Release the hounds!... I mean update! :D
It's finally of quality where I'm not facpalming when I see it get into FunOrNot.
As I mentioned earlier, 2 new items (Line Bomb + Bomb Throw), much better dialog-work, various other big and small improvements (like added a way to actually quickly edit item schemes instead of making them from scratch when you want to change one little thing), plus game now saves players stats (kills, deaths, wins, losses and such) which should allow everyone to deduce each others threat level before starting a match.
As always, big thanks to EU MapNight that kept me going, enthusiastic people with whom I played (you know who you are) and Nebuli for NA hosting <3
In coming days (probably MapNight) I'll try to record a gameplay video for those who are too lazy to try it out on b-net.
Since thread got bumped I might as well share my thoughts on where this project is heading.
Next update will add Line Bomb and Bomb Throw, both utility items (just like Bomb Kick). You can have only one utility item at a time so if you pick Line bomb when you have kick, Line Bomb will replace it. I hope to test them in battle environment during coming MapNight. Their use requires additional hotkey (D) and theoretically they can be incredibly OP, I hope that testing will show the truth.
With these 2 items filling empty space in item scheme editor I’m reentering polish stage where I seek and solve all those bothersome little issues that may or may not annoy players (for example awkward transition screen (seems that people liked new vers =D), difficulty to setup team games/edit item schemes, lack of good loading screen and others + bugs).
One other thing that is on my mind right now is saving player stats. I would like to have some sort of performance meter (E, D, C, B, A, S ranks) so that players would know what to expect of each other (would probably make E – D players feel less horrible when they keep on loosing to A or S class player). But this also means that I’ll have to find accurate way to rate player based on how he plays. And it would have to work for 10Player FFAs or 5vs1 just as good as it would for 1v1. So it might or might not be in next update. Btw, I’m planning on getting D3 so you can expect update before May 15th and not much going on after that date :D
Thanks, now that I think back it would have been so much faster and easier if I had known back then what I know now. And I'll probably say the same thing in a year again =P
Well, lobby UI was made in such way to discourage newer players from messing with games parameters (and play game instead)(Bad by design? xD). But I think that I'm ready to make map more friendly =P
Random offers installation, alien world, forest and snow themes + there is a protoss spaceship theme which is not included in random selection (because I think I did a poor job on that theme). Pretty much how it's been from the beginning, it's just probably random being mean and not giving you good variety (thought 4 isn't that much of variety anyway =P). And logo is just a pretty background picture for now (yay pandas?). Menu and scoreboard can be better, it just takes time =P
Short technical update:
Apparently I suck at optimizing and because of that I've hit some sort of memory limit where game will start to bug out. Right now it has manifested in game refusing to create explosions effects (Those who were on MapNight might remember bombs not producing any sound - that's game not creating explosions + I noticed a slowdown in games performance approx. 10 sec after rounds start, that also might be another effect resource starvation).
Cutting out global variables solves this problem, but I kind of need them. This means that I'll have to learn about how to pass multiple values through single integers (or find more efficient ways to handle resources) and go back to face some of my older code, which is always a pain. Don't know how much time it'll take me.. so yeah, good thing that current version is in playable condition =P
Edit: And now I feel like it was rather some strange editors bug. Found workaround, but still got no idea what caused it. Better be safe and do optimization regardless, would be infuriating to have it show up and cripple game once more in case if my hypothesis was correct.
@kuvasz88: Go
Good to know that someone other than me thinks that bomberman has more depth than one might assume at first glance =D
We should definitely play again once I overcome current problems.
It's alright, you're not obliged to play it. And pleasing viewers is tough since melee is what they are expecting to see. It's even for the best. Imagine coming back in 6-8(HotS?) months to see game 220% more polished/exciting and finally bugfree, wouldn't that be awesome? :D
I'm gonna miss opportunity to duel you though. For some reason I end up winning 90% of matches. Probably has to do something with me running away from conflict to collect powerups while other players take each-other out =P
Btw, I got to play a few awesome 4-5 Player FFAs this weekend (which lasted for 60 rounds or 2h+). I now realize that powerup spawn is right where I want it to be. It creates cool dynamical combat which allows diversity in gameplay. And 3 players close to each other exchanging tracer bombs is simply hilarious :D
To anyone wondering if there will be any meaningful updates soon - don't hold your breath. Though I got some very cool suggestions they will have to wait for a while.
The green theme. I'm still struggling to find right models for it. Have to admit I disliked old setup, and I'm not quite pleased with current version as well, but it will have to do for now (for the sake of variety/experimentation) . You're right about trees though. Animated trees in a static environment stand out in a bad way. +1 motivation to look search for better pieces.
P.S. Don't worry, if I were so vulnerable to pressure, flame wave damage radius would have been 1pixel wide by now :D
Thanks for posting. It's something I experienced as well, newer players struggling with not killing themselves while veterans use them as target dummies to practice their kicking and timing skills on (or simply to please their ego by destroying everything around).
