Hi Nushio, I have written a review of your game "Unsealed: Whispers of Wisdom":
The game is started by simply using the command "java -jar Unsealed.jar".
The menu screen is nice and offers both a campaign and an arena. The campaign is split up into 3 parts. The first part introduces the story and the controls and combat. I won't spoil the story, but the method of telling the story is great. Cut-scenes show the player character move around, talk with other characters, take different actions. And the different spells the player character gets ties into the story. A method to skip the cut-scenes would have been great, but it is not too necessary as long as the game does not crash or you haven't played it before.
The combat is somewhat special. It is real-time, and you move around on a 3-by-3 field using WASD. Next to your 3-by-3 field is the enemies' 3-by-3 field. Combat consists of avoiding or shielding enemies' attacks while using spells against them. As the game progresses, more and more spells become available. Each spell cost power to use, which regenerates slowly over time. Though it took some time getting used to the controls, they worked well.
In case you lose, the game offers a menu to restart that specific combat, such that you don't have to go through the whole chapter again, which is very nice. I also think that the game makes the combat easier by speeding up the power regeneration if you restart a battle. The cost of spells (apart from the two basic spells shield and simple shot, which has low power cost) are shown in a UI screen to the top-right. One spell seemed to have a higher spellcost than shown, but they were overwise correct.
The enemies vary in nature, and as the game progresses, they get more and more abilities and attacks, as well as movement patterns. Some enemies even go into your field when they attack! Having multiple enemies with different attacks helps create a nice challenge. For the most part, the enemy AI worked well. There are two boss fights, which are very nice.
The music changes throughout the campaign, and has different music for cut-scenes and combat.
The battle arena features an unending horde of monsters. It's not all bad, since you have a very high power regeneration, and you get a small amount of health sometimes. I ended up spamming the fire lion, and got up to around 450 health before I stopped.
Overall, the game is very well done, and I can definitely recommend it. The combat was fun and fast, and I personally liked the story.
In my second playthrough of the game, I encountered a game-crashing bug twice in the same position, namely the first time Shura begins a kick-animation. That means I cannot complete the campaign, but I remember the ending from before. But the bug is kind of a show-stopper, and prevents me from completing the game.
Stack trace for the bug: Exception in thread "LWJGL Application" com.badlogic.gdx.utils.GdxRuntimeException: java.lang.NullPointerException at com.badlogic.gdx.backends.lwjgl.LwjglApplication$1.run(LwjglApplication.java:139) Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException at net.k3rnel.unsealed.battle.magic.ThunderClawKick.act(ThunderClawKick.java:65) at net.k3rnel.unsealed.battle.enemies.Shura.act(Shura.java:126) at net.k3rnel.unsealed.battle.BattleGrid.act(BattleGrid.java:168) at net.k3rnel.unsealed.screens.BattleScreen.render(BattleScreen.java:391) at net.k3rnel.unsealed.story.chapter3.Chapter3_6.render(Chapter3_6.java:104) at com.badlogic.gdx.Game.render(Game.java:46) at net.k3rnel.unsealed.Unsealed.render(Unsealed.java:131) at com.badlogic.gdx.backends.lwjgl.LwjglApplication.mainLoop(LwjglApplication.java:214) at com.badlogic.gdx.backends.lwjgl.LwjglApplication$1.run(LwjglApplication.java:136)
The reason the last two levels are so tough is because I was making easier levels than challenge mode after betatesters said the game was too difficult, and I was afraid it would become too easy, so I ended up making them too tough :). The next version of the game should feature levels that are still challenging but not as difficult.
The slowed movement while casting spells is intentional. It is a gameplay mechanic that influences the game a lot, and while it does make it harder, I also think it makes the game more interesting. But it is one of the mechanics I am still wondering about.
You are right, it is related to the version of gcc and C++ files on the system. The current version of ENIGMA has its own parser for C++, which does not support C++11, and that is why it is supported for Debian Stable but not Debian Testing. I imagine that certain older version of Fedora would work with it, but I have not tried it out myself. Work is progressing on a new parser, which is more robust and can handle C++11. I have recently tried out a branch of ENIGMA that uses the new parser on Ubuntu 12.04, where it works after some small modifications to the game, but it is not stable across platforms yet.
One of the development tools I use is ENIGMA Development Environment (enigma-dev.org). It has its own scripting language, and that language supports calling C++ directly, among other things. As part of that, ENIGMA needs to parse C++. Its old parser cannot handle C++11, which is the reason it can handle Debian Stable but not Ubuntu 12.04. The new parser, which is being worked on and is becoming mature enough to use, is more robust and can handle C++11.
