7 Day First Person Shooter Aurora Puzzle game

Last week I participated in 7dfps I had a few idea from the start, but settled on one that I though would be cool. A first person puzzle game set in the Ythmeven universe. This is an idea I have had for a while now, and 7dfps gave me an excuse to make the game. You can play it here, and my submission page is here.

First I want to talk about the tools that I used.

– Construct 2: I used the newest beta R94 that had the loading screen (that is used) I was also able to reuse the loading screen as an updating screen. I didn’t have any problems getting Construct 2 to do what I wanted.

– PHP: There is actually a fair bit of PHP behind the Aurora puzzle game, but for the most part php was only used to fetch information from a MySQL database.

-MySQL: I used MySQL to store information. The map (the entire two rooms) are loaded dynamically from the MySQL database. I also stored the messages form the msg board in the mysql database and they are fetched from there.

What went wrong:

– Too large of scope. This type of game is gimped by the fact that there are only two puzzles, and neither are particularly challenging or unique.

– Puzzles I need more of them, but the last day I had around four hours to add puzzles.

– Other activities, they took away from my time, but they were more important than making a game.

– Php, MySQL, and using the Ajax Construct 2 object. It took too long for me to get everythign loading correctly from the database.

What went right:

-PHP, Mysql, and the Ajax Construct 2 object. It a really cool way to store information that can be used to a multiplayer-ish game, of an almost MMO scale. It would be hard to actualy show players, but you could have indirect interactions such as the message board, or moving a puzzle piece.

-Construct 2: Went right, it was easy to use and probably the only reason there was any game features.

What is next:

-I plan to update the game with more content, but I’m not sure when I will start that. I plan to develop several games set in the Ythmeven universe to set the scene for the game.

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June the Game

About a week ago, on June 1st I released a small one level game called June. This is the first game is a series of, you guess it, twelve. Each month will have it own small game. My goal is sixty seconds of playtime, or somewhere around there.

Title Screen

I wanted to work with a couple concepts when I created the game.

1. The aspect ratio, for those of you that played, or saw I Threw the Red, you may recognize the aspect from Mini Ludum Dare #34. 1024 by 128 pixels, a long and narrow play-field. The most challenging part about this aspect ratio, is giving any kind of instructions, in a coherent manner. Making a game that fits inside the bounds is actually one of the easy parts. I wanted to use this aspect because I knew it would fit nicely on the website.

2. After seeing Sos Soswki’s website that has a game like background the moves. Yet I couldn’t figure out how to control the character. I though it would be really cool, and fitting if a website about games, had a game that was playable on it, right in your face. So now when you visit the All Around Games website, the first thing under the navigation is June the Game, and later the other months will be there.

3. I have long been inspired by Suzuki Harunobu, a famous Japanese Ukiyo-e printmaker. I pull two major ideas for the game from his works, as well as Ukiyo-e prints in general. The first is the coloring, June uses only a few colors and they are for the most part solid. I did not want to blend the colors together to much. Most of the graphics only use three colors, that are selected to be light and translucent. One of Harunobu’s series is a calendar in which he creates a print for each month, based on a famous poem. I used this in two ways, first the general idea, to make one game for each month. The second is that I wrote a poem (haiku inspired three line poem) about the month, at least the way that I see it in my life. The last thing that I was inspired by was the subject matter of many Ukiyo-e print. Many have to do with day to day life, and the ukiyo-e print were sold to the lower class as a form of art that anyone could obtain, unlike a Rembrandt or Picasso painting. SO in June, I choose an activity that is very common in the month. Mowing your lawn.

In the game you control the lawnmower, and must mow all of the grass tiles, while avoiding the rocks. You also want to pick up the dog toys for a higher score. There is a tree that you have to mow around as well. I wanted to use a mediocre or boring subject and turn it into a game. I hope you will go play it, if you haven’t already. Also be sure to check out the high score-table, that is organized by date. Click here to go play June.

 

Next week is 7dFPS and I hope to participate, I’ll post more on this soon after I prototype out a game. I’m leaning towards using Construct 2, and making a 2D first person puzzle click game.

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Websites

I want to make games, but instead I make websites… at least that is how it feels this week. I have been revising and creating a couple websites and I wanted to blog about that today.

