View Full Version : 48H1: Pac Snake
UntouchableOne
07-01-2011, 07:27 PM
The Idea:
PAC SNAKE
Yes, it's pac man and snake combine to create something new and interesting.
I was brainstorming and was really holding onto the thought of enhancing an
arcade game, as for prototype purposes, they would do perfect. I thought of
pac man, but then also thought of Alpha Snake (http://www.rhurbans.co.cc/downloads/AlphaSnakeInstall.zip) (A game I developed for an
earlier comp). Then it hit me, slap the two together and see what happens.
So, the basic concept is, A maze type level, similar to pac man's layout of walls and points. The player
is represented by a snake that must navigate the maze in the mose efficient manner to gain the most points,
if not all the points(ultimate goal), I would also like to impement a time battle. The purpose of the ghosts
from pac man in this game is currently unclear. So any suggestions will be great.
Todo:
*Basic game mechanics
**Snake movement : DONE
**Maze layout : DONE
**Collision detection : DONE
**Point system : DONE
**Timer : NO POINT
Wish List:
*Clean sprites : DONE
*Awesome audio (music and effects)
*Random Generated Levels
I just hope I manage to get anything done :P
Screenshot of what little is completed :
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/8208/95196827.jpg
Controls:
Direction Keys
Hit Any Key to Start
Hit Esc to Quit
Download whats done so far here (http://www.rhurbans.co.cc/downloads/pacsnake_v004.zip)
The purpose of the ghosts
from pac man in this game is currently unclear. So any suggestions will be great.
Perhaps borrow from Pacman CE DX (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdNaHSuAV-g)? ;) The ghosts chase you (snakes are scared of ghosts didnt you know?!) and when you get the powerupthey stop scared and you could turn around (somehow) and eat them!
WiledBill
08-01-2011, 12:20 PM
The purpose of the ghosts
from pac man in this game is currently unclear. So any suggestions will be great.
Maybe the snake grows longer when it gets bitten by a ghost ... but eating the pills keeps snakey same size.
pieterator
08-01-2011, 01:15 PM
The purpose of the ghosts from pac man in this game is currently unclear. So any suggestions will be great.
My girlfriend made a nice suggestion that the order in which you eat the different coloured ghosts could give you a bonus. So you would indicate somewhere on your HUD that: RED then BLUE then GREEN is worth 1000pts for example. Avoiding yourself and chasing the right coloured ghost could add a nice dynamic.
UntouchableOne
08-01-2011, 03:51 PM
Perhaps borrow from Pacman CE DX (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdNaHSuAV-g)? ;) The ghosts chase you (snakes are scared of ghosts didnt you know?!) and when you get the powerupthey stop scared and you could turn around (somehow) and eat them!
See, the idea is, for the player to complete the maze in the most efficient manner while its tail grows longer; and since the snake cannot bite himself, he cannot use passages that he has already taken-this is the challenge for the player in the game.
UntouchableOne
08-01-2011, 03:52 PM
Maybe the snake grows longer when it gets bitten by a ghost ... but eating the pills keeps snakey same size.
Due to the snake growing longer and making passages unusable, this wouldn't work, but thanks for the input. Maybe in a different game mode, this would work great.
UntouchableOne
08-01-2011, 03:53 PM
My girlfriend made a nice suggestion that the order in which you eat the different coloured ghosts could give you a bonus. So you would indicate somewhere on your HUD that: RED then BLUE then GREEN is worth 1000pts for example. Avoiding yourself and chasing the right coloured ghost could add a nice dynamic.
I like this idea a lot! I think this is the way I'm going to use the ghosts in the game, if I get to the point of adding them. Thanks a lot. Your input was definitely useful.
UntouchableOne
08-01-2011, 10:00 PM
Hi guys
A playable version in available, please check first post.
The maze is not that great, but I'm working on creating different designs.
Please try it out and let me know what you think. Ideas or anything would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Its pretty solid, if not a little tricky (the maze doesnt leave room for error), perhaps you should still have a maximum snake size? that way you still block off a lot of the passageways but you then can add more mechanics like cherries or whatever (from normal snake) into the mechanics?
WiledBill
09-01-2011, 03:33 PM
I cannot unzip the file after it has been downloaded.
WinRar says: "The archive is either in unknown format or damaged"
Fengol
09-01-2011, 03:36 PM
I love the puzzle mechanic although I felt a little constrained by the starting position. How about letting the player choose there starting position and initial direction; that would give a more puzzle element to the game.
I definitely think you should add bonus point cherries/bugs to tempt the player into taking a risk for the extra points versus just covering as much ground as possible.
Finally would it be possible to show what's the top potential score per level (i.e. if you add up all the dots and bonuses)? I can get around 220 currently but I want to know how shy I am of being complete.
