I've got a rough plan down for my first warmup game.

It will be a run and gun with procedurally created levels.

There will be two characters: One with an assault rifle and one with a submachine gun.

The first of the two, Jack, is slower than the other, but his rifle kills enemies in one hit.
The other, Rachel, is quicker than her counterpart, but her SMG needs two hits to kill.

The two characters have otherwise identical attributes.

There will be four types of enemy:

• Generic guys with rifles
• Tough guys with grenades
• Big guys with bazookas
• Wimpy guys with grenades

There will be three difficulty levels, which are easy, medium, and hard.

I've got some of the basic (Very basic) code done, and have a bit of the player character art done.

My self-imposed deadline is next Sunday at 11:00AM EST.

Here's hoping...

I have a new demo ready!

This time, the colors are tweaked a bit for a better look, and the "level" is made up of a series of handmade segments that are randomly ordered.

In addition, the gun now fires in bursts. In other words, you must pause between sets of shots. This will hopefully curb issues with having too many bullets on-screen, as well as make it more difficult to simply mow down baddies. (When there are baddies to mow down, that is...)

You can get it here!

Another demo is ready!

There is now proper terrain, and it is generated procedurally!

The setting has also taken shape. The game takes place in a warehouse that has been invaded by Bad Guys.
(I haven't yet decided who the Bad Guys are, but I'm leaning toward dogs)

The game's terrain takes the form of piles of boxes that have been (rather haphazardly) packed into the warehouse. These are generated by "dropping" them from the sky into the level. This is done by placing the boxes on top of those below it, rather than actually dropping them.

The level generator also ensures that there are no overhangs and that no ledge is more than three grid spaces high.
(The current character can jump just over 4 spaces, and the other will be able to jump just over 3)

I spent all day up to this point working on the terrain, but it's finally done!
(All day meaning from 16:00 to 21:30 UTC)

Tomorrow, I'll hopefully have some kind of baddies done. I'm not sure how far I'll get, since I have to get a hair cut and get an eye exam, but I'll do my best!

Edit
Forgot to post a link. You can get the new demo here!

Another new demo!

There are now baddies for you to fight! Yeah!

Baddies have rifles, march toward you, jump over obstacles, and are each slightly different in terms of speed and aggressiveness.

There are male and female baddies, with about 1/4 of them being female by default.

Joypad support has also been added!

Controls, player stats, baddie stats, weapon stats, and plenty of level generator knobs can be found in the file 'config.py' under the 'lib' folder.
(Don't worry, it's very heavily commented, and the control settings are at the top of the file!)

Enemies take two hits to kill, and you can take five before you die.
You have seven lives. If you run out of lives, a new level is generated for you. If you beat the level (Which is very difficult, and something I haven't accomplished yet...) then I suppose you'll run out of things to do, as progression between levels hasn't been implemented yet.

Tomorrow will bring the other protagonist, Jack, as well as a character selection screen.

You can pick up a copy of the latest demo here!

I've got a new release of GunFox ready!

The second playable character is complete and playable, and there is now a character selection screen, as well as a difficulty selection screen!

Levels now have backgrounds and are generated a bit more nicely now that a minor bug in the level generator has been fixed.

Baddie AI has had the weirdness removed for the most part. Instead of running back and forth like idiots when you get close to them, they approach to a range and then fire at you as long as they have a clear line of sight. Baddies' guns now fire in bursts, as well.

The two characters have been tweaked to player very differently.

Jack's gun is about as powerful as Rachel's was at first, but has a slightly lower rate of fire. He is about as fast and jumps about as high as a baddie.

Rachel now jumps very high and moves very quickly. Her gun takes four hits to kill a baddie, though, instead of the original two.

The game now returns you to the character selection screen when you run out of lives instead of simply dumping you in a new level.

I'm very proud of what I've done so far, and I'm looking forward to getting more done tomorrow!

You can pick up a copy of the game here!

I'm comfortable calling this a release.

This version adds a title screen, titles for the character and difficulty selection menus, and changes the background color to something more fitting of a warehouse, and that also has more of a contrast with the level's contents. There are now proper gauges as well, so the ugly fill rectangles are finally gone!

I've put in the other three baddie types that I had planned.

