Winnie-the-Pooh Flash Game
Dec. 31st, 2006 12:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
You will remember the flash game? I won't link to it here because I hope to upload version 0.4 shortly, with new levels, more plot and a fiddled interface.
What I like about it is the complexity of the characters. Many games do wonderful things with enemies with very simple rules (eg. Chip's Challenge, Deadly Rooms of Death) which can literally be summed up in one or two clauses. These are a bit more complicated, enough to have some challenging emergent behaviour. Instead of exploring interaction solely on a map, you have to explore abstract state spaces that control them, the idea being even one enemy can be challenging.
Although it should always be fairly logical, simple and graspable, many levels are essentially written around observing, predicting and exploiting just one aspect of behaviour. And others are tweaked to make the overall effect what you'd expect -- eg. if being chased by two enemies, and you go round a corner, and the first follows you, the second will follow him, rather than standing around stupidly. Exploiting that subtlety is far ahead, but it correctly gives you what you'd expect: both continue following you, but they don't just automatically know where you're going.
However, I think I was too niggardly. I like exploring every aspect of interaction of each piece of scenery, but I should have had some more simple interface: a fence, a gate, etc. Then levels could be simpler because you don't need to justify "you can get him but he can't get you" you can just do it, and if you have a fence it's entirely obvious what that means.
Anyway, the point of the post. I never had a name for the game. What should I call it??
What I like about it is the complexity of the characters. Many games do wonderful things with enemies with very simple rules (eg. Chip's Challenge, Deadly Rooms of Death) which can literally be summed up in one or two clauses. These are a bit more complicated, enough to have some challenging emergent behaviour. Instead of exploring interaction solely on a map, you have to explore abstract state spaces that control them, the idea being even one enemy can be challenging.
Although it should always be fairly logical, simple and graspable, many levels are essentially written around observing, predicting and exploiting just one aspect of behaviour. And others are tweaked to make the overall effect what you'd expect -- eg. if being chased by two enemies, and you go round a corner, and the first follows you, the second will follow him, rather than standing around stupidly. Exploiting that subtlety is far ahead, but it correctly gives you what you'd expect: both continue following you, but they don't just automatically know where you're going.
However, I think I was too niggardly. I like exploring every aspect of interaction of each piece of scenery, but I should have had some more simple interface: a fence, a gate, etc. Then levels could be simpler because you don't need to justify "you can get him but he can't get you" you can just do it, and if you have a fence it's entirely obvious what that means.
Anyway, the point of the post. I never had a name for the game. What should I call it??
no subject
Date: 2006-12-31 12:57 pm (UTC)I was very bad at the game and never got past level 3
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Date: 2007-01-02 01:40 pm (UTC)I was very bad at the game and never got past level 3
Oh dear. I think the next version needs to make it more obvious the buttons on the right hand side that can be clicked to go to any level.
Actually, I'm curious. I apologise for asking, but a lot of people became frustrated by an early level and I don't know if there's something wrong I could *fix*, or if it's just quite hard (which it has to be with only 10 levels :)). Did you think the controls worked ok?
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Date: 2007-01-02 03:31 pm (UTC)From what I can remember, it took me a while to work out what to do in each level. The controls for moving CR are unsymapthetic to errors, and I was often unable to outrun the Poohs. I'd do the level over and over again, having worked out the rules about following, trying to run faster each time, but couldn't quite manage it. Maybe I still hadn't cracked the sequence of actions, maybe my button-pressing is not physically fast enough to make the direction changes (but I thought it was).
I'm often dead before I can figure out what I'm supposed to do, and the manner of death of the CRs and the Poohs does squick me very much. If you were tailoring the game to my own personal specifications, I'd have an "easy" difficulty where the Poohs are a touch slower, and when Pooh catches CR I'd have Pooh knock him down and say ""Hurrah! I win," said Pooh smugly."
I'll make more structured comments on your new version, if you like.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-02 04:01 pm (UTC)buttons
Sorry, almost everyone had that problem. I thought it was obvious, but apparently not. (Can you actually see them? I'm not sure if for some people they're off the screen.) In the next version (not released yet) there's a caption saying "click here"
The controls for moving CR are unsymapthetic to errors, and I was often unable to outrun the Poohs. I'd do the level over and over again, having worked out the rules about following, trying to run faster each time, but couldn't quite manage it.
It sounds like a definite problem with the controls, thank you for describing it vividly :) It's supposed to be just automatic that you can run in a straight line at full speed (moving one square every tick), and so in a straight passage with a Pooh behind you I assumed you'd be perfectly safe. The intention is that the interesting bit is working out what to do, and doing it only a minor exercise in coordination. It only very slowly sank in for me that that wasn't the case.
This is what people meant by wanting it to be turn-based, but I had difficulty working out the root problem. And I was a bit stubborn about editing the controls, because I could do it automatically :) Sorry for the frustration that must have caused :)
As a matter of fact, that's almost the opposite to what is supposed to be the case. I often find it frustrating in games where you can *nearly* do something, this is supposed to be very much once you know what to do you can just do it with no split-second timing, but apparently not. FWIW I always hold a direction key down, and then when I want to turn I wait until I'm approaching the corner and release it and hold the new one down, and find it easy (but I've had a lot of practice). However, I've done some tweaking, the next version will hopefully be easier for other people.
