Great Exploitations

How do you use the pans? I can't throw them or hit the fire creatures with them when I pick one up.

How do you use the pans? I can't throw them or hit the fire creatures with them when I pick one up.

Move up to throw. They will go the direction you are moving (or the last direction you moved.) Throwing while jumping can add a little inertia to them.

Throw up. Got it.

 

Question #2, how are you supposed to collect the balloons that are completely trapped within the walls? I've jumped at them from every-which-way, and can't touch them.

 

Throw up. Got it.

 

Question #2, how are you supposed to collect the balloons that are completely trapped within the walls? I've jumped at them from every-which-way, and can't touch them.

 

They are designed to be difficult to get. The hardest one is on the left wall of the mantle (yes, that's a mantle, don't laugh) and you can get it by standing as far right as you can on bump on the table, and executing several jumps while holding right. I can get it just about every time now, but it took a good deal of playtesting.

 

The other just requires a carefully timed jump from the mantle, though you can get it from the chair as well. Actually, much of the game relies on jumping skill that you can only obtain after playing for a while.

neat, but frustrating

The third level is seriously tickin' me off. Being able to duck would help immeasurably.

 

Either that, or being able to shoot that %$@#! bird.

Being able to duck would help immeasurably.

Same thought here, though I'm still on level 2

The third level is seriously tickin' me off. Being able to duck would help immeasurably.

Amazing how that idea escaped me. Joystick down is not used, so why not?

 

Tell you what, design a ducking sprite and I'll put it in. The gingerbread man sprite is 6x10, so maybe 6x5 or 6x6?

Either that, or being able to shoot that %$@#! bird.

The bird was designed to frustrate The bird is the shark. I read something about every game needing one. Not sure where I read that, maybe about Go Fish!?

 

But you can get some of those frustrations out on the boss level where you can shoot the bird

Just played a few minutes (at the office ). Damn, this is tough!!! Can you please post some screenshot s of the other levels. Or better, make them selectable.

 

BTW: Never heared about that Gingerbread Man story. Can anybody please explain?

Neat!

 

Given the subject matter, have you considered putting in a selectable child's version of the game. Maybe only 5 screens and a lot easier?

Here's the story:

 

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/stories/gingerbread.htm

 

I could make a child's option.

 

Also, if people are having trouble getting the balloon on the left side of the mantle, I can move it one pixel to the left for levels 2 and 6 and back to the place it is now for levels 10 and 14.

Also, if people are having trouble getting the balloon on the left side of the mantle, I can move it one pixel to the left for levels 2 and 6 and back to the place it is now for levels 10 and 14.

I think moving it a pixel over is a good idea. I can get it, but it only seems to work about every 1 out of 3 or 4 tries.

Amazing how that idea escaped me. Joystick down is not used, so why not?

 

Tell you what, design a ducking sprite and I'll put it in. The gingerbread man sprite is 6x10, so maybe 6x5 or 6x6?

 

Here are a couple (I tried about a half-dozen before settling on these):

 

6x7:

 

6x8:

 

6x6 just looked too blobby, but if you need it that short, I'll take another shot at it. In most cases (at least so far) it seems like just being able to duck a couple of pixels would be enough.

Here are a couple (I tried about a half-dozen before settling on these):

 

Tried them both, and 6x8 looks better while maintaining the utility of ducking. As for the balloons, I made them larger and hollow for levels 2 and 6, and used the smaller solid balloons for later levels so it's obvious that something has changed.

 

I wish you could attach files to blog comments Oh well, main entry will soon be edited to add changed binary.

The ducking helps a lot!

 

Still want to kill that bird though.

 

Violently. Rending it limb from limb, then watching as it's body flops around helplessly on the floor, as the cats tear it apart while it shrieks in terror, as it watches itself being eaten alive. And as it lies there, gasping its last breath, all of the agony it has brought others in its lifetime comes back to revisit it, torturing it one last time, before the cold, bony hand of death finally extinguishes its miserable life, once and for all.

