Duty:Ridiculous - Demo V 1.3

[WidgetKitty]

Your game is looking very good but also I like how you can edit sprites so those would look like new ones but original to the PB so it keeps the feeling of PB. Should I get ready to add skeletons to any of my projects I will let you know and consider your name to be added to the Credits. I have never had a problem at all adding other names in addition to mine because I like to give players a feeling that a game was made by a team/company. Also, I like heartbreaking beautiful endings after intense fights and long Credits after all that.

I could upload a tileset of the skeletons in a resource post or this thread, maybe later this week, just need to make a version without my other enemies on it.

HEY GUYS!
FIRST DEMO IS OUT!
Check the Explore section!

Everyone is welcome to comment and critique in this thread, or chat with me on the Discord - I'll make a post for my game in the project section too, for a place to discuss any problems found.

If you like, let me know what you think of the level designs, enemies, and music (the soundtrack especially means a lot to me, I wrote most of these songs years ago for another game, but haven't had a chance to use them).

Think I'm going to take a break from PB'ing for a week or so - I have a cartooning project to work on anyway - but I've made some progress on future levels, and have a ton of ideas. Hope you guys like what I've made so far, it's been a blast making it, and I'm really looking forward to building the rest!

[Gizgord]

I recommend trying the first demo to everyone. the game is very good and there's plenty of content (even at this stage). 

[WidgetKitty]

I recommend trying the first demo to everyone. the game is very good and there's plenty of content (even at this stage). 

Thank you so much! For those who haven't seen it, Gizgord uploaded a 2-hour video of gameplay, for anyone who wants a better look before playing - lots of great moment in it, too. I'll embed it here:

Spoiler

I have several small corrections to make, then the first major update will have to be out with said corrections, and then I'll do some gameplay vids of my own, showing off all the secrets, like a guide. Until then I don't really have any game updates, but levels are being worked on. Speaking of YouTube though, I decided to upload some of the game's soundtrack, but the full versions of my songs. I had to chop the tunes up to make them loop properly, but the full ones will be in an unlockable sound room level.

In the meantime I made a few "music videos" for these full-length songs - well, some scenes made in Platform Builder - hope TingThing doesn't mind, but I put a link to the PB Steam page in the descriptions. So far this one is my most popular song; it's one of my favourites too:

I'll put a few more here in a spoiler, but there's eight altogether so far on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbiNqgKIqp_3Um6OM9Fu76Q

Spoiler

The only thing I've really worked on for the game itself is a rising-lava climbing section, with custom enemies as the rising lava. The actual level will be more complicated than this, but this was just a test to make sure it can be done:

[WidgetKitty]

~Version 1.2 Update~

I just updated and fixed several small things in the game, and a tiny bit of new content. This is not a major update, mostly fixing things I noticed watching @Gizgord 's play through.

Here's what's been updated:

Some easier levels:

Spoiler

-A few levels have been made a little easier, especially levels 4, 7, and 11; they're supposed to be the easiest path, and were a bit challenging for that. Level four especially has changed a lot, with the wind element removed and platforms not so tiny:

Zoom and item fixes:

Spoiler

Many athletic-style levels are zoomed out a little more, to see what's ahead (while the Camp Challenge was zoomed in, to focus on each trap), so stages like level 9 are better. Also some item problems were fixed, and you can't cheat to get that 1-up anymore:

New first Challenge Zone:

Spoiler

My first "Challenge Zone" was kind of rough to start, so it was moved up, then swapped with an easier one, then I made a new level to be the first challenge instead, so now there's eight of them. This one is an easier start to this "side quest":

Other small fixes:

Spoiler

-Some hidden or far-out areas have more rewards.
-The boomerang message command in level 4 now works, explain that it collects coins & items
-A few enemies with sporadic movements were fixed, so they do as intended now
-Some unfair enemies removed
-Armoured skeletons can be jumped on now
-Minecart enemies have less HP - easier to get their coins

Progress:

Spoiler

Not much yet, I'm in the midst of designing the next three forts still, tweaking the music, and adding some features. Thinking I'll have these forts and six-to-eight new levels ready for the next big update, beta v 2.0 - and I intend to pick a title for that one! Planning this update for the end of the month, and I'll post other progress in this thread.

