View Full Version : Roach Toaster 2: Pre-beta
Tr00jg
15-08-2007, 09:19 PM
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v0.81 is out! If you dont want sift through the pages here is the link
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/RT2081.zip
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Yes, I am still going. I am in a bit of slump regarding RT2. It is practically in beta stages, but I have to jog my passion for it. I loaded it up today to play it, and it really felt awesome to see what I have done!
So, in an effort to get everything back on track again, I thought, I would chuck the pre-balancing of the game and just release it to see what people think. There is nothing as motivational as seeing people playing your game!
So, I promised there would be 2 beta's. One with non-linear Big City gameplay and the other with linear Big City gameplay. I prefer the linear one (although it aint balance yet).
Changes since previous version:
v0.6 aka Long time to Pre-beta - 2007/08/15
(ONLY RELEASED AT NAG)
-Got Awesome Menu Art.
-Organised Buyer System.
-Redid Tutorial.
-Added Profile System aka Saving/Loading.
-Added a SECRET.
-Added limit to team-name length.
-Polished Team movement in Big City. (More Control)
-Prevented tutorial budget to access global budget.
-Prevented from beginning new round before previous is finished.
-Redid Buyer System. More friendly now. (I hope).
-Fixed a bug where your units would shoot through the wall.
-Implement Stats Page.
-Implemented a useful info system.
-Implemented global budget.
-Changed enhancements.
>Newest Enhancements:
-No_Go_Zone
-Cost_Reduction
-Longer_Range
-Changed Team Room.
-UI Polishes.
-More user-friendly.
-Fixed Electro. Multiple Bounces work properly now.
-Other Bug Fixes. Lots of them.
-Added awesome fading transitions!
-Solved the 3D mouse bug in Big City (helluva mission).
-Added a proper message background.
(Its a lot). :)
Well well. Here is Roach Toaster 2: v0.6
3.54mb
Non-linear version (http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/RTB.exe)
3.54mb
Linear version (http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/RTB2.exe)
So...
CONTROLS:
-One right-click opens unit "buyer". Left-Click on the unit. Placing it, "buys" it.
Rules:
Your job is to destroy the roaches on a city-wide scale. Create teams, get enhancements, obliterate the roaches!
More INFO:
-The game is NOT BALANCED at all! I need some help here (if you want to).
To make it easier for you, I included several things to help test it:
-Pressing "B" in Big City allows you to set your budget to anything you want to.
-Pressing "Q" in the levels kills all the roaches (insta-kill!).
P.S.
-I probably forgot something... Oh yeah, stupid mistake on my behalf. There is music in the file, but it aint playing! Ill upload a new version tomorrow (I got 1337 net). :P
-There are still stuff in the game that is there to help me test it. I wrote it down, but cant remember where I put it. If you find something that shouldnt happen, just tell.
-And check the main menu art! Awesome.
dislekcia
15-08-2007, 10:02 PM
Neat. I'll probably only be able to give this a play through on the weekend though... Still busy with the Comp 15 games.
-D
Gazza_N
15-08-2007, 10:05 PM
Kudos, man. This is looking really slick. The time and effort you put into this really shows!
I've played through the first couple of levels in the linear version of the game, and I'm really impressed. The only niggles I've picked up so far have been:
> Some spelling errors in the text, Bad Troojg! Bad! :P
> Your scrolling text sometimes ends up behind the central command buttons. Also, it tends to creep behind them while typing itself out, then jump to the next line suddenly. It's not that bad, just an aesthetic thing.
> I'm not too fond of the way that the unit selection ring stays open after you've placed a unit. I realise that it makes things more efficient when you want to place multiple units, but something feels a bit off about it... Perhaps I'll get used to it with time.
I'll update you with more info as I play. Dude, those shotgunners really kick roach butt! :D
Tr00jg
16-08-2007, 03:14 PM
Thanks for the feedback Gazza.
To touch on your points:
-Spelling errors? Where?
-Yeah, the current UI is not the final UI, as for the line jumping I'll see what I can do about it.
-The Unit selection ring: Yeah, Im not too sure what really works the best. Perhaps another opinion by someone.
-As for the shotgunners... Yeah, perhaps they own a bit too much. :P
Thanks for the feedback!
I dont know what to say other than Roach Toaster has hit a new high! Great job tr00jg!
My only issue is:
> when I click end round, the game pauses for a second or two, and my Vista keeps thinking its crashed, but then carries on. I think it might just be my computer though.
Tr00jg
16-08-2007, 04:08 PM
Hmmm... edg3. Thanks for playing!
As for 1-2 second delay thing: Yeah, there are lots of things happening at the end of a round, which causes it to "pause". I was scared something like that can happen. Although, I already optimised it, I'll have to optimise it even more!
P.S. Oh, forgot to say. Liquid.Silver cant do the rest of the sprites anymore...
Gazza_N
16-08-2007, 05:37 PM
Whatever did happen to Liquid.Silver? Is he busy with Matric or Varsity this year?
Troojg, I've think I've come up with a decent suggestion regarding that radial menu. What if you have the player right click on the position that they wanted to place a unit, then pop the radial menu up if that position is within the placement zone? The player would then select the unit they wanted from the radial menu, the menu would close, and the selected unit would appear at the spot where they right clicked. If they wanted to place another unit, they would repeat the procedure.
*Two cents deposited ;)*
Tr00jg
16-08-2007, 05:51 PM
Liquid.Silver is busy with Matric. He told me he was too busy to continue work on it. I'll have to see what is going to happen with the sprites though. Those roach sprites are just simply kick-ass.
Great suggestion Gazza. I'll try it. The only problem I think that could arise from that method is that you could accidently place it at a wrong place, or if the player clicked on the wrong unit, it places it immediately...
Gazza_N
16-08-2007, 05:55 PM
So provide an "undo" button in your radial menu. ;)
Tr00jg
16-08-2007, 05:56 PM
So provide an "undo" button in your radial menu. ;)
Yeah, d'oh! Ill see how it pans out.
Tr00jg
16-08-2007, 06:26 PM
Oh yeah, another thing to help with testing. Pressing "A" gives you all the units.
Can you make the bouncer's bullets move a little faster? The time it takes for it to die delays game play a lot.
I like the rocketeers, but should they be firing through walls?
Tr00jg
16-08-2007, 07:21 PM
kk... Bouncer's bullets will move faster.
Yeah, thats the usefullness of Rocketeers. It aint really "through" the walls, more like "over" it.
Okay, just though I should check :)
Its really cool, still working on finishing the whole pre-beta
Gazza_N
16-08-2007, 08:40 PM
Er, Troojg, isn't the Electro's lightning bolt supposed to leap between the roaches once it hits? Right now it only seems to hit one roach and then fizzle out. Was this an intentional change, or has something gone a bit awry?
BTW, I'm loving the banter between your two lieutenants. I've laughed out loud several times so far while playing. Good job!
Tr00jg
16-08-2007, 09:06 PM
The Electro is a specialist unit. It only bounces when it hits a metal roach (The green ones with a grey shell).
As for the banter. Hehe! I have 2 pages worth of dribble that I still have to add (those are really funny). :)
Hetfield: "Why are we the only exterminators?"
Reticer: "I think the other bug exterminators went to work at Microsoft."
