[RELEASE] Explode Mode

[Ahr Ech]

This is looking unreasonably slick.

[zerofiftyone]

This clip is from yesterday but I forgot to post it:

 

After trying and failing to get traditional AI enemies working properly, I came up with a new enemy type; robot balls. I managed to script their behaviour without using the behaviour tree system that was giving me so much trouble. 

 

Today, I'm focusing on bringing together all of the parts I've been working on to actually make it a playable experience. This means making levels; making a game over / death state; and making a scoring system. I usually have that stuff sorted out a lot earlier on; but I've been pretty complacent about it this time around! I've also just had less time to work on this than I'd hoped, so it's going to be a bit of a tight squeeze for me this weekend if I want to get everything done that I'd hoped. I haven't even started on sound yet.

[zerofiftyone]

Thanks to Synnah, there's now a Dot Gobbler cameo in this game  . He will appear in one of the levels as a bronze statue that can be blown into pieces if you shoot it.

 

[Synnah]

Two thumbs up!   

[zerofiftyone]

Final day progress: wasting time making a sweet level transition effect instead of finishing the game.  

 

https://gfycat.com/MarriedWearyEel

[zerofiftyone]

 

This game has been released and you can play it!

[theschap]

I found the control scheme a bit difficult at first, but it grew on me quickly. Such a satisfying feeling to strafe around a turret and blast it down.

[Mythalore]

Great job, love the art and the game feels really nice.

 

The controls do take awhile to get used to,

 

 

but once you get the hang of it's fine.

 

[zerofiftyone]

Great job, love the art and the game feels really nice.

 

The controls do take awhile to get used to,

 

 

but once you get the hang of it's fine.

 

 

Whoaaaa, how did you flip it upside down? Does it still drive?

[Mythalore]

I just held both triggers on my wired XBox 360 controller, maybe my controller's too sensitive or something.

It still drives just reversed and it flips back up if you go too fast.

[zerofiftyone]

Weird!!! That is very unintended! Maybe I have some of the physics forces applying in a way that's framerate dependent?

 

I'm also amused that it still drives whilst upside-down. PHYSICS!

[Mythalore]

Weird!!! That is very unintended! Maybe I have some of the physics forces applying in a way that's framerate dependent?

 

Could be, my laptop doesn't get the best framerate, it's an i5 with an AMD Radeon R5 M230.

 

It's still enjoyable just adds another layer of difficulty.

[theschap]

I think I got it to flip upside down too for a bit, but I don't remember if it was due to terrain or just propulsion.

[zerofiftyone]

Hmm!! Perhaps I should add in some kind of self-righting system. Currently have no idea how that would work, but maybe I'll figure it out!

[Synnah]

I really like how this controls, in that it's quite hard to get to grips with, but it really feels like you could do some cool things with it after a couple of hours. It looks and sounds great too, obviously.

[Ahr Ech]

Man, this came out so ace! Love that Dot Gobbler cameo, too. That kind of cross-pollination should be a diversifier next time!

[Jake]

Man, this came out so ace! Love that Dot Gobbler cameo, too. That kind of cross-pollination should be a diversifier next time!

YES! Wizard Jam Cinematic Universe

[zerofiftyone]

Man, this came out so ace! Love that Dot Gobbler cameo, too. That kind of cross-pollination should be a diversifier next time!

 

YES! Wizard Jam Cinematic Universe

 

Thanks! Yeah I joked about making it a diversifier in the Slack channel a few days ago, but it's actually a really fun idea!

[Spenny]

​Stylish as hell, very difficult to internalize those movement controls, with the camera staying at a fixed angle, and the tank rotating, you easily lose track of which way you're facing. But man, good colors, I like all the colors.

[Ben X]

Uh, how do I open this game? I just unzipped the download and all I have is a shortcut that doesn't do anything and some other folders that seemingly just contain content files...

[dibs]

Explode mode made me explode.

I loved the look of the game, the projected tutorial messages were delicious! I also loved the enemy robots, very spooky colours.

 

The control system was obnoxious and compounded by my inability to tell which was the front and which the back of the tank. They are very similar.

Eventually i resorted to holding LB to spin around non stop and press RB when i wanted to move forward.

 

Awesome job!

[dibs]

@ben ..Explode Mode (Win).zip\Explode Mode (Win)\ExplodeMode\Binaries\Win32\ExplodeMode.exe

[RubixsQube]

I wish I lived in an alternate universe where this and a bunch of the other wizard jam games came out on Mac. The Idle Thumbs motto should read "Constantly Trying to Convince Kevin That He Should Buy a Damn PC"

[Ben X]

This looks, sounds and feels really sharp, as with your previous games. I found it damn difficult, but I'm a baby. I really enjoyed destroying Dot Gobbler!

[phill]

The controls were a bit to get around, but I managed to shoot through to the end. As everyone else has said it's freakin' gorgeous, and amazingly well designed, let alone well designed for a jam game. You can watch me fumbling-ish through (and falling through the level a little bit) at my stream for earlier today,