MRU:LV-246 Escape from Hadley's Hope


erico

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This is a quick action game I did for the GBJam 5.
Travel to station 7 avoiding the bombs and trying not to fall off screen.

Controls:
enter / space/ B to start game.
pad to move around.
B to jump or double jump if you can.

Power ups at Checkpoints:
hull repair
max hull increase
extra jump jets
repulser


The original compo version can be played here:
https://ericomont.itch.io/mrulv246-hadleys-hope

Old gameplay video:

Latest pandora ex test version attached.
 

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awesome. I like the aliens reference. Dithered graphics are m4dskillz! Looks very responsive too!
 
Thanks. The dither is a bit cheap there on the intro and title but the rest is fine.
I intend to add 3 simultaneous players that can bump on each other, it should be even more fun.
 
Here is an attempt at a pandora version from the compo.
It should run on a window at 480x432 sporting 3x the original resolution.
Game controls should be supported (joy left/right) as well as button #1.

This is not a PND as you all may be used to from the reppo.
I think one must execute the pandora-exe.pnd according to Ian.

Can someone check it out and let me know if things go wrong?
 
Hmmm, @iprice tested it and it seems the scaling is incorrect as well as the controls. Titles are not showing either.
I will try to work that out and update this test version.
 
I'll have to go with the windows version... but why no jumping aliens ?! :-||

The graphic is great, and the animation is funny, I was wondering what was the purpose of the game, because I can't see scores or kilometer indicators, but then I've seen maybe a start of a story ?! (Before Hudson told his line...)
 
Here an update version.
Hopefully I got it close to right and playable.

Also changed the original resolution to one I had planned before and this one matches de pandora better. So, with a bigger horizontal space, some fine tuning was required, specially on the difficulty level.
I also fixed the aliens so to hunt you if you stick on the corners, specially the right one.

Let´s hope this one goes fine.

...Just got a message from Ian saying it is working fine, so it all seems good enough.
As he recommended, I should change the jumping button to either x or b, or maybe all of them. will do in a next update.

Here some request, can someone record the game playing with sound? I´d like to see if it is all working perfectly as it should.
Also, if anyone played the pc version, let me know if something is wrong or not playing.

Enjoy this unique Pandora ONLY(as of yet) extended version of the ground braking gbjam 5 entry... :D
 
One tower gave me no upgrades... at least I heard no sound and the light was still on after passing it, I also was able to run on the void under a bridge, bypassing all the pilons
 
Was it the first tower? This one doesn´t give upgrades, also, you have to pass through an area close to its window, otherwise you don´t collect.
Yep the player is able to go through stuff depending on the occasion. It was suppose to destroy the sand but the way I coded it... it is best to recode it. :D

Thing is, the pc compo version is quite short on horizontal space and I didn´t want to make the terrain such a challenge that the player would be stuck on the left side.
On the Pandora version, it would make more sense, I tried adding it up early today but wasn´t successful.

The game was planned to be a moon patrol type of game and so on but I had no time to finish the design, just some of the basics.
The thing with the ground is that you will have to traverse it 3x and it gets VERY difficult later up since falling is instant death.

I hope you guys enjoy it, I think I should add some bits to wrap it up into a nice pnd and probably recode the original design later.
I was wondering though...maybe I could add another player, make them bump on each other and be controlled by the nubs? That could make a funny local 2 player game.

I had a log for the original game production here with some extra infos, check it out:
https://itch.io/jam/gbjam-5/topic/41619/mrulv-426-patrol#post-57131
 
It was a tower later in the game, but was higher than the others so I didn't catch the window, seems like I was just lucky with all the others because I got all the upgrades while not knowing about the window thing :D

There were aliens in the log !!
 
Yeah, there was supposed to be aliens and eggs, something related to the ufos hunting the aliens with the humans in between. :)
I will add pad down to hold the truck still and probably increase number of bombs and aliens as the game is quite easier now and I´m not getting the later level hoping frenesi as it was before.
It has to be very hard to almost impossible!

I will delete the last demos and release just the latest pandora test version on the first post, maybe an administrator could move this thread to another section more related to "pandora game releases"?
[doublepost=1478224901,1478210238][/doublepost]The latest update has:

.faster terrain destruction
.b for jumping
.some other stuff

Test, please.
 
Great.
I´m going to polish this version up a bit for the next few days and release a final version as a proper PND.
Any feedback now is very important as I can try to add up. :)
 
Made a better background and added 24 different scrolling mid-grounds.
The game picks random unique 4 mid-grounds to cover the tracks, hopefully this aesthetic bonus adds a bit on visual variation and helps out recalling hard parts you will have to face again.
Here an example:

edit: that is the good part of having a bunch of unfinished projects...the midgrounds came from another game in progress :).
 