I'm often dead before I can figure out what I'm supposed to do,
Oh dear. That shouldn't be the case either -- until level 10, you should be safe to start the level and stand still while studying it for as long as possible. (And for the next version I removed that too.)
the manner of death of the CRs and the Poohs does squick me very much.
Oh dear :) Several people have that. The animation really amuses me. But learning from my previous decisions, I guess I could fairly easily add a PG mode where the violence isn't graphic without losing anything :)
""Hurrah! I win," said Pooh smugly."
ROFL. It wouldn't exactly fit the plot. But I do like it.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-02 04:17 pm (UTC)I don't remember. Remind me of the URL and I'll take a look.
Controls: > in a straight passage with a Pooh behind you I assumed you'd be perfectly safe
I am, but every time I turn a corner I lose a tiny advantage and eventually they catch up. I could test this by having them chase me round and round a square to see if I can improve my direction-changing speed.
Dying: > until level 10, you should be safe to start the level and stand still while studying it for as long as possible.
That helps - but I have to move to find out how the objects interact, like sticks and Poohs chasing and which elements block movement. I dimly recall there being an item surrounded by hedges - I don't know how I could get to that item, or if it is there for decoration or to frustrate you when you really want one of those things but can't get it!
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Date: 2007-01-02 04:28 pm (UTC)Thank you! http://semichrome.net/~jack/games/quartus/ (old version)
I am, but every time I turn a corner I lose a tiny advantage and eventually they catch up. I could test this by having them chase me round and round a square to see if I can improve my direction-changing speed.
Ah, thank you, I understand. The problem being of course there is no such thing as a tiny advantage: you either move smoothly, or lose a fairly big advantage. Practising would help, but it shouldn't have to be necessary, I'm supposed to go and design it so it just works the same way people's instincts do (that's why ipods are good :)).
Actually, may I email you the link to the next version? It's not finished, but I would be curious if you find the controls any easier -- you are good at explaining how they seem to you.
That helps - but I have to move to find out how the objects interact, like sticks and Poohs chasing and which elements block movement.
OK, that makes sense. That's about how it should be, except that the controls shouldn't be fscked, and you shouldn't mind dying :)
I dimly recall there being an item surrounded by hedges - I don't know how I could get to that item, or if it is there for decoration or to frustrate you when you really want one of those things but can't get it!
Yes :) Don't tell anyone. That is, working out which is part of the exploring. But it's probably a lot more frustrating than it should be if the controls don't work right.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-03 11:38 am (UTC)Things which would have helped me:
Numbers on the buttons
Arrow shape instead of blob
Hover text
Colour change when level is completed?
Reassurance that jumping between levels will not affect my game
no subject
Date: 2007-01-03 02:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-03 05:35 pm (UTC)but my fiction sucks!
The new interface is much more helpful. The colour change is an intuitive signifier, and the blinking light is nicely eyecatching and draws you on to go up levels. Nice sense of progress.
With correct arrow key timing I can get to Poohs to follow me round and round a square without gaining on me. But I'm not good enough at the timing to always get it right, and often end up facing a hedge with Poohs gnawing out my throat :-( but I think I'm inured to the violence now.
Am now at level 6 - keep running into walls before I can get to the place I want to be in time. Practice, practice. Levels 4 and 5 took me 5-6 goes to master. I like the pits.
There are a few glitchy bits, like the accompanying text appears at odd times like not necessarily when you go to a new level for the first time, or not always when you die - but you may well be working with that still.
Thank you for the game!
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Date: 2007-01-03 05:49 pm (UTC)Well, would you expect someone who was good at writing fiction to be good at writing explanations, and vice-versa? Maybe, but I don't think it's always the case :)
The new interface is much more helpful. The colour change is an intuitive signifier, and the blinking light is nicely eyecatching and draws you on to go up levels. Nice sense of progress.
Thank you!
Am now at level 6 - keep running into walls before I can get to the place I want to be in time. Practice, practice. Levels 4 and 5 took me 5-6 goes to master.
You mean, five or six times total, or five or six times to actually do it once you'd decided what to do? That doesn't sound unreasonable to me.
However, it still sounds like you're handicapped by the controls. I very much want to improve them, can you suggest anything more?
(BTW, you may like to try the turn-based button at the top right. You may enjoy that more, but I would very much value your feedback on the normal controls, I want to get them to work because that's how I envisages the game.)
(PS. Agh! I forgot -- there's a bug in level 6 in the new version when Pooh walks through a wall, it's probably completable. You'll have to do level 6 on the old one if you want to. Doh, sorry.)
I like the pits.
Thank you.
There are a few glitchy bits, like the accompanying text appears at odd times like not necessarily when you go to a new level for the first time, or not always when you die - but you may well be working with that still.
I might be, but as it happens, no I wasn't aware of that. It might be something I haven't noticed, or that it doesn't run properly on some computers, (or maybe just not doing what you expect). Thank you -- could you describe exactly what happens?
Thank you for the game!
Thank you!