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Unc1354m
11-10-2007, 05:33 AM
I've decided to release the current WIP version of Killer Worm 3, hopefully I'll recieve some useful feedback!

http://www.clanexe.com/Downloads/kw3.rar

Give it a try and post some feedback!

At the moment, new technologies and such will stop coming at around about the year 5000.


Aye aye, you read the title correctly. :P

I have decided to start work on a sequel to Killer Worm II. Which, of course, makes this the third in the series.

The Killer Worm concept is my favourite concept to work on. There are so many possible ways to improve it, and it is so unique (okay, so not anymore! :P). That i just feel attatched to it.

While I never got around to finishing work on Killer Worm II, due to a similar game being released, which admittedly, was pulled off a lot better than Killer Worm II, so I ended up losing motivation. ;)

But today, I was playing Killer Worm II, just for a bit of fun. And suddenly I brainstormed a load of ideas which could be implemented into a sequel.

And thus, I decided that I should start working on a sequel, and give everything a complete overhaul. I'm going to try and make Killer Worm 3, a fun, simple, arcadish game.
With Killer Worm II, the control system was very non-intuitive, and ended up confusing people, therefore putting them off the game.
Another problem with Killer Worm II, and even the original, was that you are so far away from all the action, with everything being so small. There is too much to look at on your screen at once.

I intend to fix this with KW3.

Here are a few ideas I have:

Getting some land legs
This is an idea which I would love to see implemented, and it -should- be easy enough to do.
Basically, rather than only being able to jump out of the ground to eat things, you could press a key while out of the ground, and rather then falling straight back in, you become a land roaming worm.

While you are in this 'form', you have a few basic controls, such as jump, dig back into ground, move left or right.
Also, the dynamics change a little bit, to 'eat' somebody, you have to jump/pounce at them, otherwise you'll just knock them over/send them flying.
Versus vehicles, you'll be rather weak (unless you are at a larger growth stage), and you'll only be able to 'move' vehicles by pouncing at them. The larger you are, the more force they'll get knocked with. If it is beyond a certain force, then the vehicle will 'break'.

While in this form, you will be weaker, and more vunerable. But used strategically, it could be a very handy feature.

Also, I am thinking of maybe gaining a "poison gas" weapon at a high growth level. You expel this from your mouth and it lingers for awhile. Killing 'fleshy units' which walk into it.

(always open to ideas or recommendations here)

More routes for foes to use
Another problem I had with Killer Worm, was the bland way foes would simply either walk from left to right, or right to left. With little inbetween.

So I came up with this:
http://www.clanexe.com/screenshots/KWIII1.jpg
If you don't realize what the image is showing, I'll explain it:
When a foe reaches the first circled point (the start of a hill), there is a 50% chance of him going up it, and a 50% chance of him carrying on with the same route. It will be the same for each circled point.

What this acheives, is variation on the foes movements. Your worm, when out of the ground. Will also be able to choose whether it continues or whether it goes another route.

While jumping out of the ground, it will also make it difficult to get some foes who are on high ground.

Controlling with a keyboard
This is long overdue. Not much to say here. Basically, the worm will be controlled with a keyboard, rather than the non-intuitive mouse controls.

This also means that you'll be controlling your worm at all times, and it won't magically appear only when you come out of the ground.

Advanced growth
Both the prequels have had growth systems, but growing offered little reward for the player.
In Killer worm 3, you'll start off as a tiny, fragile worm which can barely kill a human. As you grow, you'll become larger, stronger, gain new 'skills', become more agile or faster. And your skinn will become strong armour.

With age and growth, of course, you'll need more food. Not to mention that humans and animals will evolve along side you.

Edible plants
Yup... it may not sound like much. But this will be... a bonus system!
Rather than eating random, flashing bonuses which appear out of nowhere, you'll have to wait for a plant to grow (and become ripe). And then you can eat it, it could be poison, it could offer you a speed boost. It could even induce uncontrollable laughter and kill your brain cells while making you insane. Or maybe it'll just quench your hunger or give you more life...

but all and all, edible plants are in!


Those are a few unique ideas I have come up with.

