Until the 18th of May, Show Me The Games is orchestrating a collective sale of 32 indie games. Show Me The Sales games include Voxatron (50% Off), Scoregasm, Darwinia, Gratuitous Tank Battles, and Offspring Fling. If you haven't grabbed a copy of Voxatron, you can get it this week for just $7.50 (along with a bonus copy of Swarm Racer 3000 Prototype).
The interesting thing about SMTS is that it is not run by any particular portal or distributor; all of the discounted games can be purchased directly from the developers. It has become usual and expected to buy games through some kind of store (e.g. Steam / App Store), and it's easy to forget that there was a time not so long ago when most indie developers didn't need to rely on such middlemen. Apart from allowing players to support devs without losing a big chunk of each sale to the reseller, being able to sell direct has a great influence on diversity and reduces the need to design games around potential sales channels. In other words, allowing indie developers to really be independent.
The current state of the market is not terrible -- it's still possible to sell indie games via channels that treat developers moderately well, and for niche games to find their audience. However, this could turn to custard very quickly and without warning! SMTG is just a way to fight back a little and keep the most indie-friendly channel alive and in the collective consciousness of indie game supporters. That channel is ... The Internet!
A preview of local multiplayer. The co-op mode follows typical arcade rules: player bullets don't hurt and when one player dies the other is left to play out the game solo. Bullets push the players around quite a lot, so it pays to coordinate your efforts to some degree to avoid inadvertently pushing your comrade into hurty things.
Competitive modes are still on the cards but will probably deviate from the obvious approach of transplanting existing characters into a death-math scenario. Pitting the default robot characters against each other results in quite chaotic play where the best strategy is often to spam bullets and leap around randomly. It might turn out better to have quite a separate set of characters and rules for this purpose. In any case, it will also be possible to invent silly 4-player party games using the editor.
This is something I've been working on for a while and have hinted at a couple of times, but can now finally post some solid details! Yesterday at NY Tech Day, Voxon showed one of their first working prototypes of a volumetric display called Voxiebox; a cuboid light field that can be viewed from any angle.
This is exactly the format that Voxatron is designed from the ground up to run on: a 128x128x64 block of voxels. Until now the game has only been viewable on a virtual, simulated display that is projected onto flat screens. That is about to change!
Voxatron Table is the working title of a collaboration between Voxon and Lexaloffle. It is an arcade table supporting up to 8 players facing a volumetric display fixed in the center. The game is based on multiplayer Voxatron, allowing both co-operative and competitive styles of play. We don't have any footage to show yet, but I have mocked up this little visualization aid that shows roughly the format of the table. Unfortunately the mockup is also made in Voxatron, leading to a kind of Russian Doll situation -- the resolution of the real display is much higher than is shown here!
Voxatron Table is initially aimed at the arcade market, but in the future Voxon aims to also produce lower cost home editions. Of course, Voxatron will also support future Voxon displays, and so with the addition of scripting will become a complete stand-alone unit for developing arbitrary volumetric animations, games and visualizations.
Some of Voxatron's soundtrack is composed entirely digitally (using MilkyTracker), but most of it is starting out as sketches on acoustic piano. Here's a quick sample of music in development for the adventure mode, and at the end you'll hear the title theme for Zoot -- a new demo level coming in alpha 0.3. All of these pieces will eventually become 100% chip-tunes, so the finished product may sound quite different (and usually less melancholy!).
Picotachi is a show and tell event for designers and researchers in Tokyo with a focus on experimental, unusual, personal, half-finished and tiny projects.
Pico Pico Cafe / Friday April 5th 2013 / 20:00pm~ / 500 yen entry (w/ drink ticket)
Voxatron 0.2.5 builds are now up, and will shortly be up on Humble Store (check the version number in the filename). If you don't have a lexaloffle account (Games > My Games) and would like one, see this thread. To update from a Humble Store account, search your email for the download page link, or request a new one here
This is a quick bug-fixing update. To see a list of the recent features, see the v0.2.4 post
v0.2.5 Changes
Fixed: Crash caused by monster property: spread out
Changed: Monster chasing player ignores axes that are locked
Voxatron 0.2.4 builds are now up, and will shortly be up on Humble Store (check the version number in the filename). If you don't have a lexaloffle account (Games > My Games) and would like one, see this thread.