For now I can't think of anything other than playing team mode against veteran with 10+ complexity.
Unfortunately there are no visible indicators of players skill before game start. I'll probably have to implement rankings after all (Goa :D), at least that way you'll know what to expect.
@LoneImmortal: Go
Ah, you meant slower game speed. Don't think it's gonna happen.
I'm not convinced by your argument for implementing no-collision as default option. It might be cool for veterans, but I imagine newer player to be frustrated by someone passing through them and cornering them in such cruel way. But, I can imagine lots of different bizarre things, it doesn't mean that they hold true. First I'm gonna implement it, then test, and after that we will see about final result.
As I said, presets idea is a good one, definately more newb-friendly and fool-proof than the one I have now, so there will be some redesigning in future :D
But I'm hoping you can make tracer and power-ups ultra rare. A person with those items including speed and 2+ bombs will end the game quickly if they are good enough.
Not exactly true. The only really dangerous item in skilled hands is remote control. Tracer is countered by timing and kicking, other 2 powerups are purely situational(well, actually anything is dangerous when used by skilled player).
I forgot to mention, the complexity for standard (auto) should be 10%. It gets too predictable with 0% complexity. This will make gameplay much less repetitive and will make strategy even more viable rather than trying to max out on items.
Some people dislike complexity, and I'd rather prefer that new players play game with standard layout. It's good enough for casual games.
I have an idea for the kick-bomb item. If a person gets hit by a kick bomb that person should be stunned for a split second. Kick-bomb w/ stun or something like that.
I've seen how it works Battlefest gameplay videos and I can't say that I like that idea. I know that in future I'll experiment with different bomb kick alterations, maybe then.
Make a channel, show people what channel to be in on the loading screen before game. Its hard to find players especially at night, but if you had a channel where everyone could meet, it will be easier to find parties.
Another good idea. Even though I doubt it'll work, it's worth a try, weird things sometimes happen too.
EDIT: I need to add that when having more than 1 bomb, if i spam the q button while moving its very hard to lay bombs. I think you need to fix it so that you can laybombs while moving. It gets stuck at times. Please look into this.
It will stay like that for a while, so I can only suggest to time your bomb placements instead of spamming. But it's something that will probably be resolved in next big update.
I get ideas from wherever they come, but playing game itself is the best source for discovering needs for tweaks and random small adjustments.
Btw, are you on EU or NA? If EU then we could play sometimes, I'm always up for a challenge.
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@Zolden: Go
I will take your suggestion into consideration.
@Ahli634: Go
I actually didn't play because I wanted him to have a fair experience, but alas he recorded a game that happened day before >.>
@zenx1: Go
1.5 Arcade Beta servers are global, we play with the entire world ;O
@ScorpSCII: Go
Haah, that's awesome :D
Map looks so bright on higher settings :/
Release the hounds!... I mean update! :D
It's finally of quality where I'm not facpalming when I see it get into FunOrNot.
As I mentioned earlier, 2 new items (Line Bomb + Bomb Throw), much better dialog-work, various other big and small improvements (like added a way to actually quickly edit item schemes instead of making them from scratch when you want to change one little thing), plus game now saves players stats (kills, deaths, wins, losses and such) which should allow everyone to deduce each others threat level before starting a match.
As always, big thanks to EU MapNight that kept me going, enthusiastic people with whom I played (you know who you are) and Nebuli for NA hosting <3
In coming days (probably MapNight) I'll try to record a gameplay video for those who are too lazy to try it out on b-net.
Also, 8 days till D3!
@Hookah604: Go
Funny you'd say that, look what we had on last MapNight :D
@IggNight: Go
Thanks! =D
Since thread got bumped I might as well share my thoughts on where this project is heading.
Next update will add Line Bomb and Bomb Throw, both utility items (just like Bomb Kick). You can have only one utility item at a time so if you pick Line bomb when you have kick, Line Bomb will replace it. I hope to test them in battle environment during coming MapNight. Their use requires additional hotkey (D) and theoretically they can be incredibly OP, I hope that testing will show the truth.
With these 2 items filling empty space in item scheme editor I’m reentering polish stage where I seek and solve all those bothersome little issues that may or may not annoy players (for example awkward transition screen (seems that people liked new vers =D), difficulty to setup team games/edit item schemes, lack of good loading screen and others + bugs).
