Author Topic: NANY 2014 Release: Blasteroids (Read 92390 times)

tomos · « **Reply #50 on:** January 17, 2014, 04:35 AM »

Well got my highest score in a while -- but the new scoring wasnt implemented yet in the online version.

Will have to download the version for windows (is a donation preferable via dc or through the itch.io site - or is it all the one?)

Deozaan · « **Reply #51 on:** January 18, 2014, 03:24 AM »

Well got my highest score in a while -- but the new scoring wasnt implemented yet in the online version.
-tomos (January 17, 2014, 04:35 AM)

Yeah, the fixed high score stuff isn't available just yet. I've got a niggling issue with something I'm still working on (for the Android port) and then I'll update itch.io (and the web player version) with all the downloads. That will probably be sometime next week, but definitely before the end of the month.

Will have to download the version for windows (is a donation preferable via dc or through the itch.io site - or is it all the one?)
-tomos (January 17, 2014, 04:35 AM)

If you download/purchase through itch.io and create an account, you get the convenience of having the game linked to your account for easy future download. But as far as receiving the payment is concerned, it's pretty much all the same to me between DC and itch.io. They both take no cut of the donation/payment, so it's only the relatively small PayPal fees that are taken out of whatever you choose to donate.

tomos · « **Reply #52 on:** January 18, 2014, 03:10 PM »

Well, I finally broke the 50k mark - and properly

NANY 2014 Release: Blasteroids

in the first game today. Think I'll retire there for the day ;-)

Deozaan · « **Reply #53 on:** January 19, 2014, 02:02 AM »

Nicely done! I don't know if I've gotten a score that high in that release. I may not even have gotten that high of a score in the development version which grants many more points per asteroid! I think you're probably a pro.

tomos · « **Reply #54 on:** January 19, 2014, 03:59 AM »

^ Yeah, it was odd -- I hadnt broke 25000 in that release myself.
Just got in the flow for some reason

only started losing ships in level 11.

Deozaan · « **Reply #55 on:** January 24, 2014, 02:59 AM »

I just released a new version of the game. I'll post an announcement on my blog after I've gotten some sleep. (c:

More info, link to downloads, or webplayer version: http://blasteroids.deozaan.com/

v1.140123.1

Now available on Android with achievements, leaderboards, and cloud saves when signed into Google Play.
Fixed points not being awarded as intended. Higher scores should be easier to obtain.
Fixed a problem where statistics were not being loaded properly. Unfortunately, changes mean all stats are reset.
Menu touched up for bigger buttons.
Added link to NANY 2014 in Credits. (How did I forget this?)
Changed "Game Over" music.
Volumes now default to quieter setting.
Other minor bugfixes and improvements.

The original post in this thread has been updated with this information.

tomos · « **Reply #56 on:** January 24, 2014, 03:36 AM »

It's a lot faster - is that because I gave the impression it was getting easy ;-)

Sleep is important,
well done all round

Deozaan · « **Reply #57 on:** January 24, 2014, 01:54 PM »

It's a lot faster - is that because I gave the impression it was getting easy ;-)
-tomos (January 24, 2014, 03:36 AM)

Essentially, both the points and the speed of asteroids were based on the same value. So when I fixed the smaller asteroids not giving you as many points as was originally intended, I also fixed them not being as hard as originally intended. Though I may need to tweak the speeds a bit if they're too fast. Or maybe increase the rotation speed of your turret so you can react more quickly to a small asteroid coming up behind you. We'll see what happens based on feedback from players.

tomos · « **Reply #58 on:** January 24, 2014, 02:42 PM »

... when I fixed the smaller asteroids not giving you as many points as was originally intended, I also fixed them not being as hard as originally intended. Though I may need to tweak the speeds a bit if they're too fast. Or maybe increase the rotation speed of your turret so you can react more quickly to a small asteroid coming up behind you. We'll see what happens based on feedback from players.
-Deozaan (January 24, 2014, 01:54 PM)

They are very fast compared to before. This makes the game exciting very quickly, but also much more difficult - I was thinking of requesting 'more bullets' or something, but will see how I get on for a while before making any suggestions/requests.

tomos · « **Reply #59 on:** January 27, 2014, 06:52 PM »

Didnt get back to it till today- I'd say it's almost impossible for a beginner now. I have made it to 26k but that was one of those super-fit days - mostly I'm getting below 10k :-/

Some thoughts/queries:

Is there a way of having the speed accelerate at the game progresses? (Sounds complex).

Otherwise I'd say a solution could be more bullets - and lots of 'em

Currently
1) you get a pulse of bullets, then a pause before the next pulse - this pause is the biggest killer in the current version...
2) if you rotate quickly, no bullets fire - not 100% sure here, but *think* it would be good if firing continued

A faster rate of bullets would be good too imo.