Gazza_N
16-08-2007, 09:27 PM
Whoops! My bad! :) The last version of RT2 I played was one of the very, very old ones, so I'm kinda out of the loop regarding the new roach types. The specialist units are a good move in terms of balance though.
dislekcia
17-08-2007, 02:04 AM
What about having the radial menu tied to holding down a mouse button?
LMB places a unit if a unit type is currently selected. Default is no unit type selected, so you can't place anything.
Holding down the RMB brings up the radial menu, if you move your mouse while the button is held down you'll select the unit that your cursor is over when you let go of the RMB. You can then place that unit with the LMB, as many times as you like... Clicking the RMB without moving the mouse or selecting a unit clears the selection, meaning you can't place anything anymore.
That seems reasonably intuitive to me.
-D
BlackHawk
17-08-2007, 09:29 AM
Downloaded the game last night. I love it. Good work, Tr00jg!
Things I picked up:
- in the tutorial I ran out of money (I didn't go for the unlimited money option you pointed out). Your message stated that I should tell you about this fact :)
- You need to color the team names in the Big City map/screen. Black is very difficult to read.
- I find the placement a bit difficult. When I think I can place a unit, I click and nothing happens. However, moving the mouse a little bit away from my initial point places the unit. Maybe have the boxes under unit color green when it can be placed, red when it can't? (like StarCraft buildings do)
- Disable the "end round" button! :p
- Adjust the mouse cursor to show that the round is in progress (like the Windows hourglass).
- Give the money a green color. black is difficult to read against the current backdrop.
- Love the banter!
@dis: while your suggestion scheme will work for marvelously, I think that will only work sufficiently if you have near unlimited money. Placing a unit exponentially increases the payment for the next unit. Having the user quickly place units like that will quickly deplete his resources without him realizing it.
I like how Troojg is currently doing it, however I would like the radial to disappear once selection takes place, as I usually right-click where I want to place the unit. A bit difficult to unlearn/adjust but practice will improve the muscle response/memory :)
Tr00jg
17-08-2007, 11:37 AM
Thanks for the feedback!
-You ran out of money in the tutorial? Whoa, didnt think that can happen. :)
-Great idea for the green/red placing Blackhawk.
-Disabling the End Round button is on my to-do list. I have currently like it is to help with development.
So, what to do about the radial? I think perhaps to go for right-clicking once (not holding), clicking on a unit (removes radial). You can then place as many as you want...
Chippit
17-08-2007, 11:47 AM
I personally like dislekcia's right-click hold idea. I used something similar in Galaxy Sim, and I always thought it was a rather nifty way of handling pop-up interfaces. It feels like the most intuitive approach to pop-ups imo.
CiNiMoDZA
17-08-2007, 12:23 PM
Hey Toogj, ja, my PC has that same problem where it thinks its not working, but like you said, you gonna try sort it out! Otherwise, loving the game! I dont think you need to make the shotgun guys weaker, maybe just more expensive!!! Just a thought! I love the different bugs idea!!! Really makes the game interesting! Just one question though! Would you mind sharing how you have the scrolling text thing, you know, like when those guys are talking to you!!! But anyways, good game, looking forward to seeing the final product ;)
Squid
17-08-2007, 12:46 PM
P.S. Oh, forgot to say. Liquid.Silver cant do the rest of the sprites anymore...
I can do sprites if you like. I did the Leonidis sprite in my ava. Let me know if you like it.
Tr00jg
17-08-2007, 01:02 PM
Wow, that looks awesome! We should talk.
Tr00jg
25-08-2007, 04:12 PM
Well, I haven't had much time to work on RT2 because of exams. The coming week is real chill, so Ill probably get some time in.
Ive been experimenting with new looks... I kinda went back to the first idea I had when I designed RT2. This time the buildings aint real 3D, but fake 3D... OMG, it took ages. Countless triangles and rectangles (it was fun though!).
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/image/mrtlevel.jpg
The walls are transparent buildings. It could use polish, but this is the main idea. Oh, and the "tiles" are now transparent. Below it is the ground, ie dirty streets of a city. There is currently only 1 dirt tile as you can see. :). What do you think of this idea?
Oh and Squid has agreed to help me finish off the sprites! Big ups to Squid. Everything is goes handy dandy with the menu artist too. :)
Gazza_N
25-08-2007, 04:33 PM
I like the idea of 3d-ifying the maps to give them a bit more visual oomph. The levels could do with a bit of graphical diversity, and this looks to be a good way to do it.
I identified two more issues for you, your Tr00jgship:
- The UI isn't scaling properly with larger maps. The larger the map, the smaller the UI elements become. I assume this has to do with room size in GM?
- I keep getting stuck on some levels because all my troops go after the same bug, ignoring others. A huge barrage of weapons fire wipes out a single bug while leaving other viable targets unharmed. Then the roaches replicate, and the vicious cycle begins... Any way you could have troops ignore bugs that have already been targeted by others?
Tr00jg
25-08-2007, 04:52 PM
-The is supposed to scale according to the size of the room... Irk, Im not too sure what you mean. I do this to make working with UI more easier.
-The all-shoot-one problem:
This is really difficult. I know it is a hassle (it sometimes happens to me too). If I change it so that each unit shoots "targeted" unit, it changes the whole gameplay. And how would I implement it? How do I determine who shoots where? The game lags already after each round, this would just worsen it. I dunno... I just dont see that working... Thats what I think.
Gazza_N
25-08-2007, 05:00 PM
The UI: Basically, when the room size increases, the viewport resolution increases, correct? Since the UI is a set size (in pixels) and more pixels are being shown in the viewport, the UI appears to "shrink" relative to the room. The solution would be to scale the UI up somehow, I imagine.
I hope I'm making sense...
As for the shooting thing, I see your problem... I'll give it some thought.
Squid
25-08-2007, 06:46 PM
I've got some art for you. http://www.squidcor.co.za/uploads/rt.jpg
Tr00jg
25-08-2007, 10:38 PM
@Gazza_N: Ooohhhh... Now I see. It never occurred to me. It always felt "right". Did it really bother you? I guess I could change it.
@Squid.: You've got mail.
Tr00jg
25-08-2007, 10:58 PM
Oooh! Just discovered this!
http://www.gameshark.com/pc/features/354/The-Indies-Issue-13.htm
Whoopie doo! :D
Gazza_N
25-08-2007, 11:02 PM
Oh, functionally it's fine. I mean, everything works the same. It's just a niggly aesthetic polish thing. The look and positioning of the main UI should remain constant, I feel. Having it shifting size all the time just feels inconsistent and unpolished. Meh, maybe it's just me. ;)
Tr00jg
25-08-2007, 11:04 PM
Yeah, you are right. It shouldnt shift size... Back to devving for me. :)
Gazza_N
25-08-2007, 11:08 PM
RE that link: Well done! RT2's getting some pre-release hype already! ;)
Tr00jg
25-08-2007, 11:22 PM
RE that link: Well done! RT2's getting some pre-release hype already! ;)
Haha! Gosh, I dont know when I will finish it. I think I must just take a week in upcoming vacation and just program RT2 all the way. :)
Cyberninja
25-08-2007, 11:41 PM
Oooh! Just discovered this!
http://www.gameshark.com/pc/features/354/The-Indies-Issue-13.htm
Whoopie doo! :D
Wow man! Congrats Tr00jg. That's awesome news. :)
Tr00jg
26-08-2007, 10:09 PM
More versions of the new level layout... Please tell me what you think... Its not where I want it though. Ill have to tweak a bit more, but what do you think of the concept?
