stmatn

LD25

In for the first time

This time I’m in.

I nerver participated in such an event pefore, but if I fail really hard, a new nickname will do the job, right?

I’ll be using:
Language: Java
IDE: Eclipse
Graphics: good old MSPaint (well…maybe in GIMP)
Audio: sfxr & Audacity

Hopefully the jam wont get to sticky…

Progress getting visible

Time for another post.

The editor ist done so far. It needs just some little tweaks. It’s possible to create maps, define rooms and place events, which of course are editable and will resemble things like enemys, sprites and engine-related stuff.

Gameplay starts to get shape, but there is no fun at this point. Colisions with walls are done and its possible to win a level by collecting all collectables and getting to the exit-zone.

We have an intro with pictures, handdrawn by Niki and some shitty sounds for picking up items. Walking also makes a sound, which isnt as bad, as the others. Maybe the most important thing is the perfectly working cheat for unlocking all levels^^

Tomorrow we will add fancy graphics for the main menu, the in-game-worldmap and the surprising ending-sequence. Hopefully there will also be enough time for some music. Finally the gameplay has to be concludet by implementing the enemys, so that there will be a possibility to lose a level. Maybe then the fun will kick in 😀 Maybe…

Have some pictures of the updated editor an an in-game-screenshot. Not much to see, though.

Editor2.0 GameBoard

Good night everybody.

Aaaaaand its done…

So our first ludum dare is finaly survived.

This was a great experience, while it was a bit exhausting, especially at the end, when the submitting-panic started.

As far as I can see, the other games look great, so it will be a hard time for our “masterpiece”… I get a headache, when I think about all the features we threw out and all the polish it would need right now. If you find a glitch you may keep it. (Well of course I would be thankful for a bugreport) Unfortunately there was no time for music and a editor-documentaion. If anyone is interested in using the editor, please stay tuned until tomorrow, since its 4am in my timezone. I will try to give some information on it in the evening.

If you give the game a try and kind of like the intro, don’t get frustrated, if a level seems too hard. You will see an ending sequence with a nice revelation 😉 (Tip: Sometimes a break is really helpful)

Greetings,
StMatn & Niki

Edit: Since the hint is kind of hard to get…the cheat is: Hit the Pause/Break on the worldmap-screen, to simply win. Have fun with the Ending 😉

Think the editor interesting? Learn to use it!

I’m a bit late with this explanation, since it was announced for yesterday. Sorry for that, but here you have it:

Link to entry-site: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-25/?action=preview&uid=18894

If you start the editor, you soon will notice the radio-buttons at the bottom. These will determine the “layer” you are currently editing.

1. Paint World: Use this to set the pictures of the tiles. On the right side you may have noticed the list of tiles. There are 4 main types of tiles:

  • Unpassable (Rows 1-12): these can only be traversed, by using a glitch or kind of hacking the game. Do not use the very first tile. It was initially transparent and used to display literally nothing, but then I realized, that java was capable of if-blocks, which were way better for drawing void
  • Passable (Rows 13-22): these tiles are like the floor in your favorite public or private place: you are able to step on them
  • Collectables (Rows 23-26): items that initially planned planned to have purpose, but now are just collectables with no known use, a little bit like ancient relicts (if you step on them, the tile will be replaced by the following on)
  • Presents (Rows 27-30): the holy grails of christmas thiefs and actually any other person. Don’t place more than 45 presents unless you want to f**k up the collection-display, you greedy ruffian! (Beware placing the tile at the very bottom right or an ArrayOutOfBoundsException will haunt you in your dreams!)

You can select multiple tiles, by dragging the mouse over the palete (Notice: you have to move the mouse down-right to do so). To paint selected tiles onto the world, just click or drag the desired position(s).

2. Define rooms: This tool lets you define areas which the game will notice as rooms. Rooms are like the place you supposedly are in right now: You can be in it or be outside of it. The game will check if you (well, the playing character) are in a room, and if so, whether the is an enemy in the same room, to decide when its time to brutally kick you out of the level right onto the world-map-screen.

To define an area as a room you need to drag the mouse from the top-left corner to the bottom-right one. If you want to remove a room, just right-click somewhere inside of it. Rooms may not intersect each other. They will be indicated by a yellow rectangle.

If you collected all the presents, you need to go inside an exitzone. Exitzones are similar to rooms, just have an other purpose. To define an exitzone, hold down the Y-key and drag the desired area as if you wanted to define a room. To remove an exitzone, right-click it while holding the Y-key.

