Dodgy Rocks

edited in Projects
Dodgy Rocks is an endless runner of sorts that uses RNG to procedurally generate the obstacles, boosts, pickups etc as you progress, while it get increasingly difficult the higher your score.

I've set up an open beta for it so if you'd like to try it out here's the link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mayo.dtr

The game is stable now, with not too much further to go before going out of beta, any and all ideas are welcome :D

Alas, here are some screen shots from it for those who need a visual stimulation before trying something out. *Note these are now old images from one of the first builds and not fully representative of the current state*

image

All feedback welcome, nasty and otherwise :)

*NB There seem to have been some issues with certain devices having their views cut in half diagonally, if you experience this may I ask that you just leave a comment with your device type and OS version*

Technical info:
Engine: Unity C#
Audio: BFXR
Art: Piskel
Some of the original art was done by @flobar :D

Comments

  • @AshleySanders Hiya, gave it a spin. Samsung Galaxy S5. It works! I scored over 1000 points and then called it the day. Controls work fine. I found it frustrating that some rocks spawn very late at the bottom of the screen giving no time to avoid. A small glitch I spotted is that the boat seems to disappear beneath the waves on the left side of the screen? I can still see the wake, but the boat image is gone. Nice pixel art man.

    I also remember that game you and @flobar did for the SA Game Jam 2017 called 'Earth Prison'. That was very cool too! Did you ever manage to do more work on it?

    What are your plans for this little proto?

    Ciao, Kmn
  • @konman Thanks a lot for the feedback! I've noted to fix the late spawns of the rocks, and the player off screen issues you mentioned.

    Yeah we never ended doing anything with it after that, I'm not a huge fan of GameMaker so I've moved fully over to Unity. @flobar actually did the rocks, and some of the UI sprites for me in this game, that were intended for a different game.

    As for plans for this one, I'm thinking of adding 2 power ups that will aid in mixing it up a bit. And perhaps a leader-board.
    Thanked by 1konman
  • *** changelog 12/01/19 ***
    1. Boat movement on Start button pressing bug fix
    2. General spawn bugs fix
    3. Hit boxes tweaked to favour player
    4. Turning speed boost added
    5. Larger diamond that gives +50 added
    6. Difficulty-increased message displayed
    7. Added main menu chiptune - by Kevin MacLeod (Free Licence)
    8. Fixed audio bugs
    9. Re-tuned player movement
  • edited
    *** changelog 16/01/19 ***
    1. Added a high-score saving and leader-board feature
    2. Added network connectivity error popups

    image
    Thanked by 2iamdavidnight flobar
  • Thinking of adding some different player boat options (just colour variations for now)

    image
  • Looks pretty cool dude! Digging the pixel art!

    Regarding the leader board. Something you could add is, if I'm not in the top 5 players on the board, add my score at the bottom underneath so I can see how far I am from the top players.

    I'm using this in my game and I've found it helps to push users to keep playing.

    So for example..
    Pos Name Score
    1. Mayo 21521
    2. Kraken 1811
    3. TonyStark 1262
    4. Ash 1181
    5. Sharne 1121
    23. Me 245 (Which ever is you, indicate in a color or a darker shade rectangle block so you know where you are.)
  • @DavidKnightRedDawn Thanks so much for the feedback man. That's a really good idea, player longevity is important so will definitely look into implementing this
    Thanked by 1iamdavidnight
  • Cool man! I'll take a screenshot of my leader-board this weekend to better help illustrate for you.
    Thanked by 1AshleySanders
  • *** changelog 19/01/2019 ***
    1. Added a boat selection menu (just the colour variations from above for now)
    2. Moved the Leader-board from the Game Over view to the Start Menu
    3. Fixed a memory leak that was coming up about 2k points into the game

    Boat selection:
    image
    Thanked by 1flobar
  • edited
    *** changelog 19/01/2019 *** #2
    1. Added players position on leader-board as @DavidKnightRedDawn suggested :D

    Highlights you if you're in top 5, otherwise shows you underneath top 5 in highlight with current position and score
    Thanked by 1iamdavidnight
  • @AshleySanders wassup!

