[Release] Pause Screen From BattleToads

[z_bill]

Released here!

 

 

So I got sort of obsessed with this idea so I'm reserving it with a thread!

 

I'm an artist and total newbie to the forum. I'm still open to get help with the coding (could switch to Unity if pressed). Otherwise, I'm going to learn GameMaker here and now! 

 

The idea is to start at the pause screen for Battletoads, and use glitches and weirdness to escape into....something else! Should be odd and cool. Inspirations: Frog Fractions, Corrypt

 

 

[z_bill]

Convinced myself to do this!

 

I got the BattleToads sprites from the NES game. But my idea is to pervert the original art as soon as possible. Like a mashup that morphs into a new thing.

[z_bill]

I'm following along with Tom Francis

 and doing okay I guess. Weirdly for my first game I seem to just be remaking the second level from BattleToads haha.

 

 

Here's where I am. I have the fundamentals of char movement down and replicated the scrolling in the level alright. The pause works with the cool music! The guy shooting the ninjas is just leftover from the tutorial. Figuring stuff out!

[z_bill]

Here are some sketches of some "NPCs."

 

 

I've put together what might be considered a "design doc" too. And I've come to the realization that I'm more or less making a graphic adventure here. And strangely, those odd chars above, and most of the non-Battletoads original art I'm making for this,  are only going to show up after the game is over. There is a party after you've beaten the game and you can walk around and talk to people. Anyone know the ending of ToeJam & Earl? Like that.

 

So yeah, weird and getting weirder, but It half-makes sense in my head now!

[atte]

  On 4/13/2015 at 11:28 PM, z_bill said:

 weird and getting weirder,

also good, and getting better!

[z_bill]

Thanks, atte!

So no update for a while...I have been working on it a lot. But, you see, I'm way out of my depth.

Just doing things I thought would be simple is taking me hours and hours. For instance (for a reason that probably only makes sense to me), there are THREE pause states in this game: the legit "doong sok doong sok doong sok sok dok" orig Battletoads pause, and a help screen, and a quit screen. Just managing the conditions of these states, how this can't happen and this can, and making it all not break...Well, it took a while and was my first real coding conundrum. Ie: I barely know what I'm doing.

Basically, the theme of the game, the idea that BattleToads is glitching out and you can't escape the pause screen, is TOTALLY mirroring my real life flailing, trying to get anything working with this code!

As such, the game still only looks like messed up iterations on the second Battletoads level as posted above. I will have new screens later though! Also, slapped together some pixel art too, and I'll be introducing that once I escape to fabled Room 02.

[z_bill]

Super stoked about the deadline extension! I will finish this! 

 

It may not look like much progress, but here's a screen.

 

[z_bill]

I'm not sure the world is ready...

 

[Synnah]

Ahhh, rad!

[Spenny]

Niiiiiiice.

[clyde]

Lately I've been very interested in playable glitching. I'm look forward to see your approach to the inherent obstacles in juxtaposing broken with playable.

[z_bill]

Thanks a lot guys! Lots of fun being had with this jam and making my first game!

 

 

  On 4/25/2015 at 1:09 PM, clyde said:

Lately I've been very interested in playable glitching. I'm look forward to see your approach to the inherent obstacles in juxtaposing broken with playable.

 

Haha. Bonus if you can tell the  glitches I created purposely versus the ones due to bad coding! I'm into glitchy games like Michael Brough's work (Corrypt) and some others (Ffords, Slime Bomb Knight). Hoping to pay homage to some of that.

 

I think it's mostly done. What I'm making now is the "Ending Screen." Can't wait for everyone to play it!

 

[z_bill]

Well. Good, bad, whatever, the game is Finished! 

 

I wasn't able to playtest it....like, at all. But my friend played it and just spammed the keys and it didn't break..So here's to hoping!!

 

My itch.io:

(So super happy to have an itch.io you have no idea!!)

 

http://z_bill.itch.io/pause-screen-from-battletoads

[clyde]

Please make more.

[z_bill]

Hey thanks! I'll definitely take another crack at it (after some rest).

 

I take it you got to the end? I mean, I really don't think it's that hard. Just curious whether it's working on other people's machines.

[z_bill]

Haha...I just noticed that somewhere along the way the name changed from "Pause Theme From Battletoads" (The actual Episode Title) to "Pause Screen From Battletoads."

 

Oh well, my bad. Same difference I guess!

[clyde]

  On 4/27/2015 at 3:06 AM, z_bill said:

Hey thanks! I'll definitely take another crack at it (after some rest).

I take it you got to the end? I mean, I really don't think it's that hard. Just curious whether it's working on other people's machines.

No, so far I have only gotten to the part where the

  Reveal hidden contents

head appears while the fairy moves around and can change tiles

[atte]

Got to the end credits, and really liked it! I'm pretty sure this is secretly either Frog Fractions 2 or Fez 2... I think it's cool that you took a very specific and weird (in the context of making a game about) episode title and really delved into what it could be. I was tapping the space key in rhythm with the Pause Theme and when the credit screen popped up the abrupt silence and darkness was effective.

 

The best experience would probably be if the player would not have seen any of the glitch/weird stuff beforehand, but then they might have not even tried it or stopped playing before all the strangeness.

[clyde]

I would have thought I reached the end if not for one of the screen-shots.

[z_bill]

  On 4/27/2015 at 3:40 PM, clyde said:

I would have thought I reached the end if not for one of the screen-shots.

Did you think the "Logo Reveal" was the end? There was something I wanted to put in to communicate there is more there, but didn't have time.

So happy about the reception so far. It's totally making my day!

Re: the screenshots. Yes, I thought I had to clue people in that you need to sort of TRY to break the game at the beginning. The first thing you do is almost a barrier to entry.

Also, "pausing" along to the beat is reccomended for sure. I started that up as soon as I got that effect in!

[Patrick R]

I got stuck pounding the space bar in the pause screen, with the birds scrolling up. 

[z_bill]

It didn't crash, did it? There's a possible crash involving those crows and the spacebar! Some guy on reddit got it. Thought I had eliminated those game-breaking bugs but I guess not!

[Patrick R]

I assumed that I didn't know what button to hit.

[Synnah]

This is insane, and I like it a lot! I found myself pausing to the beat several times, too, at first because I thought it might actually be a solution to one of the puzzles, and then just because it was cool.

[z_bill]

I mislabeled a variable and that was what was causing the crash! Ut oh! If you got that crash I'm sorry. Re-download and it should be fixed now!

 

The interplay between all the different "Pause" states was the jankiest, most poorly coded, part of this here My First Game. I guess it makes sense given the theme is all about pausing,..but yeah, I learned a lot!