Constructinator's Forum Posts

  • But again, how is that possible without making the game suffer? It's like playing a first-person shooter with just a keyboard. It's technically doable, but not exactly recommended. So why should we require all C2-games to be playable with just a keyboard? And for that matter, what if we don't target PCs at all? Android is supported, and it's easy (and cheap) to get a working gamepad for an Android-tablet. I have one for my iPad, and it (should) work on Android, too. And lat I checked, tablets don't have keyboards at all.

  • Been playing a lot of Infamous: Second Son lately. I wasn't a fan of the first two games, but the third one really has its moments. It's a new main character and a new direction, and a heck of a lot of fun.

  • I haven't tried it yet, though I intend to. But the way I would do it is that I would add a global variable called "character_choice" or something like that, then check for that in the game. So when the player picks a character, the game will update the variable accordingly. The character itself can have local variables and all that, so the global variable is just to see which one is picked.

    Or a really, really simplified version:

    What character is picked? If character A, spawn character A and give the controls to him/her. If character B is picked, spawn that one instead, and give the controls to him/her.

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  • Twin sticks on keyboard isn't so hard, but how do you solve the shooty-bits? I mean, if you use four keys for each hand, how many buttons can you possibly use as well? But if you use a gamepad, you only need the thumbs to control the action. That means you have four fingers on each hand for use with buttons, and it won't feel awkward. That's what I mean about keyboard-controls make the game suffer. If I were to have keyboard-controls, the game would be required to be playable with only one or two buttons on each hand, plus the steering.

  • Yes, I know I am limiting the player base, but I'm fine with it. There are so many people with gamepads that I can live without those few who don't. If this was a game I'd sell for money, it would be different. But I intend to give it away for free, so I'm happy if at least a few people enjoy it.

    And no, while adding keyboard controls don't make the gamepad controls suffer, it can make the game itself suffer. If I were to add keyboard controls, it would mean I would have to change the game enough that it's playable with a keyboard. I don't want to do that. Controlling it with two analog-sticks is very different from controlling it with just a keyboard. Picture a top-down, twin-stick shooter using only the keyboard, and you get the idea. Or a FPS, for that matter. You kinda need a mouse to look around, if you don't have a gamepad. And as a keyboard/mouse-combo isn't possible or fun in the game I'm making, I'm sticking to gamepad only. I'll consider touch, but I'm not even sure about that. It could easily end up even worse than the keyboard solution.

    And btw, I am not trying to come off as arrogant or anything like that. I am simply trying to discuss whether it's possible to only have one control-scheme. It works on consoles, so why not on PC? Just because we have a mouse and keyboard, it doesn't mean we're stuck with them forever.

  • Actually, and this might sound arrogant, but what does it matter if some players don't have gamepad avaliable? I'm using a XB360-gamepad, and I know the PS4-gamepad should work just fine on PC. Pretty sure the XBone gamepad works too. Then there's all the unofficial ones. So if you're interested in a gamepad, there's plenty of cheap ones out there that works great. The point is I'm strongly against having everyone suffer because a few people can't keep up. Take Batman: Arkham Knight, for instance. It won't be on PS3 and XB360, and I think it'll be all the better for it. So why let is suffer by requiring it to be ported to those consoles, rather than go all out on next-gen consoles?

    Also, I'm not sure I'm going to target browsers at all. Right now I honestly don't know what platform it'll be on. I don't even know what the game will end up like.

  • Thanks for the input. I tried using a mouse at first, but it isn't working for me. I do know how to use it, but the controls would be too complicated. A keyboard could perhaps work, but that too could be tiresomme over time. One thing I'm considering is having two pads, making it a combination of Pong and Breakout. The player would simply use both pads at the same time, with a pad on each side of the screen, or one on top and one bottom. This works great with a gamepad, as I can use the two analog sticks for the gamepad. Left stick for the left pad, right stick for the right pad. That also means that only the thumbs will be in use, so the player can easily reach various buttons on the gamepad. (like shooting lasers with the triggers etc).

    This won't work well on a keyboard, naturally. You would need too many fingers to steer the pads alone, and then there's the other controls on top of it. I might be able to work around it somehow, perhaps by steering both pads with two keys. But this would be a problem when there are more than one ball in play. (or, ah, dodging bullets.)

    I would implement both the gamepad and the keyboard to ensure that someone that doesn't have a gamepad is able to play still.

