255 replies to this topic

[Wilbo]

SUPERSOLDAT - Now open source!

Supersoldat is a "character driven" platform game - it's all about the cool things the character can do, and he can do a lot of cool things. The game is unconventional as platform games go because you have extremely limited control of your character's movement while he is airborne - in this sense it is similar to Prince of Persia or the Abe games: to jump you need a run up - likewise for a flying kick to be effective, you need to be flying!

In the tradition of Another World, Prince of Persia and the Abe series, there is a reasonable amount of violence in this game, albeit 16x16 pixel violence.



VERSION 7.3 FEATURES (17 exciting levels):
-Run, sneak, crouch, roll, climb, rebound, jump, hang and fight your way through 17 rooms
-Combat 6 very different enemies and defeat a challenging boss
-Use 2 types of grenade, your fists and the environment
-Perform 7 different combat attacks or use stealth and break some necks
-Save-points, title screen, buttons, key cards and doors to crush enemies with!
-Realistic swimming: crawl, tread-water, frog-kick, etc!

Head over to the game's new homepage for a download link.



Supersoldat is made almost entirely using Drag and Drop - I've now switched to other projects in full GML (far less messy) so I've released the source code: you can find the new topic on the Open Source Forum!

Supersoldat OPEN SOURCE


William

Edited by Wilbo, 20 June 2010 - 11:39 AM.

[Cocopuffs]

Post made on older version.

A tip. Most poeple wont download games without screen shots. There's a DnD screenshot funtion I use, and just save them and upload them to some place like PhotoBucket.com.

I'm downloading it, and will edit my review in later.

EDIT:

Tip #2: Make a .zip too. Many people do not have WinRar, or a .rar extracting program.


EDIT#2:

Good game, interesting graphics (though I see you borrowed the backround). Has potential, but like the guy below me says, the jumping is very difficult. I understood you made it so you couldn't change directions in air to make it more realistic, but sometimes realistic-ness has to be sacrificed for sake of gameplay (I mean, he already jumps 8 times his height.) What I do is make it so when try to move in air it still happens, only about 1/10 of the power of on ground. Just enough to help the gameplay alot. I sugjest adding it too. I liked the save-game graphics. The part where you have to rebound-kick thing to get up the platform had me stumpped for awhile. And its quite short, but im sure you are aware of that. Here are some things I'de like to see:

Title Screen
Some control while in mid-air
Variable Jumping
More wepons/enemies/bosses
More graphics (Things just laying around the area, scenery)
Some more original ideas (This can be said to every game, but it makes them good)

-Puffs

Edited by Cocopuffs, 12 July 2006 - 06:18 AM.

[Euko_Kyone]

Screenies pls...
Dling it now, Im sure more people would also play it and respond if you told in your description of the game what gameplay was like functionally(I.E. Top down shooter, RPG ect.)
Interesting Plot. Ill add more after i play it.

Edit:
It definitely has some cool graphics. The movement isn't smooth though : /
Is it a function to not be able to jump and then move in a direction in mid air. Most platformers allow you to jump and then start moving left or right. But in your game you have to start moving in a direction and then jump in order to jump in the direction you want to jump in. I just didnt know if that was a function or an error in coding/programming.

Looks good, but could still use some work. But it is in the WIP section so that is expected XD.

Edited by Euko_Kyone, 02 April 2006 - 01:08 AM.

[Wilbo]

Okay, I'll just answer everything in a random order:

I don't have winzip, so mabye I should just upload the folder without compacting it. I only rared it so I could send it to friends by email (you can't send exe files directly).

This game is not a classic platform game, it is more similar to Abe's Odyssey or Prince of Persia (though these use a grid). I might concede to a very small amount of control in the air, but it will be minimal. The fact that you need to run-up is pretty much the basis for the whole game system. Normally you would use the jump-to functon to jump the character to the next position if there isn't a collision at this position. It was actually very difficult to set it up the way I did, using hspeed (it would be far simpler to do it the classic platform-game way), so I am hesitant to change it too much.
I'm not sure what you mean by variable jumping. Is that variation in sprites, or jumping height?

I did almost all the graphics myself, which explains why the movement is a bit shaky. I'm not great with frame by frame animation, especially walking, and most of the animations are only a few frames long (as a matter of fact, the only animated sprites I can think of are the walk and the melt animations, the others are single frames).

I will go back and edit the original post to hopefully add screenshots. As for what this game is, I'm not really sure. I wanted to make a 2D puzzle realtime game, like Lode-runner (grab the gold, avoid the enemmies) but have many different types of enemmies like in Abe's Odyssey (enemmies that fire, that charge you down, that drop bombs on you, etc). It also has some shooter elements (think Soldat, without the aiming - how do you make the guns follow the mouse!?). Then put all sort of stuff I think is cool, for example skidding or being knocked flying and/or melting, into the game.

so we end up with:
-puzzle elements (timing, switches, tricky enemmies)
-shooter elements (find a gun = payback time)
-platform elements (too obvious to note)
-graphical showcase (albeit "attack of the jerky animations")