To update from a Humble Store account, search your email for the download page link, or request a new one here
v0.2.4 is the first update that exposes many features of the second (and final!) generation of the Voxatron engine. It introduces new tools for designing simple monsters and pickups, which all run on a new physics engine. I've retro-fitted the old monsters to work roughly as they did before, but you might notice a few differences -- for example, monsters jumping on each other, or carrying fruit around on their heads.
Everything in the game world is now collidable and can be stacked, pushed, stood on, picked up, carried and thrown. If you want to try making a monster, make sure you have the first 4 interaction boxes checked or none of this will happen! (And also make sure the width and height is not zero).
Next up in 0.2.5 will be a player editor similar to the monster editor, and then custom attacks & bullets.
A prototype of Swarm Racer 3000 is now available to all Lexaloffle customers! Log in and check your My Games page to get download links for Mac, Linux or Windows. If you need to activate purchases from the Humble Store, see this thread.
I prototyped Swarm Racer 3000 in 2009 for the Tokyo Game Show, and I'm releasing this brushed up version of that so that it doesn't gather dust for too long. I'm hoping to do 1.0 at the end of the year, after Voxatron's engine and arcade mode is finished. It won't be a massive game -- around 40 tracks, a simple designer and some guest composer's music would round it off nicely I think.
This preview version has 8 tracks and the trophy system of the original Swarm Racer (which is offline right now -- I need to update the builds). I haven't put an online score system in yet, as I'm working on a better system that Voxatron will also use. If you want to get competative, feel free to post your times here!
I'm not sure if I'll keep lasers and the fairy character, but left them in to play around with. I also left in some debug keys -- F & N for fast forward and slow motion, and PAGEUP, PAGEDOWN move the camera (try zooming in and watch the renderer fail beautifully)
Due to an administrative error, Swing Swing Submarine also gave me the opportunity to submit a track (Ore). This was a welcome opportunity for me to reply to Morusque's earlier reworking of Chocolate Castle tunes (for the Blocks That Matter Chocolate Update). The piece I chose to remix has similar arpeggios and chord changes, although I dragged the tune quite far from its soft, ethereal origins and into caustic chip territory. Because -- you know. That's something I know how to do.
The album is well worth checking out, with contributions including Disasterpeace (Fez), Romain Gauthier (EDGE) and Souleye (VVVVVV).
Here's a little preview of an old prototype I decided to dust off recently. Swarm Racer 3000 is the sequel to Swarm Racer, with new visual style and some new elements.
I ended up going nuts and making 8 new tracks & some audio. It was great fun! I'll be releasing it shortly as a bonus game for Lexaloffle customers.
A platform shooter originally made for LD48#25. The theme was "You are the Villain".
This is a two-player game. Player 1 controls a space trooper and Player 2 controls the enemy characters. If you'd like to play single player, just ignore P2 and the enemy A.I. will kick in. The goal is to reach the end of the level with the most gold -- with 2 players, take turns being the trooper and compare scores.
Next week I'll also be adding a prototype of Swarm Racer 3000 -- but this will also be available to any existing Lexaloffle customers. So if that's you, and you're only interested in SR3K, all you have to do is wait! Click on the image for more information.
Voxatron 0.2.3 builds are now up, and will shortly be up on Humble Store (check the version number in the filename). If you don't have a lexaloffle account (Games > My Games) and would like one, see this thread.
To update from a Humble Store account, search your email for the download page link, or request a new one here
This is a quick bug-fixing update. There is better compatibility with older BBS levels, the weird monster-controlling ASDW bug is fixed (aww!), and I've made some improvements to the editor file loading / saving scheme to reduce the chance of accidentally saving over files.
I also added a journaled backup for editor files. Any previous version of the file you save over will be appended to filename.bak. You can't easily do anything with the .bak files yet -- they're just for safety! In the future I'll add some simple tools for inspecting and restoring backups.
Voxatron 0.2.2 builds are now up, and will shortly be up on Humble Store.
If you don't have a lexaloffle account (Games > My Games) and would like one, see this thread.
