Tiny Bomber - a game for Ludum Dare #23

[Naufr4g0]

Tiny Bomber

Tiny Bomber is my entry game for Ludum Dare #23. It was coded in 3 days and is a puzzle platformer with bombs. Bombs are useful to break walls and take advantage of some sand banks. The sand that comes down, could help you to reach places not accessible only with jumps.

LD#23 Entry Page: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-23/?action=preview&uid=4310

Direct Download:


v1.2
Windows: Download Tiny Bomber v1.2 win
OS X: Download Tiny Bomber v1.2 mac

v1.1
Windows: http://bit.ly/I4BRhB

v1.0
Windows: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4564869/LD23_Naufr4g0.zip
OS X: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4564869/Tiny%20Bomber/Tiny%20Bomber%20OSX%20build%203.zip

Gameplay video:



Next release water physics preview:

[eXpl0it3r]

This looks like an awesome game.
I really like the game play and the pixl graphics!

But it has also a 'few' bugs you maybe alread know but I'll mention them here anyway:

• If you press X again before the last bomb has exploded, you won't set a bomb, but in stead the 'command' gets put on a some sort of queue and as soon as the other bomb explodes it throws/places the bomb in that direction you're just walking. One should either allow multiple bomb placements or disallow any bomb placing command but never make it semi work.
• There should be a restart button, because if you've run out of bombs you've sometimes lost. Edit: Just figured out that [RETURN] will to the trick. Although you should mention that somewhere.
• Standing on a bomb only kills you sometimes.
• If you stand under a sand stream you'll be able to jump all the way up. This could be a nice feature but it could also not be wanted. If it's wanted maybe there shouldn't be an instante teleportation from under the stream to the top but a more slowly traversal. Additionally due to this you'll be able to 'tunnel' through tiny space that you normally wouldn't be able to pas through.
• Since you can teleport to the top of a stream, it's possible to leave the first screen and you'll end up with a black screen, no character and no way to go.
• Sometimes you teleport randomly.
• The diffrent velocities for throwing bombs can be a bit annoying but also a bit tricky and after awhile you get quite used to.
• Also there's a problem with one of the screens when throwing a bomb and I get many std::cout ouputs with the message: Cannot get pixel (4294967295,30) for image (width = 512, height = 288). When those appeare the player freezes for a while.
• One is able to resize the window in anyway but the view doesn't get resized so you get a distorte the whole game.[/li
  

A question: How do you handle the pixel stuff? Do you use a sf::Image or a sf::VertexArray or some direct OpenGL calls?

I'm looking forward to see some further development on this.

[Naufr4g0]

Thanks eXpl0it3r for your long beta testing work!
I'm happy you like the game despite the numerous bugs.

• If you press X again before the last bomb has exploded, you won't set a bomb, but in stead the 'command' gets put on a some sort of queue and as soon as the other bomb explodes it throws/places the bomb in that direction you're just walking. One should either allow multiple bomb placements or disallow any bomb placing command but never make it semi work.

I already fixed this bug. Just wait for a new release!

• There should be a restart button, because if you've run out of bombs you've sometimes lost. Edit: Just figured out that [RETURN] will to the trick. Although you should mention that somewhere.

It's my fault. :/

• Standing on a bomb only kills you sometimes.
• If you stand under a sand stream you'll be able to jump all the way up. This could be a nice feature but it could also not be wanted. If it's wanted maybe there shouldn't be an instante teleportation from under the stream to the top but a more slowly traversal. Additionally due to this you'll be able to 'tunnel' through tiny space that you normally wouldn't be able to pas through.
• Since you can teleport to the top of a stream, it's possible to leave the first screen and you'll end up with a black screen, no character and no way to go.
• Sometimes you teleport randomly.
• The diffrent velocities for throwing bombs can be a bit annoying but also a bit tricky and after awhile you get quite used to.
• Also there's a problem with one of the screens when throwing a bomb and I get many std::cout ouputs with the message: Cannot get pixel (4294967295,30) for image (width = 512, height = 288). When those appeare the player freezes for a while.
• One is able to resize the window in anyway but the view doesn't get resized so you get a distorte the whole game.

Here are a lot of known bugs. I'm working to fix all of them or at least a large part of them.

A question: How do you handle the pixel stuff? Do you use a sf::Image or a sf::VertexArray or some direct OpenGL calls?

I'm looking forward to see some further development on this.

I use a sf::Image and a lot of calls at sf::GetPixel and sf::SetPixel methods!

[Naufr4g0]

A lot of bugs fixed in this release (only for win)

Download Tiny Bomber v1.1

[eXpl0it3r]

A lot of bugs fixed in this release

Ahh much better to play!

