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Work in Progress / [DBP][APPUP] PileUp - a Box2D Game

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BatVink
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Posted: 6th Jun 2011 00:18 Edited at: 23rd Jun 2011 01:27
Hi folks,

22 June 2011 THIS IS NOW IN PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS - http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=186243&b=5

LATEST UPDATE : 13 June 2011
* Game resizes to suit screen. Minimum 800x600, maximum 1280x800
* Game Centres on screen
* Hi Score Page - has title
* Text entry of High Scores possible
* Keyboard on Hiscore screen does not automatically advance

In addition, placing an empty file named "debug.html" in the game folder will put the game in debug mode.


this game is close to finished and I will most likely try out AppUp with this one. I'd love some feedback, as I've reached that stage where the brain is refusing to let me finish it off. Let me know what you think, it's fully playable but needs some finishing touches...

Simply grab and drag the vehicles onto the platform
Stack them as high as you can in the time given
Harder levels have less time and slippier objects
After picking up the last object, the time left will drop



1. Online Hiscore positions are a bit skewed, I'll be sorting that shortly
2. In need of some background music
3. Are the vehicles too big?
4. The screen scrolls when you reach top/bottom, does it need to be more reactive? Faster? Slower?
5. Screen to be resized for Netbooks
6. Can you break it?

Previous updates;

8 June 2011
Fixed: High Scores (+ improvements in layout and navigating)
Added: Menu Improvements
Fixed: Lost vehicles make noise again
Fixed: Transparency problem with some vehicles

7 June 2011
Fixed: Crash after each game
Fixed: "The Parameter is Incorrect" in Win 7 SP1
Fixed: Items able to be thrown up/across and cause unpredictable activities
New Bug: Dropped items currently do not make a noise


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BatVink
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Posted: 6th Jun 2011 00:19
<Adding screenshot>

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baxslash
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Posted: 6th Jun 2011 01:22 Edited at: 6th Jun 2011 01:32
Looks great Steve! I'll Take a proper look. I might have some suggestions for music

EDIT: Crashes after each game but I assume you already know that. Car size seams good. Scrolling works well for me.

The variety of vehicles is great. Might be an idea to have other 'items' to pile up in different modes too?

Cool and simple concept. Ideal for AppUp!

Nickydude
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Posted: 6th Jun 2011 03:12
Erm.. isn't this in the wrong place?

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ASTECH
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Posted: 6th Jun 2011 05:28
Quote: "Erm.. isn't this in the wrong place?"


Sam thing I was thinking.


BlackFox
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Posted: 6th Jun 2011 06:21
@ BatVink

Took this for a spin on both our desktop (Quad core machine with ATI HD 4650 video, Vista Home Premium 32-bit) and our older laptop (single core with integrated video, Vista Home Basic 32-bit). Talk about addicting. I could not stop playing, and gave up almost an hour of my production. I'd get a good pile up, and as I grabbed and dragged another, it spun and hit my pile and down it came Too much fun...

IMO, the vehicle size is good where it is. This might be good for the younger kids that play it. Scrolling up and down the pile- the speed was perfect for both machines. I know my youngest son likes playing games with the big images, so I feel your vehicle size is dead-on.

The only issue we had was at the end where you enter your name for the scores. After clicking the letters, then clicking the check mark, we would get the error box famous to Vista and the application would close. I've enclosed the error for you in case you wish to see it:



Now, have to try and get a bigger pileup

- BlackFox

The function of good software is to make the complex appear to be simple.
BatVink
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Posted: 6th Jun 2011 09:11 Edited at: 8th Jun 2011 21:44
My bad about the board, how did I get that wrong! Moving it now.

Thanks for the feedback, it doesn't crash for me so I need to investigate that one. I must have a DLL short. I'll update this evening.

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JLMoondog
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Posted: 6th Jun 2011 14:34 Edited at: 6th Jun 2011 14:36
Only minor glitches I found were the ending crash, and occasionally I would have transparent tires on the police SUV and lambo, just those two cars.

Then I tried to break it and almost gave up until I started to throw the cars straight up in the air. At first everything seemed fine, until one car I threw straight up then not even a split second later it comes flying from the left side of the screen! Then one of the first cars I threw up I thought got lost but ended up falling down near the end of the level.

