winnie33 2018-08-12 15:25
Additional note: make sure to _move_ while cloning yourself, or you'll get stuck in your copy!
(Probably should've made this clear in the game, heh)
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD42 → Boop's Space Adventure
By winnie33
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 287 | 3.48 | 44 | |
| Fun | 356 | 3.25 | 45 | |
| Innovation | 161 | 3.57 | 45 | |
| Theme | 397 | 3.48 | 45 | |
| Graphics | 528 | 2.86 | 45 | |
| Audio | 348 | 2.90 | 42 | |
| Humor | 161 | 3.00 | 42 | |
| Mood | 312 | 3.02 | 40 |
Additional note: make sure to _move_ while cloning yourself, or you'll get stuck in your copy!
(Probably should've made this clear in the game, heh)
I actually really like this game. I wish it wasn't as glitchy but the concept is fun and I enjoyed it.
@roberth332 Thanks a lot for the feedback. I completely agree with your comment about the glitchiness, but sadly it is not very easy to prevent without melting your CPU.
Another option was to reset the level if the game thought you were "stuck", but I didn't want to have false positives - nothing more frustrating than having to start over again when doing nothing wrong.
I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it! :)
Good game!!!
The idea is original and overall it feels nice.
Though sometimes you will stuck with your self and you can even push your self into obstacles (and then jump into space).
And the control seems hard to master, you need to hold mouse at exact time (some times during the first half of jump, sometimes a while after the jump).
@gaoyuan-chen Thanks for the feedback! Happy to hear you like it.
I agree with you, it's too easy to glitch out. Hopeful me thought people would reset if they ran out of space, but of course every gamer will try to continue ;)
I think that one thing that could be improved is the way by witch you introduce the mechanics in the game : the little panels are a good idea but they don't really come in the right place. The first one who tells the player that he can place a copy of himself is in a pit with the laser thing going, so we don't really see the panel, and the mechanic it explains don't really help us in that first situation. It might have been best to have the first panel somewhere else so it won't be hidden by an obstacle, and maybe if the first thing we encounter is this laser/wave enemy, the first panel should talk about that :wink:
I liked the concept of the game. I had a good time. Although it was a bit hard sometimes with lasers. The controls were well explained and it was simple to take it in hand.
Nice game !
Was a cool ride! Was a bit complex to understand how to jump and copy yourself to go higher and higher, but when learned, it's great :smile: Maybe, if the collision with your copy were temporary disabled until you are not overlapping it anymore, it would have been a bit easier to move around! Great use of the theme! :v:
@goutye That is... actually a great idea! Playing with the delay times and so on was a lot of trouble, but what you are saying is brilliant and actually pretty easy to implement. I am not going to update my submission (that would be kinda unfair) but it's definitely something I'll make when continuing work on this! Thanks a ton!
Wonderful game and worth to play.According to the bugs often out of the map after hold.I used MAC
Super cool, good use of theme.
Easy to learn, hard to master. The perfect game approach!
Haha super fun game, loved it all! The layout, the difficulty, the skiiips and of course, the wonderful ending. Genius!:)
Cool game! I seemed to get stuck in the walls sometimes though, but cool and original idea :)
@brallex I'm glad to hear someone got to end :)
Thanks a lot for not giving up and for playing my game!! :smile:
Cool game with fresh game mechanics. With joy I'll play it again!
But game have some troubles with a wall detection:
Selection_034.png Selection_032.png Selection_033.png
@alexey-akulovich Thanks for the feedback, very glad to hear!
And I understand your troubles, I noticed it as well when playtesting. It happens if you don't reset when you run out of space and keep cloning. The alternative was to give each single box a collider, which works, but makes your cpu run 100%, haha.
I appreciate the happy response! :)
@winnie33 It's enough just to hold down the left mouse button. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Ygz7QvhYU
@alexey-akulovich Thanks for taking the time to record the issue! It's definitely something that should be looked at were I ever to make this a real game. Thanks to Gouyte in this thread however I got a pretty solid idea of how to fix it.