Buuut there are still two bugs I noticed when I played it through again:

• Sometimes you teleport randomly. I can provide you this image which is one location but where there's one there could be many. If you run against this 2px wide wall you get teleported on top of the whole block.
• Also there's a problem with one of the screens when throwing a bomb. At least it doesn't crash anymore, but if you throw a bomb at about the marked position on this image, the bomb will be placed at a hidden position. If my eyes did see it right you'll see some sparkling on the left side of the window when the bomb explodes
• The instruction for restarting the game with [RETURN] is still missing.

[MarkRMichaels]

This was really good.
I also noticed a few of the things from the post before this like the teleporting through the thick wall to the ledge above it and the bomb teleporting things.

I really had a good time beating this game though

[Naufr4g0]

Ahh much better to play!

Buuut there are still two bugs I noticed when I played it through again:

• Sometimes you teleport randomly. I can provide you this image which is one location but where there's one there could be many. If you run against this 2px wide wall you get teleported on top of the whole block.
• Also there's a problem with one of the screens when throwing a bomb. At least it doesn't crash anymore, but if you throw a bomb at about the marked position on this image, the bomb will be placed at a hidden position. If my eyes did see it right you'll see some sparkling on the left side of the window when the bomb explodes
• The instruction for restarting the game with [RETURN] is still missing.

This was really good.
I also noticed a few of the things from the post before this like the teleporting through the thick wall to the ledge above it and the bomb teleporting things.

I really had a good time beating this game though

Thanks for your testing.
I promise to fix these bugs soon. It's a pixel-perfect collision detection issue :/

[JayArby]

This is addictive! Good job.

[JayArby]

I found a bug I don't think anyone else mentioned: if you manage to get up to the top of the map and then jump, the screen goes black and the game freezes.

[eXpl0it3r]

I found a bug I don't think anyone else mentioned: if you manage to get up to the top of the map and then jump, the screen goes black and the game freezes.

• Since you can teleport to the top of a stream, it's possible to leave the first screen and you'll end up with a black screen, no character and no way to go.

JayArby have you managed to leave the screen also with the new version? I could confirm or deny it since I never got up there again.

I promise to fix these bugs soon. It's a pixel-perfect collision detection issue :/

Yeah thought so...

Will there be more screens/levels any time soon?

[Naufr4g0]

JayArby have you managed to leave the screen also with the new version? I could confirm or deny it since I never got up there again.

JayArby is an expert bug hunter!

Will there be more screens/levels any time soon?

Currently I'm working again on bug fixing. Anyway I'm planning to expand the game with more levels.
I'd like also to add the water in the game, allowing player to swim in. By doing so I could add new puzzles.

[Plaid Phantom]

Very fun!  I like how much skill is required to throw a tiny little bomb.  It would be good to eventually add a hint that you can throw bombs up, since that seems to be so much of the (start of) the game.

Also, are you limiting the framerate at all?  The game was pegging one of my laptop's processor cores something awful.

[Naufr4g0]

Very fun!  I like how much skill is required to throw a tiny little bomb.  It would be good to eventually add a hint that you can throw bombs up, since that seems to be so much of the (start of) the game.

Thanks Plaid, I'm happy you like the game!
I just added the hint you suggested in the next game version.
Stay tuned!

Also, are you limiting the framerate at all?  The game was pegging one of my laptop's processor cores something awful.

Tiny Bombs make use of "wait vertical syncronitazion" vga option. So frame rate is limited to current refresh rate of the screen.
Sometimes sfml 1.6 can't enable vsync for a vga driver issue or a wrong setting.
Try to set your vga settings with included software. It should be a "vsync" option with some choices. You must select something like "Always on" or "Let the software decide" and not "Always off".
Let me know!

[Naufr4g0]

Download Tiny Bomber v1.2

Changes since v1.1:

• Screen shakes on bomb explosion
• Flowing sand emits sound
• No more collision bugs (I hope)
• More gameplay hints on the first screen
• Modified terrain background (a darker tile give a better hole-effect)
• Small changes to level
• Bombs emit ticking
• F1-F8 change size of window
• F10 Toggle fullscreen mode

[eXpl0it3r]

Download Tiny Bomber v1.2

Yey! =)

No bugs found!
I only once somehow managed to open up the context menü of the window with a keystroke and then the player kept jumping, couldn't reproduce it.

I like that the changes in the last level, it's now way easier to achieve and seems less like a hack to finish it.

Currently I'm working again on bug fixing. Anyway I'm planning to expand the game with more levels.
I'd like also to add the water in the game, allowing player to swim in. By doing so I could add new puzzles.

Looking forward to new stuff!