    Edit:

    Gamepad functions that may be of use to you

    Has gamepads

    On gamepad connected

    On gamepad disconnected

    Source:

    https://www.scirra.com/manual/143/gamepad

    Thanks, but I got the gamepad working already. The question was more if I can expect the player to have one, or if I need to include keyboard- or touch-controls as well. But thanks anyway.

    And btw, when I preview the game in a browser (Chromie), I need to press a button to make the gamepad register. This is easily solved by disguising it as a "Press a key to start" message.

  • I'm currently working on a Breakout-ish game, and one of the things I'm working on at the moment are the controls. "Just use a mouse", you say? Well... no thanks. I thought about it, and yes, the pad would be very accurate and move fast if I use a mouse. However, the way I make it, the mouse alone won't be enough. I would at least need a keyboard as well, so I was planning on using a gamepad for controlling the pad. The question is: Is this something I can expect players to have access to?

    The reason I want to use a gamepad is because it's simple to use, I know it'll work right out of the box, and a gamepad has enough buttons and analog sticks to get the job done. Let's just say it's more a Breakout RPG than regular Breakout, and you get the idea what I mean. And sure, the gamepad isn't as fast and accurate as the mouse, but I'm considering a few ways to counter that. Maybe simply a button to speed up the gamepad, or make the ball slower to compensate for the lack of speed. Don't worry, it'll still be challenging enough, and hopefully a lot of fun.

  • Ah, my bad, sorry. But again, I think it looks far too close to Belmont for my taste. Don't get me wrong, it's not necessarily a bad thing. But the biggest problem is it can easily come off as a Castlevania rip-off, rather than be taken as a homeage or unique. And as that is your own piece of art, I'd say you are more than capable of making a game that's inspired by Castlevania, without being *too* inspired by it.

    For that matter, have you ever played a game called Soul of Darkness on the Nintendo 3DS? If not, it's a small eShop-game that's very similar to Castlevania. In fact, it's so similar, it got a bit silly. It's not a bad game by any means, but every time I play it, I keep thinking "Goold, old Castlevania". While that might not seem like a big deal, what I *should* be thinking is "Soul of Darkess is really cool". But hey, your game, your decision.

  • Looks promising. Though. I know you want a Castlevania-style game, but I don't think ripping off the graphics is a good idea (please don't try to tell me you made the portrait yourself. Even if you technicaly drew it yourself, it's far too close to Gabriel Belmont) Besides, if I want to play as a Belmont, I'd play an official Castlevania. Not to mention Lords of Shadow wasn't exactly the first, and by far not the best. There are tons of great Metrovania-games out that isn't either Metroid or Castlevania, after all. Why not go for something unique?

  • I'm sure he want's character customisation as soon the game starts.

    I know, but that's just a new screen. I was talking more about how to get the character creator to work in the first place, so you won't have to have an individual sprite for every possible combination of clothes and character. Ten hats and ten shirts make a lot of possible combinations, after all. Better to equip the hat and shirt directly on to the character.

  • Interesting, I didn't know that. Thanks, I'll give it a try.

  • YES! That worked. Much appreciated.

    For reference, if others struggle with the same:

    I first set the variable Smashing to 2 when the block is created. Then when the ball hits the block, I subtract 1 from the variable Smashing.

    Next, I create one event where I Compare the variable, and check if it's set to 1. If it is, I change the animation frame to 1 (to get the cracked block).

    Finally, I check again in a new event, and see if the variable is 0. If it is, destroy the block.

    This way, I can use multiple blocks pr level, as they all use individual variables. Adding more frames (to make the blocks harder) is a bit tricky, as you'll need to check for every single number of the variable, and take actions accordingly.

    Also, I set all of this on a General Stuff-event sheet, then include it on every Level-specific event sheets. This way I only need to create the events for each block once, and I can do fun stuff with each individual level if I want to (like scripting sequences etc.)

  • I found this video recently that talks about how to make a great game with some comedy thrown in. It has been paramount in my education as to what makes a great game so I thought I would share it with the forum.

    Thanks for the link, but it felt a lot more like a video talking about why Mega Man X is awesome. There are a few things there we can learn (like not going overly ballistic on the tutorial), but for the most part, it didn't help me much. For a video telling us to let the player learn things on his own, it was annoyingly obsessed about telling us that.

  • I tried that generator, and ended up with...

    Geriatric Midget Interceptor

    Demonic Banjo Spides

    French Turtle Derby (picture Destruction Derby, only slower) :p

    No One Can Stop The Hillbilly In Magic Kingdom

    And my favorite...

    Inappropriate Lego Brothers (so wrong on so many levels...)