So not sure what is happening off screen, maybe the cars were bouncing off each other which is what caused the craziness, but can't say for sure.

Everything else seemed to work well.

BatVink
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Posted: 6th Jun 2011 15:33 Edited at: 6th Jun 2011 15:39
That's the kind of testing I like, doing the unthinkable

I need some barriers to destroy any cars that go out of bounds, there's no rational explanation for it coming back from the left, there's nothing above you for it to hit, it must be a "feature" of Box2D.

I think the crash after each level is because I compiled over the wrong release of the Box2D wrapper. I use the function pointer method to detect collisions, and it was flawed in the previous release.

The transparent tyres will be too black and treated as transparent.

Thanks again for all the feedback, I'll make some updates tonight.

baxslash
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Posted: 6th Jun 2011 15:59
Steve, you could always set some 'static edges' a way outside the visible area on all four sides and just delete any dynamic objects that come into contact with them. Just four collision checks per loop.

BatVink
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Posted: 6th Jun 2011 16:24
Thanks Baxslash, good idea. I believe there is a way to make them just "detectors" and not surfaces that the vehicles will bounce off.

Regarding different objects, I plan to have other themes. This is not actually the first theme, I created it for a private project with some branded items. It's built so that I can drag and drop different folders into place for different object collections.

Nickydude
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Posted: 7th Jun 2011 01:01
I thought I'd give it a try Steve but I get the following error when trying to run it (from "D:\pu")

"The parameter is incorrect"

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BatVink
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Posted: 7th Jun 2011 01:08 Edited at: 7th Jun 2011 01:10
[EDIT]

Apparently...

"this is the problem caused by Windows 7 SP1 - it breaks the DBPro executables"

I need to compile with something other than DBP7.7 to be compatible with everyone's setup. One more tweak to add to the list.

Nickydude
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Posted: 7th Jun 2011 01:11 Edited at: 7th Jun 2011 01:12
PU
-- Application.exe
-- gui2_web.dll
-- bin
---- Extras
---- Obj
---- ObjLaw
---- sound
---- game.ini

Windows 7 - 32bit

[EDIT] - Well that explains it.

I reject your reality and substitute my own...
DVader
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Posted: 7th Jun 2011 03:45
Crashes after a session for me too. Pretty neat looking game. Unsure how the actual game play works as such, with those objects, but nicely done regardless! More practice playing on the game could sort that I imagine. I only had the one go, as it crashed, and didn't really build much of a tower of cars, as I swiped some off in the process

http://s6.bitefight.org/c.php?uid=103081
BatVink
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Posted: 7th Jun 2011 16:18
LATEST UPDATE : 7 June 2011
Fixed: Crash after each game
Fixed: "The Parameter is Incorrect" in Win 7 SP1
Fixed: Items able to be thrown up/across and cause unpredictable activities
New Bug: Dropped items currently do not make a noise


Top Download Link also updated

https://forumfiles.thegamecreators.com/download/2210219

baxslash
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Posted: 7th Jun 2011 17:05
Great, I'll test the new version.

Hey Batvink, is your avatar a statement on none derivative impersonalisation on the internet? Or did imageshack loose your image?

BatVink
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Posted: 7th Jun 2011 18:24
Quote: "Hey Batvink, is your avatar a statement on none derivative impersonalisation on the internet? Or did imageshack loose your image?"


Take a closer look, and you'll be able to work out whether the image is lost You are the first one to comment on it in over 6 months.

Hodgey
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Posted: 8th Jun 2011 12:16
Great game Batvink, got a score of 8120!

A couple of things though:
1. When it showed me my rank, negative numbers were visible.
2. Is there a backspace when entering your name for the highscores? because the first time I entered my name for a highscore, I hit the number 4 and couldn't find a backspace, so there is a highscore listed as "4"

Other than that, it is a very addictive game, which I must... resist... do ... homework....... Ok one more game.

P.S Your avatar is the "image lost/ cannot find" image but with a "Y" isn't it. Very clever

A clever person solves a problem, a wise person avoids it - Albert Einstein
BatVink
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Posted: 8th Jun 2011 12:30
Thanks for testing Hodgey.

