Blocky Skies - My first Amiga game

[alpine9000]

I uploaded test version 7 to http://blockyskies.com today (Boot ADF, HD Install)

Only two boring changes:

• Own/Disown blitter - thanks @Asman
• Fixed a small rendering glitch when running in WinUAE with fastest possible CPU and low compatibility.

Unless I discover any other bugs, I am hoping this will be the last test release. (Unless I get some help getting a CD32 test release done).

With level development well progressed I am hoping the full release will be ready in a few weeks.

[alpine9000]

So thanks to @earok I played around getting the test version working on CD32/CDTV.

I uploaded an ISO to blockyskies.com, @earok succesfully tested the previous CD32 only version on his real CD32 (Thanks @earok ). The new CD32/CDTV test version is untested on real hardware.

Now I badly want a real CD32.



*drool*

[daxb]

Originally Posted by alpine9000

I uploaded test version 7 to http://blockyskies.com today (Boot ADF, HD Install)

Works fine here so far. One small thing is that when music is set to off the volume don`t fade to level 0 (off). Instead it fades to level 1 (guessing) what can be heard.

[alpine9000]

Originally Posted by daxb

Works fine here so far. One small thing is that when music is set to off the volume don`t fade to level 0 (off). Instead it fades to level 1 (guessing) what can be heard.

Thanks testing for me. I hadn't noticed that sound thing. Which configuration are you running with ?

[daxb]

A1200 040 AGA 3.1 with hifi.

[alpine9000]

Originally Posted by daxb

A1200 040 AGA 3.1 with hifi.

I think I can see what was wrong. Was it just playing a constant sample ? Or was the music still actually playing ?

[daxb]

Originally Posted by alpine9000

Was it just playing a constant sample ?

This. Sorry, should had mention it.

[alpine9000]

Originally Posted by daxb

This. Sorry, should had mention it.

Excellent, yeah what was happening was the player I am using (P6112) has a variable you can use to set the volume. The problem was when the volume got to zero I stopped calling the play routine (so when you re-enable the music it starts where it left off). But this meant that the final volume adjustment was not made by the play routine (leaving it at #2 or #1 depending on the thing that caused the fade).

It's lucky you noticed this, because after spending some time paying closer attention to the sounds on real hardware made me realise that there was an occasional glitch in my sound effects playback which I have now fixed, so double thanks

[spud]

I tried the HD install version on my A1200/030 but with the sound muted as it was late. From what I could see it all worked as it should. Great little game, but quite a mind bender - especially when you're tired.

Thanks for creating it!

[alpine9000]

Originally Posted by spud

I tried the HD install version on my A1200/030 but with the sound muted as it was late. From what I could see it all worked as it should. Great little game, but quite a mind bender - especially when you're tired.

Thanks for creating it!

Thanks for the kind words.

I hope the final version isn't too hard. I still haven't beaten the final level myself yet

[alpine9000]

OK so I am getting a bit bored with blocky skies and find myself thinking more about my next game than this one. So here is a pre-release final version for anyone that wants to test it before I call it done:

Boot Disk ADF

Hard Drive Install

This release has 9 normal levels and 1 "secret" level that is not unlocked through game play. See the source code to work out how to activate it

I would love any feedback re if the levels are too hard/too easy.

Level 9 is probably impossibly hard unless you have a photographic memory or learn the patterns. The rest of the levels are a mix of difficulties.

[daxb]

Music on/off works fine now. First stage is too easy because I came to the next. Did you thought about keyboard control?

[Tsak]

Originally Posted by alpine9000

Level 9 is probably impossibly hard unless you have a photographic memory or learn the patterns. The rest of the levels are a mix of difficulties.

This ain't a good indicator. I mean if you (the developer) find last level impossible, then it's gonna be x1000 for others. A rule of thumb is to make the game finishable by casual players. As for difficulty in general I think the best idea is to include an easy, normal and harcore mode, so one can adjust difficulty depending on his own skill.

[alpine9000]

Originally Posted by Tsak

This ain't a good indicator. I mean if you (the developer) find last level impossible, then it's gonna be x1000 for others. A rule of thumb is to make the game finishable by casual players. As for difficulty in general I think the best idea is to include an easy, normal and harcore mode, so one can adjust difficulty depending on his own skill.

I found that the harder I made the levels the more fun they were, so I kept making them harder

I probably went too far with level 9, but time will tell.

I'm more interested if the mid range levels are too hard. The game is designed so you can keep banging away at a level until you complete it, then you can move on to the next one.

[spud]

Is it me or are both those .lha files corrupt?

[daxb]

The hard drive install archive worked for me.

[sandruzzo]

Thanks Man!

[Tsak]

Originally Posted by alpine9000

I found that the harder I made the levels the more fun they were, so I kept making them harder

It's a classic game developer's trap
Tailoring the game's difficulty according to your own skill. The problem is that compared to any other normal player, you already know the level design, enemy and items placement, traps, the best solutions to any level trial and on top of that, you're (supposed) to have played each level multiple times already.
So, it's a tough call to know where to draw the line... I have found myself in that predicament many times already

Originally Posted by alpine9000

The game is designed so you can keep banging away at a level until you complete it, then you can move on to the next one.

Oh yes, I've neglected that! It's a good failsafe actually.

[alpine9000]

Originally Posted by spud

Is it me or are both those .lha files corrupt?

I test them with lha 2.12 on a real Amiga before I upload, and they worked ok for me.

The archives are created with a lha for unix, so I don't know if maybe they are slightly incompatible with some lha versions?

Which program did you use to try and extract them ?

[alpine9000]

Originally Posted by daxb

Music on/off works fine now. First stage is too easy because I came to the next. Did you thought about keyboard control?

I did think about keyboard control, then I saw that reading the keyboard is a pain, and all of a sudden keyboard control didn't seem that important