    Below is some feedback regarding your game:

    (1)
    - To help push players to keep playing for the number 1 spot. Why not add the leader-board screen below the game over screen?
    - So I can see my score and how far I have to go, every time after I die and not have to navigate to RESET and then LEADER-BOARD.

    (2)
    - I tend to avoid the Turbo power-up cause I find it easier to move the boat without it.
    - Are they supposed to be obstacles?

    (3)
    - This is just me, but I find the game takes a little too long to get into the meat of the game which is the most fun because its the hardest.
    - But it's just my opinion, others may disagree with me.

    (4)
    - Another idea for an obstacle, is to have objects under the water that pop up with little warning! Like, an under water mine that's had it's chain cut.
    - So you have to be extra aware of your surroundings!

    This game has some cool potential! Keen to see where you go with it.
    If you need any assistance with getting AD's in the game give me a shout!

  • @DavidKnightRedDawn Thanks for the continuous feedback man!

    Regarding your points:

    (1) I like the idea of having the leaderboard existing on/below the Game Over screen, will look into it ;)

    (2) Everyone who has played the game, including myself xD, have agreed that I should remove this powerup as it is more of an obstacle than anything else, thinking of replacing it with a slo-mo powerup to help in those late game tight corners

    (3) I feel you, I'm just not sure how I can over come this, perhaps by making it a little harder in the beginning?

    (4) I have 2 or 3 ideas for additional non static obstacles in the works, though I do like the idea of the mines :D I'll give credit where it's due if I end up using that idea

    I'm actually busy adding in ads as we speak, which is my first time using them, so if I get stuck I'll definitely request your assistance :D thanks again man
  • @AshleySanders Wassup!

    (3) So I would keep the start area but bring the difficulty closer to the beginning. So instead of getting the hard levels after 1000 points, make it 500 points. The start area is great for newbs but as you get good at the game, you want a way to get to the meat of it quickly.
    - You could also sell/win boosts to propel the player at the start of each round quickly to a certain point!
    - Collect boosts by accumulating score. (Example)
    - Watch an AD to get a boost. (Example) You're in mobile so pay to win, is more accepted.. lol

    - Actually boosts is a cool power you could add to the stage! Like if I pick that power up, the boat launches forward for a certain period of time. Any rocks I hit just get obliterated..
    - With a cool down effect (God mode) afterwards to make sure the player can get into a safe space afterwards.
  • @DavidKnightRedDawn Those are some really neat ideas, I particularly like the idea of the god mode boost :D

    I'm always a lil hesitant when considering pay to win but I guess the mobile world is more forgiving.

    I'll add it to the list of considerations :)
  • *** changelog 22/01/2019 ***
    1. Removed turn speed boost due to general annoyance
    2. Added slo-mo boost
    3. Added leaderboard to Game Over screen as @DavidKnightRedDawn suggested :D

    image
  • @AshleySanders wassup!

    Dig it man. The game also feels a lot better. Not sure what you did.
    Feels like the boat is a little more loose. which adds to the challenge. :)

    The slowmo power-up is a bit hard to see but I guess you're not focussing on visuals just yet.
    Best way is to use the opposite color of the background to get it to pop!
    Like orange, yellow or red will pop from the blue sea background.

    But I'm digging the update! Gonna try get into the top 5 on the leader-board today!
    @Kim you better watch out!
  • Thanks @DavidKnightRedDawn :D

    I did tweak the movement a lil, so I'm glad it was noticeable and preferred

    Yeah at some point I'm going to redo a bunch of the art, just want to get the mechanics and game itself at least 90% done, though perhaps I'll redo the slo-mo sprite now in any case as it does contrast quite badly with the water

    You're in the top 10 so you're getting there ;) The Kim that got onto the leader-board yesterday was actually my GF and not @Kim but you're welcome to try beat us all @Kim whoever you are xD
  • *** changelog 25/01/2019 ***
    1. Fixed a bug where the New High Score screen was sometimes popping before the Game Over screen disallowing entering your name
    2. Upped the initial difficulty at game start by the request of the people :P
  • *** changelog 12/02/2019 ***
    1. Added speed increase over time
    2. Updated slo-mo pickup logic and sprites

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mayo.dtr
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