Deozaan · « **Reply #60 on:** January 29, 2014, 01:12 AM »

Is there a way of having the speed accelerate at the game progresses? (Sounds complex).
-tomos (January 27, 2014, 06:52 PM)

Yes, I suppose that is possible. But I can't say I'm particularly fond of that idea. (Sounds complex to me, too.

)

Otherwise I'd say a solution could be more bullets - and lots of 'em
Currently
1) you get a pulse of bullets, then a pause before the next pulse - this pause is the biggest killer in the current version...
2) if you rotate quickly, no bullets fire - not 100% sure here, but *think* it would be good if firing continued

A faster rate of bullets would be good too imo.
-tomos (January 27, 2014, 06:52 PM)

1. IMO it would be too easy if you had a lot more bullets. But maybe 2-3 extra would be useful.
2. I *think* it's a good thing for it to stop firing if you're turning fast/far. Otherwise you'll shoot your bullets and when you finally get to pointing the direction you wanted to shoot at, you'll be out of bullets and that asteroid you were aiming for will crush you. But maybe if the turret could rotate at a faster rate, it would solve this problem.

What do you think about that?

tomos · « **Reply #61 on:** January 29, 2014, 01:24 PM »

Try whatever you think is best deo -
I'll give it a go and let you know how I get on

tomos · « **Reply #62 on:** February 01, 2014, 09:55 PM »

OK I've made it to 30K - the majority of my visits are under 10K though.
How are you getting on with it?

I think that more bullets would be more effective than quicker rotation - and I dunno about making it too easy -
FWIW I'd be worrying about the opposite myself...

Edit// I got to admit it's too difficult for me - considering the time I'm willing to play.
I think you need to make the game overall easier (I dont know does it continue getting more difficult anyway in term of increase of asteroids?). But (1) I'm not a gamer and (2) I'm a different generation - so your milage may very well vary :-)

Deozaan · « **Reply #63 on:** February 04, 2014, 07:37 PM »

Which platform are you playing the game on? Standalone client for PC? Or the web version? Android? I'll make you some builds with different settings (more bullets, faster rotation, slower asteroids, etc.) so you can test.

I think you're right that it should probably start out easier. It does automatically get more difficult just as you progress with more asteroids on the screen at once. There's a critical limit at about level 15 where it gets really hard to survive just the initial wave of new asteroids being spawned.

tomos · « **Reply #64 on:** February 05, 2014, 03:36 AM »

I'm still playing it online via your site . have been meaning to download

actually I'll do that ~~today~~ this week.
But either online or standalone would be fine if you want to do that with the different builds.

Have made it to 34k now, not sure what level that was though.

Still mostly get caught out by not enough bullets;
occasionally by I cant rotate fast enough;
often I dont rotate exactly the right amount, which of course is user error ;-)

-- which would suggest that with a couple more bullets and slightly faster rotation I might do a lot better. If it rotated a *lot* faster though, I think it would be harder to be exact with where you're stopping to shoot.

When I play best, I keep my focus totally on the ship, and then I can see asteroids coming from all directions. Otherwise I eventually focus on some particular asteroids but miss one that gets me.

Deozaan · « **Reply #65 on:** February 05, 2014, 04:22 AM »

I'm still playing it online via your site . have been meaning to download actually I'll do that ~~today~~ this week.
But either online or standalone would be fine if you want to do that with the different builds.
-tomos (February 05, 2014, 03:36 AM)

OK, I got a webplayer build up for you with some changes to test:

~~Old link removed~~

I increased the max bullet count by 2 and tripled the rotation speed and now the game feels a lot more fast paced and exciting. I actually like it this way, but I'm wondering if I've made it too easy. On my first (and only) try with these changes, I made it to level 16 and got 490,679 points.

NANY 2014 Release: Blasteroids

Have made it to 34k now, not sure what level that was though.
-tomos (February 05, 2014, 03:36 AM)

Check your high score table and it will tell you what level you made it to.

If it rotated a *lot* faster though, I think it would be harder to be exact with where you're stopping to shoot.
-tomos (February 05, 2014, 03:36 AM)

It will stop rotating when it is pointing in the direction of your mouse cursor. Pixel perfect precision right there.

tomos · « **Reply #66 on:** February 05, 2014, 09:09 AM »

I increased the max bullet count by 2 and tripled the rotation speed and now the game feels a lot more fast paced and exciting. I actually like it this way, but I'm wondering if I've made it too easy. On my first (and only) try with these changes, I made it to level 16 and got 490,679 points.
-Deozaan (February 05, 2014, 04:22 AM)

I like it a lot this way, I feel like I've got a chance, but more importantly it's also more fun en route

It will stop rotating when it is pointing in the direction of your mouse cursor. Pixel perfect precision right there.
-Deozaan (February 05, 2014, 04:22 AM)

funny, I actually find it much more accurate than formerly, probably because it's quicker, I dont feel I have to keep rotating the mouse to get it there

Deozaan · « **Reply #67 on:** February 05, 2014, 01:33 PM »

I increased the max bullet count by 2 and tripled the rotation speed and now the game feels a lot more fast paced and exciting.
-Deozaan (February 05, 2014, 04:22 AM)

I like it a lot this way, I feel like I've got a chance, but more importantly it's also more fun en route
-tomos (February 05, 2014, 09:09 AM)

I like it a lot, too. Thanks for "pushing" me on this (I don't really feel pushed, but I'm not sure how else to describe it). I've had other people tell me they thought the turret should rotate faster, or that there should be more bullets, but I flat out refused because I didn't want to make it too easy. But now that I've actually tried it, I find it is a much more enjoyable game.