To update from a Humble Store account, search your email for the download page link, or request a new one here
v0.2.2
Added: Animation object type
Added: Object paint modes: solid, empty
Added: Camera-independent objects
Added: Resource tree with folders / Objects referenced by global id
Added: Undo/Redo resource structure operations
Added: Load/Save any branch of the resource tree (replaces vobs)
Added: Select multiple custom objects and delete/copy/cut/paste
Added: Crate (for testing physics -- not exposed yet)
Added: Wider side panels and extra palette slots for future expansion
Added: Model Data Exporters (obj, pov, txt, png)
Added: Water Test
This update contains new resource management, tools for making animated objects, and model data exporters. Not much of the new code is exposed yet, and over the coming months I'll trickle out new object types (pickups, doors, players, monsters, music) and roll out the new physics (throwable, stackable, pushable actors).
Testing out the new exporters coming in 0.2.2. Voxatron currently supports .pov, .obj/.mtl, and .txt (raw data), and either the current voxde item or an in-game scene can be exported.
This scene was exported as a .pov and rendered in POV-Ray (click to bigify)
It's that time again! If you're planning to take part in Ludum Dare 48 hour game dev event and are near Kichijoji/Tokyo, drop by Lexaloffle HQ (Pico Pico Cafe) with your laptop! The cafe will be open to the public until 23:00 as usual, but after that I'll also keep it open until 4:15am both nights for fellow LD night owls.
Welcome back to another edition of Voxatron's development diary. The game is available in alpha form (with access to all future updates) here. There's also an updated development plan if you'd like a broad feature-centric summary, and a FAQ.
Recently Voxatron has been going through a kind of annealing process; many sub-projects jostling for position as it becomes clearer how they interact with each other. I've collected a large wishlist of engine features and gameplay ideas, and now the goal is to gradually boil the whole thing down into something that is technically possible and creatively in self-agreement. The temperature is getting a bit cooler now, and it's clearer what form features will take and which ones will get squeezed out.
So, here's a run-down of some of those sub-projects in roughly the order that they'll show up in future updates..
I'll go into a bit more detail about this side project in the next dev diary shortly, but here's another sneak preview of the LEX500. It's a fictional low-res machine designed for hacking out little games quickly and sharing them on the BBS. The resolution and data storage size is quite limited to encourage making something small and interesting.
I'm planning to have a fixed 16 colour palette (including transparency) to further prevent extra work the designer might feel compelled to do. This screenshot is just a test for the palette, showing an example game scene and different ways the 16 colours can be used together. If you have any gripes about the palette, let me know soon!
Here's a quick tutorial that shows how to use the new door types with triggers to set up a level which has 'locations' -- areas that you can enter just once. When the two locations are completed, a third boss location is unlocked.
You can use the NOITEM trigger with regular items too; they don't have to be blue doors. For example, if you'd like a block to permanently appear after an apple has been collected, set the apple's COLLECT ONCE parameter to 1. Then group the apple and the block (select, shift-G) and set the block's trigger to NOITEM. If you'd like the block to permanently disappear along with the apple, do the same but set the trigger to GROUP.
Here's the level file: (not fun to play -- just a demonstration!) tutorial_doors.png
For more complex examples, you can see a lot of these triggers used in Twisty Castle. For example, the four pots that you jump down are grouped with their respective blue doors and triggered with 'GROUP' so that they no longer appear after the section has been completed.
It's now possible to add games purchased through the Humble Store or the Humble Voxatron Debut to your lexaloffle account.
This makes it a bit easier to update to new versions: you can view and download games from the Games > My Games page when you're logged in. If you don't have/want a BBS account, you can also use this page to request download links for any games that you own.
To activate games, just navigate to your Humble Store game page and click the large link at the top ("Click here to connect with your Lexaloffle account"). If you can't find a link the purchase page in your email, there is a key resender here.
EDIT: Humble Voxatron Debut customers need to follow a few more steps -- see predcon's comment below.
If you use a different email to log in to the BBS, edit your profile settings and set the "Alternative Email" to whatever you registered the game under.
Another reason to register is that in the future Voxatron will require users to log in to use online services (e.g. posting scores and content) in order to reduce cheating, spam and pirate-burnt bandwidth. This won't happen for a while, but it would be good to start getting users validated sooner rather than later.
0.2.1 is out now! This version contains some new stuff for level designers to play with, room camera position, refined 0.2.0 monsters, more detailed trigger control, and a Bullet Hell Elephant.
