On Dungeons - First shot at FlashPunk

(The Flip Tip) #1

I’ve been quietly browsing these forums, preferring to learn by lurking instead of posting a bunch of newbie questions. And I have learned a lot by just hanging out here and reading what everyone has to say.

So: On Dungeons – my first completed FlashPunk project. It’s a kinda story-focused puzzle game, I guess? There’s a bit of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mentality to it, as I wanted to start tackling all sorts of things – cutscenes, dialog systems, music integration, etc. – in order to learn how those things work in preparation for future projects, but hopefully it’s still enjoyable.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who posts here and everyone who maintains/updates FlashPunk. (And a special shout out to @zachwlewis and his Coin Duder series! Super helpful being able to see coding in action. Also @jacobalbano , your preloader class is a godsend. Very helpful.)

FlashPunk is a fantastic engine with a great community, and is easy to get into even for a non-programmer such as myself. Looking forward to learning more about it as time goes on.

Now, back to the shadows I return…

(Mike Evmm) #2

Haha, that was great! I’m curious, how did you handle the dialogue system?

(Jacob Albano) #3

I played it all the way through and thought it was great. The writing was frequently funny and the puzzles were surprisingly enjoyable, despite the fact that block sliding puzzles being so stale most of the time. The tutorials were intuitive, and I like that you kept introducing new mechanics throughout without breaking the flow of the gameplay.

One thing I have to criticize (while simultaneously praising) is that early puzzle with the monster. It took me a little while to figure out that it was the noise of the bump that was waking him up, rather than a trigger when I got too close, and then after a few failed attempts of baiting him over to one side of the screen to dash by I realized it was a stealth puzzle. Very cool idea and implementation; my complaint is that it never made another appearance. I would have liked to see that system combined the with other puzzle elements.

I’m not sure if you also did the music for the game or if that was a different person, but this is my new jam.

Very impressive for your first project. The movement feels good, and overall there’s a lot of subtle (and not-so-subtle) polish. Keep up the good work!

(The Flip Tip) #4

Thanks for playing! I’m really happy you both found some fun in it.

@miguelmurca : Good question. There’s an entity that handles the actual displaying of the text, as well as dialog hotspots on the map that call said entities on collision. The hotspots are all created from an XML file when the map is being built. It defines what is being said, where the hotspots are, who’s speaking, etc. I did like the fact that I could write/edit all of the script in one text document too, that was handy.

@jacobalbano : Wow, thanks for the detailed writeup, I really appreciate it! I agree with you about the stealth element one-hundred percent. It’s funny you mention it, as the game initially started out darker and was built around that monster and not making any noise. Eventually it outgrew that and the tone changed but I thought I’d leave the monster in. I tried integrating it with puzzles later on but it ended up being too frustrating pushing blocks and worrying about making noise. I totally agree with you though, it’s a bit disappointing only seeing him once.

And yep, I did the music too. I’m stoked you’re digging that album. (Are you a Debussy buff? If not, you might like his harmonies and dynamic sensibilities: here’s one of my favorites of his. If you are: high-five. /Derail)

Thanks again, guys. I’m excited to try making another game soon.

(Bora Kasap) #5

That game made me curious about your next project!

(TaylorAnderson) #6

I played a little bit of it, and I’m very surprised by the quality of your first game. I thought the music was phenomenal as well, although the writing kinda stuck out as being a little bit too self-critical–like you were undermining your own design choices through the words of your main character. Overall though, fantastic first flashpunk project.

(The Flip Tip) #7

@AlobarNon: Looking forward to starting work on it. Now I just need an idea!

@TTL_Anderson: I hear ya. It was hard to walk that line between writing dialog for a really critical character without ragging too much on my own game. But if that’s the character then that’s the character, you know? You bring up a good point though, maybe I could have struck a different balance or tried to incorporate non-review dialog to mix it up. That said, if you play till the end you might find out the joke’s on him, in a way. Thanks for checking it out and giving your opinion.