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Author Topic: Game Contest 2018  (Read 110904 times)

turrican

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #180 on: August 09, 2018, 08:59:36 am »
Hello people!

I wanted to join the contest, but I will not be able to finish my project on time. And if a lot is done, there is still quite a lot to do. Therefore, so far I will not publish my project, but only describe what it was meant to be and what it is now, show some pictures and videos. I have been left with no more work for a month, so when I finish it, I will publish the project.


This project was initially meant to be just a simple, small windowed application, allowing to check a certain effect on retro 2D platform games. I'm talking about multi-layered levels where the hero can walk on every layer. Layers were to serve as a visual effect of depth (as a parallax scrolling), as well as a usable surface. This greatly expands the functionality of the levels, giving the opportunity to create not only large but also deep levels, after which movement is more difficult than after the one-layered (levels become a three-dimensional maze).

The parallax scrolling test and the visual effect of the transition between layers was finished long ago. Video presenting such functionality is available here: Deep Platformer – layers test (quality is not excellent—I had a problem with setting the recorder). But this effect could be used somewhere… So I decided to create a simple platformer using the above-described functionality (and written code of course).


Many times I saw newbies trying to create games without additional libraries (in a window environment), without hardware acceleration, so I decided that I would try to make the game only with the help of a standard form and basic bitmap class. The best it can be. I love retro games and consols, especially NES, so I decided to create this demo in a similar way as in the old days. No semi transparency, no floating point numbers to describe motion, game engine based on frame counting, not based on delta, etc. Going to be fun. I took TForm, TBitmap and wrote the whole code from scratch, each piece by myself. I did not design the code, I just opened the IDE and started writing.

I have determined that the game should contain:

- pixelated graphics (very low resolution),
- Limbo-style level design,
- simple animated intro, on the shape of NES games,
- simple menu, waiting for a key press and start the game,
- story consisting of short tutorial and several worlds,
- each world composed of title screen and several levels (each world in different background color),
- levels equipped with gateways to change the layer (to deeper or nearer),
- levels equipped with gateways to change the gravity direction (to up or down),
- hero as a small, animated square, able to walk and jump,
- moving fireflies to collect,
- animated outro and staff screen,
- fully functional debug mode, that allows to check the operation of each part of the game,
- easter eggs and a lot of references to old times,
- and more, more options.

The specifics of this project preclude calling it a full-fledged game, which is why I call it simply a technological demo. The lack of hardware acceleration is a big limitation, so this project will always be just a test. Therefore, the project code is not particularly universal or extensible.

Currently, the intro and main menu are ready, the logic associated with the hero and levels is also finished (hero control, fireflies movement, level and its content rendering, layer and gravity handling, collisions with the environment), as well as a fully functional debug mode, command line support and more. However, the story is not ready yet, neither the target worlds nor levels, nor the code responsible for traveling around them.


Currently, the project consists of 33 units, about 10.000 lines of code. The project also includes four console tools that allows to generate images of level layers, as well as binary files containing data about fonts, levels and title screens. There is still a bit of code to write, create binary files with title screens of the worlds and binaries with levels, fill some text files with information about this project.

Here is a recording containing a intro and menu: Deep Platformer – intro and main menu (menu level is not finished).

Few screenshots in the attachments.

Awesome work.

furious programming

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #181 on: August 10, 2018, 03:24:50 am »
@turrican: thanks.  8-)

I am slowly finishing work on this project, there really is not much left. I am currently finishing the fifth console tool—this time for generating binary files with animations (for intro, outro, staff screen and cutscenes). After generating files with animations, I will be able to finish the code responsible for handling the full story (worlds, levels and cutscenes). The rest of the code is ready. The final step will be to create target levels using the previously prepared tool.

Two more, maybe three weeks.
Lazarus 3.2 with FPC 3.2.2, Windows 10 — all 64-bit

Working solo on an acrade, action/adventure game in retro style (pixelart), programming the engine and shell from scratch, using Free Pascal and SDL. Release planned in 2026.

lainz

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #182 on: August 11, 2018, 01:23:15 am »
Please submit your game even if time has ended, you put a lot of interest on it.

In fact the purpouse of the contest is not about the winner, but sharing code, ideas and our works to the other Pascal programmers.

The feedback is more important than the winner, I think.

The game I liked more is Petris because I played Tetris in my childhood. Fire Wire is an amazing game, full of particle systems and drawing is the goal. Pixel Warrior is a tricky game, but I like the old school graphics. I played the other games, but I can't remember too much of them now, but I can remember there was another tricky game, and the rest was good as well.

I like my game also because I always wanted to do an Arkanoid clone, even if it's a very basic one.