Here's a demo level that shows most of the new features (you'll need to update in order to play this):
How to Update: Use your Humble Store / Humble Voxatron Debut links. Search your email for "Your Humble Bundle order" or "Thanks for purchasing Voxatron". Alternatively you can request a new link here
*UPDATE: You can now add games directly to your lexaloffle account to make updating easier. Click on the link at the top of the Humble Store page. See here for details.
v0.2.1
Added: Void base type
Added: Bullet Hell Elephant
Added: Customize start/menu button
Added: Negative voxel colour (subtracts voxels from the world)
Added: Vertical camera position control
Added: Partial room sizes: minimum room width or height is now 8
Added: Synthesized audio now cached as sample data for faster loading
Added: File dialogue filters file list according to partial filename
Added: no_weapon base pickup
Added: Dummy invisible pickup (immobile, can be used to trigger groups etc.)
Added: Customise navigator thumbnail size in config.txt
Added: Fine time control. Can adjust by quarter seconds with [ and ]
Added: Dragon actor
Added: Each room can have a default camera position
Added: Choose if each room is a checkpoint
Added: Playback that can span multiple rooms
Added: Implicit checkpoints at blue doors
Added: NO DOOR trigger only applies to doors in own group, iff group_size > 1
Added: Control room object draw order (f: bring to front, shift-F: push to back)
Added: Delete last item from navigator using shift-1 ('!') // not undoable!
Added: LCTRL (add) and LSHIFT (subtract) selection modifiers in timeline
Added: Instant prop / monster warp-in control
Added: "Collect once" flag for items
Changed: "Edit" button (navigator) now only needed when viewing a room
Changed: Minotaur stays in attack pose for longer, lunges further
Changed: Don't need to type ".png" when loading a file
Changed: Barrel of doom emits less permanent sludge
Changed: Minotaur, armadillo, hound can trigger barrels
Changed: Monsters/props at t=0 appear instantly (no warp-in)
Changed: Trioc slightly easier
Changed: Tweaked palette colours
Changed: Item navigator scroll positions are now saved
Changed: NODOOR trigger is now NOITEM and applies to any use-once object
Fixed: BOOM pickup not emitting downwards particles
Fixed: Saving redundant scores file "vox.sco"
Fixed: Directional shooting buttons trigger menu
Fixed: File dialogue sort by filename
Fixed: Bullets collide with invisible doors
Fixed: Indestructible dirt damaged by some explosions
Fixed: Shoot diagonally through indestructible wall
Fixed: Jump/shoot actions broken in arcade mode
Fixed: High score sometimes not saved when fast-quitting
Fixed: Multiple dragons in same room cause shared tail
Fixed: Inventory clipped out for small rooms
Fixed: Base weapon: sword starts on peagun for single shot
Fixed: Space-time rift during playback
Fixed: Room object order is now preserved after delete operations
Fixed: Default text in save filename field sometimes wrong
Fixed: 2-way door sometimes doesn't allow player to stay in next room
Fixed: Some objects visibly blink in at start of room
Fixed: Crash when using joystick to navigate joystick config menu
Camera Controls
It's now possible to move the camera to a more overhead position while you're playing a room -- e.g. if you need to make some tricky jumps and need to see exactly where everything is. You'll need to set up controls for this under the options->control->customise menu.
If you're making a room that is better viewed overhead, you can indicate this by clicking the camera icon next to the name field at the top right. The three possible settings are: none (use previous camera position), low angle (default, same as usual) or high angle.
Note: you need to update in order to play levels made with this version (as they include new monsters etc).
How to Update
Use your Humble Store / Humble Voxatron Debut links. Search your email for "Your Humble Bundle order" or "Thanks for purchasing Voxatron". Alternatively you can request a new link here
Changelog for 0.2.0
Added: spiky weed, barrel of doom, hound, trioc, roach
Added: 2-way doors (green)
Added: use-once doors (blue)
Added: NODOOR trigger (true iff no blue doors)
Added: screenshot button (F6)
Added: base weapons: Sword of eternity & peagun
Added: _char properties: speed, jump, base weapon
Added: indestructible floating voxels
Added: voxel text drawing command
Added: help tips for items
Added: editor z-clipping, allow closer camera
Changed: navigator icons now much smaller
Changed: turned down maximum monsters limit from 8192 to 4096
Removed: rendering options (temporary)
Fixed: player can't shoot immediately after entering room
Fixed: player not hurt by frozen monsters
Fixed: thumbnails in timeline empty
For level designers, there's information in vox.txt about how to use the doors and new _char properties, but one thing I forgot to mention is indestructible voxels. The three colours at the bottom right of the palette can not be destroyed, and are able to hover in mid-air. So you can use them to anchor structures (like clouds / platforms) that need to float indefinitely.
