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[Quicksand-S]

Just posting to add another "vote" for music. I liked the stuff from your old build enough that I still listen to it sometimes. It'd be nice to have that in the game again.

Consider also making power-up rooms lack music, so entering one is sort of eerie. Was it Super Metroid that did that? I can't remember. In any case, a sudden lack of music in those areas might make them stand out and feel special compared to the normal rooms. Maybe. I don't know.

[QuadrupleA]

Just posting to add another "vote" for music. I liked the stuff from your old build enough that I still listen to it sometimes. It'd be nice to have that in the game again.

Consider also making power-up rooms lack music, so entering one is sort of eerie. Was it Super Metroid that did that? I can't remember. In any case, a sudden lack of music in those areas might make them stand out and feel special compared to the normal rooms. Maybe. I don't know.

Thanks, good to hear - music is so subjective, it's a tricky one to judge. BTW did you mean the tracks from the game 4 or so years ago, or the earlier build of this one I linked to?

I like the fading out idea for powerup rooms.

[Quicksand-S]

Oh, I mean the music from the four-year old build. I don't think I've tried a build of this one that had music yet, or if I did I didn't have my speakers on at the time.

[buto]

If your old music is somewhere on the level of the track that's included in the current special version, I would definitely include it. The current one has a nice Super Metroid feeling (if I remeber that one correctly).

While I don't know your old tracks, I'm sure it would add to the game if you included them, even if you see some minor flaws in them.

It may be a good idea to include them in your playtesting iterations. To this end it would be helpful if the name of the current track would e.g. be displayed in the pause menu (probably even showing the elapsed time). Players could thus comment on which tracks they liked/disliked.

Regards,
Sebastian

[QuadrupleA]

Thanks Sebastian and Quicksand-S - just set up a page with the old and new tracks, plus the ability to vote on them (probably overkill but what the hell )

   http://infinitroid.com/music

If anyone has time to check them out, let me know what you think (once you click the stars it'll show overall voting results).

[buto]

I finally found the time to listen to your music and play the game some more.

Regarding the music: I really think all three tracks are nice. I played the game and started them on a second page randomly while playing.

New_World1a: I really like that one. I thought the 'AAAAHHH's might be a bit sharp at times and might eventually benefit from a little less attack and a slightly longer fade-out. On the other hand I really enjoy playing while this track is playing. It's dynamic and still slightly relaxed. The variety in fore- and background lines is really cool. The fixed keynote is really cool, too!

Old_normal: At first I thought that the drum beat would be a bit too dominating. After playing while listening to it I thought that the drive and tension are really nice.

Old_spooky: Really nice intro. It's a cool track, too! The synth's reminded me on some tunes from Clockwork Orange :D. Took me a while to realize that. However, it has a bit less dynamic and drive than the other ones. Having this one as the only track in a level could be a little sparse, I think. If you play it alternating with other ones it would be perfect.


While playing I thought it was nice when music faded out at times and after some seconds of silence another tune started playing. This would give players more variety when repeatedly playing the first area. At least I enjoyed it that way...

I think you definitely should add those tracks to the game. At least as very good placeholders.

Some other random thoughts on the game:

• The variety in the first level is really cool. And I think your random generation is very nice. On my third or fourth session I got double jump for the first time. And you actually need it to overcome an obstacle. That's nice!
• I thought it's a bit strange that missiles have a limited shot-range like regular bullets do. This feels physically incorrect to me. I have no such problems with the limited range of regular bullets.
• Placing items at a reachable point feels a bit strange, too. I just killed something above the visible screen and an item appeared on the screen (reachable from the floor). Is this really necessary? I think it may even be a bit tactical to kill enemies in a spot where you can reach their pickups.
• The 'room clear' message sometimes spoils a bit of tension and immersion, I think. Just a bit. Not sure if that's a problem.

As you might tell I really like your game! It's a cool idea and a good execution, too. Will play with this version a bit more and happily test the next one!

Regards,
Sebastian

[QuadrupleA]

Thanks Sebastian! Sounds like you have some music chops. Your idea with the Ahh sounds on New_World1a is good, I'll play with that. Choir noises were a nice part of the old Super Metroid soundtrack, usually tuned down to sound a little alien, I should expand my library of those and experiment some more.

I'm a little torn on Old_Normal, the initial pad sound and marimba arpeggio sounds kinda lame to me, but the strings are OK, and I like the Jarre-esque synth break in the middle. Might just be my quirky preferences. Old_Spooky is just weird .

I think Quicksand-S mentioned fading out the music in special rooms etc., I'll likely do that which should provide some nice silence breaks. For missiles, I guess I could expand the initial range quite a bit on those - the original idea was that you'd add upgrades (range, damage, etc.) to the missile weapon too but that ends up a little tedious. Since it's a precious expendable resource maybe making it more powerful from the start would be fine.

