Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Propose new game/software design concepts or new game/software ideas. They can be as whimsical as you like, just be careful you don't ask someone to make it for you...
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R-Tape
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by R-Tape »

hikoki wrote: Sat Apr 07, 2018 11:13 am Slow walking would make the game more of a puzzle?
I meant slow only when your brother is standing on your head. Just a possibility, I may not include carrying your brother horizontally at all.
About lack of memory, have you thought of using Alan Turvey's AGDX ? You may want to look at his youtube channel and AGD Facebook group where the latest version can be downloaded.
Never heard of it until now thanks, looks like it's password only Facebook though. If I'm to redo things I should probably move to doing it myself in assembly.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by hikoki »

Early AGDx plus demos here : https://highriser.itch.io
though the latest version is on Facebook. I think this version 3 is the latest one : https://www.dropbox.com/s/9yb7qhoukbt3gns/Agd_x3.rar
He's showing features from version 4 though I think it's not released yet.
You can import your game into AGDX : https://youtu.be/TKt6r7QZrso
and it's supposed to allow for more space apart from accepting other .bin goodies which are shared on dropbox by AlanT on his video descriptions. In general everything is explained on his videos: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCzWzj4BD ... bjg/videos
One video which seems useful to save lots of memory is about how to import preshifted sprites after makig the game.
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Joefish
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by Joefish »

I only suggested simultaneous control because you seemed to prefer a lot of tight action type problems. It's not as easy as you might expect to control two characters, but it'd be fun to play the game again as a 2-player co-op.
If this level was a little more generous in its 'safe spaces' then I wouldn't have mentioned it!
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by Kweepa »

R-Tape wrote: Fri Apr 06, 2018 4:19 pm What about the Italian "Fratello Fagioli"? It's alliterative, but is possibly too long so is not catchy.
It would be I Fratelli Fagioli (the o is singular, the i is plural). I think it sounds good... but I'm no expert.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by hikoki »

More suggestions: crumbling platforms (o even better dissappearing as soon as used), one bro can shoot, one bro can move platforms, one bro can create platforms from nowhere on every step, the abandoned bro gets shielded, one bro can move only horizontaly whilst the other vertically, one can only jump whilst the other one can only run
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by hikoki »

I have not found games like this demo but I recalled one flash game for which a tablet version was made recently, Heart Star. The player switchs between alternate worlds. It's a puzzle game but one could think of freezing time on the abandoned world including the enemies that lived in there.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

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I also think the double jumping is a nice feature, that could be used in some puzzles, but not too many times.

Regarding one guy carrying the other, seems fine, and what the user expects in terms of physics.

You also have to take care of collision, of the standing brother (the one on top), while moving, so that it doesn't go through walls or platforms.

However, I would make it almost impossible to keep your brother on top after a jump in movement, to avoid strategies of always carrying your brother around, hence defeating the game purpose.
A simple way to probably do it, is to change the "slide" speed of the one on top, after it stops touching the one below. which is the same to say that the one on bottom could speed up when not having the brother on top.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by Alessandro »

R-Tape wrote: Sat Apr 07, 2018 11:11 am A few people here and privately mentioned dropping the switching in favour of simultaneous movement, basically a two player game for one (?) I'm struggling with this idea and still think it's missing the point, the whole premise is concentrating on one brother but keeping the other in mind. I suppose the same goes for simultaneous control to a lesser extent.

I'm not even sure I like the idea, are there other games (any platform) that do this?
The Coincidentia Oppositorum screen in Lost In My Spectrum :lol: Once you understand that you have to move the right Alessandro first, then the left one, it becomes pretty straightforward.

Another solution could be like in the fifth stage of Cousin Horace, with reversed movement for each of the two characters - i.e., when you press the "right" key, one moves to the right, the other to the left.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by hikoki »

RMartins wrote: Mon Apr 09, 2018 10:27 am Regarding one guy carrying the other, seems fine, and what the user expects in terms of physics.
Have you tried to carry a 200 pounds asleeep guy on your head?
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by R-Tape »

hikoki wrote: Sun Apr 08, 2018 10:40 am More suggestions: crumbling platforms (o even better dissappearing as soon as used), one bro can shoot, one bro can move platforms, one bro can create platforms from nowhere on every step, the abandoned bro gets shielded, one bro can move only horizontaly whilst the other vertically, one can only jump whilst the other one can only run
Definitely crumbling platforms, thanks to your tip on AGDX I've managed to hack that in using the extra block types. Though I may still move away from AGD.

