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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperPlaytestingFirewall Demo (A tablet/stylus-oriented game)
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AdamAtomic
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« on: September 10, 2007, 08:18:31 PM »

Ok!  So here we go.  A couple years ago I had an idea for what I thought might be a fun like Popcap-type game, sort of Pictionary meets Space Invaders or something?  But I never really got around to building the prototype like I wanted, and then the Nintendo DS came out...and suddenly I thought maybe this game might have a home now.  So, much much later, I started coding the prototype, and I think I've gotten it to the point where its somewhat testable!


So, yeah!  Basically you draw copies of the "viruses" that come down those lines, and you hit the upload button to shoot them up and take them out.  You can also reprogram viruses to do your bidding, depending on the missions etc.

The Nintendo DS window dressing is there because I am planning on pitching this game in Q1 08 in the hopes of getting publisher backing to become a real DS developer.  If anyone here has insight about this process, I am VERY interested to hear it!

A few notes for anyone who tests this out:

1 - Thank you!  This is a weird game, and I'm having a heck of a time getting the difficulty curve where I want it.  So, thanks Smiley

2 - As this is being designed for stylus-oriented play, trying to interact with it using a mouse or a touchpad or a keyboard nubby is very, very hard.  Basically imagine playing Trauma Center with a touchpad.  I do not recommend it!

3 - This is a functional but WIP prototype with NO fancy animation, NO real artwork, and NO special effects.  Basically I want to make sure the game is fun and addictive BEFORE there are explosions, screenshakes, sound effects, and nice bright colors.  I figure if I can get it to that state then I've got a winner on my hands (or I hope so anyways)

5 - The first screen of the game has all the missions on it.  The 2 missions marked "BUGGY" are just that; buggy.  Or more appropriately, simply incomplete.  I have a few more features to bang out over the next week or so while I continue tweaking the difficulty etc.

6 - Do you feel like the missions are boring/too easy?  Unfair and too hard?  I really want to get that part of it right!  However, any other thoughts or questions you have I'd be happy to hear/answer/etc.

7 - No, this is not the "complete" game.  The final demo will feature a simple overworld-type area where you can walk around and talk to folks and get missions, buy upgrades for your terminal, etc.  There may be more missions in the demo but there will be at least these 6.

8 - If anyone is actually interested, the game's story is a kind of shonen-jumpy type hacker story.  You play as a female high school student who is a preternatural hacking phenom.  Scouted by a counter-espionage government agency called the ESD, you begin your career as a professional hacker for the good guys.  But all is not as it seems...

Ok, that is all I can think of right now.  Oh!  Except for the link to the game Smiley

http://games.lastchancemedia.com/firewall/
Anyways, thanks again!


SPECIAL THANKS

Definitely could not have made this thing all by myself!  Special thanks to BMcC for the sound effects, Danny Baranowsky for the music, Toastie for feedback & testing, and everyone who posted here (and on Pix) for the same!
« Last Edit: October 17, 2007, 01:21:04 PM by AdamAtomic » Logged

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« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2007, 09:27:52 PM »

the third test is to bloody hard. if one monitor is blocked by a virus you are done. the 'mutation rate' is just to fast.

And those more complexe patterns? how am I supposed to do those in time? 3 lines at that tempo are too much.
« Last Edit: September 10, 2007, 09:34:16 PM by Tinarg » Logged
AdamAtomic
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« Reply #2 on: September 10, 2007, 09:33:34 PM »

Thanks, noted!  Had a similar response from other players as well, will address in the next update!
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« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2007, 01:31:40 AM »

perhaps you could have some network functions, like a temporary block which goes for all lines but you can only do it a certain amount of times.

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« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2007, 09:55:58 AM »

Hello there!
Nice little concept you got there!

Here's a bit of feedback...

I started off with the basic training. Very simple but the Upload button is not really well placed in my opinion... It looks like the title of the screen rather than a button that can be pressed. also, the reset button isn't clear enough. It's just some sort of white rectangle. I suggest that you place your buttons in a different fashion, maybe one on each side... Here's something I cooked very quickly, just toyed around with the disposition so that the time is placed in an obvious way and that the score, while not as important as time, is still part of the screen. Also, I placed the two buttons, reset and upload, on each side so that there are no confusions between them. I also added an icon to the button. I centered the game area to make everything look symethrical.