Of course, as I am an effect whore. I'll probably throw in some fancy weather/lighting system. :P

Anyway, that's all for now.

CiNiMoDZA
11-10-2007, 10:59 AM
This sounds awesome :D Can you post a link to the first two games!! Ive seen them in the Dev Mag but never played them!!!

Tr00jg
11-10-2007, 12:04 PM
Woot! I cant wait for a prototype. It sounds great, especially the land-walking. I just want to wreak havoc. :)

P.S. You know that when it gets released everyone will claim you copied Death Worm?

Unc1354m
11-10-2007, 03:54 PM
This sounds awesome :D Can you post a link to the first two games!! Ive seen them in the Dev Mag but never played them!!!
Killer Worm 2 (http://clanexe.com/downloads/KillerWormII.zip)
Killer Worm 1 (http://clanexe.com/downloads/Killerworm.zip)

That's both of them. :)


Woot! I cant wait for a prototype. It sounds great, especially the land-walking. I just want to wreak havoc. :)

P.S. You know that when it gets released everyone will claim you copied Death Worm?
It might be awhile until I release a prototype, I've kinda set myself high standards for KW3. :P

And yup, even the Killer Worm II thread in the WIP section of the GMC had people accusing me of stealing JTR's concept.
But I'm not giving up on the Killer Worm series that easily, Killer Worm has been around since about february last year! :P

Though, technically, people -should- realize instantly that this is the third in the series. So in the main thread maybe I could just state that the original was released february 2006?

Thaumaturge
12-10-2007, 04:42 AM
Aah, excellent! I'm very glad to hear about this project. ^_^

The "land worm" stage sounds interesting, as do the multiple paths for the "prey" to follow.

You say that you plan on a closer view of the action this time (which I'll admit that I am glad to hear) - If I may ask, do you plan on implementing scrolling levels, as did your rival?

I'll admit that I'm not entirely "sold" on the idea of the "poison gas" weapon - I find that I rather like the simple "tunnel and eat" mechanism of the games thus far.

Graphically, I would like to request a return to (or, perhaps better (if more work), the option of) the original grayscale, B-movie look of the original Killer Worm - I loved that. ^_^

And finally, if I may make one last suggestion for this post, have you considered implementing stony areas that the worm may not break through? I envisage surface creatures running for the rocks as the player breaks through the sand, making a desperate stand against the monster... >; D

It might also add a little extra utility to your "land worm" feature, as reaching the rocks would call for either leaping onto them or moving overland, I believe.

dislekcia
12-10-2007, 10:30 AM
I've always wondered what Killer Worm would look like from a top-down perspective...

Clicking and dragging for leap direction while holding the mouse button down to charge how high you go. Digging funnel holes that people and things fall into and can't get out of, letting you pop up at the bottom and devour them. Snaking your way onto land, following the mouse cursor and chomping things. Herding hapless humans towards the traps you'd dug underground... I'd love that ;)

All mouse controlled, all simple to grasp, more variety and more gameplay. At least, that's how I see it from that angle.

-D

Unc1354m
12-10-2007, 10:39 PM
I've always wondered what Killer Worm would look like from a top-down perspective...

Clicking and dragging for leap direction while holding the mouse button down to charge how high you go. Digging funnel holes that people and things fall into and can't get out of, letting you pop up at the bottom and devour them. Snaking your way onto land, following the mouse cursor and chomping things. Herding hapless humans towards the traps you'd dug underground... I'd love that ;)

All mouse controlled, all simple to grasp, more variety and more gameplay. At least, that's how I see it from that angle.

-D

Hmm hmm hmm, I've never actually thought of Killer Worm in a top-down perspective. But you did get me thinking.

There could be a lot of unique features I could add from this perspective, but at the same time I'd be very limited in other aspects. Such as physics.

I could do things such as adding a larger environment to roam around, more freedom in some aspects.
But, there are set backs, such as, I don't really see how you can 'leap' from a top-down viewpoint. Also interesting physics would be very difficult to achieve


Also, I feel that the mouse controls would put people off. I tried making an advanced mouse control for Killer worm 2. But for some odd reason it just confused nearly every single person which tried to play it. Even though it felt natural to me after extensive testing/playing. :P
So I feel that giving the player an instant illusion that they themselves are controlling the worm makes it more enjoyable to the casual end player, and it makes it easier to learn the controls.