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/image/mrtlevel2.jpg
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/image/mrtlevel3.jpg
dislekcia
26-08-2007, 11:18 PM
Quick observation: It looks like you're calculating the points that make up the tops of your walls via only the centre of the object, that's what's causing that "split" between walls that are adjacent but on opposite sides of the centre of the screen. Rather calculate height-based offsets per corner, that'll make things look proper.
-D
UntouchableOne
27-08-2007, 12:56 AM
Well done dude. Your game is really going places. Can't wait to see the final product.
Fengol
27-08-2007, 01:06 PM
Oooh! Just discovered this!
http://www.gameshark.com/pc/features/354/The-Indies-Issue-13.htm
Whoopie doo! :D
I know it's off-topic (but congrats on getting RT2 talked about) but that link to the GameAttorney is very interesting; especially his review of the Call of Duty contract (http://gamasutra.com/features/20070112/spark_01.shtml)
Tr00jg
27-08-2007, 07:06 PM
More experimentings: Hehe!
This time, I went for crazy cartoon feel. It think that is where I want to go, since it gels well with the theme behind Roach Toaster.
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/image/cartoonl.jpg
I changed the roach, ranger, shotgunner and repeater sprites. Take a closer look.
I like this... It could work.
Gazza_N
27-08-2007, 08:58 PM
Bug-eyed roaches == (teh_awesome && teh_irony)
BTW, out of interest, any progress on the unit selection?
Cyberninja
27-08-2007, 10:47 PM
I like the new look. I prefer it over the 3D version, to be honest. :)
DrDeth
28-08-2007, 08:34 AM
I definately prefer the cartoon look too. Great work Tr00jg!
Just a note - I cant get RoachToaster or RTB2 to run on Vista. I can see it in the Task Manager process list, but nothing ever shows up. I just eats CPU time.
Tr00jg
28-08-2007, 12:27 PM
@DrDeth: Game Maker v6 doesnt work with Vista. I mainly do my programming in v6. I can easily port it to Game Maker 7 (which works in Vista), but I prefer GM6 right now. :)
I will definitely have a GM7 version up when the game gets nearer to release.
---------------------
I think I have finally stumbled upon the best screenie! I added the 3D-walls look to the cartoon-y feel:
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/image/car3dl.jpg
CiNiMoDZA
28-08-2007, 02:19 PM
Hey TrOOjg, that screen shot looks awesome, I really like the 3D walls, they just something different!
dislekcia
28-08-2007, 02:26 PM
Tr00jg, did you understand what I meant about not calculating your walls from the centre of your tiles? They don't look right at the moment...
-D
Tr00jg
28-08-2007, 02:31 PM
Tr00jg, did you understand what I meant about not calculating your walls from the centre of your tiles? They don't look right at the moment...
-D
Yep. You were talking about the splits that occur in the centre of the screen. I haven't gotten to that yet. I'll get onto that.
Oh yeah, @Gazza_N: No, I haven't made any updates considering the unit selection. I'll get to that too.
@Cinimod: Thanks. :)
Tr00jg
28-08-2007, 06:14 PM
I corrected the 3D look and I am loving it. I couldn't stop myself from playing a few levels. ;)
Tr00jg
31-08-2007, 01:16 PM
A guy from the TIGSOURCE forums gave huge feedback on RT2. woot.
So after reading his stuff. Here is some things I am considering:
> I think I am ditching the right-click thing. When you mouse over the top of the screen, a bar will come down, which will have all the units. What do you think?
> The Ranger and Melee is pretty useless when it comes to the end game. So I am thinking of merging the ranger with the electro and the melee with the quaker. I'll then use my creative juices to get a new unit. Rather quality than quantity.
> Biggest change. I think it might rock. This will solve the "why-does-my-units-shoot-at-one-frikken-roach" issues. At the end of each round, your units will "aim". You will see at which roach each one aims at. THEY wont shoot immediately. You will then proceed to click on each unit to "shoot" wherever he is aiming at. The other units will then adapt according to what happened. Click on the next unit to let him fire... This might also solve the lag bug.
This sounds cool dont you think?
> Last but not least, I am possibly thinking of ditching the enhancements. I haven't used it "ever" and I think it is just one more thing that does not really add to the gameplay. Less is more they always say. This will also work perfectly with the linear progress since you wont have to leave to Big City to set enhancements.
So, before I start changing the game, what do you think?
Evil_Toaster
31-08-2007, 02:01 PM
A guy from the TIGSOURCE forums gave huge feedback on RT2. woot.
So after reading his stuff. Here is some things I am considering:
> I think I am ditching the right-click thing. When you mouse over the top of the screen, a bar will come down, which will have all the units. What do you think?
> The Ranger and Melee is pretty useless when it comes to the end game. So I am thinking of merging the ranger with the electro and the melee with the quaker. I'll then use my creative juices to get a new unit. Rather quality than quantity.
> Biggest change. I think it might rock. This will solve the "why-does-my-units-shoot-at-one-frikken-roach" issues. At the end of each round, your units will "aim". You will see at which roach each one aims at. THEY wont shoot immediately. You will then proceed to click on each unit to "shoot" wherever he is aiming at. The other units will then adapt according to what happened. Click on the next unit to let him fire... This might also solve the lag bug.
This sounds cool dont you think?
> Last but not least, I am possibly thinking of ditching the enhancements. I haven't used it "ever" and I think it is just one more thing that does not really add to the gameplay. Less is more they always say. This will also work perfectly with the linear progress since you wont have to leave to Big City to set enhancements.
So, before I start changing the game, what do you think?
I haven't played a recent build of RT2, but the way the firing worked before was a bit frustrating where all units fired at the same roaches. I'm not sure your solution above is really a solution? I mean, why make the player click through all their guys each round? Are you able to make him aim differently if you don't like where he's aiming? If not, you're forcing the player to cycle through a lot of useless clicks. I'm sure you could get each unit to only aim when it's their turn to fire. Making the player step through this sounds silly.
Personally, I'd prefer AI on my guys, like, when it is a unit's turn to fire, it'll do something different depending on its AI setting:
- Shoot closest: Aims at the closest roach
- Shoot most: Tries to find a shot which will give the most kills
- Shoot strongest (if you have boss roaches?): Aims at the strongest roach
- Cover Angle (You can select a segment in which it can aim)
- Etc etc.
There's perhaps a few other ones you could put in, and I know the above won't be too simple to implement, but that's how I personally would want to play it. You could even look at allowing the player to choose multiple behaviours, such as cover angle + shoot closest.
That way I can for instance set my front guys to hold off roaches coming in close, and then the guys behind to go for max kills, or kill the stronger roaches.
-Edit- More thoughts:
This may or may not be what you want, but having a unit which can fire say, 3 times be able to re-aim between each of those shots might be cool. So you set a guy to kill the closest roaches, and he'll shoot the 1st closest, aim at the 2nd closest, aim at the 3rd closest, shoot that. This could be a special ability only some units have, which would make them more suitable for holding off stuff that's close.
dislekcia
31-08-2007, 03:26 PM
I second ET's suggestion. It makes a lot of sense not to force the player to cycle through the units manually. Also, the idea of each unit only aiming when it's their turn to fire opens up a new possibility: An order queue.
