I finally got around to create a primitive edit mode. So now I can start building the level.

A shame I have no good ideas for it.

Tags: editor, journal, screenshot

I just finished implementing parallax scrolling background objects for my game.  There is currently a nice cloud layer, a far plateau layer, and a near plateau layer all that move by in different speeds based on their distance.  I’m really quite happy with it so far.

I find I am not making much gameplay progress because it has been so relaxing for me to watch the train and dessert go by.  I have to start implementing some game play now!

Here is the latest test exe if any windows users wanna check it out! Left and Right arrow keys move viewport.  ESC to quit.

Tags: demo, exe, gosu, mono, monochrome, ruby, train

I decided to go with the theme “Swarms.”  Here is a mockup of what the final game might look like:

I already have the people and aliens running around.  They don’t exactly “swarm” in any coordinated manner, but I’m not going to worry too much about it.

After lunch I’ll impliment the player’s ship, tractor beam, tossing aliens, and alien ships.  I’m just going to hack this together as quickly as I can.

Well, I missed the start of the competition again, but this time I don’t think I’m going to rush to get something done. I think I’ve entered 4 programming comps in the last month and a half, and I need to get away from the computer.

However, you can see my entry for the Java 4k Game competition, if you like. Basically you’re a guy in a spooky house trying to scare ghosts away from your friends before your friends are “eaten.”

Run in an Applet

Run in Java Webstart

I got back to work about two hours ago (although I did stay up for an extra hour or two last night after saying I would sleep), and the game is coming along quite well.

Most importantly, I have managed to add some of the extra gameplay ideas I had yesterday. The gameplay is now some kind of mix of asteroids and puzzle bobble – with an infection theme, and in glorious monochrome…

I’ve also added a score (as you can see in the screenshot), and some basic sound effects – my musical skills are best described as NULL, so I’m not sure I’m going to add much more, but perhaps I’ll generate something with DrPetter’s sfxr if I think it’ll fit in (I found the debian/ubuntu binary package here if anyone’s looking for one as I’m getting unmet dependency problems installing libgtk to compile from source at the mo.)

Still to do – lives, deaths, writing the score to the file, and some better physics – but it’s come along.

Tags: infection, pygame, python, sfxr, ubuntu

If you look closely.. you see the hero of the monochrome train!

I have now added three train car types of various heights.  You can now fall off or in between cars and die.  The train cars detach from the train when they hit the left side of the screen.  The velocity of the car is transfered to the hero so he drifts with them correctly.  He can now jump between all the cars with the jump from lowest car to highest being possible but tricky.  The game is over if you fall off and die or if you get swept off to the left of the screen.   You are supposed to advance to the head of the train but there are no enemies yet or win condition.  Only death…. and that is not handled gracefully.. if you ‘die’ the game ends abruptly.

For the brave, here is the current windows build exe.

Use arrow keys to move left, right, and jump! ESC to quit.

Tags: demo, exe, gosu, mono, monochrome, ruby, train

justnoticed the compo an hour a go.  Will do something quick and experimental for tomorrow

towlr? I barely knew ‘er!

Tags: Add new tag, colour, monochrome

Almost final version of my monochromatic Zombii (NOT zombie) game. It’s a classic top-down shooter in which you have one goal: kill all zombiis. Enjoy.

So, just found out about this tonight and thought I’d make up for the fact that I still haven’t finished my LD13 entry yet 😀 I’ve got an idea for something using the “Minimalist” theme; will start work on it tomorrow morning (I’ve only got till 5pm here, so it’ll probably be fittingly minimal, heh).

I thought I’d post the game in it’s current state as I’m heading for more sleep – I’ve updated the physics a bit and tweaked the game logic, but I have to make it tougher, save the scores to a file, add some kind of game-over screen, and dig out an old windows box to see if I can remember how to make an exe from python (py2exe?).

[same screenshot as before – except with lives]

Feel free to have a play and comment – You’ll need python and PyGame – then just run main.py

You can download it here…

It’s a simple idea, but I hope it’s fun (I’ll make it tougher to play by the end).

Tags: demo, infection, pygame

It’s amazing! It’s wonderful! It has potatoes.

Get it here. Uses C++ and SDL. Written & compiled in MSVC++ 2008 Express edition. MS Paint & GIMP for graphics. SFXr & Musagi for the sound & music that didn’t make it in.

Note: this is the Debug build because for some reason the Release build refuses to compile.

EDIT: See new post (http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2009/01/11/balloon-game-update) for version that should actually work.

Tags: Balloon, C++, monochrome, musagi, SDL, sfxr

Here’s my entry. You control a spider that is in dire need of getting more legs. Sort of.

Download
Windows 32-bit binary with D source

Instructions
Collect all powerups to complete level. This will give you a time bonus.
If time runs out or if you fall outside the world, the level ends, but you are left with the score you got for any collected powerups.

