The Probe

[SilverWarior]

With regards to the cursor issue, did you want me to make the cursor appear in the menu at all times, but not in-game?

Yes that's the idea. I do know that if you target other platforms it isn't posible to use cursor on all of them but when we talk about PC's having a mouse cursor is almost standard. You do know that for end user it is much easier to use mouse for executing menu actions than scroling through all menu items to get to the one you want.

And I don't hate disapering mouse cursor becouse this way I need to scrool trough the menu but I do hate it becouse in some cases knowing where the mouse cursor is very helpful. For instance let's say that your game has some bug and fires Access Violation Message. If you want to close that message you need to click on OK button of that message. So if youd don't know where the cursor is you will have hard time moving it into the Message Window to actually clik on OK button. Yes in most ocasions pressing Enter or space would have same effect but not always.
Once I even had a development version of some game wich was using the worst posible example for hiding cursor. The game actualy changed systemwide seting for default mouse cursor to use a cursor template where all posible pictures of cursor were just blank. So when the game crashed I ended up with Windows wich had no visible mouse cursor, even after the system restart. Luckly I quickly figured out why and fix it (I can do any operation in Windows without even using a mouse, but it does takes more time).
So that's why I try to avoid hiding mouse cursor until it is compleetly neccesary. In one off my currently discarded projects (it is discarded becouse of lack off neccesary knowledge) I even wrote a rutine wich took care that mouse cursor always showed if some exception was fired. The only drawback was that my rutine didn't notify me off what exception was fired in the first place. This was some time ago when my programing skils were a lot weaker. Today I would probably write it in a different way but stil geting the same effect.

[paul_nicholls]

Ok, cool

Well, I have made the cursor drawn when in menu mode (and showing GUIs), but not while playing the game.

I have also added in support for the keypad Enter key - it seems to work on my standard keyboard when I hit that key in the menu, so hopefully it will work on yours!

I have done some other changes/fixes too (written in an extra changes txt file), and am now displaying a version in The Probe for debugging purposes so people can refer to the version

I will try and add in an options GUI to control the sfx/music volume, etc. before releasing the new version tonight, but if I don't have time I will upload it as is so you can try it out...

Thanks again for your input mate!

cheers,
Paul

[paul_nicholls]

Here is the latest version:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1805932/TheP...11.12.15%29.7z (2.82MB, Win32)

and the change log details for this version:

Version: 2011.12.15
* Change - Added in support for numberpad enter key with menus.
* Change - Made cursor always appear when in menu mode.
* Change - Displays version number in game to help debugging issues.
* Change - Added game controller support with menus (up, down, fire).
* Change - Updated "The Probe_Help.pdf" to include extra in-game controls and editor todo list.
* Fix - Stopped TLS beam and other things updating when doors opening/closing.
* Fix - Changed when doors can open/close so they operate at the correct times.
* Fix - Fixed bug when game mode didn't go to "player dead" when player killed by acid.
* Fix - Fixed bug when teleported player's health became 100%

Enjoy

cheers,
Paul

[SilverWarior]

I do have another keys relation suggestion. Currently you use arow keys and enter in menu and WASD keys and space ingame. Why not use the same keys both in menu and in the game. Or even better why not use both in menu. Having the ability to change controls would also be verry good.
As for the mouse cursor do hide the ingame cursor when mouse leaves the game window and show it again when the mouse enters the game window. You do this by using OnMouseEnter and OnMouseLeve events.
Also having the mouse controll in the menu won't be bad.
Why not also include option for multiplayer COOP play. You just need to add another probe for other player and make some level suitable for COOP play, where both players need to cooperate to finish the level. This would definitly make the game much better.
Currently you simly use one power source for powering the teleporter. Why not make the game so that you might even need to use combination of multiple power sources for sucsesfully powering the teleorter. This would definitly come in handy if you decide to do include COOP play.

Theese are my suggestions for now.
I will go and play with the editor some time later today so maybe I'll have even more suggestions later.
I might even try to make a level suitable for COOP play.

[paul_nicholls]

I do have another keys relation suggestion. Currently you use arow keys and enter in menu and WASD keys and space ingame. Why not use the same keys both in menu and in the game. Or even better why not use both in menu. Having the ability to change controls would also be verry good.

Thanks for the control thoughts
I think I WILL make the menu use both lots of keys too, that will make things more intuitive...

Control customization will be added back into the game ASAP like I had in the previous version on my website.

As for the mouse cursor do hide the ingame cursor when mouse leaves the game window and show it again when the mouse enters the game window. You do this by using OnMouseEnter and OnMouseLeve events.
Also having the mouse controll in the menu won't be bad.

I am doing this in the game now (at least emulating it)...I am hiding the cursor completely all the time when over the window, but rendering it manually at the appropriate times

Why not also include option for multiplayer COOP play. You just need to add another probe for other player and make some level suitable for COOP play, where both players need to cooperate to finish the level. This would definitly make the game much better.

hmm...interesting idea, not sure if I will implement it, but I might try it out. I had never thought of doing COOP play in The Probe since the original game and other 'clones' and variations don't either (AFAIK)

Currently you simly use one power source for powering the teleporter. Why not make the game so that you might even need to use combination of multiple power sources for sucsesfully powering the teleorter. This would definitly come in handy if you decide to do include COOP play.