Regarding Artificer's Quest: the Staff of Ivalder:
I have downloaded the VM and played through the binary for 64-bit Debian Stable successfully on it on normal mode. The performance was acceptable in most levels, but had considerable slowdowns in some. Apart from that, everything worked as it should. I delegated about 1.6 GB ram to the VM, and my CPU is an i5.
Is it a requirement that the source can be compiled on the VM, or are the binaries fine? The version of the game for the competition can not be compiled on Ubuntu 12.04 but only on Debian Stable, even though the binaries compiled on Debian Stable also work on Ubuntu 12.04.
Artificier's Quest: the Staff of Ivalder is a top-down action game set in a fantasy setting. You control the Artificer as the main character, who has set out on a quest to retrieve the staff of Ivalder. The main gameplay consists of outmaneuvering your enemies and evading their attacks while destroying them with your own spells. Inspiration has been taken from games such as Sacrifice, Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, Mage Craft and Merlin's Revenge.
I currently have binaries for Debian Stable 32-bit and 64-bit, and Windows 7 64-bit. I hope to have binaries for Ubuntu 12.04 in the near future. The binaries for Debian Stable 32-bit and 64-bit should also work for Ubuntu 12.04, assuming the same installation instructions are followed.
Installation instructions for Debian Stable (should work on Ubuntu 12.04)
[Open terminal] su - ["sudo su" may work if "su -" doesn't work] aptitude update aptitude install libopenal1 libalure1 libdumb1 exit ["cd" to the folder of the binary] chmod a+x AQ_tSoI_v[version number]_32bit_Debian ./AQ_tSoI_v[version number]_32bit_Debian
There's also ENIGMA; enigma-dev.org. It is compatible with GameMaker files, but is FOSS. I have made an entry with it with the name Artificer's Quest: the Staff of Ivalder.
I am going to use a slightly modified version of ENIGMA Game Maker (enigma-dev.org) to make the game. The modified version can be found here: https://github.com/forthevin/enigma-dev.
Hi Nushio, I have written a review of your game "Unsealed: Whispers of Wisdom":
The game is started by simply using the command "java -jar Unsealed.jar".
The menu screen is nice and offers both a campaign and an arena. The campaign is split up into 3 parts. The first part introduces the story and the controls and combat. I won't spoil the story, but the method of telling the story is great. Cut-scenes show the player character move around, talk with other characters, take different actions. And the different spells the player character gets ties into the story. A method to skip the cut-scenes would have been great, but it is not too necessary as long as the game does not crash or you haven't played it before.
The combat is somewhat special. It is real-time, and you move around on a 3-by-3 field using WASD. Next to your 3-by-3 field is the enemies' 3-by-3 field. Combat consists of avoiding or shielding enemies' attacks while using spells against them. As the game progresses, more and more spells become available. Each spell cost power to use, which regenerates slowly over time. Though it took some time getting used to the controls, they worked well.
In case you lose, the game offers a menu to restart that specific combat, such that you don't have to go through the whole chapter again, which is very nice. I also think that the game makes the combat easier by speeding up the power regeneration if you restart a battle. The cost of spells (apart from the two basic spells shield and simple shot, which has low power cost) are shown in a UI screen to the top-right. One spell seemed to have a higher spellcost than shown, but they were overwise correct.
The enemies vary in nature, and as the game progresses, they get more and more abilities and attacks, as well as movement patterns. Some enemies even go into your field when they attack! Having multiple enemies with different attacks helps create a nice challenge. For the most part, the enemy AI worked well. There are two boss fights, which are very nice.
The music changes throughout the campaign, and has different music for cut-scenes and combat.
The battle arena features an unending horde of monsters. It's not all bad, since you have a very high power regeneration, and you get a small amount of health sometimes. I ended up spamming the fire lion, and got up to around 450 health before I stopped.
Overall, the game is very well done, and I can definitely recommend it. The combat was fun and fast, and I personally liked the story.
In my second playthrough of the game, I encountered a game-crashing bug twice in the same position, namely the first time Shura begins a kick-animation. That means I cannot complete the campaign, but I remember the ending from before. But the bug is kind of a show-stopper, and prevents me from completing the game.
