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[makersmelx]

Hi,

We are a student team working on our own game from a game dev class.

This is a parkour game, with a theme of time.

YOu can try it at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C8Kd3ayLdgIEtmbmRuaTAdylO8V8RvqM/view?usp=sharing

Alpha Blog:

This week we have further polished our game. First, there are many movement changes, the major one is that jumping now relates to how long you press the spacebar. This introduces finer control of the character and facilitates the player to do a combination of complex movements. Also, we add forgiving time for jumping when the player leaves the ground. On the other hand, we fixed bugs in the basic WASD movements.

We also introduced an intro cutscene that plays before the first level and finalized our story. This provides our game with some context that the player can immerse themselves into. Also, a good story helps to guide our design of future levels and mechanics provided in the game. We have added new audio for the bullet collisions. We have also introduced the shield meter which forces the player to be thoughtful about when they use the shield.

This week we also reviewed our design philosophy because of the feedback from our playtesters believing that our mechanics need improvement. To ensure the experience, we have to rethink what is impactful within the gameplay. This helps us tune a lot of aspects for gameplay. First, the turret shots are more meaningful, they come in a larger quantity and speed, which means the player needs to dodge or block the bullets; next, the new shield system with energy bar makes holding the shield run impossible while retaining the feel of progression in parkour game. Next, the time management is also changed so that players cannot sit there and hold shields for time. Finally, we have many heuristics regarding level design such that the players would need to hold shields but with skill, they can dodge as many bullets and even capture all of them with a shield The level 2 in construction would be a really cinematic level that truly captures the feeling of running in a futuristic and dangerous city.

Next sprint, we would further improve the details of our gameplay to create a more exciting experience for players. We are also going to improve the UI and audio to make the game more interactive. Moreover, we are going to make more environmental interactions to enrich our next set of levels. We would be sure that our game provides you the most exciting experience of the escape within a city of the future and the most adrenaline-inducing feeling of parkour.

[mobilelast]

I had only a little time to test this, so these aren't very deep observations. I'm not very familiar with the genre, either.

Although the story didn't have much impact yet, I liked the style. The minimalist style works well and is worth developing. In the gameplay, I liked how functionalities were taught one by one in tutorial fashion. I didn't like the projectiles that much, though: the first shooter was OK, but after that there were just too many of them to be observed. I think the parkour-part is the one you should put your efforts into.

Thoughts:
- I think the biggest issue is estimating distances, and I easily overshoot the jumps. I don't know how this is usually dealt with in games like this. Maybe a larger field of view would help.
- Details in the wall textures could be more distinguishable especially in shadows. When facing the wall or climbing, it is hard to see what happens.
- Is there a way to move slower? It would be handy while balancing on the edges.
- Hero's voice sounds like he has something in his throat. Perhaps record multiple sounds and use them randomly. Little variance to pitch will also make the sound more organic.

Overall this is a very promising basis. A concept like this is hard to implement, but with some playtesting, polishing and balancing, this could make a great game. I'm eager to see how this develops.

[jbarrios]

Hey makersmelx,

I played your game and recorded my thoughts:

[makersmelx]

Hi all! Thank you very much for your feedback! We really appreciate your time in trying our games and the suggestions you give us!

Here is our new version at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ehy8uuoUOp9AllCSJnAh8zo3FTtJPobu?usp=sharing


What’s New?

We redesigned the in-game UI overlay to make it clearer for players to quickly acquire the crucial information they need during gameplay. We also added a settings menu so players can adjust some visual and audio settings as they would expect from a professional game. We updated the level greatly to make the game challenging and engaging. Movements are also reforged to improve the robustness of interaction between wall run and ledge climbing. Head bobbing is added to create a more realistic movement experience. We improved the textual and level hints. Now players are unlikely to get disoriented when respawning after a fall. Wall run is also introduced. As a result, players can bounce off the walls like a “cynerbetic ninja”.  Turret shots are also adjusted so that for any fire from the front, players have enough time to react and capture the bullet with the shield. This game should be a sequence of non-stop split-second decision making, so don’t stop, run!

What’s next?

We are in the process of building a new level to extend the gameplay and storyline. In this level you will experience a dramatic run across a minefield, a journey with diverging paths, a heroic rise from the bottom and a surprising curtain call! We will also be incorporating a new collectible pickup system to make the gameplay experience more rewarding, please expect a final cool release of The Chronos!

[makersmelx]

Here is one of the game scenes in this update!!

[makersmelx]

The final version of our game is https://makersmelx.itch.io/chronos

After the release of the beta version of Chronos, we received many requests for a timer to be added so players would be able to compete against their previous times. This week, we have added a stats screen that is displayed when a level is completed. Players are able to view the time for their run through the level as well as the number of times they died along the way. Additionally, the in-game audio has been revamped with updated and new sounds. The game world has been refined and many areas have been redesigned. Time is no longer awarded when blocking bullets from the turrets. The time you are given at the start of a run can never be extended once the level starts. The main motif of our game is running around in a city, so we really want our players to feel the vibe on the rooftop of the buildings.

Looking ahead, we aim to continue extending the first level while also beginning to develop more levels with varying moods and objectives. The development of a player model and player action animations are underway.

[makersmelx]