This morning I decided to finish up the look, as well as scoring, and you can now win or lose. The ghosted fallen soldiers are just that, the location they died at. added instructions and stuff on the left side. I also changed out the background of the board. before I rushed and just popped a wide angle lense on my camera to zoom out and get the shot, I just put the lens out of focus to give it a blurry effect. Now its a true pinhole image, and it looks essentially the same.

I’ll be live streaming in around 30 minutes at http://www.twitch.tv/ythmevge I’m going to be adding sound effects and music. I’ll try to do more commentary this time around and make it more interactive.

So far this morning I used my pinhole lens and photographed a bunch of toy soldiers.

Then I started livestreaming around 4 hours ago, and have the basics finished for my game. The pieces can move around, and shooting will be easy to add.

I decided to keep movement really simple, you can only move forward. You move by clicking on the one you want to move. You also cannot jump your own guys. the tan guys are computer controlled an move randomly forward.

I’ll start livestreaming again at 6:30 PST (about an hour) or thereabout. We will get them shooting at each other after each move, and then begin to balance the game. I’d also like to start on adding stuff to the big white spot on the left.

I spent the morning making photographs with a pinhole lens to use in my game. I have 20 photographs to work with, and it wouldn’t be hard to go and get more.

Now I will be starting a live stream to process the bulk of the photos and begin to create a game. I have all of the game systems in mind It will just be a race against the clock.

Feel free to tune in at http://www.twitch.tv/ythmevge or find it in the widget on the right.

My weekend is mostly clear. I’ll get a late start on Friday night…but Friday is just for ideas anyways. This will be my 7th time participating in Ludum Dare (and in a row)

I’ll be streaming on YouTube (seeing as I still haven’t properly tested twitch yet) You can watch my channel for the stream. http://www.youtube.com/user/Ythmevge/

If possible I want to use photography in my game. Particularly Pinhole Photography as Sunday is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day (http://www.pinholeday.org/) If I’m unable to implement it into my game, I’ll be taking a break for a chunk of Sunday to participate in it.

I’ll be using:

Construct 2

bfxr

Photoshop

python music generator

A timelapse creation video of R. B. A. is out now on YouTube, just in case a 12 and a half hour livestream (multiple parts) is to long for you to watch.

You can play and rate here.

I’ve shifted into finals mode this week (almost over). Then I will be playing and rating games actively, my goal is 5 per day (and makeup the days lost to finals) So by the end I will have rated 100+ games.

Progress this morning is going good, I have most of the bugs worked out, and probably the final graphics. Now its onto sound, music, and then to wrap everything up.

Part 1 of the live stream:

Lunch:

Part 2 of the livestream, and the last part, will start soon on my YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Ythmevge

I have a title now, R.B. A. You’ll find out what it stands for later. today is always where I draw the line for adding new features, so I’m declaring the game feature complete. Tomorrow I work on sounds, music, and art to replace the placeholders. There are also a few GUI effects that I want to get in, and some balancing still needs to happen. right now, I cannot even beat the game on the hard difficulty.

Today I live streamed as well. the first streaming went from 1:48 pm to 4:30 pm PST, can be watched on YouTube.

The second stream went from 6:42 pm to 9:50 pm and ending in a  rage induced bugfest.

The only thing that has been done off camera was some bug fixing after the Day 2 part 2 stream. I just really wanted to have it done and ready for finish line tomorrow.  So I’m off to sleep, and plan to get sound, music, and some new graphics tomorrow.

No title yet, but I think I have a solid idea, and have made steady progression towards executing it. I have basic mechanism in place, and have started on the primary mechanism. Bases, upgrades and enemies.

I also live streamed myself making it on YouTube:

Tomorrow I will be live-streaming in a  couple different sessions, probably one from 8am to 10am, then from 10-12 I have to go finish some school related stuff, from 12-4 I may be streaming then  6-8 I’ll probably be streaming. The videos will show up on my YouTube account when I am live. http://www.youtube.com/user/Ythmevge

It depends on where I am at with my assignments. I plan to submit something, but with finals next week, and a few assignment still needing some work, I’ll have to attend to them first.