Essentially you'd display a list of which units are going to fire in which order (either with numbers above the units or graphically via icons in order + arrows) so that then you'd have the ability to edit the firing sequence for best results...
Hold the presses, just had a nice idea: Instead of a discrete list or order for aiming/firing that players will have to micromanage, why not use the 2D positioning you have already? The player would select a square on the map to "ping" from at the start of the turn, this "ping" would spread out in a circular pattern and when it passed over a unit, that unit would perform it's actions. Suddenly you have a position-sensitive firing order mechanism that carries tradeoff decisions too, all with one click. Shout if I haven't explained it properly - Though if you're not going to use it, I want it ;)
ET's AI setting idea is also pure win. Go with it.
Could you make the units you want to combine upgrades from the initial types? Either the player gets the upgrade to the new units (removing the old ones) at the end of a specific story mission or once a certain event happens in the game, or the units are manually upgraded during play, etc.
-D
Tr00jg
31-08-2007, 04:02 PM
Hmmm... looks my previous post did not go through.
Kewl ideas ET+Dis.
As for the cycling through "clicks". You will be able to set your unit to auto-fire. ie you can set it to modes, "fire at will" or to "awaiting orders". I have prototyped it, and it plays quite cool. I actually liked "clicking" through the units more than placing them. I guess Ill have to let you guys test it.
Dis, your ping idea is cool, but it does not really fit into the game. How do you explain that (game-wise)? But seriously that idea can rock for a puzzle type game. Go ahead and use it. I can picture you pinging "blocks" to fall, stuff like that.
ET, that re-aiming unit is a pretty cool idea for a new unit. Thanks.
The AI is also cool... but at this stage of development it would be a mission to do that (also considering that it lags already on older PC's). AI is also not my forte.
The "upgrade" is an awesome idea. Ill use it for the "electro" upgrade, but the melee is just plain useless.
dislekcia
31-08-2007, 04:33 PM
I dunno, I think the ping thing would work really well. You could explain it in the game setting with an audio command: "Fire!" The sound propagates out from that point you clicked on and when each unit hears it, they do what they should do ;)
It just provides a really good way to instantly change your entire team's effects on the roaches by simply clicking somewhere else at the start of a round. Sure, you could click through manually but somehow that just doesn't sound as cool, especially if you're not micromanaging state info or AI stuff with those clicks.
-D
Tr00jg
31-08-2007, 05:07 PM
Gyarrr... You're not helping. :)
Hehe. Now that I have let it marinate in my mind, it could work. Its actually a really interesting design feature if you think about it.
Ill see. I see a potential problem. Will it fully solve the "all-shoot-one-roach" problem? Micro-managing does...
How fast should the ring expand? If it goes fast, it wont solve the above problem. If it goes slow, it would, but then who would want to "wait"?
dislekcia
31-08-2007, 05:43 PM
Many solutions besides simply tweaking the speed until it plays best...
Pause the ring every time it touches a soldier. Restart it after soldier performs action.
You might also want the player to be able to have things sometimes all fire at the same thing. It would be a game dynamic around how tightly packed you place your units...
Also, it might be worth thinking about making the firing of regular bullets hitscan instead of projectiles.
And final possible solution: Allow players to "charge" the speed of the ring depending on how long they hold the mouse button down. Instant release = slow ring/quiet shout. Long hold before release = fast ring/loud shout.
-D
P.S. Game design FTW!
Tr00jg
31-08-2007, 06:07 PM
Woot. Game Design FTW. :D
Okay, so far I am going for the "pause" once it reaches a unit method.
I'll start on the ring method thing-y after I chow some hotdogs (all this thinking made me hungry).
But.... I still want to see what you think of the micro-managing gameplay, because I like it. Its cooler in practice (so far... lets see if the ring owns it).
Ill perhaps upload the 2 versions tonight.
Anyway, thanks for the brainstorming! :)
P.S. Knytt Stories is out... Got. to. play. it... but. like. devving. RT2.
Chippit
31-08-2007, 06:51 PM
This ping idea is made of win. Tr00jg, use it. Now. dislekcia has given you a gem
Nandrew
31-08-2007, 06:58 PM
Seconded.
Tr00jg
31-08-2007, 07:07 PM
Thirded... Hehe. :)
The thing about the ping idea that is so intriguing is that it adds a whole new layer of complexity, albeit the fact that it is sooo simplistic. Its kinda like adding a 3rd dimension to a 2D figure. It makes it much more complex but in reality it is very simplistic. It kind of reflects the basis on which Roach Toaster 1 was developed in the 1st place. Simplistic rules that leads to complex gameplay (comp 04's ethos).
Kudos Dis!
Awesomepants. I'll get a version with it up by tomorrow sometime.
dislekcia
01-09-2007, 02:03 AM
*big smile* That was the idea, glad it works. Just had this flash that it would be an awesome control mechanism :)
-D
EyeBall
02-09-2007, 11:20 PM
Yaba Dabba DOOOOOOOOO
Famouse Nick here.
Im the alltime greatest God of a Man Computer Nerd. I say it's gr8 M8
Love your work.
Nicholas Nel
Website: http://www.nicholasnel.com -Realtime Portfolio
Thaumaturge
03-09-2007, 02:43 AM
This looks like an interesting game, Tr00jg. I haven't yet played it, but this thread has worked up my interest in it - I think that I'll give it a shot when next you post a release. I'm looking forward to giving it a try, and seeing, amongst other things, how that "ping" idea works out... ^_^
Tr00jg
04-09-2007, 09:53 PM
I have here a minor version update. I posted it only to let you guys test the ring concept. There are still lots of things to do. It is basically the same as the previous version except for the One Ring and a semi-new UI.
Oh yeah, also the NEW Graphics style. I love it! And the shotgunner has been nerfed.
Other things you should know:
-Play the bottom level/s, since it has the proper look. The others levels will lag, since I havent changed it yet.
-ONLY the shotgunner and ranger works with the ring so far. (and only these have the new sprites + repeater).
Just 2.08mb.
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/RT2ring.exe
Thaumaturge
04-09-2007, 10:58 PM
*grins* Before you die, you're pinged by... The RING... Dun dun DUNN! ;)
This is a cool game, Tr00jg! I like it. ^_^
I like the graphical style, and the radial selection method. The "ping-ring" is a nice system - again, I like it. ^_^
I did notice a few things:
Units placed next to each other seem to have little effect, as if they're firing at the same time and thus their bullets hit their targets at the same time.
The "ping-ring" seems to always emanate from the same point - might it not be more interesting to allow the user to place it as desired?
Apparently I achieved the impossible - while deploying soldiers in the tutorial level I managed to go over budget.
The message says that I get a prize... :P
(Come to think of it, it didn't say that I am to get one that I'd like! XD)
More seriously, I suspect, I received a message while playing the second tutorial level (I think that it was) that read:
"ERROR in
action number 1
of Step Event
for object Unit:
Error in code at line 13:
if(re.shootr = true)
at position 17: Wrong type of variable index"
In the second instance on which it happened, at least, it was just as one of the characters was explaining that the roaches couldn't pass through his No-Go-Zone. (None were anywhere near, as it happened - he was towards the centre, and I had melee units blocking the two roaches and ranged units ready to fire upon them. The ring had begun to expand, and seems to have reached the speaking character shortly before the error.
