MonsterTech Arena Beta

[VengefulPastry]

The game formerly known as "The As-of-Yet-Unnamed-Game" now has a title: "MonsterTech Arena".

I still have a few weeks left of work before I release the final beta version (and then a few weeks after that for the final final), and would greatly appreciate any help finding bugs, problems, balance issues, and in general would appreciate any ideas you can provide.

Game Description:

In MonsterTech Arena, your goal is to create one or more highly customizable robotic Gladiators for competition in the Arena. You can engage the computer or another person (via LAN) in one-on-one bouts, or choose from a variety of sub-games (such as Capture the Flag or Invader) to compete in. You are rewarded after each competition with extra upgrades for your vehicle. More upgrades are awarded for winning, and less for losing...

In the demo, there are 4 basic body types to choose from, 4 Arenas to compete in, and 5 sub-games.


System Requirements:

Microsoft Windows 95+, NT, ME, XP
96 MB Memory
1024x768x16 Graphics

The viewpoint is top-down 2D.
Screenshots:

Screen 1 (ftp://vengefulpastry.com/vengefulpastry/Screen01.jpg)
Screen 2 (ftp://vengefulpastry.com/vengefulpastry/Screen02.jpg)
Screen 3 (ftp://vengefulpastry.com/vengefulpastry/Screen03.jpg)
Screen 4 (ftp://vengefulpastry.com/vengefulpastry/Screen04.jpg)

To play the game, you will need to download this file:

MonsterTech Arena Beta (ftp://vengefulpastry.com/vengefulpastry/MonsterTechArenaBeta.exe)

After you have saved this file to your hard drive, double click on it to install the game to your computer.

As of now, the website is under construction, so if you have any input on the game, you can write it here in this thread or email me at vengefulpastry@aol.com

Thanks!

[Vectrex]

for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to actually play the game :D It NEEDS a quick game option where you can at least see what the game is like without having to kit out your ship.

[VengefulPastry]

for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to actually play the game :D It NEEDS a quick game option where you can at least see what the game is like without having to kit out your ship.

Like being put directly into the arena with a pre-built vehicle?

[VengefulPastry]

I've defaulted the demo to start in the Arena (with a pre-built Tank), instead of in the Garage, so the player can get right to shooting and driving, instead of constructing a vehicle.

Thanks for the great idea!

[Martoon]

I gave this a quick try, and I really like the concept. The controls, where you just steer your critter and it auto-fires, are a lot of fun.

The only real problem I see with this game is that I was absolutely overwhelmed by the massive array of upgrades I was confronted with in my first game. I've never played the game before, so I have no idea what these various items do. Sure, I can read the descriptions, but I still don't have a real understanding of how everything works until I've battled several times and seen what happens. So I end up just randomly selecting upgrades, because it seems like way to much work to try and make sense of a gazillion upgrades all at once. So I battle, then randomly select some more upgrades, battle again, etc., and the whole upgrade/configuration process is meaningless to me (and it seems that upgrading/modifying is the core of this game).

IMHO, this game would be much more approachable if only a couple options were initially available, and new upgrade options were unlocked gradually. Right now, I think the options that are thrown at a new player all at once are a burden to the player, but if they were unlocked a couple at a time, they would go from being a burden to being a reward. As it is, the initial overwhelming wall of options is a turnoff, and the full version promises to confuse you with even more, which isn't much of a registration incentive. But if I unlocked the first few, then had to get the full version to get that next cool upgrade, I would be more inclined to register.

Overall, a very cool concept, with a nice tutorial, which would be even better if it eased me more gently into the upgrade complexity.

Nice work! :)

[VengefulPastry]

Thanks Martoon, for your compliments and comments.

Obviously, I have a hard time removing myself from the fact that I know exactly how everything works in the game, so to me it is not complex at all.


Sure, I can read the descriptions, but I still don't have a real understanding of how everything works until I've battled several times and seen what happens. So I end up just randomly selecting upgrades, because it seems like way to much work to try and make sense of a gazillion upgrades all at once.
Do you think perhaps that a short "essay", introduced at the beginning of the game, explaining vehicle design philosophy would be helpful? I'm torn by the idea that maybe players don't really want to read anything before playing the game, and understanding that it is complex enough to warrant some sort of primer...



IMHO, this game would be much more approachable if only a couple options were initially available, and new upgrade options were unlocked gradually. Right now, I think the options that are thrown at a new player all at once are a burden to the player, but if they were unlocked a couple at a time, they would go from being a burden to being a reward.

If you wouldn't mind, could you help with an idea of what direction to take with this? Once again, since I am mired by the fact I know it inside and out, I'm not sure what parts to remove to make it more initially approachable.

How about this idea:

On the player's first session, only the first three colums of upgrades (generally armor, conventional weapon, and energy weapon) will be available. Gradually, as the player plays through more games, new columns of upgrades will become available. So, while a player's first vehicle will likely just be a collection of armor and guns, future vehicles will have more subtle capabilities, like extra movement options, power supplies, shields, teleportation, etc.

Having tried the game, what do you think a good "reward" rate would be if I implement this idea? Unlock a new column after every bout, or perhaps every second/third/fourth bout? Or did you have something else in mind?

Again thanks, I sincerely appreciate your ideas.

[Martoon]

Obviously, I have a hard time removing myself from the fact that I know exactly how everything works in the game, so to me it is not complex at all.