You say that you plan on a closer view of the action this time (which I'll admit that I am glad to hear) - If I may ask, do you plan on implementing scrolling levels, as did your rival?
Yup. if I were to give you a closer perspective of the action without scrolling...well... the map would have to be extremely small and give you barely any room to play around with. ;)


Graphically, I would like to request a return to (or, perhaps better (if more work), the option of) the original grayscale, B-movie look of the original Killer Worm - I loved that. ^_^
Admittedly, I'm not too certain about this.
While I am fond of the black and white style, and nowadays I could pull the "30's B-movie" effect off a lot better... i'd feel somewhat restricted with the graphics/sprites/images. I was thinking about a more 'cartoony' style for killer worm 3. Sure it'd be about eating, murdering and causing chaos. But it'd hacve a very non-serious, cartoony style to it. :P

Though I will consider the gray scale style, I'm just worried about it being too difficult to keep everything visible and 'different'.


And finally, if I may make one last suggestion for this post, have you considered implementing stony areas that the worm may not break through? I envisage surface creatures running for the rocks as the player breaks through the sand, making a desperate stand against the monster... >; D
Good idea, good idea... this could really work and give a reason to force you out of the ground.

Tr00jg
14-12-2007, 04:41 PM
Did you ever establish if the JTR guy (who made Death Worm) got the idea from you?

It looks like his game is being copied to flash (by other peeps). This flash version sucks though.

http://www.onemorelevel.com/games.php?game=625

Unc1354m
14-12-2007, 10:31 PM
Did you ever establish if the JTR guy (who made Death Worm) got the idea from you?

It looks like his game is being copied to flash (by other peeps). This flash version sucks though.

http://www.onemorelevel.com/games.php?game=625

Woah, a flash game? :S
I played it a bit, didn't have much fun on it. But still, it does show how large Death Worm has gotten.

By the time I release Killer Worm 3, there'll be several Death Worm rip-off games. Which will make people think Killer Worm 3 is one as well.
That is one of the reasons I've kind of lost motivation for Killer Worm 3. The whole Killer Worm concept is somebody elses now, and Killer Worm 3 would just be seen as a rip-off... :P

Also, the most JTR mentioned about Killer Worm was that he did play it on Experimental Gameplay.
but I did check out the original WIP thread at the forums, and he started working on the game a month or 2 after I had released the game to the Experimental Gameplay Project; while it was still on the top 21 list.
So I would assume that he definately was inspired to create the game after trying my one. :)

Thaumaturge
15-12-2007, 06:56 AM
I'm sorry to hear that you've lost the drive to create this game - it could have been a lot of fun, I think.

However, I believe that I can understand your reason for that loss of interest.

On the other hand, if ther eis still some interest on your part, I daresay that there is still room for innovation within the concept.

Perhaps you can build it "better, stronger, faster". ;) (Or something like that. :P)

Unc1354m
17-12-2007, 04:46 AM
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/8616/kw31zi4.th.jpg (http://img264.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kw31zi4.jpg)
Here is the screenshot from the build I am working on. :P

(Yes, I decided to start working on it again!)

Thaumaturge
17-12-2007, 06:39 AM
Aah, I'm glad to hear that you're working on it again! ^_^

First of all, are those working graphics or final graphics, and what sort of mood are you aiming for?

Otherwise, the worm looks awfully small in that screenshot to me (for a killer worm, that is) - although, presuming that to be a very young stage in the worm's life, that could work.

What is the little mound to the right, above which there is what seems to be an arc of blood?

Tr00jg
17-12-2007, 11:33 AM
Good luck man!

Unc1354m
22-12-2007, 03:36 PM
Aah, I'm glad to hear that you're working on it again! ^_^

First of all, are those working graphics or final graphics, and what sort of mood are you aiming for?

Otherwise, the worm looks awfully small in that screenshot to me (for a killer worm, that is) - although, presuming that to be a very young stage in the worm's life, that could work.

What is the little mound to the right, above which there is what seems to be an arc of blood?