I’ll be using:

Construct 2

bfxr

Photoshop

Otomata or the python music generator.

This month I will be participating in the October Challenge.

I plan to port my game Untitled to HTML5 and place in on a web game portal.

While I plan to do a port of the game, I would also like to add and revise the game as needed to work best on html5. I plan to keep both versions, but I don’t think that the game is served very well by being an exe download. The gameplay is simple and fast, a very casual game. By porting it to html5 I hope to find an audience for the game that is currently lacking.

My entry for Ludum Dare 24 was Jump! Stun! Teleport! (Play and Rate) A platformer game, that you choose how you would like to evolve and complete the level.

Ludum Dare #24: Jump! Stun! Teleport! Timelapse Creation video

I’ll be rating games later tonight, and there will be a post mortem after a week or so.

After coming up with an idea, I started prototyping. Its for the most part a basic platformer, but with a  twist. Feeling pretty good so far, usually at this point I don’t have anything to show, and no ideas.

I was going to do video development log this time around, but  I’m to busy to pull it off. I’m hoping to have enough time this weekend, and still be rested for classes that start on Monday.

I’ll be using:

Construct 2

bfxr

Photoshop

Otomata or the python music generator.

I submitted I Threw the Red on Sunday, but wanted to wait until Finals were over. Now that they are I wrote up a Postmortem  on my blog.

Its my first Costruct 2 and html5 game. Its a simple platformer in a 1024 by 128 aspect. With about 10 levels.

There is also an online high-score table that you can view on my website. The top five scores are shown in the game.

I’m just about finished with my Mini Ludum Dare 34 entry. I just need to create a page to display the high score information, that is already being submitted to my database.

This time around I decided I should just create a generic highscore table and script that I can use for multiple games. Before (for Untitled, Alone in Space.., and Through the Blue Sea) I stored all of the possible variables, and had php render the score. That way I could change the scoring system later and the scores would reflect the new method. I still plan to do this for larger games like Untitled that have multiple variables to store, but I don’t see the need to store two variables separate for small Game Jam games.

This new page just stores a score variable, that is figured out by the software beforehand. Along with a name to go with the score. I can also set up multiple games (and/or levels) Each game has a different max amount set with it (helps to weed out spam, and at least create the feeling that the high scores are real)

You can play the newest version of I Threw the Red here. You score is submitted to the database (but no display yet) Also new since the last blog post is the sound effect, music,  scoring, and there are five new endless level with ends.

I wasn’t planning to participate, with finals and graduation next week…but I changed my mind. I like the Aspect concept, and think it offers a challenge. I have also been wanting to try out Construct 2, so this was a good way to try it out. I did decide to reuse assets from my Ludum Dare 23 entry, as a way to save time.

I title this sequel I Threw the Red.

Because I’m using Construct 2, meaning html5 exporter you can go try it now. More level to come tomorrow.

Through the Blue Sea is my entry for Ludum Dare 23, it is a abstract platformer art game about using drugs as an entry into your own tiny world.

Now that Ludum Dare 23 is over I wanted to write a second Postmortem that addresses the comments I received, as well as how I have dealt with them in the Post-Compo version of the game. If you haven’t already you can go read the first Postmortem, its an analysis of the game whereas this Postmortem is me explaining my decisions.

"Happy square grows!"

Addressing Comments:

First I want to thank everyone who played my game, and left a comment. It is always helpful to get comments because you get a real opinion that was articulated in words, rather than a number. If my response seems harsh to you, just remember that it is my opinion, that you also have a valid opinion. I am not attempting to force my opinion and say that I am right or wrong, just the way that I view the issue and deal with it.

“You need the August 2008 DirectX update in order to run this application….” error

Comments:

“I didn’t bother updating, so it’s possible this is my fault. But I purchased my computer after 2008. Window 7, 32 bit.”

“I won’t even try – my comp is older, circa 2006.”

“Same problem here.”