Sorry to anyone who suggested similar changes in the past and I rejected your suggestion!

It will stop rotating when it is pointing in the direction of your mouse cursor. Pixel perfect precision right there. (c:
-Deozaan (February 05, 2014, 04:22 AM)
funny, I actually find it much more accurate than formerly, probably because it's quicker, I dont feel I have to keep rotating the mouse to get it there
-tomos (February 05, 2014, 09:09 AM)

What I've found I like is that if there's a ninja asteroid coming at you really fast from the opposite direction you're facing, it's a lot easier to blast it at the last split-second before it destroys you. It makes me feel a lot more "lucky" but also a lot more skilled when I manage to blast 2-3 small asteroids all coming from different directions just before they hit me. I like it a lot.

Deozaan · « **Reply #68 on:** February 08, 2014, 07:31 AM »

New version of the game released. It doesn't really differ from that test build I made earlier, but now it's the official build so you can upgrade and beat your high scores and stuff.

http://blasteroids.deozaan.com/

Deozaan · « **Reply #69 on:** April 14, 2014, 02:35 PM »

I just released a new version of Blasteroids that fixes a couple of things, but also has a fun way to see what other players are doing. I made a Twitter bot that will tweet some basic stats about games being played, like how far someone got when they died, or a new high score, etc.

https://twitter.com/DeozaanGames/

Of course, there's not much there since 1) not many people play my games in the first place and 2) most people who do play my games probably haven't updated to the version with the Twitter bot yet.

More details about this release (and downloads) can be found here: http://blog.deozaan....1-140412-3-released/

tomos · « **Reply #70 on:** April 14, 2014, 02:59 PM »

Sounds good

I have a banjaxed wrist again so unable to play at the moment myself :-( and I still haven't graduated to the world of tweeting

Deozaan · « **Reply #71 on:** April 15, 2014, 03:10 AM »

I hope your wrist recovers soon.

I still haven't graduated to the world of tweeting
-tomos (April 14, 2014, 02:59 PM)

You don't actually need to tweet or have a Twitter account or even know what that Tweeterer thing on those newfangled interwebs is. The bot has its own account and it tweets stuff on its own. I've seen two tweets made about other people. Finally I have proof that other people play my games.

(And by "other people" I mean people who don't give me feedback about it or let me know they're playing it. i.e. people who wouldn't otherwise interact with me.)

I often get the impression that the only time anybody plays the games I make is when I show it off to them (in person) or when I post about it here as part of NANY or whatever. But then when NANY is over I feel like nobody who was playing it is still playing it and also that nobody else is discovering it and playing it for the first time. So it's really cool for me to see that twitter bot make tweets about other people playing my games.

Deozaan · « **Reply #72 on:** April 17, 2014, 07:34 PM »

Another release:

v1.140417.4
Fixed blank name being used for high score and things.
[Android] Fixed hidden achievements not revealing themselves properly.
[Android] Fixed Google Play Games Services display delay.
-http://blog.deozaan.com/2014/04/17/blasteroids-v1-140417-4-released/

Deozaan · « **Reply #73 on:** July 07, 2014, 08:04 PM »

Another release:

v1.140707.6
- Fixed game title showing twice at once in some situations.
- Consolation prize slightly easier to obtain.
- Firing bullets is now limited only by rate of fire.
- Rate of fire increases as you progress in the game.
- New sound effects improve the audio experience.
- [Android] No more submitting to Google Play leaderboards if score is 0.
- Various performance improvements.
- No more tweeting about game overs if no points were scored.
- No more tweeting high scores if no name entered.
-http://blog.deozaan.com/2014/07/07/blasteroids-1-140707-6-released/

Deozaan · « **Reply #74 on:** November 04, 2014, 05:11 PM »

Yet another update:

v1.141104.9
Added option to slow time when asteroids get close to give you more time to react (enabled by default).
Asteroids which destroy your turret are also destroyed themselves.
Respawn shockwave destroys nearby asteroids, making it much less likely to die immediately upon spawning.
The number of asteroids on screen at once is now displayed on screen.
-http://blog.deozaan.com/2014/11/04/blasteroids-v1-141104-9-released/