Project AL
A downloadable game for Windows and Linux
A simple platformer for the Linux Game Jam 2018. The theme was Versatile Verbs, so, in that spirit, AL (the player character) can usually do multiple things with only a few controls. This is an open source game. The repository can be found here if interested.
While AL has "life" and a "score" value, I did not have time to display them on the screen. AL will die if taking too much damage.
The game works with both keyboard and gamepad (I tested on a PS4 controller, but an XBox One controller should work just as well)
Couple small hints that didn't make it into game...
- Double tapping left or right will cause AL to dash. While dashing, AL is invincible and not effected by gravity
- AL can jump a little higher if jumping from crouch.
- Look for blocks with a very subtle pulsing effect. If AL dashes into them while in Ball form (holding down crouch), AL can break them, revealing secret areas.
This prototype was created using the Godot 3.0.2 engine over one weeks time. All code and graphics are made by me. All music and sound effects were obtained from creative common sources. Please check the CREDITS file for attributions!
UPDATE: Camera offset has been significantly reduced.
POST JAM UPDATE: Released a version 1.01 which fixes a small bug with trying to morph from ball to AL while on spikes. ALSO, adjusted (down) the delay time between directional button presses needed to initiate a dash... seeing as a few people had issues with it.
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Comments
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Once I got a grip on the controls (all the tips flashed way too fast for me), I was surprised at the depth of the mechanics; a tad clunky but clearly well thought out with the map design. Well done :D
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!! As for the tips... they stick around if you don't move... not the best of ideas, perhaps. I'll come up with something better next time :)
Saw comments about the camera, I found it a bit disorienting. If the camera stayed focused on the character, it would probably be better.
Other than the camera, though... I like this game!
While the camera offset was intentional, I updated the program to significantly reduce the offset. Hopefully this should reduce most of the issues.
seemed interesting (somewhat) until I tried playing and the camera made it nearly impossible to do anything at all - by just the 2nd level I gave up because the horrible cam. Plz redo and reupload and I'll play :) Looks good tho - cool jam project
May I ask what the camera was doing to make it unplayable? All it should be doing is shifting a little ahead of the character when changing directions.
It would shift when the player changes directions - but it changed all the way to the other side of the screen . . basically - it changed so much that the player appeared to be teleporting or something from one side of screen to the other - .. although it clearly wasn't of course - just the cam pos jumped too far. It might be worth noting that this may be because I tried playing on my 4k monitor and not a smaller one - so the distance /width of my screen might be too big for 4k w how it's coded.
it might be the resolution. The game is technically being rendered at only 320x240, and the camera is coded to move only 48 pixels in front of the player. Upscaled to 4k, that could, indeed be the problem. Not sure how to fix that in only a couple hours. I do not have a 4k screen to test with.
I'm not sure what you made the game with.. but I'd say if you're using an engine or anything that can get a reference to the screen width (Gamemaker or Unity for ex) - then you could set it according to screen width / 2.. or something similar.
I'm using Godot, but I'm explicitly upscaling the render to the window size. I wanted it to render at 320x240 to keep the tiles and character small.