With the new base weapon system, it should no longer be necessary to use the _dojo hack. Just select the base weapon too in your character definition. e.g.:
_char 256 256 2
Here are some characters to replace the default black squares shown for BBS users with no icon.
If you don't like your icon, you can choose a different one under Edit Profile->Image URL
To get the URL of one of these images, right click it and then choose "View Image Info"
[This is a series of posts on the development of Voxatron. The game is available in alpha form and buying a copy entitles you to all future updates. There's also a development plan and a FAQ]
Voxatron Team Size Doubles
Until the first alpha release of Voxatron I had been working mostly solo. Usually I like making games this way -- keeping every aspect of the game in mind and letting ideas from different departments interact with each other directly without the pesky need for inter-human communication.
The scope of the project grew somewhat from the original design however, rendering this approach impractical due to the volume of work. Especially in the area of modelling and level design; the planned game world of 1.0 spans a number of environments that all require attention to detail. What Voxatron needed was someone whose aesthetic sensibilities were aligned such that I could treat them as a bionic brain implant. And who could turn out great stuff like a freaky wizard.
With these things in mind, I'm very pleased to welcome Anthony Flack to the project, who is probably best known for his clay-animatedgames. Mr. Flack will be helping out with level and model design along with additional demo worlds that will ship with major alpha releases. He has already been pushing some serious voxels (pictured) for a sci-fi themed level designed to show off the new features of 0.2.0.
0.2.0 Engine Features & Monster Designer
I was planning on rolling out engine features gradually as they become operational, but as it turns out many of them can (and should) be implemented as one unified system. So the good news is, I'll be bumping the Monster Designer up to the 0.2.0 release (instead of 0.3), and it will be super-flexible for designing levels and characters. The bad news is, it will take a little longer.
The scheme for designing objects in 0.2.0 looks something like this:
In the current version you can design one type of object: a static prop. In 0.2, you'll be able to choose between 5 types: MONSTER, DOOR, PICKUP, PLAYER and ANIMATION. These additional types all come with a similar set of properties:
[Note: this is a quick follow-up patch. Check out the changes for 0.1.7 here if you want to see what's new. Also check out the Development Status page for future plans]
How to Update
Use your Humble Store / Humble Voxatron Debut links. Search your email for "Your Humble Bundle order" or "Thanks for purchasing Voxatron". Alternatively you can request a new link here. Lexaloffle accounts still aren't integrated -- I'll post about that separately when it's ready.
Changelog for 0.1.8
Added: turn on splot mode per-room by including _splot in room name
Fixed: Loop of death when selecting joystick control without joystick plugged in
Fixed: BBS LEVELS search string input only active when the search menu item is selected
Fixed: Definable keys don't interfere with search string input
This was the "Bug Fixing Update" listed on the Development Status page. The page is now updated with a few small changes of plan -- moving exporters forward to 0.1.9 and some new features planned for 0.2.0.
To Update: use your Humble Store / Humble Voxatron Debut links. Search your email for "Your Humble Bundle order" or "Thanks for purchasing Voxatron". Alternatively you can request a new link here. Lexaloffle accounts still aren't integrated -- I'll post about that separately when it's ready.
Main changes:
Search
You can now search the bbs level list by author, title, or id. Select VIEW: SEARCH and type something in (e.g. the id number a level you want to play). If you want to search for a specific title or author, you can use "title:something" or "author:something".
Joystick Detection
When you select RESET TO DEFAULTS in the joystick config menu, Voxatron now searches through a database of defaults schemes submitted by users via the Joystick Data thread.
Mac PPC Support
There was 1 show-stopping bug (loading png files) and 2 annoying bugs (glitchy audio, bad preview colours). I'll update other games with the PPC fixes too shortly. Thanks a bunch to Johnathan, Anthony, Joshua for remotely testing ppc code. Unfortunately I gave my PPC laptop away several years ago because I was so confident my endian code would hold up.