It's undecided if these graphics are final or a WIP, I quite like the way they have turned out, very cartoony and colorful. Which is the style I've been working towards for KW3. :)
I want the style to be somewhat fun and non-serious, kind of goofy.
The sprites are very difficult to make, with my limited expertise. Due to their high resolution.

The worm is small because it's still a baby there. :P
There are 5 growth levels, the worm will grow seamlessly while you level up. Each time you level up you gain 3 stat points, pressing spacebar will open the stat menu and allow you to assign the stat points into any attribute you desire. :)
When you start out, plain humans will pose a threat to you, with the best way to kill them being throwing rocks at them 2-3 times. But as you grow, you'll eventually be able to eat them without a setback.

it's the same with armored vehicles, such as tanks. Throwing rocks is now a very handy weapon, and can be mastered with practise. :P (Each time you jump out the ground, a single rock will be created with the same speed and direction as your worm)

What I have completed so far:
Growth system
Levelling system
Bonus system
3 tiers for tanks and humans
5 animal types
HUD

Nearly all of the gameplay mechanics are there. All I have left to do before the beta is creating a hero system (every few hundred years a hero will challenge you, which will be mini bosses) and adding birds and planes. Maybe a bit more enemy variation. And then it'll pretty much be complete!

A few hurried screenshots I took last night!
I took a screenshot of the stat menu, but it seems I left it on my other PC.
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4305/46544384sa5.th.jpg (http://img150.imageshack.us/my.php?image=46544384sa5.jpg)

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/316/62443800bt2.th.jpg (http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=62443800bt2.jpg)

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/9861/57079362mf9.th.jpg (http://img402.imageshack.us/my.php?image=57079362mf9.jpg)

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3011/94915032bj7.th.jpg (http://img402.imageshack.us/my.php?image=94915032bj7.jpg)

I'm still waiting for the internet to be activated in my house, so it'll be difficult to reply!

Cyberninja
22-12-2007, 05:31 PM
I think it looks awesome. The colours reminds me of those old Clover milk cartons* :) I think that Killer Worm needs some bigger teeth though. =]


* From waaay back in the day.

Thaumaturge
23-12-2007, 01:15 AM
I want the style to be somewhat fun and non-serious, kind of goofy.
The sprites are very difficult to make, with my limited expertise. Due to their high resolution.

The worm is small because it's still a baby there. :P
There are 5 growth levels, the worm will grow seamlessly while you level up.

Aah, fair enough. ^_^

Hmm... to be honest, I'm not convinced about the graphics... but if it's waht you're going for, then fair enough - we shall at least (hopefully :P) see how it turns out. ^^;

The levelling and bonus system sounds interesting - I'm looking for ward to seeing how that turns out. I'm also rather looking forward to seeing the hero system in place.

As to the prey creatures, I would recommend variety - I think that it can help a lot in such a game (and I'd recommend some quite strange creatures, especially in the later stages of the game - doubly so given the style that you've described as your goal). The hovertank looks quite cool, by the way. ^_^

I second the call for bigger teeth on the worm - perhaps even overdo it a little!

Unc1354m
10-01-2008, 04:21 PM
I've decided to release the current WIP version of Killer Worm 3, hopefully I'll recieve some useful feedback!

http://www.clanexe.com/Downloads/kw3.rar

Give it a try and post some feedback! :D

At the moment, new technologies and such will stop coming at around about the year 5000.

FuzzYspo0N
10-01-2008, 04:33 PM
this is incredibly gun! i really think its made of win...
\
feedback...besides the obvious, i cant think of any actually. its just win

|-|1Pp13
10-01-2008, 05:23 PM
this game is made of pure win and puppies

FuzzYspo0N
10-01-2008, 05:26 PM
skink cant get on here, so im relaying for him

[17:21] <SkinkLizzard> i keep dying from hunger
[17:21] <SkinkLizzard> cause the damn worm moves to fast
[17:21] <SkinkLizzard> and controls is not so good
...
[17:22] <FuzzYspo0N> although, speed shud increase with level i think.
[17:22] <SkinkLizzard> I enjoy it up to the point that i cant catch stuff less hungar or difficulty levels imo
[17:23] <SkinkLizzard> or a button that speeds you up like shift

[17:23] <SkinkLizzard> or maybe you only break surface when you hold shift

[17:24] <SkinkLizzard> other suggestions the fact that the worm never stops it always drifts a little is irritating
[17:24] <SkinkLizzard> its soil not water it doesnt need to keep moving

Gazza_N
10-01-2008, 05:27 PM
this is incredibly gun!
How gun? On a scale from BB to Ion Cannon. :P



Gave this a quick playthrough. First impressions:

> Smooth. Very smooth. Considering the slowdowns in the previous iteration of KW, this is awesome.

