Surface (Version 1.5)

Surface is a 2D pixel arcade game, where you must reach the top of the stage as fast as you can while avoiding creatures and hazards along the way. Their are currently 8 stages with 1 bonus stage to be unlocked in the full version. You can play a demo currently on MarketJS that has 3 stages. The game supports both keyboard and gamepad. The game character can perform 4 actions in the game: jump, ground dash, air dash, and air stomp. Press A on the keyboard/gamepad to jump. Hold right or left key/buttom first, then S(keyboard)/X(gamepad) to dash on ground. Press the same thing in air to perform an air dash. Hold down key/button first, then S(keyboard)/X(gamepad) to do a air stomp. I have only tested the gamepad with the 360 controller, so your action buttons on a gamepad may vary. Just remember you cannot attack anything in the stage, as the main objective is to get to the finish line as fast as you can.

Update: 11/10/2012

Version 1.5 is out. I added a midpoint spawn to the stages, so its less frustrating to play. I have also fixed the music clashing with the death tune. The spikes in stages 1&2 are more obvious this time around for those who could not tell them apart from the background. Lastly, i updated my fonts so they appear to have spacing.

pixolpalette.com/Surface.html

The game is intended for an audience who likes challenging games. If your not one of them, please wait for version 2.0. I'll add a difficulty

mode for beginners.

Thanks for checking the game out. 8)

Bump. Now full game is up and free to play! 8)

Super tough, the death jingle clashes with the music.

Really nice art and tight controls, but you really need to make the spikes more visible. I keep running into them, not even seeing them. They blend into the background. Also, there shouldn't be a death jingle, it clashes with the other music as CrudeMik said.

CrudeMik: Yeah, the game is quiet difficult. I will add simple mode for beginners. Thanks for playing! 8)

darkpivot: Thanks for the compliments. Yeah, i had a couple people tell me the spikes are hard to see. I will fix that for the next build. I'll fix the death jingle as well. Thanks for playing! 8)

No problem. Keep me updated, I'd like to try out the next build.

Bump.

Version 1.5 is out. Check out my first post for the link. 8)

Bump again to inform that you can now play it on Newgrounds. Its currently

under judgement. 8)

newgrounds.com/portal/view/605860

Hello PixelPalette, nice game, I like the dash mechanics. Any chance you could share a sample event sheet with your air dash logic? I am working on a multi-directional air dash and looking over how others are handling their air dashes helps me work through the problems I run into.

Thanks,

James

Hello PixelPalette, nice game, I like the dash mechanics. Any chance you could share a sample event sheet with your air dash logic? I am working on a multi-directional air dash and looking over how others are handling their air dashes helps me work through the problems I run into.

Thanks,

James

I'm using the platform behavior, in which i changed the speed property to something faster then the walk. Then you just make and use a timer variable for how long you want to let them dash. Nothing complicated really.

I'll send you a striped down version if you want, when i dig up the project file. 8)

ok , i think i will never play this game until it get fix or anything!! this game has alot of weird stuff and i really couldn't play it ... at the beginning when i saw no loading i tough its normal maybe my internet is so slow but i found that the game has this freaking loading and after that it comes says click X and i clicked my x and all my other keys with any working and after alot of clicks the game weirdly began o.o and it seems there is also no jump with an killing stuff>>> the game must has lower loading , hmmm active? when i click x it should work instantly and for beginning the graphics looks great.

sorry if this comment hurt you but this is the thing i feel and sorry if i used wrong words to explain

ok , i think i will never play this game until it get fix or anything!! this game has alot of weird stuff and i really couldn't play it ... at the beginning when i saw no loading i tough its normal maybe my internet is so slow but i found that the game has this freaking loading and after that it comes says click X and i clicked my x and all my other keys with any working and after alot of clicks the game weirdly began o.o and it seems there is also no jump with an killing stuff>>> the game must has lower loading , hmmm active? when i click x it should work instantly and for beginning the graphics looks great.

sorry if this comment hurt you but this is the thing i feel and sorry if i used wrong words to explain

You can find the game on newgrounds. I don't know what is causing problems for you. And yes, you cannot kill enemies because that is not the point of the game. The objective is to escape as quickly as you can by traversing to the top.

Your sentences are unreadable. Please have someone translate for you. 8)

Lol , He means that you don't show the loading progress and that on the starting screen , you can't move to the game with only the x button , he tried a lot of random button and randomly the game started ...

Hope you find this translation useful !

BTW , Nice game , I love it ... Even if I didn't even pass the 3rd spike :D

I'm using the platform behavior, in which i changed the speed property to something faster then the walk. Then you just make and use a timer variable for how long you want to let them dash. Nothing complicated really.

I'll send you a striped down version if you want, when i dig up the project file. 8)

Ah ok, so you are just temporarily speeding things up. I have a run/turbo button in mine where I set the player max speed while it is held down which works similar. I like the timer idea for the dash. One thing I am still trying to get a good method for is an air dash that does not have any downward movement until the dash ends, basically they just shoot forward a certain amount of pixels (and can be used as an air attack). Then at the end of that air dash they can then execute one in another direction as well. For example, I jump up, do a forward air dash which shoots me forward a few hundred pixels, the as that dash ends I can also start an upward air dash directly as I finish the previous dash. So they can dash twice from one jump, but the dashes cannot both be aimed in the same direction. Combining this with my wall jumping techniques I think will lead to some interesting ways for the player to explore the environment and try to find routes to get to areas that would otherwise be unreachable...

I have a few ways to do it so far, just iterating on the method until I have it as simplified and responsive as possible.