Ynxa - Leaf and the Guardians of Time (my LynxJam23 entry)

[Fadest]

This is very early version of what could potentially be Ynxa 2 (did you noticed all the conditional in this sentence  )

 

This small game was made for the LynxJam 23, using the tileset provided by @Igor (so this means every game from the LynxJam will have something in common graphically, but different gameplays).

 

So this is a spiritual successor to Ynxa, because Leaf is back, this time in her real form

Spoiler

If you finished Ynxa, you already know Leaf is in fact an Elf princess, if you did finished it, you got spolied, sorry

 

Again, you will have to use wisely 3 characters and powers. This time, it is:

• In the past: Grandma, the magician grandmother of Leaf, she can rearrange the temples, by sliding the rooms (if there is one empty room in the temple)
• In the present: Leaf herself has the ability to teleport from one room to another (but only a limited number of times per level)
• In the future: Ether, the spirit of Leaf, it has the ability to slide and is not subject to gravity. It can also go into darkness without dying.

 

Did I say Grandma and Leaf will die soon after entering the darkness ?

 

 

This time, the game is a succession of levels/puzzles, there is no back story yet (so the Guradian of Time, the past, the present, the future are just some notion to make the game feel nicer than just a collection of puzzle, but it is also the basis for the expansion of the game, if it happens one day)

 

You can download the game here:

Ynxa - Leaf and the Guardians of Time by Fadest / Yastuna Games (itch.io)

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

ZeroPage Homebrew is playing every LYNX JAM 2023 ENTRY including Ynxa - Leaf and the Guardians of Time tomorrow's ZPH stream LIVE on Twitch! Hope you can join us!

 

Tue Jan 16, 2024 | LIVE @ 6PM PT | 9PM ET | 2AM GMT+1Day

WATCH LIVE: https://twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/

WATCH LATER: https://youtube.com/zeropagehomebrew/

 

Games:

• Chasm Warden (2023 WIP | Lynx) by Igor Kromin @Igor
• Dungeddon (2023 WIP | Lynx) by Paul Lay @playsoft
• Escape From Dungeon of Deja Vu (2023 WIP | Lynx) by Bjorn Nah @Bjorn
• Final Melee (2023 WIP | Lynx) by Gisberto Rondinella @Nop90
• Fortress Fighter (2023 WIP | Lynx) by Aaron Hitchcock  @thegoodwillgamer
• Grogger (2023 WIP Port | Lynx) by Brian Peek @peekb
• Hero Dust (2023 WIP | Lynx) by KanedaFr  @KanedaFr
• Rainbow (2023 WIP | Lynx) by Karri Kaksonen @karri
• Running Knight (2023 WIP | Lynx) by drludos @drludos
• Silly Archery (2023 WIP | Lynx) by Frédéric Descharmes @Fadest(Code) / Sampo Rintanen @Turbo Laser Lynx (Music)
• "Untitled Sword Shooter" (2023 WIP Port | Lynx) by 42Bastian Schick @42bs
• Ynxa - Leaf and the Guardians of Time (2023 WIP | Lynx) by Frédéric Descharmes @Fadest

 

[Fadest]

Just add a quick look at the replay this morning (without sound). It seems you got stucked in the 3rd tutorial level with Leaf.

When you are on the map, you can select the destination room, then press A to teleport Leaf. When you go back to the gameplay display, Leaf is now in the new room...

 

I should add some comments in the inter-mission screens (also Ether can slide in the 4 directions), but the memory is full, adding something means removing something else or get corruption on screen.

Next version will no more be a BLL only game but a full ROM, so many things will be stored in the ROM (levels, spritesheet for each character, intermission screens, ...) and only loaded when needed so it will save RAM and allow me to put a bit more things into the game.

[Fadest]

Just actually saw you got problems with going back from the map, this is something I have never encounter on real Lynx or emulator. What kind or joystick are you using ? Is it a direct connection to the Lynx rubber pad ?
Will try to find one of my modified Lynx to test it with a pad also, but your problem is very strange... Looks like when you press the button, the Lynx receive many input (maybe false contact ?)

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

10 hours ago, Fadest said:

Just actually saw you got problems with going back from the map, this is something I have never encounter on real Lynx or emulator. What kind or joystick are you using ? Is it a direct connection to the Lynx rubber pad ?
Will try to find one of my modified Lynx to test it with a pad also, but your problem is very strange... Looks like when you press the button, the Lynx receive many input (maybe false contact ?)

 

I was baffled too during the broadcast why this was happening. One thing I didn't try was to use the buttons on the Lynx itself. Every other game I played that night worked perfectly as well as level 1 & 2 of your game . My custom controller was made by @doubledown and it emulates the wiring of an SMS controller (also compatible) and I believe the buttons and directions are directly wired to each of the buttons on the Lynx.

