Time for another weekly update. Since last week I’ve been hard at work integrating the artwork I created with my game engine. The results I’m ready to show you include the basic game — title screen, level select, etc — along with an improved level editor. I’ve now started to use the editor to generate as many levels as I can and identify any new ideas I might like to add. Check out more details and an updated prototype below.
Getting Things Into the Game
I tried a couple different techniques to get my content into the game. Since I’m using the Flex framework I wasn’t planning on using Flash’s Sprite and MovieClip classes. However, as I started to write code to manage spritesheets and play animations I felt I was re-inventing the wheel. So instead, I attempted to import a SWF following the process outlined by Grant Skinner: Using Flash Symbols in Flex. This wasn’t a great solution because any code completion or type specific information was lost during import. Finally I tried exporting SWC files from Flash CS and including them in my build process. I’m quite happy with this setup because it:- Allows me to design layout and animations in Flash CS
- Is as easy to export a SWC as a SWF
- Provides code complete and type specific information in my editor
- Doesn’t require me to litter my code with Embed tags
Play This Thing
This movie requires Flash Player 9
Petunk Prototype — Click to play
Hopefully you can see how this has evolved from my original prototype. I’d really appreciate your feedback on this. Specifically:
- How fun is it?
- How easy to pick up is it?
- How clear are the rules?
- What would you improve?
- What would you remove?
Hello, my name is Alex Schearer. I grew up in New York and currently live in Seattle.
3 Comments
Nice game Alex!
I had fun and kept replaying it until i got 3 balls + the bird. How good your level design is will determine how entertaining final product is.
Very easy to pick up. There are enough games similar to this to immediately figure it out.
Rules are clear although it implies you need 3 ball when you only need 2. Also it’s not displayed if shot counts, I’d assumed it had to be within bullseye, and further within bullseye would give more points
I think this is a good first level. I’d add more elaborate obstacles for later levels. Perhaps if you put a counter within the balls (or used different colors) you could allow more than 1 shot per ball to add complexity to later levels. There should be some indicator if shots count or not. I anticipate final version will save information where it shows you the best you’ve ever done per level and if you’ve ever hit the crow. You could add achievements to add replayability, stuff like beat a level where every ball hits at least 10 walls.
There’s not really anything I think needs to be removed that’s in the game so far.
1) It was kind of annoying to have to wait for balls to come to a complete stop before I could play the next one. Even when it’s obvious the ball won’t hit the target (or worse, when it’s clear that I’ll have to redo the level no matter what), I have to do a lot of waiting. Nearly every shot I start dragging the next ball too early, trying to anticipate the earliest moment the game will let me. :\
2) “[target] < 3″ is just vague enough that it wasn’t clear what I would have to do to beat the level, though it was clear I needed to hit the target. Something like “[target] 2/3″ would be clearer.
3) I’m sure you already know this, but the buttons (like “Try Again”) don’t look or feel very clickable/tappable. They need hover and depressed states.
Other than those things, everything about this game was pretty clear. The first thing I did was start dragging the ball, and it was obvious I would have to get them to the target. I hit the crow first just for fun, and was pleased when I later discovered that you get a reward for it. ;)
I happened to drag the ball the wrong way the first time, but it was easy to tell what went wrong and correct it.
I don’t think the game is that fun, for the same reason that I’ve played so much more Neverball than Neverputt (like 1000x more): I don’t like watching the game play itself, which is what it feels like is happening if everything after I release the ball is out of my control. Not really a criticism so much as me saying the game’s not a type I like to play, I suppose. ;)
I’ve been playing a lot of Trainyard, which involves watching the game play itself a lot, but it compensates by giving speed controls and letting you cancel early, so you’re only ever watching trains scroll around if you’re genuinely interested in seeing it.
I wonder if that’s the Adam Finkelstein I know.
Hi Tom, thanks for all of your feedback! I certainly understand where you’re coming from. Unfortunately, at this point not all of your criticisms have been addressed. I think if I were to spend more time on the game I would invest in a “fast forward” button, that’s a great idea!