Stuff I am working on at the moment:
-crouching (time for an even more difficult "walk" animation - allows you to get into small spaces)
-title screen (I've been procratinating... not much fun to make)
-ladders (I've done these once already, as cocopuffs will atest)
-pistols (I've done all the sprites, but none of the functions)
-dogs (an enemy as quick as you that can't be killed with fists - can follow you into said small spaces)

[Posts merged]

As promised, I've created a title screen for the game. You can now start a new game, load your last save or exit the game using up/down and enter. I know there are only two levels and one checkpoint at the moment but this will come in handy if you need to leave the game and return to your save later. If you die having not saved in the current game, you are returned to the game menu (rather than the save that you may have created last time). Finally, you can press escape at any time to return to the game menu.
This may not seem like much but it certainly adds somthing to the game. I think I will also seperate the game into episodes so that you can start a new game from without redoing everything (in case you mess up your savegame - saving next to an enemy for example, though I will try to place the checkpoints so that this rarely happens).

This probably doesn't deserve a version of it's own, especially since it contains the half made crouch functions, but I will post it when crouching is done. That's it for this weekend,

Cheers,

William

Edited by Wilbo, 02 April 2006 - 07:06 AM.

[Davmo]

Make a zip file so can download :-)

[dimitri]

The link is down, fix it so i can download.

[No, it isn't.]

Edited by hpapillon, 02 April 2006 - 01:25 PM.

[Euko_Kyone]

I meant it was it was a platformer in the respect that it was a side scroller game that involved platforms so I just considered it under the larger category...and graphics dont affect the movement as far as I am aware, unless GM has updated and added that as a feature
What I meant by the movement was that you have to be moving in a direction and then jump to make a diagonal jump. Most games like yours allow for the movement after jumping so that you can jump and then move left while in mid air for example. Thats why i was wondering if it was a feature or not.
Overall though the game is pretty good.

[dimitri]

Odd....i get 404'd if you upload it to a different upload site, ill download it and feed you my yummy comments?

[Wilbo]

Okay, so I'm guessing that generally we need a new link (possibly a different site) with no RARification (I don't have winzip I'm afraid, so I won't compact it at all).

You are not supposed to be able to control the movement while in the air. This was done on purpose more to change the way the game is played than to make it more realistic. As aformentioned, I may be giving you a small amount of control while in the air, but not being able to control your flight is basically the whole idea of the game.

I'm wondering how you organise those version numbers for the file history. It looks really professional but I only just started doing it. Is there a system (small amount of change = 0.01; big change = 0.1; new game = 1)? I'm just running out of numbers left before I get to version 3. Mabye I should start again at 1. And seeing as the game isn't even finished yet, should I just put <1?

William


EDIT:

okay, got the new version (lets call it 2.9 for now). Done some basic crouching and added the title menu. The only compacter I have is winRAR and I can only upload one file at a time, so this second version is just and exe file. To get the readme press F1.

Edited by Wilbo, 03 April 2006 - 07:45 AM.

[Tobias(NL)]

Very nice A.I.

I like the graphics from the guys but not from the tiles.

make it a jungle of something like that, it will look much nicer.

The jumping system is not so smooth too.
Make it smoother and you have a very cool game.

Tobias.

[Euko_Kyone]

[QOUTE]You are not supposed to be able to control the movement while in the air. This was done on purpose more to change the way the game is played than to make it more realistic.[/QOUTE]
And that was my questions answer, which you never stated earlier >_<

[Wilbo]

Hmmm, the idea was to was it in a bunker or some kind of dungeon style place, crazy german professors and their henchmen might be a bit out of place in a jungle. I'll admit I'm not great at the apearance element, I concentrate more on function, so the decor is rather bland and uninteresting. I'll try to make some scenery at some point.

I think to help with movement I need to make the player able to walk as well as run. I was going to use shift as the run key and alt to throw grenades, but alt seems to pause the game, and I can't figure out how to turn this off (unlike Esc and F5/F6 for example). I also need to add the ladders. Jumping is supposed to be used mainly for leaping gaps while ladders will be used to go up/down. This is why the jumping doesn't work very smoothly (I assume that's what you mean).

I'll write again when I've done more on the game,


William

[Radnom]

I love it, every part of it. Don't add guns, that would ruin it.

Every time I play I get a huge grin across my face, I love the way the little dudes run and get burned in acid. The AI is really good, they jump across the platforms perfectly.

I still haven't passed the first level, but I don't care, it's still fun.

[Wilbo]

Thanks greatly for the vote of confidence!

I've just finished the crouching system. You can now commando roll if you are travelling fast enough when you crouch, and can knock over enemies by rolling into them. Also fixed a few bugs in the crouching (caused by situations not encountered in the current 2 levels) and the Einsteins will now bounce off walls properly.

Next I need to work on the ladders, and give the AI an overhaul: Einsteins will throw from a crouch, to stop crouching making you invincible to missiles (they will crouch if you are crouched, so you need to time it).

Anyway, you can get the version 2.95 (seriously running out of numbers here) from the top post,

Till next time,



William

[Wilbo]

oops... meant to edit my post but quoted instead. I can't seem to delete this. anyway, the readme can once again be access by pressing F1 (now pauses the game so you don't die).