Untitled Website:

This was the first website that I started revising, I also haven’t finished revising it yet. I’ve put the revision on hold, but it is still looking better than it was before. There is a new download button, the leader board on the first page also show ten from each difficulty now.  I have a few other thing that I want to do, but I think its going to wait. Sometime this summer I am planning to rebuild Untitled using Construct 2, so you will be able to play it in the browser. (the downloaded client will still be supported, and have many features that the web version won’t)

Image Website

Near the end of last week I tweeted about creating a php page that would generate thumbnail images for me. This website is the result of that script. I wanted the image URLs to look nicer, so instead of being something like /data/img/image1.png I set up a sub domain for the /img/ folder. I also knew that I wanted thumbnails so I created a php script that re sizes the images and saves a thumbnail image (Don’t need a new thumbnail generated ever page view). I wrote them as functions, so now to display a thumbnail I just call a php function that will check to see that the image exists, then that the thumbnail exists (if not it generates a thumbnail) then it will display the thumbnail with a link to the full image.

All Around Games Website:

The last website revision is the main All Around Games website. The first revision was to the banner. When I designed the website back in 2010 I intended to add character from the games to the banner. But we never got to the point that we had character to add. Now I decided to add screenshots from the games I have made so far, and that adds a nice rollover effect. The Games page was also updated, and makes use of the new image functions. There are now screenshots for all of the games, including the Ludum Dare jam games. The Game Jam games also all have their own page now, that you can find links and video on. There were a few other small changes, but i’ll let you find them.

 

I am also working on a new website, that will launch on Friday June 1st, but you’ll see what it is then.

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MiniLD 34: I Threw the Red

Most of my finals for college were finished the friday before Mini Ludum Dare 34 Aspect started. This is the first Mini LD I have participated in, and was decided ina  split second decision.

I made a game called I Threw the Red, and you can play it here.

I had been wanting to use Construct 2 for some time now, and this presented a good time to try it out. I knew that from using Construct Classic I would know most of the basic features in Construct 2. Some thing were changed or renamed, but I didn’t have any trouble creating a game.

I used the 1024 by 128 pixel aspect ratio, and make a platformer game. The game is a sequel to Through the Blue Sea, and reuses many of the assets. It is a different game though, there are ten levels, with two characters.

In the description for the game I stated “Two acts, with five massive endless ending levels. ” this came from a recently released Steam game, that claimed “huge, endless environments” when in reality the maps are a bit on the small side. Its this kind of false advertising that I hate, and though I would be clever and make it a total contradicting statement.

I intended there to be a lose story that the player could interpret for themselves. I not sure that it really got that but in my mind, the first part of the game is collecting the pieces to make the character for the second one. Something of a love story in my mind.

The gameplay is very simple, jump from platform to platform and collect the red pip. The Yellow pips will add to your score. There is once again an Online High-score table.

I intend to purchase a license for Construct 2 sometime this week, then I look forward to recreating older projects in html5 so that more players can play it. In my Through the Blue Sea Postmortem 2 post I mentioned flash and web games as having the reputation of shitty flash game. I still see flash games that way, but I see my own games as shitty games. Its a little misleading, I don’t mean that the games themselves are bad, or not fun to play. It has more to do with the size of them, most web games tend to be small, short, and fast. Most downloaded games tend to offer at least eight hours of gameplay.

What appeals to me the most about a web game is the accessibility, it can be played on almost any platform, and it easier to play (no download). My issues with it is there is almost no customization, even remappable keymaps are not possible (though multiple keys that are preconfigured are) Sound music, and graphics would be hard to change on just the users end. In the end though I think accessibility wins out over customization.

I still stuck to the basic level design theme from Through the Blue Sea, the cool colors are easy, and the warm colors are harder. there are also more pickups in the cool colors than in the warm colors.

The idea of having a  red pip or goal pip is actually my first idea from Through the Blue Sea. But in the end I thought it would be to simple a game. With i Thre the Red, I wanted to make a simple game, as I  had limited time. I just wanted to get a feel for Construct 2 and see what I could do with it.