The reachable items thing is tricky - it was frustrating a lot of people before, who'd try to jump for unreachable items for a long time. It used to be a part of the strategy to kill enemies within reach, like you're saying. I think the next thing I'll try if I get time is to make the "reachable" algorithm more sohpisticated, maybe even account for what's reachable with upgrades like double jump etc. Right now it just finds a nearby tile with a floor below, so something right off the edge of a platform will get oddly moved, etc.

[filiph]

You probably know already, but there are no new accounts left on http://infinitroid.com/.

If that's a marketing strategy — you got me, sir. 

[QuadrupleA]

You probably know already, but there are no new accounts left on http://infinitroid.com/.

If that's a marketing strategy — you got me, sir. 

Oops, thanks - just added 5 more. It's more of an anti-marketing strategy . Don't want to spread the word too much yet, but curious to get some first impressions.

[QuadrupleA]

Hey all - I just wrapped up a 3-month paid gig so I finally have time to focus on the game again. Got a new version up if anyone wants to check it out:

  http://infinitroid.com/

Here's what's new:

 - Lots of new/improved sound effects; directional sounds, distance falloff
 - Music for each area/theme, now streaming for quicker load time, crossfading
 - Web server speed improvmements, data should download a lot quicker
 - Graphics improvements - powerup/damage screen flashes, gamma based brightness setting, performance improvments - I've got some new tools that should allow lots of cool specialized shaders and graphics stuff going forward
 - Replaced skull, crate graphics
 - Added sector transition messages

Accounts etc. should be the same, let me know if you have any trouble there. And let me know any feedback, problems etc.

I've got a decent chunk of free time going forward so hopefully lots more improvements coming soon!

[Enrik]

I played several games and I think the game is pretty fun. I couldn’t get to any boss fight but I’m not very good at this kind of games anyway.

I think the best part of the game is the customizable weapons. That’s for sure the selling point of the game. The levels are very well designed for being a roguelike and most of the times it’s very clear when you get to a place where you need a specific weapon or mod to advance. There’s a good variety of enemies and I like the different behavior of each of them. On the other side, I think that the store must give the player more info about the things to buy because if the player doesn’t know the icon of that weapon or object you’ll buy it blindly. Maybe a description of the object when you pass over it and a “buy” “not buy” option its enough in my opinion.

The music is nice and very atmospheric and the sounds are good enough. Maybe the sounds for the player movement are odd sometimes and I’m sure I hear steps even when the player is idle after moving or jumping.

The graphics are nice too. I think they still can be improved in general, especially some of the backgrounds but the actual style fits perfectly in my opinion.

I have played with a control pad and the controls are good. There is a good feeling in the movement and the buttons are very intuitive (not at the beginning but that happens in all games) maybe the steps to get to the map are too much but I don’t know if remapping the map to a button is the best idea here.

Well that’s all. I think you’re in the good direction, I’ll post more here if I find something interesting to share with you.

[QuadrupleA]

Sweet, thanks Enrik for taking a look. Glad the new music seemed nice. Other people have mentioned the customizable weapons as the selling point / distinguishing thing too - I always thought the main hook would be "infinitely replayable Metroid" but it's interesting to see what people respond to most - not always what you planned for, which is a good thing. That weapon system definitely went through a lot of revisions, the original was these confusing signal and projectile wires you'd drag around between parts like an electronic circuit schematic, which confused pretty much everybody except me.

I definitley want to go to town on the graphics soon, make better use of the lighting engine and add some nice shader effects and procedural scenery. Particle effects could be a lot more satisfying (enemy splattering, chunks, etc.). And of course a lot more tile variety etc. Probably before that I'm going to try to add more little secrets and surprises in the game, there are a handful now but that could be a lot richer, and also bring in some in-game story elements.

I can add shop descriptions pretty easily - I'm debating whether or not the mystery there is good, since you get familiar with the items over time, and it maybe encourages taking a risk and trying the unfamiliar ones - but other people have mentioned it too. Maybe if you walk under it a name/description fades in.

[QuadrupleA]

New version up!

  http://infinitroid.com/

The biggest changes are some story additions when you die - people new to the roguelike genre have gotten confused about why they start in a different world each time. I also want to start bringing in some philosophical elements into the story as the game progresses. So on dying there's a paralell universes idea, with some endless-tunnel visual effects and shifting/randomizing scenery:





Curious how people feel about it - if anyone gets a chance to give it a go (and a die) let me know what you think!

Other odds and ends:

 - I added names to the shop items like Enrik and others suggested.
 - Canisters with weapon batteries in them are now blue - in later sectors where the canisters are locked this can give some strategic choice on which to unlock.
 - Fixed some glitches in the automap display, and some occasional background bugs.
 - Elevator rooms have elevator music (yeah baby). Or more like ambience.

[Enrik]

Hey QuadrupleA, I tried the new version. The end screen looks good. The first time I died it said I was killed by an orange point (the projectile of the creature that killed me) I think it will be better to show the creature that killed the player instead of the projectile.

Also, I noticed some strange behavior on the map when it gives the player the tips to “where to go”. For example, I had to go to the room where I could jump with my new “speed boots” (or something like that) but the game keeps saying to me that I should go to the room where I got the speed boots a minute ago. Most of the time I just ignore this tips because I think it’s very clear where to go but this time I noticed the little tips and that strange thing.