Linux-Specific
The only dependency now is SDL, and my fall-back version of the SDL shared object is no longer included (turns out doing things the Wrong Way was the wrong way). opengl is dynamically loaded if you have opengl_blit set to 1 in ~/.lexaloffle/Voxatron/config.txt. There are also a few new options in config.txt that should help multiple monitor setups: frameless, window_position allow you to simulate full-screen behaviour without blocking other monitors.
Internal changes
There's a lot of new and rewritten play code in this version that doesn't do anything yet. I've done my best to keep everything backwards compatible with existing levels. If you notice anything weird happening (especially with older BBS levels), please let me know in the comments (or joseph at lexaloffle dot com)
Splot Mode
This update had a lousy work:fun ratio so I also threw in an experimental splot drawing mode. Instead of drawing the voxels as cubes, each one is drawn as a flat lit circle. You can enable it in VIDEO OPTIONS->STYLE. The sizes of the circles are not resolution independent, so using a lower resolution gives you larger, messier splots.
v0.1.7 Changelog
Added: BBS LEVELS titles scroll if too long to fit
Added: BSS LEVELS search feature
Added: Splot drawing mode (experimental)
Added: (Linux) Dynamic opengl loading to remove opengl as a dependency
Added: Config.txt documentation & new parameters: frameless, window_position
Added: Extra alternative control for each action
Added: Diagonal keypad shooting included in defaults
Added: User-submitted joystick database for sensible default values
Added: Joystick menu control (start button behaves like ESCAPE)
Added: 1024x640 video resolution option, removed quarter-size
Added: Adjusted default tileset. Removed ugly tree
Fixed: Adjusted joystick sensitivity
Fixed: Voxde undo stack corruption after resizing
Fixed: Butamon stuck attacking side of level
Fixed: Player stuck at start of level with zero health
Fixed: Armadillo re-attacking instantly
Fixed: Internal vvmps now show a read-only warning
Fixed: Looping buttons in voxel editor now apply also to selection
Fixed: Character drifting bug
Fixed: (PPC OSX) crash on loading levels
Fixed: (PPC OSX) png preview colours
Fixed: (PPC OSX) distorted music
Fixed: Oversized latin font characters
Fixed: Button index reporting for multiple joysticks
What's that? You're wondering where the next update has gotten to?
Well I'm glad you aske.. LOOK OVER THERE! AN AUTHOR PLAY-THROUGH!
(*sound of footsteps running into distance*)
Today was the first time I played the alpha demo world for a while due to working mostly on non-gameplay related code. I was lucky to keep the sword as far as the lava levels in this one, setting up the scene for my favourite short-cut -- leaping from the top of the pole in the first lava room onto the platform with 3 red grunts and smiting them in one slash. Instead, I slipped and fell in the lava and then lost almost all remaining hearts in the subsequent panicked flailing. For your entertainment.
In the Voxatron control options menu, it's possible to reset the joystick controls to default. The current default values are simply the first two joystick axes (x, y) and the first 2 buttons. Directional shooting is ignored. This scheme is better than nothing, but it would be nice to automatically detect the type of joystick and set the default controls accordingly. There are many different joystick types and layouts, so it's not possible to do this without a bit more information.
Some of you have already posted your config.txt file for particular joystick configurations that were either a pain or impossible to set up. I'd like to go one step further and build a decent-sized database of good default control schemes for various joysticks. That's where you come in!
Joystick Test
I've made a joystick testing program that asks you to perform various actions with the joystick and records the low level events to a log file (log.txt). You can download it here for Windows and Linux:
1. Run the program (after plugging in any joystick(s)) and follow the instructions.
2. Email the resulting log.txt to me at hey@lexaloffle (Subject: Joystick Data).
3. (optional) If you have set up your joystick for use in Voxatron, please also send that config.txt:
Linux: ~/.lexaloffle/Voxatron/config.txt
Windows: [your home]/Roaming/Voxatron/config.txt
OSX: ~/Library/Application Support/Voxatron/config.txt
To avoid confusion, mention which joystick you're using in the config.txt if there is more than one type attached to your machine.
4. (optional) If you've had trouble setting up the joystick in the controls menu, make a note of what goes wrong.