> I love the particles. The chunks of rock and explosions of blood when devouring widdle bunny rabbits must stay. You hear me. Must. *intimidating glare*

> I'll be blunt - While I like the idea of directly steering the worm, I don't like the keyboard controls. I think it should be mouse-driven. It is incredibly difficult to keep sufficiently fed when you keep missing animals, and a mouse-driven interface allows the necessary accuracy. Could you perhaps have the worm follow the mouse cursor, then click the LMB to accelerate it?

> This worm has a larger appetite than your average teenage boy, that's for sure. Any chance of slowing down the hunger bar? I keep missing my food, or having it squelched by bouncing rubble. Perhaps increased control accuracy will negate this?

Otherwise, very nice. It strikes me as very slick even at this early stage. :)

edg3
10-01-2008, 05:36 PM
> I'll be blunt - While I like the idea of directly steering the worm, I don't like the keyboard controls. I think it should be mouse-driven. It is incredibly difficult to keep sufficiently fed when you keep missing animals, and a mouse-driven interface allows the necessary accuracy. Could you perhaps have the worm follow the mouse cursor, then click the LMB to accelerate it?
- I agree about the controlling

the game runs perfectly fine, I have no issues with it really bar the controls.

Unc1354m
10-01-2008, 06:26 PM
It seems that the largest problem with KW3 atm is the difficulty with eating rabbits. The rabbits are very small and the worm starts off very small, which seems to result in missing the bunnies most of the time. :P

The good news is that when cows, sheep and foxes start coming in, it's a lot easier to keep your hunger down. Maybe if the game starts with both the fox and the rabbits, or I could increase the spawn rates of bunnies which would make it easier to keep the hunger down.


[17:24] <SkinkLizzard> other suggestions the fact that the worm never stops it always drifts a little is irritating
[17:24] <SkinkLizzard> its soil not water it doesnt need to keep moving
This was originally added due to a bug which would sometimes cause the worm to look very segmented when it stopped. I've actually just removed it after reading that and I like the results, it makes acceleration much more important as well. :)

Something which I've just been thinking about, is making the ground deeper and possibly adding adding things which spawn and which can also be eaten.


> I'll be blunt - While I like the idea of directly steering the worm, I don't like the keyboard controls. I think it should be mouse-driven. It is incredibly difficult to keep sufficiently fed when you keep missing animals, and a mouse-driven interface allows the necessary accuracy. Could you perhaps have the worm follow the mouse cursor, then click the LMB to accelerate it?
I was actually thinking of a similar control scheme while making Killer Worm 3, I was thinking of having the worm follow the mouse cursor when the left mouse button was pressed, and having its speed depend on the distance from the cursor.
But the thing I've been most concerned about while making Killer Worm is having it end up too complicated. I might add an option for mouse controls, that way people can choose the one they prefer most, and adding a mouse control shouldn't be too complicated. :)

For the time being, I'll give a few survival tips!
1.) Animals spawn from both sides of the map, so if one side is lacking food, burrow to the other side.
2.) Skim across the ground to eat smaller things, rather than full blown jumping.
3.) Collect any plans with a blue circle around them, it could be a bonus granting hunger resistance.
4.) Soon you won't even notice the hunger bar.

Cyberninja
10-01-2008, 07:13 PM
Well, Gazza already said, what I wanted to say. :) So I'll speak about something else. =]

What is the type of atmosphere you wanted the game to have? Scary, funny..etc. I think your graphics could do with a face lift. If you are going for the "toon" look, then I recommend you look at a game like Worms. It makes brilliant use of simple colour schemes. An I think your game with work well with a similar look imo.

