ShellShock, a game being developed for BYOAC

[unclet]

Ok, it works for me and I love how the tanks roll around.

One thing though ....I now see how the display zooms in and out as I get closer to the other tank.   This made me feel dizzy and I had to stop.    Perhaps it is just me, but my eyes are feeling weird and I could not do it anymore.   Same reason why I can not play 1st person shooters.   Halo, Doom, etc..  all get me feeling ill after a very short time.   Unless you make it so the entire board can be seen at once or allow the background to scroll without zooming in/out (perhaps an option to allow for this?) then I am afraid I will be unable to play this when it is done.  My head is still spinning as I type.   I need to go get a drink.

Of course you are not designing this for me, so go right ahead with your plans, but I thought I would mention it. 

[Pongo]

Of course you are not designing this for me, so go right ahead with your plans, but I thought I would mention it.

Actually, I *am* designing this for you, and everyone else that will potentially play it. If it helps, there will be a "fixed camera" option that will show the whole board all the time. This has been requested already, so it's on my list.

[saint]

Haven't played the demo, but I have the same problem as Unclet. I can't play or even watch someone play an FPS without getting nauseous in less than 10 seconds. Really a bummer

[unclet]

Actually, I *am* designing this for you, and everyone else that will potentially play it. If it helps, there will be a "fixed camera" option that will show the whole board all the time. This has been requested already, so it's on my list.

Well then, I will just watch this thread and see what comes of it .... thanks.

If it's too nauseating, then you're too old.

I just told my kids the other day, that when I was younger there were no such things as remotes of televisions .... you actually had to get up and change the channel manually .... yes, they think I am old as well   

[protokatie]

Small control option idea for you to add. Since you are going to have programmable controls, maybe allow for a simple 2 button version that allows one to hold down on accelerate while pushing the joy back to go backwards. I would imagine that this would be an easy add in option (maybe in the menu or the INI file) and would allow people who made bar-top or cocktail cabs to play it. (Last I checked most of those types of cabs had two buttons)

Hell maybe even have a set of 3 or 4 types of input (including the up/down turret buttons as well as two button mode) that can be selected based on cab type and or preference.

Just my 2 cents. Cant wait to get my hands on a beta of it...

EDIT:
Also, have you thought about a one player version? I know AI is a B + itch to do but I though up a few quick and dirty things that can be used for 1 player mode:

"I am mouse" mode would have the AI tank chases you (with an understanding that walls are in front of it, and wont wait until it hits a wall before turning)

"I am Cat" mode would would have you chase the AI tank around a circuit (with turn points that the AI tank takes randomly) In this mode if you get hit by the AI tank (bullet or contact) you die.

"Drat, we are entrenched!" mode, where both tanks are placed in a "random" location and you can only rotate and adjust turret angle...

Just a few more ideas.. Would be good to have some kind of 1 player version....

[rovingmind]

i know this isnt going to be a MAME application (or at least i'm assuming so) ...

Will this be command line? so it can be entered and exit back into Mala or somesuch?

[Pongo]

I'm not sure how this will work with a front-end. It is a simple .exe file, so maybe someone can answer better than I can. If there is something I need to do I will look into it.

Combining 2 controls like that is do-able, but will mess with the control code quite a bit. I think it may be easier to make a special version that does this, rather than an all-in-one version. This could be the sort of thing available on request when things are more finalized.

About the AI,... I have thought about it, and the code is being written to support it. The first game release (not test) will just be 2 player only, and from there I will be able to add more players, including AI players. Ideally, it will play 4 players, with the option of any of the tanks being AI controlled, so you could play against a friend and also have 2 CPU tanks.

[SGT]

i know this isnt going to be a MAME application (or at least i'm assuming so) ...

Will this be command line? so it can be entered and exit back into Mala or somesuch?

Mala and the vast majority of front-ends can handle standalone executables like this just fine.

[protokatie]

Pongo, cools. But still you havent PMed me with an EXE for me to play with...

I will like to help in the future, since this is a cool concept, but without a "crying smiley" I  cant cry at you for not sending me a pm (IE one with an EXE file ;P)

[Pongo]

PM sent.

