32 replies to this topic

[Mornez]

How abourt a regular EXE file...
I think a lot of users may be unfamiliar with RAR files...I know I am.

After watching the video...I definitely want to play!

[Koaske]

Yeah, you have a good point there. I made it a RAR file since all there are music files in the pack too. I'll see what I can do.
If you want to play, you can download WinRAR here: http://www.win-rar.c...nload.html?&L=0

Open the file with WinRAR and extract all the files to the same folder to play.

[Koaske]

Update news:

*I've now put the game file in a .zip (along with the music), which is hopefully more familiar to people than .rar.

*Some new sprites have been made, so I will post some new screenshots soon!

*Also, in case you haven't noticed, I've also put some nice cover art in the original post.

[TheUltimate]

Alright, here's that feedback post you wanted! I only skimmed the rest of the topic, so sorry if any of this stuff has already been mentioned.
- I really like the idea. The level design’s okay, but it didn’t get hard at any point.
- The graphics are really nice, but they’re kinda mismatched. Individually, they look great, but combined, they cancel each other out. The backgrounds are detailed and semi-realistic, but they make the sprites look flat. The ocean background is just a two-colour gradient, which is kind of boring to look at and clashes with the cartoony fish. The blocks making the level should look more organic (i.e. less blocky). Pick one style and stick with it! (Also, add some brighter colours like you did in the cutscene please - the fish are really dark right now, and they blend into the background!) As much as I want to get drawn into the game and the world it's set it, I'm just not feeling it at all.
- It’d also be great if you could add a wavy effect to the backgrounds and have them scroll at different speeds as you move, so it's really like you’re underwater. Make different things go on back there. Have a pod of dolphins swim by once in a while. Maybe you can see the surface of the water on certain levels and there’s a ship going by. There's a lot of stuff you can do. Also, there’s a conspicuous lack of other sea creatures in the game. Sea urchins could be used as spike balls, crabs could crawl around in the foreground for no particular reason, etc.
- I love all the animations, especially the puffer’s swimming animation, and I think you should do something similar for the other fish too.
- The music’s great, don’t have anything to say about that.
- I’d like to see some kind of bar with 3 sections that fills up with every fish you eat instead of having a number.
- The movement is really stiff and doesn't feel like it's underwater at all. There’s acceleration, but it’s not that noticeable and you stop as soon as you let go of the key. The other fish flip around instantaneously. "Turning around" sprites would be great to have. You don't have to change the movement, just add 3 or 4 frames to make everything smoother. Also, you could make it so that anything that’s idle (spike balls, checkpoints, you) floats up and down slowly.

Hope that helps!

Edited by TheUltimate, 18 August 2012 - 09:22 PM.

[Koaske]

It's been a long while since I last posted here, but I'm glad to announce that a beta version will be uploaded soon! I have already posted some screenshots about the new art in my initial post. I hope you like them!

[Koaske]

The beta version is now out! This means that the game is content-complete, and the only things that may still be changed are
1) fixing any game-breaking bugs
2) balancing the difficulty of the game

The game now has all 6 worlds and a total of 37 levels!

I hope you enjoy the new beta version!

Edited by Koaske, 13 December 2012 - 08:02 PM.

[TheBBMan]

7.5/10 This is a good game. I love the music, it flows with the game. The opening is perfect, especially the cartoons. Did you make those? I only played 4 levels and I'll tell you why. Everytime I hovered around an info bubble, the game would freeze for about 10 seconds, and the most annoying part was that the music stuttered, but, overlooking that, it's a fine game, and after all, this is the WIP section. You know what I thought while playing it, app!
Also, the puffer fish animation IS great.

Edited by TheBBMan, 14 December 2012 - 01:25 AM.

[Koaske]

Thank you for taking time to try out the game!

I didn't make the intro pictures myself, but I did write the story in the intro and timed/programmed the moving things. You can check out the credits from the main menu to see who were involved in making this project. I don't think the artist who made the intro pics is a member of GMC.

