Holly _ Platformer Adventure Demo

[stevmjon]

hi

 thought it was about time i showcased my demo that i have been working on for some time now.

it is a scrolling platformer with several weapons and items to use. the demo is mainly focused on the game engine, rather than an actual level.
edit:  the main character is a simple rock-man, and there is no sound or music yet.

http://www.users.on.net/~stevmjon/

https://playbasic.com/stevmjon/

hope you like it, let me know what you think.

 stevmjon

p.s.  source code included.

edit:  updated the thumbnail pic (dec 2010)

[kevin]

 Steve,

   Nice to finally see this up and running.   The game seems to run fairly well, even on the old duron system.   I liked the weapons,  but took me a while to figure out actually.    Had a look at the code and I see why it's taken so long, so It's probably a good idea you're going to rewrite it..
 
   BTW,  I used your barrel animation as an CRF demo btw.   Here (login required)

[stevmjon]

glad you liked it. i made the controls varied to suit different styles. i hope this doesn't create confusion.

method 1)  left hand= asdw  _  right hand=mouse

method 2)  left hand=keyboard  _  right hand=arrow keys

check out the 'controls' button in the menu to view all controls.

i wanted the weapons to be varied in behaviour. later, in another update, you will need your weapons to solve puzzles, as well as defence/attack.
the fire arrow isn't finished yet. the sprite just flashes orange after being hit. this will change to flames later on. the ice arrow effect will also be altered. you will be able to push the sprite when it's frozen.

i have lots of ideas yet to code. i also made the webpage where the game link goes. web packages are like learning an art program these days. click and paste. i love it.

  thanks  stevmjon

[kevin]

      It reminds me of  Shadow of the Beast III for some reason,  not visually, but where i imagine your heading with it.  More puzzle than hack and slash.   Which is a good thing, if you can get a handful of puzzle mechanisms implemented, then the level designs will almost create themselves.    You don't want to get caught up too much in this though, as sometimes less is more.   Never Dawn is good example of this.  Simple mechanics, but it works pretty well..

      Had a bit more of sticky nose through the code again (thanks for posting that btw),  what strikes me is that's it'd be  pretty labour intensity to write as well as maintain.   I would hope that with the rewrite you'll look more into the structure of things,  such as via the use of  Types and a more modular design in general.     By modular I mean, breaking the game down into a set of components (core problems) and building on top them.  Effectively abstracting the game logic from the PB command set.   This often means a little more setup time to write, but it'll make putting this all together a lot easier to develop and maintain as a program grows.   

      Ultimately,  what you should really be looking to build a 'game engine' that can play whatever level you point it at.   Ideally it's best that level creation is external/separate from the game engine.   Not only so 3rd parties can make levels (friends/family/public), but it helps separate the game code from the editor code.     

[micky4fun]

Hi stevmjon

well had a quick go of your game today , very nice graphic's and looks like it going to be a good game to play , keep up the good work , looks like you have put in loads and loads of work with this one ,
ahhhhh , starting again , well lots of work all to be done again but should come out even better

very nice start , look forward to finished version , good luck

mick :)

[stevmjon]

to kev

thanks for your input, what you mentioned is where i intend to go with my new code. i intend to make a game engine, and also a mapper/sprite creator that is seperate, and then 'connect' them both to build my levels. i have had this idea for some time now, but i wanted to finish certain things in my old code first. i have learnt so much doing this, that this code has shown me where i need to head. i have gone about this the wrong way so to speak, but it has shown me what i needed to know to code the right way.

to micky4fun

thanks for your kind words.  the graphics are made in a 3D program called lightwave 3D. i came up with an idea if making a grid to use with the 3d models, so i can line up tiles, and also so i can keep everything within proportion to each other. this way when all graphics are side by side, they are the correct size. this has helped especially when making repeatable tiles.

hopefully the new code should be made fairly quickly, as i now know what i want to achieve. i have made a lot of mini programs experimenting with different things/commands etc to understand them better. i will post as frequently as i can.


also, i intend to make the game with puzzles to solve, but only have the more difficult puzzles to access bonus levels. this will allow for better game play, as i hate being 'stuck' and not being able to continue. this lets players ignore/move on from difficult puzzles to continue their journey.

i have so many ideas...

stevmjon

[kevin]

Steve,

what you mentioned is where i intend to go with my new code. i intend to make a game engine, and also a mapper/sprite creator that is seperate, and then 'connect' them both to build my levels.

   That's good to hear, it's a little more work to set up, but the creation process is so much easier in the long run.  Plus it lets you bring in 3rd parties in to help with creating in game level puzzles.     

i have had this idea for some time now, but i wanted to finish certain things in my old code first. i have learnt so much doing this, that this code has shown me where i need to head. i have gone about this the wrong way so to speak, but it has shown me what i needed to know to code the right way.

