Haxe Planets by jfroco

made by jfroco for LD23 (COMPO)

Haxe planets are planets that have the most precious metal in the universe: Haxe - the fuel of intergalactic ships.

You are in the base of one of these planets. Your first mission is to get out of the base and get Haxe.

***
This is a one button platformer. Press space to jump, avoid enemies, and try to get the exit of each level.

This game was made using the following:

Coding: Haxe
Library: NME
IDE: Flash Develop
Sound: SFXR+Audacity
Music: ChordPulse+GXSCC+Audacity
Graphics: Paint.net+Gimp2

The game was tested succesfully in Flash, Android, HTML5 and Wndows native using the same source code, unfortunately sound is not working very well except in Flash, so I'm submitting only the Flash version for the contest.

***UPDATE 20120424 (Please don't use to rate)
Native windows version
Android version
SWF: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4281970/ld23/tiny.swf

***UPDATE 20120425
Video of Haxe Planets running in an Android tablet_:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_QOyBrR_Ns

***UPDATE 20120429
A post compo version based on all the feedback I have received:
Blog: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2012/04/28/haxe-planets-feedback-based-post-compo-version/
Play (web): http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4281970/ld23/tiny2.html

Web	http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4281970/ld23/tiny.html
Windows (Flashplayer)	http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4281970/ld23/tiny.exe
Source	http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4281970/ld23/SRC.rar
Windows (native)	http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4281970/ld23/tiny_cpp.zip
Android	http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4281970/ld23/MinggaPlatform-debug.apk
Original URL	https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-23/?action=preview&uid=2085

Ratings

Coolness	73%	3
Overall	2.90	471

Audio	3.17	157
Fun	2.40	659
Graphics	3.10	326
Humor	1.89	607
Innovation	3.09	362
Mood	2.82	339
Theme	2.00	837

Feedback

SidetrackGames

23. Apr 2012 · 08:37 UTC

I like how you challenge normal control methods, allthough it doesnt feel right - yet. I think it has potential :)

schattenkind.net

24. Apr 2012 · 21:19 UTC

I love it. The music! The first song is so easy lazy great! Please make an OST! The game is quit challenging and i like one button games.

🎤 jfroco

25. Apr 2012 · 03:34 UTC

@SidetrackGames at least its a beginning ;)

@schattenkind.net Thank you. I wish I had more time for music :) I'm glad to see you like my game!!!

gavin5564

25. Apr 2012 · 03:38 UTC

Great graphics, Would have liked to be able to control the character myself tho. Either way good job.

uprightpath

25. Apr 2012 · 03:40 UTC

While I could play it, I did have some issues, primarily with the player's hit box. It seemed as though you're using a much larger box to detect collisions (As least left and right) which makes some things like jumping onto the first ledge sort of counter intuitive.

Zillix

25. Apr 2012 · 03:43 UTC

Pretty tough, but still fun and a really neat idea!

🎤 jfroco

25. Apr 2012 · 03:48 UTC

@gavin5564... yes, but I wanted to try a full left-right-jump platform game with just one button/touch :)

@uprightpath.. yes the hitbox is larger than the player gfx, and havent had time to correct it as I developed my own (super simple rectangle to rectangle) collision function. I will correct it in the next version.

30dogs

25. Apr 2012 · 04:04 UTC

Simple concept, I understood immediately what was going on. However it was pretty difficult for a few reasons you probably already know of. I think right off the bat a huge improvement would be if you could control the height of your jump slightly with your click duration. Good stuff though, the screen-wrapping was a good choice!