Repeatedly clicking on "Ignore" seems to have allowed me to access the next tutorial level, however. ^_^
All in all, however, good work, I'd say - this looks like it's becoming a very enjoyable game. ^_^
Tr00jg
04-09-2007, 11:10 PM
Oh d'oh. I should've said the Tutorial would be broken because of the changes.
Is the same errors there when you dont play tutorial? The ring "should" emanate from where you click your mouse... As I said, try bottom levels in the campaign. Oh and yeah, only the shotgunner and ranger works currently with the ping method.
Thanks for testing Thaumaturge!
As for the "over the budget". I never realised people could go over it. Its my bad really. Ive been playing it too long to realise that other players still have to "learn" how to play. :)
<Edit>
Uh, yeah, just played the tutorial. Its totally screwed. I am to redo it totally. There is also no enhancements anymore.
Thaumaturge
04-09-2007, 11:26 PM
Heheh, fair enough, and it was my pleasure. ^_^
I've just tried the game again, and I think that I see where my mistake lay. I was clicking on the button labelled "END" at the bottom, which seems to have caused the ring to emanate from somewhere there. I only now discovered that pressing the enter key had an effect - after all, the rest of the game seems to play via the mouse.
I also don't see a way to determine when I may and may not place units or issue an order - perhaps an indicator for these somewhere on the screen?
DrDeth
05-09-2007, 10:10 AM
Any progress on a GM7 version? Is there that much difference between GM6 and GM7? Doesnt GM7 load GM6 projects?
Tr00jg
05-09-2007, 11:30 AM
@Thuama: Oh, d'oh. Yeah clicking on "END ROUND" causing the ring to emanate immediately. Whoops. For those that still want to try, remember that. Ill also try to make it more clearer when you can place unit and when not. Thanks. :)
@DrDeth: I am currently happy working with the GM6 version (dont see any reason to switch). It is also smaller (for testing). Ill upload a GM7 version for bigger milestones. Sorry about that.
Tr00jg
08-09-2007, 06:32 PM
Latest screenie: You can now clearly "see" where you can place your units and where not.
+ teh_awesome ring in action.
http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/8804/car2nyb6.jpg
Thaumaturge
09-09-2007, 04:08 AM
That looks really nice, Tr00jg! ^_^
I do like the stark differentiation between valid and invalid tiles.
Um, by the way... what is the blue thing that appears on each level? Is it the van in which the troops arrive? ^^;
(I don't mean that question to be insulting - I am genuinely curious. ^^;;; )
Gazza_N
09-09-2007, 10:05 AM
Eets lookin' gewd! I agree with Thaum that the invalid tile markers are awesome. It'll be a lot easier to plan and execute unit placement now. As for the "Command Ripple", I can't wait to give it a try!
We wants a demo...
Tr00jg
09-09-2007, 01:01 PM
@Thauma: Uhh yeah... That blue horrid thing is a van. >.<. Hehe. Somewhere, somehow I discovered I actually have spriting potential, so perhaps I can make it something cool.
@Gazza_N: Here is an earlier demo (on previous page). http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/RT2ring.exe. As you might have read, you shouldnt END THE ROUND by clicking on "END ROUND". Use Enter, as that part is bugged in that version.
I want the next version to be as playable as possible. There must be no telling people to do this or that, so Im still busy. ^^,
Gazza_N
09-09-2007, 03:21 PM
Thanks. Forgive my blindness - I kinda skimmed over that link while catching up on the thread. ^^;
For some reason I found that units sometimes don't fire when pinged. In the first level, I had two shotgunners adjacent to each other. When I pinged, only one fired. The other's circle thingy went red, but it didn't fire. Meh?
I also found that dead units left their coloured circle behind. Somehow I don't think that's supposed to be a blood effect... ;)
Tr00jg
09-09-2007, 04:32 PM
For some reason I found that units sometimes don't fire when pinged. In the first level, I had two shotgunners adjacent to each other. When I pinged, only one fired. The other's circle thingy went red, but it didn't fire. Meh?
Yeah, it happens because the 1st shotgunner that was pinged "targeted" the roach first. Thus when he cant find another roach "close" to him he does nothing. Its kinda complicated to explain because of how my code works, but rest assured I know its kinda annoying, but I am working on fixing that.
I also found that dead units left their coloured circle behind. Somehow I don't think that's supposed to be a blood effect... ;)
Fixed it already. ;)
Thanks for playing... once again.
Cyberninja
10-09-2007, 03:09 AM
Latest screenie: You can now clearly "see" where you can place your units and where not.
http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/8804/car2nyb6.jpg
Now THAT look's awesome. ;) I think the interface sprites need some work though. :)
Tr00jg
10-09-2007, 07:06 AM
Yep, still working on the interface. :)
FuzzYspo0N
10-09-2007, 09:40 AM
Tr00jg :: I emailed you now concerning the interface, i got some ideas, i wud like to show you a little later today as discussed in the original email :)
I got some ideas, and i think you might find them amusing >:3
Thaumaturge
10-09-2007, 09:05 PM
@Thauma: Uhh yeah... That blue horrid thing is a van. >.<. Hehe. Somewhere, somehow I discovered I actually have spriting potential, so perhaps I can make it something cool.
Heheh, fair enough - good luck with your next iteration of the sprite - I look forward to seeing it. ^_^
F1ak3r
15-09-2007, 03:39 PM
Downloading now. I'll edit once I've tested it out.
EDIT:
Wow, it looks great. I have only a few issues.
1 - In the big city, the characters' speech looks a bit blurred
2 - I don't really like where the budget is positioned on the UI.
3 - The enhancements screen isn't laid out too well, and the pictures of those two guys look a bit weird.
4 - You can't put units on top of each other anymore. Okay, that's not really a complaint.
Other than those few things, it's great. I can't wait for the release.
Tr00jg
16-09-2007, 12:00 PM
1 - In the big city, the characters' speech looks a bit blurred
Yep, its because of how I scale it. Its annoying. I have that on my list of things to do.
2 - I don't really like where the budget is positioned on the UI.
Ah yep. That was because the UI aint finished yet. :)
3 - The enhancements screen isn't laid out too well, and the pictures of those two guys look a bit weird.
Thanks for pointing that out, but I dont think I am going to make use of enhancements anymore.
4 - You can't put units on top of each other anymore. Okay, that's not really a complaint.
Haha, that was a bug in RT1. :P
Other than those few things, it's great. I can't wait for the release.
It is creeping all the more closer... When it is going to happen, I dont know. I dont want to dev on RT2 because I "have" to, but because I "want" to, so I dont know when it will be finished. I am aiming to finish it soon though, since of UNI next year.
Tr00jg
16-09-2007, 04:46 PM
Ive been musing after having had time to play the game up till now. Ive never had time to properly test the game up till now and thus I found that the current way "Big City" is done is not fun. Making it linear (like it is now) makes "breeding", "teams" pretty much useless and just another trivial thing the player has to worry about.
Making it non-linear is a better option, but the way it is done in previous versions I do not like also. Because your "teams" fight once per "breed" of roaches, the player feels useless because he is being punished for things out of his control. You will at most have 3-4 teams in the game which pretty much beats the idea of all "Roach Toaster team kicking roach ass". It is also done very simplistically, and thus there isn't actually "planning" to defeat the broodmother.