     Seeing it through is an admirable quality.   But It's this type rethink that really helps us  improve our next efforts.     Years ago we build a series of shoot'em ups (among other things).   Enforcer / Enforcer II which later became [Thesius XII.    Long story short,  while Thesius XII was much prettier than it's descendants,  it was too difficult and time consuming to build levels for. So the build time kept blowing out.. it's still not complete today, and probably never will be  :(  -  My point being, that putting the effort into the game engine & creation tools is really worth it.           

    While on the subject, i've been meaning to knock up a bit of demo using some of your older artwork,  however, I was wondering if it'd be OK to use some of the new stuff ?.     

     I don't know what you have planning for this visually, but judging from what you've currently shown, I think with a little planning you could build the scene rendering solution that uses a combination  of rendering to video and dirty rectangles via temp fx buffers.  Which  means that you add anti aliasing to foreground grass/characters.   
Error Missing Closing Square Bracket

[stevmjon]

to kev

these graphics are just experimental at the moment. if you want to use them it is o.k.
my aim was getting the 3d scenes proportion correct.

I don't know what you have planning for this visually, but judging from what you've currently shown, I think with a little planning you could build the scene rendering solution that uses a combination  of rendering to video and dirty rectangles via temp fx buffers.  Which  means that you add anti aliasing to foreground grass/characters. 

i would like to look more into this. i haven't tried this yet. could you point me to some examples, as i want to render using the best method.
is the anti-aliasing done using the alpha layer?
i tried using afx images, they looked great, but ran slow. better advice to what i already have is greatly appreciated. this is a good time to do this while i am starting again. it can be more easily set-up.

thanks stevmjon

[kevin]

 Steve,

   

could you point me to some examples

       Try 2D Platformer Revisited - Parallax Version,   shows various similar approaches in use.   

   

is the anti-aliasing done using the alpha layer?

        yep.   

   

i tried using afx images, they looked great, but ran slow.

         I can imagine.  The cost of rendering a blended pixels, is far greater than a opaque ones.     I recommend reading the  Tutorials under   Program Optimization.  These cover everything you need to know. 

[stevmjon]

hello

just letting you know i am still working on my new program. it is comming along much faster and better than the old one.

i took a screen grab of the new render method i am using. depending on your computer, it is either slightly faster or slower than the older method. so to average it out, it is pretty much the same speed. for me, this is exciting.

the graphics are changed also. i am having fun with my 3D program again.
i hope to make a main character soon. i will study rigging and character movement for my 3D program. should be fun, i hope.


thanks,  stevmjon

[micky4fun]

Hi stevmjon

Clad to here that its coming along a faster than the old one , its looking very nice graphicly at the moment , hope you get this up and running soon , think we are all looking forward to this being finished

all the best and keep tapping away

mick ;D

[stevmjon]

thanks micky4fun.
  i am glad you like the newer graphics. it is amazing at how different the tree looks from reply#9 above, even though the tree image is exacly the same. i only used the standard render method (front screen / back screen) for the whole time i coded the first demo. when i finally learnt the afx alpha method, even i was amazed at the difference. it is amazing the difference using the alpha layer makes.

drawing all graphics to a screen sized fx image (system memory), then drawing this image to the backscreen(video memory), then sync to the front screen to view it was the trick.  you just need to remeber to attach the camera to the fx image, and use capture to scene. when the camera is drawn, everything in the scene buffer is drawn to the fx image. important for alpha blending images/tiles.

i will keep you updated as i get more done.  stevmjon

[stevmjon]

hello

another update. i have now added a mapper that you can use during gameplay. it lets you change the walking height for each individual tile (see pic). i prefer having each pixel (horizontally) its own height, because it allows for uneven ground.

once done, just save, and the next time you play, it will load the data from your saved file.
now i have learnt how to save and read a file, i can work on saving and loading a game.  :o

stevmjon

[stevmjon]

just letting you know, i am still working on my new game.

progress has been much faster with this one (@10 months), compared to my other game (@4 years).
been learning new techniques & more commands. i have even made a mapper.

i have just added an animated main character. you can test my new demo anytime from my website.
http://www.users.on.net/~stevmjon/
scroll to the bottom of the webpage to download new game demo.

tell me what you think of the main character movements.

  have fun, stevmjon

p.s. source code included

[kevin]

    The demo looks good and feels nice and slick as always !  - Had a quick look-see at the code before, and  it seems like you've made some improvements.  But, there's certainly some room to move in that regard. but anyways.