View Full Version : Colour Master
Karuji
19-05-2008, 06:30 PM
There used to be lots of boring text about how the game came to be. It was boring so I deleted it.
Yay new post rAge version up. Please yell at me, or tell me you are playing the game. Makes me work faster ;)
Firstly this version is rather incomplete it only has one game mode.
Current to do:
Fix End Runner mode. And add user ability to set the window size.
After that the game is going to have a major under the hook overhaul. Will also hopefully put in user key mapping with this.
Then I'll make a read me so you don't have to deal with my silly read me. I'll fix up the menu at the same time.
linky (http://www.box.net/shared/8h245cbr0j)
dislekcia
19-05-2008, 08:21 PM
So the interaction is basically the player clicking on the correct colour when a new block pops up? That doesn't sound overly engaging. Twist the mechanic around a little, do something to it to make it have combo possibilities and require planning by the player...
-D
Cloud_Ratha
19-05-2008, 08:25 PM
There is a game dev competition running on some website, the theme is colour... ill find the link :D
Here we go! (http://www.eegra.com/pages/show/id/203/)
Karuji
19-05-2008, 09:00 PM
@ Cloud_Ratha: thanks for the linky ill check it out
@ dis: Domo arigato, exactly why i made this thread. Though im proberbly going to have to rethink the game. But as for combos what if you had a starting colour take blue and it moves in a certain direction and pases through a yellow block and you get a green block but the player has to anticipate that blue and yellow make blue and at the final spot where the block and the wall would be sorted the correct wall colour would be moved in by pressing arrow keys which would move the entire wall?
wow guess i did rethink the game
Thaumaturge
20-05-2008, 01:45 AM
Hmm... What about asking the player to create certain patterns? Complications to the achievement of this might include:
Providing the colours randomly, perhaps requiring colour mixing (perhaps by providing only primary colours, and using secondary colours in the patterns, for example).
Giving colours behaviours - placing yellow in a "blank" block might result in yellow being added to all neighbouring blocks, for example, or green might invert the colour of the blocks to either side...
Including "colours" that have effects, but don't actually add colour - including some potentially negative ones. Examples might be erasure "colours", that clear a set of blocks, or ones that cause the next (actual) colour to be stored for later use. The trick, of course, is that the player is required to use the "effect colour" before the next colour appears for use (except in cases such as the latter example, which should perhaps take effect immediately).
If you use the "subtractive" set of primary colours (cyan, magenta and yellow), then I'd suggest subtracting strictly, to produce black when all three are added together, instead of the muddy colours that you're likely to get if you mix them in paints, I think. On the other hand, the additive set (red, green and blue) might be more intuitive for users (with perhaps some training for those more used to paints than light and computer representations).
For the subtractive set, "blank" blocks should of course be white, while black should be the base for the additive set, I believe.
Karuji
20-05-2008, 05:17 PM
Thaumaturge: Some really interesting ideas, the whole positive and negative thing is getting meh' brain working over drive here. Also with alot of the idea here im evolving the game in my head quite abit. I hope my mind doesnt go over board and create something that is too extravogent (Spelling?)
Karuji
15-02-2009, 05:36 PM
/cast rez on nero threat with link to wip game (read first post) controls are arrow keys and it aint to hard to work out. ;)
Evolution
15-02-2009, 09:27 PM
Yoyo games has released the winners (http://glog.yoyogames.com/?p=501) for competition 4.
You need to improve on the game mechanics to make it more engaging.
SkinkLizzard
15-02-2009, 11:03 PM
ok I followed that link but I fail to see how it relates to this thread...
otherwise on topic of colour master, blame funky behaviour of cases like
same colour, black and white on me and my fail lazy logic. :)
I'll flay karuji's hide and get him to implement score for the next release :)
Karuji
15-02-2009, 11:05 PM
Don't worry ill get the score done (and slow it down so you can play it) for the next time I upload.
Just let me get my god damn science assignments done. :P
Karuji: Is it not a bit fast to ge tthe hang of whats going on?