Thanks again for your engagement! :)
an innovative game that is simple and yet can be extremely difficult. I appreciate the sound ramp and the tutorial at the beginning, we understand on the go how to play your game it's very intuitive. It doesn't look like much but it's a gem.
@anstabo Thanks for appreciating my sound slider! Most people don't notice it but it actually took me longer than drawing all the sprites and programming the mechanics _combined_. I'm very glad at least someone wanted to change the music volume =)
This was cool! :D I died a lot, but I kept playing which is a good sign. Great little effort :D
The game is hard but the gameplay is developed. It was cool to play :)
This is a great game! It reminds me of all the popular rage games! Good job!
haha, cool idea. Got my ass kicked a lot though
A lot of the quirks with clones are probably coming from using a physics engine. For a simple platformer, I think a quick AABB collision solver would actually work better than an out of box physics engine. It might be worth playing with now that LD is over; if nothing else than as an experiment and/or learning experience.
You might be able to quick fix the physics engine route too if you can add your own collision callback. Just track object to object collisions, and ignore all events between objects until they don't collide for a tick.
In any case, neat little game idea, and the glitches are pretty easy to avoid in normal play.
this is quite fun
@fireslash Thanks a lot for the comment! I agree a full-fetched physics engine isn't needed here, but 2 days isn't enough time for me to develop my own, let alone the rest of the game :)
AABB sounds very interesting, never heard of that. WIll definitely do some more research into that!
Thanks for the feedback! :smile:
This is by far the game that kept me playing the most! (I really like 2d platformers)
I think you did a very good job, funny art style, good game mechanics, lovely music...
Congratulations dude :) Keep it up!
Is there a way to delete a placed clone? I kept getting myself stuck! Anyway, I had fun, cool game!
@uvwar Haha, that is kinda the idea! Don't run out of space or you'll need to restart! ;)
Glad you enjoyed playing~
Lots of cool ideas here in this difficult puzzle platformer. I liked the vibe, the art, and the concepts.
The design and puzzles were really clever.
But I want to critique the controls, because they kind of trolled me pretty hard. Is it okay if I unload on the controls a bit? I do this not because I want to say "bad game." I want to say "very good ideas with a lot of potential, but a few tiny choices in the controls that threw up too much interference for me to engage."
I hope this is helpful, and not hurtful, okay? My apologies if I cross the line, I'm trying to point out a few things you could keep in mind next time.
#1 - The Clone Line Problem
In general, it can be a problem when the player has to RELEASE a button within one frame. In this game, I often wanted to surgically place a single clone in midair by jumping up and hitting the clone button. But sometimes I would accidentally get three clones. I'd hit the button exactly when I wanted to, but I didn't RELEASE the button within a split second, I let my finger linger just a split second too long.
The punishment was often severe, as you see in this example here: https://imgur.com/a/ov6fzbp
The highest of those three clones is EXACTLY where and when I wanted it, and solves the puzzle. But it's death by restart for me, because I accidentally got a line of clones that block my way.
#2 - The Clone Delay Problem
There is a slight delay in between when I press the clone button vs when I get the clone. This slight wonk wrecked my ability to fluidly and precisely clone mid-air. An example is the very first tall climb in the game.
In my mind, I wanted a solution like this: I will jump. 70% of the way up I will hit clone. I will produce a clone and then keep rising above him for the rest of my jump height. Then I will land on his head. I will repeat this to do the climb.
However, the clone would come out a little late, and it would come out then at the PEAK of my jump, and push me down. And I would be below the clone, unable to proceed. Game over by restart again.
Sometimes I could compensate for the timing but it was unreliable enough that I found a reliable but super-grinding alternative strategy: I would hit click-wait-space. This would start cloning, wait until it was about to appear, and then jump up. So I would only climb one single block this way, but it was guaranteed. I climbed this way most of the time, and so it made each death that much more punishing. All the time I was wishing I could play what you probably intended, but the delay threw me off so hard I couldn't.
