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TIGSource ForumsCommunityDevLogsPlatinum Kill - Run and Gun Action Game
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Fun Infused Games
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« Reply #20 on: July 27, 2017, 05:46:33 AM »

Finally fixed the AI in Platinum Kill so it correctly traverses the levels (prior it just jumped when it reached the end of a platform). Below is a GIF of myself and 4 AI players progressing through the level. It is amazing how some pretty basic AI actually makes for a playable "player".

All my AI is doing is basically this:

1. If there is an enemy in front of me, shoot at it.
2. If the enemy shoots at me, duck.
3. If the real player is close enough, walk forward.
4. There are randomly assigned aggressiveness levels to each AI so that they move forward, shoot, and evade at slightly different paces. Without this, all the AI players simply do the exact same thing and often overlap on the screen so it appears there is just one AI.
5. If you reach the end of a platform, jump.
6. If you are on the downward portion of your jump and there is a platform immediately under you but not within a predefined range in front of you, stop moving forward and land on the platform.


Things the AI doesn't do yet:

1. No clue how to fight bosses. AI just wants to keep marching forward.
2. AI doesn't care about items. Need AI to shoot at item containers and collect items if they drop.
3. Doesn't go up or down when multiple paths are available, continues straight.

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« Reply #21 on: July 28, 2017, 07:09:47 AM »

Started chatting with other devs yesterday that reacted positively to the GIF from yesterday and got to thinking that the AI should be a bigger part of the game instead of just as a supplemental extra player.

Looking into making AI helpers a normal part of the game. Right now I am tying them to kill streaks... get enough kills, get a new helper (up to 2). If they die or you die, they go away. Given that it is more fun to play with a buddy, adding these AI as a normal part of the game I believe makes for a much more positive experience all around.

Looking into perhaps giving you some basic controls over them too, like pressing a button to get them to hold position, attack, fall back, etc. We'll see how that works, but it could be cool.
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« Reply #22 on: July 30, 2017, 08:38:36 PM »

Here is a teaser sort of video I just created so that I could show off the various semi-to-mostly completed levels in Platinum Kill. As I approach console owners like Sony, I wanted to have something more like a trailer to show off, even if the game itself is not ready for a real trailer.




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« Reply #23 on: August 08, 2017, 07:14:05 AM »

I finally spent some time working on the Santa boss...

Previously his shots were all over the place in terms of their origin and he didn't have the secondary "present" attack. Also during his normal shot attack, I added in some completely random shots, which handles the situation where the player might sit at an exact range where the pattern shots never hit.

I still want to get a different jumping / flying animation but otherwise this is pretty much done. Thoughts?

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« Reply #24 on: August 16, 2017, 04:00:49 PM »

Here is the homing shot we just added... it seeks out and attacks the nearest enemy when shot.

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« Reply #25 on: August 23, 2017, 09:10:36 AM »

Starting to get the art in for the sewer level. I think it's coming together really nicely and is going to show off our creativity more than we have been able to with some of the past levels, plus I'll be happy to show off something more than the jungle and north pole level I've so frequently done.

Here is a slime monster screen shot. He is just a slow moving beast that approaches you and takes a lot of hits to kill. The goal is a sense of dread as he approaches you and pushes you towards the screen's edge before exploding in a shower of green pixel particle goodness.

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« Reply #26 on: September 19, 2017, 05:42:26 AM »

Sorry for the lack of updates... no updates doesn't mean no progress (it really means I've been playing a lot of Destiny 2 in my free time instead).

The biggest update I have is work on the level 4 boss. This floating toilet floats back and forth shooting one of three patterns of shots and then spawning little floating poops that target the closest player. The below animation gives you a good idea of this (doesn't include the toilet lid opening and closing as poops spawn, which was something I finished after making this gif).



Just lots of bug fixes and tweaks here and there as well and a new croc enemy. The croc walks towards the player and when he gets close, shoots fireballs from his mouth in a random spray pattern. These fireballs die out after a short distance... effectively the croc is really dangerous if you get close but you can safely dispatch him from a distance.
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« Reply #27 on: September 21, 2017, 09:13:35 AM »

Sooo much has changed since many of my previous screen shots and videos, I just wanted to put together something that highlights how the game looks now. The first four levels are mostly done minus a few enemy behaviors and some missing/in-progress artwork.





