Clunky Robot
Hi All,
Clunky Robot latest playable:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/187819585/Clunky ver 0.8/Clunky ver 0.8.html
Controls:
Move = Arrows
Shoot = Ctrl
Jump = Space
Restart = R
Restart when died = Enter
[Edit] - in the original OP I asked for some scripting advice here. Just in case some of the awesome replies below seem out of context.
Clunky Robot latest playable:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/187819585/Clunky ver 0.8/Clunky ver 0.8.html
Controls:
Move = Arrows
Shoot = Ctrl
Jump = Space
Restart = R
Restart when died = Enter
[Edit] - in the original OP I asked for some scripting advice here. Just in case some of the awesome replies below seem out of context.
Comments
@Elyaradine and @dislekcia - thanks for the advice. I will try out both and see if it sorts my problem out. I stumbled upon this thread that gave the same advice as you guys:
http://answers.unity3d.com/questions/202291/rigidbody-add-force.html
Thought that it could be useful to anybody else struggling with the same question.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/187819585/2dtry/2dtry.html
Not too much added:
Now have 2 fire methods. Ctrl for lazer and shift for cannon ball. Moving platforms activated by portals and an enemy with 2 animations idle and fire (but does not fire anything yet) and a health manager for the enemy. Struggling to find time to work on this, this year as I just started a new job, but small improvements are still better than not doing anything at all I guess. Atleast I'm still making a game :)
So added a few features, animations and a new enemy type, as well as updated the art (with the help of a friend). Still not really a game, but getting there.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/187819585/2dproj/2dproj.html
There's not a lot I can comment on here yet. I like that you are paying attention to things like landing frames (for when the robot hits the ground after a jump) and gun recoil (although it occasionally doesn't work).
There's still definitely some rough bits with regards to the platforming, for instance it's very easy to kind of get attached to a platform when your side touches it, but there's no ground underneath you so you can't jump. I know it can be a lot of work figuring out all the edge cases in a platformer, and I know this is still in very early stages.
You've got a fair bit of momentum on the character. This can be really cool, like in Super Meat Boy, but when the character has momentum you need to really think about how wide you want your platforms (especially if you don't have wall jumps)... at the moment it is very easy to fall off the floating televisions (because they are quite narrow).
I'd suggest tweaking the drag on the rigidbody of the character, or tweaking the minimum width of the platforms, or adding safety mechanics like wall jumping, until you've got something that feels easier to control. Full disclosure: I like my platformers really easy to control (but challenging to master), you might have a different aesthetic in mind.
Diorgo wrote some useful tips on making a fun platformer that you might find useful. You've already implemented some of them.
http://devmag.org.za/2011/01/18/11-tips-for-making-a-fun-platformer/
http://devmag.org.za/2012/07/19/13-more-tips-for-making-a-fun-platformer/
Although I don't agree 100% with everything Diorgo suggests (like Double Jumping by default and keeping the camera exactly following the character and never having momentum on characters), it's still useful thinking about these things.
And obviously it is worth checking out Jan Willem's platformer juice guide (if you haven't already, though I suspect you have).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c0i6jidrvk6r2io/controlconf.rar <- Jan Willem's presentation made in Game Maker
Nice work so far, hope you keep on experimenting with this!
Quick suggestion: could you make your movement input use the Horizontal/Vertical axes instead of WASD - it's a bit easier to use arrows, and using the Input scheme allows both WASD and arrows to be configurable and also used at the same time. The shooting and jump keys also feel a bit uncomfortable to me - but that may just be because I generally don't play platformers on PC.
You may also want to have a look at using physics materials - adding these to colliders will reduce the amount of times the bot gets stuck on vertical objects.
What mechanism are you using on the "switch" platforms? It seems that they only work when there is actual movement on them -> was this intended?
Hope this helps :)
Also, thanks for the suggestion about the physics materials - i'm going to google that now (didn't know that this was a thing that existed). Will update the input as suggested and think about alternative shoot keys too.
So, I was able to rope a friend into creating me some awesome art for "Cluncky Robot". We are working on assets for the game only at the moment, so it is still very un-game-like. Basically you can wander around to have a look at the themes we have been considering for various stages (currently working on cave, jungle, concrete, steel and hell tilesets). There is however also 1 new enemy type - "the Robo-Bee". Please have a look the various tilesets. As always any crit will be welcome. Here is a link to the latest version (also in opening post)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/187819585/cluncky ver 0.4/cluncky ver 0.4.html
@fariscon - feel free to use arrow keys now too :)
Like you say, it's still kind of an un-game... but the new tilesets do add a reward for exploration and also add some prettiness.
btw. Changing the background to anything other than the default Unity camera colour might be time well spent by your awesome art friend.