There are pistol baddies that run almost as fast as Rachel and can jump four tiles high, but only have half as much health as a rifle baddie. They fire in short bursts, and their guns do half as much damage as a rifle baddie's.

There are also grenade baddies that run about as fast as Jack and also jump about four tiles high. They have 3/4 as much health as a rifle baddie. They throw grenades at you whenever you're in range. Their grenades have a two second timer, and do a fairly large amount of damage if you are caught in the blast. Grenades will also knock you around a bit if you are caught in the blast. They have the neat effect of flushing you out of cover, as grenades are often used in real combat. (Or, more like real life, kill you if you aren't able to climb out of your hole quick enough!)

Finally, there are bazooka baddies. These jump about as high as rifle baddies, but move at about half as fast. Their rockets do a great deal of damage, and throw you around if you are caught in the blast. These rockets do about double damage on direct hits as compared to you simply being caught in the splash. They have twice as much health as rifle baddies, and are fairly rare.

Tomorrow, I'm going to add scoring, high score saving, and then... My God! After I've done that... I've succeeded!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

You can pick up a copy of the new release here!

I have succeeded!

GunFox version 1.0 is complete!

Now, the game has scoring, and can store up to 20 high scores!

Entries in the high score menu are also colored based on which character the player was using. Blue for Jack and green for Rachel.

I'll write a post-mortem later on today, but for now, I'm just happy that I've succeeded.

You can pick up a copy here!

I've started on my next warmup game. Well, technically not a PyWeek warmup proper, but it's a game nonetheless.

I've given myself until 5PM (EST) on the 28th to finish a physics platformer with Inkscape levels.

I'll be using Pymunk for the physics, and Squirtle for SVGs functionality. Baddies and many props will be physics-enabled, as will the player. All physical props will be created in the level file, and the level file will contain funky layers for fancy things like... Well just about anything I can get Pymunk to do in that short span of time.

The premise (At least gameplay-wise) is that the player is a little bouncy ball sort of creature that can roll around and bounce. (Two things which don't sound far-fetched for a bouncy ball to do, I think) In addition, the player can jump a bit and affect their elasticity. Normally, the player bounces a bit, but not much, but when holding the "bounce" key, they become very bouncy and actually gain a bit of speed when they bounce off of things.

Baddies take damage depending on forces they are subject to, and all baddies have a minimum force below which they take no damage whatsoever. Some baddies are able to fly, and will fall a bit when hit hard enough.

There will be two playable characters again. A female character who is very light (Less damage to baddies) but bounces higher, and a male character who is very heavy but doesn't bounce as high. These two probably won't be as radically different as Rachel and Jack from GunFox.

I'm hoping to have something to demonstrate physics-wise by Friday.


Here's hoping...

---Akake

I really wanted to do this physics game, but I just can't get Squirtle to work properly, as my Inkscape seems to be broken.

I'm really frustrated. I can't get Inkscape to produce usable output, and I don't think I can fix it.

I'm trying to control myself right now as I'm very upset, but I'm really unsure of what to do right now.

I'm sorry, but I just can't do this. I don't know how to get Inkscape to produce what Squirtle needs, and without Squirtle I can't do what I set out to do.

I know most folks seem to be able to use Inkscape output as-is, but I get output that I can't use.

I'm really sorry...

--Akake

I think I've got all the drama out of my system now, so I've given the problem some rational thought.

I spent a bit of time hitting the SVG Output preferences in Inkscape with a hammer, and, having failed that, gave up for a while.

Then, I started anew, thinking that I could step back in and get this beast to work. Apparently, Inkscape applies new output preferences fully only to new files, or so it seems.

So... Well, I got the stupid thing to work.

With that, I'm hoping to have something basically playable by the end of Saturday. (This is allowing time for problems with Pymunk, problems making Squirtle paths into Pymunk polygons, and problems getting the player to control correctly)

I need to stop trying to solve technical problems early in the morning...

---Akake

I've abandoned my physics game concept as Squirtle and Pymunk can't agree about coordinates for vertices on paths/polygons.

Yesterday, I had a friend of mine give me a theme at 3:00PM EST (Which, since daylight savings time is coming up here in the states, will be 4:00PM EDT by the time this warmup challenge is over), and two weeks.

So, by 4:00PM EDT on the 26th I must have my game completed. (The 26th is also my 20th birthday, incidentally, and I think a success on my 20th would be a nice present :D)

The theme my friend gave me is "Building Blocks".