 

But yeah, the ducking is good.

Ducking helps a lot. I was able to get to level 4, but had no idea what to do. I can get the leaf, and assume the exposed tree roots are the trampolines but can't get to the worms or figure out how to do anything with the leaf.

The ducking helps a lot!

 

Still want to kill that bird though.

 

Violently. Rending it limb from limb, then watching as it's body flops around helplessly on the floor, as the cats tear it apart while it shrieks in terror, as it watches itself being eaten alive. And as it lies there, gasping its last breath, all of the agony it has brought others in its lifetime comes back to revisit it, torturing it one last time, before the cold, bony hand of death finally extinguishes its miserable life, once and for all.

 

But yeah, the ducking is good. ;)

Methinks the boss level will be a bit bittersweet... You'll see why

Ducking helps a lot. I was able to get to level 4, but had no idea what to do. I can get the leaf, and assume the exposed tree roots are the trampolines but can't get to the worms or figure out how to do anything with the leaf.

Try getting the leaf and jumping on the roots/trampolines.

I tried that - the leaf just disappeared.

 

I'll try it again tonight to see if I can figure out what I didn't notice yesterday

I tried that - the leaf just disappeared.

 

I'll try it again tonight to see if I can figure out what I didn't notice yesterday

Let me know if you figure it out... I'd like to know that someone could pick up this game without a manual and figure out what to do!

 

BTW, my analogy works now... here's a pic of my backyard, taken 10 minutes ago!

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?a...ach&id=1812

I finally got to the tree. I'm stuck where Darrell is. No idea what I'm supposed to do. It's certainly not obvious to me.

 

One thing that would help ease the frustration level greatly, is not having to start over each level from scratch when you die. I hate that. If the player must be penalized, how about restoring just the last obstacle they conquered, instead of all of them?

I finally got to the tree. I'm stuck where Darrell is. No idea what I'm supposed to do. It's certainly not obvious to me.

 

One thing that would help ease the frustration level greatly, is not having to start over each level from scratch when you die. I hate that. If the player must be penalized, how about restoring just the last obstacle they conquered, instead of all of them?

I was thinking of adding a continue feature. With each game you'd get maybe 4 lives, and the screen you are on wouldn't reset unless you lost all of them. After that you could continue but you'd need to start the level over (but not the whole game.) Lots of games work like that.

 

The score could change color to help distinguish continued games from those played from the start. You would not be allowed to continue on the final boss level.

 

Regarding the 4th screen, note what the tree root does when you jump on it with a leaf.

I was thinking of adding a continue feature. With each game you'd get maybe 4 lives, and the screen you are on wouldn't reset unless you lost all of them. After that you could continue but you'd need to start the level over (but not the whole game.) Lots of games work like that.

 

The approach I used on Toyshop Trouble, which I think is a good one, is that a person may practice up to the highest level reached in non-practice mode. Thus, hacking away at a level until one can clear it by chance isn't likely to get one through the game very fast, since in non-practice mode one would have to play through all earlier levels to reach the last one, while in practice mode clearing a level by chance won't accomplish anything. The only way to make real progress is to practice a level until it can be completed somewhat consistently, and then run through all the levels including that one.

 

Admittedly, the approach can be a bit annoying in a game of 24 levels, but should be well-suited to a game of 6-12.

Figured out the leaf thing. Now I just have to do it enough times without the #%@! bird getting me.

 

A thought regarding the first pass through the levels... how about limiting the bird to outside the house, and the outside areas around the trees (not inside next to the pine)?

 

Or post an update with the continue feature?

 

I think the bird on the 3rd screen should be removed and added back on the higher level versions of that screen - I've had enough frustrations for one night and will try to get to the 4th screen again tomorrow.

If I'm going to continue play-testing this, I'm going to use save-states. I'm fed up with always having to start from scratch on the third and fourth levels.