My Toon quickie:
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/5783/3eez5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The only reason I'm talking about the graphics now, is because I've seen the latest version of Death Worm, and graphically, the game is very,very polished. Just thought you may want to experiment with other graphic options, before you make your final decision. =]

Thaumaturge
10-01-2008, 08:42 PM
Very cool indeed! ^_^


2.) Skim across the ground to eat smaller things, rather than full blown jumping.

I seem to be having some trouble achieving this - I seem to be deflected down when I "touch" the surface.

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned and that I feel is lacking is air control - at the moment the player seems to lose control as soon as the worm erupts from the soil, which, while reasonably realistic, is not, I think, as fun as being able to twist and turn to some degree in the air.

Squid
10-01-2008, 08:49 PM
My Toon quickie:
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/5783/3eez5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Have you guys ever noticed how Cyberninja can create a "quickie" that looks a bajillion times better than what us normal people spend hours trying to create?

Thaumaturge
10-01-2008, 09:18 PM
Actually, I should perhaps have mentioned that previously: Cyberninja, for some reason the image that I presume to have been posted after the words "My Toon quickie:" doesn't seem to be showing up for me. o_0

Chippit
10-01-2008, 09:36 PM
Don't we all love Imageshack so much.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n234/ch1ppit/3eez5.jpg
There ya go, Thaum.

Thaumaturge
10-01-2008, 09:41 PM
Aha! Thank you very much, Chippit! ^_^

Oddly, now it appears in all three places. o_0

However, 'tis indeed a very cool image - a look similar to that would be great for Killer Worm 3, I think - I would love it if you adopted such a style, Unc1354m! ^_^

(I would suggest a more symmetrical head, given the gameplay of Killer Worm 3, and personally, at least, the worm's colour is a little...unpleasant to look upon. ^^;; )

Unc1354m
10-01-2008, 11:19 PM
Well, Gazza already said, what I wanted to say. :) So I'll speak about something else. =]

What is the type of atmosphere you wanted the game to have? Scary, funny..etc. I think your graphics could do with a face lift. If you are going for the "toon" look, then I recommend you look at a game like Worms. It makes brilliant use of simple colour schemes. An I think your game with work well with a similar look imo.

My Toon quickie:
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/5783/3eez5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The only reason I'm talking about the graphics now, is because I've seen the latest version of Death Worm, and graphically, the game is very,very polished. Just thought you may want to experiment with other graphic options, before you make your final decision. =]

Wow, that image of yours is totally awesome. I love the style.

And yes, I feel that Killer Worm's style and graphics could be improved a lot, the largest problem is that I am a terrible spriter, and I've never had to make sprites such high resolution. So I've been trying what I'm capable of, but I still feel very limited.
If anyone were to help me with sprites and graphics while giving KW a graphical overhaul, it would be very appreciated and would definately make Killer Worm 3 a better game. :)

Cyberninja
11-01-2008, 12:55 AM
I suggest you work on improving the game itself and leave the graphics for last. =] The art will take time. Maybe later on, if you'd like, I could show you some nify tricks in Photoshop. =]

Thaumaturge
11-01-2008, 02:31 AM
Cyberninja's suggestion sound to me to be a good one, Unc1354m - complete the game and then, if, after Cyberninja's teachings, you still want outside help, you'll have a complete or near-complete game to show to prospective artists, with which to raise their interest. ;)

FuzzYspo0N
11-01-2008, 04:24 PM
Hey Unc1354m,

I did some play testing. some screenshots of my peril :

http://www.owned.co.za/img/kw3_ss1.jpg
http://www.owned.co.za/img/kw3_ss2.jpg
http://www.owned.co.za/img/kw3_ss3.jpg
http://www.owned.co.za/img/kw3_ss4.jpg
http://www.owned.co.za/img/kw3_ss5.jpg

Some notes : shot 1 :
(not shown_) when you hit the guys like that or however, you shoot downward with a jerk, if thats how its meant to be to show impact its cool, but it might be something that throws someone off.

