[Feedback Request]: Magic December Ball (mini game)

[jankoM]

Hi,

I know I should be doing other things but I just started doing this one day and you know - you gotta finish what you start (especially if you do this instead of something you should really really finish).

Well, game is sort of mini arkanoid, but maybe a little different. I did it all in a hurry (4-5 days of work) because I really need to be doing other things.

I didn't do all I had planed for. There is no (but was planned) multiple animated backgrounds, some particle effects, more levels and a element of two more. But I think the core mechanics are as it would be later, so if this sucks that would suck too. I only plan to add sound effects and some music before release.

Download (full version in a nice ZIP) here (http://www.itmmetelko.com/storage/mdb_0.80.zip) is only 1.4MB.

Here are some screens: menu (http://www.itmmetelko.com/storage/menu.jpg) levelX (http://www.itmmetelko.com/storage/levelX.jpg)levelY (http://www.itmmetelko.com/storage/levelY.jpg)

Game was allways planned to be a "mini" and it was intended as a gift to anyone who buys Kubi on BKG in december and othervise priced $4.9 (so a gift has a value). If the gameplay variant shows fun (which I think it is) I plan to make a normal sized (better quality) game without the cristmas theme on february out of this. But now, because I didn't do all planed I will probably give it away for free.

I am interested and greately thankfull in any feedback whatsoever (fun, visuals (I made gfx for this - I am not an artist), gameplay, value). Any strange scentences? Criticism is welcome to and nicely taken :). Do you think I could still do a gift/$4.9 price thing?

I think I made it preety quick... that was because of good tools Xara Xtreme for gfx, PTK with dx now and nice irrXML.

Best regards,
Janko M.

later: Note: The game will not be called "Magic December Ball" but something else.

[DadTimesTwo]

Does inserting "December" in the middle of the title make it okay to call this game "Magic ... Ball"?

[jankoM]

DadTimesTwo: I am sorry ... The title was quickly made, Working title was "december break" but when I got that fonts that are used everywhere "december break" sounded too rude so I somehov came to adding magic in a name and from that to current name. I realized the similarity with Magic ball just as I was writing feedback request. I will change the name before release I promisse so it won't include Magic or Ball.

[DadTimesTwo]

Cool... :) Naming a game is trickier than one would think. I've been tasked with naming a few and it's always a brain buster. Who would think it would be so hard coming up with two or three words?

What about (for your game):

Holiday Ball
Winter Ball
Cool Break

... will try to think of a couple more.

[mahlzeit]

SantaNoid, of course. ;)

[jankoM]

Thank you both for name proposalls :) I will consider each of them or come up with something tomorrow. I must go to sleep right now.

[jankoM]

SantaNoid would be a fun name, but then I would have to draw some santa for it and I could barelly draw the boxy presents.

I tihink I will use "Winter" instead of "December", because "december" train is almost leaving the station. Huh I still didn't find the name last thing I was thinking was "Winter Break & Catch" ... I know I loose the romance/magic but on the other hand this name is more catchy isn't it :)

And it would show that game has other point than just break... after all the main point is catching the presents.

....

Can I ask one more question for the english speaking.... how do you normally call those packages "gifts" or "presents" or something else?

regards... any feedback on the actual game would be welcome too. Is the game too hard - should I give 5 balls/lives instead of 3? (if you would like to check out all 23 levels press keys C + N to get to the next level (but the ball has to be in the air for that - the instructions at the beginning must yet disappear).
Janko M.

[Sharpfish]

Can I ask one more question for the english speaking.... how do you normally call those packages "gifts" or "presents" or something else?


We use both (in England which is the motherland of the language you speak of ;) )

However I say "Christmas Presents" more often, but "Gifts" may be snappier and more universal for your game (and US audience?)

rgds

[dntoll]

I love it!

[jankoM]

Thank you Sharpfish for clearing it out for me. I will use gift now... I thougth it wasn't exactly the right word but present (present perfect, present simple... from english class) didn't sound that good to me too.

hi dntoll, Thanks for your short but sweet feedback :) It means even more because it comes from the maker of Time Breaker to me.

regards,
Janko M.

[jankoM]

(I will use Leper's tactics because it seems to work :) )
So, anyone want to share what they think??

[mahlzeit]

Some quick feedback: the animation was occasionally jerky for me. (FPS fluctuated between 55 and 60.)