Thus, I am a tad stuck. I have tried coming up with better solutions, but this will take another great chunk of time to dev. It feels like "feature-creeping", something I just dont want.
Here is a solution with which I am tempted to prototype:
-The City will be layed out as a more believable city, ie logical streets, city blocks, etc.
-There will also be 3 schools across the city which will serve as bases.
-When you start a game, it will be random and roaches will infect several homes/shops/buildings across the city.
-You start with 3 vans from each base. Each van will have a range it can ride each "turn". This must be used to head to locations where the buildings are infected.
-Each van starts with 3 teams. Dropping off the team (at homes or block points), depletes the total teams in the van. You can then pick up any team from anywhere up to 3 teams in a van (and place them then wherever).
-You can place extra teams along the way (from riding from point A to point B) to "block" roaches spreading to other areas.
-The van then stops at a home, drops a team to de-infect that home. When you cant do anything more (ie, all vans have rode their range), all conflict zones (be it from roaches trying to scittle across the street and encounter a blocking team or a team attacking a home) will commence into "battle zones" which in this case is the levels themselves.
Why this is good:
-You feel more involved in tackling Big City.
-Teams will be much more useful.
-More strategy to overcome Broodmother (at the center).
-replayability.
-I would love to design a logical city. :)
Why it's bad:
-The whole current "Big City" will have to be scratched, destroying months of work.
-More time to implement the new design. (wont actually take "that" long).
-Time.
----------------------
So, any help? What do you think?
cairnswm
17-09-2007, 07:55 AM
3 Bases x 3 Vans x 3 teams = 27 teams out in the city, sounds more like a strategy simulation than the original and very good puzzle game RT started out as.
If I look at the puzzle games I buy my kids their progression works as follows.
Early Levels - introduces the game using basic units and basic enemies, slowly introducing more units and enemies
Middle levels - Allow you to use the stuff you learnt to complete the puzzles, but without any curved balls being thorwn at you
Later Levels - more complex puzzles and even new enemies being added to make it more challenging.
I believe RT was a hit because it was simple to undertsnad, had a clear puzzle element to it, and had clear progression as new units/enemies got added.
I say go back to what made RT1 a hit, and just make it more of a hit!
Tr00jg
17-09-2007, 11:20 AM
I say go back to what made RT1 a hit, and just make it more of a hit!
Well said Cairnswm... With that being said, I am going to scrap the Big City idea all together and make it linear/story wise like in RT1 with which I can easily control the progression...
Perhaps I can keep it still but use simply for "show", ie change the layout and make it so that your team moves automatically, thus allowing the player to have more incentive to continue playing. :)
dislekcia
17-09-2007, 03:08 PM
I second everything cairnswm said, glad you're sticking with the puzzle progression compared to the more complex pseudo-sandbox. It's difficult to kill your ideas when they're developed, but being able to do so is the sign of a designer committed to making a game that's as enjoyable as possible.
-D
Tr00jg
17-09-2007, 03:58 PM
I second everything cairnswm said, glad you're sticking with the puzzle progression compared to the more complex pseudo-sandbox. It's difficult to kill your ideas when they're developed, but being able to do so is the sign of a designer committed to making a game that's as enjoyable as possible.
-D
:)
Ive started with implementing that approach and it is going well. There are lots of unused code now that I will have to clean up some time. >.<
Anyway. I am keeping the Big City "ideal" there, in the way that you must defeat all the roaches in the city. As I mentioned it serves as a great incentive to see how you are progressing.
Another thing in this line that I am changing is the UI and I am stupid for not having done this before. Instead of the right-click place thing, I am again going to place all the units on the UI like in RT1 (they will appear when the narrators aint talking), but instead this time if you have not received a unit yet, it will be a silhouette of the unit with a question mark on it. Simplistic, but adds another incentive to keep playing, wanting to see a new unit! :)
F1ak3r
24-09-2007, 02:14 PM
I've gotta agree with what cairnswm and dislecksia have said. I didn't mention it before, but that right-click selection menu was very irritating. I'm glad you're removing it. Also, it would be nice if you showed the Big City between levels, with a red line moving from one level to the next, as a progress indicator.
Tr00jg
24-09-2007, 02:39 PM
Thats precisely why I'm 'keeping' it. :)
Tr00jg
04-10-2007, 05:37 PM
Well well... V0.75 is here! It has tons of changes from the previous version!
v0.75 help
-The tutorial is not in this version.
-Only the first 5 units are in this version.
-Only the first few levels (4-5) are considered decently playable.
-The Menu art still has to be edited. (ie the name).
Useful cheats:
-"A" will give you all the units.
-"Q" to end the level.
Screenies:
Menu:
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/image/lmenu.jpg
A level:
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/image/llevel.jpg
DOWNLOAD HERE:
2mb
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/RTL2.zip
:)
Thaumaturge
05-10-2007, 04:32 AM
It looks good, Tr00jg! ^_^
The user interface in particular seems to me to be improved - I like its moving in and out of the play area at turn initiation and conclusion, and it seems to me to be much easier to read than was the last version that I saw, as I recall. I would suggest, however, that the unit icons use bounding-box picking rather than pixel-perfect picking, as they appear to now. I found that I tended to click on the area in which the icons sat, regardless of whether the icon had a visible pixel at that spot, when attempting to select a unit.
I did notice something that I perhaps missed in the previous version, or have forgotten: does the cost of units decrease as the mission wears on? It seems to, as I can in turn two buy units that I was not allowed to purchase in the previous round, without the presented budget changing, unless I missed a display somewhere... Given that unit costs don't seem to be displayed any more, this can make planning a little more difficult.
Another thing that I noted was that, in at least one situation, I found a soldier turning to aim at a cockroach, but not firing for some reason. I might be worth noting that he took a little time to reach his target direction - did he perhaps run out of time?
All-in-all, however, I feel that this is coming along nicely! ^_^
Tr00jg
05-10-2007, 10:24 AM
Ah okay, I'll make the units on the UI have a bounding box, instead of pixel perfect clicking.
As for the unit costs... As you place more units per turn, there values increase exponentially to stop the player from placing way too much units per turn (and thus making it broken). Thus, in the next round, the units start at their bottom prices again.
When highlighting over the units (when buying them), I will have to show how they will cost should you buy them at that point...
---------------
Any more comments from other people? I feel that it is getting really close to its final versions. I mean if I polish all the levels/story and add all the units (again), it is basically done.
Cyberninja
05-10-2007, 12:30 PM
Are those your final graphics for the game?
When are you planning on releasing the game?
Who's designing your website/s?
Tr00jg
05-10-2007, 12:41 PM
Are those your final graphics for the game?
When are you planning on releasing the game?
Who's designing your website/s?
1) So far yes...
2) Hopefully soon. I AM aiming to get a release going at the start of next year. I am starting UNI, so that will only slow development to a minimum...
3) I designed it. I am going to redesign it sometime before release.
Cyberninja
05-10-2007, 12:57 PM
Cool. If you need help with the site design. Just shout. I'd be glad to help out.
Tr00jg
05-10-2007, 05:55 PM
Thanks! I'll keep that in mind.
I've been thinking... since Roach Toaster 2 is nearing its release (not long now), I am was thinking when to exactly release it.