Response:

DirectX is a common requirement that most gaming computer have already. In the event that you don’t have it, well there is a free download on the Microsoft website, it can be any version that is newer than the August 2008 DirectX. SO for Vista of 7 that could mean 10 or 11, for XP the most recent DirectX9c would work.

I expect that most people entering a 48 hour game challenge would have DirectX already. I could bundle DirectX with my game, but that makes the download larger.

Platform play-ability

Comments:

“Couldn’t emulate on linux (wine)”

“Sorry, I can’t play since I’m on a Mac.”

“sorry mac only here!”

“Alas, I cannot play this game on my mac.”

“Can you make a Mac version?”

“I would try it if you had a Web or OSX version.”

Response:

I recognize that using Construct Classic limits what platform the game can be played on. But Web games have a tendency to be mediocre at the best when compared to a downloadable game. They have that reputation of shitty flash games, and just changing to html5 doesn’t change that fact. The majority of players do not realize what the underlying tech is (flash or html5) nor do they care. There are quite a few decent puzzle games on the web, but outside of a few genres web games are inferior. It would also be harder to allow customization of a web game. In addition to losing the usability of the right mouse click.

As for a Mac version, it would be nice. Ideally the games would run in WINE, but they don’t currently (and I believe it has to do with the Sound Engine used) I hope to set up a Linux desktop soon so I can get them to run in WINE. If I cna get them running in Linux WINE, then they should work on the Mac WINE. Not that I have a way to test them…I don’t own a Mac.

Sound Effects

Comments:

“lol, Pretty strange game. It really didn’t need the sound effect for when a asteroid was being generated, Music was good tho. Apart from that good work.”

“You know what?! that awful sound and eye bleeding graphics kept me playing )
The winning sound is even more awful (but in a good way)”

“The SFX were painful to be honest. The controls were good. Great effort!”

“jesus christ what is that noise”

“Interesting menu. Sound effects were annoying. Except for the times when levels were unbeatable, this was pretty good.”

“Sweet little platformer. But oh gods, the sound hurts my ears.”

and more

Response:

The winning sound effect is actually bugged in the Compo version, it is playing over and over again. But only 18 games have been finished for the win sound to be played. More than likely the Asteroid incoming sound effect was annoying, I should have lowered the volume of it some. Overall I still feel that the sound effects fit in the game.

I will agree that the asteroid incoming sound effect was probably not needed, but it was later in the day when I decided to make the asteroid spawn at a random location off screen, aimed at the player. To compensate for the random location I though a sound effect would make it more playable by offering a warning.

Gameplay

Comments:

“No virus warnings or anything here. Technically solid. Gameplay was a little frustrating though – dots that couldn’t be retrieved, powerups that weren’t onscreen long enough to get. Controls felt a little oversensitive.”

“Not bad, but it seemed like some coins were just impossible to get, and the sound effect was kind of annoying. But I do like the online scoreboard.”

“Weird game

Works fine, however the random positioning mostly ends up in unsolvable stages (too many pips appearing on the lower border without platforms below)”

“Interesting concept! I kept trying to avoid the red splotchies until I realized they made it easier to win!”

“Really weird game. The sound played when the asteroid was being created made me cringe. I had to turn my sound off to even play the game. That sound was literally painful for me. :/ Interesting that you’re generating levels though. That is different than what most people do.”

“It was cool that you procedurally generated the levels. At least it’s new each time. That said, the gameplay was lacking and the sound effects were pretty abrasive. Good effort – keep it up!”

“Kinda strange, it’s too unpolished to give a fair rating, the physics really sucked. Would’ve need a double jump at least and less power in the jump, the title screen didn’t look that nice, the text with white background gave an ugly contrast to the rest of the screen. The game would probably have been a lot better if you had a day more to work out the problems, it does have potential, just needs more polish.”

Response:

I do agree that the dots not being retrievable can be annoying. The levels are randomly generated (not procedurally) so I knew there would be cases of not being able to collect all of the pips. I should have addressed this issue by forcing two of the platforms to always generate on the bottom, and to make all of the pips generate above the lowest platforms. That is how I have it set up in the version I’m working on.

