Game feedback wanted: GravityTrap
Here is the second release of my first game: GravityTrap. Let me know what you think:
Java Web Start version:
http://www.xmeta.com/games/GravityTrap.jnlp
Raw jar file:
http://www.xmeta.com/games/GravityTrap.jar
Commands are as follows:
Left and right arrow keys turn the ship.
Up arrow thrusts forward.
Space or ctrl can be used to fire.
Some people complained of lagging keyboard input with the first release, especially on Linux. I'd like to know if anyone still experiences that symptom with this version (I am unable to reproduce it).
[601 byte] By [
rgeimera] at [2007-9-28 10:03:37]
Ummmm requirements? Java 3D? JRE 1.4.1?
Web Start is probably the only requirement since it keeps track of the rest. Why not just try it and see?
you should have something happen after you die
like a game over screen and a restart type of deal
other than that, it is pretty good,except for the fact that when you run into an edge of the screen you bounce instead of coming out on the other side. maybe that is the way it is supposed to be, but i am more used to coming out on the other side
dude! thats really cool, there are actual gravity effects(thats why it is callse Gravity Trap)really cool!
That's Really nice..I love it when little bullets or asteroids come right next to your ship, but don't hit it....then go flying off really fast...
> Ummmm requirements? Java 3D? JRE 1.4.1?
JRE 1.4.0 or better, though web start alone will do as well since as markuskidd pointed out it will download the appropriate version. 1.4.1 is prefered though, because of some full screen bugs in 1.4.0.
> you should have something happen after you die
> like a game over screen and a restart type of deal
Ok, I'll put that in the next release.
> when you run into an edge of the screen you bounce
> instead of coming out on the other side
Yeah, I did that so I wouldn't have to deal with wrap-around gravity.
Very nice game. Too slow on my Linux machine, but ran fine under Windows (similar configs).
JN_a at 2007-7-11 23:39:32 >
One of the coolest games I've tried from this NG.
i got thisTitle: Gravity TrapVendor: XmetaCategory: Unexpected ErrorCould not get display mode
hehe, thats cool.
The biggest challenge, is building the largest antimatter ball possible :P
(i'm assuming what you fire is antimatter, and the 'plasma' is matter,
which would explain the 2 annihilating each other on impact.)
though whether matter and antimatter should attract 1 another.... :P
ah hell - its only an arcade game :D
Abusea at 2007-7-11 23:39:32 >
...and it would have made an excellent entrant in the 4k competition :D
Abusea at 2007-7-11 23:39:32 >
> i got this
> ...
> Could not get display mode
Try setting the display to 256 colors. If this helps, then I will try to update my code to do that automatically in the future, then reset it upon exit.
> The biggest challenge, is building the largest antimatter ball
> possible :P
LOL! I once got one big enough that it sucked my ship in :). And yes, it is supposed to be antimatter.
> ...and it would have made an excellent entrant in the
> 4k competition :D
Only if they let 28k games in :).
oh yeah, the laggy keyboard input...
does your render loop have a sleep in it? (basically, are u using tick based animation)
if not, you should reduce the priority of the render Thread, so it is lower than the Event dispatch Thread.
i've also noticed, that even once this has been done, a 'no sleep' render loop (when using BufferStrategy) can *totally* lock out Windows!!
(i.e. you can't alt-tab away, mouse events cease to be processed, and even ctrl+alt+del stops working)
The only way i've found of interupting such a lock out is to open and close the cd drive - the good old unmaskable cd drive interupt, the bane of cd music in games... but it does have its uses :D
I think the root cause is the way in which BufferStrategy has been implemented. (or maybe its just win98...)
Dependancy on less than reliable native functionality is gonna be the death of Java :S
'Write once, run Anywhere' MY ****!!
its more like...
'Write once, run a few times, if your lucky, then crash in buggy native Sun code'
Abusea at 2007-7-11 23:39:32 >
I really enjoyed it. I love the way you get knocked back when you shoot!Regards,Tim
> does your render loop have a sleep in it?Originally it didn't, I was relying on BufferStrategy to sleep properly while syncing, but obviously that was a bad idea. I now have a small sleep in the main render loop, which I hope has fixed the lagging input problem.
