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Stick Soldiers

Started by AdmiralBinary Feb 5, 2002 at 4:21 PM 761 replies 145.6k views
Original Post
AdmiralBinary
AdmiralBinary
Hey everybody, Whitespace Unlimited (a friend and me ) have been working on a new game for about a week, and have reached the beta testing stage. So, we naturally came to the best site on the web where we could find critical opinions galore. Anywayz, it would be very helpful if you could test it out and tell us what u think of it (preferably including machine specs and FPS). It's a single-player 2D side-scrolling action game called Stick Soldiers, where your objective is to capture the flag and bring it to a flag-stand (a little box with a pic of a flag on it) 3 times. I'm gonna work on better victory conditions, but for now, that's the best I can do. I suggest you read Manual.rtf before running the game, as the controls are anything but intuitive Also, I have only tested this on an Athlon 1.2 with GF2 and 256mb RAM, and I get 100fps steady. I think ideal running conditions for the game are Win98 with a greater-than-800 P3/Athlon - not because it's graphically intensive or anything, just because i haven't optimized it yet It has not been tested for WinXP. P.S. It's all black-and-white and grayscale cos' that's what stick soldiers look like when u draw them on paper P.P.S. AI is kinda dumb also... And finally - here's the link: Stick Soldiers Have fun --------------- I finally got it all together... ...and then forgot where I put it. Edited by - AdmiralBinary on February 7, 2002 3:08:10 PM [edit: enabled hyperlink] Edited by - Magmai Kai Holmlor on February 9, 2002 11:47:59 PM Edited by - AdmiralBinary on February 14, 2002 5:02:20 PM [edited by - AdmiralBinary on April 12, 2002 3:00:25 AM]
AdmiralBinary
AdmiralBinary
P.P.P.S. File size is 350k approx.

---------------

I finally got it all together...
...and then forgot where I put it.
mactabilis
mactabilis
I love it!!! i want to be able to make a game like this.
Fallen_Angel
Fallen_Angel
Well what can I say, that game was loads of fun...going to get back into it after I write this I can see this becoming an unhealthy addiction. I guess my only complaint is the positioning of the fire and jump buttons. It''d be nicer to have them a bit closer together, maybe Space & Alt or Ctrl & Shift. Other than that I loved the game.

System:
Duron 800, 384 RAM, GeForce2 MX400, WinXP
I managed to get around 75fps.

Fa||en_Ange| Productions
mactabilis
mactabilis
yeah, keys are the only problem, pressing Enter is a bitch... Alt. and Control would be nice..


Edited by - mactabilis on February 5, 2002 6:06:09 PM
SpaceRook
SpaceRook
Great game! Really original art style. Kinda reminds me of a fun Flash short film I saw a while ago. I agree about the controls, though. Mapping jump to the alt keys would be nice. Other than that, good job!
Spearhawk
Spearhawk
Very cool game!
Strangly enought it only ran at about 75 FPS for me and I got a Athlon XP 1600 (1.4GHz), 256 RAM, Win 2K, GeForec 2 MX 400.
AdmiralBinary
AdmiralBinary
Thanx for the replys guys
I have just uploaded a version which will allow you to go back to the menu by pressing Esc. OK, I''ll remap the keys - Alt will be jump.

Also, you may want to try out the level editor. Just bring down the console (while you are in a game) and type in: SETN EDIT 1

This will put you in edit mode - Drag the mouse to place platforms. The other symbols show spawn points for weapons/players.

To delete a platform, just hold the mouse over it and press Delete.

Try out some of the other jeys too: 1-6 place weapon spawn points, and Z or X delete them I think.

Then when u r done, go: SETN EDIT 0

Anyway, I''ll get back to work...

---------------

I finally got it all together...
...and then forgot where I put it.
AdmiralBinary
AdmiralBinary
quote:
Original post by Spearhawk
Strangly enought it only ran at about 75 FPS for me and I got a Athlon XP 1600 (1.4GHz), 256 RAM, Win 2K, GeForec 2 MX 400.

Yep, I tried it on Win2k on my PC too, and it struggled to get 60fps. I dunno exactly what this is...


---------------

I finally got it all together...
...and then forgot where I put it.
WayfarerX
WayfarerX
Neat!

"So crucify the ego, before it''s far too late. To leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical, and you will come to find that we are all one mind. Capable of all that''s imagined and all conceivable."
- Tool
------------------------------
"There is no reason good should not triumph at least as often as evil. The triumph of anything is a matter of organization. If there are such things as angels, I hope that they're organized along the lines of the mafia." -Kurt Vonnegut
AdmiralBinary
AdmiralBinary
OK, Release 3:

Jump key changed to either Alt (Dude, the first time I ever heard of VK_MENU!)
Sniper Rifle "Laser Sight" made longer.