Stack trace for the bug:
Exception in thread "LWJGL Application" com.badlogic.gdx.utils.GdxRuntimeException: java.lang.NullPointerException
at com.badlogic.gdx.backends.lwjgl.LwjglApplication$1.run(LwjglApplication.java:139)
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
at net.k3rnel.unsealed.battle.magic.ThunderClawKick.act(ThunderClawKick.java:65)
at net.k3rnel.unsealed.battle.enemies.Shura.act(Shura.java:126)
at net.k3rnel.unsealed.battle.BattleGrid.act(BattleGrid.java:168)
at net.k3rnel.unsealed.screens.BattleScreen.render(BattleScreen.java:391)
at net.k3rnel.unsealed.story.chapter3.Chapter3_6.render(Chapter3_6.java:104)
at com.badlogic.gdx.Game.render(Game.java:46)
at net.k3rnel.unsealed.Unsealed.render(Unsealed.java:131)
at com.badlogic.gdx.backends.lwjgl.LwjglApplication.mainLoop(LwjglApplication.java:214)
at com.badlogic.gdx.backends.lwjgl.LwjglApplication$1.run(LwjglApplication.java:136)
Thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
The reason the last two levels are so tough is because I was making easier levels than challenge mode after betatesters said the game was too difficult, and I was afraid it would become too easy, so I ended up making them too tough :). The next version of the game should feature levels that are still challenging but not as difficult.
The slowed movement while casting spells is intentional. It is a gameplay mechanic that influences the game a lot, and while it does make it harder, I also think it makes the game more interesting. But it is one of the mechanics I am still wondering about.
I had success getting the binary for 64-bit Debian Stable running on 64-bit Fedora 17 using the following steps:
sudo su
yum install openal-soft-devel
yum install alure
yum install dumb
cd /usr/lib64
ln -s libdumb-0.9.3.so libdumb.so.1
exit
Similar steps might work for 32-bit. Are you using 32-bit or 64-bit Fedora?
You are right, it is related to the version of gcc and C++ files on the system. The current version of ENIGMA has its own parser for C++, which does not support C++11, and that is why it is supported for Debian Stable but not Debian Testing. I imagine that certain older version of Fedora would work with it, but I have not tried it out myself. Work is progressing on a new parser, which is more robust and can handle C++11. I have recently tried out a branch of ENIGMA that uses the new parser on Ubuntu 12.04, where it works after some small modifications to the game, but it is not stable across platforms yet.
One of the development tools I use is ENIGMA Development Environment (enigma-dev.org). It has its own scripting language, and that language supports calling C++ directly, among other things. As part of that, ENIGMA needs to parse C++. Its old parser cannot handle C++11, which is the reason it can handle Debian Stable but not Ubuntu 12.04. The new parser, which is being worked on and is becoming mature enough to use, is more robust and can handle C++11.
Regarding Artificer's Quest: the Staff of Ivalder:
I have downloaded the VM and played through the binary for 64-bit Debian Stable successfully on it on normal mode. The performance was acceptable in most levels, but had considerable slowdowns in some. Apart from that, everything worked as it should. I delegated about 1.6 GB ram to the VM, and my CPU is an i5.
Is it a requirement that the source can be compiled on the VM, or are the binaries fine? The version of the game for the competition can not be compiled on Ubuntu 12.04 but only on Debian Stable, even though the binaries compiled on Debian Stable also work on Ubuntu 12.04.
Artificier's Quest: the Staff of Ivalder is a top-down action game set in a fantasy setting. You control the Artificer as the main character, who has set out on a quest to retrieve the staff of Ivalder. The main gameplay consists of outmaneuvering your enemies and evading their attacks while destroying them with your own spells. Inspiration has been taken from games such as Sacrifice, Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, Mage Craft and Merlin's Revenge.
I currently have binaries for Debian Stable 32-bit and 64-bit, and Windows 7 64-bit. I hope to have binaries for Ubuntu 12.04 in the near future. The binaries for Debian Stable 32-bit and 64-bit should also work for Ubuntu 12.04, assuming the same installation instructions are followed.
Screenshots
http://imgur.com/a/AVdmU#0
Binary for Windows 7
64-bit: http://www.sendspace.com/file/if4pdt
Binaries for Debian Stable (should work on Ubuntu 12.04)
32-bit: http://www.sendspace.com/file/vqzwhy
64-bit: http://www.sendspace.com/file/vs29sl
Installation instructions for Debian Stable (should work on Ubuntu 12.04)
[Open terminal]
su - ["sudo su" may work if "su -" doesn't work]
aptitude update
aptitude install libopenal1 libalure1 libdumb1
exit
["cd" to the folder of the binary]
chmod a+x AQ_tSoI_v[version number]_32bit_Debian
./AQ_tSoI_v[version number]_32bit_Debian
I am sorry about that, the links should work now.
There's also ENIGMA; enigma-dev.org. It is compatible with GameMaker files, but is FOSS. I have made an entry with it with the name Artificer's Quest: the Staff of Ivalder.
I am going to use a slightly modified version of ENIGMA Game Maker (enigma-dev.org) to make the game. The modified version can be found here: https://github.com/forthevin/enigma-dev.
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