EddM

25. Apr 2012 · 16:19 UTC

Very simple to grasp, but very, very hard. I like the suggestion that others have made to be able to control the height of the jump.

m4c0

26. Apr 2012 · 02:10 UTC

Great game, but very difficult. The only problem is the second enemy: we need luck to pass it. I love the music and sound

Tom 7

26. Apr 2012 · 03:19 UTC

Argh! So frustrating! I like the idea in principle of not being able to control my dude except for jumping. I think it would have been okay with just the platforms (which are hard), but those spiders just make it a matter of waiting for the timing to work out (the first one might be the worse one, too)... and if I die I have to start over! The graphics are good, too.

orangepascal

26. Apr 2012 · 06:38 UTC

very challenging! I like it, especially the one button mechanic

gingerbeast

26. Apr 2012 · 11:02 UTC

Nice idea - at first I hated the one button control - but then I started to like it (as I got better at it). Would have been nice to have a checkpoint halfway up between the exits :) To make it easier.

arhpositive

26. Apr 2012 · 11:38 UTC

Nice game overall, but couldn't beat it :) pretty hard. but had a lot of fun while playing, mixed with a little frustration :)

moop

26. Apr 2012 · 17:22 UTC

Nice concept. The enemies could feel a little frustrating due since the player often doesn't have enough control to avoid them.

Ben

26. Apr 2012 · 21:58 UTC

Good job. The enemies were really frustrating though, but it's nice to have a challenge now and again

RobProductions

26. Apr 2012 · 22:21 UTC

Too hard! But nice sprites and animations. Music didn't really match the game, though...

Hattered

29. Apr 2012 · 04:32 UTC

Nice take on one-button control. Walking-man's head collides with more than its fair share, but I think the constant jump-height added nicely to the puzzle element. That floaty guy at the top of level two needs to be tried for crimes against humanity.

🎤 jfroco

29. Apr 2012 · 05:21 UTC

@Zillix Thank you for your feedback
@30dog, Thank you for your feedback, I implemented double jumo in post-compo version. Yes, I think screen wrapping is a core element of the gameplay.
@EddM Thank you. Theres is double jump in the post-compo version
@m4c0 Yes, I'm planning to implement other element to avoid this luck-issue.
@Tom 7 Yes, I noticed that after the compo. I added checkpoints to the post-compo version.
@orangepascal Thank you for your feedback
@gingerbeast Thank you, I added checkpoints to the post-compo version, now the game is a little too easy I think :)
@arhpositive Thank you for your feedback. I know it's a little frustrating, when I was testing my game I couldn't finish it.. that's frustrating
@moop I'm planning to implement a new game element to avoid them
@Ben: thank you for yout feedback
@RobProductions: I wish I had more time to work in the music. I'm planning to leave the main theme in the introduction and add a new music during gameplay.
@Hattered hahaha.. best comment. Thank you for your feedback

tcstyle

29. Apr 2012 · 07:20 UTC

Great idea but way too difficult. Often one bad jump at the end of the level kills.
The graphics and music are nice.

summaky

29. Apr 2012 · 09:15 UTC

I wish there were some sort of checkpoints, because I hate having to restart the level from the beginning when I am so close to the exit. And it happened a LOT of times. Other than the difficulty, I enjoyed the game, especially the music which is awesome!

Jezzamon

29. Apr 2012 · 10:10 UTC

Jezzamon

29. Apr 2012 · 10:18 UTC

Interesting. The graphics are fairly good, except for the main character. The music is also pretty good, especially for a 48 hour time period. The thing that bugs me about this game is that the character seems to jump too high, and isn't very controllable. It's kind annoying when there a situation where you HAVE to die and can't do anything about it, and then you have to restart the entire level. :C

So yeah the only thing I would suggest is making the character jump higher when you hold down jump, and less when you just tap it.

EDIT Oh I see that you've made another version. Yes the double jumping helps make it more controllable.

If you're worried about it being too easy you could remove the checkpoints, because the main reason I was annoyed was when I died when it didn't seem like my fault.

You can just leave it though. It's still not too bad.

The main problem with the difficulty in the first version is that there's no gradual increase in difficulty, it's hard from the very beginning.

Also, I'm curious to how you developed the game, and how you converted it into an app version. Unfortunately I can't look at the source code because Macs can't decompress .rar's. :C

AD-Edge

29. Apr 2012 · 10:44 UTC

Not really my kind of game (dont like the whole one button thing going on, makes controlling the character frustrating)
But its one of the nicer looking LD entries, so points for that.

Jiggawatt

29. Apr 2012 · 11:32 UTC

Pretty difficult, yeah. The first level(s) should be just a "retard check". I think what makes this slightly unfair is the unnaturally large hitbox of the player.

