patters wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:04 pm
Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 9:40 pmHowever, gameplay works much better if the gate becomes gradually narrower after each level, instead of reducing size only once at level 10. This change will also make this code a lot shorter.
I also spent some time coding that then I realised it results in quite significant red colour clash (more so than for the obstacles). Also I saw some collision detection issues relating to the grid alignment and only checking every 2 pixels of line progression, so this deterred me from implementing.
Both problems can be solved also replacing this:
with this:
Now you will only get a single pixel of color clash at the gate at most, for a brief moment. It's much less noticeable than the color clash you already have whenever the line passes close to a star. Since you cannot completely avoid color clash in this new version anyway, I don't think it's worth it to sacrifice gameplay just to avoid one more case of color clash.
I wrote "sacrifice gameplay" because I think the game looks much more exciting when the gate gets gradually narrower after each level. Instead of 9 levels with a large gate, followed by 11 levels with a small gate. However that's just my opinion. It's your game so it's your decision!
patters wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:04 pm
This is a great improvement because it means the game no longer needs instructions. To cover the only remaining non-intuitive aspect, I had wondered about putting LEVEL x/20 at the top left, to make it clear that there is a goal, but in my opinion it spoils the clean presentation.
Again, it's non-intuitive because many players won't read the instructions, they will assume the game doesn't have an ending so they won't persevere to finish it.
If the gate gets narrower after each level, this will provide a clear goal for them, without the need for explanations.
patters wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:04 pm
I didn't really like that the gate has to start a fair bit wider without resorting to some scaling, which would add characters.
It will make the game more accessible in the beginning, and more challenging in the end. I don't think that's a bad thing.
patters wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:04 pm
Thanks for the awesome work on all the other enhancements.
You are welcome!
patters wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:04 pm
I have been able to reinstate the satisfying pattering sound of the obstacle placement and the level-up plink sound, which I think are actually quite catchy elements of the game. The only thing I'm not entirely happy with now is the death sound. I need it to be long enough you can see how you died before the screen is redrawn (without relying on a PAUSE), and I want it to be an irritating sound to contrast the nicer sounds. However, a single tone doesn't seem enough...
I'm sure we can save a few more characters, so you can add a second BEEP. How much more space do you need?
To save a few more characters, replace this:
Code: Select all
READ p,e,l,d$: ... FOR n=0 TO 1: PLOT 249-n,63+l: DRAW 0,n-57-l: DRAW n+n-248,0: DRAW 0,163: DRAW 247,0: DRAW 0,-n-57-l: NEXT n: ... DATA 23620,21,1,"//"
with this:
Code: Select all
READ p,l,d$: ... FOR e=19 TO 20: PLOT 268-e,63+l: DRAW 0,e-76-l: DRAW e+e-286,0: DRAW 0,163: DRAW 247,0: DRAW 0,-e-38-l: NEXT e: ... DATA 23620,1,"//"