3. Events: Events are visible or invisible thingies, which have different purposes, depending their type. Create an Event by just clicking a position, while being in create-events-mode. As soon as you do so, a window will pop up, showing you the properties of the event and allowing you to adjust them. If you want to reopen this window, rightclick an existing event. Note that each window is linked to its specific event. Before you close such a window remember to APPLY CHANGES!

  • TilesetInformation: Multiple purposes depending on the subtype: (if you’re messing with values other than -1 use propperly dimensioned images)
    • -1  –  player spawn point
    • 0  –  indicator to change the background from default to the file specified in the path-textfield
    • 1  –  indicator to change the tileset from default to the file specified in the path-textfield
    • 2  –  indicator to change the playerimage from default to the file specified in the path-textfield
    • 3  –  indicator to change the enemyimage from default to the file specified in the path-textfield
  • Enemy: People who hate it to be in the same room as you (maybe a shower would change that, but that feature is not yet implemented). If creating an enemy it is important to set the subtype to 0, or the game will crash. Enemy-events will snap to the grid as soon as you apply changes. Create a list of movements with the buttons at the bottom half of the window. By selecting an element in the list and hitting a button, it will insert specific action at the selected position. If no element is selected actions will be added at the end of the list. Selected elements can be removed by hitting the “Re…” button, which would look like a “Remove” button, if it hat the propper size (I didn’t feed it enough and I feel sorry for that). Each non-waiting action will move the enemy a whole square.
  • Door: No purpose at all.
  • Picture: Displays the picture from the file specified in the path-textfield
  • Text: Displays some lovely little characters, which you schould input into the path-field

All references to image-files need to be ralative to the directory, where the jar is living.

 

If you create a nice level, then for god’s sake remember to save it via the save button. We actually have lost ~10 creations by rushing out of the editor and forgetting to save the file. Currently the only way to play your level is to replace an existing campaign-level. Do not use the editor to cheat you through the game, because you want to see the ending! Use the one-button-win-everything-cheat instead 😉

If you have any question related to the editor feel free to leave coment.

 

I’m wishing you much fun creating your custom levels.

Greetings,

StMatn

Comments

Cake&Code
20. Dec 2012 · 00:24 UTC
A link to your entry would help! Add it into your post and people will be more willing to give it a try :)

LD26

Late obligatory In-Post

Well yes, I’m im…
Niki and I will try to throw something together and call it a game.

We’ll use:
Language: Java
IDE: Eclipse
Graphics: MSPaint || GIMP
Audio: sfxr & Audacity

So my question is: Does it already count as minimalist if I write any game in pure Java, without using a game engine? ^^

If no wild gameidea will apear, I’ll put good old pong together, that schould get us top theme-voting 😛

LD28

Engine starting to take shape

After 7 hours my engine starts to take shape.

Btw: I’m in! 😛

JetpackHeroScreenshot

The game is thought to become kind of a twin-stick-shooter (keyboard + mouse) where you fly with your jetpack through a randomly generated world, avoiding hazards, to free the people of <insert planet name>. The evil <insert baddy name> has captured the inhabitants and is replacing them by evil machines (No, it’s not Dr.Robotnik).

At the moment you just get a small randomly generated plane, with trees, hornets (pink squares) and hedgehogs (wider pink squares), which are firing at you. Bulletcollisions are deactivated, since you only get one chance to complete the whole game! Of course you will be able to buy upgrades, in case you don’t do in in your first attempt. Upgrades will be only one shield, magnet, megabomb, …

Demo
Controls: WASD / cursors for movement, mouse to aim and shoot

Not very fun at the moment, but It’s kind of relaxing, to shoot some of the destructible terrain (especialy the leafs) after a long coding session :).

The game is written in java without any library. Art and Sfx are coming soon.
I’ve written a very similar engine in the last days, but this version is fully rewritten. If you like the terrain-destruction, you might be interested in this older version of the engine:

Dentist in space

Controls: WASD / cursors for movementmouse to aim and shoot
1/2/3 to choose dental laser/cement canon/light (for hardening cement)

 

If you like to, then let me know, what you think of anything of it.

Besides that, happy ludum-daring :)

Some wild gameplay appeared

Jetpack hero starts his mission

Unbenannt

Some graphics are now in the game. Features so far:
– Only one indestructible terrain type!
– Only one procedurally generated terrain per level
– Only one level so far…
– Only one jetpack flying dentist with only one heavy duty dental laser
– Only one (not yet existent) boss
– Only one enemytype, besides the oter one
– Only one shield, protecting your only one life
– Only one custon engine written from scratch
– Only one really annoying sound effect (laser)
– Only one known bug (getting stuck in a wall)
– Only one shitty main menu

Edit: – Only one missing jetpack sound :(

 

Try the demo, if you like! (Unpack the archive and launch the jar-file)
Controlls:
WASD/arrow keys -> movement
Mouse & left mousebutton -> aiming & shooting

Please don’t destroy the whole kingdom, just because shooting high power lasers is fun!