I'm done for the night now,... progress report.

I've got the firing code working outside of the game, but I'm breaking something when I plug it in right now. I'm missing some transformation and the shell is going crazy (as am I) Hopefully it will make more sense after some sleep.

[RetroBorg]

Can you give this game an arcade feeling to it by including the following:

Make it so you have to insert coin(s) to play.

Top 10 high scores which you enter by controlling a crosshair around an alphabet and blasting the chosen letters, selecting just 3 initials, with standard time countdown of course.

Display the top score on the screen while playing.

Once you select the game from a frontend it goes straight into an attract mode that includes the following:

Starts with a title screen (something like headkaze's picture but with rotating tank).

Followed by a demo skirmish of the tanks ending with one of the tanks being destroyed.

Then goes to a high score list.

Then you would probably want to have a screen that says designed and programmed by Pongo etc.

And don't forget to add "Say no to drugs" screen.

Then looping back to start.

All the screens should have "Insert Coin(s)" flashing.

It would be good to have the game options adjustable by tab button like in mame, you could include the following:

Map your joystick and buttons.

Select camera mode (fixed or zoom).

Select cabaret or cocktail mode (so the scores can be displayed on both top and bottom of screen etc).

Select vertical or horizontal screen (some mame cabs have vertical screens and some have horizontal screens, it would be cool if this game was playable on both screen orientations).

Another option that would be cool would be an option to submit high score files to a web site and the ability to download a world top ten list which can be displayed in the game. The game would display two high score lists one that shows high scores for your machine and another for the world top ten.

Anyway just a few suggestions, keep up the hard work Pongo and I'm looking forward to the next demo.

Retro

[unclet]

Mala and the vast majority of front-ends can handle standalone executables like this just fine.

As long as the keyboard keys can be remapped accordingly and any "special" settings can be entered via the command line.

For example:   c:\myGames\ShellShocked.exe -fullscreen -frameRate60 -etc -etc

 
Also, it would be nice if ESC was used for exiting the game, although I think it exits like this already ...

[patrickl]

Yes, remappable controls would be a must have to make it playable on all the BYOAC cabinets with their different control panels.

[polaris]

The good news is that all the controls will be configurable, so you will easily be able to set it up that way if you wish. (This will be in place for the next build hopefully later this week)

angles)

[Pongo]

The config stuff will be similar to this,... an editable text file.

---screen resolution
screen_w=1024
screen_h=768
fullscreen=1

---Player 1 controls
P1_up=200
P1_down=208
P1_left=203
P1_right=205
P1_fire=57
P1_accel=29
P1_reverse=56

---Player 2 controls
P2_up=19
P2_down=33
P2_left=32
P2_right=34
P2_fire=35
P2_accel=30
P2_reverse=31

Those numbers refer to the keycodes used. I will supply another file that lists the keycodes. This will also eventually be something that can be set by using the tab key and pressing the appropriate button, so you will not need to look up the codes.

The game refresh rate is locked at 60fps, slow machines that cannot maintain 60fps will play the game a bit slow without skipping any frames. Requirements are quite low, so I don't know how old you can go before slowdown occurs.

I will try to go through all these suggestions soon and build up a list of what is in, what is out, what is hopeful,...etc.

[Pongo]

Quick update for anyone following this:

shells are now working. I found that I had flipped some x and z coordinates that were screwing things up. At this point I have hit the goals that I wanted for this next build, but I want to clean things up a bit more before sending it out. Right now I'm looking at a Friday or Monday release, depending on how much other stuff gets in the way. This release will be a full public release again,... and this time it should stick around until the next version is out.

This release will give you a much better idea of how things will play, since you will be able to shoot.

When I first got the shell code in and working, it felt a bit rigid, so I have made the shot strength increase as you move the barrel up. This seems to give you a better range of close to far shots, and keeps things simple. This, along with everything else, is subject to change. We'll see what everyone thinks of it in a few days.



 

[polaris]

top stuff looking forward to it.


further thoughts;
don't think ive seen mention of damage yet , is it gonna be energy bars or something?
are we looking to decide that?
could be the next thing to discuss here.

