Tower Defense For Cybiko, Clone of VectorTD Options

[ssjx]

Hi,
Attached is a new game i've recently started work on, it's a clone of the
really addictive flash game VectorTD (www.vectortd.com). The aim is to stop
the enemy reaching the exit by placing turrets to stop them.

I've simplified it a bit and there are some options currently missing but for
the most part, it's the same. One feature i hope to add next is the ability to
load custom maps, it was left out so i could upload this now.

You can view screenshots here: http://ssjx.co.uk/cybiko/tower.php

Features
--------

4 Maps + Load your own
4 Types of enemy (square,triangle,diamond,star)
8 Types of tower (beam, rocket and slow)

Controls
--------

Arrows/QAOP : Move the arrow and menu selectors.
Select : Cycle through weapons types.
Tab : Go to the weapon select screen, this show more weapon info.
Enter : Place the weapon
Space : Exits the current level and game

I've have recently re-installed the cybikosdk and hope to develop this as well as expand lemmings and the
brain game.

As usual, all feedback is appreciated!
Enjoy!

Updated 30/5/8:
Changes since 0.3a
-----------------------
+ Game now goes back to the menu if you lose your lives or quit.
+ High scores for each builtin level (not saved though)
+ Rockets are now more effective pwr 3>10 and 10>100 and higher range (3>6)
+ Pulse cannon charges faster (time from 30>20)

This post has been edited by ssjx: Jun 2 2008, 01:52 AM

Attached File(s)

 tower04.zip ( 9.95K ) Number of downloads: 20

 

[Giorgio]

And another great game of ssjx!

Some points you can work on:

Make an menu, with an button to play, an button how to play, an button with the best 10 scores and an exit button.

When you have your cursor above an weapon, show the range of that weapon, and when you click on it, let see an menu with some buttons like upgrade($10), sell($5) and under that some info about the weapon like range 2 (3) power 4 (6) etc. and the numbers in () stands for the new values when you upgrade it.

Make the maps smaller at the bottom, so you can see the status bar better.

On top, after the tower name you can build, also say the price like: Small beam ($10) so you can immediately see if you can build it or not

Change the coins to dollars (or euro's or pounds, whatever you want) so you can see better that is is about money, even if you did not read the howto.

Document the snapshot feature (H)

When you make an snapshot, you see this in the console:
------
tower : Snapshot Taken, saved as snapshot.pic
tower : Snapshot Taken, saved as snapshot0.pic
------
But it does not make an file named snapshot.pic and it says that every time you make an snapshot, so I think it does not need to be sent to the console.

If the game is finished, you must type in your name for the high scores (with as default your name on your Cybiko, and then go back to the menu.

I don't know if I won or something, but suddenly the game was ended?

That was it for now, good luck, and I'm looking forward to the next version, and it's great news to hear that you will also continue with the brain game and lemmings!

Giorgio

[ssjx]

Thanks for the feedback, i'll try to put in some of your suggestions! It's missing a lot of the features at the moment while i make sure the important bits work. The main problem is how to balance the weapons with the enemies, i want to keep it even (or maybe leaning toward the enemy)...

I see you found the snapshot key:) i didn't document it as i put it in more for my benefit as an easy way to get screenshots! How did you find the key btw?

Most of my cybiko stuff has a snapshot key, the extra trace was one i forgot to delete. The snapshot function in this game is now smart enough to not overwrite files and numbers the files.

This game and lemming are very similar, this game has bits from lemmings so hopefully it should work the other way!

[Giorgio]

I just pressed the button by accident, and then I saw in the console that there was an snapshot taken, and then I just pressed every button to see what button it was

Do you think it is possible to make some sounds in the game? Just if you kill an enemy or that an enemy escapes.

I now saw that when the game suddenly stopped was that I won, and I pressed an key, so the game exited.

This post has been edited by Giorgio: Aug 13 2007, 06:44 AM

[ssjx]

I've just updated the download, now version 0.2.

Still quite a bit to add but it is starting to taking shape I think. The main addition is the ability to load your own maps. I've also tweaked the enemy/weapon balance so it should be a bit trickier!

This post has been edited by ssjx: Aug 18 2007, 07:11 AM

[Giorgio]

Nice, but:

When I play, just an standard level, the game does not continue after the first level

When the load map menu, and there are no maps, that menu is just empty, it would be a lot user friendly if you just say that there are no custom maps, or even better, no load menu, but you can just put the custom maps by the other maps

I saw that you changed the currency to gold (G), but you didn't change it at the weapon purchasing screen

At some information boxes, the text goes out of the boxes

When you press the menu button at the custom map menu, whith no custom maps, you see suddenly an map, whith almost everywhere blocks (where you can't walk), and if you press it another time, the game starts, and you instantly win, and go to the next level.

I think that that's enough for version 0.3 whith those other things in my previous post

[ssjx]

It does not automatically go from one map to the next but i can put that feature in.

It would be better to load custom maps after the normal one but the problem is searching for files takes a while. I think i will put in a 'no maps found' message in though.

The currency is still 'c' (credits) but the grid causes it to look like a 'G'.

The text outside the windows is just while i decide what sort of frame to go with. I like shadow boxes (which is why i use them a lot..) but i am thinking of changing to a thick border style...

I think the 'blocks' everywhere must be the load menu crashing, will get that fixed by the next release!

One problem with the cybiko is cramming as much info as possible onto the tiny screen with out obscuring the actual game.

