Feeback Request: Atomixer 2nd Alpha Release

[Sharkbait]

Following feedback from my first alpha release on this thread (http://forums.indiegamer.com/showthread.php?t=3650) I am releasing a second alpha for Atomixer, match-3+ style game based on a hex board. Kindly let me know what you think.

P.S. I have moved this from a post on the old thread as it seemed to have quickly trickled to obscurity.

Executable:
http://www.sharkbaitgames.com/atomi...omixerSetup.exe (http://www.sharkbaitgames.com/atomixer/20050804/AtomixerSetup.exe)

Screen Shots:
1 (http://www.sharkbaitgames.com/atomixer/images/Screen001.jpg) 2 (http://www.sharkbaitgames.com/atomixer/images/Screen002.jpg) 3 (http://www.sharkbaitgames.com/atomixer/images/Screen003.jpg) 4 (http://www.sharkbaitgames.com/atomixer/images/Screen004.jpg) 5 (http://www.sharkbaitgames.com/atomixer/images/Screen005.jpg) 6 (http://www.sharkbaitgames.com/atomixer/images/Screen006.jpg)

Changes:


Implemented hardware rendering mode (OpenGL) with software fallback (plain SDL + my custom code)
Implemented Alt-Enter to toggle fullscreen on / off (also saved in options file)
Implemented intro skip with mouse click
Game pauses on lost focus
Pop up options menu on first run (to allow player to enter name, enable / disable internet hiscores etc.)
Puzzle mode no longer comes with difficulty levels (would require different level sets for this.. not feasible)
Game window has icon
Music is muted when game is paused (goes hand-in-hand with pause on lost focus to make handy Boss Mode)
Permission for hiscore checking is controlled from options screen (and user prompted on first run)
Mouse pointer moved to OK button on help screen (in case button is not visible enough)
Create Desktop icon is not set by default in Setup
Solved crash issue when loosing focus in fullscreen mode - now switches to windowed mode
Optimised atom matching code (core gameplay mechanic)
Atom rotation speeded up by 100%
Hotspot areas changed to triangular matrix - there are no more 'dead' mouse areas on the board
In Action mode, added level completion indicator in the form of rising liquid in the right flask (part of the GUI) and as status text.
Refined atom sprite alpha masks
Replaced OGG msuc files with lower bitrate versions for file size economy
In Action Mode, normal paced music restored to original position after fast music (board almost full) stops plating - this minimises music repetition problem
Added morphing atom types to extend scope of game mechanic to allow for Gem X style playing.
Solved crash for Alt-Tab in fullscreen mode - switches to windowed mode
In Arcade mode, implemented red alarm flash to complement fast music when board almost full. Flash rate dependent on how full the board is to give the player a feeling of increasing urgency
In Arcade mode, game actually ends on board full
Scientist guy on menu screen blinks eyes less often
During gameplay, the scientist character floats on the right side of the screen (GUI area) in a hovering device - the idea is to further strenghten the game theme and introduce more 'cuteness' factor
Added custom wizard images in the Setup executable
Pending Items:

Implementation of difficulty levels in Arcade Mode and gameplay related tweaking
Puzzle levels beyond the 14 levels currently in place.
Future Features still in consideration:


Combo scores
Resume level or level selector in Puzzle mode

[Mike Boeh]

I played for about 10 minutes. It's slick, polished, and well implemented in general. But there was something that made me not want to continue playing, and my best guess is that it was the constant dropping of the "gems", making matches that I didn't trigger. I like to at least have the ILLUSION that I am in control....

I'd also say to lose the SDL, OpenGL logos on startup. Grandma doesn't care what you made the game with :)

I think a few more quick fixes could make it a darn good game.

[Sharkbait]

Mike,

Thanks for your time and your feedback.. particularly welcome coming from one of the masters! With regards to the coincidental gem matches, you have a very valid point there. The likelyhood of it happening decreases as more colours are added but I felt it was particularly a problem on levels 1 and 2.. they almost complete themselves! :) I'll try to find a way of avoiding the coincidental matches. As for the SDL, OpenGL nd AngelScript logos I guess I should really get rid of them since I have portal friendliness in mind. Actually, I am planning to have the initial logo and the 'presents' screen customised for portal requirements if need be.

[digriz]

Hi Sharkbait,

The game crashed instantly on my machine here when i try to run it.

My machine specs are: -
P4 3GHz
2gb Ram.
NVidia GForce FX 5700LE
Sound card is one fitted to the motherboard.

Does the game generate a log file. i can reinstall it and send you the log file if it does.

[stanchat]

Hi Sharkbait,

The game crashed instantly on my machine here when i try to run it.




Ditto for me

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 9/6/2005, 03:43:01
Machine name: STANCHAT
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.050301-1519)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: VIA Technologies, Inc.
System Model: KT600-8237
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 3200+, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.2GHz
Memory: 1024MB RAM
Page File: 683MB used, 1778MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINNT
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: RADEON 9800 PRO
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: RADEON 9800 AGP (0x4E48)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E48&SUBSYS_00021002&REV_00
Display Memory: 128.0 MB
Current Mode: 1152 x 864 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6476 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 8/25/2004 13:29:04, 209408 bytes

[Sharkbait]

digriz, stanchat,

Did you ever install the first alpha release (July) by any chance? If you did, the game may (ok, will) crash trying to read the old options.cfg file under directory cfg because the format is different. I will solve this either by including a default file (file only gets created if not there and format of existing file is not checked). In this case, for the time being, you can solve the problem by deleting the options.cfg file and re-running the game.

If this does not work, there should be a file in the games directory (typically C:\Program Files\SharkbaitGames\Atomixer) called NGLError.log. If it's there, can you please email it to [support at sharkbaitgames dot com] or display it's contents here?

