Hopscotch

bodaciouslycrazy 2018-04-24 05:27

Amazing game! My roommate and I had a blast with this. The mechanics are simple and easy to pick up, but have enough depth so that it is fairly competitive.

Some negatives: -The controls for selecting a gun were a bit wonky. Sometimes a gun would be on your right, but the button you would need to press select it would be the up button. Whyyy? -In many of the levels, its easy to fall as soon as your turn starts. This wouldn't be as much of a problem if the camera didn't move. If you had a static camera showing the entire level, the player would always know exactly where they are and where the platforms are before it switches to their turn.

These are only minor complaints though. I love it!

jcgamedev 2018-04-25 04:03

@Bodaciouslycrazy I am so glad that you and your roommate liked the game! I was going for that simple, pick-up-and-play aspect from web games like [Tank Trouble](tanktrouble.com).

Although I was aware of the gun selection issue while making Hopscotch, I couldn't think of a way to code a solution during the jam hours, so I just left it as it is. Actually, when there is a gun to your right, the button you have to press is not even consistent. Sometimes it's up and other times it's down; it depends on which gun instance is created first at the start of the level 😣

As for the camera, I was hoping that the concealment would provide an element of surprise to the levels. For example, the fifth level has 4 paths to choose from, but the player doesn't know which path is the best (at least the first time around). To address the issue of falling when it is your turn, I think adding a second of wait before the player can move again would make the camera transition easier to adapt to.

I plan on developing the game further, so I really appreciate your feedback :)

bodaciouslycrazy 2018-04-25 04:51

@jcgamedev I really do think that this could turn into a really cool party game. This is easily one of the best games I have played so far. If you continue working on it, I would love to hear more from you!

Also, what is the possibility that controller support could be added? :)

jcgamedev 2018-04-26 05:58

@Bodaciouslycrazy Wow, thanks! I haven't considered controller support but that's a great idea. Game Maker Studio 2 supports it, however, the temporary license for Ludum Dare just expired :/ I'll buy the desktop license so I can keep working as soon as possible.

cosdots-jr 2018-04-26 07:17

i don't know why my friend and me can't climb to above. we thought that it's hard to control to go up. but graphic and colors was great! so cut.

imphenzia 2018-04-26 10:27

Hey, I want to try this but I have no friends around and it was too tricky to try to play both controls myself - mind warp :) I will try again if someone joins me. I can see it being a fun social experience because gone are the days of single computer multiplayer it feels like. I like the idea of combining turn based by alternating turns but still having stuff to do for both players at all times.

jcgamedev 2018-04-27 04:09

@cosdots-jr I know the controls can be difficult, especially for wall-jumping. Thank you on the graphics, though!

Squares -- programmer art at its finest :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

jcgamedev 2018-04-27 04:17

@Imphenzia Yeah, I know what that's like. While making the game, I had to playtest most of the levels playing by myself 😅. Thanks for checking it out!

guilb 2018-05-07 18:45

Great game!! So much fun to play, so simple and so balanced. Probably the most elegant game I played this LD. Congratulations!

ajayajayaj 2018-05-09 01:10

I find squares can make games better than bad programmer art sometimes, I really like the art style! Nice job, really fun

jcgamedev 2018-05-11 02:11

@Guilb Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed playing

And @Ajayajayaj, thank you as well! I was inspired by [the tank game from the atari 2600](http://www.8-bitcentral.com/images/reviews/atari2600/combat2600Screen2.jpg)

loveapplegames 2018-05-11 10:02

Great concept! The game feels polished and the graphics look appealing, simple as they are. They have an atari 2600 feel to it :-) But we did find the game rather hard to get into! Switching every 6 seconds was rather confusing, especially when you're not aware of the exact moment of the switch. For instance, you have to start controlling your character mid-jump, and you are trying to control one thing and find that you are controlling something else. A clear warning sound just before the switch may help. Another difficult thing are the wall jumps. This must be the hardest wall jump I've seen in any platform game! Nevertheless, congratulations on a great game.