Karuji
05-03-2009, 07:01 PM
Ok new one up slowed it down a bit and added a score system. (Link in first post)
Still on the todo:
- Fix up the colour change mechanic
- Add levels
- Add score board
- Make it look pretty
Karuji
06-10-2009, 11:19 PM
And yes I know this is ancient. But hey after rAge things are going slow :(
The current version just needs a bit of polish to the current game mode before I upload it so expact that soon.
Also my thanks to Telur for the hours of testing and feed back at rAge :)
So expect something tomorrow (wednesday) or by sunday. School enjoys killing my time
[/hypehypehype]
Considering that this this thread says concept, and is filled with quite a bit of crap >.> (my fault) was wondering if I should just make a new thread or would it be better if dis just edited the title?
Fengol
07-10-2009, 05:44 AM
Ah, I'm glad you brought this up. With you guys talking about it at rAge I was futilely looking for a download. Please put up a download link as soon as possible! I'd love to try it out
Karuji
07-10-2009, 02:03 PM
I'll have it up today. Just need one or two more touches, and somewhere to upload. (not sure what the concesus is on file hosting.
And taking my lappy to school was absolute win. :)
Fengol
07-10-2009, 02:16 PM
use http://www.box.net/ like everyone else
Karuji
07-10-2009, 02:20 PM
Yay, save my ass using mediafire :)
(starting the upload soon)
expect an edit even sooner
Karuji
07-10-2009, 02:21 PM
Urg double post :< something funny is going on here. . .
Oh well current version is up. Check the first post or use this
linky (http://www.box.net/shared/i5vmnzu68l)
Fengol
07-10-2009, 03:18 PM
Download, read the rules and played a bit. This is actually a very cool puzzle game! What it needs though is a visible explaination of the game either through images or, preferably, animations.
Can I make the suggestion that you configure a "game mode" that plays itself to demonstrate what the player is supposed to do. The more scripted you can make this "demo mode" so that you can show the additive and subtractive colours the better cause then you can add dialog to explain what's visibly happening.
Otherwise I'd like to request is a visible indication of whether I've scored or not. The simplest way I can think of to do this is when you destory the moving block create an object that has +100 or 0 as its sprite at the location where the block is destroyed and make that object moving up slowly and fade out by decrementing its image_alpha by a little each step. Then in each step check if image_alpha is <= 0 and if it is destory the object. Then it's highly visible to the player if they're getting it right or not.
Karuji
07-10-2009, 03:37 PM
The visible explanation is the tutorial which is going to be done some time in the future.
The game randomly chooses an animation of sorts when you score. But I will be adding something to show the score you got when a bit is correct some time.
Also there is going to be a form of pre indicator to show what colour and which direction the next spawn is going to be in. And since you were playing survival getting it wrong cause the block to turn black.
I also want to put in some kind of move animation.
But it's all pipeline stuff right now. Firstly I want to fix End Runner. Then it's on to a major under the hood over-haul then it's onto implements all this.
But thanks for the feed back it's much appreciate :3
Telur
08-10-2009, 08:20 AM
Keep up the good work. *goes back to avoiding work by playing Colour Master*
Karuji
12-10-2009, 05:31 PM
Ver 0.4 is out.
linky (http://www.box.net/shared/8h245cbr0j)
Only major change is the End Runner is now runner. And I made the effects bigger if you get the match right.
And please give me feed back about the difficulty and game length. Enjoy.
Nandrew
13-10-2009, 10:00 PM
I think you should avoid using the viewport resize *throughout* the game. It screws up my menu text to a hellish degree: I basically have to guess what I'm clicking on, and thus what game mode I'm activating.
I think the most important aspect to consider at this point is minimising game detail. I know it may sound odd for such an offering, but consider just how much information your player needs to consider. Does the game really warrant three entire rings of colour? Especially when one of those rings can't actually be moved by the player?
Consider making your game arena smaller, and make more meaningful use of screen space. Instead of a big window with all of these blocks in it, how about making the arena smaller, get a fixed "end block" in place, randomise its colour and have the player make use of two linear columns of colour instead of the entire circle?