The bubble thing you mention is definitely a problem... I wonder what's causing that? Can you try disabling the sound from the pause menu (press P while in a level, Sound -> OFF) and checking if the problem still occurs?

Just to let you know, there will be fewer info bubbles after the fourth level, so I hope it's possible to keep on playing despite the freezing.

[TheBBMan]

Fixing to try the game again, if you would like to try my WIP the link is in my signature.

[TheBBMan]

Got through the first stage finally. Got to say it gets better,
What I Like:
The huge fish, especially being able to eat everything, even wall.
The Boss Battle was perfect for a first Boss.
The background and sound fit great in the world you created.

What I Dislike:
It still pauses for about 10 secs on an info bubble, but on stage 2, it quit doing that. Weird.
The other fish (not puffer) and certain elements could use some sprucing up graphics wise. If you go for a cartoony look, nearly everything (including spots on a fish) need to have a dark line around it.
I like the thinking aspect the points bring, very creative, but for just as far as I got it was pretty challenging.


It'll be nice to see this in the Completed Games Section soon.

Edited by TheBBMan, 15 December 2012 - 09:49 PM.

[laffertyrh]

Hey Koaske,
I've been tracking this game for awhile. You seemed to have made a lot of pogress with it. Congrats!

My thoughts (for what they are worth):
-30MB is pretty big for a small game.
-Awesome intro art and logo. For real! I need to take some pointers from you.
-Menu screen is fun and fits well.
-This game is really well done!!!!
-My only suggestion would be that you clean up the graphics a bit. Spruce it up and add more polish.
-Good luck publishing!

If you have any extra time I am looking for some feedback on my game:
http://gmc.yoyogames...howtopic=557142

Cheers!

[Koaske]

To TheBBMan:

The other fish (not puffer) and certain elements could use some sprucing up graphics wise. If you go for a cartoony look, nearly everything (including spots on a fish) need to have a dark line around it.

You're right that the artistic style is not consistent throughout the game. However, this is the result of having had multiple artists to work on the project. Sadly, as the project progressed, many artists would come and go. Currently, I only have one artist left to work on the project (well, actually, I've already given this artist a new project...), so there's a limit to how much could be done. I should also mention that this artist is not the one who originally made the fish sprites.

It'll be nice to see this in the Completed Games Section soon.

Sure, I'm planning on adding it there just in a matter of weeks. I can still update the game now and then, even if it's not in Beta phase anymore.

To laffertyrh:

-30MB is pretty big for a small game.

Well, don't know if this is really a 'small' game. I suppose it's a matter of perspective. In the testing, I've observed that it generally takes a couple hours just to beat the game, and to get 100%, it'll take some more. But then again, it doesn't offer tens of hours of gameplay.

-Awesome intro art and logo. For real! I need to take some pointers from you.

Take note that I haven't made the intro art and the logo myself. So if you want pointers, the one to ask would be the skilled artist who's helped me You can check the credits to see all the people behind the game. I've made most of this game myself, but I've let more talented individuals handle the audio and art. To clarify, I haven't made many sprites at all, just programmed the particle effects and made a few simple sprites, like the "CHOMP" that pops out when a fish eats another fish.

-My only suggestion would be that you clean up the graphics a bit. Spruce it up and add more polish.

I've decided not to polish every single detail in the game, because if I did that, I would never get the game finished. That's why I'll only concentrate on improving the most important things: I'll fix all game-breaking bugs and balance the difficulty of some levels. Besides, like I answered to TheBBMan, the artist who made the fish (I think you were referring to those when you said some sprites needed cleaning) isn't available anymore.

-Good luck publishing!

THANKS!

[TheBBMan]

Well Koaske, I like the "Chomp" lol it fits the style and gives the action more motion. And yes it's 30 MB but no it's not a small game and it only takes about 5 min to download, not bad. About the "bug" I guess I could say, I wouldn't worry bout it to much. Apparently it only happened to me, and past the first world, which is only like a 5 min task, it goes away. Good luck!