There still isn't a win or lose condition. I'm not sure what your plans are, but experimenting with the win/lose is useful practice practice for most game types.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/187819585/Cluncky ver 0.5/Cluncky ver 0.5.html
Added: A background (placeholder atleast) and some new enemy types.
As always any feedback is welcome.
Controls:
Move = Arrows
Shoot = Ctrl
Alt Shoot = Shift
Jump = Space
Restart when died = Enter
The background definitely themes the game a lot more. Now it feels like an alien subterranean cave system (with bottomless pits).
The cannon balls are now getting lost against the background. Also, the parallax effect on the background is inverted, the background should move slower than the foreground if it is more distant (unless you are trying to achieve acid trip - like effect that the inverted movement gives).
The health of Cluncky is a bit confusing. I imagine that it is still something you intend working on more. This was the first time I played it and I actually died (the electric triangles killed me once, while the top-half-of-a-skull golem killed me on another occasion).
It seems like projectiles don't damage Cluncky, though collisions with enemy hitboxes kill him instantly. Unless it is meant to be one hit kills, I'd suggest displaying the health somehow (a number is easiest, but sparks on the robot when it is damaged could also work, or red rims around the side of the screen like in Call of Duty, or encroaching darkness like in Luftrausers, or discreet hearts like in Spelunky, or cogs that you collect like in Sonic the Hedgehog etc etc). Obviously you have your own plans for Clunky's health system.
Maybe a thought about getting feedback. If you have a boss, and some short levels laid out so that players have a sense of progress...
That way you can tell testers that there is a goal that they have to achieve, and it's probably easier after that to get players to play again when you've added new goals. Everyone on these forums is busy with their own games, so it might make it easier to get them to spend time in your project when there's something easier for them to evaluate.
Unfortunately it is still not structured in any kind of stage set up and there is no in-game tutorial. But, that is not to say that we have been sitting around doing nothing. We would really appreciate it if you guys would try it out and let us know what you think so far. We especially want feedback on the weapon system we have implemented. The weapons available are:
Lazer
Shotgun
Flamethrower
Seeker drone
Frag grenade
Cluster Bomb
Mortar
Minigun
Fire Barrels (this could also be seen as an enemy weapon)
All of these are acquired by picking up labeled crates (or random crate) and all are fired using the Ctrl key. Kill enemies to get more crates. You have no weapon at the start, but a Random crate has been placed right infront of your spawn position. Tap for some weapons and hold for others. You still move around with the arrow keys/ASWD and Space is Jump
Press "R" to restart the level - It is still possible to end up in an infinite falling loop so this key is important if you tumble off a platform.
All damage = 1 hit kills, so pretty much avoid everything.
Here is a link to the new build:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/187819585/Clunky ver 0.8/Clunky ver 0.8.html
Enjoy the rest of your election day :)
You still move around with the arrow keys/ASWD and Space is Jump
Press "R" to restart the level - It is still possible to end up in an infinite falling loop so this key is important if you tumble off a platform.
All damage = 1 hit kills, so pretty much avoid everything.
Here is the latest web build:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/187819585/Clunky ver 0.9/Clunky ver 0.9.html
Please give it a go. I am really desperate for some feedback. Thanks
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8l1lcwlzjg7mpjc/Clunky ver 0.11.zip
Hope the link works. I had to compress the file else it was over 200Mb. Now just 14mb. Let me know and thanks for trying the game.
Controls:
Move = Arrows/ASWD
Jump = Space
Shoot = left Ctrl
Restart = R
I also didn't quite know where to go and if you travel down you leave the map and start falling through cornflower-blue space.
I don't think I'm necessarily a bad player because I also found the game quite difficult. There's lots of stuff shooting at you and it's difficult to dodge or retaliate. The player dies with a single hit but some enemies need a couple of shots to die.
I made a video of my play-through and as soon as it's edited I will upload it for you to see what I was doing.
