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cairnswm
20-06-2011, 04:57 AM
Well I am going to try put something together for the Mini Challenge. I have not done any game deve for the last 18 months.... I have dug out all my old S2DL code and read through it to make sure I remember what I was doing with it all those years ago - overall I am still quite impressed with what I achieved with it.

I have been wanting to write a puzzle game for quite a bit, a proper puzzle game with level progression, trophies, highscores etc. So for this contest I will throw a basic puzzle game together.

So here are my plans
1. Review S2DL and repackage it as needed (Done - will release S2DL ver 2.1 this week)
2. Build a puzzle game template that manages the Game State transitions etc. This template will be added to the S2DL package and distributed as an add on to 2.1 - Game states will probably be Splash Screen, Menu - 2 levels, Progressions screen, Puzzle screen, Highscores and closing screen. I might include a Movie state for cut scenes if my SMPEG libraries are working
3. Build a basic keyboard based puzzle game
4. Get someone to build me some nice graphics - I have 2 graphic designers I can use for this

I dont really have a decent idea for a puzzle game mechanism but have a faint idea of using the Bejewelled 3 in a row system, but using the 'missing piece' puzzle system. So the puzzle screne has a 10x10 grid. In the grid are arranged a number of objects and the goal is to get 3+ items of the same type in a row. within the grid are 4 blocks that are empty (Marked A,B,C and D) selectable by choosing the relevant controller button. By pressing an arrow key the neighbouring block moves into the open space and the game checks for a 3 in a row etc.

No idea if that mechanism will work using the controller.

I am also going to have a non-pgd mode that allows using the mouse to click a block and switch with the neighbouring empty square. Obviously for the PGD contest this will be disabled.

I have been wanting to build a 'sleeping beauty' game for a long time - ever since I created a simple board game for my kids using the theme. So for the contest the idea is you are the prince trying to find the princess....

paul_nicholls
20-06-2011, 09:04 AM
Sounds good to me :)

I have absolutely no ideas yet on what I am going to do! haha I hope it doesn't end up with me doing a last minute job in the last few days or something hehe...

Good luck :)

cheers,
Paul

Ñuño Martínez
20-06-2011, 10:00 AM
Sorry for invade your space, cairnswm. BTW, your idea sounds good to me too. :)


Sounds good to me :)

I have absolutely no ideas yet on what I am going to do! haha I hope it doesn't end up with me doing a last minute job in the last few days or something hehe...

Good luck :)

cheers,
Paul I have just the opposite problem: I have a lot of ideas and I don't know what to do. The main problem is most of these ideas are too much complex and I haven't time enough; I don't mean the 3 weeks for the contest, I mean time each day. :(

chronozphere
20-06-2011, 03:54 PM
Good to see the first idea's popping up!

I also have an idea that's totally different. It's more of an action-based idea, with only 3 or 4 buttons! Time is more of a problem now. Hopefully, I will be able to make a start tomorrow (Pick a lib and play with it etc..). I will also need another designer to help me, but I allready have two people who I can call for help. Also I have Genetica! :)

cairnswm
22-06-2011, 08:11 PM
http://www.cairnsgames.co.za/files/CastleOfThorns1.jpg

Gave up on the idea of building a template - so much easier just to code the game :)

So far got the splash screen working

Started working on the Puzzle screen as well - so far I have the images loaded and stuff displaying on the screen. I dont have assets yet so I am just using my old game "Weapons of War"'s assets.

Plan for this week
1. Get a timer working - basically a reverse progress bar
2. Get a progress bar working showing how far you have progressed towards the level goal.
3. Get the open block, click a cell and it moves to open block, find 3 in a rows and remove

Next Week
4. Explosions when rows get removed
5. Menu, Help, and Progress screens (no profiles just option to restart)
6. When I get to this point I will ask someone to start making me some graphics....

paul_nicholls
22-06-2011, 10:46 PM
Looks good mate :) Is that a jpg image, or something else? it is rather pixelated :(

cheers,
Paul

cairnswm
23-06-2011, 03:50 AM
Looks good mate :) Is that a jpg image, or something else? it is rather pixelated :(


Low quality JPEG

(Though my background is rather pizelated the forground images are fine when the game runs)

WILL
23-06-2011, 11:15 PM
Looking good so far. I don't think I've played a puzzle game quite like yours will turn out. Should be interesting to try. Keep up the good work.

So far your the only one who has created a thread about their entry. :)

cairnswm
24-06-2011, 03:47 AM
Looking good so far. I don't think I've played a puzzle game quite like yours will turn out. Should be interesting to try. Keep up the good work.

Its an original idea of mine - but as I said I dont know if it will work or not :)


So far your the only one who has created a thread about their entry. :)

Using the thread to keep up my motivation - work is hectic at the moment so I need all the motivation I can get!

Ñuño Martínez
30-06-2011, 08:29 AM
Hey, cairnswm. Any news? ???

