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Author Topic: Toadman 3  (Read 21269 times)

ecxjoe

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Toadman 3
« on: October 09, 2014, 10:01:12 PM »


Still a work in progress. But I've been focusing solely on this game and am trying to get it finished by 2015.

No playable demo yet.

https://www.facebook.com/toadman3game

Some info:

- It's a single-player campaign, somewhat of an action/puzzle/RPG mix, but mostly action. There will be a narrative. This is *not* the arena-style game I was messing with a few years back.

- It has all original graphics, sound, and music. All by me, but hopefully it's good. I think so.

- Lots of explosions!

- Screen shot doesn't go it justice. I'll have to post a gameplay clip on YouTube soon.

Jonge

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2014, 05:22:33 AM »
Nice to see more FB game projects! =) Looks like an interesting game.
codeheim.NET - Homemade game madness!

Dr_D

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2014, 02:53:28 PM »
Looking good man. Keep it up! :)

ecxjoe

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2014, 12:24:02 AM »
Thanks for the comments! Happy to see them. :)

Dr_D

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2014, 05:14:23 PM »
When are you going to post a gameplay video?

ecxjoe

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2014, 11:47:30 PM »

BadMrBox

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2014, 02:26:01 PM »
I'm looking forward to play this Joe :).

ecxjoe

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2014, 12:39:47 AM »
Thanks!

Here's another gameplay vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmQxskEWB28.

Progress is coming along well.

Dr_D

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2014, 04:20:26 PM »
Looking great man! I was wondering, will you add a little more detail to the animation when he jumps over those gaps? I know that's trivial, but I think it would look pretty cool if he went "up" a bit. ;)

ecxjoe

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #9 on: November 04, 2014, 12:45:49 AM »
Thanks for the comments, Dr_D!

There are many tweaks I have in mind to make before the game is complete. One is to show the toad somewhat submerged in water when he's over the dark blue tiles, with splash sounds as he crosses the shallow water. For hopping across the gaps, I just left it at "good enough for now, I have a game to finish" state. I'm sure I'll visit it again later to add some polish.

Lachie Dazdarian

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2014, 01:39:49 AM »
The game looks very sweet, and the engine smooth going.

Love the animals I see running around.

I also love the single-player direction and the mix of genres.

Looking forward to playing this quite a bit.

Cheers!
"Things like Basic and Free Basic provide much-needed therapy and a return to sanity and a correct appreciation of people. The arrogant folk really hate a word like 'Basic' - fine, and good riddance." ~ pragmatist

berrian

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #11 on: November 15, 2014, 04:16:57 PM »
Cool work.
David

Email me at grand.superior@musician.org

ecxjoe

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #12 on: November 21, 2014, 11:50:52 PM »
Update!

Been getting a consistent amount of work in for a few months now, 10-15 hours a week. Made progress in most areas: levels, gameplay, etc. Even with that much time going into my game each week, I'll need to narrow my scope if I want this finished within the next six months. I wanted to do bosses, and maybe some non-dialog cut-scenes, but I think that's a bit of a stretch at the moment. I'm putting my efforts towards the gameplay and level design, trying to find the right balance of puzzle, action, and exploration, while at the same time offering something new and different. That's the goal. If everything falls in place nicely, then I might do the extra stuff. But if the game feels complete, then I'll consider it done.







I've been experimenting, trying to discover what I can do with the elements and mechanics I already built in, instead of adding more. It's a good way to not expand scope, make the most of your level design, and discover new ideas that add originality. I think I'm getting somewhere. One example is that I found the open areas to be more fun than closed, narrow passages, and that the trees add an excellent strategy element; you can blast out a path of trees to take cover, or as an alternate path around tense areas.

When I started this project, the level design leaned toward the classic "find key here, back-track to open this door, to hit this switch that opens another door" pattern. I've done that before, so it felt like retreading old ground; and second, everyone's played that type of game. I want this to be something fresh. So the more I've worked on the game, the farther away I moved from that. It still has those elements, but I try to use them sparingly.

You might notice that I removed the fuel bar. I decided that having to watch your ammo and collect fuel pickups was too distracting for this type of game. And if you are new to a level, you don't really know how generous it is with pickups, so you might conserve your ammo instead of blasting away trees like you're supposed to. So instead, I gave the player infinite ammo, since you rely on it for almost everything. It feels more rewarding.
« Last Edit: November 23, 2014, 12:37:55 AM by ecxjoe »

ecxjoe

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #13 on: November 21, 2014, 11:52:19 PM »
Oh, and thanks for the comments, Berrian and Lachie! Makes my day when I get feedback. :)

Dr_D

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Re: Toadman 3
« Reply #14 on: November 23, 2014, 12:10:20 PM »
I like the idea of letting people explore the open areas. It feels more like an adventure that way. I'm curious to see how the infinite ammo thing will work out. Hopefully it wont make the game too easy. I'm sure you'll do things to offset that, just in case... still curious though. ;)