Oh no! :P

BlitzMax Forums/BlitzMax Beginners Area/Oh no! :P

Ked(Posted 2009) [#1]
Alright. Well, I've decided that I would like to create my first casual game in BlitzMax. Unfortunately, I just don't know what to make. If anyone could post a website of example casual games for me to get inspired from, it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!


GfK(Posted 2009) [#2]
Oh no. You've posted in the wrong forum!


Ked(Posted 2009) [#3]
I did?

Dang. I wasn't sure whether to post in BlitzMax Programming or Beginners Area.


GfK(Posted 2009) [#4]
Well, more of a 'general discussion' topic, really, since its not a programming issue as such.


ImaginaryHuman(Posted 2009) [#5]
Since you said `oh no` you made me think of lemmings. How about an easier-to-play/more casual approach to something like lemmings?


TaskMaster(Posted 2009) [#6]
Look through a list of old school Nintendo or C64 games and do a remake.


MGE(Posted 2009) [#7]
What other games have you coded? (any platform, any language.)


Philip7(Posted 2009) [#8]
Buy Commander Keen Pack on Steam for $5, play every episode for atleast 15 minutes: NOW you have inspiration :)


Czar Flavius(Posted 2009) [#9]
1x1 Sudoku


Foppy(Posted 2009) [#10]
Match 3? Though personally I would make some shooting game, they are more fun to make I imagine. Or a platformer.


Ked(Posted 2009) [#11]
What other games have you coded? (any platform, any language.)

I created a very primitive snake clone a while back.


Ked(Posted 2009) [#12]
Does anyone have a commented match 3 example? I looked at the tiledrop example in the samples folder of BlitzMax but didn't understand what was going on.


Ked(Posted 2009) [#13]
Anybody?


Brucey(Posted 2009) [#14]
Can't you create a two-dimensional array and simply count matching sets for each cell?

Or use a node graph :-)


Ked(Posted 2009) [#15]
Yeah, but I want the grid to be "playable", if you know what I mean. I don't know how to make sure if you can match 3.


Brucey(Posted 2009) [#16]
Isn't part of the fun working out how to do it yourself? ;-)

For example, with my TD (tower defence) game, I had to learn about path-finding and tracking, which was kind of interesting in itself. Don't think things would be so much fun if I used a starting template for it.


Ked(Posted 2009) [#17]
Alright, so I don't sound lazy, I'll figure it out myself. :) Thanks, though.


Brucey(Posted 2009) [#18]
I don't know how to make sure if you can match 3.

The most basic method would be to iterate each node/cell in your array, and check how many of the same "type/colour" were connected to it.

In a basic square grid where connections are only valid for left-right and up-down, you could do something like this :

For each direction, check the type/colour. If it is the same type/colour, move to that cell, and repeat, counting matches as we go. Remember not to visit cells you have already tested :-)
Once you have checked all surrounding cells, if your total is >= than 3, you have a set... do something about it...

Obviously that is not at all efficient, but it maybe is somewhere to start from.


Perturbatio(Posted 2009) [#19]
thinking about it, a flood fill algorithm would probably do it too wouldn't it?

starting from any item you clicked, count up how many have been "filled", if greater than 3 then it's all good...


Matty(Posted 2009) [#20]
Try making something you enjoy playing, or think you'd enjoy playing, as it will probably be you who plays it most if you haven't made many games before...


GfK(Posted 2009) [#21]
I've just written a match three engine myself and it isn't the walk in the park that a lot of people seem to think it is.

My engine checks that new tiles added in at the top don't make matches automatically. It also makes sure that plenty of matches are available when the grid is populated. Further, it is constantly checking for matches when any tiles in the grid are falling, or being moved by the player, and all of that is happening at once.

You also have to consider that in a standard match three engine, a match of four or five is possible so that has to be catered for too. Plus, there are several ways that a match can be made; moving tiles horizontally or vertically onto the end of an existing row/column of two, moving a tile between two like tiles, and so on.

Given that this is the beginner's forum, and bearing in mind that I've done it and found it very tricky to get right, and also that you've looked at somebody else's match three code and didn't really understand it, I'd suggest starting with something much simpler.

I don't know what if anything you've written before but I don't think match three is the best choice for you.


Foppy(Posted 2009) [#22]
I've just written a match three engine myself and it isn't the walk in the park that a lot of people seem to think it is.
I can imagine. For example, the way the grid is created could also involve some head scratching, since you don't want to start on a grid that has combinations exploding left and right before you even started playing. And the other extreme, a nearly unsolvable puzzle, also has to be avoided. (Although a "help" or even a "skip" button could solve that problem to some extend.)