I think it would be better to release it sooner than later. Since I don't have loads of testers behind me, I will be able to garner more testing that way. I WILL release updates. I know of another developer who's game has changed quite drastically since he released it... Also with each new update, I can get more "attention".
Of course, I should not release it in a badly unpolished state, I am just wary of being perfectionistic about the game.
What do you guys say?
Thaumaturge
06-10-2007, 04:07 AM
Well, you could always release full beta versions early, and decide on whether to release a final version based on the feedback that you get.
I would. however, say to not push too hard for an early release. If releasing soon starts to look as though it will involve many sleepless nights, perhaps push the release date back a bit. ^_^
That said, an early beta release seems to me to be a reasonably logical conclusion.
Tr00jg
08-10-2007, 06:12 PM
Hey guys! v0.8 is out!
Changes:
-UI Polishes.
-Added more units to the UI.
-Unit polishes.
-Lowered the alpha of the grid.
-Fixed a bug with the RING mechanic where units did not shoot.
-Changed resolution for crispness.
Now, the only thing that is mostly left ahead of me is polishing. ALL the levels are there (albeit half-heartedly), all the units are there (1 or 2 still need sprites) and the metal roach still needs his sprite redone.
I am happy, since I am really getting close to finishing it. I wont post new screenies, so without further ado:
2mb
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/RT208.zip
Thaumaturge
10-10-2007, 04:40 AM
A very good release, Tr00jg! It definitely seems to me to be improved. ^_^
I notice, if I'm not much mistaken, that in at least some circumstances a unit will wait for the resolution of a bullet belonging to another unit that has already fired - this works very well, I think, and is most welcome - a very good idea, I'd say! ^_^
By the way, is there no sound effect for the Repeater? Unless it was a glitch specific to my machine, I don't think that I heard one when I listened (I have my headphones connected at the moment, and wasn't wearing throughout play. I do recall specifically listening for Repeater shot sound effects, however).
Two problems that I encountered:
Firstly, I did find that in some cases where the "command ring" was released from a point close to one of the corners, it would not reach the opposite corner, and thus not activate units stationed there.
Secondly, if I may ask, do Melee units interfere with firing in any way? I had an occasional problem that involved units not firing, despite the ping ring being present. It may be related to close proximity to other units, but, if I recall correctly, the instances of this problem that I noticed all also involved Melee having been killed between the unit that I intended to have fire and its target.
FuzzYspo0N
11-10-2007, 11:38 AM
troojg,
i have been away, but my suggestions for the ui are being mailed to you, ill get more to you later i just got back into the forums today :)
apologies for delay :0 i hope it might still be useful
Thaumaturge
12-10-2007, 05:17 AM
Tr00jg, I was playing Roach Toaster 2 today, and came upon what seems to be a minor bug.
I was selecting a Repeater, as I recall, and mistakenly pressed the enter key instead of the shift key. This seemed to be equivalent to clicking on the "End Turn" button,, and, presumably because I still had the Repeater selected, produced the following error message:
ERROR in
action number 1
of Alarm Event for alarm 0
for object Repeater:
Error in code at line 2:
re.shootr = true;
at position 2: Wrong type of variable index
Clicking on "Ignore" seemed to allow me to continue, however (including, as I recall, placing the Repeater), so the bug would seem to me to be a fairly minor one. ^_^
Tr00jg
12-10-2007, 10:51 AM
Ah, snap! Thanks for that one Thauma.
Tr00jg
24-10-2007, 07:23 PM
New version 0.81!
-Placing the repeater is now more innovative.
-Re-added saving and loading.
-Added a menu for while playing.
-Bug/Error Fixes.
-Re-added tutorial.
-Added a flash.
-Added the new Armoured roach sprite.
-Music.
The Music is a prototype. What do you think about it?
Download:
http://www.shotbeakgames.za.net/RT2081.zip
Thaumaturge
25-10-2007, 05:45 AM
More good improvements overall, I'd say - this game seems to be gradually becoming more and more polished. ^_^
The music is very cool - my only complaint is that it seems to restart on clicking "End Round", on releasing the "ping ring", and on the start of the next round.
The tutorial makes a welcome return, and I love the green walls found in the tutorial level - I hope that they (and perhaps other coloured walls) are used somewhere in the main campaign as well. ^_^
The new repeater direction-setting method is quite nice - I like it. ^_^
I also like the little flash that appears when at the end of the round resolution phase - it's a nice touch.
I'm still encountering a few occasions on which Roach Toasters fail to fire for some reason. I had one instance (in the lower left section of level three, I believe) in which I had a very hard time getting anyone to fire at one particular roach, who was lodged in the upper left corner of his "room".
As to the "ping ring", a thought occurred to me:
At the moment, the ring seems to last a certain amount of time, and the round resolution phase seems to end when the ring disappears. This can lead to tw potentially negative effects:
1) (Least important, I believe) The player waiting for the ring to disappear when few or no units are in a position to fire. When the game slows down a little (as it does at times on my machine), this can be a minor annoyance.
2) (More importantly, to my mind) The ring disappearing before it has reached all units, when it is released too far from one or more units.
I suggest that, instead of ending the phase after a set time, end it when no units are in "waiting for orders" mode (i.e. their circle is green). This way the phase should end quickly when there is little to be done, and should allow time for all units to be given their orders when they are widely scattered. As a safeguard, perhaps keep the time-based conclusion, but with a longer timer.
Finally, I alas encountered an error:
I had quit during a mission (the fourth, I think, although I'm afraid that I am not sure - it was the mission that introduced repeaters, if I recall correctly). I subsequently returned, clicked on continue, and was either then or on clicking on "play" (again, I am not sure which - I do apologise ^^; ) was shown an error dialogue containing the following:
"ERROR in
action number 1
of Other Event: User Defined 0
for object Level:
Data structure with index does not exist."
Ignoring that error caused the level to load, but with some corrupted graphics, and a second error message that repeated when "Ignore"-d (at least, for as long as I continued before giving in and selecting "Abort").
I was using the default profile.
Tr00jg
25-10-2007, 01:56 PM
More good improvements overall, I'd say - this game seems to be gradually becoming more and more polished. ^_^
The music is very cool - my only complaint is that it seems to restart on clicking "End Round", on releasing the "ping ring", and on the start of the next round.
The tutorial makes a welcome return, and I love the green walls found in the tutorial level - I hope that they (and perhaps other coloured walls) are used somewhere in the main campaign as well. ^_^
The new repeater direction-setting method is quite nice - I like it. ^_^
I also like the little flash that appears when at the end of the round resolution phase - it's a nice touch.
Thanks, it's great to hear that. I think I will incorporate some other colour themes too. :)
Well then... The music doesn't really work then. The protoype was to test certain "music" at stages in the round. While you are placing, it plays a certain tune. When you end the round, the tune has another instrument to it, and then finally when the action happens, it gets another instrument to it.... And then back to square 1... Does it work? Should I make it more obvious? Shining Force 2 did this spectacularly. It never got annoying...
I'm still encountering a few occasions on which Roach Toasters fail to fire for some reason. I had one instance (in the lower left section of level three, I believe) in which I had a very hard time getting anyone to fire at one particular roach, who was lodged in the upper left corner of his "room".
You can't perhaps elaborate more? Was it level 3? Perhaps a piccy if it is not too much?