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Ok, have played a few hours with the previous version:

1. The stations really need a number, I am not quite sure where I am (except, now for the background).
2. I mastered the floatbounce, where you jump backwards into left border by keeping the left dpad pressed, you kind of bounce in the air (but you slowly lose altitude). Combine this with double/triple jump and you can easily survive these places where bombs have totally destroyed the ground and you can not jump over the gap. Handy
3. When you die exactly where you get to go back to pick up jones, the "game over" letters overlap this text...
4. some stations replenish life!
5. There are more than 7 stations? Is the "go back for Jones" actually that you need to pass 14 stations? And then again go back to 7, thus: 21 in total? (reading back the thread:yes)
6. Somehow, hit with multiple bombs sometimes registers as 1 other times as more than that (destroying health)
7. so many bombs... later levels have so many bombs rain, you can not get out without touching them. (I need parachutes dropped with health!)
8. stays fun to play. (dl newer version)
9. when run without the media (all bmp and sounds), the game screen size is too big for the pandora, also does not die gracefully, it just runs without image resources.... coulouring (in general, changing the sprites) is fun... orange explosions, wee
[doublepost=1478350157,1478348128][/doublepost]hmm... sometimes it does not give me a double jump (siren sound given when touching tower), despite having no damage. The baddies do not go up in number. But sometimes, jumps do not register, and with no double jump, you plunge into the abyss...
 
Nice, thanks for the Feedback @FBnil

1. Yes, I will add the numbers, the midground doesn´t help much here, so I either make different stations or add numbers, or both.
The original was supposed to have 5 types of stations that gets randomly created for the 7 station track, the powerup was to be related to this but I later made only one and random powerups.
Still, the code is there to support it just in case.
2. Shhh, don´t tell anyone! :D Yep I didn´t want to kill or penalize the player for being off screen(left). The ufo´s behavior should counter act if this is abused but if one has more then 3 jumps, then you can easily position yourself off the screen to the top for a while. I wonder if I should increase the altitude loss, do you think this trick detracts the game experience? I will do some more testing here too.
3. Yeah, that happens on the other 3 occasions where story text is printed, fixed now.
4. Yep, it is one of the power ups, it can be a relief but filling energy does not get you any extra features, which are somehow needed later up. This and the other power ups (except for the repulser), can only happen if you have a free ´slot´. For example, if your energy is full, you will never get a fill up energy powerup.
5. 7 stations to go, then came back to #1 and go to #7 again.
6. This should not happen, notice that you only collide with the bomb itself, the explosion does not harm you. There might be a chance that 2 bombs could be on the same place, but it should be easier to win a lottery than that to happen.
I will investigate more.
7. Later levels are da booomb! :D If you have a lot of energy you can crash on some bombs trying to preserve some grounds(specially when going back for Jones). Also, all bombs have the same x speed so it creates some holes to go through, but it is hard to master and sometimes just impossible to achieve.
8. Good, with all its flaws, it must be fun to play, and hopefully, not too frustrating. :) newer version is not up yet, will add your suggestion before uploading.
9. hmmm, strange behavior, the screen setting should be unrelated to the media. Esc should quit the game anytime. Does it end ok when the media is there?
If this is just related to the media then It should be ok. I will add instructions on the specifics of the medias to make it easier to mod.

That irritating siren sound is the repulser, all ufos go away for a short while. This is good to catch one´s breath or to save the area of bombardments for future safe traverse.
The jump not registering is a trick thing. You have to be flat on ground to jump, if you are climbing up or down a slope, you don´t jump because you are already on a "jump" state, so you can only jet. I will try to fix this but it is hard cause of the mess I coded with the object to track array conversion.
Also, landing on a single cell is of the utmost lucky factor, one should not count to be able to do it.
Landing on a 2 cell ground (if not a slope) is hard but not impossible. 3 cells are ok. Thing is that the slope cells do not count as ground properly.
I tried to implement dpad down to break the tank still, it should be easier to jump from this, but the array conversion got in the way, I will try that again as it would make the tank a lot more controllable.
The number of ufos and maximum bombs on screen is controlled by a sort of a list. The number of ufos has a random factor + minimum #. The idea is to make every game different, some parts harder, some easier.

I´m trying to figure out some changes that could increment the gameplay, as you can see on the media folder, there is a bunch of unused GFX.

I´m also in doubt of the terrain destruction speed. If it is slower, it gives a better sense of running away from the destruction.
The bridges fall at half the terrain speed to help this up. I´m going to increase the maximum random pole placement on the bridges because the bridge will start falling apart if more then 2 cells away from a junction.
I want to have that "running away on a collapsing bridge" indiana jones thing. :)

Thanks again for the feedback!
 
do you think this trick detracts the game experience?
Not at all. Because the bouncyness, you might bounce into spaceships and bombs. Also, I've encountered full screens with only one place to land on, and very long, and difficult to reach sides...
because you are already on a "jump" state, so you can only jet.
ah... that explains a lot...
indiana jones thing
awesome. Combined with the after-shadow (visual echo effect) it will make a spectacular effect.

I think roman numerals are better than numbers for the towers... or greek letters...
 
About the trick, you are right, by abusing it you can easily get destroyed (you don´t collide with the ships though, just the bombs).

I spent a lot of time today trying to implement the numbered stations...it doesn´t work. :(
I made such a mess on the code for the compo that the stations algo is hard to devise. I got some parts working but I can´t get it all going.
Whatever relates to the track array is a monster to deal and it is sure faster to re-write.

I just updated the latest demo on the first post.

I will see to work a bit on the intro and title images.
The ending will be kept in the name of all those lame "congratulations!" we had to glup on the amiga days. :D
It is a little better though, but it keeps with the spirit.

I will try to create a few beats so to add some music to it and I think the powerup sounds could be better if voiced (ye, trash sampled voices).
 
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