#3 - The Clone's Not-Blocking-Stuff Warmup Moment
The clone can exist on the screen and yet not block hazards. Here is an example of this screwing me: https://imgur.com/a/1qENr7u
I solved the puzzle: Ran out, put a clone down the block out some safe space. But the hazard went right through the clone and although I retreated in time, there is no way forward from here - death by restart. This kind of situation happened to me a bunch of times.
Now, if these three are all intended aspects of the difficulty which you did on purpose then plz ignore me! I might just suck at these kinds of games and you can say "git gud" and that's fair! But in case these are not aspects you meant to have, I wanted to drill into them a bit in case it helps for your next one.
To return to the positive, I felt like you got a TON done here. Five levels of interesting and difficult puzzles, a novel mechanic explored in depth, and a cool art style with some pizzaz. It was also really clever to have the signs come up after I'd struggled, a super-slick touch.
So don't take this too poorly, please - my ratings I left are balanced even if the comment here focused on the critique aspect. This is actually a good entry for just having learnt unity 2 weeks ago!
If this post is something you don't want on here say the word and it's gone!
@pkenney Wow, thanks a lot for the in-depth response! Don't worry about me being unhappy with such critique - I'm pleased someone took the time to write that all out for _my_ game! :)
I'll try to respond to each one, however I'm not too sure you can do anything with this information.
1) The clone line problem
This problem I understand, but to be honest I've never been bothered by it myself, nor have others I know. It is kinda hard for the game to know when you want to draw a line and when to place only a single one. Right now you places 10 clones/second which might be a bit overkill though.
2) The clone delay problem
Yes. I 100% understand this. It is ugly and inefficient, and to be honest I had no idea how to fix it at the time. If I made the clone appear instant you'd never be able to move while placing clones since you'd be stuck in the very first one. But now the solution is pretty clear: make the clone solid as soon as you have left the copy. This solves a _lot_ of problems, and I find it a shame I hadn't thought of it earlier :)
3) The Clone’s Not-Blocking-Stuff Warmup Moment
I fully understand this too, had a lot of problems with it myself as well. But, this pretty much comes down to problem 2 and its solution would also fix this problem I believe.
So thank you very much for the feedback! It is something I'd almost forgotten by not playing my game for a few days, but something that certainly should be fixed. I'll go and play your game now, it is the least I can do to return the favor :)
One more post with a few solution ideas:
I see what you mean about the problem. I guess even the solution you mention to #2 is not QUITE perfect. Imagine this case: I am moving left and have hit clone, the clone is spawning. There is also a danger-blob moving left from the other side, about to hit the clone and pass through it and get me.
This creates a paradox: I want the clone to be un-solid because I don't want to be stuck inside it, I need to pass through it. But I also want the clone to be solid because I do NOT want the danger-blob to pass through it, I want it to bounce off it.
This kind of situation, I usually use Unity's "layers" system. Layers let you say that certain objects should just not interact, and layers can be shifted around in realtime.
Maybe a set of rules like this could work:
- The player is the only object in the game with a layer called "player".
- The clone spawns with a layer assigned called "clonespawning". This layer is set *NOT* to interact with the "player" layer, so that the player will just pass right through it. (Everything else in the game does interact with the player's layer).
- The clone has a check every frame: Am I on layer clonespawning? If so, check if I'm overlapping with the player. If not, then change my layer to the "clonesolid" layer so that I start interacting with the player.
This way, when the clone exists, it is always solid to the whole world except the player.
For the clone/player interaction, the clone is un-solid upon spawning, but as soon as there is even a single frame where they don't overlap, the clone changes to being solid even to the player.
Here are some documentation pages on layers: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/Layers.html https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/LayerBasedCollision.html
That's 3D but it works bascially the same for 2D colliders.