If you reduce these elements more, and perhaps get a nice, gentle tutorial going, you can start looking at the concept for a game which is potentially quite educational. Then you can build from there.
Karuji
17-10-2009, 09:02 PM
I think you should avoid using the viewport resize *throughout* the game. It screws up my menu text to a hellish degree: I basically have to guess what I'm clicking on, and thus what game mode I'm activating.
I realise this. And yes this is entirely the fault of my stupidity. But the next version is just going to be a bit of polish and bug/issue fixing. Like my really annoying viewpoint resize issue.
(The long story if anyone cares is that when I started making the game I used my desktop with a 1280x1024 monitor. I then worked on my laptop with was 1280x800 thus in 800x800 I couldn't see everything on my lappy. After this I added the menu hence the issue)
I think the most important aspect to consider at this point is minimising game detail. I know it may sound odd for such an offering, but consider just how much information your player needs to consider. Does the game really warrant three entire rings of colour? Especially when one of those rings can't actually be moved by the player?
I think you hit the nail on the head there. I've done testing via taking my laptop and jjust getting people to play it. I noticed that there was a sort of gap between people who managed to catch onto it and those who took a while to figure it out.
So I completely agree that I do need to find a way to minimise what is going on so that the game would be easier to play.
As for the three rings. Yes, I do believe the concept of the game does warrant it. If you are playing survival mode and a white block spawns it will take both rings to get it to turn to blue green and red. But for end runner I could do away with the inner ring since no one seems to use it. And the fact that there is a ring that the player cannot move is what makes it challenging as to know what colour will comes out of that.
As the designer the thing that I currently like about the game is that I have a lot of options as to what I can do and what game mode I can impliment. Yes there is a lot of refinement, but it is with critism like this that I will be able to refine and improve the game.
Consider making your game arena smaller, and make more meaningful use of screen space. Instead of a big window with all of these blocks in it, how about making the arena smaller, get a fixed "end block" in place, randomise its colour and have the player make use of two linear columns of colour instead of the entire circle?
If I though about that it would have saved he a lot of effort and begging in trying to generate those rings, but once again you have raised something excelent. I noticed that people tended to neglect the use of the inner ring and rely more on hoppng the outer ring to get the right colour (this is in survival). Personally I believe that indicating colour and direction of the next spawn would help the player with this.
But I personally believe that the challenge of this game lies in the fact that you have four directions that the block can spawn in. That is the greatest chellenge if you can get the the colour changes down.
But from your feedback it would seem that the infomation is not being conveyed to the user correctly and that is definately something that needs to be addressed. Also I do believe that I could make better use of the space on the screen. But I question how without changing the game to such an extent.
If you reduce these elements more, and perhaps get a nice, gentle tutorial going, you can start looking at the concept for a game which is potentially quite educational. Then you can build from there.
Nandrew you have raised excellent points and given me a brilliant critique since these are the issues that I have been thinking about. In fact I had to rack my brain for two days before replying.
I've said before that I'm going to do a major under the hood revamp. And with this in mind it might end up being more then just an under the hood revamp. But I doubt if it is educational. My science teacher seemed to be puzzeled as a broke phycis with how certain colours became additive and subtractive.
Gazza_N
18-10-2009, 08:15 PM
I really like Nandrew's dual-column idea. It makes the screen less busy and less daunting, while still allowing you to do the same thing gameplay-wise. The simpler your interface, and the less you overwhelm the player with visual input, the better.
I think that having guides to help the newbie player is a good thing. Directional and next-colour-spawned guides will help, although you can always strip them away with higher difficulty levels. Another guide that you might want to consider is a "preview before change" block - something that allows the player to see what colour the block will change to with its next impact. Think of it like the "ghost warpions" Nandrew used in Dr. Warp - a sneak preview to allow better planning, and to help newbies work out the colour combos. As before, you can strip this out after a certain time, or with higher difficulties.
I get what you're saying in terms of randomizing the directions increasing the challenge of the game, since the player needs to scramble to reorient the rings to suit the new direction. I figure that this could be just as easily done by spawning the block at different heights relative to the colour columns of Nandrew's idea, or randomizing the column's colours as the block spawns.
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