I had a lot of funr with this Mini Ludum Dare, and I want to continue with the 1024 by 128 aspect. This aspect ratio is the perfect size for a banner on a website, so what I am thinking is making one for each month of the year, and depending on what month it is the website will show a different game.

I think it would be cool to have a game development website, with a game on each page. They will be small simple score games, that will be easy to play.

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Through the Blue Sea Post-Compo version Released

I have finished the revisions to Through the Blue Sea, I included most suggestions made by the comments, as well as a few of my own observations from playing the game.

You can download the post-compo version here. As well as read about the development, watch the videos, and view the high score table.

The biggest change is the scoring system, the initial forty-eight hour version was lacking when it came to scoring. Another cool feature is the Continue button, that will take you through the planets depending on if you win or lose. If you lose on red you go to purple, lose on purple and you go to yellow (and so on) if you win (by getting all of the pips) you move to the next harder planet. This version the score is much more varied based on how many platforms, pips, asteroids, and time. A more detailed analysis can be read in the second postmortem.

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Ludum Dare 23 – Week 3 Games

Sunday:

TinyNuke by levelbylevel – A 2D platformer score game. It has some great sound effects.

Tiny World by pag – A short game about collecting tiny planets to help colonize a large planet. Avoid the red, collect the others. Has music and sound.

Tiny world by cocoloco113 – You can move a character sprite back and forth across a screen…but nothing else.

Tiny World by piterlouis – A score game, that you have to defend a tiny planet from incoming colored asteroids, while letting some through.

Tiny World? Yes! by MickeyBlumental– A score game, you control two characters, one that can destroy the spaceships, and you have to protect the other who is vulnerable.

Monday: (A day of Dual Titled Web games)

Tiny War by Aidan – A twin stick platformer shooter game. Have music and sound effects.

Tiny War by VDOgamez – A strategy game, more or less the same as Galcon, just with rotating planets.

Tiny World War by hannobraun – A strategy game, use your satellites to control the world, before your friends controls it instead (2 player game)

Tiny World War by jimmypaulin – A top down shooter game…except you forgot your gun so you can dive and crawl.

Cruel space by Stalker_23b– A really cool shooter game that is set on tiny worlds. 3D Unity game.

Tuesday:

Phi-projekt by Ailys – A music creation platform.

(Tiny) Worlds of Illusion by madmaw – oh man…a game about optical illusions, most optical illusions go right over me, and I don’t see them. This game was no different, just looks like black or colored dots to me.

100seconds’World by Angerus – A game about a planet that lives and dies in 100 seconds. You get to build or plant on the planet to get a score.

2 Tiny Gods by Tulrath – Capture planets, and shoot things, what else should a god do?

6 Degrees of Sabotage by dukope – This is a game about perception, you have to catch five people who passed a note around.

Wednesday:

so small by davidpeter – A click adventure game.

70 seconds left by emveyh – A score game, your goal is to destroy buildings and get the highest score.

9Lives by TheGamingProject – A platform adventure game about cat people.

A Cube Race by EddNorris – A 3D platformer puzzle game.

A Flying Shame by spiral – A score game based on distance traveled.

Thursday:

Inside My Radio by TurboDindon – A music game, that you have to move with the tempo.

Tiny World by God Mode Edition – A strategy game you play got, and need to keep your followers happy.

ONLY US by Datamosh – An exploration platformer game.

A Giant Step by Quinas – A game that you try to avoid smashing stuff on the floor.

a little place. by startling – A game of war between circles and squares, between white and color. Strategy in nature.

Friday:

Planet Gravity by Jens Nolte – A game that you have to survive for as long as possible without floating away.

Spaceways by roundcrisis – A strategy game, a good well rounded entry.

Incursion by Jerm – Kill the monsters, without dying. Multiple levels, but on the hard side.

Tiny Adventures In SPACE by Jacic – A game set it space, avoid sharp objects, collect food objects.

It’s a Small World: The F.P.S. by philhassey – Shoot the target game…its silly 🙂

Saturday:

Planet Life by Sos – The only thing that is missing from the cycle of life intended by society is shitting…the food has to come out.

Zephyr by cadin – A game about guiding forest spirits down to land on flowers. Score based.

