Magic number - my first "real" Blitzmax project
Community Forums/Showcase/Magic number - my first "real" Blitzmax project
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| Edit: 2/18/2007 I converted Ace Magic Number to the Grey Alien Game Framework. The game is 100% functional, now, and I am looking for beta testers. The screenshots in this thread are now woefully out of date, see website for current screenshots. - Conversion to Grey Alien's Game Framework complete - Website (not completed, but functional) online at http://www.acemagicnumber.com/ - Online high score database is functional (thanks Etna!) - New lifetime ranking/progress scheme to fuel competition - New lifetime high score tracking - Fixed a couple of silly bugs with the help file and score target formula. Edit: 12/29/2006 A beta/debug version of Ace Magic Number is now available for download at http://www.acemagicnumber.com This version is nearly complete and all that is left is to find and fix the bugs that are surely hiding in it. I might also eventually get around to smoothing out some of the graphics loading slowdowns that happen between screens but the gameplay is pretty much done. - Music and sound effects volume controls are in place and operational - The help button leads to an actual help screen - The game advances level-to-level, ends when you fail to complete a level and so on. - High scores are now tracked. - Major changes have been made to the scoring formulae. Frankly, I am not sure that I like the changes, which I made at the suggestions of some players. I'd really like feedback on the scoring and level-advancement scheme. Scroll down to my second post for the latest action shots. Sexy! Download Ace Magic Number beta/debug Here [b]Edit: 9/27/2006 The newest version is available for download here: http://www.acemagicnumber.com The background music comes from Kevin MacLeod of http://incompetech.com I'm still looking for the right piece to use, the current one will probably change. - Gameplay is about 90% finished. I need to fix up a couple of small things (like what happens when the board fills up) and add a few powerup-type tiles. - The two sliders in the upper-left of the screen control sound effects volume and background music volume. I am apparently going to have to code custom sliders because the MaxGUI ones are ugly and I can't find a decent pre-made replacement. Let me know if you know of one. Edit: 9/17/2006 - Fixed a few small bugs and glitches, including one that may be a BlitzMax bug (see my "Timer.fire" thread in the BlitzMax Programming forum). - Changed the scoring and timer formulae, hoping to better balance the game. - Level advancement is fully operational, now. - Added a trash can to which unwanted tiles can be dragged in exchange for a time penalty. Edit: 9/14/2006 Thanks to the generous efforts of fellow Blitzer Torrente, Magic Number is getting a facelift. The new number tiles already look much better than those in the screenshots below. I'll post new screenshots when doing so seems justified. The new tiles are already in use in the download. Edit: 9/13/2006 An alpha demo is now available for download. Get it here: (No longer available, see updates above) Most of the gameplay is in place but I still need to add some bells and whistles (I have a few special powerup-type tiles in mind and a few other goodies). Also, the game really needs an interface design overhaul. I enjoy the act of programming and creation but I am weak on patience when it comes to graphics work. Also, screenshot thumbnails now link to full-size images. Please read this before playing the demo: General: () Currently, the Help and Options buttons on the main screen do nothing. Don't click them unless your fingers need excercise. () You can hit "P" to advance to the next level and "O" to retreat to the previous level. () Right now, a feature that I initially planned as a "cheat" or powerup is turned on at all times. That feature fills empty gameboard squares with their value (which is really the value of all the neighboring squares added together). I'd like feedback on how this effects gameplay and whether or not it should be relegated back to a powerup instead an all-the-time feature of the game. Game Objective: Clear all tiles from the gameboard area. Failing that, have a high enough score to advance to the next level when the red timer runs down. Game Play: Place tiles next to each other so they add up to or have a difference of the Magic Number displayed in the box near the top of the game screen. () You may move tiles by any of three methods: -- 1) Drag the next tile (the one inside the purple border) from the tile tray area to the main gameboard. A highlight graphic will apear to mark the square that the tile will be left in when you release the mouse button. -- 2) Double-click an empty square to have the next available tile jump directly to that spot on the gameboard. -- 3) Double-click and hold down the mouse button to cause the next tile to leap down to your mouse pointer. You may then drag the tile around as if you had dragged it down from the tile tray. () When you place a new tile on the gameboard, that tile's value will be added to (and subtracted from - more on that in a second) the value of all its neighboring tiles combined. Diagonals do not count toward this number. So, if you drag a "2" onto a spot that has a "4" on it north border and a "5" on its south border, the total will be 11 (2+4+5) and the difference will 7 ((5+4)-2). If either the total or the difference match the magic number, the tile you placed plus its neighbors will be removed from the game. With the "cheat" enabled, you can easily see the value of any unoccupied square, so another way to understand the gameplay is to think of it this way: if you drag a "4" onto any empty square marked with a "6", you will get a total of 10 and a difference of 2, both of which will be compared to the magic number. The difference calculated is absolute, so if you drag a "9" into an empty cell marked with a "3", the total will be 12 and the difference will be 6. The same rules apply to all numbered tiles and values marked in empty cells. () The red bar to the left of the gameboard counts down the total time you have to complete the level. The level is completed either by clearing the entire gameboard of tiles or by having a significantly large score (as indicated under "Goal" at the left of the window) when this timer runs out. The higher the level, the longer you have to complete it and the higher the score required to do so. () The blue background behind the magic number above the gameboard is a countdown of how long