GemChase Alpha

[Huehnerschaender]

Both, unfortunately. It is most visible on the platform where no motion should be that there is a tiny jitter that is slightly visible. In the air it is like the saucer is going through turbulence or something.

On the platform it should just go back to a normal position and then stop turning.
The "weaving" in the air was intended. I found it funny and in my opinion it looks better than the still image I had before.... maybe some tweaking? Or so you think the ship should stand still like before?

I don't mean pitch or yaw, but the actual top-down turning of the craft. IE, "Rotation"/"spinning" and such. Turning right and left are when it is visible in the legs seemingly rotating like an upside down merry-go-round for a few short seconds. (Mostly in the initial turn.)

I still don't really understand which rotation you mean I guess Is it the one when you press down and the ship goes head over heels? That was also intended... Hmmmm.... I found this kind of movement funny

I would point out that it isn't technically a lost device. It might be a lost/recreated form handle that didn't get updated in your device. Asphyre4 has full lost device support and suffers the same problem. The only work around, the source of the issue is the VCL implementation of forms, is to directly create windows through the Windows API. That's as much I know on this subject and it is untested so far.

Hmmm... I will ask Dan about this...

Thanks again....

And the level-tweaking will be done today. I will implement a solution to always spawn the correct number of gems within the leveltime (if the player does not sleep )

[Robert Kosek]

On the platform it should just go back to a normal position and then stop turning.

Well, just try landing and staying still. You'll noticing it rocking like a kick pushing a toy forwards and back. Almost like it is trying to balance on a thin piece of paper and falling to, or away from, you.

The "weaving" in the air was intended. I found it funny and in my opinion it looks better than the still image I had before.... maybe some tweaking? Or so you think the ship should stand still like before?

Nah, the weaving is fine. It's just a little too much and sometimes that movement "stutters" on my computer.

I still don't really understand which rotation you mean I guess. Is it the one when you press down and the ship goes head over heels? That was also intended... Hmmmm.... I found this kind of movement funny.

No, I thought going head over heels was funny too. Hover straight up and go to the left; the eyes (at least mine do) expect the craft to tilt to the left to facilitate movement ... not turn around like a car would. Hehe, if you still don't get it I dunno how to reword it. It's not a big thing, just a nitpick.

[Huehnerschaender]

Ahh, ok. I think now I got it

I will take a look at these things... and now that I really took a close eye on the ship when landing on the platform, I can see the jittering you were talking about... it happens not everytime, but it happens... and of course this is not intended!

I will take a look at the turning aroud the y axis when steering left or right (which is what you were talking about). I guess you would expect the ship to get another angle like when you press down + left or right. Am I right?

[Robert Kosek]

Yes, kind of like the down+left/right.

[Huehnerschaender]

I worked nearly the whole day on the new UI and on 3D backgrounds. I don't use the still images anymore, which wasn't mine anyway. So I made a bunch of 7 3D planets, all bumpmapped, and also the stars in the back are rotating a bit. The whole scene now seems to "live", which pumps up the visual appearance in my opinion.

The new GUI is now on the right side and I also tried to make it "nice" this time.

Here is a screenshot. More info will follow... I am tired

[WILL]

Sell it! Make money!

[Huehnerschaender]

Money?

That was never my intention. I think I will have a look at the game when its finished and then consider if its good enough to make some bucks...

[Huehnerschaender]

UPDATE:

This version features:

• - 3D backgrounds
  - some new voicefiles
  - bug fixes
  - new GUI
  - Gem spawn chain (every level guaranteed spawns the needed gems if the player is fast enough)
  - new enemy in level 10
  - Many little improvements

Get it here:
http://www.dino-it.de/GemChaseBeta.zip (36 MB)

Comments and bug reports are welcome!

Greetings,
Dirk

PS: Sorry for the big filesize. I need to convert some PNGs in JPGs later.

[Robert Kosek]

The level with the three mines is bugged this time around somehow. :s I played and when I had two minutes left there weren't any more gems! I still had 5 cyan to go, so you can expect the outcome.

You also might want to fix this glitch:


Overall it is looking really polished now, and I really like the implementation. The smoke is still on top of the player after all these weeks though.

[Huehnerschaender]

Thanks Robert...

I fixed the glitch.
The smoke already was behind the player, but I found it looking like the player was glued onto the scene when thing only happen behind him, so I changed 50% of the smoke to appear in front of him. I can vary this value to a little lower, then it will not be so much disturbing. But I really don't like the look of the complete smoke behind the player.

The bugged level had an artefact in leveldesign. There was a spawnpoint behind the GUI (which I have overseen when I changed GUI layout) *lol* Fixed that.

Thanks for the report Robert!

EDIT:

Btw, did you see the new Ini-File in the game directory? You can change the starting level in it! I will add a level-code system later.