There are 2-3 levels to go... 2 normal levels and possibly one level similar to the surfing level. I know what the final level will be, I am unsure of the other 1-2 levels so I've been racking my brain on those. Thankfully there is plenty to polish in the game as I figure those out.
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« Reply #28 on: September 21, 2017, 07:26:56 PM »

What's up Chris? Devlog is looking good.
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« Reply #29 on: September 22, 2017, 05:14:48 AM »

What's up Chris? Devlog is looking good.

Thanks! Been trying to keep fairly up to date on here. Haven't gotten much feedback but I'm hoping at least people are reading it. If nothing else, this dev log is the number 1 search result for my game in Google... turns out Platinum Kill is a bad search term and Google to date isn't listing my actual game very high.

But otherwise good. Missed the last Madison dev meetup but hopefully will be at the following one.
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« Reply #30 on: September 22, 2017, 05:44:13 AM »

Oh, that looks like a lot of fun!

Especially for my wife: she's the hardcore "Contra style" gamer of our pair, as I get too angry too quickly with the deaths in my old age, haha ^^

I couldn't find a mention about multiplayer in your dev log, but I did see GIFs with multiple dudes running around (although, they could be an AI as they didn't seem all that good, haha ^^)? In any event, in case no one has mentioned the obvious: some local coop would be truly amazing for this, obviously!

Personal taste, I think the graphics are not high-detail, high-res enough for my liking (I know it's a thing these days, I just don't really like that style myself, without getting into the details), but the gameplay looks solid, so I'd still play it with my wife ^^
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« Reply #31 on: September 22, 2017, 05:45:56 AM »

I like the music. How is it recorded?
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« Reply #32 on: September 22, 2017, 05:56:02 AM »

Oh, that looks like a lot of fun!

Especially for my wife: she's the hardcore "Contra style" gamer of our pair, as I get too angry too quickly with the deaths in my old age, haha ^^

I couldn't find a mention about multiplayer in your dev log, but I did see GIFs with multiple dudes running around (although, they could be an AI as they didn't seem all that good, haha ^^)? In any event, in case no one has mentioned the obvious: some local coop would be truly amazing for this, obviously!

Personal taste, I think the graphics are not high-detail, high-res enough for my liking (I know it's a thing these days, I just don't really like that style myself, without getting into the details), but the gameplay looks solid, so I'd still play it with my wife ^^

Thanks for the comments... the game is 1 to 5 player local co-op on PC (that would be 4 gamepads and 1 keyboard) and will likely be 4 player co-op on the consoles (which consoles isn't firmed up yet, but almost certainly PS4 at minimum). If you like Contra, especially how the NES games play, you should like this one.

Yeah the low res look isn't for everyone but we like it. I might try something more high res with a future game but this is where I'm at now.
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« Reply #33 on: September 22, 2017, 05:57:31 AM »

I like the music. How is it recorded?

We contract a guy named Zack Parrish to do all our music, and he does a fantastic job. You would have to follow up with him if you want more details of how he makes the music (or want to hire him yourself).

http://zackparrish.com/
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« Reply #34 on: September 22, 2017, 06:39:05 AM »

I sent you a PM about testing the game, if that offer still stands, but perhaps it didn't go through... (not sure if you need a certain level for that to work or such).
 
Anyhow, game looks neat. One thing that bothers me (a little) is mix of old and new stuff, like different text resolution, sub-pixel animation and so on. But especially the particles - those single colored pixels look a little off, I believe even in older games they would actually use little tiles, so there would be distinguishable bits of enemies or scenery etc. That might look a good deal better.
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« Reply #35 on: September 22, 2017, 07:10:02 AM »

I sent you a PM about testing the game, if that offer still stands, but perhaps it didn't go through... (not sure if you need a certain level for that to work or such).
 