I messed with the controls quite a bit to come up with something that was tricky to control, but still controllable. The asteroids and growing feature was added later, and once I added the larger character I needed to make the game challenging again. So I shrank the starting size, and made it harder to control. Adding something like double jump would have made it to easy to complete the levels. With double jump you would be able to drop under a platform to get a pip, then jump back onto the platform. I wanted you to be force to choose what pips you got in what order and to have a consequence for choosing to drop down and get a pip, at the risk of falling off.

The game could use a better introduction and How to play text, or a tutorial but I was low on time and wasn’t sure how to do it (so you got a wall of text).

Graphics

Comments:

“Won’t gonna lie to you. Graphics could be… better. But sound is good and gameplay is fun, but needs improvements! Keep up the good work!”

Response:

I disagree, not to say that I can’t draw better (I can) but that wasn’t the goal of this game. My entire interest in creating Video games is using it as a Fine Art Medium. For fare to long Fine Art has been paintings that costs thousands of dollars, or drawings, prints, ect that costs hundreds. Video games for me represents a way to put art in front of everyone for a little to no cost. Then maybe we can move past Thomas Kinkade and Bob Ross being the greatest American Painters, when in reality they are only a minor player in the Fine Art world. I like Abstract Expressionism art mixed with the Minimalist art, and that is what my games tend to represent.

The purpose is to get across a message, and convey a point. Through The Blue Sea is a bit light on the message but it is a message targeting society. It has to do with the use of drugs, that they take you to your own tiny world, where you are the only person. Then when you come down from your high you have the munchies. But I want the message to be interpreted from the game, and not told to you.

Score Menu in the Post-Compo

Post Compo version of Through the Blue Sea

I have released a Post Compo version of Through the Blue Sea. It doesn’t add new content, but it does address a number of issues that the Compo version had. I think it is important to release a Post Compo version because it gives you a chance to apply the feedback that you received for your game, and helps you to create a better game next time.

Scoring:

The scoring in the Compo version was overly simple. For ever pip you collect you gained one point. As a result  there is no different between two people who both collected all of the pips. With only a little variation it makes the Online scoreboard a bit on the boring side.

In this version I reworked the scoring system, so now you start with 100 seconds on the clock, this is then multiplied by the number of platforms you have left, then you multiply that by the score pips you have collected, and the last thing that happens is you add the count of asteroids that you collected. This turns out much more varied and interesting scores, now just because you collected all eight of the pickups, you likely did so faster or slower than someone else.

Gameplay:

The biggest Gameplay problem was the pips that couldn’t be collected. Quite often the game would randomly place the pips below the lowest platform, and spread that out across the level. This resulted in you not being able to complete the level.

I fixed this issue by generating two platforms that are always the lower that the pips, now when you are big you can collect all of the pips.

I also revised the How to Play text to mention the asteroids that make you grow larger.

One of the comments I received suggested this:

“I’d suggest automatically redirecting to another world instead of going to the main menu every time the player goes off the screen.”

I thought this was a great idea, and was implemented into the post compo version. Now if you collect all of the pickups you move to the next hardest level, if you fall off you move to the next easier world. This really makes the game more cohesive. With the new end of level scoreboard you have the choose to keep playing, or go to the main menu.

Online Scoreboard:

The Compo version would only show the highest 20 scores for each planet, so even though 232 games have been played the compo version would only show 100 results total.

The Online scoreboard has been revised, and moved. It is now a page on the main All Around Games website. The scoreboard can be sorted by time, platforms, asteroids, pips,  score, and name. You can also find development information, videos, and screen-shots all on one page.

Tiny Green Planet

Ludum Dare 23 Postmortem

This was my fourth Ludum Dare, and the biggest overall Ludum Dare yet (1402 games) The competition has only grown since I started.

The rating system in Ludum Dare 23 is for the most part like it was for Ludum Dare 22. The Community rating was removed, since most people did not rate it correctly. What I like most about the rating system is that the twenty that you see on the rate page change depending on how many games their creator made, as well as how many rating the game has had. I rated 110 games this Ludum Dare, and have around fifty-five ratings.

