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[JasonPickering]

Hey guys, Here is a prototype I built. Its has 3 Levels. I am just wondering if its something I should continue with. Its a little jetpack game, watch out for dangers and keep an eye on your fuel. It refills when you are on the ground.

Instructions:
A = Jetpack
arrow keys = Movement

Download

[JasonPickering]

So this was my first time creating a build with Gamemaker, I wanted to see if anyone had any problems.

[alvarop]

Tracking to play later.
It looks interesting. The build is windows only, right?

[KoeWaffle]

Downloading it now!

Ok:

GFX: I've got a weird glitch going on which looks like Z-fighting to me (multiple sprites on the same layer fighting for their place). The jetpack indicator does some weird stuff when you hold down space for a while, or is it supposed to flicker?

Gameplay: Solid, had a single instance of collisions that visually didn't match, my feet were on normal ground but my back and jetpack were above the goo and it killed me. Not a disaster, just something to look for.

Sprites: Really like the look, but I've got a love for simple graphics. Wouldn't mind a resizing option if possible!

Overall: A fun little game with simple mechanics that work. Was it original? Mwah, not really but I don't think that was your point making this. It was enjoyable for a few minutes and did not crash. Except for the z-fighting I have no real complaints!

Things I would change is a float option if you run out of fuel you can still somewhat "float" instead of dropping like a brick. Though nothing is broken, just balancing.

Are you planning on expanding this game gameplay wise or are you just learning to use GameMaker?

[JasonPickering]

alvarop: I think so. I built it with the base studio of Gamemaker. I think its the only thing I could make.

[Boder]

There's no way to beat that last level is there... ! 

I counted three levels and it was pretty challenging for me at least.

It was cute and dark. I like the style. I didn't like that it was so small, it doesn't work for today's monitors. It was also too dark. I don't think the "spotlight" helps the gameplay and I would take it away so you can see the whole screen. If you want to have it in, just have it to start the level and end the level, but not when you are actually playing... okay?

The levels were about the right length. Starting from the very beginning was tough. I think the jetpack should recharge instantaneously when you hit the ground, because this would just speed up the game and not change the gameplay much. With a few background images, you could prevent the levels from seeming so similar.

If you liked it enough to keep working on it, continue with it. It feels confined though. Maybe you could scale it up so that the levels feel more open, like twice as high for jumping and twice as wide for getting across the slime.

[Quicksand-S]

The jetpack feels pretty good in terms of acceleration, but its fuel is so limited that it doesn't have much more range than a double-jump would in other games.

I find the art style fairly appealing, although I've seen a lot of games that look very similar recently.

I think that rather than recharging instantly as Boder suggested, the ground should be more dangerous. There are so many spots where you can just stand safely and let it recharge. Personally, I think it'd be more enjoyable/exciting if you had a little bit of a struggle to survive while your pack recharged. I'm not saying it should take long, but just that having to do more than just stand and wait would be good.

I hated the extremely limited view distance, and after getting killed an enemy that fired a projectile at me before I even saw him, I stopped playing. On a related note, does that enemy look the same as the ones that don't shoot? Just before I died, it seemed that way. If that's the case, I'd recommend changing that, because deaths to things you had no way of predicting just feel unfair (and dying in one hit with no checkpoints makes it even worse).

This is just a prototype, though, and as a test of the jetpack I think it's pretty good. It's got potential and I'd like to see how it develops.

[JasonPickering]

New update: trying to figure out what type of platformer works best with this. I tried the long levels, so trying something with denser, more trap filled areas. It also means I can force the player to be a bit more careful about where they wait around for their pack to refill. It was having a very 1001 spikes feel especially after I added the blobs that pop up. (They were actualy ripped from my previous game, Relic Rush). let me know what you think.

[alvarop]

I just tried the game for the first time. While I think there is something there, I think the dosage is a bit too strong for my taste, or at least, to enjoy it as it stands now.

The vignette seems to take too much importance in the field of vision of the player. The challenges are thrown at the player and not shown, taught and tested, which kinda threw me off a bit. More than going from challenge to challenge, I kinda brute-forced my way through the little level that you had there.

I think what I'm trying to say by "the dosage is too strong" is that the pace is way too fast at the moment. While I do enjoy very difficult games - 1001 spikes is a good one, I think -, there is something in their design that makes them rewarding. There isn't anything rewarding to the game for the moment.

This is a promising start. I would see myself playing this game, but I wish the mechanics were introduced a bit slower. For instance, show to the player how long he can use the jetpack for. Show him how those enemies that pop-up work. How the acid drop works - higher ceiling in the first instance, for example - etc, etc.

Just to make myself clear : I'm not against you making the game super difficult. I'm all for it! It's just that the player doesn't get a proper introduction to the specifics of how the character and game work before he is challenged on his skills and knowledge of the game.

Just my opinion, though. I'd like to see where you take this.

edit : I just noticed that the jetpack meter goes down as you use it. It's very hard to see at the moment.
edit2: I found a bug (couldn't reproduce it) where the player zipped through a wall and was sent a couple of tiles to the right. It was useful, heh.

[JasonPickering]

Oh yeah I totally agree that showing everything to the player before hand is a better way to go. I guess when I made the level I didn't think of it as level one, but perhaps more like level 5. I was mostly seeing if a dense level like this could work better then the longer ones I had created prior. But having a list of what a player should know will help with later design.

[alvarop]

It does feel dense, it does.