I really like the ideas about the brothers having different properties. Basically I want to make two different games here, one more puzzle and one more action.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by R-Tape »

RMartins wrote: Mon Apr 09, 2018 10:27 am I also think the double jumping is a nice feature, that could be used in some puzzles, but not too many times.
In later levels perhaps, the player will become very familiar with the switch mechanism by this time.
You also have to take care of collision, of the standing brother (the one on top), while moving, so that it doesn't go through walls or platforms.
If I stick with AGD this will be accomplished using double thickness blocks, it's imperfect as the brother jumps through one layer but cannot penetrate.

RE - carrying brother, still not convinced.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by R-Tape »

hikoki wrote: Mon Apr 09, 2018 11:20 am Have you tried to carry a 200 pounds asleeep guy on your head?
I could carry a bean on my head, but could another bean?
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by hikoki »

R-Tape wrote: Mon Apr 09, 2018 11:36 am
hikoki wrote: Mon Apr 09, 2018 11:20 am Have you tried to carry a 200 pounds asleeep guy on your head?
I could carry a bean on my head, but could another bean?
I thought they were beaners in which case they'd need to have spinacha pills or something, though it's up to you to give them ant-like strength.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by hikoki »

Joefish wrote: Sat Apr 07, 2018 1:45 pm I only suggested simultaneous control because you seemed to prefer a lot of tight action type problems. It's not as easy as you might expect to control two characters, but it'd be fun to play the game again as a 2-player co-op.
If this level was a little more generous in its 'safe spaces' then I wouldn't have mentioned it!
About having more "safe spaces", it could be funny that such resting places were highlighted in yellow and that were collapsed after using any one of them :)
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by hikoki »

I have to resort to a kitchen timer when two little boys start fighting to play a game :)
A two player mode could be just allowing different keys for evey player and placing a countdown timer to perform the switch. The automatic switch would force the players to discuss every move lol
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by RMartins »

I hope that [mention]R-Tape[/mention] and [mention]hikoki[/mention] never develop a game together. :shock:

I can not decide which one is more Machiavellic !
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by hikoki »

RMartins wrote: Tue Apr 10, 2018 6:43 pm I hope that @R-Tape and @hikoki never develop a game together. :shock:

I can not decide which one is more Machiavellic !
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

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RMartins wrote: Tue Apr 10, 2018 6:43 pm I hope that @R-Tape and @hikoki never develop a game together. :shock:

I can not decide which one is more Machiavellic !
It is one of the harder levels but I'd say it's slightly cruel rather than Machiavellian. My game Biscuits in Hell was properly cruel :mrgreen:

Hikoki what is that new avatar? It gives me the creeps!
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Ast A. Moore
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by Ast A. Moore »

R-Tape wrote: Thu Apr 12, 2018 3:54 pm Hikoki what is that new avatar? It gives me the creeps!
“Inconceivable!” as Grand Nagus Zek used to say.
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by michellekg »

R-Tape wrote: Fri Apr 06, 2018 4:19 pm For example in Russian I might try: боб брат, which sounds like "Bob Brat". It sounds cute to me, does it work for a Russian speaker?
Sorry, it doesn't ) "Боб" is singular and you need plural.

In my opinion the best title is "Братья Бобы" (which is the direct translation of Bean Brothers). Also we have nice series of cartoons "Братья Колобки" и "Братья Пилоты" - so your title will be a good reference to it.

You can ask me anything about translation or just give me the file with english text when your game is ready. I'll do the rest.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by R-Tape »

michellekg wrote: Thu Apr 12, 2018 4:24 pm In my opinion the best title is "Братья Бобы" (which is the direct translation of Bean Brothers). Also we have nice series of cartoons "Братья Колобки" и "Братья Пилоты" - so your title will be a good reference to it.
"Bratya Bobi" I like it. Sounds better than the English!
You can ask me anything about translation or just give me the file with english text when your game is ready. I'll do the rest.
Thanks a lot, I will be in touch in a few weeks.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by Ast A. Moore »

R-Tape wrote: Thu Apr 12, 2018 4:57 pm "Bratya Bobi" I like it. Sounds better than the English!
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Ewrysink sounds better in Russian.
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Re: Bean Brothers - playtesting and name help wanted

Post by hikoki »

R-Tape wrote: Thu Apr 12, 2018 3:54 pm Hikoki what is that new avatar? It gives me the creeps!
it Does say Everything about My passion For cheess :)
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