5. (optional) Make a note in the comments of this post which type of joystick and operating system you sent results for. Duplicates don't hurt though -- the more data the better for weeding out errors.
I'll squeeze the first batch of results into 0.1.7, and then add more joystick data as it becomes available.
Later I'll collate the data and post it in a more general form that other developers can use in their games. (Does such a database already exist somewhere?)
This is the first post in an ongoing series detailing the development of Voxatron. I should probably do a separate entry bringing you all up to speed on the history of the project as it's already over a year into full-time development and the first prototypes were in 2004. But maybe more of you are interested at this point in what's happening with the planned updates. So I'll start with what I've been working on for the last couple of weeks.
Voxel Properties
The current version of Voxatron has just one type of voxel property: colour. Eventually it will be possible to give voxels or objects some other properties. Current candidates include: indestructible, super-crumbly, slippery, floating, bouncy, sticky, non-interactive, negaitve (subtracted from map) and hurts player. Although I'm yet to decide how to build these into the engine at a low level, they won't be too expensive cpu-wise and most of them are fun/useful for making levels so will make it into the final product in one form or another, even if they don't appear in the main game.
If you click on a user's name to view their profile (here's mine), you can now also use the links at the top to view a summary of their posts, levels and files. There's also a yet-to-be-implemented favourites mode that will allow you to view/play another user's voxatron level favourites.
The posts mode is useful for checking up on your own posts. If you want to see which threads have replies in them, view the posts list on your own profile and look for the speech bubble icons on the right, indicating that there are replies to the thread.
User-made wiki for all things Voxatron. Thanks to everyone who started this off, I think it will become a great resource. It will also become the definitive source on how to use the editor, once I get around to updating it with undocumented details!
It's a bit scary itemising all future development plans too early, so I've included things which are quite likely to happen in this order. The first two updates (bug fixing and bbs features) won't take too long, while the second two (adventure, monsters) are much more substantial.
I'm also working with Humble Bundle on updating the My Games page so that it is integrated with games purchased through them. In the meantime, any updates to games purchased from Humble will be available through the games page you received when you first ordered the game. This will still be the case in the future, but the plan is to eventually keep them synchronised so that you can use whichever you prefer. Humble are really going out of their way to support Lexaloffle customers going forward, amidst all of their crazy bundling projects. I hope you can bear with us while we get it sorted out.
:: Blagging
Note that you can use your profile as a kind of micro-blog. Anything you post in the 'blog' category shows up on your profile page in blog format. I set it up like this instead of having a 'General Chat' forum to encourage more thoughtful, focused posts -- but this might be a bit confusing at first. Please feel free to post about anything in the blog section. There are some suggested tags that are listed as categories on the bbs home page:
pixels pixel art and graphics gamdev anything to do with game development linksoup interesting things fished out of the internet tunes any music that floats your boat, especially chip tunes & bgm
v0.1.6 is a quick patch to resolve some show-stopping problems with v0.1.5:
- It's possible to load .vob.png files into separate slots again
- Linux Users: the game now uses your system's version of SDL by default. This should resolve the missing sound & bad performance issues in 0.1.5. If you still have trouble with performance, trying setting "opengl_blit 1" in ~/.lexaloffle/Voxaton/config.txt
The main new features in v0.1.5 are the ability to add new character graphics to a level, and filter/favourite levels in the BBS LEVELS menu.
There are already a couple of levels that show new character graphics. You need to update to the newest version to be able to see them (check your Humble games page).
Fixed: vob loading bug
Fixed: UPDATE not showing all new levels
v0.1.5
Added: Customisable per-level character
Added: BBS LEVEL menu categories & favourites
Added: Optional mouse crosshair style
Added: Mouse sensitivity option
Added: Loading BBS vob as a demo level
Added: Auto-pause when game loses focus
Added: Confirm save over existing file
Fixed: More intuitive mouse control
Fixed: F fast forward during gameplay bug
Fixed: Linux Joystick bug
Fixed: Game clobbers mouse when not in focus
In case you missed it, the Humble Voxatron Debut now has a total of 7 games. 3 of Lexaloffle's earlier titles have been added to the lineup, and 3 guest games: Blocks that Matter, Gish, and The Binding of Isaac. You can download them from your Humble games page, and as usual all updates are free, cross-platform, and DRM-free.
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