Out for arrest by Kyatric – A locate the bad guys game.

Solar Thief by JellyFame – A top down shooter game set in space, go from planet to planet and destroy the enemies.

A Tiny Planet by PabloAlexandre31  – An adventure game about gaining power.

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Ludum Dare 23 – Week 2 Games

Sunday:

Lilac.27 by oddgoo – A 3D platformer game with 2D character and enemies, and really nice graphics overall.

Space Bear by madflame991 – A 2D game in space, you play a giant bear head, and have to recover stars to save the tiny planet earth.

Mini Marauders! by xBlinkedx – A 2D game that you try to avoid Marauders while pillaging gold.

Tiny Shards by Gabriel – A 2D platformer game, that is complete with music, sound, multiple weapons, and a story.

Quarky by sythe – A 2D puzzle game, you have to collect the key, while avoiding the enemy then go into the portal. You can place bombs to destroy blocks in your way.

Monday:

Tiny Squareheads by Indyo – A platform game, with sounds, music, and a story about opening strawberry jam.

Tiny Robot Island by Blanky – An Adventure game, trade with other NPC’s and get rich.

Mini-Worlds and Monocles by Zed – A platform game, that you collect all of the pickups, while avoiding the monsters. A feature complete game.

My Kid Dropped The Planet by MadGnomeGamer – A puzzle game, that your slingshot a planet around bouncing it off objects to reach a goal pot.

48 hour MMO by mikolalysenko – Its a working MMOish game, played in the web browser, kill rats, then players.

Tuesday:

Cloud Realm by Hempuli – A game about a floating cloud world, and a boss attacking said world. You have to fight off the boss.

Backyard Pirates by bompo – Arggghhhh! (3D game)

A day in your Life by superstu – A game about survival on a tiny world.

Alien Punch! by dcolgan – A defend the planet type game.

Hamster Bowling by tfendall – Help the hamster bowl by drying his hands.

Wednesday:

Nobody by Yapikom – A platformer about rescuing your sheep.

Tiny Drop by Lobster Games – a platform game, you play a droplet.

Space Bees Attack! by Dylan McCall – A mix of Cover Orange and Tetris, sadly marred by technical issues.

Tiny Maze by LeReveur – A platformer maze game.

World Panic! by raarlac – A no weapon bullet hell game.

Thursday:

SAVE YOUR FOLKS! by ilikescifi – Destroy the building, without killing the people…unless they are already dead in that case, kill them again.

Astrosurf by Jimjam – A 3D game that your guide your planet to the wormhole.

Ant Slayer by Kharza – A 3D first person shooter, you versus the ants. A short, but mostly complete game, with sound effects, music, multiple weapons, only thing lacking is more levels.

Life in jar by Ghostik – A 3D strategy game, you don’t have direct control over any character, but you assign them jobs to carry out. A feature complete entry.

World In A Bottle by Serilyn – A strategy game, you plant a world, and keep it balanced.

Friday:

Micro World by Oye Beto – This is a score based game with mouse controls, more the Micro SD card around and gather data. Its a short but solid entry, that has a great background song.

Children of DiscoDroid by Per – Defeat the boss, by using dancing robots to attack him.

Shrink-O-Matic 9000 by GameNacho – A platformer game, shrink a block to go through, and avoid hitting other blocks.

Invasion Of Tiny World by gregdevice – A platform game, that you control a mech and stomp on tanks and cities. All controled by the mouse.

Tiny Whirled Piece by Martoon – A puzzle game that you have to align and lock in on an object, match it speed. all before you crash into it. a complete entry with music and sound.

Saturday:

Planetship by s0ulcrusher – A space game, you control a tiny colony ship, with the task of keeping them alive, not running out of fuel, and finding a new planet. 3D game complete with sound and music.

Zombie Fish by Ethanh59 – You play as the Zombie fish, with the goal of eating all of the other fish.

We Fall Again by komradus – I never found the game, just a ladder. it looks nice, and sounds ok, just doesn’t do anything

WaterdropWorld by barigorokarl – A neat platform game, you need to gather resources to return to the clouds, before you hit the ground.

TMORPG by goffmog – a MMORPG type game, played in the browser. it has combat and works, but lacks content.

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