[WIP] Cave Escape

edited in Projects
Hey ladies and gents,

Here is the link to the WIP by @SUGBOERIE and I, that we showed at the JHB Community night this week.
We loved the feed back and would greatly appreciate some more! Enjoy running for your life!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/206246577/CaveEscape/CaveEscape.html

ps the awesome caveman was made by @Gray_Fox_Trot
CE.png
888 x 510 - 517K
Thanked by 2SUGBOERIE jsgbailey

Comments

  • Hey guys,

    like @Tuism said, get some contrast on the floor! :)

    I like the holding for a longer jump, maybe also consider a double jump though, especially handy after a mis jump. Check out Nightmare Runner!

    Looking forward to seeing your progress.

    Thanked by 2DraughtVader hanli
  • @jsgbailey

    That's the first thing on our to-do list, that is the colors and contrast. It is a bit tough to see. As for the double jump we thought that it would make the game a bit tougher seeing that we've got overhead obstacles as well. Still really need to work on the balancing of the game. It's almost impossible in certain scenarios.
  • edited
    @DraughtVader Hey! played a bit of Cave Escape... I got to about 130Kg Meat and the level seemed noticeably faster (and eventually killed me).

    I appreciate the tight controls, I never felt like the controls were letting me down.

    I like the noir aesthetic, I didn't have a problem with the contrast except where the ground was right at the bottom of the screen.

    Some (hopefully constructive) criticisms:

    1) Floating Pickupables.

    You have floating pickupables that do nothing beneficial other than give score. Not having been at the meetup, I'm not too sure what your plans are here, but as it stands this mechanic really needs fixing.

    Have a look at MegaJump:



    There are floating pickupables (coins) in MegaJump, but the pickupables ALSO keep you in the air. This way the action of collecting them is both score, and your ability to keep jumping. While getting a high score is something that keep players playing in MegaJump, picking up the coins is intrinsically motivating (within the context of the game).

    Think about Sonic the Hedgehog, the rings are life there too.

    And the coins in Super Mario Bros give you lives (when you get 100).

    An example of a different use of pickups might be Jetpack Joyride. The floating pickups (coins) in Jetpack Joyride contribute to currency that can be spent on upgrades that make future runs more varied and successful. The floating pickups are much less entangled with the moment-to-moment gameplay than in Sonic the Hedgehog, but they are entangled with the longer-term goals of player.

    Super Crate Box of course is a wonderful twist on the use of pickupables. The crates change your weapon randomly (which is sometimes beneficial and sometimes detrimental), the crates are the score AND the crates are points towards unlocking different kinds of weapons and levels AND the crates in Super Crate Box ARE the progress (unlike an endless runner where the goal is assumed to be to run really far). The pickupables in Super Crate Box are brilliantly entangled with the player's goals (certainly while there is more content to unlock).

    I'm not saying that you shouldn't have floating meat in Cave Escape... I'm saying that if you include floating pickupables you have to take it further than just floating pickupables as score. If the floating pickupable has no value to the intrinsic goal of the game, then collecting the floating pickup is at odds with the gameplay.

    I'd suggest trying to think of as many ways that you can that the floating pickups could be useful to the player.

    2) Endless Runners

    One of the rules in Cave Escape is that if you hit a vertical wall or stalactite you instantly die. I'm not sure where this mechanic originated (maybe Adventure Island? where incidentally the pickupables give you more time), but Canabalt certainly popularized it in endless runners.

    Now again, I'm not too sure what feedback you've already received and what your plans are...

    But hitting a vertical wall and dying in Cave Escape only makes sense because of the trope. The caveman isn't actually moving fast enough in the early stages to be rendered unconscious by running into a wall. In Cannabalt the man moves ridiculously fast and is running on the tops of buildings and so hitting a wall does seem like something fatal (most of the time).

    What I'm suggesting is that your visuals don't convey the rules of your game as well as they could. It certainly doesn't break the game, but it does make it harder for a player to accept the world as real.

    I'd suggest either making the caveman smaller (and so run faster) or introducing some kind of stumble rule for mistakes that don't seem fatal (or something else to better sell the rules).

    3) Motivation

    The big bad that the caveman is escaping from isn't actually conveyed. I assume you've got ideas for this?

    ...

    I really hope these criticisms didn't come off harsh or unhelpful or condescending. I think these are all areas that can be improved upon without spoiling the things that are good about Cave Escape...

    But you might have other ideas for the game, in which case I look forward to playing what you produce!





    Thanked by 2Tuism DraughtVader
  • edited
    @BlackShipsFilltheSky
    Wow, quite a lengthy response! Really really appreciate it!
    1)
    Well I guess maybe we should have given some story/instruction, the floating meat is collected in order to lure the pterodactyl to your aid. That "thing" in the bottom right is actually a button.
    2&3)
    "The big bad" is the fact that the cave is collapsing, there would be some sort of falling rocks animation behind the caveman, hence hitting into anything would slow you down and cause you to be crushed by the rocks, I do hear what you're saying as it isn't very clear.

    Thanks so much for taking the time to review our FIRST GAME :D really loving this community!


  • edited
    Oh! I see the pterodactyl button now...

    Having tried the pterodactyl button... It feels like it's received a bit less love than the rest of the mechanics... though I think it's something that will feel right with a bit more tweaking.

    Yeah, the "SUMMON A MIGHTY PTERODACTYL" button does make the floating pickupables more than just score. Which was what I was talking about.

    Although I'd still suggest thinking about more ways you can make the pickupables interact with the players' goals. Generally the more ways a single game entity can affect the players' goals the more emergent strategies it can facilitate. (And even if you don't add more mechanics, thinking about this is a good habit to get into).

    btw. Congrats on making a game! Didn't know it was your first : ) I'm super glad you are enjoying the community.


    Thanked by 1DraughtVader
  • @BlackShipsFilltheSky
    Yeah we definitely need to give the player more freedom to play with their own style.
    Thanks so much for your all help and support!
    Given us a lot to consider for improvements.
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