What sort of multiple power sources would you suggest? Otherwise I could just make it so each Probe can only get some of the crystals in a level, so the COOP play would be required to complete it

Theese are my suggestions for now.
I will go and play with the editor some time later today so maybe I'll have even more suggestions later.
I might even try to make a level suitable for COOP play.

I know the editor is lacking some features yet, but some are on my TODO list (in the .pdf help file)...feel free to feedback any other issues

Thanks so much for all the feedback mate!

cheers,
Paul

[SilverWarior]

I am doing this in the game now (at least emulating it)...I am hiding the cursor completely all the time when over the window, but rendering it manually at the appropriate times

Yes I know that. What I was refering to is that you stop renderning ingame cursor when the mouse cursor leaves the window. This way you don't have ingame cursor left on the last position when the mouse cursor left the windows (both ingame and windows default cursor are seen at the same time)

hmm...interesting idea, not sure if I will implement it, but I might try it out. I had never thought of doing COOP play in The Probe since the original game and other 'clones' and variations don't either (AFAIK)

Adding new fetures to the game usualy increases the game value (offcourse if theese fetures are implemented correctly). I'm sure that you won't mind if your game would have bigger value than original and clones had.

What sort of multiple power sources would you suggest? Otherwise I could just make it so each Probe can only get some of the crystals in a level, so the COOP play would be required to complete it

I was thinking of having two or more power sources on different places in the level. So for sucsesfuly powering the teleporter user has to chanel power from all off theese power sources to the teleporter at the same time (mutiple beams) .
As for COOP play I was thinking off having levels where each player spawns in different part of the level, and isn't able to rach the part where the other player spawned in. Or maybe levels which are designed in a way that one player need to flip one swich so the other player may get from one place to another.
Maybe you could either include temporary swithces which turn of some time after they have been turned on.

This would all add a lot to the game depth and thus making the game much more intesresting.

PS: I also found two bugs.
1. When you turn off the switch the telepad or whatever was turned on in the first place stays on.
2. After the game over (you lose all off your lifes) if you start a new game you end up with no ditional lifes (game over after first death)

[paul_nicholls]

Yes I know that. What I was refering to is that you stop renderning ingame cursor when the mouse cursor leaves the window. This way you don't have ingame cursor left on the last position when the mouse cursor left the windows (both ingame and windows default cursor are seen at the same time)

Ah, ok...I misunderstood what you wrote earlier. Not sure how I can fix this as I am using SDL to manage the window, and I don't know if there is a mouse enter/leave for that.

I will look into it, and if I can't fix it, I might have to get rid of my custom mouse cursor, and just show/hide the normal cursor so there is only one either inside the window, or outside the window.

Adding new fetures to the game usualy increases the game value (offcourse if theese fetures are implemented correctly). I'm sure that you won't mind if your game would have bigger value than original and clones had.

Of course! It just wasn't in my original vision of The Probe, but I will think on this

I was thinking of having two or more power sources on different places in the level. So for sucsesfuly powering the teleporter user has to chanel power from all off theese power sources to the teleporter at the same time (mutiple beams).

hmm...interesting idea, again I will think on this

As for COOP play I was thinking off having levels where each player spawns in different part of the level, and isn't able to rach the part where the other player spawned in. Or maybe levels which are designed in a way that one player need to flip one swich so the other player may get from one place to another.
Maybe you could either include temporary swithces which turn of some time after they have been turned on.

Thanks for the ideas...I will digest and think on it

This would all add a lot to the game depth and thus making the game much more intesresting.

It could, at that

PS: I also found two bugs.
1. When you turn off the switch the telepad or whatever was turned on in the first place stays on.
2. After the game over (you lose all off your lifes) if you start a new game you end up with no ditional lifes (game over after first death)

Ok, 1 is not a bug, I just did it that way...I can make it toggle the state of the object when it is clicked on/off if you really want.
PS. I was going to add in different types of actions, like the current one (on and not off), or on/off when turned on/off, and maybe other ones, but I only have the one action type ATM...

Ow! 2 is definitely a bug, thanks for picking that one up...I will fix that right away!

cheers,
Paul

[paul_nicholls]

Hopefully some other people besides you SilverWarior can try The Probe
More feedback, the merrier

[SilverWarior]

I will look into it, and if I can't fix it, I might have to get rid of my custom mouse cursor, and just show/hide the normal cursor so there is only one either inside the window, or outside the window.

It is deffinitly posible. If there is no other way you can always intercept Window messages by yourself (atleast on windows platform, not sure for the others)

[paul_nicholls]

It is deffinitly posible. If there is no other way you can always intercept Window messages by yourself (atleast on windows platform, not sure for the others)

I will look into it, thanks