For now, here is how one of the forts is coming along:

Thanks for taking a look guys! If anyone wants to try the game out, or update and see if it's any better, let me know what you thing, or if you find anything that needs fixin'!

WidgetKitty out!

[Alley]

I played now a whole thing(to a time when it reached another version). Didn't update because it would have ruined the whole progress. From what I played I saw it is really special, and enjoyable, definitely a game over a long time that I bother to play just to get an experience from start to end. Although, I suspect you are not the best at making a system but from what your skills are you are using those better than most people or even better than I do. You are very good at design and with your other skills that may not be the best, it is enough to make you able to make one of the best games. I have seen some good developers and some not that-good ones but didn't expect some of these ones who can put all their skills together so professionally it makes that good result. The only problem is that I think it is unbeatable because I seem to have beaten every single level in a row but nothing happens. However, I think it is not up to you completely because this is what is the one reason why I lost my motivation next to other problems. Although PB is a fantastic editor it is made basically by one person and when one thing gets fixed another thing may get bugged and so our games must be improved over and over.
I thought I am ready now to update your game but won't play again for now because time is limited and your game is not the easiest one which is not bad but I want to do more things also. When time passes and I am ready to try again I try to let you know about the problems.

Note that I am even not sure if you really are not that good at making your own system because I have even no idea how did you make your wasps and am even not sure if I know how you made your pink enemies on a bike. Just the bosses and some other things seem simpler and more classic than some other projects which made me think you are a rather very dedicated person rather than ready for action... You are still very good also with timelines, command prompt, and stuff... Just for not letting you think I would think you are not in making customs.

[WidgetKitty]

Thank you so much @Alley , I really appreciate your comments!

While it's true I'm not good at making systems - I'm no coder - I've been designing levels and game mechanics since I was a little girl. I used to maker paper dolls with clothes and accessories, but after seeing my cousins play Super Mario Bros, I switched to drawing a hero, enemies, items, and platforms, and made my own games and levels on a coffee table. I did this for years - just wanted to make my own game so bad! So...  I have a LOT of material in my head for platform game ideas. Decades of them. Actually a lot of what's in this game are enemies I remember drawing, and songs I wrote during music lessons as a kid, intending to use them in a game (I just started making songs for real about three years ago, this is my first time using them for a real game).

The game is about 1/3 finished, this is just a demo of my beta. The three white fences, in front of three unfinished forts on the world map, block off areas that aren't done. Hoping to have it 2/3 done next month and put another demo out.

The wasps are pretty simple, just flying enemies that follow arrows, and some chase you. Those pink bombs are a whole set of different enemies that switches types depending on how many times they're hit, or a timer. So they seem like one enemy with changing behaviour, but they're really changing enemies. I'm going to add a little more to their AI later with some commands.

I've got a little more made now - here's level 14, "Cactus Crawl", which is right after getting the wall jump upgrade - and this level forces you to use it a lot:

In this video there's also new enemies, music, sounds effects, and new level start/complete songs. I'm making progress quicker than I expected!

[Alley]

I suspected what wasps in your game may be but wasn't sure as I have seen quite a lot of different-looking wasps. You probably have edited quite a many sprite sheets for your game then because, in my opinion, PB doesn't allow making custom enemies that can follow arrows. Your game, however, has no flying birds. Your pink bombs are looking to work like my Invasion project bosses that change behavior depending on health practically just by changing to another enemy but I am not very sure if I would merge such types of bombs in a first attempt. Your game may look more complicated than it is actually but this proves you are able to use your skills, application features, and limits very well to mix up the best possible result.
I thought your game has a problem because I designed my own games always complete even when it's not finished and that is why I probably expected your game to get beaten also but when you just didn't waste your time on making endings before your final levels should be done then you can ignore what I mentioned before. It is not a bug but just won't tell if the game is finished.