Quote: "When it showed me my rank, negative numbers were visible"


Yes, that's a known issue. It's in my PHP code for the hi score table, I haven't had time to figure it out yet. I'm trying to position the table 10 places before your new score, and display 10 entries after it too. Of course you got first place so you wouldn't notice

Quote: "Is there a backspace when entering your name for the highscores?"

There is but it's badly implemented at the moment. It's the "{" symbol on the screen keyboard. I also need to enable keyboard input, otherwise it takes any entry as "complete" as soon as you hit any key.

Hodgey
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Posted: 8th Jun 2011 14:22 Edited at: 8th Jun 2011 14:48
Quote: "Thanks for testing Hodgey."

You're welcome

Quote: "Of course you got first place so you wouldn't notice "

I also got 57th place in another round.

Just playing it again, after finishing I was told my position, then it skipped the highscore entry and went straight to the highscores list, which was visible for a few seconds before returning to the main menu. This occured after I played a level on "Hard" and after trying to view the highscores for "Hard" from the menu. I received that little message box saying something like "Highscores available in the full version".

Edit - Batvink, I just had to show you this, I think it really defines "PileUp"



Full sized attached

A clever person solves a problem, a wise person avoids it - Albert Einstein

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BatVink
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Posted: 8th Jun 2011 16:52
Nice screenshot!

The hiscores are fixed, it will now show

* correct positions
* Your score highlighted
* Back/Forward links to scroll through chart

Quote: "after finishing I was told my position, then it skipped the highscore entry"


I think this is something I need to resolve. If it showed your position, then the name entry has already passed, you probably clicked a key and it moved on, this is not good and I will fix.

BatVink
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Posted: 8th Jun 2011 19:43
LATEST UPDATE : 8 June 2011
Fixed: High Scores (+ improvements in layout and navigating)
Added: Menu Improvements
Fixed: Lost vehicles make noise again
Fixed: Transparency problem with some vehicles

I have decided to retain an 800x600 Window, to make gameplay consistent for all users. It can be maximised but will retain the 800x600 play area aspect. If anyone has any opinion/advice on this, let me know

https://forumfiles.thegamecreators.com/download/2210219

Hodgey
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Posted: 8th Jun 2011 23:32
I think the 800x600 is a good idea as Appup is netbook orientated.

Unfortunately I can't run your latest build, I get the "parameter incorrect" message.

A clever person solves a problem, a wise person avoids it - Albert Einstein
BatVink
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Posted: 8th Jun 2011 23:50 Edited at: 8th Jun 2011 23:51
Quote: "Unfortunately I can't run your latest build, I get the "parameter incorrect" message."


Oops, compiled over wrong release again

Updated with a working version. I've now successfully added the AppUp validation code, although it's disabled in this demo.
Also changed the blue background to a different blue, sounds minor but I realised the previous blue is required for a branded version of this game.

I'm also going to clear the scoreboard, this is your chance to get to the top of the leaderboard

You'll also notice the name has changed from Pile Up to Pile 'Em Up. There's too many games of the first name already out there.


https://forumfiles.thegamecreators.com/download/2210219

Hodgey
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Posted: 9th Jun 2011 06:52 Edited at: 9th Jun 2011 07:06
Did some more testing/playing with your latest build and after a couple of rounds I got this error: "Runtime Error 118 - Array does not exist or array subscript out of bounds at line 4560". This happened right after the round ended and before the entry of name appeared.

Found another error message. I got a "Handle was invalid! Line 603" after playing a couple of rounds on hard mode and then trying to view hard and easy highscores. This happened when it returned to the main menu by itself.

A clever person solves a problem, a wise person avoids it - Albert Einstein
BatVink
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Posted: 11th Jun 2011 13:09
Thanks again for the testing, I believe I have fixed those errors, although I never saw them myself so it's a bit if guesswork.

