Smaft [Lexaloffle Blog Feed]

Perfectly "Regular" Billiards

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 16:29:29 UTC

Perfectly "Regular" Billiards

by Smaft

[Click to Play]

This game is a WIP prototype with a few known (but rarely game-breaking) bugs.
Progression is not persisting between sessions here on Lexaloffle, so I updated the game to unlock level select. I recommend trying to beat each level before progressing, but not everybody has time for that!

Concept

Spoiler alert: these billiards are not regular (and they certainly aren't perfect). I wanted to take the game of billiards, which I've always enjoyed both in real life and in video game form, and turn it on it's head a little. As you play through the 25 levels in this prototype, you will encounter more and more... irregularities.

Story

Bill Iards is a perfectly regular person. He is perfectly happy with his perfectly regular life. One day, a man in a suit knocks on his door, bringing news of the passing of his estranged Uncle Whiz. Bill had no recollection of such a relative, but in any case, Uncle Whiz had willed to him one item: a billiards table.

Billiards, being a perfectly regular game, is pleasantly unoffensive to Bill. He accepted his inheritance with adequate affability, perfectly oblivious to the deluge of chaos imminently descending upon his life. Help Bill maintain normalcy by uncovering the secrets surrounding his Uncle Whiz, and the billiards table that just might not be so perfectly "regular" at all.

Gameplay

The object of each level is to sink all of the balls (other than the cue ball) without running out of shots or scratches.

The number of shots and scratches varies by level, and in some cases can be unlimited.
Sinking the cue ball is a scratch.
When an 8-ball is present, it must be sunk last or it counts as a scratch.
Sinking a ball gives you a shot back (unless it's a scratch).
Balls sunk by forces besides the player count as scratches.
As you progress, new complications will be introduced that increase the challenge of sinking the balls and avoiding scratches.

Controls (Mobile)

All Control Modes

X - Switch control modes

Place Control Mode

Up / Down / Left / Right - Move the cue ball around the table
O/X - Place the cue ball and switch to cue control mode

Cue Control Mode

Left / Right - Rotate the shot angle
Hold O - Charge up the shot power meter
Release O - Shoot
Press X while still holding O - Cancel a shot

Camera Control Mode

Up / Down / Left / Right - Move the camera

Controls (Keyboard)

All Control Modes

X - Switch control modes

Place Control Mode

Up / Down / Left / Right - Move the cue ball around the table
Z/X - Place the cue ball and switch to cue control mode

Cue Control Mode

Left / Right - Rotate the shot angle
Hold Z - Charge up the shot power meter
Release Z - Shoot
Press X while still holding O - Cancel a shot

Camera Control Mode

Up / Down / Left / Right - Move the camera

Note: The camera automatically focuses on the cue ball after shooting, the balls the cue ball hits, and any pocket where a ball just sunk.

Splode 'Em Up

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 23:07:24 UTC

splode_em_up

by Smaft

[Click to Play]

Splode 'Em Up

Destroy rascally missiles n' bombs with incredibly powerful countermeasures: balloons! Balloons 'splode enemies on impact, but not only that, each different color balloon has a unique special ability.

Explosition

You play Recty, a sentient rectangle with an incredible ability to spawn balloons ad infinitum. Recty hates missiles n' bombs and likes to 'splode as many as possible all the time. It's literally all he ever does.

Gameplay

Move Recty (the rectangle at the bottom of the screen) left and right.
Release balloons to try and hit the missiles n' bombs. You can only have one balloon out at a time.
While you have a balloon, you can pivot it left or right, or even have it float up more quickly.
Balloons 'splode when they hit enemies or otherwise disappear once they are off screen.
Different color balloons have different abilities that also effect enemies.
Destroy and apply effects to enemies for points.
You need to meet a score goal to proceed to the next level. If you fail to meet the goal, the game is over.
Levels are the same (for now) but get increasingly difficult.

Bloon Abilities

Red (Fire Balloon)

Leaves behind a fireball. If an enemy hits the fireball, they 'splode. If the fireball an enemy hits was directly created by a balloon, that enemy leaves behind another fireball.

Orange (Cluster Balloon)

Pops into several smaller balloons that can each 'splode more enemies. The direction and velocity of the cluster is affected by the original balloon.

Yellow (Electric Balloon)

Leaves behind a ball of electricity that stuns enemies on impact.

Green (Vine Balloon)

Leaves behind a set of vines that grow randomly. Enemies that enter the vines are slowed.

Blue (Ice Balloon)

Leaves behind a giant ice cube that slowly melts. Any enemy that hits it (you guessed it) 'splodes. It melts faster when it 'splodes 'em.

Toast Fairy

Sat, 10 Aug 2019 21:10:56 UTC

Toast Fairy

by Smaft

[Click to Play]

Story

There's a sinister secret that the toaster industry doesn't want you to know. Toaster technology is not what you think it is. There is, in fact, an enslaved fire magic-wielding fairy trapped inside each and every one. Obviously, most of them don't like it, but some of them do for some reason. This is the tale of one of the fairies that seems to enjoy what they do. Weird, I know. Welcome to the world of Toaster Fairy™!

Instructions?

Fly around with the arrow keys
Aim with the mouse
Shoot fire with the left mouse button
Toast the bread as evenly and perfectly as possible (without burning it!) for maximum points! Fairies use points to buy groceries and pay toaster rent.
Beware of the live wire! toasters have live wires in them for security just in case anyone tries to infiltrate them with forks.
There is a limited amount of time until the toast-making human gives up and eats crackers...
Keep an eye on the clock icon in the top left corner. When it turns red and starts blinking...
Hurry to the red lever on the bottom right and press the right mouse button to pop the toast!
Please to emjoy!

Why?

Why not? The whole point of this game is toasting bread evenly for points. Toast points? No, just pointless points.

There's just one level and you either complete it by dying 3 times, running out of time, or pressing the red lever with mouse 2 at any time.

Balls Hate Bricks

Mon, 15 Jul 2019 01:17:56 UTC

Balls Hate Bricks

by Smaft

[Click to Play]

This is my first game made with PICO-8. I have dabbled quite a bit in Unity, but PICO-8 limited me enough to actually see a game through to "completion". That, and this was for a game programming class that I would like to pass!