Anyhow, game looks neat. One thing that bothers me (a little) is mix of old and new stuff, like different text resolution, sub-pixel animation and so on. But especially the particles - those single colored pixels look a little off, I believe even in older games they would actually use little tiles, so there would be distinguishable bits of enemies or scenery etc. That might look a good deal better.

Just sent a key your way... didn't notice any notification before of a PM, sorry about that.

Text and particles aside, everything should adhere to multiples of 4 pixels. Particles are a minimum of 4 but can be non-factor of four multiples like 5, 6, etc. I'm making a note of that and will explore what it looks like to force multiples of four to keep everything in line. I will probably leave the text as is... it doesn't seem too bad to me in game and ultimately is more readable this way.

I know what you're saying about textured particles. I'm not sure I want to go in that direction. Give the game a play and maybe you'll think better of how the particles look in-action. It's a unique look for this game that I feel has been well received by most (so far at least).
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« Reply #36 on: September 24, 2017, 04:56:27 AM »

Hello again, got the key, once again sent you a PM, but will also comment here with additional feedback.

In general, the game seems to work quite well as a very Contra-inspired shooter, runs great even on a low spec system and I didn't run into any real bugs (one time homing bullets got stuck on boss 1 hatch and remained there for the rest of the fight).
 
Gameplay generally works quite well too, the graphics are decent, the sound suits the look and feel of the game.
 
Some thoughts and observations (and, of course, these are just my personal opinion):

1) It may be latency, but I had the feeling that jumping only works when your character is well within the platform he's jumping from... so several times when attempting to do a well-timed jump I would just run forward with no jump taking place. I think it may help if you made it possible to jump even when your last pixel (or even 2-3 extra ones) are still on the platform - so you actually do nice jump every time, which would feel much better for the player.

2) Speaking of jumps - the game seems to not care if it spawns you over a bottomless pit... worth trying to determine the nearest platform and spawning you there.

Watched some NES contra gameplay to make sure I remembered things correctly for these next couple of points...

3) Visibility - it could be better I think. Backgrounds could use a little less contrast or fewer overlaps between player/enemy colors and some of the objects there. Snow level with the snow particles also becomes a little visually cluttered.

4) Continuing on with that - nearly every enemy so far has different colored flashing projectiles... coupled with the particles it contributes to visual clutter. I feel like you may achieve more clarity if you had a single color for their projectiles, but changed the size and look. Like, say, a pure white core with a pink outline that pulses. Player bullets could also be a pixel larger and brighter.

Side note: Weapons are really neat, though, fire rate and the different types are fun. Perhaps add a shotgun/flamer type weapon that's super strong, but has low range?

5) Even NES contra has some boss attack signaling - like the hatches opening before opening fire. I think the first boss could use some of that, like the eyes glowing a split second before firing or such.

6) Continuing with bosses - how about more variety to their attacks (well, the first boss so far) - the smiley face could change expressions and, for example, drop down and roll on the ground, etc.

7) After trying the game I'm even less a fan of the particles - mostly because they aren't pixel perfect to the rest of the art, they fade out and they are mostly that same orange color. I feel you could do better with solid particles that, for example, sort-of dripped down on platforms for blood, were red hot for explosions and then just changed to black before disappearing etc. Larger opponents exploding into these huge single-color squares also looks rather strange.

8. Speaking of orange - that fading orange overlay on enemy hits also seems a little strange, how about just a quick flash like all the arcade games? Would better emphasize that you are doing damage with each hit. The orange fade completely hides the art on stronger enemies (like level 4 green blob) as well.

9) With keyboard controls, it is strange that menus switch between Space and Enter to select things. Also - if your keyboard has no Esc key (it can happen) there is no way to leave the options menu, it seems.

That's it for now - hopefully it doesn't sound too harsh because in general, the game is fun, just felt like some improvements could certainly be made.
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« Reply #37 on: September 25, 2017, 06:10:14 AM »

Artwork isn't done, but we added a giant Moai head to the first level. Thought this was a sort of memorable enemy you could face mid-level.

