort to keep this devlog updated henceforth. Despite the lack of posts, I've been working on the game and making some pretty significant progress.

All of bosses have long been done at this point, and I've been adding some much needed polish to other areas of the game over the past few months. Sprucing up the in-game graphics, menus, and GUI, adding particle effects, and fleshing out the day/night system have been my priorities lately.

Without further ado, here's some images of the Holidaemon in action:





Up next on my "to do" list is to give each of them an attack specific to the time of day they're fought.

Last but not least, I should have a substantially updated demo of the game to show off soon - one that will let you experience all of the main worlds. Stay tuned!
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« Reply #41 on: July 30, 2015, 04:03:16 AM »

The colours and cuteness remind me of Super James Pond (game boy). I like it ^^
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Tyro
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« Reply #42 on: August 02, 2015, 03:08:51 PM »

The colours and cuteness remind me of Super James Pond (game boy). I like it ^^

Thank you! ^^ I'm using a palette reminiscent of the Sega Genesis/Megadrive, so everything is sure to be crisp and colorful.

Here's a preview of two of the other Holidaemons in action. I'm still refining the sprite for the Fright Land one, but I'll be showing him off soon enough once I can demonstrate the bosses' daytime-specific attacks.



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Tyro
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« Reply #43 on: August 06, 2015, 04:14:18 PM »

I've been working out some bugs with the collectible head powerups lately, as well as giving them flashy particle effects.

For example, the lamppost head - found during the daytime in Winter Land - can be activated to temporarily shield you from fire and light damage projectiles.



During the night, chests will contain the star head powerup. It allows you to quickly dash left or right and damage any enemies in the way. You'll gain a little jump height while dashing, but briefly lose the ability to maneuver. best not to spam it, unless you like falling down a lot.




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Tyro
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« Reply #44 on: August 17, 2015, 09:15:19 PM »

The past few weeks have been spent redrawing the game's more dated graphics in anticipation of the new demo. I've also started incrementally improving some of the old music tracks.

Here's an updated version of Winter Land's daytime theme to listen to. I think it sounds a lot less cluttered than previous iterations and has a more discernible melody.

https://soundcloud.com/blastprocessing-1/winter-land-day-updated
« Last Edit: August 18, 2015, 11:13:27 PM by Tyro » Logged

Tyro
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« Reply #45 on: August 18, 2015, 11:22:21 PM »

And after a lot of tweaking, here be the nighttime version of the previously posted tune.

https://soundcloud.com/blastprocessing-1/winter-land-night-updated
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Tyro
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« Reply #46 on: August 27, 2015, 11:40:17 PM »

Lately I've been trying to get some more minibosses operational. I've returned to my original goal of having one specific to the time of day per stage, rather than make that specific to 3 of the 5 main areas in the game. I just didn't feel good about cutting content like that, and wanted to make sure exploring each area was a unique experience.

Seeing as how I'm "re-addining" content I was originally going to scrap for a summer release, I've bumped back the game's full release to the end of this year.

So I showed some screenshots of the Love Land's miniboss in the past - a towering, demon-possessed rose. Here's a preview of the same stage's nighttime battle variant:


That mirror sure is edgy

Once I get the minibosses done (there's two more I'd like to add after this one), I'll start giving the main stage bosses some day/nighttime specific attacks as well. I really wanted this system to touch on every aspect of the game.

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Tyro
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« Reply #47 on: August 31, 2015, 06:54:24 PM »

Without further ado, here is a massive demo showcasing a good portion of the game:


Blink the Bulb Demo (As of 8/31/2015)
- Please ask if you'd like a link to a Mac/Linux build

Default Keyboard Controls: (these can be changed from the main menu)

arrow keys - navigate main menu and and screens (up/down/left/right), move, enter pipes (down), enter doors (up), open chests (up)
z - jump/double jump, confirm menu or screen option
x - fire charge (hold to increase the range/damage of your attack)
c - use special attack
f - delete item/passive (when selected in item/passive inventory)
enter - access item/passive inventory
l - unique to this demo: give Blink 99 health/max health and 1000 sparks (for playtesting purposes)

What it currently contains:

  • 5 playable levels spanning 5 worlds, each with a day/night variation that affects enemy behavior, items that can be found in chests, level gimmicks, etc.
  • 20 collectible passive items and 10 special ability-granting heads (a lot of these are still being tweaked, both visually and functionally - they may differ in the finished game. When finalized, heads will also give you a unique double jump.
  • 8 minibosses to fight (2 per time period in Winter, Love, and Egg Land. Fright/Terra Land's time-specific minibosses are still works in progress, and the visuals/mechanics for some of them are likely to change.)

The musical tracks I'd previously made for Terra, Fright, and Egg land have been temporarily removed from the game to be worked on - so if you don't hear anything but sound effects in those stages, that's perfectly normal.