Ok, so I updated the program so the plasma balls now explode when hit, and I put in an option to restart the game when the spaceship is destroyed. Let me know what you think.
even better than it was before
nice game. i really like it :)
and it's really good, that u can fire with space or ctrl.
it depends on the keyboard matrix, wich keys u can press together. it's a hardware thingy... and with cherry keyboards up-arrow, left-arrow and space doesnt work together (usually)... nice that i can use ctrl instead :)
i was unable to test the latest version but i'll do that later.
btw if u add a key-setup thingy u wont have to explain the controls *g* (if u make it a bit flexible u can recycle that in your next game(s) ;))
oNyxa at 2007-7-18 20:04:31 >
hmm... i just tested the latest version...
well... it's much harder now. if u hit a big matter ball it expodes and tons of tiny matter bals flyin around. small enough to get attracted by your ship.
dunno... i liked it more the way it was before. it was less random. maybe exploding for "hard" and non exploding for "normal" skill :]
and maybe downarrow for quickturn (180)
oNyxa at 2007-7-18 20:04:31 >
Actually, one of my motivations for making the big ones explode was to make it possible to survive when you got caught in it's gravity. If you shoot fast and maneuver well you can now make it out the other side with your shields partially intact.
Also, I really like the graphics when they explode and the pieces find their own orbits or get sucked back together.
I'll think about adding a no-explode option, though. It would make the game a little easier on slower machines. I'll also consider the quick-turn option.
Nice and addictive game :)
- and how about extending the game area to be multi screen, (20+*20+)
- change 'plasma' into star[s], planets and moons.
- add artificial satellites (space stations etc etc)
- add other ships + AI
- add teams/fleets with missions/scenarios
- oh, and reduce the effect of gravity so it isn't quite so dramatic (so as to give a human at least a chance at responding in-time :P)
- and if you do that lot, you will prolly need to add a system for managing an objects locale (to reduce the complexity of the gravitation calcs [so it is considerably less than O(n^2)] ).
then, you've got the beginnings of a game :P
spose you could then extend it into 3D, and you've got yourself a universe simulator :P
Abusea at 2007-7-18 20:04:31 >
> - and how about extending the game area to be multi
> screen, (20+*20+)
> - change 'plasma' into star[s], planets and moons.
> - add artificial satellites (space stations etc etc)
> - add other ships + AI
<snip>
Geez Abuse. Some of us *do* like it the way it is now. What you're talking about is a completely different game. Not that a game based on this one is a bad idea, but my goodness. Give the guy a little credit, ok?
I personally loved the game. The changes you made make the game different, but I think more interesting. You used to evade the blobs until they all collected into a ball, then you'd shoot the giant ball before you got sucked into it. Now you have to hotdog it a bit more and spend time avoiding friendly fire. The only suggestions I might make are:
1. Reduce the screen space. You've got a lot of room to maneuver in. The game would probably be more challenging with less.
2. Up the size of the blobs slightly. It drives me nuts trying to hit that tiny little blob that's no bigger than a few pixels. I generally end up just ramming the thing.
3. Change the Webstart launch file to allow for offline use. If I can't reach your website or I'm going mobile on a laptop, the game won't run. I suppose I could download the Jar file, but I'm lazy. :-)
Great game though. Keep up the good work!
hehe, that wasn't meant as a criticism, just some thoughts I had when I got back from the pub last night.I 2 like it how it is - its just got loads of potencial, I got excited :D
Abusea at 2007-7-18 20:04:31 >
> spose you could then extend it into 3D, and you've got
> yourself a universe simulator :P
Actually, I do plan to try porting this to opengl, whenever I get time to learn it. Don't expect this to happen any time soon though...
> - oh, and reduce the effect of gravity so it isn't
> quite so dramatic (so as to give a human at least a
> chance at responding in-time :P)
You should try playing it BEFORE you go to the pub. Sober humans have no problem with response time :-)
> hehe, that wasn't meant as a criticism, just some> thoughts I had when I got back from the pub last> night.Ah, so now we know the problem. One pint too many there, eh chap? ;-)Ever hear the old mathimatics joke? "Don't drink and derive"...
Fun game - I like the gravity!
My system had the same problem with the error
Title: Gravity Trap
Vendor: Xmeta
Category: Unexpected Error
Could not get display mode
Bugs filed in the developer forum helped me locate the problem on my Windows XP system - I had disabled DirectX acceleration. When I enabled DirectX acceleration on my system the problem disappeared. (This has to do with a "design feature" in which calls like graphicsDevice.getDisplayMode() will throw an internal exception when DirectX acceleration is off.)