 

I just gave the game another play and the buttons on the Lynx work perfectly but the buttons on the controller are intermittent. So very strange! This definitely points to the controller being the issue, but it only happens on level 3 and only on your game?? That's EXTREMELY weird.

 

Any clues @doubledown on why the buttons on the controller are intermittent but only on this level and only on this game?

 

- James

 

EDIT: Okay, some more interesting developments, I've played the game some more and here's my results, including information about the Joystick directions as something strange is happening with them as well. Now I don't know what to think.

 

- Button A:

Level 1) NOT USED

Level 2) Works perfectly

Level 3) Terrible

Level 3) NOT USED

 

- Button B (Map):

Level 1) Works perfectly

Level 2) Not great

Level 3) Terrible

Level 4) Terrible

 

- Joystick Directions:

Level 1) Works perfectly

Level 2) Works perfectly

Level 3) Works perfectly

Level 4) Perfect in gameplay / Terrible on map screen

 

 

 

 

 

[doubledown]

19 minutes ago, ZeroPage Homebrew said:

Any clues @doubledown on why the buttons on the controller are intermittent but only on this level and only on this game?

For it to be weird on one game, and then only one level...it would be hard to think its an issue with the controller...but I'm sure stranger things have happened.  So when playing last night on the Lynx, you had the controller's rotary selector switch turned to B2...to assign the 2nd button, as B2 (which is either A or B on the Lynx), and did you test it in both states of the side-mounted pushbutton switch?  I can't remember if you determined previously if there was ever any interference with your Lynx with this controller when it was in 2-button mode...if memory serves, when used with a Lynx, the state of the side mounted mode switch had no effect, as all it does is disconnect Pin 7 and it's resistor, which your Lynx shouldn't even have access to, as I believe there is no wire connected to its Pin 7.  The only difference in wiring from that controller and say an SMS pad...which are made to work with your consolized Lynx, is that the SMS control pad, is all wiring and contact switches, no electronics of any kind...and the one I built has 1 resistor...for playing 2-button 2600/8-Bit games...but again, this resistor is disconnected when in 1 button mode...but 1-button / 2-button mode should only be with regards to a 2600 or 8-bit...not as an SMS controller for the Lynx...it's state shouldn't matter...but I would verify with each state.  Again, making sure the rotary selector switch is set to B2.  Only other test would be to check with an SMS control pad, to see how it reacts.  even if the directions of your SMS pad suck...you'd just need to be testing the buttons...so start with one controller, get to the game where you can check the buttons, unplug the one controller, and plug in the SMS pad...assuming you have one with "good" working buttons at least.  

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

16 minutes ago, doubledown said:

Only other test would be to check with an SMS control pad, to see how it reacts.  even if the directions of your SMS pad suck...you'd just need to be testing the buttons...so start with one controller, get to the game where you can check the buttons, unplug the one controller, and plug in the SMS pad...assuming you have one with "good" working buttons at least.  

 

Dug out my SMS controller and everything works perfectly.

 

@Fadest sorry for the disruption and worry about your game, false alarm! Very looking forward to playing your game again on the stream.

 

We'll take this to PM since the Lynx and SMS controls have been tested to work perfectly.

 

- James

[+jgkspsx]

This is really amazing. It is weird it didn't make the nominations for WIP games but it's certainly my most anticipated game.

[Fadest]

Thanks you, much appreciated.

 

For the AHA, it simply did not get enough points with 6 voters on 7 participants (I did not vote for my own games - ethical reasons) to be in the final list.

[+jgkspsx]

Well, I feel even worse about missing the nominating committee this year. I never thought I would see a map rearrangement mechanism in a Lynx game!

[Fadest]

I really like Ridiculous Reality on the Atari 8 bits, so I borrowed the concept (but it probably come from something older), but in a puzzle game, instead of a more frantic platformer.

 

I am also happy it is nearly a full game (with a tutorial, a story and an ending - even if just simple screens right now)

Now I can put the intermediate screens & level design outside the main file, I will have more space to enhance it a bit.

By enhancements, I mean new intermediate screens & storytelling, new & more levels, reworked assets, and maybe replace Leaf ability (the teleportation is maybe a bit strong, at least, it is hard to design levels because teleport can break complexity - hence the limited number per level).

 

I'd also like to add something I could not do in the jam because of scarce memory: the notion of time. Something like planting a seed in the past with Grandma, that will become ivy Leaf can use to climb (so no more ladders in some levels) for example...

Just need to find some motivation to take the time to do it.