Ñuño_Martínez

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #183 on: August 13, 2018, 02:06:40 pm »
I hHadn't had the time (mainly because bad planning it).  %)

I want to see your games. :)
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Chronos

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #184 on: August 15, 2018, 10:26:57 am »
Please submit your game even if time has ended, you put a lot of interest on it.

In fact the purpouse of the contest is not about the winner, but sharing code, ideas and our works to the other Pascal programmers.

The feedback is more important than the winner, I think.

Then it would be better to accept any Lazarus/FPC game with source, even those developed for a long time and also those which are already finished. Because as you said, winner is not important. But which games brings better inspiration and implementation example? Small games created in few weeks/months just for purpose of contest or long term more mature games which can prove that Lazarus/FPC is capable of creation nice sophisticated games? People here have even some unfinished games so maybe game contest can be motivation for them to finish the game to release state. So it would be nice to accept any game with source. If the competition would be unequal then you can create multiple "prices" like in movie industry, "A winner for Best graphics is..." :)

And how many participated games had any audio support? Background music and sound effects? Or event multi-platform audio support? That should be simple to implement but unfortunately it isn't. I would like to see such game.

Anyway, better some game content than no contest :)

Paul_

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #185 on: August 15, 2018, 02:26:55 pm »
Maybe you miss the meaning of these competitions and game jams. It's about creating something new from scratch in some period of time.
Most of them have really short limit like "make game during weekend".

If you have long term project.. what is the reason to put it into a competition?

Anyway in 6 months you can make almost anything.

Chronos

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #186 on: August 16, 2018, 03:58:59 pm »
Nope, I didn't miss anything. And 6 months is relative period of time. If you work daily and have other activities and family then 6 months can be pretty short. And what is better 1000 small random short games or 10 mature kind of A class games which can prove that this development tool is capable of creating big projects? Or is Pascal still just a toy language for teaching in schools? It was replaced by C++ several years ago at the university where I studied.

So basically this competition in current form is a waste of time from my point of view. Sure, there is a difference between work and fun. In my young age I also created useless programs just to learn something or to have a fun. After years my focus changed and I would like to see some nice complete games done in Delphi or Lazarus/FPC. Open source games where we can see working code and we could use it efficiently in our projects. One nice example is C-evo game which is pretty complex game which can be played for many hours. Yes, you can check source code how more complex games can be done even that the game is pretty old.

So it was just my reaction to lainz post where he admitted that contest itself is not as important as sharing code and ideas. Then why don't extend contest to be more broader to allow any game with Lazarus/FPC source? Why not allow same game to participate multiple years? Maybe more games would appear. But the community is too small so don't expect hundreds of games in contest :) And the contest doesn't need to be taken seriously.

Anyway I won't "organize" such competition so it was just my comment. I will continue to improve my games over many years in my free time.

I wish you more and better games for next year contest :)

lainz

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #187 on: August 18, 2018, 09:50:01 pm »
Hi, yes I'm seeing the "point" now.

lainz

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #188 on: August 18, 2018, 09:58:02 pm »
One nice example is C-evo game which is pretty complex game which can be played for many hours. Yes, you can check source code how more complex games can be done even that the game is pretty old.

I´ve seen a screenshot and it talks by itself.  :)

circular

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #189 on: August 18, 2018, 10:02:05 pm »
I suppose if someone bring one project to the context one year, and next year, adds significant things to it, it could be presented again.

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A part from that, if you don't have time, well, that's what is called life. You know some people choose to have a life? Why do that? And have friends and the like. No no, be solitary and be a geek,
[sweet irony off]
Conscience is the debugger of the mind

lainz

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #190 on: August 18, 2018, 10:12:47 pm »
 :'( It makes me feel alive right now.

circular

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #191 on: August 18, 2018, 10:22:25 pm »
I know that's tough
Conscience is the debugger of the mind

Handoko

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #192 on: October 18, 2018, 09:05:54 pm »
Any news about Game Contest 2018?

I missed this contest but I hope I can participate in the next contest. What would be the topic of Game Contest 2019? Text-mode (unit crt) games, educational games, Android games? Tell me please, so I can be well prepared earlier.

lainz

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #193 on: October 24, 2018, 03:15:19 pm »
Any news about Game Contest 2018?

I missed this contest but I hope I can participate in the next contest. What would be the topic of Game Contest 2019? Text-mode (unit crt) games, educational games, Android games? Tell me please, so I can be well prepared earlier.

Hi, I learned the lesson if you read previous posts... things like this needs more time. Maybe we can do another one for next year but with more time.

Handoko

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Re: Game Contest 2018
« Reply #194 on: October 24, 2018, 04:19:12 pm »
I hope Game Contest can be better managed in the future. It is a good opportunity for newbies even experienced programmers to gain more skills in game programming. I really learned a lot from my participation, which can't be found from books nor the Internet.

 

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