I’m now making a platform game called Cave Miner, I just spent a long time drawing some graphics. I can make simple levels now, but there is still a lot to do!

Currently, I can place buildings of three sizes. That’s the only major change from the previous version I posted. But at least I’ve got decent error checking for overlaps now. Next live update will be a version with a selector.

Unroll your loops boys! We’ve got a milestone to hit!

-Joe Ludwig

Sadly, while I do have a milestone to hit, my brain is getting tired and not only did I realize I should have used a pretty simple loop here, but I also have too much left overall to do to refactor this section.

Screw it… I’m going to go get a coffee.
-TF

Shows how much of a noob I am really, but I just discovered that SDL lets you check keystates at any time, not just when a keypress event is raised. This makes the movement code much, much simpler. Currently attempting to let you jump, which currently conflicts horribly with the code that stops you falling through the floor… Wait a minute! I think I’ve cracked it! I just need to do a check if the vertical velocity is negative! Yay!

Well another milestone, I suppose: I’ve got a text console and command input working now. I had to hand-roll the word wrapping and input (maybe pygame was a bad choice in this respect), but it’s done now.

I had to chop the sides off the viewport because of problems with the perspective. I’ve added hard rock now, and you can mine away the softer rock. Hopefully this will start to come together into some kind of game this afternoon – fingers crossed! I really need to figure out how to darken the walls in the distance, too. That’s been bugging me right from the start…

Game works! It was a bit scary for a little while… Now to fill it with more art, and fill myself with lunch!

(Apologies for low quality screenshot! Eep, no time!)

So far today, I’ve created a level system, completed two levels (basic movement and weapon control introduction) and had lunch. What’s left is enemies, particle effects, much more levels, Esc menu, scrolling, and, if time allows, some optimizations, sounds, animations, main menu, level select menu, and so on.

Lunch was nothing special, just sandwiches.

Dessert was nice though: ice cream on a stick. And the photo also shows my desk area .

My game now has an intro , too bad it still pretty much lacks a game.

Combos are working, though there is still only the 1 ‘trick’, you can add to your combo by doing air jumps, and getting *really* close to lava (best to try when in slowmo).

playable after the link:

(more…)

No time for proper lunch, cookies will have to do.

The game is coming together, but still needs a lot of work.

Had Shreddies for breakfast (no photo again – my family already think I’m a bit odd without me photographing my breakfast cereal). Then was busy until about 12:30, so it’s time to get cracking!

Priorities today: (which I may well completely ignore…)

1. Let the player move! Left, right, jump.
2. Let the player fire bullets, rather than them appearing from the centre of the screen! Hopefully with a mouse-click, if I can get that working within a reasonable amount of time. Shouldn’t be too hard though, hopefully.
3. Have blocks interact with the player – ie, if they fall on your head you take damage.
4. Killable dinosaur, really simple.
5. Finish the level-scrolling code – I put a lot of it in already, but the level has so far been the same size as the screen.
6. Better dinosaurs.
7. Panic because I’m running out of time and still don’t have much of a game.
8. Levels, and finishing-up – sounds, maybe extra frames in animations, etc.

This will probably last me way past noon tomorrow, when my 48 hours elapse. But oh well, that’s the way it is. I like this game enough that I’ll try to produce a snazzier version after the contest has ended.

It’s done!

Try the game here: http://www.jarnik.info/pub/ld15/index_04.html (flash)

Some more screenshots:

Help screens:

And that would be all, I’m going to wrap things up and submit the game.

LD has been an amazingly exciting event, I’ll be back with a chronolapse and some sort of post mortem.

I’ve got enemies (Who stand there and get shot…)

They die, though! (Well, they disappear…)

I’ve got a camera, too. It works very well, even not blitting things that are off-screen.

(I’m glad I’m using a library that I’ve used a wrapper for! The concepts are familiar even if the language isn’t!)

Oh, and her gun works now!

I… Haven’t gotten much sleep. I fell asleep in the bathroom last evening, and woke up a few hours later just awake enough to not be able to sleep.

But, it gave me time to implement some things.

Then I tried using MinGW from Code::Blocks. (In Linux, no less)

That didn’t go too well, as the Linux version of Code::Blocks assumes that you always want glibc, which conflicts Extensively) with windows.h, which defines the schmutz that you need from WinMain, which Windows, monkey OS that it is, demands!

I’ll stick in preprocessor bits to allow building on Windows, as well as a Makefile after I’ve got the thing done. If I can’t get all of it done by tonight, I’ll just port it tomorrow morning. The rules allow that, if I recall correctly.

All in all, I can almost guarantee a game by the end. I have very little left to implement, so the only major undertaking will be the world generator, which is actually fairly likely to be done by tonight! Yeah!

Here’s to things working out, despite all of our troubles.

—Akake

Gonna sleep for 5 hours, get up, and finish my game.