Edited by Wilbo, 04 April 2006 - 10:52 AM.

[Tobias(NL)]

Radnom Games has right,
Don't add guns, i mean, for the player.
You can make soldiers with guns, and the only way to kill them is to sneak behind them and punch them in the back. Or else they will shoot you. (make the guns really strong )

I made it to lvl2. Then I quit. (i have a busy life )

lol, Tobias.

Edited by Tobias(NL), 04 April 2006 - 12:01 PM.

[Potnop]

Well no have guns. It's more fun that way. U can add a stealth elemnt if U want but keep guns. Solid Snake and Splinter Cell had guns. What kind of soldier or should I say Soldat uses no gun? Soldat is definitely soldier in Russian, but is it also Soldier in Polish? Cuz the game Soldat is by a polish guy I think.

But keep it archived. I have slow internet and I hate it when ppl keep their games not zipped. If you're using winrar it's easy to make it be a zip file. When U right-click and say add to archive it gives U all these options, and you can make it have maximum compression and a zip file instead of a rar file, although rar files do compress much better.

BTW in your rar'ed link, I think U have to take out the .html at the end. The link wasn't really doing anything so I went in the address bar and took out the .html at the end so it ended in .rar. Then I found a link to actually DL it form your host. So Uve gotta fix that...

OK its done DLing so I can reply to the actual game now. Well it's kinda cool. I see U have music from Doom. I'm thinking it would B a good idea to have original music although in one of the games I made it was all from Doom which was stupid of me. Maybe have it so U dont die in one hit. have it so U have Health. And serously the jumping is too hard to control. I kept dying at the bottom of level 1 like the whole time cuz I made the guy jump too soon or somehintg and wnated to go back but couldn't. And try to add a tiny bit of shading to the sprites so the look better. They have things that are like 2 pixels wide so U can shade that. I know its hard 2 make such small sprites though. And try to make the scientists not run into a wall back and forth if U are standing right next to em and theyre near a wall. Maybe make them jump over U when they run away or something. And make them stop running away if theyere far enough and make them throw acid at U again. Also maybe make their aim a bit better just to mkae the AI a bit harder. And have like Kicking and Pucnhcing buttons or something so U can make combos, although U do have differnt moves U can do depending on what U do while attacking so that's cool.

HOLY **** that was a long reply! Well OK. I'm done.

Edited by Potnop, 04 April 2006 - 12:44 PM.

[Wilbo]

wow.... that's a lot of Us.

Soldat is soldier in german. The game has a sort of german theme (Wolfenstein) so I thought it was appropriate.

Many people have complained about the jumping. I maintain it just takes a little time and practice to get the hang of. It is different from most games of this genre, but then again that is the whole idea. Rebounding is also difficult to master, and it is the only way to get to higher positions at the moment.

I am planning on changing the AI a bit. I want to make the enemmies see you only if they are facing you and if there is nothing in the way. This will add a stealth element to the game (for more difficult enemies).
The Einstein enemies will also crouch to throw acid at you if you are already crouching. I'll admit the Einsteins repeatedly running into walls is a problem, but I'm yet to figure out how to solve this without drastically changing the whole AI system. Another problem would be the Einsteins occaisionally not returning to their patrol route after they have been frightened.

This game is not a fighting game at base, and I have enough attack sprites as it is, without adding combos. Also there are limited buttons at my disposal: most games use space, enter, arrows, ctrl, shift and alt (the last three being in two places, depending on how you put your hands on the keys). I can't use alt, as this pauses the game (you can't turn this function off) otherwise I would be using alt for grenades and shift for running/walking.

I am not adding health either for the same reason. This is a puzzle(ish) game and doesn't allow for more than one accident.

Finally, I am yet to really settle on music, but I don't think I will be able to have fully original music. It has to come from somewhere (I'm not going to compose my own I'm afraid).


I've fixed the commando rolling version's hyperlink. Check it out!



William

Edited by Wilbo, 04 April 2006 - 10:10 PM.

[Radnom]

I like where this game is going. Combos are too confusing, I agree with you, leave them out. The jumping is perfect.

I really like the small amount of keys used, much better than certain games with a key for every single action ever. I find I can usually get exactly what I need done easily and quickly with the current control setup.

I'm still against guns in this game, but if you must then add them.

Well, I'll keep checking up on this topic from time to time for updates.

[Potnop]

Well OK. I still think jumping should be easier somehow. Maybe at least don't make the beginning have a gap that U fall into so U get more practice as U move along. Because as a beginner, I keep falling in all the time.

And to fix the einsteins running into walls, I kinda thought of a way to fix it. I think I either did or was gonna use it to make the AI in one of my old games run away from grenades. Obviously if they kept running into a wall theyd look very stupid and would simply die. So what I did is I had them run the opposite way from the grenade if there was no wall in the way. If they encounter a wall or somehting, they turn around and go at the grenade. Once past it again they do normal evasion. THat still kinda looks stupid but at elast they dont die as easily. I guess for a grenade now I could have em jump over it, or better yet calculate ahead of time that the wall is gonna B in the way. So the einsteins could like jump over U as they run toward U.