I've decided to dodge the obvious toy-land themes and the block puzzles, and head for more interesting territory.

My game is titled "RoboLegion".

It is a takeoff from Robocode, a game where you write an AI for a combat robot.

In RoboLegion, you write the AI for an army of robots that fights against other armies of robots. It is turn-based, and you have no direct control over your army once the battle begins.

I'm justifying using my theme like so: Units are modular, and are composed of a body, a turret, and an AI script. In addition, structures have their own AI, and some hold turrets that the structure's AI can operate.

Any turret can be placed onto any turret slot. This includes worker turrets. That means that turrets on buildings can build further structures. Also, any AI script can be placed into any unit or structure, even where it would be useless. I'm not going to stop the player from being stupid, and I'm not going to stop the player from being clever.

The game will have options to limit the number of scripts that can be used by a player, and the size of those scripts (Individually and/or total).

It will support up to 8 factions in a single battle, as well.

It's a big plan, but I'm hoping that I can pull it off.

(If not, I will hopefully find it in me to work on it more after the compo!)

Here's hoping...

--Akake

I've gone through a number of ideas today (Including the one detailed in my last post). I've been all over the place, and haven't gotten a whole lot done today.

However, I finally have an idea that I like and think will be very fun.

The game is titled "Component Fortress".

It takes place in an endless level that is composed of individual rooms that are generated according to templates.

The world takes the form of a zig-zagging series of floors, which are generated as the player progresses.

The templates for rooms will be stored in XML documents that will support a variety of features.

There will be multiple weapons, 3 playable characters (One man, one woman, and one robot), and high scores.

I've got a good feeling about this one. I like it alot. :)

I think it's going to be a fun one...

--Akake

Yay! Theme voting!

Here's what I've imagined:

Canine:
A brawler where you play as a dog/wolf/coyote creature that has to <generic_plot>save his mate from evil monsters who want to eat her.</generic_plot>
He would be able to pounce on baddies and possibly eat them, especially if I can figure out lepton! :D

Screwdriver:
A puzzle platformer where you use a giant screwdriver to power complex machines made of interlinked parts.

Rose:
A very gory brawler where you play as a plant monster with razor-sharp claws and rip baddies to shreds. Maybe I'd tone it down a bit, but I'm not sure.

Wibbly-Wobbly:
A physics platformer where you must navigate a very wobbly tower to get to the top.
(Honestly, getting all the constraints to behave would be a nightmare, so I'd probably have to think of something else...)

Eleventh:
Um... If this one wins, I'm screwed. I have no idea how to incorporate this theme at all. I'm hoping most other folks are thinking along the same lines with this one.


I've decided to use Cocos2D, since I'd like to have my boilerplate pre-made this time so I don't have to rewrite everything from scratch.

I'm going to use Inkscape for my level design by way of richard's pyglet modifications and lovely rect module. I want my levels to be pretty, and I don't want them to be made of tiles.

I want to use lepton if I can get it going, but I'll give the option of having more or less blood and gore, or none at all. (This would be provided that the theme was either "Canine" or "Rose". I can't picture anything all that violent for the other three)

Here's hoping...

--Akake

Taking a cue from gizmo_thunder, I've decided to come up with an idea that incorporates all of the themes.

The player takes the role of one Victoria Lynn Plenning, an eleven-year old vampire. In fact, the game takes place on Victoria's eleventh birthday. Victoria's best friend Bethany is holding a party for her complete with a lovely blood cake!

On the way to the party Victoria is attacked by a big dog (canine) belonging to a local man who keeps it as a way of saying "get off my lawn!" (Okay, that one's from two compos ago, but still...)
(For reference, the dog's name is Reginald)

Victoria isn't completely helpless, though. She knows a bit of magic. Her magic is powered by the natural energies of the faerie roses that helpful spirits sometimes drop for those in need.

Victoria is a lover of machines, and her friend Benjamin had stopped by her house earlier that night to give her his present before the party. His present was a finely made steel screwdriver. Victoria can use this to fend off nasties, though it won't do her much good against Reginald.