Right now I still need leveling options, and actual levels, and a menu system, then I should be done. Oh, and music, but probably there isn’t gonna be music…

I made huge-ass dudes that can’t take cover. They’re neato:

Scarily, LD15 ends in about 14 and a half hours.. I’ve still a lot to do, most important of which is getting font support in for some feedback!
Some sounds wouldn’t go amiss either…

However, the onslaught of nasties continues as base spawners have been implemented.
Here’s a bit in the first sector of the first moon that’s somewhat nasty:

I had just destroyed the one on the right when the screenshot clicked they take quite a beating though but at least they stay dead! There’s also a puff of smoke when something collides with a bullet or enemy. Definitely crying out for sound effects now!

What’s left in Order of Importance:
Fonts.
Picking up Researchers and Repairing ( as you can still shoot stuff so, yea..  I can change the game to destroy all enemy spawners if need be )
Sounds.
Some actual level design ( though the way the levels are built, I could whip up a lot of them in the last two hours quite easily. )

Nicities:
Frontend.
Music.

Current playable with four spawners is here: http://www.stuckiegamez.co.uk/gamez/ludumdare/ld15/MoonsOfSubterrane-32.7z
It’s getting there.. and I might actually finish for a change!

Okay! I is fixed alpha problem. Is good. I is created series of tiny pictures to represent this boy. Big discovery! When I am playing these pictures in rapid succession, is creating impression of movement, or what I like to call ‘moving picture’. I anticipate great wealth in my future for having discovered this, but for now you can enjoy the fruits of my benefits for my ‘moving picture boy’.

If boy still look like box, it no longer my fault.
Now, I do not have so much time as I would like to make fancy games for you people. I love the looks of succulent awe I would be receiving, but is not possible. So I am stripping down my design. Is not so bad, I may make it more excellent after this Darrell Loom competition. So this boy, he must find the sunstones before he run out of heat. Is very cold here, so even boy with FIERY temper must find heat. So now, each level will be like obstacle course, with goal is the sunstone. I will draw some ice for him to walk on, and then I will make some levels. It is not super fancy game like will make you poop your pants, but is good anyway.

I’ve fixed a few physics-bugs in the game and the result is a more stable game, however the screenshots looks the same so here are various stages of breakfast (instead) and a link to my source at google svn…

lunch…

and this is how it looks under my desk when I’m sitting there

If I was going with my original idea: a) I wouldn’t have been able to finish it and b) it probably would be a much better game without any caverns in it, so I changed direction completely and decided to just hack something together so at least I’ll get an entry.

The cave (the gray lines),  is “collapsing” around you (the red dot) must survive as long as you can… that’s it. Really weak game but at least I can finish this in the two to three hours I have left before I have to go. Still todo: score (timing), sound and if I have the time, to try to make the gameplay better.

I’ve been up for a few hours now, after a rather lazy yesterday evening (too much Batman: Arkham Asylum riddle finding, and Professor Layton puzzle solving) and I’ve got my first graphic in the game!  Woo!

Above you can see the basic layout for the game – the top strip of the screen will show the side on view of the Cavern Club, complete with little pixel Goths, Rockers and Metalheads.  They’ll hopefully move from place to place as their needs dictate – from the tables to the dancefloor when they want to dance, from the dancefloor to the bar when they want to drink, and from the bar to the toilets (to the far right) when they…. well, when they’ve drank more than their plumbing can handle.

Unfortunately, all that happens at the moment is that the time in the top right hand corner advances (at *150 speed), I print out some sprite fonts to show what’s going on with a starting group of ten punters, who wait around for 10 in game minutes and then either pay to get in (if they have the money and the door price isn’t too steep) or they leave in disgust.

I’m not going to get this finished, realistically, but I’ve already learned a hell of a lot (for my first proper go at XNA).  To those other people stepping down, or thinking of stepping down – I’d like to offer my encouragements.   You’re close to the end, what’s to lose in just pushing a bit more and seeing what you can get at the finish line?  Everyone else, who doesn’t have time to read this – keep going, and best wishes!

3 x Weetabix, Semi Skimmed Milk, Coffee and a Glass of Ribena Light, Good Morning Ludum Dare!

Today I have a scrolling tilemap, but need some little soldiers, carriers, landing craft, bunkers, doors, engineers/sappers…. OMG lol!

Well, it took longer than it should have because I keep getting distracted by skimming forums… I did get a house drawn, and am now able to place it. Once placed the houses apply a stress in the opposite direction as the supports, and it reflects correctly on the heat map. However, I haven’t yet implemented the houses falling into the cavern, scoring, and the player turn indicator doesn’t really do anything. So I still have a ways to go…

Anyway, screenshots below. Playable version history here. (If you play the draft, the preloader hangs between 95-98% complete. It does complete though, give it a few seconds. I’ll be working on that soon too.

-TF