Anyway, i will try and improve thing by the next release!

Feel free to make a map btw ..

[Giorgio]

No, I mean that when I played, the first wave of enemys came, and I won, but then the next wave did not come

Ok, that is also good, but can you make it that it looks the same like the normal level selector? So you can see the level immediately?

Maybe a white background by the letters? Or smaller maps

Why not just everything fullscreen? Exept the next level screen ofcourse.
Than you can have more text and you don't have to look if it fits every time you change a word

I will make an map soon.

Good luck, and I look forward to the next relase

This post has been edited by Giorgio: Aug 21 2007, 11:49 AM

[ssjx]

Updated the download to v0.3. Hopefully this one works better! Main changes are again to the level loader.

Giorgio, i could not find a reason why the game was not continuing for you as it seemed to work fine for me, hopefully it was just a random glitch that is fixed in this version!

[Giorgio]

Great!

That glitch happened just one time, and I couldn't let it happen a second time.

EDIT: I think it is now a bit too easy, whith 25000 coin

This post has been edited by Giorgio: Aug 23 2007, 08:04 AM

[ssjx]

Damn! forgot to set it back to 250 after testing, will update download asap!

[Giorgio]

Can you let the game continue unlimited? So you don't have a limit of 8 levels, and it gets every level harder like now, and that your score is the amount of coin you won? Now it is a bit too short I think.
I hope that the Cybiko is powerful enough to continue a long time (if you play good)

Now if you lose, you have 0 points, so you don't know if you played better than the last time, if you always lose

When you complete the game, it will exit, can you make it go back to the menu?

It is now very nicely done with the custom map loading! Also that it only looks once, and then it remembers the levels there are.

Why should I buy a Rocket Launcher (Pwr: 3, Chg: 10, Rng: 3, Cost: 300c) When there is also a Double Beam (Pwr: 3, Chg: 0, Rng: 4, Cost: 250c) Which is better and costs less

Maybe you can make difficulty levels, the only thing you have to change is the amount of money you start, and you can also make a God mode for testing and cheaters where you start with 25000 coin.

And it would be great if you would make a highscore feature for the next version

[ssjx]

More good ideas! I thought about making it so that after each set of 4 waves, they repeat but with a percentage increase in power. That would make it more difficult and longer.

I can't remember if its in this version, but i will make the money remaining the 'score'.

I like the idea of different start mode with different amounts of money, i'll try and get that in for the next version.

Need to sort out the weapon balance too..

[Giorgio]

That is ok, and that will repeat unlimited?

You will also need a pause button then

Yes that is already in this version, but only if you win, but if you make it go unlimited, you can only lose, and it is probably when you lose, you are out of money so you can't buy enough weapons, so it would be better to use something else as score, like the amount of money you got.

Great, maybe I would have more chance to win than

[FastAndBulbous]

Awesome! I can't wait to try this when I get home today, I love Tower Defense games.

If you guys had been programming for Cybiko, maybe the company would have been more successful. Everybody knows it's all about the killer apps, it doesn't matter how good the hardware is if there are no hit games to get people interested.

There's a Tower Defense game for PS3 called PixelJunk Monsters, but they changed it too much from what Tower Defense games are supposed to be. I have the #1 score on the leaderboards for one of the 20 maps, but I don't actually like the game that much. I bet this Cybiko TD will be better.

[ssjx]

Hi, Thanks for the interest! I hope this TD game meets with your approval! I've just had a look at the ps3 equivalent and I hope you have lowered you expectations accordingly!

I've just fired up the ol' cybiko compiler so will be releasing a 0.4 version of this shortly. Just some minor fixes at the moment, assuming i can decipher my old code that is...

[FastAndBulbous]

Did you play the PS3 demo of PixelJunk Monsters?

What I don't like is that they completely changed the concept of what Tower Defense games are supposed to be. It's supposed to be logical and mathematical, but the random elements and random paths take out the normal reasoning behind your tower placement. In other words, the enemies aren't forced to follow a certain path so it makes no sense. The enemies follow different paths from wave to wave, which makes it a different kind of game. Some of the maps have only one path, but a most of them don't.

Plus, you don't automatically get points for killing enemies - you have to run around and collect the coins or they'll disappear. So adding a playable character definitely makes it different from other tower defense games. It's okay to make something different, but I don't think the differences in PixelJunk Monsters turned out to be improvements.

[FastAndBulbous]

I just started playing your Tower Defense, and it rocks. It has everything a Tower Defense game needs - simplicity, logic, choice of towers, and varying enemies.

I'm still experimenting with how to group the beam towers near a stun tower to get the most out of them.

I'll be looking forward to v0.4!

[cmoney12051]

I've never been much of a fan of tower defense games, but i did enjoy playing the PS3 demo of PixelJunk Monsters. I dont know, i thought it was ok, but i aint all that picky with my games, if it looks good, and i can play it for a few minutes without falling asleep, its good for me. But ssjx's version for the cybiko is pretty kool too. i only played it a few times on my cybiko, but it was enjoyable., i think its still on it.


... Yup it is.

[ssjx]

I don't have a ps3 (holding off getting a new console for a bit) but i had a look at some screen shots. From what you are saying, it sounds very different from a td game. I assumed it was just a vector td type game but with a change of scenery.

Glad you like the my cybiko version though, any suggestions are welcome (though i have not done much cybiko stuff recently) and feel free to create and upload a map!