Also complicating matters are the unsavory sorts that populate the streets at night when most humans are asleep. While there are thugs, they mostly leave children alone. There are also vampire hunters (Who, since vampires are accepted by civilized countries like *mumblemumble*, are violent criminals)
The biggest threats are those drunken sinners who populate the brothels and whore houses in the night. These hoodlums stugger around, wibbly-wobbly drunk, and make up the biggest threat to Victoria's well-being save for Reginald. (Okay, that one's a bit of a stretch, but work with me!)

Thankfully, there are also police officers who will gladly deal with any nasties they see acting up. They don't much mind Victoria trashing the scoundrels, since anyone who would pick on a young girl has it coming to them.

Upon reaching Bethany's house, Victoria will be greeted by her friends and that lovely blood cake! (Ick...)

Erm... Let's see...

• Eleventh - Yes
• Rose - Yes
• Screwdriver - Yes
• Canine - Yes
• Wibbly-Wobbly - Yes
• Get Off My Lawn! - From a Previous Compo, but Yes

I think I've got my game! Yeah!

--Akake

I've decided to elaborate on my design a bit:

The player can walk, run, and jump. Victoria can also glide slowly using... Err... Vampire magic.

She also has three attacks:
Melee attacks with her screwdriver
Ranged attacks with her magic
and
Biting and draining stunned baddies

That last one can only be used on enemies whose health has been reduced to a certain point. Once the scoundrel has been stunned, he can be drained until he passes out. Don't worry, he'll be fine, there's more where it came from.
When a baddie is being drained, his health is transferred to the player at a rate that depends on how many roses the player has.

With the theme set in place, I'm adjusting some of my design elements.

Instead of the dog being the main enemy, the drunkards who stagger around town at night are the main bad guys. The dog will just come out occasionally chase the player up into higher areas.

The roses, instead of being a major point, are instead powerups. One of them will appear in each level except the first and last and there are six of them. (Meaning eight levels). They will make the player stronger in general. The game's difficulty between levels will scale over the course of the game, maintaining a state where always finding each level's rose will keep the player ahead.

The fact that the game is set on the girl's eleventh birthday remains simply part of the plot.

The drunkards, however, have come into the forefront. Because the theme is wibbly-wobbly, the enemies are drunk to varying degrees.

• Plain drunks move at normal speed and are only aggressive if you get close to them. Draining them gives a moderate amount of health
• Angry drunks move quickly but trip and are aggressive as soon as you enter the screen. Draining them gives a great amount of health and goes quickly.
• Stumbling drunks stagger slowly and trip, but take loads of damage to bring down. Draining them slowly hurts you because their body is so saturated with hooch.

I've taken out the vampire hunters, but I'm keeping the police. The police won't stop you from draining baddies you've taken down, but they will attack any that are still standing. You can't drain baddies that police officers arrest. (As in, you can press the button all you want, Victoria's just not going to do it)

I'm rethinking the all-nighter. I think I want to get some sleep instead. All that "Holy fires of industry" jazz can wait until tomorrow.

Here's hoping...

---Akake

I've got some base code in place, and am working on the artwork.

I've got a picture of my protagonist done, too:


He's holding the nail out because it gives you an idea where it'll go when you pound it in.

So, then, I just need to animate him! Yeah!

--Akake

My dude, he be runnin'!


Break time, then the next animation cycle: Walking over moving ground!

Well, it's 4PM here, and unless I'm moved by some kind of heavenly force, I'm gonna call it a day.

I have some code done that doesn't do much as-is but will get me started tomorrow, as well as most of the artwork for the character. (Including a 21-frame hammering animation, the longest I've ever made)

In addition, I've got a super-simple model for movement in the game that will take (Hopefully) almost no time to put into code.
All it does is track the horizontal position and floor of each object. Since nothing moves through the air, this seems like it'd be ideal for what I'm doing.

Anyway... I'm ready to call day one over. I've got quite a bit done, and I'm ready to rest up and get back to it tomorrow.

Here's hoping...

--Akake

I'm really aggravated with myself. I haven't been able to get anything done for my game. I've completely lost interest.

Why does this keep happening to me?

I may or may not continue. I'm not sure.

I'm really sorry to anyone who was looking forward to my game, but... I can't get myself to work on it. Again.

I need help keeping myself interested in things that I start. If anyone can point me to help, I'd really appreciate it.

For now, I'm just... Sorry.

--Akake