WILL
01-07-2011, 04:00 AM
Its an original idea of mine - but as I said I dont know if it will work or not :)
Only one way to find out. ;)


Using the thread to keep up my motivation - work is hectic at the moment so I need all the motivation I can get!
Time to get out the cattle prod. :p

cairnswm
01-07-2011, 04:14 AM
Sent the image layours/sizing and descriptions to my Graphic Designer last night. Hoping to have something to show early next week.

At the moment the game is mouse driven and seems to work ok - will code the Simple controller controls over the weekend.

S2DL is really helping me out now. So far I have less than 550 lines of code for the game - including Begin Ends and empty lines.....

Ingemar
01-07-2011, 07:51 AM
It looks like a nice "diversion" game, the kind you play on a break. Those can be great fun.

Traveler
01-07-2011, 09:19 AM
Great. It sounds like you're well on your way to a finished game before the deadline. I hope you'll be able to post some screenshots soon.

cairnswm
01-07-2011, 01:04 PM
Once I get the real graphics from my graphic designer I should be able to post images. Hopefully tuesday or wednesday.

Ingemar
01-07-2011, 08:10 PM
from my graphic designer

I wish I had someone doing the graphics. I am not an artist but I'll have to whip together what I can myself.

code_glitch
01-07-2011, 09:13 PM
GRAPHIC DESIGNER? SRSLY?

i want one, i want one i want one... I suck terribly at graphics. If only we had a single good art student at school that could do sprites but hey, out of a total 60 people none can use a computer properly. Half don't even know the difference between vista/7, mac and windows and don't know what linux is along with GIMP etc... Don't you just love this country?

cairnswm
02-07-2011, 01:36 PM
I actually have access to 2 graphic designers. I own my own graphic design company and employ a full time graphic designer, and I have a friend who has done quite a few of the graphics in my previous games (he is doing the graphics for this game as well).

Anyway..... the first image has been included:
http://www.cairnsgames.co.za/files/CastleOfThorns2.jpg

WILL
02-07-2011, 01:47 PM
Nice! I like how you can see the background through the empty parts of the progress bars.

Jimmy Valavanis
02-07-2011, 04:45 PM
Hmmm, 2 graphic designers, can I borrow one of them LOL

cairnswm
17-07-2011, 08:16 PM
Castle of Thorns
----------------

Once upon a time a beautiful pricess was
put to sleep by an evil fairy. As time
passed the Castle was overgrown by thick
thorn bushes, preserving everyone inside
from the ravages of time.

The curse stated that the princess would
sleep until a brave warrior braved the
perils of the thorns and won through to
find the princess.

Only the bravest warrior, a knight would
reach the princess where a kiss would
awaken the sleeping beauty. And with her
the castle would awake.

Installation
------------

Extract the .zip file into a directory
retaining the directory structure.
(There should be a subdirectory called
images after unzipping the file).

All the DLLs are enclosed and no additional
files should be required.

To start the game run
CatleOfThorns.exe

To uninstall delete the directory.

Game Play
---------

Use the keys [A], [B], [C] or [D] to
select one of the open spaces in the
puzzle. Then use the arrow keys to move
a neighbouring item into the selected
space.

Create lines of the same item to score
points, with larger groups of the same
item scoreing more points. Groups are
removed as they are formed.

If when one group is removed a new line
of three or more is formed it will also
be removed. These additional lines are
worth more points than a normal line.


Each level is completed once you either
get enough score to fill your score bar,
or when the time limit is exceeded as
shown by the bar moving down in the
screen.

Once a level is complete a new level
starts where the time limit is smaller
and you need to score the same number
of lines and groups to complete the level.

At higher levels the multiplication
bonus of secondry groups (combos) is
important to finish the levels.

Credits
-------

Written for the Pascal Game Development
mini Challenge 2011.

by William Cairns
and Richard Ramsbottom

Written using FreePascal and S2DL
(Simple 2D Libraries)


I have loaded the game my own server as well as the competition server. I can supply another link if this one does not work.

http://www.thegamedeveloper.co.za/files/CastleOfThorns.zip

Traveler
18-07-2011, 08:09 PM
I'm afraid I'm not a real big fan of these games. Every now and then I see a flash version and try my luck for a minute or two, but I never cant seem to get the hang of it. It's mostly luck if I ever get to the end of the level and I usually get bored pretty quick. To be totally honest, your version is no different. It probably also didn't help that I could not see the logic behind the A,B,C,D. I ended up selecting one and moving it across the board as quickly as possible and then doing the same with another. I did not get a whole lot of points, but then, I assume thats also not the correct way to play :(

Daikrys
18-07-2011, 09:06 PM
nice game william :)
but at least yeah i did the same as Traveler, just select one and move it around, it was still entertaining cause i like these kind of games
it would be nice if the keys are something like QWER cause it may be that this was the fact that i only used one

really like the idea that i always move one of the symbols, its not the always used "switch the selected one" way :)

cairnswm
19-07-2011, 11:44 AM
Once I had the game play working I realized it did not need the option to have 4 squares to move around. I also always use one block and race around trying to get the most lines done. I was hoping that the scoring system would encourage more effort in making combos but as with most of these games combos are more "Oh look how lucky I was".

In the end though I found the game a lot more fun than I was expecting it to be. :)