Black Hole Wars project (input appreciated)

[Sokko]

The concept for this game comes from "Gravity Wars", located in the Dumb Idea Repository (http://hamumu.com/idea.php?sort=1). I unfortunately lost the source in a hard drive malfunction, meaning no additional progress will ever be made past the current alpha version. It is playable, but is also very unfinished and requires two players.

This download comes to you courtesy of AtkinsSJ, since the game's original download location has since been demolished. To correctly obtain the file, you must either right-click the link and choose "Save Target As", or copy and paste the whole thing into your address bar and press Enter.

http://www.freewebs.com/fatcrowgames/games/bhwars114.zip

[blackmyth]

Great game! :) I do however, favor games where you can be killed, and have an actual character. Like Asteroids or whatever that one old game's name was.

[AtkinsSJ]

This is just the engine at the moment. The game'll come later.

[Sokko]

Indeed it will, though some elements of gameplay are obviously already worked into the alpha. Incidentally, I'm still waiting on a situation update from whoever it was who told me about that error message, but I forgot which person posted it after recent topics were inadvertently wiped. Whoever you were, please let me know if you can reproduce that bug.

[drgamer]

you mean me? The one who got that white hole error?
That was me...
I'll be able to try it later...

[Sokko]

Yes, I believe it was you who got the error. Thanks for trying, let me know if you come up with anything reproducible.

[Sokko]

After a slightly long wait, version 110 is here! There's a load of new stuff, check the changelog (F1) to read up on it.

While this version more closely resembles the gameplay that will be found in the final product, it's still missing one major component: The other player. So if the game seems rather aimless or too easy to succeed, it's because there isn't another person (or computer) on the other side of the particle beam. That will change, in time.

[drgamer]

Sucked in astroids= bad thing!
They go very fast towards your planet when released!
Talk about suicidal!

[Sokko]

Actually, they go in a completely random direction. If most of them happened to go in the direction of your planet, then that's just bad luck. :wink: Of course, it might have gone away from your planet at first, then bounced off the asteroid you were trying to push away.

This feature is intended to discourage you from sucking down asteroids willy-nilly, the idea being that it will come back to haunt you later. There is a flaw in this reasoning: If there are lots of asteroids on-screen, it's very easy to accidentally suck up one or two. Of course, this problem could be completely avoided by removing the "black holes suck up asteroids" feature, which has no real gameplay value at all. I don't even know why I put it in there in the first place. Maybe that's a sign. :)

[drgamer]

well, I guess I'm extremely unlucky...

[Sokko]

Incidentally, this feature is already removed in the next version, and so is the ability to suck up asteroids. I decided that the randomness made it a bit too annoying.

[Sokko]

Ladies and gentlemen of the forums, please welcome... ALPHA 114! There's a big pile of features and enhancements; you can read them all by pressing F1 in-game, but I'll summarize the most exciting additions here:

*Two-player gameplay! This is much closer to the original Dumb Idea that inspired this game, and if you can find another person in your house to play it with, it's a blast! One player uses the mouse, the other uses the keyboard: Check the help screen (F1) for the controls.

*The gravity code has been almost completely rewritten, so things behave more realistically than ever. A pleasant side effect of this rewrite is that flinging asteroids with black holes is a LOT easier now. The new physics takes a bit of getting used to, but it's great fun to utilize.

*No more red zones obscuring your vision! You simply can't fire right on top of an asteroid or moon, but anywhere else is fair game. Also, the population displays have been given a facelift; I happen to think they look a lot cooler this way (they even flash red when you're getting low).

*And finally, I removed the somewhat-annoying feature where sucked-up asteroids would be spit out of white holes later. The almost-too-simple solution: You just can't suck up asteroids anymore. Story explanation: These are supposed to be gravity disturbances, not actual holes.