Delightful concept and presentation, and I love how you addressed the issues in the post-compo versions.

netguy204

29. Apr 2012 · 14:37 UTC

I like the original gameboy-throwback graphics. That was my favorite part.

The one button control is definitely innovative... but also astoundingly frustrating given the puzzles you present to the player. For example, anything involving enemies is a timing challenge but I have no reasonable way to control the timing of the encounter.

Very Innovative, but the single button control coupled with the level design = frustration for me instead of fun.

deepnight

29. Apr 2012 · 19:55 UTC

Very challenging and it makes the player tackle the classic platformer problems in a very interesting way :) However it tends to be very frustrating :)

Nice job! I also made my game in full haxe (but no NME) ;)

derosa

29. Apr 2012 · 20:12 UTC

Fun, but sometimes the collisions don't look right.

Danik

29. Apr 2012 · 22:45 UTC

Simple and clever game, would work really well on mobile with some more work and polish!

Fireblend

01. May 2012 · 01:43 UTC

Got a bit frustrating when you had no choice but to either fall back in the level, or crash against an enemy due to not being able to at least stop.

Lythom

01. May 2012 · 12:13 UTC

I'm sorry but, I couldn't enjoy the game because...
The gameplay is frustrating and not that interesting
The level design is clean but hero design is weird
All black and white
The very repetive music synergize with frustrating gameplay to give even more frustration >.<
I Can't find relation between the game and the 'Tiny World' theme

Fortunatly...
The game does work from beggining to end
You listened to feedbacks and the improved version is really more fun
Multi-plateform !

Overall: it's not a game I really enjoyed (you can't please everyone, no big deal!), but you succeeded in creating a game which is the goal here.
Thanks for your game =)

Tourgen

01. May 2012 · 23:38 UTC

I liked the music loop and the graphics.

Cosmologicon

02. May 2012 · 07:34 UTC

I liked the mechanic a lot. I'm really glad you didn't make the controls like a regular platformer. That would defeat the whole purpose. I would, however, have liked more control over my horizontal motion. One way is to make it reverse whenever you jump, or you could give the character less or more horizontal motion when jumping. The levels were frustratingly hard. Being hard itself is not a problem, but whether I got past them had more to do with luck than skill. It was all about whether the critters happened to be in the right place at the right time. Thanks, and good luck!

Ranoka

04. May 2012 · 09:28 UTC

Nice little game you made, nice to see you using Haxe! Nice one button platformer, with GameBoy style palette and iPhone style orientation. The alien at the top of the first screen was really hard to get past!

Pixelulsar

05. May 2012 · 15:07 UTC

I felt that it was a bit too luck based, you just had to hope that you were going to miss the enemies when you got to them.

Pierrec

06. May 2012 · 14:33 UTC

The gameplay remind me Tiny Hawk (which is not a bad critic). The game feels good, but I think the moving ennemies are a problem...because in the end, you really need some luck to finish the levels. It is quite impossible to find the correct pattern...you should work on it! :)

marudziik

06. May 2012 · 19:55 UTC

A very good idea, but lacks in execution. After n-th time eaten by those flying things most sane people will ragequit. On the other hand, graphically it's very consistent, the audio is very good and I personally love that the game can be played on Android. It's a good compo entry but I'd like to see it a little bit more polished.

ehtd

07. May 2012 · 03:46 UTC

Interesting controls, but not quite good... I believe it removes a lot of control from the player. Maybe with some tweaks it will greatly improve. Nice innovation.

Drabiter

07. May 2012 · 04:35 UTC

It's fun but very hard.

Make A Game

09. May 2012 · 22:15 UTC

Tried five times and I couldn't get to the top of the first room with the proper timing to avoid the last enemy.

azurenimbus

10. May 2012 · 03:19 UTC

I really liked your game, especially the core mechanics and the presentation. I felt you really did a good job developing the ramifications of the core concept, but that you should make some improvements in the gameplay. The bounciness could be a little unnerving, and there were some collision problems, when the character wouldn't go in between the blocks even though it looked like he should.

Otherwise, great entry!