Also, I added 8 different save slots. I feel like you could have the following system: Once you upload a program, the grid resets. To save, all you have to do is tap the desired empty icon. To load, drag and drop the icon on the grid. Well of course, this is a bit more difficult to implement but it's not impossible...

Do whatever you feel like with this screen...

I felt the training was too long and didn't prepare me well enough for the actual test. I almost feel as the training could be the first levels.

Now, gameplay wise, there's nothing much to say except that it's fun but too hard right now. You'll have to really make sure we know how to clearly reproduce the falling icons at the top.

It's a nice puzzle, but right now I feel like it lacks player motivation. What are the elements you have to keep the player coming back? Do you have some level settings that will allow the player to start at the level he desires to? How will the score behave if you start off at a very high level? If I'm an expert player, how can I score more points than a noob besides the fact that I can last longer than him? Combos? Special drawings? Will there be some powerups to slow down the rate of viruses? All in all, just try to give the player motivation by telling how long the game could be and stuff to discover along the way, as well as ways to enhance the gameplay to take it to the next level... The mission based map is a good idea, as well as upgrades so I think you've got something planned for around the game... You just have to think of something while playing the puzzles.

Will add some color to the game? It could be interesting to add this to the gameplay. Any level editor in mind?

As you mentionned... I felt the control a bit too precise but it's hard to say unless it's on the actual DS since mouse and stylus don't have the same feel. Right now, I made several mistakes due to miss-clicks but it's not be representative of a DS behavior...

Keep us noticed of development! It looks very promising!
Guert
   
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Kornel Kisielewicz
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« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2007, 01:59:20 PM »

Hah, the game is fun, but waaay to hard with the mouse. It became a lot easier when I plugged my Wacom for it though.
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« Reply #6 on: September 12, 2007, 02:09:44 PM »

what an interesting concept.
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« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2007, 09:16:39 PM »

This game is absolutely amazing!! I loved it.
It's tough but doable, so I have no complaints!
It's a very very good DS game with a true Nintendo feel!!
I'm impressed! And the actual site, and overall presentaion is fantastic.

This needs to be on ds!
Great game!

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AdamAtomic
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« Reply #8 on: September 13, 2007, 06:04:23 AM »

Thanks again for all the feedback you guys!  you especially Guert, thorough and interesting as always Smiley  There will be lots of color later, all of the artwork is VERY temporary right now.  As far as the button layout and functionality, did you feel that it was confusing because the graphics are incomplete, or was the layout just too confusing?  I really like how it looks with the programming pad centered on the screen, and I could probably shrink the save bays by enabling drag-n-drop...hmmmmmmm...

I will be overhauling things this weekend, definitely for the better now that I have all this info to guide me!
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« Reply #9 on: September 13, 2007, 07:53:55 AM »

Confusing because of the layout. I didn't mind the game's look. It reminded me of an old GB game. Very retro! Wink

As for the color, I was wondering rather if they are going to be of some use in the puzzle. If so, how will I be able to switch from one color to another?

Keep it up!
Guert
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AdamAtomic
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« Reply #10 on: September 13, 2007, 08:01:44 AM »

ah!  ok.  there won't be color pixels, as far as i'm planning; just black and white.  But then, that's what prototypes are for!  Thanks again, overhaul coming soon...

UPDATE [9/23/07]: I think I have mapped out the path to the next update.  Going to be a lot of little changes, hopefully they add up to a big difference!