Also for the problem #1 of the line, I'd probably just make it "left click for one spawn, hold right click to get a line" but that's more a matter of taste. Watch a few friends play and ask them to make just one clone. If they're able to reliably make one vs making a line, then I could just be clumsy. But if the problem is common, consider introducing yet another button (altho too many buttons is bad too!)
Good luck!
@pkenney almost didn't see you left another reply! (Why don't I even get a notification when people comment on my own game...). Reading through this all sounds very interesting.
As you can imagine I've never worked with unity layers before, but it doesn't sound _too_ hard (future me might laugh at my innocence). However, while I understand all of what you wrote, I'm not sure if that is what kind of game I want. If a newly placed clone already protects you the frame you place it, then the risks decrease significantly. You don't need to time the danger blobs right, you can just start walking and if it starts getting close you simply place a clone. Or if the lasers will turn on any moment, all you have to do is place a clone, drop down for 1 frame and you are already safe. I get why this could be handy sometimes but it isn't really something I'd like to have (that is, if I even continue working on this game. I'll definitely look into layers though :smile: )
For problem numbero uno, I've already watched friends and while it _did_ happen, it was never bothersome. Other than the one spot you showed in your image there aren't many of these dangerous zones where you can block off the way completely with 2 misplaced clones. Your picture is a bit of drastic though, I've never seen someone place that many clones in a single jump (Perhaps you are clumsy, who knows ^^). But more realistically, perhaps it has something to do with the fact it is being played in browser? It's yet another layer of input delay I'd think, and I've never seen someone play the entire game in the webgl version. Anyhow, a new button seems a bit overkill to me, especially as the layer-solution would fix this (you could walk "out" of the bottom clone in most cases).
Thanks for your continued support, I really appreciate it! Never thought my rushed game would get this much response :)
Going through the floor just make the game more trippy...I like the overall tho
A bit more frustrating than I would have liked but it kept me playing for a fair bit... I think checkpoints of some sort would have worked really well after each of the obstacles/sections i had passed...also took me a bit to realize there was a small timeout before the copys became solid objects.. Overall a fun little game
Game is really challenging and unforgiving. I think the gameplay would really improve if you added mid-level checkpoints, restarting whole level might get frustrating after a while, good thing that you added the ability to skip levels. Anyway the idea is pretty neat and execution is also pretty decent. Levels are designed pretty ok, especially if you take into account that they were just a part of 'big joke' ;) BTW the whole zoom out thing was really neat. Graphics are simple but consistent and clean, i like that clones get random face expressions. In overall it is pretty fun-frustrating game, well done!
I agree with pretty much everything @zeriver said. The game is a bit too difficult, and checkpoints would probably help that a lot. The ending was pure gold, in my opinion! All in all, the game was pretty good! All it really needs is some sound effects and a good difficulty balance.
I found it very difficult to progress because of the way the clones work. One tap of the left click sometimes spawned 2 or 3 clones which often times cut off my path. Holding the click was hit or miss on if you would be forced down or allowed up.
I like the concept of it, just needs some polish on the mechanics.
Very great concept! The idea is really creative! The graphics is also great, and cute! Music fits the game very well. But it is very difficult. I think checkpoints are really needed. Some bugs are making it even more difficult. I have an idea: the clones are slowly disappearing so that they are not always blocking. Overall it is still really great!
Very good puzzle game with a really interesting concept! The difficulty of the game is really harsh and unforgiving, it took me a while to get through the first level. The collisions need more work, I would get stuck on my clones a lot. I did enjoy sometimes breaking the game and getting out of bounds because of the collision glitches. Checkpoints would've helped a lot, getting back to the start of the level after putting time into timing lasers and placing clones really takes away from the experience imo. Also the ending was amazing! Overall really good entry that just needs a bit more polish around the edges.
Nice game! interesting graphics :thumbsup: