10-15-2022, 06:09 PM
Question, did you use the keyboard or the mouse to control Guardian? I like the mouse. I would have programmed a joystick, if I had one, but the mouse is a close second, as it can cause Guardian to move and fire in any direction (based on where the pointer is in relation to the ship (relationship) and the mouse wheel controls the thrust speed.
Yeah, with just randomization, it's hard to win for a bit,and I'm actually continuing work on an AI "hunting" routine as we speak. I started that routine last night. The next effect I want to explore is a reduction of power so if you explode an enemy ship too close (within the animated blast zone.) it results in slower speed, fewer missiles, etc. Of course these two modifications benefit the aliens, and at some point, it might get too difficult to play to win, which could be balanced with something like your suggestion of using smart missiles.
One game aspect I' torn between is there are three ways this game could be coded to play. 1) No motion. 2) Motion with no stopping. 3) The combo of 1 and 2 that it currently is. Each has a different playing strategy.
I've got a list of other ideas for the game. Surprise factors, like that swarming idea you posted (hadn't thought of that one, thanks!) a mother ship, etc. all make games more unpredictable and exciting.
I feel the trick is to never over-complicate things. For instance 10 keys to control all sorts of player choices is over-kill! Oh, and remember Defender? It granted the player smart bombs for good play. That was cool, but what the developers failed to address was a player could camp out safely at the bottom of the screen, build up smart bombs, and then just keep using them. Took forever playing tit that way, but once I rolled the counter over on the Atari version using that method.
What I haven't had a good feel for is a good way to make a "high score" in this game. It's a bit like Star Master. You win or lose. The way that game determined score was by how fast you were able to win, minus the number of times you were hit. That's the best I can come up with for this game, as well.
Thanks a ton for all the graphics mechanics "how to's.". Bob mentioned he had something worked up for a rotating Guardian sprite. I don't know how much difference there would be in a SCREEN 12 version vs using _NEWMAGE. I don't think Bob has ever worked using _NEWIMAGE, but I guess a sprite is a sprite in either case.
Thanks for giving it a spin,
Pete
Yeah, with just randomization, it's hard to win for a bit,and I'm actually continuing work on an AI "hunting" routine as we speak. I started that routine last night. The next effect I want to explore is a reduction of power so if you explode an enemy ship too close (within the animated blast zone.) it results in slower speed, fewer missiles, etc. Of course these two modifications benefit the aliens, and at some point, it might get too difficult to play to win, which could be balanced with something like your suggestion of using smart missiles.
One game aspect I' torn between is there are three ways this game could be coded to play. 1) No motion. 2) Motion with no stopping. 3) The combo of 1 and 2 that it currently is. Each has a different playing strategy.
I've got a list of other ideas for the game. Surprise factors, like that swarming idea you posted (hadn't thought of that one, thanks!) a mother ship, etc. all make games more unpredictable and exciting.
I feel the trick is to never over-complicate things. For instance 10 keys to control all sorts of player choices is over-kill! Oh, and remember Defender? It granted the player smart bombs for good play. That was cool, but what the developers failed to address was a player could camp out safely at the bottom of the screen, build up smart bombs, and then just keep using them. Took forever playing tit that way, but once I rolled the counter over on the Atari version using that method.
What I haven't had a good feel for is a good way to make a "high score" in this game. It's a bit like Star Master. You win or lose. The way that game determined score was by how fast you were able to win, minus the number of times you were hit. That's the best I can come up with for this game, as well.
Thanks a ton for all the graphics mechanics "how to's.". Bob mentioned he had something worked up for a rotating Guardian sprite. I don't know how much difference there would be in a SCREEN 12 version vs using _NEWMAGE. I don't think Bob has ever worked using _NEWIMAGE, but I guess a sprite is a sprite in either case.
Thanks for giving it a spin,
Pete