There are 2 surprises for me to know now about you. One is that you are practically born with an interest to play and make games like me. I often drew monsters and worlds and when I played my first PC games I started to think that these are made by some people and asked myself if it would be possible and affordable for me to do something like this. And for some type of reason, I even could think if it may be possible to edit games that have no built-in editors as Battle Tank and some other NES games have. I think I was just 8 years old when I dreamed about my own games but before this, I already loved to think of games to play with friends outside, think of what they must do in order to beat my games somewhere in a forest, etc. The drawing was later replaced by drawing with programs and making animations etc.
The second is that I expected you to be a boy or man because we can't find that many female indie developers especially have such interest and skills in PC.

Your next revealed level looks very nice as well and a completely different world when looking at new enemy types. I see you are also a very good gamer. I hope I will be not much worse when it will be my turn to play at your next levels. Also, I suggest you contact Ting_Thing! Your game is not finished but I think it is worthy to be in a "Featured" category already and I am very sure Ting_Thing would accept your request if only he deals with such things yet.

[WidgetKitty]

Thanks for the lovely comment, @Alley - I'll answer it here, without the quote.

Yeah, for this game I drew over the original sprite sheets - the wasps took over the Tilbubs' spot. I saw this recommended here on the forums before I started, that replacing the enemies rather than the "Extras" make them behave better with commands and arrows? I'm not sure, it's just the route I took, and it works, lol!

Yup, no birds - I like bats and wasps more!

I actually did a lot of lurking here, reading old posts and update logs, before I dove into my game -  that and PB is similar to other programs I've tried, so I just got comfortable with it quick. But yeah, it really isn't that complicated under the hood so far - just basic commands.

There'll be  a lot of ending bonuses once the game is finished - such as a music test level, credits level, etc. All that will have to wait, but sorry that I didn't mention in game about the dead ends, and it being a beta demo - I only put it in the description. I'll be sure to add a note to the next beta demo.

Hah, well I can address both of those surprises at once. True, it's rare to see women in video game development, though we have been involved since the early days of arcades & Atari - just rare. As for me, I'm an only child in a family of mostly men who were mechanics and carpenters by day, and gamers by night. So watching games fascinated me since I was about 4-5, though I hardly got any good at them (really, I might just look good at my own game because I test levels constantly). I can beat easier platformers on Nintendo, but these days I prefer SIM & tycoon style stuff. Making games for me is more of a medium; it combines three of my biggest passions - art, music, and solving puzzles/challenges. So I became obsessed early on with making my own games too, because it seemed like every step would be fun. And I was right!

Anyway, I actually finished three more levels last night, completing the next section of the medium path that comes after the demo's dead end. I just felt like making this one before the easy path, and get my desert theme out of the way (the next part of the medium path ironically takes you through a snowy mountain, but that'll be far later, near final release).

So I played these four new levels (including "Cactus Crawl" that was posted above, though it's been altered) and uploaded it to YouTube. First is a long fortress with some upgrades, then after level 14 is a pyramid with a mini boss that kills me twice, and finally the second tank level. There's also more new enemies, music, and two new bosses.

It came out to almost half an hour long - perhaps I'm making my levels too big? But this is what I was envisioning! I want the final game to be 8-10 hours of gameplay, roughly. Here it is, if anyone wants to skim through and see the progress:

That was a stressful playthrough! It's supposed to be the second level of difficulty after all, it should be a bit tough. Well, I need some rest from this, let me know what you guys think!

[WidgetKitty]

A couple new updates. First I'm making a new kind of extra level, which will add some content to the early parts of the game that will need to be replayed after the next update:


ENEMY ARENAS: Spoiler

These are "test centres" for all the enemies. I'm doing this instead of a bestiary, so the first room is a little lab with some info, and perhaps an NPC. Here's four of them:





Behind the black door is a short level full of just that enemy, and you have to defeat them all to complete that course.





The first one, for the common "Tarpy", is the easiest of course.







They'll get longer and more complicated, the more threatening the enemy is. The next demo coming out will have 15 different enemies, so there'll be 15 of these places scattered around the map. The final game should have 20-25 altogether, and I'm thinking the reward for beating them all will be upgrades to your attack power. Maybe one upgrade halfway through, and another (or like, a sword...) for all of them.

The world map is also finished now, with all the main levels placed, even though only about 35% of them are actually made. The game will be almost half finished for the next demo. So this map is subject to change of course, but have a look at the potentially finished map if you like:


FINISHED WORLD MAP: Spoiler

The halfway point in the game is the little house in the middle. The three paths can connect there if you've played them all up to that point, but branch off again into easy (the city), medium (snowy mountain), and hard (mines and lava caves). The the final "world" has you taking on a tower sequence to enter the walls, and a few fort levels in a row before the final stage - though there'll be a few surprises in their designs.





That's basically how the world and path structure is laid out, although these world might not be mentioned in game, as it plays like one big map. I calculated some totals too; the final game should have 51 main levels, and about 20+ each of optional challenge zones, arenas, and bonuses. That's a lot to complete, but the shortest possible path to the end should be just 22 levels. There'll be a few different ways to beat it (and therefore several endings).

But that's looking ahead, I have plenty to design in the meantime! Hopefully the next demo will be out before the holidays, lots of levels to make. Thanks for looking it over, and any advice is appreciated!

[WidgetKitty]

Small update, I just got the next four levels of my easy path finished, getting closer to the city area. I took some screenshots of their best sections, zoomed out:


NEW LEVELS: Spoiler

This path's fort is log style. It's just a bit more complicated than the first fort.



Outdoor town themed level, a deserted depot.



Third is a warehouse (with a "new" background I made, with layered girders), with a twisting path, but pretty standard run through. Not searching for keys in a maze like the previous two.



Last is the easy path's airship - a lot more forgiving than the airship in the current demo (on the hard path)

Thanks for taking a look!

I have a few more new mechanics to work out, and some old levels need an overhaul. Then I need to make five more levels - and a handful of challenges and bonuses - and that'll connect all three paths at the game's midpoint. Then I'll release the second demo, which'll be about twice the length of the current one. Probably be another week, but I'll post any relevant updates here.

[WidgetKitty]

Quick update with a video of one new level:

This is a level on the hard path, right after getting the double jump upgrade.

There's new music, and new sound effects for the checkpoint and extra life.

Also, new enemy - well, it's just a Stingbat that's on fire, and shoots fireballs, but still pretty dangerous!

Anyway, the hard path is coming along; these levels are just longer to build of course, but I'm still pretty on track to have a new demo out before the holidays.

[WidgetKitty]

Hello guys, another update here since I got more done than expected yesterday. The extension to the hard path is just about done now, with its four levels. First is a long fort, which I recorded a video of, posted below. The second level is the video in the previous post. And the last two, I'll just do some screenshot of the levels zoomed out.

This is the longest castle in the game yet. There's a finished rising lava section starting at 9:00





Fungus Tunnel, kind of an open maze one, with a few hidden gems (some literal) if you search it all.





This is the first bit of the hard path's train level, which is not only underground, but you start at the engine this time and have to work your way left, to the back. Made a custom layered background too, so those wood beams zoom by.

That train level is almost done, but I still have arenas, stores, challenges, and bonuses to make. Maybe 20 or so altogether, but those don't take nearly as long. Still planning the second big demo release before Christmas, making the demo twice as long, ending at the three paths' halfway point where they join up again. It'll have new content and quality fixes to the old levels and map areas too, so there will be plenty of new content out for this in a few weeks.

[WidgetKitty]

Another update, I'm getting very close to having the next demo ready - not much more to make. I know nobody has replied to my last 4-5 posts here (and a lot of that is because the forums are very slow). While I'd appreciate more feedback on my progress, this thread is really to track how much I'm getting done. After this one I'll probably take a break from PB for a day or two, been working on it constantly. So, new stuff made this week.


Challenge Zones: Spoiler

^^ This factory challenge is a longer one, since it unlocks a shortcut.






^^ This one's unique, where you have to look around this rail yard and its buildings for three keys to complete it.

Arenas and Bonuses: Spoiler

^^ More of the new "enemy arenas". There will be 15 of these, and an award for beating 10 of them.






^^ This bonus on a train is a fast moving auto-scroller, so you have to be quick and careful to grab those coins!

Thanks for having a look guys - not much more to go, them a new beta demo twice the size can be released