Space Paranoids 2D4K [updated]

Contests 4K Game Competition - 2009
#21

If you want to open this jar, you’d better rename it as a zip, then you will find the S.class and manifest.txt files into it, and you shouldn’t get a “corrupt file” message.

If you want to launch the game within this jar, you must do it from a html file that will execute it as an applet. Here is the code for my own “index.htm” launcher :

<html>
<head>
<title>
Space Paranoids 2D4K version 1.00
</title>
</head>
<body>
<center>
Space Paranoids 2D4K version 1.00 will appear below in a Java enabled browser.


<applet
  codebase = "."
  code     = "S.class"
  name     = "Space Paranoids 2D4K"
  archive="S.jar"
  width    = "500"
  height   = "500"
  hspace   = "0"
  vspace   = "0"
  align    = "middle"
>
</applet>




Click once on the game window to activate it.


Use [Left] and [Right] to steer, [Up] and [Down] to accelerate and reverse, 
[C] and [V] to turn the turret and [X] to shoot.



<a href="SpaceParanoids2D4K.jnlp">Launch Space Paranoids 2D4K through JNLP</a>

</body>
</html>

And here is the code of the “SpaceParanoids2D4K.jnlp” file, not necessary at all to launch the applet but so you’ll have all the files which are on my website :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<jnlp
  spec="1.0+"
  codebase="http://stephr.110mb.com"
  href="http://stephr.110mb.com/SpaceParanoids2D4K.jnlp">
  <information>
    <title>Space Paranoids 2D4K</title>
    <vendor>StephR</vendor>
    <homepage href="http://stephr.110mb.com"/>
    <description kind="short">Space Paranoids 2D4K</description>
    <offline-allowed/>
  </information>
  <security>
  </security>
  <resources>
    <j2se version="1.5+"/>
    <jar href="S.jar"/>
  </resources>
  <applet-desc
    documentBase="http://stephr.110mb.com/"
    name="S"
    main-class="S"
    width="500"
    height="500">
  </applet-desc>
</jnlp>
#22

I completed one wave on Easy, and killed 5 enemies in the first wave on Hard, once. I would prefer to be able to tell from the mini-map which enemies are tanks and which the other thing; I think that would make it more strategic and less random-ambush-y. I’d also tweak the keys slightly - make X and V rotate and C fire. Good fun, though, all told.

#23

I appreciate your comments, pjt33, alas the contest is over and it wouldn’t be fair to make any new change to my game !

I wanted to make a very challenging game where the player would fight enemies with the same power and capabilities as his/hers, however it seems I succeeded too well as the level of difficulty is too hard… I only reached the 8th wave so far myself in easy mode, and the 23th in the hard one… Next time I will spend at least a full day at checking the balance of the final version of my game.

#24

Nothing to stop you waiting a bit and doing a Director’s Cut :wink:

UI is often one of the hardest things to get right. I know I’m still learning, and I would revisit some of my published games if I could to update them in the light of feedback.

I’m amused that you seem to find hard mode easier than easy. Difficulty is another thing which is very hard to get right, but I think it’s better to err on the side of too challenging - less skilled players with a bit of patience can still get some sense of achievement, and highly skilled players won’t be completely bored.

#25

Actually I think that destroying a single enemy tank in the easiest mode of my game is already an achievement ! And to be more accurate, if I reached the 23th wave in hard mode, you must not forget that in this mode you start at the 21st one, so I defeated 7 waves in easy mode and only 2 in the hard one.

Also thank you for reassuring me about having a too difficult game instead of a too easy one ! And I will definitely make an improved version of my game once the reviews for the contest are published.

#26

You’ll find the source code of Space Paranoids 2D4K version 1.1 as an attached file to this post.

This new version is really MUCH easier to play than the previous one, yet it takes 16 octets less… Note also that the commands have been changed a bit. It is possible to play to it right now at the following address :
http://stephr.110mb.com/Space%20Paranoids%202D4K%20v1.1.htm

Thanks for your patience and your interest.

#27

The curve’s definitely a bit shallower, yes. I’m curious about the key changes. Were they intended to implement my suggestion? Because what I suggested was to have the firing key in the middle of the two turning keys.

Actually, on further reflection, SPACE would probably be better because then people who don’t read the instructions (i.e. 90% of people) would still be able to play for long enough to realise that the other tanks can rotate their turrets and they probably could too if they went back and read the instructions.

#28

Actually I wanted to implement your suggestion for the keys, pjt33, however it seems I read your message too fastly !!! And concerning the [SPACE] key, I met a big issue trying it, as having it pressed blocked some other keys to be pressed in their turn…

And I think you’re totally right on the “90% of people don’t read the instructions”. For such small games it is preferable to aim the average casual gamer, concerning the level of difficulty as well as the commands of the game. And in the case of my game, one of my biggest mistake was certainly to make a game that would please me first, and not really thinking to other players… Yet if I hadn’t done that, I doubt I would have found the motivation to finish it.

Now after all your comments, pjt33, I suppose I’m obliged to review your Gravitational Fourks soon !