The one thing that I would like to see is voting opened to the public, preferably in a way that  did not force registration. I think this should be kept separate from the current scoring methods. So you could have a developers ratings (from participants) as well as a public opinion rating.

As far as the games, I think the bar was raised this Ludum Dare. I played more games than I did demo-scenes, although a few did sneak in. Overall most of the games were fun and entertaining, with some idea in them that worked really well.

This Ludum Dare I had two goals in mind before the competition started. The first one was that I wanted to make a complete game. While my games doesn’t really have a beginning, and ending It is complete. I find that score is often one of the best goals you can use in a game, because you can strive to improve that score. My other goal was to make an art game of some sort. As mentioned early Through The Blue Sea qualifies for my definition of Art Game.

Rating Games

When rating started I decided that I would be consistent this time, rather than rating a bunch of games at the end. I rated five games each day, this got me up to 100 ratings with an extra day to rate whatever I wanted. I didn’t really have a method for selecting games, I just played whatever I saw. Some-days I picked them based on the name, or all web games. I don’t really participate in Ludum Dare to rate games, or be rated, but it comes with the competition so I do my part. I tried to be consistent in how I rated, but I think I am to generous when rating…

Overall – I just average the others to a degree, so if I give mostly four stars then Overall is four stars.

Innovation – I look at what is different in this entry than the other games I have played. I tend to score 3D games high, just because of the time it takes to do 3D rather than 2D. I also tend to rate a bit on artistic merit in this category…what statement if any does the game make.

Fun – This is one of my least favorite categories. What one person finds fun, another find boring. I rate depending on the time I spend playing the game, and how enjoyable it was to play.

Theme – I rate depending on how typical the interpretation of the theme. To me a theme really shines when you get non-typical games.

Graphics – I rate the hardest in this category…but compared to most interpretatiosn of graphics I’m backwards. I’m looking for anyone that tries a different graphical style. Something minimal, surreal, expressionistic, or just abstract is rated highly for me. Pixel Art, realism, cartooning rate the lowest.

Audio – I rate easy, if you have sound effects you get 2, if you have music you get three. If they fit the game you get more.

Humor – I tend to not rate this at all, unless I feel it was intended to be humorous.

Mood – I tend to not rate the mood either, many games don’t really set a mood for me. They are just generic locations with a goal.

That is how I rated the games I played, now I want to look at my own rating. I feel more or less at the average line. This is were I expect to be, I’m not looking to appeal to the masses with my game or art, I am looking for a small supportive audience.

#467 Humor 2.15 – I’m happy with this rating, I intended the game to be funny and lighthearted, with a serious underlying issue.

#597 Audio 2.02 – I don’t really understand this rating, according to the comments this should have been really low. Almost everyone complained about the sound effects. Yet this is my second highest rating?

#756 Fun 2.15 – Happy with it, there isn’t a deeply fun element to the game. Just an average platformer.

#762 Theme 2.30 – I think this is on the low side, but the Tiny world theme is one of my least favorite.

#799 Mood 1.97 – I’m alright with this rating, I don’t think I set much of a mood.

#804 Innovation 2.04 – I think this is a bit low, how many entries had an online scoreboard, or controls that you could remap to different keys or even a gamepad. I’ll give it that the gameplay isn’t really innovative.

#838 Overall 2.17 – ok

#849 Graphics 1.89 – I have already voiced my opinion on graphics. But this was expected.

The Dreaded Tiny Red Planet

In Closing

I enjoyed participating in Ludum Dare, and will be back in August for Ludum Dare 24. I have my own clearly defined reasons and expectations from Video games and I stick to them.

I have released the post compo version of the game, you can download it from:

http://allaroundgames.net/index.php?page=throughthebluesea

Thanks for reading.

Through the Blue Sea is my entry for Ludum Dare 23, its a small randomly generated abstract platform game. You goal is to pick up all of the yellow pips, without falling off the tiny world. You can grow larger by eating the asteroids that fly in, if you don’t eat them then one of your platforms will be destroyed.

