[java] Colourama (Java-based puzzle game)

Nice game. I remember contamination, and like this one as well. I especially like the varying speeds of the blocks. I can''t really think of much to improve it, aside from maybe a little graphical polish.

p.s. Where do you get these great, original ideas from? That''s two amazing ideas in a row... wow, if only I had a mind like yours...

Thanks
Stu

Unique idea, it''s very cool. I do want to say, though, that even from the very first set of blocks I thought it was really fast -- there''s just about no way that anybody can keep track of 4 incoming blocks so well as to be able to quickly change the device''s blocks correspondingly.

I understand the hectic-ness is a part of the game, but since my resulting games were so short it made it not quite as enjoyable to me. Of course if they went too slow, I suppose that would get on my nerves too, so I think that rather than just changing the speed maybe there should be a change in overall game mechanics somehow. Maybe start out with two incoming blocks, and once you get enough points go to a ''level 2'', where there are 3 incoming blocks and have the speed reset. That way gameplay is more tiered instead of just a constant frantic jumble which ends in no time.

And then, of course, there''s the possibility that it''s just ME who sucks at the game (grin).

-pirate_dau

Hi

Thanks for these first comments .

Starting off with pirate''s comment... your suggestion for level-swapping sounds interesting . One of my main concerns is the difficulty problem which you mentioned... personally, I can keep track of all 4 sides until two of them start to pile up to a critical level... while I''m trying to clean one, the other just reaches the limit (I can''t get more than 2000 points). I tried to fix this in two ways: first, reducing the square sizes... secondly, reduce the maximum speed. I feel that it became more playable but, like you mentioned, it''s still very tough (so first-time players might get kicked very soon). Your suggestion will probably lead to a not-so-steep learning curve, so I''ll see if I can implement it.

As to servant''s comment, I''m trying to improve the graphics... I''ll probably add some animation to the disappearing blocks, improve the game screen (which is kind of poor) and stuff like that .

Pedro

Hi again

I just tried implementing the level variation, but it didn''t work out as well as I was expecting... the game didn''t offer much of a challenge with just 2 sides, even at higher block speeds... I''ll see if I can find a way to go around this.

Anyway, I just uploaded a version that features a small change that might ease up the first experiments... I changed the rythm of the speed variations. Previously, the speed was increasing every 40 blocks... now it increases every 100 blocks (up to a certain maximum speed, of course). It seems to me that it allows the player to get the hang of the game a bit better (and play for a longer time ). What do you think about it?

Pedro

I played the game some more today. Don''t worry too much about the graphics; they''re functional, and something like that is only a polish to make when the important stuff''s done .

I like pirate_dau''s suggestion of only having 3 (or less) blocks coming at a time on easier difficulties - maybe you could make and easy, medium & hard level, with 2, 3 & 4 blocks at a time, respectively.

To increase the game''s replayability, I think it may help if every now and then there was something to ''shake up'' the game. Some ideas I can think of off the top of my head:

- Every now and then, you could rotate the mass of blocks in the centre.

- You could make indestructable blocks. Thinking about it, this would make the game *incredibly* hard, as you''d never be able to ''get past them''. But maybe, if you removed blocks in the same line as an indestructable block, you got double points. Or maybe you get bombs every now and then which destroy indestructable bombs.

Just a few ideas for you...

Hi

I just uploaded a new version adding a new feature that might be interesting (hopefully ).

Initially, I was thinking about adding bonus that would randomly appear and would provide the device with special powers... in the end, though, I ended up deciding to use these bonus as a reward. In this new version, everytime you make a combo (making several blocks disappear), you might win a bonus. For example, if you make at least 3 piled up blocks disappear at the same time, you get a Slow bonus which you can activate pressing the 5 key on the keypad (or the space key). I think this adds a bit more of strategy into the game, as now you have something to win by letting the blocks pile up in a controlled manner (although you also have a lot to lose if you can''t control it ). More details about this are located on the game''s page. What do you think about it?

Regarding the difficulty levels, I guess that it might be a possibility... I''ll see if I can do something about that. The indestructible blocks are a bit trickier... like you mentioned, they might increase the difficulty to a really high level... if I''ll see if I can try''em out, though.

Thanks for the comments!

Pedro

Hi

I''ve just uploaded a new version featuring the difficulty levels mentioned earlier. In Easy you control 2 squares, in Normal you control 3 and in Hard you get the full device (4 squares). Any comments?

I''ve also increased the size of the squares (keeping the same max pile up, though)... this seems to help me to get a better idea of what''s heading my way... any comments on this too?

The URL''s still http://student.dei.uc.pt/~pamaro/game.html

Pedro

---------------------------------------------------
java.lang.NullPointerException

at Orama.paint(Orama.java:200)

at Orama.update(Orama.java:441)

at sun.awt.RepaintArea.paint(RepaintArea.java:172)

at sun.awt.windows.WComponentPeer.handleEvent(WComponentPeer.java:260)

at java.awt.Component.dispatchEventImpl(Component.java:3586)

at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Container.java:1437)

at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Component.java:3367)

at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:445)

at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:190)

at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:144)

at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:138)

at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:130)

at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:98)


when i press an arrow key. win2000, jdk1.4.

_______________________
http://mill.3dfxsweden.net

Hmmm... in my computer, the game is fully playable through the arrow keys (both the inverted T and the ones on the keypad). I have no idea what could be wrong there... have you tried reloading the game...?

I have win98 and JDK 1.3, but it should work on 1.4 and win2000... another thing that can cause this is when you pressed the arrow key... was it on the main screen or on the game screen? It''s unlikely that this may cause the problem, but you never know . I''ll see what could be wrong in line 200 and, hopefully tomorrow, come up with a version that fixes it.

Pedro

Ok, found the problem (earlier than expected ). It wasn't where I thought, though... I'm assuming that it happened to you when you were playing in the Easy difficulty level. I know it's stupid, but I forgot to disable the left and right square on this level, so pressing left would try to access something that wasn't there... it's fixed now, though .
Thanks for the report!

Pedro

[edited by - pamaro on July 22, 2002 6:40:32 PM]

Hi

Just added a 2 players mode... it''s still a bit weak, but if you have a friend to play with, give it a try and let me know what you think about it! I''ll probably boost the gameplay later on by making the players interact with each other (for example, eliminating pile ups will do something to your opponent... still haven''t decided what, though ).
The URL''s still http://student.dei.uc.pt/~pamaro/game.html

Pedro