That's a major challenge faced by every game developer. The developer is much more in tune with the very experienced player (since they've played the game to death), but the most important audience is the first-time player, since that's how every consumer starts your game, and if you lose them there, they never make it to the "very experienced" phase where they can appreciate the game as you see it.


Do you think perhaps that a short "essay", introduced at the beginning of the game, explaining vehicle design philosophy would be helpful? I'm torn by the idea that maybe players don't really want to read anything before playing the game, and understanding that it is complex enough to warrant some sort of primer...
Wow, I don't know about that. As you noted, a player definitely doesn't want to spend time reading something before jumping into a game for the first time. If you did have this initial essay, it should be short with lots of pictures. Speaking of pictures, it would be nice if the first couple game screens where you select your chassis had pictures.


On the player's first session, only the first three colums of upgrades (generally armor, conventional weapon, and energy weapon) will be available. Gradually, as the player plays through more games, new columns of upgrades will become available. So, while a player's first vehicle will likely just be a collection of armor and guns, future vehicles will have more subtle capabilities, like extra movement options, power supplies, shields, teleportation, etc.

Having tried the game, what do you think a good "reward" rate would be if I implement this idea? Unlock a new column after every bout, or perhaps every second/third/fourth bout? Or did you have something else in mind?

Yeah, anything along those lines might be good. Try to make it clear that you've "earned" a new upgrade (or class of upgrades), etc.

It would also help me experiment with upgrades if I could keep fighting the same opponent, to see how well the upgrades were working against him (consistent feedback). I really liked the tournament system in OMF 2097. There were a series of opponents sorted by difficulty, and you would start at the bottom where you would challenge an extremely easy opponent (you were pretty much guaranteed to win). Every time you beat an opponent, you would move up one rank (to a more difficult opponent) and earn a big chunk of money (to upgrade your bot), but if you lost, you would move down a rank and lose a small amount of money (repair cost). So the flow of the game might be something like: Beat opponent 1, upgrade your bot, lose to opponent 2 (lose a little money), beat opponent 1 again (upgrade), beat opponent 2 (upgrade), lose to 3, beat 2 again, etc. So a lot of two steps forward, one step back as you would gradually work your way up the rankings. This automatically kept the player at a rank appropriate to his skill and upgrades, with a very visible indicator of his progress through the rankings.

Try to get more people's opinions besides mine (they're likely to be different). For one thing, other people may enjoy a lot of complexity in upgrades more than me. I don't like a lot of the popular RPG's, because you have to deal with so many stats and inventory tetris when choosing weapons and armor, but I know a lot of people who really geek out on all these stats, and see it as a good thing. So don't take my opinions as representative of what most people will think.

If at all possible, watch someone play your game for the first time (and take notes). But don't help them - you need to see how they figure things out on their own. They can (and should) make comments to you as they play, but you shouldn't give them any hints. You'd be amazed how much you'll learn from this.

[VengefulPastry]

Speaking of pictures, it would be nice if the first couple game screens where you select your chassis had pictures.

OK, good idea... done. I'm leaving them in greyscale for now... since at this point in the game, I have no idea what paint scheme the player is going to choose.



Every time you beat an opponent, you would move up one rank (to a more difficult opponent) and earn a big chunk of money (to upgrade your bot), but if you lost, you would move down a rank and lose a small amount of money (repair cost). So the flow of the game might be something like: Beat opponent 1, upgrade your bot, lose to opponent 2 (lose a little money), beat opponent 1 again (upgrade), beat opponent 2 (upgrade), lose to 3, beat 2 again, etc.

This is similar to my initial plan... However, when I made it multiplayer over a LAN, I had to keep the two combatants similarly matched. If person A won the match and got an upgrade, while person B lost the match and got nothing, person A would be very likely to win again, because he beat B without an extra upgrade, and now gets to play him again with an extra upgrade that B doesn't get.

So my current model is for the first 10 bouts, you automatically get new upgrades, win or lose. After that, you get more upgrades for winning, less (or none) for losing. Also, computer opponents are always matched to the player. You'll never compete with an AI who has more or less upgrades than you... so every time you win a match, you move up one rank (as you suggest), and so does your opponent. I think maybe I should put in a more obvious visual cue that the player has gained a rank- what do you think?

The "essay" idea is a bit clunky. I'm still trying to think of a decent way to explain good vehicle design, without giving too much away. After all, the fun should be in making "bad" designs at first, and learning what makes a good competitive design as you learn the game (at least, in my opinion).



Try to get more people's opinions besides mine (they're likely to be different).

Yes, I've been finding I need to balance my opinions with player's opinions, and then with another player's opinions that say just the opposite of the first player's opinions... I think I enjoy that aspect of game design.

Thanks again for your ideas, they are extremely helpful. I hope to hear more from you (and others- don't be shy...).

[Hiro_Antagonist]

This game looks interesting, and I'm really interested in checking it out.

I'm downloading the beta now, but the screenshots you linked to appear to be missing.

-Hiro_Antagonist

[VengefulPastry]

A friend of mine is hosting the website, and he is working on changing a few things.... it looks like the screenshots are temporarily out of order. I'll get them back up ASAP.

[VengefulPastry]

The screenshots are placed back in the correct folder after a server change... the links above work just fine now.