New upload, also includes tweaks to high score entry (better spacing) and adverts opening in external browser every time (replaced with a test page so my account doesn't get banned during testing)

https://forumfiles.thegamecreators.com/download/2210219

Hodgey
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Posted: 12th Jun 2011 01:01
Hey Batvink, just had a go at your most recent build and after playing hard a couple of times got an "Array out of bounds....", same array message as before except the line was 4618.

One other thing I found was that sometimes, after I had entered my name for the highscores, after playing another round, it would skip the name entry process, then record my score, show the highscores for 1/2 a second and then go back to the menu. Here are the exact steps I took which resulted in this issue.

1. Select "Play (Easy)"
2. Play a round
3. Enter my name
4. Look at the highscores
5. Went back a page on the highscores
6. Clicked on a random spot in the blue background (Return to the menu)
7. Clicked "Select Difficulty"
8. Clicked "Hard", it then returned to the main menu
9. Clicked "Play (Hard)"
10. Played a round on hard
11. When the round had finished it just went straight to the "Recording Score" screen. This may have been due to me clicking around trying to get that last vehicle on top of my pile.
12. After the recording screen it showed the highscores for 1/2 seconds and then returned to the main menu. I'm sure that when the highscores screen was showing, I wasn't pressing any buttons and I didn't click my mouse, nor was I holding the mouse click down when the highscores screen appeared.

If you need more info on one or more of the steps, let me know.



A clever person solves a problem, a wise person avoids it - Albert Einstein
Phaelax
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Posted: 13th Jun 2011 05:29
Screen needs to scroll vertically much faster. I think the cranes should scroll up to match so they stay on screen. And I'm the letter "P" in the highscore table. When I tried to push letters on the keyboard, it just auto-submitted instead of selecting that letter.

I think it should go a bit easier with the rotational force. I grabbed a tractor from the crane and before I even knew it, that thing spun around so fast and knocked my tower clear off the map. I barely moved my finger!

BatVink
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Posted: 13th Jun 2011 21:32 Edited at: 13th Jun 2011 21:35
Thanks again for testing

[quote...]after playing another round, it would skip the name entry process, then record my score, show the highscores for 1/2 a second and then go back to the menu.[/quote]

Quote: "And I'm the letter "P" in the highscore table. When I tried to push letters on the keyboard, it just auto-submitted instead of selecting that letter."


I think I have fixed both of those issues by tightening up the hiscore entry routine. For now, it doesn't accept keyboard input, I may include keyboard input too later but for now I'm fixing those hard-to-replicate issues.

Quote: "Screen needs to scroll vertically much faster."

This one is very subjective. The concensus at the moment is that the speed s okay, but I agree that some people may want it faster. I need to think of a way around that, but maybe not for v1.0

Quote: "I think the cranes should scroll up to match so they stay on screen."

Again it's something I've considered. I decided to leave them where it is so that as you progress, it gets harder. More seasoned players will quickly realise that the timeframe is not linear, you need to work faster at the start to account for this.


Another version to come very shortly, thanks guys.

BatVink
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Posted: 13th Jun 2011 23:40
OK, new update. The changes to Hiscore entry will hopefully resolve crashes/annoyances.

* Game resizes to suit screen. Minimum 800x600, maximum 1280x800
* Game Centres on screen
* Hi Score Page - has title
* Text entry of High Scores possible
* Keyboard on Hiscore screen does not automatically advance

In addition, placing an empty file named "debug.html" in the game folder will put the game in debug mode. If anyone has a bug to report, including this file will help immensely (especially if stopped as soon after bug as possible!)

Many thanks again to all those helping me quash the bugs and fine tune the game.

https://forumfiles.thegamecreators.com/download/2210219

Hodgey
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Posted: 14th Jun 2011 06:40
It's working well now Batvink, I do believe you have fixed those issues.

A clever person solves a problem, a wise person avoids it - Albert Einstein
Uncle Sam
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 04:28 Edited at: 18th Jun 2011 04:29
Very cool. Well done! I'm sure I'll be playing this often.

EDIT: Phaelax, your sig is beautiful.

I will probably love you if you donate here: My KickStarter Project
BatVink
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 19:29
It's gone for validation

I tidied up a couple of things beforehand, and added a "How To Play" screen before submitting.

Thanks to all who helped me get it this far.

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