[Pongo]

To be honest, I'm not sure about that yet, so I guess it's to be decided.

It will depend a bit on how hard people find the firing and aiming to be.

A couple of possibilities.
1. Direct hit only,... one hit = kill
2. Direct hit,... 3 hits and you're out (Tank would show sparks or drive odd when damaged)
3. Blast Damage radius,... you would take damage to health based on distance from blast.
4. other?

[polaris]

someone mentioned ammo turning into mines .with a lower damage level when they hit the floor and with a power bar, it could be a matter of a tactical decision to drive through mines or not, taking the hit to get the chance to sneak in behind the opponent.
maybe a limit of bullets too, as you shoot number 11 the first mine then disappears.
 

[protokatie]

as you shoot number 11 the first mine then disappears

Or maybe as you shoot number 11, it makes the first mine blow up with a larger explosion than it normally would have, thus potentially hurting one of the players near the mine. Would even be cool if exploding mines could set off nearby mines in a cascade type of effect...

[rovingmind]

as you shoot number 11 the first mine then disappears

Or maybe as you shoot number 11, it makes the first mine blow up with a larger explosion than it normally would have, thus potentially hurting one of the players near the mine. Would even be cool if exploding mines could set off nearby mines in a cascade type of effect...

That can be a very effective trap,  like in the flash game "The Rooms"  especially since it can backfire on you

[Pongo]

Hmmm,... to mine or not to mine?

I'm a bit on the fence on this one. I originally thought of putting them in here, but now I'm not sure for several reasons. Please discuss.
1. Simplicity,... the game already uses 3 buttons. Adding another may limit some cabinets.
2. They may not be needed, depending on how the action is with the shells.
3. I could see the unexploded shells working, but currently there are a LOT of shells, so it couldn't be all of them.

Let's see what you think of the new release when it's available. It's really soon,... I just sent out a few private versions to make sure I haven't missed anything big.

Oh,... should I start a new thread with the next release? something with a more appropriate title?

[polaris]

you can change the name of this thread.

ok i had a go.
wicked , love the shooting animation. the action of the shooting is cool. increasing angle increasing distance, all good.

tanks are really slow compared to last version.

thoughts for the future development, we need an incentive for people to not just sit there shelling, a third party as it were.


 

[SGT]

Let's see what you think of the new release when it's available. It's really soon,... I just sent out a few private versions to make sure

If I don't get see a download link soon, I'm going to pout. 

[Pongo]

Well, since you were going to pout I decided to send you the link. 

Everyone else will have to wait though. I'll try to get it up for tomorrow.

Also, I looked at the code, and the tank speed should be the same as the first version. The camera was changed so that it moves a bit smoother, and it stays backed out a bit more. Also, the first test had the checker floor so you saw the movement more.

All of this is open to change, so if everyone thinks it needs to be sped up,... it will be.

[polaris]

hmm
could be an issue on my pc spose.
 just timed the tanks driving from one side to the other on my metronome

ver 1 20 clicks
ver 2 30 clicks

[Pongo]

Looks like you are right. I took a look through the older code. The speed number hasn't changed, but the drag number did. That determines how much the tank coasts after letting go of the button, and also affects top speed a bit.

Tank speed and turning speed are not values I want to put in the config, but was thinking about adding a handicapping system in. This would make one tank drive slower than the other to even things out. I could set up the maximum speed, and then use a handicapping number to slow down things.

[patrickl]

Handicapping sounds like a good idea. Would be nice to be able to choose the competence level of the AI opponents.

This sounds like a nice game for the kids too, but the really small ones (like my 4 year old) need everything super easy. Otherwise they just die all the time and get frustrated. Slowing the opponent down a lot should help.

Would make it more interesting in a father son match too 

Can't wait to try the next release. I've been playing Wii Play Tanks! on my Wii, but your game looks a lot cooler 

[protokatie]

thoughts for the future development, we need an incentive for people to not just sit there shelling, a third party as it were.