Thanks

[stanchat]

That fixed it for me. I deleted the highscores file too just to be safe.

The game played well for and I liked it. Pretty much ditto what Mike said about the auto-solving mechanism.

The other small thing is the installer never gave me the option as to which drive to install it to. I usually install my demos on my D drive. This actually explains why the install files still remained from July.

[digriz]

Yep, now works for me too.

I deleted the .cfg file and it now runs correctly.

[Sharkbait]

Glad to hear you guys got it to run at your end.. I got stuck with that problem myself when I was testing the setup file for the new release.

Stan, I wil check the setup file ASAP.. weird.. I didn't realise the setup file doesn't give you an option to specify the directory - another point on my ToDo list!

By the way, the fickering numbers at the top left is an FPS count.. it will go away in the next release which will hopefully be in beta/gold state.

Thanks for your time and feedback.. keep it coming! :)

[Robert Cummings]

Does everything right but the problems are:

- too much pressure too soon
- too little reward

So I don't think it will do well.

[Sharkbait]

Too much pressure too soon - agreed, but the game has yet to go through a proper tweaking session.. difficulty levels are not really implemented although it's just a question of changing some script code.

Too little reward - I currently have online hiscores that I am hoping will provide an incentive for the players. I'm also considering adding combos similar to Chuzzle although that may require substantial work, especially if I add a prize screen of some sort! for puzzle mode, I am considering adding a level selection / progression screen. anyway, I'm keen to hear ideas on this!

[janwinnicki]

bugreport: you should look closer what happen with bitmaps when changing fullscreen/windowed mode.

[digriz]

I agree about the pressure being put on too soon. The game drops you into full-on mode from the beginning. I'd suggest slowing down the pace for the first few levels at least.

Also, i found puzzle mode a little too easy.

Generally, i like the look and feel of the game. Sound is good too, fits the game quite well.

I realise this is only the 2nd alpha but i noticed that the nag screens are missing also.

[Sharkbait]

@janwinnicki
Hey audio buddy, whassup? :) Yes.. I realise there's a problem with sprites on fullscreen/windowed mode toggling. It is related to texture reloading in OpenGL. I tried to implement a 'dirty' texture system to trigger texture reloads only when needed but due to a fault in the implementation (or my logic!), some sprites are getting their textures mixed up.

@digriz
Puzzle mode mainly contains candidates for 'tutorial' levels to introduce the user to different aspects of play, atom types and so on. I'm planning for some relatively fiendish puzzles using the morph atom in particular. The challenge is to design the things. Sometimes the idea of a puzzle generator crosses my mind.. trouble is it's (a) hard to implement and (b) generates levels that lack human touch.
As for nag screens, I will very likely wrap up the game in Armadillo AsProtect or similar DRM for direct selling from my site. For potential portal versions, the portal-specific DRM should do the job.

[digriz]

i'd suggest also having a nag screen on exit screen too. Those are usually the ones that work on me. :)

[janwinnicki]

Colin: I'm fine:). Maybe solve this problem just by restarting the game after mode change.

[AVataRR]

Damn those locked balls are a real pain. I haven't run into any bugs and the game looks like it's already finished. Quite an excelent release for an alpha version. ^_^ The only thing I'd probably change is the default full-screen setting. I prefer games like this to run on windows and I don't like being forced into full screen mode the first time I execute.

[mooktown]

excellent update sharkbait, you've sorted alot of the initial niggles. This will be a cool game once the difficulty curve is in place.

ps. the pale blue atoms have a slight nasty fringe around the outside.

[Sharkbait]

@digriz:
Nag screens work well for me too.. especially seeing levels I haven't played in shoot 'em ups like Platypus. The trouble is, having Nag screens requires me creating demo and full builds, or at least, knowledge of (multiple?) DRM API's to integrate checking whether the game is still in trial or not. At the moment, the notion of a single build (or builds per portal/publisher) is more attractive from a practical development point of view.

@janwinnicki:
Problem solved this morning... I dare you find a swapped image glitch in the next release! :)

@avatarr:
I know.. ask Ben Stiller in Something About Mary ;) There are a couple of old and archived posts regarding fullscreen vs windowed mode. The general feeling, at least in the dev community, is that most prefer the game to start in fullscreen mode. Anyway, the player is given an option to switch on the first run and the mode can be switched at any time by hitting Alt-Enter, which also results in the preference being saved in the options file. I think I will stick to Fullscreen as the initial option.

@Mooktown:
Thanks.. I may have missed the pale blue ball, should be ok in the next release.

[Pogacha]

I like the game, good job!
I like the selection fxs for the cells ...
I don't like the way the menu pop-up in the start ... the picture with the main menu appears a second and then it dissapears, the same when you start a game ...
Is there a way to configure to use SDL instead of OGL(even if it's present)? Just to test SDL codepath ...

[Sharkbait]

Pogacha
Thanks.
As for the pop up.. it's in part due to the way that the game state works, but it's also intentional in a sense.. I wouldn't want the options menu to appear on a blank screen.. and it's what most games with profile popups do anyway.
There is no way to manually switch to software rendering mode (SDL) at the moment. In code, I have three modes, Hardware (only), Software and Hardware -> Software fallback. It's probably a good idea to add a command line switch to force software rendering. It might even come handy for support purposes in case a customer is having trouble with his OpenGL drivers. Another one for the ToDo list.

[Pogacha]

VERY IMPORTANT!!!
When I minimize the window and then try to restore it doesn't response anymore, I only get a black or white screen as I where in menu or game before, and the only way to close is with the task manager.
The fullscreen option doesn't respond as I want (I can go to window but not get back to fullscreen)... alt-enter does.

GL