I’ll give it a try later, this time I played with the keyboard and I feel that the key mapping was better for the gamepad than for the keyboard. Maybe it’s just that I have played less time with the keyboard.

Nice music again!

[QuadrupleA]

Thanks Enrik - I'll update that screen to show the enemy not the projectile, that's a good idea. For the map, I think it might be a problem with flashing - not sure why that's happening but I've seen it randomly lately, where it looks like a room is flashing or some icons on the room. Probably a draw order thing. The arrows should just direct players out of the current screen if it's inaccessible, not to any particular room.

I'm working on a big gameplay update to embed a lot of randomly generated secrets and surprises in the levels, pretty excited about it - there are some secrets now but this would bring in a lot more variety and exploration potential. Coming soon. Anyway thanks for playing, really appreciate the feedback.

[Enrik]

Yes, it was the flashing on the map. I thought it was a way to show the player the next step not a bug.

Yesterday I played a long one and I get to the boss (the two giant squids) after that I continued for some time and suddenly I arrive to a room full of lava with a cross corridor full of different enemies (maybe 100 of them). It was clear that it was not possible to pass that part. Is that a part of the game or some kind of bug? I died there so I’m not really sure if there was an alternative way to continue.

This last game I think I was lucky because I bought a circular saw (very useful) and found several med kits. One thing that was a bit odd was when I bought a “15 credits for 1 battery” object and it didn’t give me the extra battery because I need another 15 credits to use the object!

Anyway, it’s funny and there is always a new ability or weapon to discover in the game.

[QuadrupleA]

Nice! You actually made it to the last room in the game so far. It's tough but beatable - there's a little surprise for advanced players that do beat it. Eventually I'll replace that with further worlds.

[Quicksand-S]

I haven't tried the newest version yet, but I tried the previous one and thought it was a big improvement on the older builds. One issue I had, though, was that sometimes the map layout was generated with pointless areas. For example, I needed a powerup of some sort to enter a door to a new sector, but that new sector ended up being a single room without anything interesting or useful in it. It kinda killed my interest in exploring other areas, because in a Metroidvania I feel like every dead-end should generally contain something special/interesting/useful.

When it comes to the combat, I often find that it just doesn't feel natural. Due to the limited firing angles, I find myself "gaming the system", tricking enemy AI into going places where they'll be easier to hit rather than shooting them in a more natural way. I understand that most games have some of that, but this feels like a game where I should be able to go around jumping and shooting with ease. Instead, I'm always thinking, "I should step ten pixels to the right to hit that enemy diagonally" or "If I stand here and wait a while doing nothing, that jumping enemy will move into a good spot". I don't find that sort of combat very enjoyable, personally.

The new death screen sounds good, though, and I like the idea of a philosophical element to the game. I'll have to try it out later.

[kkairos]

Got in on the beta, played a few rounds. Really enjoyed it. The worlds generated are different enough to feel like an infinite multiverse and I have to agree with the comments made about how well the generator does at giving you an item you'll need.

I had an issue where trying to jump left with a short wall on my left resulted in pushback (I was also over a downward door.) I can put a short video on YT and leave it unlisted if you want to see the video, because that probably explains it better than I can. The MP4 is also small enough to send if you want it that way. Just let me know how I should get it to you, if you don't know what I'm talking about and want a visual.

There are a couple of minor fairness issues, at least that's how it feels if all rooms should be clear-able. (And at one point the first boss basically trapped me in a corner and I had to shield my way out; although that was frustrating I more think that one was on me.)

Anyway, enjoying this. Curious to see how it evolves.

[QuadrupleA]

@kkairos: Thanks for checking it out - glad you liked it so far - yeah if you have that video handy would be interested to see the part you're talking about, sounds like a bug. A screenshot would probably work too, if I know what room it's in I can probably sort it out. Re: fairness, all rooms should theoretically be clearable - did you run into ones where it was impossible, like enemies stuck in a wall or unreachable loot?

@Quicksand-S: thanks for sticking with it . Yeah, sometimes there are dead-ends generated - actually a lot of the time there are secret walls in those situations (either false solid that you can walk through, or regular-looking blocks that you can shoot and destroy) that lead to secret areas. The odds are fairly low for complete dead ends, but the construction logic periodically "rolls the dice" to see if it should start a new branch, which can sometimes lead to that. I'm working on some deeper randomization & secret-placement stuff so maybe I can identify dead ends and make sure there's something rewarding in them - that'd be good.

And yeah, the 8-directional thing has its constraints - I really debated mouse-aiming for a long time (and twin-stick for gamepads) but I'm not such a fan of that on the gamepad side - flicking the analog stick to fire a shot versus a button (especially with missiles which you want to conserve). I also kinda like jumping with a button, rather than pressing up on the stick, but that's a small point. Anyway I'm probably too committed to this style at this point to turn back unfortunately, a lot of the gameplay is designed around it. Next game maybe!