If you encounter any glitches while playing or have any questions/concerns about the demo, please feel free to speak your mind. Hopefully you find it a fun preview of the final product. Thanks!
« Last Edit: August 31, 2015, 07:02:39 PM by Tyro » Logged

Quicksand-T
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« Reply #48 on: August 31, 2015, 07:16:40 PM »

The old version worked fine but for some reason I can't get past the main menu with this one. I can't select any of the options and if I go down to far the game exits (just by hitting the down key, not selecting Exit).
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Moth
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« Reply #49 on: August 31, 2015, 07:56:45 PM »

I really like how this game looks but I do feel that the Love Land boss's visual design could potentially be problematic. It reminds me of the camp gay/designated "weird transvestite" (colloquially known as "queer coding") qualities used to paint, for example, the flamboyant villain HIM from the Powerpuff Girls as "creepy". I'm sure there must be a less potentially offensive and more clever way to put an unsettling spin on the concept of a love related villain that you could come up with! Grin

That said, I do like his design, but it's a double edged sword as if he is the only example of queerness in your game and he is completely evil or intended to be particularly unsettling through his queerness it ends up feeling a bit homophobic. However if it turns out that he is not totally evil and is a likable or positive character at some later point in the story, the situation would be different.

Dig the Genesis/Mega Drive vibes you got going on the usage of FM synth!!
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Tyro
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« Reply #50 on: August 31, 2015, 08:57:29 PM »

Thanks for the responses, guys!

Quicksand-T:


Check your inbox when you can, I sent some info on some possible fixes. If more users have the issue you described, I can re-upload the demo without the menu screen until I'm sure what's causing it. I tested this demo on my and a friend's computer before posting it and neither of us experienced that glitch.

Moth:

Glad you liked the FM Synth! I wanted the game to have a very genesis-y vibe. Smiley

About your concerns with Love Land's Holidaemon, I was genuinely surprised to see someone think this. None of the characters in this game have a biological sex or sexual preference - they are merely sentient amalgamations of humanity's feelings about the holidays.

Each of the Holidaemon embodies people's negative, dark emotions, and Love Land's is no exception. Its defining trait is vanity, as emphasized by the bright, royal colors of its costume. Its mask-like face is bleached white and pristine, except for an ironic beauty mark signifying narcissistic people's inability to attain true perfection.

I hope that clarifies things. Thanks again!
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Tyro
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« Reply #51 on: September 14, 2015, 03:31:31 PM »

I'm working on getting a new demo up that will make the main menu much more user friendly. Right now it's pretty bare bones, but I wanted to have it there so that people could customize controls if so desired.

While that's going on, I've also been constructing the final stage: Soiree Land. Unlike the levels prior to it, this one has a sort of gimmick to it. Getting to the final boss requires hitting a dice and progressing through a number of miniature challenges. Here's a preview of how it'll work:



You'll need to roll 10 or higher to get to the final boss, and the areas you visit on the way will differ depending on your roll. Here's hoping this adds a bit more replay value to the game.

« Last Edit: September 14, 2015, 04:18:54 PM by Tyro » Logged

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« Reply #52 on: September 20, 2015, 06:13:10 AM »

Working hard to get those mini-stages done for Soirée Land. Take a look:





I also got the level's backgrounds drawn. They might be tweaked a bit before release, but I'm pretty happy with their look for now.
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Tyro
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« Reply #53 on: September 22, 2015, 06:59:11 PM »

Ah, so ignore everything I said about being happy with the previously displayed background. I felt it was a bit off, so I reworked it while looking at Streets of Rage's title screen for reference.



I miss the former sky's pretty pink horizon, but it didn't give off the impression that this stage was perpetually night. Overall, this looks a lot better to me.

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Tyro
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« Reply #54 on: October 14, 2015, 09:35:08 PM »

Heya! Back from a hiatus of working on Blink. Starting up again this week, and plan on continuing to the year's end - when the game should finally be done.

Today I started drawing the boss for the final world: Soiree Land. It's a strange, demented mixture of everyone's thoughts about the day's festivities.

Here's a picture of it so far.

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Tyro
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« Reply #55 on: December 13, 2015, 08:49:43 PM »

So I'm been quite busy getting a lot of content into the game. It's practically done at this point, but I'd like to spend the rest of the month improving the visuals and adding some additional features for replayability. Right now, I'm focusing on adding several time-specific attacks for the main stage bosses.

Since it's been a while, here's some assorted screenshots of various things, including: new mini-bosses, cool head powers, and various other stuffs. Neat!



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Tyro
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« Reply #56 on: February 19, 2016, 07:24:12 PM »

So since late January, this game has been more or less complete! I've currently submitted it to Steam Greenlight, here's a link for anyone interested. I'd really appreciate any comments, criticism, or support you could give!

Blink the Bulb on Steam Greenlight

Also, anyone who wants a copy of the game to test or just play/have fun with can message me or post here. I guess at this point I'm just looking for a good way to share it with others.
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Tyro
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« Reply #57 on: February 27, 2016, 07:40:17 PM »

I went ahead and added a link to the game's current demo to the front page. Anyone who still wants to try out the full version can still message me.

Thanks a lot to everyone who offered criticism, tested the game, and made suggestions. Have a nice weekend!
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