What Went Wrong:

> The Theme, on my blog I outlined the themes that I hoped would win, and Tiny World was not on of them. It took me the first six hours (Friday night for me) to come up with an idea for a platformer set on a tiny world, and then I wanted to scrap the idea all weekend as I found it an incredibly uncreative game.

> Time during the weekend, I knew going in that I would have limited time during the weekend, as I had a job going on.  This coupled with the theme, led to even less inspiration when it came to finishing the game, and more procrastination.

> Scoring, there was a point Saturday night, when I was working on the online high score table that I wondered how scoring was going to work. So I took a few minutes and decided to leave it really simple, so each pickup represents one score. Looking back now, It doesn’t give me the variation I would like to have.

> Level generation, I decided to randomly generate the play field and about half of the time it generates impossible levels. I knew about this the entire time, but decided it would help the lacking score system. Now that I have had about a week to think it over, I wish I had made it generate levels that could always be completed, or that I had added a pickup that ended the level.

> I found myself lacking a couple programs that I needed, I was using a new laptop this time, and hadn’t installed python yet, and I needed VLC. It didn’t take much time, but it would rather have already known what I needed and had it installed before hand.

Timelapse Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2zMt7cdKtw

What Went Right:

> The character, I am glad that I changed it back to a square and just added a face to the square, it fits more with what I am interested in. The first character sprite was an odd Llama Elvis creature. but I ran into issues with collisions, and it didn’t really fit with the background or platforms.

> The planets, I knew from the start that I wanted to use colors once again, the colored planets in Through The Blue Sea represents the difficulty of the generated levels (based on how many pickups, and how many platforms). So a Cool color (Blue and Green) are easier than the warm counterparts (Red and Purple), and Yellow is somewhat neutral in that it has quite a few platforms, and a bunch of pickups.

> Sounds, some people in the comments have liked them, most have hated them. I personally think they fit the strange, wierd style I was going for with the game, I mean just look at the character expression:

> Music, I once again used a python script to generate music, and it once again performed perfectly…After a few generations anyways. I then used VLC to convert to mp3.

> Online Highscore table, when I first started I didn’t plan to include one, but on Saturday I had about finished the game, and still had over 36 hours left. I made a online highscore table for my last entry (Alone in Space…) and made one for the final version of Untitled. So writing one wasn’t a big deal, in fact it only took me a half hour to have the basics working. Then I decided on how many score pips for each world and secured the highscore table using the maximum (So for the Red planet that has a maximum score of 8, any scores submitted higher than 8 are ignored)

Gameplay Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-jMNjRN77E

What is Next:

I don’t plan to do much more with Through the Blue Sea, but I do want to release a Post-Compo version that adds a better scoring system. The new scoring system would be based on a multiplier bonus, you would have 100 seconds on the clock and finishing before 0 would give you a bonus. My first idea would be to make asteroids give you a multiplier, so catching more asteroids and finishing faster would give you a higher bonus. But I am not really sure what it will be like until I do it, and it will most likely be another week or two.

Through the Blue Sea has been submitted. There are five planets each with a different number of platforms and pickups.

You can download and play it here There is also an online highscore board located here.

I’ll have a timelapse and Gameplay video up later this week.

Through the Blue Sea is more or less finished. Its a small short games, with no attempt at story telling. The Tiny World theme I still don’t care for, I find it limiting and boring.  I still believe I managed to create something that is fun, and entertaining within the limits. There is an online scoreboard, the keys are remappable (so you can use the arrow keys, or even a gamepad/joystick). The five levels are also different enough in look, feel, and playability.  The platforms are randomly place on the screen, as well as the powerups, so often enough you play a level where it is not possible to get all of the powerups, so it may take a few attempts to get all of the powerups. Munching on your first asteroid can also be tricky, and often times devastating on the harder planets.  When only four platforms are generated, you will need all of them.

I’m going to sleep on it, and see if there is anything I would like to add or change in the morning. Then I will release it.

Revised Main Menu

Asteroid Munching