I have gathered a lot of feedback over the weeks. And I am currently back logged. In order to focus on the changes that need to be made, I will stop answering my inbox after the 10th. Anyone who has: 1. Messaged me before the 10th. 2. Is a new tester. Will be given one reply from myself. For now, here is my list of things that need work:
1. A tips death screen instead of being insulting. 2. Help Text implimented as signs that will display text on screen when you stand in front of them. Kind of like how super mario world for SNES has those microphone blocks that help you if you hit them. This will require some work with the prop engine. 3. Better level design. With much simpler levels in the beginning to help introduce people to all of the mechanics. 4. Be able to zoom the game in when you zoom the browser in. 5. WASD+JK support. 6. Buttons explode animation. 7. Player death explosion animation. 7.5. Light fixture explosion animation. 8. Enemies that kill you. 9. Maybe animated backgrounds? 10. Story elements. And some type of engine architecture to facilitate story. 11. Level Ranking system. 12. UI OVERHAUL 12.1: Do not do this until we have the game-resize controls in. As I anticipate we will have to adjust how UI is rendered as well. 12.2: UI needs a clear, but obviously not ripped out of MS Word font. Not an easy task. 12.3: Experiment with random UI generation using the auto-tile maker code. 13. Different collectable powers. Z to select. X to make it happen. Number keys as shortcuts. 13.1: Design the powers and make them work. 13.2: Design and implement HOW you aquire them. 13.3: Design and implement UI and controls for accessing powers. Thinking Z to switch to next power. X to use. Thinking keys 1-9 are used as shortcuts to given powers. 14. Stop the bunny hopping down slopes. 15. Stop head from grabbing slopes. 16. Make jumping off slopes work correctly. 17. Cancel jumps when you hit a wall to avoid floatyness. 18. Consider only allowing you to bash through 1 block at a time for consistency. 19. Re-order the level design. Fix or scrap broken levels. 20. Possible intermission levels that display the current top score holder for the previous level. 21. Keep working on lighting, It is a bit extreme now. Skull bombs are now hard to see because they are blown out by blast indicators. 22. 3D sound system that changes volume levels of explosions based on distance. 22.1: Sound system optimizations to keep game from lagging when too many sounds play. Right now flixel creates a new sound object each time sound plays. 22.2: Better sounds for everything. Talk to tyler on this. 22.3: Better sound balance between different SFX and Music.
23. When bricks fall on FlamePistons, the constant flashing and sound is too much. Fix this. Plays one sound at the beginning, then stops sound and flashing after that.
24. Epilepsy warning screen that will NOT let you continue until you have checked [X] I understand the risks.
25. Possibly lock the game if your computer does not have the speed it needs to play the game. Gives you a button to "re-run" the speed test. Rather have you not play my game than have a horrible experience with it.
26. Code the time trial timer in the game. Make it smaller because: A: Smaller takes up less UI space. B: Smaller will take less CPU power to render. Also: Make sure the timer uses pre-rendered blitted graphics for the rendering of the text. It will be work. But we cannot afford to be rasterizing text tiles 30 times a second. Just too CPU expensive.
27. Create a level ranking tool for testers that is wired to a database. Following things will be in it: 1. Puzzle Hard Rank: 0-10 2. Twitch Hard Rank: 0-10 3. How much fun: 0-10 4. Rage Inducing? 0-10 5. Is the level broken? 0-10 6. Comments
28. Learn the newgrounds API. Possibly we can use this for all database related activity.
29. Work with auto-generated background code and get into game.
30. Get the props system working in the game so we can add visual interest to the game.
Internal Todo List: 1. Level Sorting Utility for level design pipeline. 2. Auto-Tile Maker to facilitate faster production of artwork.
If I missed anything: Feel free to post on this thread and suggest changes. Expect me to be back within a month, with many changes from this list added to the game.
-MakeGamesHappen (-John mark)
corac619
Well, that is a considerable amount of work, waiting to be done.I disagree with just a couple of things things:
1)I kind of liked the insults on the death screen.
2)You can add animated backgrounds but it would be fine to have and On/Off option for that.
3)Don't do 25.It will just serve to annoy some people.
I wish you best of luck with the game!
MakeGamesHappen
1. That is a hard one for me. Because many people don't. It's almost half and half in terms of good and bad mention. Not sure if I told you specifically, but I think the psychology is similar to why I like KMFDM and my mom does not. When I hear the lyrics "You are no good, you are no good." I assume the narrator is talking to someone else. Where my mom assumes the narrator is talking to her.
Similarly, I think if you imagine the insults as coming from me, instead of some hostile force within the game, you become more insulted.
Also: I think some people have more of an attitude of responding with "fuck you I will beat this game you asshole!" while other players just get discouraged by the negativity.
I also feel like I need to do a study on this.
Like have two versions of the game, one with positive messages, the other with negative.
And see which one people play for longer.
2. Hmm... Interesting. Why an on/off for animated backgrounds?
Already one of the harder things to implement.
3. Definitely would annoy people. Though you would NOT know it exists unless your computer is too slow. Hmm... Here is an analogy to my logic.
If I was planning out a blind date... And I forgot to shower, comb my hair, and change my clothes...
I would probably be better off cancelling the date and rescheduling. Because you don't want to make a bad first impression on a date.
Similarly, I don't want my game to make a bad first impression.
I appreciate the feedback!
-MakeGamesHappen
(-John Mark)