WIP: Towerfield

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#1

I started working on this game in December, but I haven’t worked on it since early January.

I do not know what I can do to make it a finished “product”. I like the look n’ feel of the game, but there is something that just isn’t quite right, I do not know what. It’s maybe too “brute force”, and too little strategy. I’m unsure about screen scrolling, resource system, etc.

It’s like… now I have a game where you build towers, and it looks alright, but how can I make a good game out of this? Should I make it only-instant-mission game, a singleplayer game with successive missions?

So, please suggest something to me :slight_smile: Just test it and let me know what you think, what should be changed, etc.

  • It has (limited) multiplayer support, and uses ports 57007 (tcp) and 57008 (udp).
  • Use keys 1-8 to build towers.

Webpage: http://gamadu.com/games/towerfield/
Webstart: http://gamadu.com/games/towerfield/webstart/towerfield.jnlp

Thanks so much!

http://gamadu.com/games/towerfield/screen05.png

#2

It looks nice, but doesn’t play well :wink:
It was completely frozen for me for any instant games I played.

#3

Hardware specs?

#4

Windows 7 x64
Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0 GHz with 2GB of RAM
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (I know, crappy)

It was running at 61 FPS right before it froze.

#5

Looked pretty cool.

I couldn’t do anything tho since the right side of the screen was hidden, which I assume had the menus where you build stuff. The menus we off-center to the right too. Must be a screen-resolution problem since my laptop screen is really wide.

Otherwise it worked and the AI was going nuts building a mega-base of dense towers.

#6

Go into settings and choose your resolution :wink:

#7

I chose a map then clicked “Start game”, then it closed . Tried again, the same result .

Windows XP, java 1.6.0_21 , card Intel GMA X3000

#8

Hi - I really like the basic ideas but am having troubles. I normally have my screen at pretty low number of pixels, so when I came to your “settings” screen, there was no way to get to the “Apply” button. (Windows XP-Home) I ended up changing the settings on my screen to accomodate the game. Not everyone is going to want to do that! Is there a way to make the settings a scrollable control? Or make this part smaller or more central?

Your website “http://gamadu.com/games/towerfield/” is in some sort of popup mode that stays on top of the Java Security message I have to click through! And it stays on top of the game when I go tothe website to look at the instructions and try to click or alt-tab back. So I have to keep minimizing your website.

“Large Map” seems to just quit the game. “Boxed In” started ok. It would be nice to have some diagrams of the various things you can build and what they do, as part of the instructions. I was given an “out of power” almost immediately in the game when I tried to build artillery. Three tries and I still haven’t figured out how to fight back or earn money. Built a few things (bunkers? I think they were 1, 2, or 5) and tried to sell them, but couldn’t. Maybe some of this is just ignorant & panicky thrashing around – I find it hard to do “testing” with artillery fire pounding on my headquarters! Do you have a “bunny slope”?

#9

Same with me.

BTW, the current java is 1.6.0_24 :wink:

#10

Same here. Mandriva Linux 2010, Java 1.6 update 22, NVidia Geforce 7600 GT with the proprietary driver (I have not yet tried the Nouveau driver).

#11

OKay tried it again, and it seems that it only crashes on the larger maps (like “large map” and “Mega fortress” ) . The small ones run nicely (“Boxed in”, “Squeeze”) . And “River fortress” runs, but with extremely poor performance . Maybe you forgot to include memory settings in your jnlp ?

as for the game, I think you should give us the option to select a dumber AI …the current one just kicked my ass without giving me the oportunity to see where I get/measure my energy .

The UI looks pretty nice and polished . Have you made them yourself or are you using any library ?

#12

The game ran smooth, although the resolution was also annoying for me on a 17" :frowning: Right side hidden.
I also feel that the lack of info about this energy, makes it hard to play such a powerful UI. I tried to just place towers randomly as fast as I could, but I couldn’t even top his speed :frowning:

#13

Change your resolution in the settings menu :wink:

#14

In terms of suggestions for a form for a game, it seems to me once the AI difficulty grading gets worked out, that maybe the thing to do would be to borrow some ideas from Sid Meyer’s Civilization.

  1. Make the playing area (the world) much larger than can be seen in one screen.

  2. Make the viewing area limited to not much more than the frontier borders. As your area grows, so does what you can see. This would include the harvestable energy sources. Maybe also, some varying “qualities” to the squares besides harvestability that lend themselves to strategic uses.

  3. Disperse the AI opponents, have them far enough away that one has time to concentrate on just trying to grow and develop in the most efficient way possible. Also, time to set up some defenses, or to construct a conquest plan.

  4. Maybe have more than one AI opponent. A yellow horde, a purple horde. These could fight amongst themselves as well as against your own kingdom. Also, maybe the closer AI opponents could be less viral, less potent. (For example, there is a tower type or two that they can’t produce, or a different tower type that they can.) Thus, you can make choices like taking them on, or leaving them as a buffer against the more dangerous AIs.

  5. The multiple colors also suggest a multiplayer mode.

#15

And again…
Windows 7 64-bit
Java 1.6.0_23
Integrated ATI Graphics

#16

Ok, thanks for the error/compatibility reports. Clearly the initial resolution is too large, and many computers can’t handle the large maps.

philfrei gave me the only the kind of help I was looking for though, thanks for that. Your ideas suggest that there should be some sort of tech tree, so the player can harvest resources and build up base (with tech buildings) in the beginning. That may very well be something I need. Perhaps I should evolve this into a more traditional RTS, without any ground units (I might do only air units since they’re much easier to do).

#17

The game really does have a great look! I’m thinking of the way that crystals grow, of a surface being progressively encrusted over. Whatever the rules you add that determine the progression of the game, they should serve the visuals. I can’t comment on the “ground units” vs. “air units” as I didn’t progress far enough to make the distinction. Before going too far with a tech tree, the highest priority (for me) would be to have some more time at the beginning before one starts getting demolished. I’d feel more motivated to protect my colony if I had made more progress in building it up. Maybe this extra time gives the advanced player too much of an advantage, which is why you have things so difficult, as you are undoubtably very advanced in knowledge and technique as to how to play against the AI?

One idea I had for a game I started programming, was to track a user’s results and base the next iteration’s difficulty based on a predetermined success ratio. Your progress or success (in successive playings) would be seen by how advanced the AI thinks you are, rather than by a high score measure. Are there examples of these sorts of games out there? I don’t recall seeing such, but this game might lend itself to such an approach.

#18

Great polish in some areas (menus etc) - severely lacking in others :slight_smile: It desperately needs a UI with buttons to make buildings, explain what they do, say how much they cost etc. etc. I just jumped in using the jnlp without reading anything at all to see how far I got (like mostly everyone else who tries games) and … er… got nowhere because the mouse didn’t do anything and there weren’t any buttons!

Cas :slight_smile:

#19

Yes it is, since it’s just a development build. I haven’t implemented those things because I simply don’t know how I want to have the gameplay.