Mulitplexity: Building Brick Artillery

[pstudio]

:clap: That's all I can say

As usual it looks amazing

However, are you allowed to drive around with your cannon? Doesn't it make the artillery part a bit to easy? And perhaps you're cannon is a bit to strong. It only took you one shot to totally demolish your sons tower.
Well I'm prety sure you know what you are doing.

Are there any chances of you uploading a demo, or will we have to wait to the end of the compo?
Perhaps it would be the best if you didn't upload a demo. I don't have time to play the game anyway, if I'm supposed to finish my own entre

[savage]

Nice video Dirk. Can I suggest you use dynamite sticks with a fuse instead of a cannon.

[Huehnerschaender]

:clap: That's all I can say

As usual it looks amazing

However, are you allowed to drive around with your cannon? Doesn't it make the artillery part a bit to easy? And perhaps you're cannon is a bit to strong. It only took you one shot to totally demolish your sons tower.
Well I'm prety sure you know what you are doing.

Well, yes, you will be able to drive around, but not in the whole room like in the video.
The artillery round will start with some kind of slot machine, where your artillery toys are chosen randomly. You are then able to place them around your construction area and in some cases (like the cannon) can drive around your construction area. I will mark the area visually where you can drive.
Other artillery toys will be used completely different. Artillery does not mean "cannon". There will be a (hopefully) big variety of different toys, like a car (or something else) jumping over a ski jump or a catapult you have to hit with a toy hammer to let it throw away a toy (like those frog throwing machines in the amusement parks ) and more.

Yes, the cannon will of course be weaker in the final game. It's just the mass I have to lower for the cannonballs. I will make it more feel like plastic balls and the player may have 5 shots or so.

Are there any chances of you uploading a demo, or will we have to wait to the end of the compo?
Perhaps it would be the best if you didn't upload a demo. I don't have time to play the game anyway, if I'm supposed to finish my own entre

I will upload something before the end for sure. I need to know if it's working on slower machines like Christinas PCs. But right now it's all no complete game, it's just the controls and (partially) the visuals and physics that are working.

Nice video Dirk. Can I suggest you use dynamite sticks with a fuse instead of a cannon.

As I already mentioned, this cannon just one of several artillery toys. I am a little unsure if I should use things like explosions etc in a childrens playroom. I really would like to add some nice particle effects etc, but I have to test if it fits in the game style.

Thanks for your feedback so far

Greetings,
Dirk

[jdarling]

Just my two cents, but since it is in a kids room. And the game does have elements for children's play, if you do add things that blow up or do "real damage" then please make it an option that can be turned off. I want to let my kids play the game, but won't if I can't shut off blowing each other up .

Course, I'll play it no matter what! Can't wait to see the finished product, as the videos make it look really promising.

[cairnswm]

Kids love blowing up things. As long as you dont blow up a character that is your opponent I think its ok.

It might be fun to add in some non game play relevant things to shoot at, like a chair, or a toy castle in the corner of the room that people can just use for target practise - might be fun in sort of a sandbox mode.

[Huehnerschaender]

To clear it up a little:

I will not implement explosions like I would do in a war game or something.
I think I will add something more comic like or just smoke particles (also more comic stylish than real).
I will not add any kind of violence to the game.
There will be no human like characters in the game.


I am currently thinking about further gameplay elements.
I guess I will change it at least the way that you can only pickup bricks with your mouse that are lying near your construction area. In addition to that, the bricks will not lie there at startup! So how do you get them? *hehe* You will get a toy bulldozer, jump into it and push the bricks to your construcition area. This will give a nice fun factor in multiplayer network mode, when all players are trying to grab the bricks quickly to build up their tower.
In addition to that, I will add some kind of defense you can add to your construct after it is ready. Things like a pendular in form of a baseball glove that you can place in front of your tower so that with a chance it will intercept the "incoming" artillery projectiles of other players. Or maybe some kind of net. Stabilisators (chewing gum *hehe*) etc...
Maybe I add a whole RTS kind gameplay, where the bricks are your ressources you have to get with the bulldozer... building gives points (which then will be used as money). With the "money" you can then buy artillery, defence, special bricks etc to defend your base and attack the others. An RTS game with kids toys! Oh, my vision becomes clear now *lol* I need more time!

[cairnswm]

building gives points (which then will be used as money). With the "money" you can then buy artillery, defence, special bricks etc

Just dont make it too much of a positive feedback loop. Make sure that its not a case of whoever is doing well just gets strogner and stronger. Have something in your design that lets someone who isn't doing as well to catch up.

This looks like the sort of game I could play with my kids. I'll be better than my 6 year old son at building a tower, if that makes me able to build better defenses then I'll get much too strong for him.

[WILL]

You mean he can't start throwing dead body parts from Iron Strike at the other player's tower? Never would thought that would be bad for kids. :roll:

Now I have some serious redesign issues to look at for Garland's Quest.

[Huehnerschaender]

Hmmm.... you are right... but thats how all RTS games work, or not? You get ressources, build things from it and that makes you stronger... if you are strong enough you attack the others...

I could add a given amount of "money" from which you have to buy both, offense and defense... when cash is out, its out So you can be more offensive or more defensive, but not both in a full manner.

Btw, you will gain points for destroying the opponents towers of course... that was planned from the beginning. So if someone is good at building, he has not won the game. Someone who shoots down his tower will gain points, while the one with the shot tower will gain less or no points after round 2 (when this round priciple will stay).

I guess a given amount of money would be better... and to let the player not buy artillery from the first minute on, I'd say the player can buy things after his construct has reached a certain height...

[Huehnerschaender]

@WILL: *lol*