shot 2 : This is for the guys who cant play (can i has skillz plox)

shot 3 : I dont think the tanks and stuff should be affected by rocks. this tank is bouncing around from a rock hit, when iv bashed it 4 times head on. The rocks get the kill eventually which is cool, but rocks against a tank? :P

shot 4:
This shot shows some potential awesome.
The tank will try shoot me, the rocket will hit the helicopter. Do the enemy bullets affect other enemies??? that wud be awesome.

shot 5 :
a few things here, "you died" is informative. But i see some large amount lacking in :
a) How you die, freeze frame and a messagebox != win. There shud be at least a sort of
display of exploding worm, or something. adding a death slow motion with delayed close up maybe?

maybe as your health gets to 0 and u are outside the ground (u shud be to die) then the worm shud fall on top of the ground and the surrounding enemies shud raise a victory flag or something. Slow motion cud be something new to leanr? i think it wud be awesome :)

Also, the score is hidden as i died? how do i tell my friends im the best?

Small other things include : Telling more of what everything means. the years, how the sizing changes, the level up. etc, i was surprised when i leveled up cos i didnt know wat it does, and unassisgned attributes? i didnt know HOW to assign them cos i was playing(and help was too small btw) and i wasnt gonna guess while im fast paced slaughtering :D

I think this game has incredible amounts of potential, it already is awesome!

Keep up the good work.


(and for the others, i am going to be a lot more active this year)
KTHX

Unc1354m
12-01-2008, 12:38 AM
I decided to make the graphics in Killer Worm a lot simpler and easier on the eyes.
Before permanently changing to this style, I'd like a few people's opinions on it. :)

This is the style, inspired by Cyberninja's image:
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/2036/kw3newgfxfa1.th.jpg (http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kw3newgfxfa1.jpg)

With the previous style and graphics, I made the mistake of going for a cartoony style while using too many gradients and trying to add a bit too much detail.
So I quite like the new style, simple, easy on the eye... and well, stylish!

Fuzzyspoon:
Thanks for the feedback, very helpful. :)
Just so that you know, scores are not implemented yet, but in the final product after dying, you'll be taken to a room which has a lot of information from the game, such as how many enemies you ate, your score, vehicles destroyed, etc.
The current death is purely temporary.

I have decided to remove the jerk when trying to eat something which you're too small to eat. I added it tring to make an effect which showed the user that they cannot eat the thing. But it's generally annoying when you jump up only to be jerked right back into the ground.

As of now, no, enemy's projectiles don't interact with other enemies, but I'll change this. I just need to get this working well so that, for example, a tank shooting a missle behind another tank won't blow the tank in front of it up!

About levelling up; each time you level up you gain 3 stat points. pressing space bar will open the stat menu. When you first level, a pop-up comes up explaining this. But it's easy for somebody not to read it. So I've made the unspet attribute thing: "Unspet attribute points! (Space bar to assign)"

Thaumaturge
12-01-2008, 06:46 AM
Hmm... to be honest, I'm afraid that the backdrops still don't look as good as I'd like to see them for this game (the trees in particular might be good images to re-work...).

I do like the sheep, bunny and human sprites, however. ^_^

(Although I'm not sure that they wouldn't benefit from some colour, in the human sprites in particular.)

I still think that you should complete the game itself, and then work on the graphics afterwards, at that point either devoting your development time entirely to working on the art, or finding an artist to create images for you.

As to enemy projectiles affecting other enemies, perhaps include a timer (or range meter) in each weaponsfire instance - you then always test against the player, but only test against other enemies once the timer/range meter has reached a certain value (and the missile has thus presumably travelled a short distance, thus at least hopefully avoiding nearby enemies).

dislekcia
12-01-2008, 02:46 PM
I like the new style Unc1354m, I think it's a good idea to lighten things up a little and make them more refined at the same time. This is certainly a good direction to go in :)

If anything, I'd suggest trying to make the game's lines and sprites "cleaner" yet simpler. Aim for a style similar to the way Danc of www.lostgarden.com uses in his cutesy stuff.

Edit: about enemy projectiles... Why not have it so that they change colour after bouncing/touching but not bouncing off debris kicked up by the worm? That way you can have those altered missiles harm humans and the like and give the player an extra "ability" to experiment with?

-D