As to the "ping ring", a thought occurred to me:
At the moment, the ring seems to last a certain amount of time, and the round resolution phase seems to end when the ring disappears. This can lead to tw potentially negative effects:
1) (Least important, I believe) The player waiting for the ring to disappear when few or no units are in a position to fire. When the game slows down a little (as it does at times on my machine), this can be a minor annoyance.
2) (More importantly, to my mind) The ring disappearing before it has reached all units, when it is released too far from one or more units.
I suggest that, instead of ending the phase after a set time, end it when no units are in "waiting for orders" mode (i.e. their circle is green). This way the phase should end quickly when there is little to be done, and should allow time for all units to be given their orders when they are widely scattered. As a safeguard, perhaps keep the time-based conclusion, but with a longer timer.
The ring currently gets terminated via the following conditions:
-If the ring's radius is greater than 600 pixels.
-or if all the units have been activated and there is no bullets, it will last for another 3 seconds...
Finally, I alas encountered an error:
I had quit during a mission (the fourth, I think, although I'm afraid that I am not sure - it was the mission that introduced repeaters, if I recall correctly). I subsequently returned, clicked on continue, and was either then or on clicking on "play" (again, I am not sure which - I do apologise ^^; ) was shown an error dialogue containing the following:
"ERROR in
action number 1
of Other Event: User Defined 0
for object Level:
Data structure with index does not exist."
Ignoring that error caused the level to load, but with some corrupted graphics, and a second error message that repeated when "Ignore"-d (at least, for as long as I continued before giving in and selecting "Abort").
I was using the default profile.
Wow. 0_o... I'll have to look into that. The looped error, is it the same?
Other stuff:
-What is your PC specs Thauma? I don't understand why the game sometimes lags (on mine too, albeit randomly)... Did you play with other programs in the background? I know because of the fake 3D, the game lags on huge-ish levels. I then upped the processor priority to stop the lag, but this leaves other programs fewer process time (thus you have to close it). Thus, playing "Background Music" might lag the game. Does anyone know something about this?
Last but not least. Thauma! I really really appreciate that you test Roach Toaster 2 every time. It is extremely useful! Thank you thank you thank you! ^_^
Thaumaturge
26-10-2007, 06:36 AM
Well then... The music doesn't really work then. The protoype was to test certain "music" at stages in the round. While you are placing, it plays a certain tune. When you end the round, the tune has another instrument to it, and then finally when the action happens, it gets another instrument to it.... And then back to square 1... Does it work? Should I make it more obvious? Shining Force 2 did this spectacularly. It never got annoying...
Now that you mention it, they are slightly different - mostly so, I think, in the round resolution phase. An in crease in the variation of the tunes might help, but I think that the main thing to change, in this case, is to have the two themes fade into each other a bit better, so that there is a less jarring (to me, at least) interface between one and the next.
You can't perhaps elaborate more? Was it level 3? Perhaps a piccy if it is not too much?
Not too much at all - here we go: http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5176/capture26102007062543iw1.th.png (http://img88.imageshack.us/my.php?image=capture26102007062543iw1.png) ^_^
The ring currently gets terminated via the following conditions:
-If the ring's radius is greater than 600 pixels.
-or if all the units have been activated and there is no bullets, it will last for another 3 seconds...
Aah, fair enough. Perhaps it would be wise, then, to either increase that maximum, or warn players about it in the tutorial?
Wow. 0_o... I'll have to look into that. The looped error, is it the same?
No, it was as follows (presuming that my reproduction tonight of the error was the same as the original, which I believe that it was):
"ERROR in
action number 1
of Draw Event
for object Buyer:
Data structure with index does not exist."
Other stuff:
-What is your PC specs Thauma? I don't understand why the game sometimes lags (on mine too, albeit randomly)... Did you play with other programs in the background? I know because of the fake 3D, the game lags on huge-ish levels. I then upped the processor priority to stop the lag, but this leaves other programs fewer process time (thus you have to close it). Thus, playing "Background Music" might lag the game. Does anyone know something about this?
Admittedly, I do not uncommonly play with Firefox active in the background, and that can be a bit of a processor hog at times, I believe.
That said, my specs. are as follows:
P4 2.4GHz
1GB RAM
FX5200 graphics car with 128MB memory.
A little over 30GB of free hard drive space on drive C.
Have I left anything of importance out?
At least now I know why it is that writing replies becomes so painful when Roach Toaster is operating at the same time (which I do at times when composing responses to new versions). :P
I'm sorry to report that, in attempting to replicate the looping error mentioned above, I found another error message! ^^;;
I tried to load the default profile, and, thinking that it was called "CName" (having seen that name on a file previously), I entered that (or something like it). A brief sound played (which I now think was the "load failed" sound). I clicked on "Continue", and the following message appeared:
"ERROR in
action number 1
of Key Release Event for <unknown> Key
for object GoExit:
Cannot load game saved with other version."
Ignoring the error seems to allow me to continue to play.
Last but not least. Thauma! I really really appreciate that you test Roach Toaster 2 every time. It is extremely useful! Thank you thank you thank you! ^_^
*bows* 'Tis my pleasure, believe me - you are creating a rather fun game here, I would say, so it I enjoy play-testing it, and on top of that am glad to be of service. ^_^
Tr00jg
26-10-2007, 01:26 PM
Ah okay. The music will be fade into the other properly now. Its added on my to-do list.
@Level 3 problem: I re-enacted that scene, and it also happened by me. Truly weird. I'll have to check on that.
@1st error message: Thanks, I'll look into that problemo.
@PC Specs: Thanks, it is almost the same as mine.
@other loading error: This is also crazy. Well the thing is, your profile name gets save IN the CName file, so "just" CName is not your profile name. I'll just to prevent the player from loading a saved game that ISN'T there. Thanks.
Well well, you pick up the weirdest and crazy bugs! Thanks!
Tr00jg
26-10-2007, 03:08 PM
Phew: I solved the level 3-bug. It went much deeper than I thought! The ranger was supposed to shoot the shotgunner's "2nd" targetm but the other roach bred in the way of the bullet. This caused the shotgunner's 2nd target to stay "targeted" and thus he couldn't shoot, since it was someone else's target. I fixed it now.
I also made the saving/profile system better. No more problems (hopefully).
Thaumaturge
27-10-2007, 06:25 AM
Don't worry, I'm not posting to report more bugs! ;P
@other loading error: This is also crazy. Well the thing is, your profile name gets save IN the CName file, so "just" CName is not your profile name.
Aah, I see - fair enough. I had noticed the other profile-named files in the directory, and had erroneously assumed that CName was another like them, albeit the default one. ^^;
I'll just to prevent the player from loading a saved game that ISN'T there.
Of course, I hope that you intend eventually to provide the player with a list of available names, rather than having them enter their name manually. ;P
Well well, you pick up the weirdest and crazy bugs! Thanks!
Heheh, it's my pleasure - I'll admit that I kinda like that I'm picking up the stranger bugs in the system. ;)
Phew: I solved the level 3-bug. It went much deeper than I thought! The ranger was supposed to shoot the shotgunner's "2nd" targetm but the other roach bred in the way of the bullet. This caused the shotgunner's 2nd target to stay "targeted" and thus he couldn't shoot, since it was someone else's target. I fixed it now.
I also made the saving/profile system better. No more problems (hopefully).
Aah, excellent! I'm very glad to hear it. ^_^
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