Now go download the game at the top of this thread! When you're done playing around, post your feedback here. No matter what it is, if you think something should be changed or added, speak up and say so! I really don't bite peoples' heads off that often. :wink:

P.S. High-resolution folks can now press F4 to go fullscreen. Joy.

[drgamer]

You might want to switch the controls...
Or at least have it able to switch controls...
/\ = not real good...
|| =Good

Plus I can't move the mouse over to other side of the keyboard... it's unnatural for me...
Also; the mouse can move FASTER than it's Keyboard counterpart... talk about a disadvantage...

[Sokko]

You might want to switch the controls...
Or at least have it able to switch controls...
/\ = not real good...
|| =Good

Plus I can't move the mouse over to other side of the keyboard... it's unnatural for me...


Could you elaborate on this? Please state exactly what you think the problem is, how it should be fixed, and most importantly, why it should be fixed. I tested the game for a while with a friend, and there was no problem or confusion about the fact that you control the opposite side from the one you're sitting on.

Also; the mouse can move FASTER than it's Keyboard counterpart... talk about a disadvantage...

There's no real way to fix this. Making keyboard movement faster will decrease the accuracy, so you won't be able to get the cursor exactly where you want it. Imposing a "speed limit" on the mouse is literally impossible, but even if it wasn't, it would be extremely annoying. Hence, a compromise: You can hold the Shift key while moving for extra speed.

[simibhu]

So you can't set both players to the keyboard, to make it fair?

[Sokko]

I could, but would you really want to cram two people onto one keyboard? Not to mention the seating arrangements would get a bit cramped.

Since two people have mentioned this already, I'll try to do more testing to determine whether the keyboard is actually a lot harder to use than the mouse. I would appreciate it if you guys would do the same: Play with someone else for a while, then switch sides and play for the same amount of time as before. Count your wins as you go along, and you should be able to see whether losses are due to the controller or the player.

[AtkinsSJ]

This is really cool! That's all I can say. :D
EDIT: w00t! 450th post!

[drgamer]

So, what happened?
Just showing there's an interest...

[Sokko]

Just showing there's an interest...

That's a new one on me. :wink: Anyway, I've been lazily coding up the AI while simultaneously being distracted by other things. Currently all it can do is identify which asteroids are currently a threat, and mark off the one that poses the greatest danger. It accomplishes this feat by predicting the future locations of all asteroids, and finding the ones whose trajectories will take them into the planet in the next 5 seconds. This is quite similar to what a human player would do, only more computerized. The next step, obviously, will be to make the AI actually manipulate the cursor and do something about the threatening asteroids.

I also have plans to include a basic upgrade in the next version. This will be the defensive satellite mentioned in the DIR entry, of the type that orbits around your planet and takes hits for it. After being bashed by an asteroid, it needs some time to regenerate its defenses. You'll automatically have access to this "upgrade", but future versions would allow you to collect additional enhancements such as hardened armor, deflector shields, and tropical lazor beams (only partially kidding on that last one).

[kidmystik101]

souns like an awsome game :D :mrgreen:

[drgamer]

Tropical Lazer Beams? Where?

[drgamer]

Bump...
I still have all the versions!
EdIT: HAD at one time... every single version released...
At least I still have the current one...

[AtkinsSJ]

Version 114 (I think the latest) of Black Hole Wars:
Download (http://www.freewebs.com/fatcrowgames/games/bhwars114.zip)
(Right click -> Save target as)
Remember, it's by Sokko, not me.

[Devon Rose]

In my 2-player game I have the following keys set:

*controls*
player1
right- right arrow
left- left arrow
jump- up arrow
ctrl- attack

player2
right- D key
left- A key
jump- W key
shift- attack

[Sokko]

A) Those are controls for a sidescroller. This game uses a top-down view. :roll:
B) I lost the source for this game a while ago. Suggestions can never be implemented.

[Devon Rose]

I see what you mean now that I played it, but when you hold shift the player 2 cursor goes fast as the mouse! Interesting story line though.