Hints and Tips:

Use the console with care - there are a lot of unsafe commands around. For instance, if you try to load a map that does not exist, the game will crash

You can also create new blank maps to edit. Just (from the menu screen) bring down the console and type in: EDIT 1200 800

1200 is width, 600 is height. Width MUST be >= 800 and height MUST be >= 600. I once tried creating a map 5000x5000. I got 4fps. I think 1200x800 is the ''safe'' maximum

F and H relocate the flag (F) and stand (H) to the mouse co-ordinates.

If you want to scroll in edit mode, press space and the screen will center on your current mouse position.

To change the maximum number of players allowed in your map, go to the console and type: SETN MAXCLIENTS 8

8 can be any number, of course.

Also, you can save your map: SAVE DATA\MAPS\MYMAP.MAP

If you save it there, the game will add it to the list when it next starts up.



---------------

I finally got it all together...
...and then forgot where I put it.
Bezzant
Bezzant
dude, that is one very cool game, i especially like the black and white graphics, its makes it look simple and adds to the game.

i was getting ~100fps, sometimes just over...

athlon 1.4ghz, GF2 256, 256mbs ram running winme.

good work on the game.

perhaps adding something like jetpack thing would be cool, so you can just fly up high, shoot down on people until you run out of fuel. mines would be cool as well
AdmiralBinary
AdmiralBinary
quote:
perhaps adding something like jetpack thing would be cool, so you can just fly up high, shoot down on people until you run out of fuel. mines would be cool as well

Great idea! Maybe if someone shot u while u were using the jetpack, the jetpack would explode. Hehe, I like this stage in the development of a game - when ur past the nitty-gritty engine development and u r free to add features, features, features. Thanx for that bezzant.

---------------

I finally got it all together...
...and then forgot where I put it.
randomDecay
randomDecay
holy mother fucker, that game is fun! Great job, man!
AdmiralBinary
AdmiralBinary
Bezzant suggested that I add a jetpack to the game, so I have. On grounds of playability I have decided not to make you explode if you are shot while wearing it. However, you will discover that it will explode under certain conditions...

The jetpack is currently only available on the Stairs map, but feel free to add it to whatever maps u want to (press 9 while in the editor). You can activate it by pressing and holding Control.

Have...more fun

---------------

I finally got it all together...
...and then forgot where I put it.
LordElectro
LordElectro
Very nice game, good job and good luck with it. You could take it pretty far. And I agree, the graphics style rocks.
BetaShare - Run Your Beta Right!
AdmiralBinary
AdmiralBinary
Thanx for the input so far everyone. I have just uploaded the latest version (1.4 I think) and it just fixes a bug where the jetpack accelerates slower on slower PCs.

I am planning on releasing this freeware on CNet or ZDNet, but I just don''t think Vertigo, Stairs and Test are gonna cut it. So if anyone wants to design some maps, plz e-mail me or post here. If you have any questions about the editor etc. please don''t hesitate to ask... I think we''ll need at least 8 good maps before we release it. I understand that this is not exactly the kind of job that ppl would jump at, but if you have some spare time on your hands and would like to get your name in the credits as level designer - UNCLE SAM WANTS YOU!

P.S. If anyone expresses interest in the above "job", I''ll post a map-making tutorial here.



---------------

I finally got it all together...
...and then forgot where I put it.
Supernova
Supernova
HOLY SHIT! This is amazing. No further comment.

Oh one thing I would suggest (so I lied ) is make it so you can aim and fire with the mouse, if possible. This would make aiming a lot more intuitive and easier.

(edit)
What I mean is not to move the crosshair as a cursor, but to move it up and down by moving the mouse up and down.

Edited by - Supernova on February 5, 2002 9:29:37 PM
AdmiralBinary
AdmiralBinary
quote:
Oh one thing I would suggest (so I lied ) is make it so you can aim and fire with the mouse, if possible. This would make aiming a lot more intuitive and easier.

(edit)
What I mean is not to move the crosshair as a cursor, but to move it up and down by moving the mouse up and down.

Good idea. I''ll start work on that soon. It would be an option, though, rather than being the standard aiming method.

quote:
How about a health bar?

I''ll discuss that with my co-worker and see what he says

BTW everybody, I just uploaded a new version. The main update is that the AI will now use the jetpack sometimes. Also, if a soldier with a jetpack is killed (not just hit), he will explode. This opens up some interesting possibilities for kamikaze-type tactics One more thing: You may have noticed by now that the jetpack will self-jettison when it runs out of fuel, and that upon impact with the ground it will explode. A "less suicidal" way of delivering your payload

---------------

I finally got it all together...
...and then forgot where I put it.

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