Controls
Enter to start game.
Esc to quit (also at level over etc).
Left click/hold to set target. Speed based on distance.
Right click/hold to set target and jump.

Hints
You need to walk slowly to round edges.
You can only sort of jump away from the current surface you are on.

Source
Some source was previously written, but only sort of texture loading, font rendering and some init code.

Uses GLFW, FModEx, sfxr and some other stuff.

Also, note that the title bar is a total lier. The game did not take 32h to make, but 40h. That math is tricky stuff.

(For the framework stuff, the score is read from and written to ‘score.txt’.)

Tags: D, final, fmodex, GLFW, opengl, screenshot, spider

I’m only starting really, but here’s a progress shot:

Still need to implement… well, everything… 😮

I’m really not in control of the design process here. I’m making up restriction as I go along, constantly changing directions. The good thing is however that as I add restrictions, the amount of possible out comes drastically shrink. Currently the game is about being a cell and trying to eat other cells to grow, while looking out for “bad” cells, that will eat our shrink you.

All seen from the perspective of a microscope. It does it look kind of interesting, but it is far from fun yet.

Tags: bloobs, cells, growth

Well.. my working title is evolving a little from “Monochrome Train”.   Anyway, here is the update:

I have been working like mad during this miniLD#6.  I worked 12 hours on Friday, 17 hours yesterday, and now I have a little over 5hours left to at least wrap up the gameplay.  At this point I’m going into triage mode again like many LD format competitions force us.  In a last minute rabid attempt to cram and adjust all the critical features that will turn a project from a demo into a  game.  This being my third LD type event I have yet to feel that I’ve suceeded within the timeframe.  Not sure this time will be any different yet but at least a big difference is that this time I have been able to play my game a LOT more during creation.  Probably to the detriment of the timeline a little.  I guess that is a good sign though.  Anyway, 8am EST is almost here and that is when my crunch time begins.  I have made a critical todo list to accomplish during this time and we’ll see how it goes!

CRUNCH LIST:

• score file handling to support matrins compo requirements
• detecting most primitive form of ‘you win’ condition when reaching locomotive at head of train
• enemies – spawning, moving, fighting, dieing, dodging (of some type)
• simple player / enemy animations for the logic I have coded so far (right now there is no animation)
• simple event sounds
• tiny train like soundtrack loop (update: DONE @ 9am)
• how to page?  I am confused on this because due to the matrin framework requirement– I was planning on using his idea of the 400×400 image in his framework to provide how tos… but I also want people to be able to know how to play if they just download this level from the blog without the loading framework.. so there is the connundrum of sorts.
• animations for train wheels and locomotive parts and steam cloud

Current screen shot above and current windows build here.  Use arrow keys (left/right/up) to move or gamepad stick with button 1 to jump.

Seeya all on the other side! 😉

Tags: blue, crunchtime, demo, exe, gosu, mono, monochrome, ruby, train

edit: windows exe released.

monoclimb – windoze .exe and source distribution – python, pygame, pgu required.

THE MENS ARE ATTACKING YOU’RE BASE. YOU ARE FAST ENOUGH MOUSE CLICKER TO DEFEAT ALL THE MENS. THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT FOR BEATING ALL OPPOSING ARM. YOU MUST SHOOT ALL THE MENS.

it saves its score in score.dat or else it gets the hose again.

Tags: climb, final, minild6, monochrome, monoclimb

DOWNLOAD TROMMEL! TROMMEL.zip (source + exes)
(updated since compo: only use score if score.txt is already present, remove unused GLSL var, small bugfix, ati ghost image fix, added icon, double pixel bug fix (aesthetic), and ati fix for that fix. yay opengl)

Score file is score.txt in the same dir as the exe. If score.txt is not present the game only counts moves.

Tags: final, screenshot, towlr

I’m fairly sure this is going to be the final version of my game “Infection Fighter” – I could carry on tweaking the gameplay forever – it’s too easy to win right now, but I think I’m more likely to decide on the best way of fixing that after the competition.

I haven’t finished packaging the windows version into an exe (and I probably won’t be able to find enough time as I’ve got to make up for spending most of my weekend coding), so windows users will need to have python and Pygame to run it – like the rest of us 😉

You can get it here. (69Kb)

Tags: final, infection, pygame, python, screenshot

Finished! (requires Python + PyGame) Since the first release there has been added:

• Power ups (rockets and plasma guns)
• Better rect class that supports floating point numbers
• Score now caps at 1,000
• More level tweaking
• Various improvements here and there

Enjoy =)

Tags: final, not zombies, pygame, pymike, python, zombiis

With you final entry for MiniLD #6 i would like to ask you to also define which file you want to use as the score file. I forgot to mention this in the rules, sorry.

Tags: score file