> Adding sound & animation to the programming pad
> 1 upload button PER LINE, instead of one overall
> Allow launching of bad viruses (will up difficulty of virus it hits)
> Decrease overall difficulty dramatically
> Reduce amount of text
> Add more simple missions to front end of mission selection
> Add grid edge to approaching viruses to increase visibility
> introduce the inverted antiviruses as a way to pause a line FIRST
> reorganize the HUD

Thanks again for all the feedback...I will make this game fun yet!!
« Last Edit: September 23, 2007, 11:56:35 PM by AdamAtomic » Logged

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« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2007, 06:23:31 PM »

ok, new version is up!  I didn't get to everything in that list yet, but here's the main new features:

> Added sound & animation to the programming pad
> 1 upload button PER LINE, instead of one overall
> Decrease overall difficulty dramatically
> Reduced amount of text per mission
> Added more simple missions to front end of mission selection
> Added grid edge to approaching viruses to increase visibility
> introduced the inverted antiviruses as a way to pause a line FIRST
> reorganized the HUD
> added new mission information area to HUD

Please try it out and let me know what you think!  Thanks!
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« Reply #12 on: October 03, 2007, 12:31:37 PM »

I'll check this out pretty soon!
Later!
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« Reply #13 on: October 05, 2007, 04:52:34 PM »

Hey there!
Not bad! Gettin' quite better!

I like the new reset buttons, very handy. I know it's an known issue but you really gotta find a way to make the viruses clearer so we can see what they are.

It would also be a good idea to make the upload button highlight or flash or something to tell the player he can now upload the program. Right now, the game gives the same feedback to the player if he tries to upload a good or bad program against a virus.

One thing I find annoying is that there are so many tutorials for the game. I think the progression should be made within the same mode. I feel like I've spent all the levels learning a new thing to master and I haven't had the time to experiment the game.

I think the game should remain very simple. What I like the most about this game is how you have to draw stuff and then upload it. I also like the fact that you can save some programs and upload them later. What I don't like is always being stuck in tutorials without having the time to play and being presented some game elements I don't really care about, like that delaying program thing. I mean, I dunno what is it's real use. Why should I loose time drawing something that doesn't kill the virus? I'm just loosing some of my time here. The idea is cool but perhaps it could be implemented in a different way. I dunno, perhaps having a special program unqiue to a level that, when uploaded, will delay the viruses in any case. For instance, level 1 could have a safe program that could be the diagonal line (just like one of the levels). Whenever you shoot that line, it will stop the virus for 2-3 seconds but won't destroy it. This way, you have time to draw other programs. When that delaying program is in use, you can't use it. You could also make it unsavable so you HAVE to draw it if you want to use it. You could call it a controlled virus: a program you know that can infect others but if saved it causes troubles. 

Anyway, what I'm sayin' is that I would rather play with simpler rules then spending all my time in tutorials not really playin'.

What is the use of the scores? If they don't serve the player anything, I'd get rid of them. If you decide to keep them I'd make it that the faster you get rid of a virus, the more points you have. So, the higher on the line the virus is when deleted, the more points you get. This way, you'll reward a player who draws fast or quickly loads the right program at the right place.

The game is quite fun and I truly wants to see this on the DS. Keep us noticed of further development!
Later!
Guert
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AdamAtomic
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« Reply #14 on: October 06, 2007, 03:35:32 PM »

Hi Guert, thanks again for the in-depth feedback!  I really like the idea of scoring more for a virus the higher it is on a line, I will implement that soon.

I will think more about how to clarify the viruses, this continues to cause confusion!

Quote
It would also be a good idea to make the upload button highlight or flash or something to tell the player he can now upload the program. Right now, the game gives the same feedback to the player if he tries to upload a good or bad program against a virus.

Quite right, and this is a planned change already:

Quote
> Allow launching of bad viruses (will up difficulty of virus it hits)

This is all part of my campaign to increase player agency...

Quote
some game elements I don't really care about, like that delaying program thing. I mean, I dunno what is it's real use. Why should I loose time drawing something that doesn't kill the virus? I'm just loosing some of my time here.

Hmm...either I have a bug or you missed something!  The delay thing is part of my efforts to simplify the introduction to the game mechanics and to show how you can use the same stuff for more than one purpose...and it does destroy the virus!  Just not immediately, its after the pause...maybe I am confused about the exact thing you're talking about though, I'm not sure.  I thought that the delay was actually very helpful, and that I could generally freeze one line and get at least 2 viruses on the other before the first line thawed, as it were.