LD34

Not just moving, but evolving

Some cells are erased, but the new ones developed a new look. The strange creature now has graphics (and even the environment has them). Try the next demo if you like, but dont burn yourself. Well… atm you may burn yourself, since there is no loose condition yet 😉

ScreenShot0.3

 

LD 39

Done on the first day

We just finished our game for this LD! :)

It is called "RGBall" and its a simple arcade game.

Check out the game page: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/39/$37318

RGBall-Preview.gif

LD 41

Need inspiration? Use a tool!

I made a tool to help me find an idea. It randomly picks two genres.

One of my first tries was "Make a Survival horror- & Programming-game!". I think my computer wants me to make a LD-Simulator :D

You can download the tool here (Start from commandline with "java -jar GenrePickerLD41.jar"): https://www.dropbox.com/s/tdd9maufpr3nc0p/GenrePickerLD41.jar?dl=0

If you want to compile the source yourself of edit the genre-list: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7p1p4rejg2yrju8/GernrePickerLD41.java?dl=0

Ludum Dare 45

It just wouldn't be the same, otherwise...

I decided to build a citybuilder set in a postapocalyptic flooded world. Citybuilding starts without a city, so basically with nothing, right? :)

As always the game I want to make ist way too complex. Well, that's my way to do LD :)

Version0.1.png

Done so far: - Building placement - Walkersystem similar to the classic sierra citybuilders (Deliveries and random walkers) - First production/delivery chain (Desalination -> WaterBar -> Houses) - House upgrading system - Consumption of goods - Employment system

TODO: - More content - GFX - SFX - Goals/Campaign

Free Demo

End of second day. Some new features have been implemented and houses have graphics now.

Version0.2.gif

You can download the current (quite crude) version here: Download

Instructions:

  • Right mouse button toggles build mode
  • Mouse wheel cycles between build options

Hints:

  • Wood is quite scarce at the beginning. Take care that you do not run out, before you have ensured resupply.
  • The productivity of buildings corresponds to the amount of assigned workers
  • To reach level 1, houses need to be connected to the town hall by road.
  • To reach level 2, houses need to be supplied with fresh water from a water bar (which gets is from a desalination plant)
  • Walkers work like in the classic citybuilders:
    • Walkers with a goal ignore roadblocks
    • Wandering walkers respect roadblocks

Ludum Dare 46

First *real* LD done

I have been participating in LD for years, but have always done the jam. This time I have dares to enter the compo and am proud to present my new game: Keep the fire alive.

Its a base building game, where you try to collect resources to escape the ever creeping Darkness. I'd be happy to see you over at the games page :)

Title.png Screenshot.png

Ludum Dare 48

Puzzle blast is done

I just finished puzzle blast :)

Titlescreen.png

Solve puzzles by infering item positions from hints

Screenshot.png

You can download the game on the game page

I hope you have fun playing and I'm looking forward to read your comments :)

Ludum Dare 51

Basic Gameplay Done on 10 Second Shmup

I decided to make a Roguelike-Tactical-Deckbuilding-Shmup:

V0.1-Gameplay.gif

You plan what your space ship will do during the next 10 seconds. For that you get some manouvers at the beginning of eeach round, which are drawn from a deck. The goal is to eliminate all enemies (or at least survive the wave). Ideally you will be able to refine your deck and upgrade the ship between waves. However from my LD-experience I can predict that only half of the ideas will be done in the end :D

10 Seconds of Progress with 10 Second Shmup

Just a little progress on my rougelike tactical deck building shmup: - More cockpit displays - Enemy fire & player health - New manouvers: Rapid fire, spread shot, big spread shot

V0.2-Gameplay.gif

I Just Hit Play on 10 Second Shmup...

...and hope the plan works as imagined. If you also want to make plans and watch them be executed, check out 10 Second Shmup. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it :)

HowToPlay.gif Title.png

Ludum Dare 53

That's not my order...

Oh no! All the orders got mixed up and the delivery van is already on the way >.<

Now you have to program the onboard-crane to sort the delivery remotely...

Try the Demo!

V0.1.gif

Almost done...

Only some more mixed up deliveries needed.

Title.png

V0.3.gif