UntouchableOne
09-01-2011, 05:11 PM
CHECK OUT THE NEW VERSION
Ok guys, I added Ghosts :D and Cherries :D
Basically, cherries count 20 points, but beware of the confused ghosts, if you have to eat a ghost, eat them in the colour order shown in the bottom of the screen. If you eat them in the wrong order, you will lose a life, you have 2 lives by the way. Any other last minute opinions or ideas would be great. Thanks.
@edg3 : Added cherries :P.
@WiledBill : I haven't found a problem with the download, it's hosted of my site. Try the new version please.
@Fengol : We seem to think alike, I also thought of the idea of allowing the player to select the starting position, but I added some cool new stuff. Let me know what you think. Also, I'm thinking of creating a simple online score board for us to compare scores.
WiledBill
09-01-2011, 05:39 PM
Cool game! I quickly get stuck into dead ends. Try a maze that has no dead ends.
I haven't found a problem with the download, it's hosted of my site.
Download problems seem to be related to IE. Using the firefox download manager worked fine.
UntouchableOne
09-01-2011, 06:49 PM
A newer version is available.
There are two levels, the second one is a bit of a silly test. I removed some dead ends from the initial maze but added some back again. It seems too easy when there aren't as many "traps". Also, you can see how close you are to the maximum score(which is impossible to get) at the end of the levels. What do you guys think? Any last minute changes?
Gazza_N
09-01-2011, 07:11 PM
Ha! This is rad! I'm absolutely rubbish at pathfinding my way through the maze on the fly (too many ill-conceived turns based on reflex <_<), but I really like the concept.
Might I suggest a mission-based structure with rewards according to what you do? For instance, a bronze medal would be to eat all the ghosts, Silver to eat all cherries and ghosts, Gold to eat every single edible thing on the level - just milestones to motivate the player beyond points, and to give clear milestones for the player to feel good about achieving.
UntouchableOne
09-01-2011, 07:42 PM
Ok, the final version for this weekend is up. There are a few tweaks. Hope you guys enjoy it.
Get it www.rhurbans.co.cc/downloads/pacsnake_v004.zip
Gameplay:
Navigate your snake to get the most stars and
cherries possible, be careful on the route you
take as, your long snake body would occupy some
space, and you will die if you bite yourself.
Eat the ghosts in the safe order indicated in the
bottom left of the screen. Eating ghosts in another
order will result in you losing a life, you only
have two lives.
Your score is given at the end, as well as how it
compares to the maximum score.
Points:
Star : 1
Cherry : 20
Dont lose a life : 50 Bonus points
(This means that if you eat the ghosts in the
correct order or avoid them all together, you
will receive 50 bonus points)
Controls:
Try it, if you still need an explaination of
controls, refer to the book of common sense :P
@Gazza : That's a good idea, I would have implemented that if I wasn't so lazy right now :P Maybe sometime in the future, but I'm busy most of the time.No time for game development anymore :( Maybe when game.dev have a "polish your old prototype pac snake game in 48 hours" challenge.
pieterator
09-01-2011, 10:13 PM
This game could be made to be really tense. If the ghosts had slightly better path finding, you'd have to think really quickly to find an optimal route through the maze. Wanting to find the best route through the stage made me play Stage 1 over and over again. To me, that's a success :)
I also suggest making more routs through the maze. Since your snake's body takes up the spaces where you've been, your options become very limited, very quickly.
UntouchableOne
10-01-2011, 08:10 AM
@pieterator : I will look into better path finding for the ghosts, whenever I have the time. I'm glad you enjoyed it even a little. Thanks for trying it out.
BlackShipsFillt
10-01-2011, 08:26 AM
I can't seem to play this game in Parallels (a black screen is all I get)... I'll look at it later today when I have a PC. Can't wait.
(Having not played the game yet) My suggestion for the ghosts is defeat them like in the battles in Tron (that 2010 movie thing best watched in 3D)... The ghosts go about their business, going to the shops, haunting their neighbours etc and the snake has a Tron trail which, if the ghosts touch it, kills them. (The trail also obviously kills the player if the player passes into it). The player then earns points for killing ghosts, with the possibility of multipliers and combos.
I presume that if the player crashes into a ghost then the player dies.
Also... I cannot tell if you have implemented the white balls in Pac Man...? But what you could do is have the ghosts bounce off the trail and when the snake eats a white ball only then does the trail become deadly to the ghosts. The white balls could spawn every now and then.
If you wanted to experiment with other mechanics you could allow killing ghosts to reduce the length of the snake... so long as it doesn't make the game endless it might be an interesting dynamic.
UntouchableOne
11-01-2011, 10:57 AM
@BlackShips : Those are some awesome ideas, I will look into it as soon as I have some time again. I was also thinking about making a simple network game where other players are snakes also, in a giant maze, and the tron tail will work out pretty awesome there.
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