Got a simple idea, if the mine concept is out, a way to increase incentive to move around would be to have random colored squares that pop up that you have to drive to and over. You could have one color to make the opponent not be able to fire for 10 seconds (and therefore has to be defencive) and another that makes your weapon more powerful. Just these random tiles popping up would force a "race to get to it first" scenario, and prolly wouldnt be hard to implement in code.

[Pongo]

mines are not definitely out, but let's see how things play first. Also the limited button configuration may cause issues. My own CP has 6 buttons/player, but I'm trying to design this for 3.

Something I have thought about to make players move around, are airstrikes. If you sit still for a certain amount of time, an aircraft could fly over and drop a load on you.

Oh, and by the way I let my kids test this last night,... they played for an hour with no issues. One is 3 and the other is 5. The 3 year old didn't really know what was going on, but she had fun shooting in a circle. My 5 year old boy was really into it though!

[patrickl]

Oh, and by the way I let my kids test this last night,... they played for an hour with no issues. One is 3 and the other is 5. The 3 year old didn't really know what was going on, but she had fun shooting in a circle. My 5 year old boy was really into it though!

Ah great. My boy is 4 and he loves to play games, but many games are just a tad too difficult.

Here's hoping that this weekend there is a new release 

[protokatie]

Something I have thought about to make players move around, are airstrikes. If you sit still for a certain amount of time, an aircraft could fly over and drop a load on you.

Although a good idea, it seems too contrived to me, also it removes the idea that one could make a tactical move to stay put and let the other guy get the upgrade. (IE holding ground to see how the other is going to move toward the "colored" square). Plus I like the aspect of my idea that would cause a race that would basically make the opponents get into tight quarters (and thus have a major fire fight)

Basically: A colored square appears

your choices:

1. Race towards it and get it if other decides to hold ground

2. hold ground and observe the other and maybe put yourself into a better position as they race toward the upgrade

3. Both race towards it and end up in a close quarters for a mighty fire fight that involves quick reactions over planning (as the other aspect of the game would be stratagy and positioning and precision aiming)


Just my opinion, as I see randomly throwing stuff at you for not moving too contrived, and like the idea of an "aiming session" being broken up by a mad dash!

[Pongo]

Sounds reasonable.

I just finished adding in the static camera option, so Version .002 is now complete. I'm very happy with the way it's working right now, and I hope you guys enjoy playing it and offer feedback for the next release.

I also added some basic collisions to the shells tonight, so if you get hit your tank will spin around a bit and a blast of yellow particles shoots out. It's possible to shoot straight through a tank since the collision is only checked when it hits the ground, but it gets most of the "hits". This is obviously work in progress, but I wanted you to know when you were hitting the target for sure.

It's late now, and I need to finish a readme still, so it will be posted tomorrow. Last tease, I promise.

[Pongo]

Here it is,... version .02a
http://arcadecontrols.com/files/Games/ShellShock002a.zip

Check the Readme for info.

You can change the screen mode and keys used in data/config.ini
You can find the keycodes in the game by pressing tab. You will be able to change everything from the tab menu eventually, but for now it has to be done manually.

Thanks to Saint for the space to put this.

Have fun, leave feedback here.

[AtomSmasher]

Runs great on my machine.  Theres no one else around, so I can't really test the playability of the game, but I definately like what I see so far.

[youki]

Very Nice!   

It works very well on my machine too.

[polaris]

its looking great, the speed seems back up now (not got the metronome out yet  )
like the way the tanks spin on impact too.

i do seem to be getting a bit of lag but my pc is probably clogged up with ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, its random so it would make sense its my pc being stupid.

 

[SGT]

Runs excellent on my machine.  Good job Pongo! 

[unclet]

Runs good on my machine ..... except I still get dizzy due to the zooming    ..... but it works!

[fatfingers]

I also had some performance issues on my work machine -- but I also have performance issues running MAME and mspacman on that machine.   

Also, it seems that if you back yourself up against a wall and hit the fire button as fast as you possibly can eventually the firing degrades to a point that the shells go nowhere and explode on top of you and all sorts of screwy graphics ensue.  Not sure if that was the intended effect or not, but I thought it was rather odd.

Nice work!