Of course maybe this means my tutorials are not clear enough!  The idea is that you can blank out a virus and it will pause the line.  Given the nature of the game that seems like a good strategic element to me...then, on the next mission, i introduce how to run programs during that pause time.  Is this a bad progression?  I've only split these up because of a lot of feedback on the first version that it was too much info too fast, people were missing important bits.  I tried to reduce the amount of text in each mission as well.

Finally, the tutorials are definitely meant for brand new players who have no concept of how the game will actually play; I mean there is a fine line between hand-holding and helpful instruction, certainly.  Is the text too verbose still?  Or do you think new players can handle just being dropped in?  Experienced players certainly can, I would hope, but then the tutorials are not intended for them.

Anyways thanks again for the detailed feedback, I really appreciate it!
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« Reply #15 on: October 09, 2007, 09:31:35 AM »

I didn't read the tutorial much because I felt it was too much talkin, fer nuthin'. I mean, I like how the story is brought into the game but after 3-4 screens, I just wanted to play. Once I started to play, I just wanted to keep playing, not listening to some coders about other stuff.

I think the game would benefit from having a mode where you just play the game. No questions asked, no tutorials, nothin'. Just gameplay. The story is a good idea and you must keep it, but I feel like the game has alot to offer and is quite interesting on its own without having to give a story background.

As for the delay thing, I thought I was simply sending a program that just stopped the viruse for a while. I didn't notice that he died too. I like the idea of how you can have two ways to kill a virus (simple or delayed). Still, I will ask teh same question: Why would a player use the simple way of destroying a virus when he can draw the sign with inverted colors and kill it as well as have a break between viruses? But it could work very well if you could only use it on one line at a time. The player could freeze the line for a couple of seconds and take care of the others meanwhile.

Anyway, the game is comin' along pretty well. When do you think you'll have something on the DS?

Later!
Guert
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« Reply #16 on: October 12, 2007, 10:40:14 PM »

Very cool, but I find this kind of timed game way too stressful. By the 3rd or 4th tutorial my blood pressure shot way up and I felt I had to quit (I'm a wimp!!!). I even have a Wacom!

But, I love the game idea and think the presentation is really slick. It took a while to get used to reading the viruses... but I think it clicked pretty soon. Also, for a time I didn't realize that the pen is a binary state reverser (I thought the black and white clear buttons also set the pen colour and that every mistake while 'programming' meant I needed to restart the program).

Overall it is super slick. I think it is actually the kind of game where the human-machine interface could benefit from slick animations and flashy colours. A winking upload button and then a zap of electricity (or glowing green data) on the wire and maybe the program flashing on the monitor would help people understand what was going on.

I was just thinking as I read over this that there could be another strategy for the graphical interface... Since we are all so familiar with the look and feel of operating systems, maybe you could just emulate that. Make the user feel like they are actually using their hardware to crack shit. A grainy 'live' video of their superior barking orders, little progress bars to show the uploading etc. etc. might add a nice element. Then power-ups etc. could just be software patches and version updates. Maybe this doesn't fit with the other aspect of the game you mentioned (ie. being in high-school), although I think that part might be totally irreverently to the game you have designed.

The more I think about it the better I like it. If it kept track of how long it had been since the last time it powered up then your boss could start reaming you out for slacking on the job. And imagine the intrigue when a story element virus slips through your net and opens a new chat window with an ominous pixelated head spewing threats or rumors to make you doubt your boss!

Ok, so ya. I'm going to bed. Keep it up.


Actually, I just thought of something else. Imagine this: a virus appears on a line and you try to hack it. But you can't. Maybe it just keeps changing too fast, or maybe it is bigger than your current programming pad (ie. your software cannot handle it). Your boss is freakin' out, and then the virus hits. Suddenly the whole 'interface' goes haywire. It just looks borked. It freezes with corrupt screen buffers and stuttering sound. The only way to continue is to shut off the actual hardware and reboot it. When you log in your boss is all bat-shit crazy and you continue on... But maybe after a while you start to notice that somethings are different now...

Ok, gonna go now... For real.
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« Reply #17 on: November 03, 2007, 11:03:53 AM »

Hey, good luck in the IGF Mobile. I was wondering if you were going to enter it.
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