That said, I agree that the jumping needs to improve. I previously added physics materials to many of the surfaces, which sorted out the getting stuck on everything issue. But, when I updated my Unity to 4.5 a whole lot of stuff got broke. I will look to fix it. I think once I start actually designing levels, I will need to think very carefully where I put platforms to sort out this kind of thing from happening. I also toned down the momentum I had on Clunky (based on previous feedback from other), which made jumping "different". Any suggestions on how I can go about getting it better? There are platforms that activate the TV lifts. Their colours change when you stand on them, but I need to figure out a better "feedback" mechanic to make this clearer. That's why implemented the "R to restart" function. The real levels will not have this issue. I have been researching floating health bars this week, which I mean to add to enemies. I want Clunky to be vulnerable, that is why he is "1 hit kill". I have also been thinking about adding a battery/energy mechanic, which drains as Clunky moves and charges by collecting batteries. That will make you think about your moves and give the game more of a goal. Maybe you can only access the next level once Clunky has collected enough batteries. What do you think of the idea?
Anyway, thanks a mil for trying. I understand that playing something so unstructured can be confusing/frustrating. I really wanted feedback on the weapon system I implemented. Did you like the different weapons?
Think I should also point out that I am purely a hobbyist, so really only work on this in my spare time (basically when my laaitjie goes to bed), so that could be why the game is coming a long at such a slow rate. Just wanted to know if the idea is worth taking forward.
Cheers
To test the different weapons I think you should build a new level, a tutorial if you will, where the player can test/experience each weapon in isolation.
For example, have the player start by standing right next to an ammo crate of bombs and to the right, in a trough, an enemy moving around. Then the player can stand on the ledge safely and throw bombs to kill it before continuing right. The next encounter is a wall that the player can jump over but also has an enemy behind that they can then practice building up power to throw over.
Building a set of tutorial levels will allow you test different mechanics in isolation as well as give testers something to focus on.
Moving on...
I like the variety of weapons. For testing purposes though the different guns at the start are difficult to pick up and try individually. Maybe move them into the air, or onto little platforms in the air, so we can try them each individually. I'm sure this is just for testing, but I often end up accidentally picking up something that I did not intend to.
(edit: or better yet, what @Fengol said)
Secondly, I'd like it if I could shoot with enter as well (if you or using Enter, perhaps also use right control or right shift). I am used to moving with WASD (which works), but then, if I have to shoot, I either have to use my pinky (pinky pains for days), or cross my right hand to left control (which is what I do at the moment). This is hard for me especially as a platformer noob :)
Further, I'd like to suggest adding delay between all weapons-fire. Although it seems cool initially to be able to shoot as fast as I can tap, I'd prefer if there a minimum time period between all weapons. Also, ammo would be nice (for stronger weapons). So that I feel I have to use them wisely and not just spam the buttons. If your ammo runs out, switch to a weaker weapon.
Finally, I'd advise that you don't leave ALL of your level design until you are done with mechanics. I find that one often gets carried away by adding new mechanics, and then content or level design suffers. It's nice for us testers to have a level to enjoy while testing new features :) (I have the same problem with Grave Days, but some times I just sit down and force myself to add a bit more to the level before carrying on with new features).
Good luck!
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One more thing, the angle at which you throw the "cluster" bomb in my opinion is too low. It's like Clunky throws it at the ground in front of him, and its hard to get some nice distance.
@Denzil - thanks for the valuable feedback. This is something I have not considered. But yeah sure, that is very easy to implement. Will do. Which weapon in particular? Some do have longer delays or overheat (i.e. Minigun & flamethrower). Others I left shorter intentionally. With practice you can create a wall of frags while running or header Clusters in new directions. However, I will look at tweaking some more. That's why I implemented the cool down for some weapons. I did have a build with ammo, but it didn't feel right. Also, if you run out of ammo and there are no crates available? Guess you could have access to all the weapons from the start and then switch crates to only be ammo, but still not sure if I like the idea. I want to ultimately create situations where you have to use specific weapons in specific areas. Also have an idea to work it into the puzzle solving in certain areas of stages. I totally agree. Feature creeping can be very dangerous. I think I have most of the mechanics down anyway. I just need to get a goal/win condition. That is why I have been considering the energy vs batteries idea. Once that is sorted, I will move on to more content and then level design. Guess my workflow seems a bit chaotic, but makes sense in my head. I think of it as "I am baking the bricks, which I will then use to build with". I think my major problem has been that I never had any sort of design doc. I kinda just started and then continued. Only when I started working on the weapon system, did I start writing ideas down and actually thinking them through.
Thanks again for trying and for the feedback. Much appreciated.