you have until a new Magic Number is selected. The larger the number, the longer it stays in the box. Scoring: ()When you cause tiles to be removed from the gameboard, your score is increased. The amount you score is calculated based on the number of tiles you remove at once and the value of the Magic Number. The scoring system uses exponential math so removing five tiles (the tile you place plus all four of its neighbors) carries a much higher score than removing four tiles. In later levels, you will have no hope of reaching the scoring goal if you are consistently removing only two or three tiles at a time. () A bonus is added to your score for clearing the entire gameboard. This bonus can easily be larger than the score you obtain from removing tiles during a given level. () A bonus is also awarded for having time remaining at the end of a level but it is much smaller than the bonus for clearing a level. Because of this, there is no hurry to clear the level. If you need extra points, go ahead and linger, building and clearing groups of blocks before polishing off the level. () Bonuses are added to your score before your score is checked against the goal (the amount needed to pass on to the next level), so even if your score is significantly below the goal, you can often gain enough points from clearing the level to make up the difference. () If you run out of time, you will receive neither a clearing bonus nor a time bonus. () Scoring carries over from level to level in such a way that it is to your benefit to score more than the minimum necessary on each level. You can use the earlier, easier levels to pad your score on later levels, thus helping you to reach the goal score on tougher stages where you might not do so well. ======== Original post below this line ======== I've built a couple of other small games while learning Blitzmax, but this is the first one I plan to finish and release to the public. It's a fun (I think) math game with escalating difficulty. The goal of the game is to make adjoining tiles (not including diagonals) add up to specific target numbers. Except for the explosions, which I animate with sswift's sprite library for convenience, the entire game is built on a tile-based board game engine I wrote from the ground up. If there is any community interest in that sort of thing, I will probably make it available. Screen shots one, two and three, showing the main screen, a level being populated with tiles and an early level in play. Updated 12/29/2006  -  -  All of the above screenshots show the game with the "cheat sheet" enabled, labeling all the empty tiles with the value of their neighbors. In the final product, that will probably be a limited-use powerup. Other plans include: special tiles, such as wild cards and bombs, and dynamic grid sizes, so early levels will be played on a 6x6 grid, eventually expanding to 15x15 over time. The game is still in early Alpha, but I will probably release a playable version for comments soon. Wish me luck :) SpaceAce |
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| Hmm, looks like it's almost like Keno. |
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| Heh, now that you mention it, it DOES look a little like Keno. Three more screenshots showing an advanced level and some tiles "exploding" and being removed from the game. Updated 12/29/2006 Full size versions:  -  -  The main game interface is still under construction. I am going to be filling it in with some more gizmos and labels and such, but I am a horribke, horrible artist. If anyone is looking for a graphics charity project or to partner up on something like this, let me know. SpaceAce |
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| Forum Codes: http://www.blitzbasic.com/faq/faq_entry.php?id=2 |
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| Thanks, Steve Elliott. I see the codes are pretty much the same as UB. Now I can at least post some thumbs and download links as the game progresses. SpaceAce |
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| Only comment I have from the screenies alone is IMHO the menu would look better if the text on the buttons was normally spaced for all words rather than expanded to fit for shorter ones. |
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| Thanks, Geehawk. All sugesitons are welcome. I'm hoping to have something for everyone to play in a day or so. SpaceAce |
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| A demo is now available for download (see original post). Also, here are some screenshots of the still-developing interface: Screenshots one and two showing how the scoring goal and the gameboard both grow as the levels progress:  -  Screenshots three and four showing congratulations or condolences, as the situation requires:  -  SpaceAce |
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| The final free-for-all Alpha demo is available for download at (No longer available - see updates in original post) Once I add the last few gameplay elements, I will take out the "P" and "O" shortcuts and probably go to a level-limited demo. Hopefully, I will be able to de-ugly the interface sufficiently on my own, but if someone wants to help me jazz it up, I'm listening. People, this game is pretty fun. At least give it a shot. SpaceAce |
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| Hey, sorry about my delay in spicing up the graphics, school has been taking up all of my time lately. I'll see if I can finish them up and send them to you in the next few days. |
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| Don't worry about it, Torrente. I appreciate the work you did on the number tiles. If you're still working on some images for the game, I'll keep an eye on my mailbox. The staggering lack of response here tells me people aren't exactly clamoring to play, anyway. SpaceAce |
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| Progress has been slow due to my lousy work ethic, but Ace Magic Number is nearly complete. I've updated the screen shots in some of the posts above and placed the newest information in the original post at the top of this thread. Please download and play the latest debug version and let me know what you think! Specifically, please tell me how the game handles on your system (please include system specs) and tell me if you have any problems at all. Thanks, SpaceAce |
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| The game is complete, the website is up, online high score list is functional. See original post in this thread for details. SpaceAce |
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