So, in about 2 hours, I'm going to post a beta of the Super HatMan engine. I'd post it now, but this netbook (Eee 901 20GB) doesn't have an up to date version. Currently here's what's implemented:
-Basic movement
-Scrolling
-Some sound effects
-Double-tap arrow running
-Hat throwing, retrieving
-You can jump on the hat while holding up and ride on top of it
-Kinda epic music (will be used for bosses)
-Moving platforms (not showcased in demo)
he stops dead in mid air when he throws his hat. I dunno if that is intentional but i get the feeling that could cause loads of deaths if you're trying to kill something whilst jumping over a gap.
I managed to ride the hat a pathetic ONCE. Engine feels solid, nice and smooth.
One suggestion for the running is that you make it so if Hatman is running in one direction, when the opposite direction is pressed, he keeps his running state.
I didn't have a problem landing on the hat, although it's not something I could do every time i attempted it. But the fact Hatman suddenly moves in the opposite direction to the hat's original direction seems wrong.
Originally Posted by AndyUK I didn't have a problem landing on the hat, although it's not something I could do every time i attempted it. But the fact Hatman suddenly moves in the opposite direction to the hat's original direction seems wrong.
Yea I was expecting the riding motion to follow the hats path too.
Its a platform engine alright.
The hat change of direction makes sense when it's explained on a forum, Bibin, but do you think you'll signify Hatman's control over the direction with a quick animation/puff of smoke/something for the player's sake?
Yes, there will certainly be more visual effects, as well as audio cues, so it's more obvious.
the justification of it is, HatMan is clearly heavier and thus more massive than the hat, which is rather light, so it seems that while the hat is moving quickly, HatMan's force against it would "win" in a sense.
Originally Posted by Bibin Yes, there will certainly be more visual effects, as well as audio cues, so it's more obvious.
the justification of it is, HatMan is clearly heavier and thus more massive than the hat, which is rather light, so it seems that while the hat is moving quickly, HatMan's force against it would "win" in a sense.
and what about landing on it whilst falling vertically?
If he's facing right the whole time, that's an issue with your graphics card. Instead of redrawing all the frames facing left, I simply used the HWA features to flip it. If enough people have this issue, then I'll simply redraw them in both directions and make it non-HWA reliant.
As for HatMan's shape, he'll be basically the same, but it'll run at the same 256x224 resolution as the first game (SNES), which then is a bit stretched to 4:3 on a normal monitor (like SNES) which is the reason HatMan seemed shorter and wider than this build, which is naturally 4:3.
Originally Posted by AndyUK
Originally Posted by Bibin Yes, there will certainly be more visual effects, as well as audio cues, so it's more obvious.
the justification of it is, HatMan is clearly heavier and thus more massive than the hat, which is rather light, so it seems that while the hat is moving quickly, HatMan's force against it would "win" in a sense.
and what about landing on it whilst falling vertically?
Well tough knickers, leave it alone! HatMan will control his own hat as he wishes.
Originally Posted by Dr. James
Originally Posted by AndyUK I didn't have a problem landing on the hat, although it's not something I could do every time i attempted it. But the fact Hatman suddenly moves in the opposite direction to the hat's original direction seems wrong.
Yea I was expecting the riding motion to follow the hats path too.
Its a platform engine alright.
I would do it this way, but that would prevent you from chain hat-hopping, where you keep going forwards by hopping on and off the hat repeatedly.
The issue is that you can't then just grab the hat whilst in the air. Also, it's not supposed to be an easy first-go perfect-run thing, but rather a technique that while not vital will make it easier.
Anyway, here's an experimental build with some pretty different physics, play around with it and see which one you like more.
Personally, I liked the first one since you could ride the hat ad infinitum.
The new build runs at 256x224, like a SNES, but fullscreen it should stretch, making HatMan the short plump guy he was before. Also, it no longer relies on pixel shader, as I manually made left and right graphics.
Yeah, I liked the old one more. The only issue is that I need to figure out a good way to prevent you from infinitely riding the hat forwards. Maybe when you jump off the hat will go forwards?
guys it isn't hard at all to ride the hat. I mastered it first try >>
All you have to do is throw the hat when hatman reaches his peak height and then jump again and hold up. Viola
The only thing noteworthy in this engine is the hat riding, which I believe could be developed into a most interesting gameplay mechanic. Great job thinking that one up =]. Oh yea the music is worth mentioning too of course =p.
Maybe make it so that you can jump on the hat 2-3 times before it flies off. Or just use strategic wall/obstacle/enemy placements =p.
He faces right on my computer the whole time as well.
New engine is extremely buggy and the new physics aren't near as fluid/fun
I think I will make that a game option, as I can see slow scroll being handy for times when you need to be really precise, but the quick scroll is more fluid.
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Edited by Bibin