I don't like the way it captures your mouse. If you move the mouse out of the window, the mouse pointer appears again but you can't really do anything with it.

If you click the window-close-X (from the intro screen), nothing happens. But if you then click inside the window to start a new game, it's all messed up. Looks like a bug.

Other than that, it's a nice little game. Nothing special. It should work well as a bonus gift (but it needs at least soundfx).

[DadTimesTwo]

I like this game. I wish the gifts and snowballs were a little smaller and would like the playing window to be a little bigger, though. Also, more visual variety would be nice (different kinds of presents and so on). I'd add a few bells whistles, too, like snowflakes drifting in the background. I know that's hardly original, but the little touches add up. :) Good luck with it!

[jankoM]

wow Leper, your technique works - I will do this all the time now :) ... so...

mahlzeit:
Some quick feedback: the animation was occasionally jerky for me. (FPS fluctuated between 55 and 60.)
I havent yet figured out why is that but it's happening here sometimes too but sometimes not (but my computer is getting jerky by default - I have to figure out reason for that also). The speed of it all is dependant of FPS in this version. Helpfull to know that this is not just my comp's problem. It's funny that I notice this fluctuations in all levels... no matter if they have 3 or 40 objects in them. I will solve this for that serious version of the game.

I don't like the way it captures your mouse. If you move the mouse out of the window, the mouse pointer appears again but you can't really do anything with it.
Because of your suggestion I made the mouse friendlier now, it is only hidden and captured durin actual gameplay and visible freed in all other screens. It feels much better now (more normal to close app with [x] and click on the screen...). I have to caprure the mouse during gameplay or you would accidentally click around and defocus the game window (which happened to me and was really annoying) . I tried function that should clip the pointer to window only but it didn't work so I did it manually (that's why mouse breaks the window if you move it very fast out)

If you click the window-close-X (from the intro screen), nothing happens. But if you then click inside the window to start a new game, it's all messed up. Looks like a bug.
Yes that was a bug. Thanks for pointing it out, it's fixed now.

Other than that, it's a nice little game. Nothing special. It should work well as a bonus gift (but it needs at least soundfx).
Sfx added :). Thanks for your not so quick but extensive feedback a LOT!

I like this game. I wish the gifts and snowballs were a little smaller and would like the playing window to be a little bigger, though.
Thanks :). Now that you said it I will try smaller "bricks" when I will be making real game out of it. It seems possible to me that then there would have to be greater number of "bricks" and maybe they would become too hard to catch and duck. On the other hand you said "a little" and maybe I should do that, because if I want 100levels for example I need more variety and so more space for objects to place on and I get all this with smaller objects.

Also, more visual variety would be nice (different kinds of presents and so on). I'd add a few bells whistles, too, like snowflakes drifting in the background. I know that's hardly original, but the little touches add up.
I am happy to agree... this now is really a quick mini game (5 days of work (ok 6 now to find that 5 little sfx-s :o )). I would like to made all that but I had to cut and finish it because before I could make all that - december would be finished and all the gifts would be unwrapped. But as I said I will start making a normal sized game in february (without cristmas theme) and then I hope to make all the bells, whistles and horns

Good luck with it! Thanks a lot, and thanks for the feedback!

I decided to go with the name "Winter Break & Catch" now. I made a version with some fixes, sfx and a new name... You can download the game or at least look at the new screenshots to hear the sound effects here http://itmmetelko.com/storage/ (ok, joking) or if you wan't direct download http://itmmetelko.com/storage/wbc_0.90.zip (1.4MB zip, no installation needed, ful version)

[jankoM]

I have a total mess because RAID field destruction happened to my hosting provider and after moving us to another server I have some PEAR error on all my websites and they just don't send me the new passwords so I could get there and fix it..... so while I am waiting for their support to respond (and getting crazy)I quickly put Winter Break & Catch inside OSAKit Demo. If anyone is bored and wants to catch some gifts in his browser surf to //deleted - look below// (my site at other host). If there are any errors or strange behaviour please tell me. It works totaly unchanged without any problems in in 3 different computers. OSAKit is ActiveX so you need IE.

[jankoM]

Real OSAKit (not demo) now and on a different location - ok and some adsense :) . Let me just repeat... that this is free game not a demo so welcome to play.

http://itmmetelko.com/fun_games/winter_break_catch/