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« Reply #38 on: September 25, 2017, 06:15:36 AM »

Definitely getting a Contra and Mercenary Kings vibe from this game -- in an old-school cool kind of way!
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« Reply #39 on: September 25, 2017, 07:31:35 AM »

@ydobemos - Thanks for the gobs of feedback, much appreciated! I will comment on some of it below but please know I read it all and will carefully consider all the points you made. This is exactly what I was hoping for when asking for testers...

1) It may be latency, but I had the feeling that jumping only works when your character is well within the platform he's jumping from... so several times when attempting to do a well-timed jump I would just run forward with no jump taking place. I think it may help if you made it possible to jump even when your last pixel (or even 2-3 extra ones) are still on the platform - so you actually do nice jump every time, which would feel much better for the player.

I have added phantom jumping in previous games, it sounds like this is what you're asking for here. I hadn't don't it because this game is fairly light on the platforming but it sounds like if you're having latency issues (I haven't experienced these myself), adding in a little leeway on jumps would be a good solution.

Quote
2) Speaking of jumps - the game seems to not care if it spawns you over a bottomless pit... worth trying to determine the nearest platform and spawning you there.

It should always drop you over a platform. If you're running forward though as you die, it's pretty easy to continue that momentum as soon as you spawn and put yourself past the ledge. I'm gonna replay Contra some and see if there is something else they do differently to avoid this. I've thought about spawning differently too, like having a helicopter or something fly down that you can jump off instead.


Quote
3) Visibility - it could be better I think. Backgrounds could use a little less contrast or fewer overlaps between player/enemy colors and some of the objects there. Snow level with the snow particles also becomes a little visually cluttered.

4) Continuing on with that - nearly every enemy so far has different colored flashing projectiles... coupled with the particles it contributes to visual clutter. I feel like you may achieve more clarity if you had a single color for their projectiles, but changed the size and look. Like, say, a pure white core with a pink outline that pulses. Player bullets could also be a pixel larger and brighter.

I agree... both these things need work and will be addressed eventually.

Quote
Side note: Weapons are really neat, though, fire rate and the different types are fun. Perhaps add a shotgun/flamer type weapon that's super strong, but has low range?

Happy to hear you like the weapon selection. More different weapons have been on the TODO list for a while but always seem like something that doesn't happen. Shotgun and flame thrower are both ones I've been kicking around too Smiley

Quote
5) Even NES contra has some boss attack signaling - like the hatches opening before opening fire. I think the first boss could use some of that, like the eyes glowing a split second before firing or such.

You are right... there is nothing on those early forms to indicate an attack is about to happen. This could even extend to some of the regular enemies too.


Quote
6) Continuing with bosses - how about more variety to their attacks (well, the first boss so far) - the smiley face could change expressions and, for example, drop down and roll on the ground, etc.

Ha ha... that could be fun. I'll make note of it.


Quote
7) After trying the game I'm even less a fan of the particles - mostly because they aren't pixel perfect to the rest of the art, they fade out and they are mostly that same orange color. I feel you could do better with solid particles that, for example, sort-of dripped down on platforms for blood, were red hot for explosions and then just changed to black before disappearing etc. Larger opponents exploding into these huge single-color squares also looks rather strange.

Hmm... I can play with some stuff and see how it goes. I do like the big colorful explosions but I have grown to not like their fading out as much as times goes on.


Quote
8. Speaking of orange - that fading orange overlay on enemy hits also seems a little strange, how about just a quick flash like all the arcade games? Would better emphasize that you are doing damage with each hit. The orange fade completely hides the art on stronger enemies (like level 4 green blob) as well.

I'll try make it fade quicker and see how that goes. You're right on the stronger enemies (especially when you have a rapid fire powerup), they are pretty much just solid orange all the time.

Quote
9) With keyboard controls, it is strange that menus switch between Space and Enter to select things. Also - if your keyboard has no Esc key (it can happen) there is no way to leave the options menu, it seems.

They make keyboards without ESC? What would one use instead, backspace? I'll review enter/space consistency throughout the menus. I thought it was pretty standard besides on the Join screen, where I used a different button press intentionally to ensure you didn't accidentally start the game before you were ready.

Again thanks for all the feedback... I have a TODO list that I jotted down a number of new items to review / address out of this. If you have any more, don't hesitate!

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