uosipa llamxew Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 entertaining! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seemo Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 Hi, here's another update - the high pitched sound heard once at the very beginning of the game has been removed - when you catch an egg, you stop the growth process for a (very) little amount of time, so that you can clear the stage a little more (please note that the movement and generation of enemies on the corners are not stopped) - as suggested by r_type2600, eggs go from solid to blinking - the display code has been reworked to allow for a 'shaded' playfield color Ok, that's all, thanks for your feedback as usual ! Simone omicron_2k_20080309.bin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_type2600 Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 (edited) Another great update! - the growth effect is a clever refinement. Yet another factor that could be used in level difficulty design - happy about the new eggs pattern! I find myself chasing them far more than before now It would be very nice if you could add some audiovisual effect that would confirm to the player that he has successfully picked up an egg. That should take out any hesitating moments and further smoothen the game flow. A short sound and briefly flashing the player in the root color would be cool. That simple visual clue would, as a side-effect, also be a neat evocation of the immunization principle (e.g. voluntary taking small doses of the poison) - the new color shading is just beautiful Eric Edited March 10, 2008 by r_type2600 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seemo Posted March 10, 2008 Author Share Posted March 10, 2008 Hi, here's an updated version: - when you catch an egg, the lead synth switches to the high pitched one, and the ship assumes the color of the enemy (many thanks r_type2600 ) - the display code has been refined Have fun ! Simone omicron_2k_20080310.bin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 - when you catch an egg, the lead synth switches to the high pitched oneVery cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devin Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Seemo, out of curiosity, have you started to think about what the cartridge artwork will look like? I'll add it to my list of cartridges to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seemo Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 Hi, this version further elaborates on the very evocative 'auto-poisoning' concept that r_type2600 introduced. When you catch an egg, you sort of become 'similar' to the enemy, and - you stop firing - you can hit the walls without any harm (since you are somehow a part of the 'organism') - you score by 'absorbing' the enemy (colliding with it) The music switches to the high pitch as before, but pay attention to it, since it will restore to the lower pitch sligthly before you return to the normal firing status. This should remind you to get away from the enemy, while you are 'absorbing' it... before it's too late Please note that I had to permanently remove the reset feature from the game, but I don't think it got used a lot, anyway Thanks for your feedback ! Simone omicron_2k_20080311.bin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bomberpunk Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 i've missed out on the last few updates, and i love everything about the changes except one thing: please change the egg back to blinking first then going solid!!! it's easier to see them when they're blinking, otherwise they look like every other enemy unit. and may i suggest a slightly longer period of being able to absorb, even if it's just one second longer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_type2600 Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 (edited) Simone, you're churning out new versions faster than one can catch up! The audiovisual effect for picking up an egg is in principle perfect, and expanding it into a twist to the gameplay is a great idea Only thing is that, IMO, this new "(PacMan) energizer" mode considerably cuts on the heartbeat pace that made the previous versions so exciting. Neutralizing the risks for lengthy periods and silencing the player's cannon takes out too much of the tension and breaks the gameflow before it can really captivate the player. Now, this isn't to say that it's not fun, to the contrary. But could it be incorporated into the gameplay without jeopardizing the spectacular Robotron style gameplay? solution: turn it into a separate level! In that case, the idea should be pushed to the fullest - drop the shooting altogether, let the player only score by picking up cells while "immunized". Such a level would then last until the player has scored a target number of points... The two resulting quite distinct and contrasting game paces (regular shooting levels and occasional "immunization" levels every 4th or 5th level, to keep the emphasis on the high-adrenaline shooting) should make for a nice emotional rollercoaster ride, further enriching the overall gameplay experience! The icing of the cake of course would be a bonus/boss level at the end of a world Thinking this to the end: the audiovisual effect in the shooting levels should be shortened (about half the length of the March10 vers.), so it only serves to signal the successful pickup of an egg. In short, my feeling is that it would be better to have several, distinct, sharply profiled non-stop action modes instead of cramming everything into a single one. Edited March 12, 2008 by r_type2600 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I dunno... I like the variety of gameplay all happening in one place. It has a nice balance to it. That said, I could certainly see the occasional bonus round that was either collect-only or shoot-only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_type2600 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I dunno... I like the variety of gameplay all happening in one place. It has a nice balance to it. I don't disagree - but actually that's precisely my issue. I experience the balanced version more like a nice walk in an amusement park (entertaining but a bit shallow), while the "shooting" version feels more like a wild downhill run, keeping you constantly on your toes, making you sweat and hold your breath -> pure excitement!. IMO, the spectacular thing about the previous shooting-focused versions is the high-density non-stop action, something very unique and unexpected on the 2600. It comes amazingly close to duplicate a level of intensity only known from much more powerful platforms. In fact, in this regard it already surpasses the 8-bit Robotron translations, IMO. So that's why I think this should not be sacrificed... Of course, ideally we could have both (in analogy to Lead) - a comprimed raw amalgam (the 2k version) and a refined full-blown experience that polishes and accentuates particular gameplay elements in distinct levels... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seemo Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 (edited) Hi, here's an updated version of the game - each level has been individually tuned - you can use p0 difficulty switch to select between two difficulties - slower growth time, and longer absorb time (red score) - faster growth time, and reduced absorb time (blue score) - eggs start to appear after a few levels - you can use p1 difficulty switch to select either 'blinking to full' or 'full to blinking' egg/root sequences - the high pitched synth is now used throughout the entire 'absorb' sequence: when the 'absorb' effect is about to end, the enemy 'flashes' Thanks for playing Simone EDIT: Forgot to mention, now you get 2 points every time you hit the enemy omicron_2k_20080315.bin Edited March 15, 2008 by seemo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickeycolumbus Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 I love this game! The only thing I dont like is that you die when you hit the walls. otherwise, one of the best 2K games ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Then don't hit the walls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickeycolumbus Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Then don't hit the walls. true, but some times it is very hard, especially when the screen is almost filled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_type2600 Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 (edited) Yeah! To keep it short: great new version, should now have the perfect balance and options to satisfy everyone! Just a couple of minor comments/suggestion: - what about also changing the shape of the player from a "T" to a (blocky) "C" during the "collecting" phase? That would provide an additional visual clue, and at the same time accentuate the sensation of "munching" -in this connection, what about doubling the cell score value during the collecting phases? That would provide additional incentive to hunt them... - there's one minor rough edge in the gameplay (actually ever since the first border version) that feels a bit unfair:the game detects a colission with the border, where the player intuitively feels to still be within the last playfield line (at least 2 thirds of his sprite actually still are). This gets particularly annoying when you try to align with border cells to shoot them. I believe I lost more than half of my games due to this... Would be great if that could be fixed somehow Other than that, not much more one could wish for the 2k version! Edited March 16, 2008 by r_type2600 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bomberpunk Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 (+) beautiful vibrant colors!! (+) thanks bringing back and making blinking->solid an option!! ( - ) wall collisions!! ($) i'm ready to buy the cart. like, now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 ( - ) wall collisions!! That's a candidate for the difficulty switches IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmosiss Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I havent tried the updates, but I need to express my interest in a cart release! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seemo Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 (edited) Ok, ok... I surrender: I had to remove the game over music, but now... the borders aren't deadly anymore Bye Simone omicron_2k_20080318.bin Edited March 18, 2008 by seemo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Make sure you keep a working 2K version for the Minigame Compo.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espire8 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Great update! I was very surprised the way the shots fired had temporaily slowed down after brushing against the wall. I don't know if that's intentional but I thought was cool nonethe less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickeycolumbus Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 when you hit the wall and move away, the bullets stay in your old posision (see screen shot). Other wise, very good game! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devin Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 (edited) Ok, ok... I surrender: I had to remove the game over music, but now... the borders aren't deadly anymore Bye Simone Great update! Out of curiosity, why not go to 4k? I can understand if the challenge is to create a great game under 2k - which you have accomplished with flying colors! Edited March 19, 2008 by Devin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seemo Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 Great update! I was very surprised the way the shots fired had temporaily slowed down after brushing against the wall. I don't know if that's intentional but I thought was cool nonethe less. er... yeah, that was the idea when you hit the wall and move away, the bullets stay in your old posision (see screen shot). Other wise, very good game! Thanks Wickeycolumbus, this version fixes that bug: as long as you 'remain into the border', the pace is slowed down Bye Simone omicron_2k_20080319.bin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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