One other thing that is on my mind right now is saving player stats. I would like to have some sort of performance meter (E, D, C, B, A, S ranks) so that players would know what to expect of each other (would probably make E – D players feel less horrible when they keep on loosing to A or S class player). But this also means that I’ll have to find accurate way to rate player based on how he plays. And it would have to work for 10Player FFAs or 5vs1 just as good as it would for 1v1. So it might or might not be in next update. Btw, I’m planning on getting D3 so you can expect update before May 15th and not much going on after that date :D
@Rice87: Go
Thanks, now that I think back it would have been so much faster and easier if I had known back then what I know now. And I'll probably say the same thing in a year again =P
@zenx1: Go
Well, lobby UI was made in such way to discourage newer players from messing with games parameters (and play game instead)(Bad by design? xD). But I think that I'm ready to make map more friendly =P
Random offers installation, alien world, forest and snow themes + there is a protoss spaceship theme which is not included in random selection (because I think I did a poor job on that theme). Pretty much how it's been from the beginning, it's just probably random being mean and not giving you good variety (thought 4 isn't that much of variety anyway =P). And logo is just a pretty background picture for now (yay pandas?). Menu and scoreboard can be better, it just takes time =P
Short technical update:
Apparently I suck at optimizing and because of that I've hit some sort of memory limit where game will start to bug out. Right now it has manifested in game refusing to create explosions effects (Those who were on MapNight might remember bombs not producing any sound - that's game not creating explosions + I noticed a slowdown in games performance approx. 10 sec after rounds start, that also might be another effect resource starvation).
Cutting out global variables solves this problem, but I kind of need them. This means that I'll have to learn about how to pass multiple values through single integers (or find more efficient ways to handle resources) and go back to face some of my older code, which is always a pain. Don't know how much time it'll take me.. so yeah, good thing that current version is in playable condition =P
Edit: And now I feel like it was rather some strange editors bug. Found workaround, but still got no idea what caused it. Better be safe and do optimization regardless, would be infuriating to have it show up and cripple game once more in case if my hypothesis was correct.
@kuvasz88: Go
Good to know that someone other than me thinks that bomberman has more depth than one might assume at first glance =D
We should definitely play again once I overcome current problems.
@kuvasz88: Go
It's alright, you're not obliged to play it. And pleasing viewers is tough since melee is what they are expecting to see. It's even for the best. Imagine coming back in 6-8(HotS?) months to see game 220% more polished/exciting and finally bugfree, wouldn't that be awesome? :D
I'm gonna miss opportunity to duel you though. For some reason I end up winning 90% of matches. Probably has to do something with me running away from conflict to collect powerups while other players take each-other out =P
@MaskedPoptart: Go
Heh, thanks.
Btw, I got to play a few awesome 4-5 Player FFAs this weekend (which lasted for 60 rounds or 2h+). I now realize that powerup spawn is right where I want it to be. It creates cool dynamical combat which allows diversity in gameplay. And 3 players close to each other exchanging tracer bombs is simply hilarious :D
To anyone wondering if there will be any meaningful updates soon - don't hold your breath. Though I got some very cool suggestions they will have to wait for a while.
@kuvasz88: Go
The green theme. I'm still struggling to find right models for it. Have to admit I disliked old setup, and I'm not quite pleased with current version as well, but it will have to do for now (for the sake of variety/experimentation) . You're right about trees though. Animated trees in a static environment stand out in a bad way. +1 motivation to look search for better pieces.
P.S. Don't worry, if I were so vulnerable to pressure, flame wave damage radius would have been 1pixel wide by now :D
@hobbidude: Go
Thanks for posting. It's something I experienced as well, newer players struggling with not killing themselves while veterans use them as target dummies to practice their kicking and timing skills on (or simply to please their ego by destroying everything around).
For now I can't think of anything other than playing team mode against veteran with 10+ complexity.
Unfortunately there are no visible indicators of players skill before game start. I'll probably have to implement rankings after all (Goa :D), at least that way you'll know what to expect.
@LoneImmortal: Go
Heh, that's pretty cool. Updated version with channel name and a fix for random problem I discovered will be up soon. We'll see how it'll work out.
@cowentertainment: Go
Thank you xD
@LoneImmortal: Go
Ah, you meant slower game speed. Don't think it's gonna happen.
I'm not convinced by your argument for implementing no-collision as default option. It might be cool for veterans, but I imagine newer player to be frustrated by someone passing through them and cornering them in such cruel way. But, I can imagine lots of different bizarre things, it doesn't mean that they hold true. First I'm gonna implement it, then test, and after that we will see about final result.
As I said, presets idea is a good one, definately more newb-friendly and fool-proof than the one I have now, so there will be some redesigning in future :D
Not exactly true. The only really dangerous item in skilled hands is remote control. Tracer is countered by timing and kicking, other 2 powerups are purely situational(well, actually anything is dangerous when used by skilled player).
Some people dislike complexity, and I'd rather prefer that new players play game with standard layout. It's good enough for casual games.
I've seen how it works Battlefest gameplay videos and I can't say that I like that idea. I know that in future I'll experiment with different bomb kick alterations, maybe then.
Another good idea. Even though I doubt it'll work, it's worth a try, weird things sometimes happen too.
It will stay like that for a while, so I can only suggest to time your bomb placements instead of spamming. But it's something that will probably be resolved in next big update.
I get ideas from wherever they come, but playing game itself is the best source for discovering needs for tweaks and random small adjustments.
Btw, are you on EU or NA? If EU then we could play sometimes, I'm always up for a challenge.