Christmas Clix - Video
Community Forums/Showcase/Christmas Clix - Video
| ||
| Here's a video of my Christmas game I've been working on the past few months. It's finally ready and I should have it released in the next couple of days. ;) YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk9sLTTl44U&fmt=18 Vimeo: (Seems like slightly better quality than YouTube?) http://vimeo.com/2564115  |
| ||
| looks good, and i love the graphical style. |
| ||
| Very nice :) |
| ||
| Great work. Looks a winner to me |
| ||
| Excellent work... looks brilliant MGE! Wheres the demo? Since your website site for Clix says "Website Should Be Live 12/17/2008" ;-) |
| ||
| Thanks for the comments, very much appreciated! :) Yah...we're running late with the demo. :) doh!!! |
| ||
| Yah looks cool, 3d cartooney, I almost thought it was vectorgraphics until I saw it had perspective. Nice AI and stuff, lots of variety, looks like fun. |
| ||
| That does look like some seriously slick stuff. Nice! |
| ||
| Well I've already posted my feedback about this over on Indiegamer but I'll add my support here too. Looks great, very polished, well done and good luck with it. btw, regarding that other thread I'm not convinced just having the sound effects quieter is the solution, I think the issue may be with the effects chosen...Also that other poster who said the game would've cleaned up a couple of years ago but is not so sure now may have a point. Basically do you have different level layouts? At the moment it's got that "single board" look that worked for Bejwelled and other games back in the day, but now players like to see level shape variations as they progress across the map (which I note you do have, along with different backgrounds + I different assume music etc). |
| ||
| Thanks for the comments! :) @GA: Fair points, all very true. The games I'll release will probably never be a portal's cup of tea. :( I'm not big on brain games, I'm more of a twitch coder. So I like lots of variety, short quick diversions, etc, etc. At first when I started this game I kept deciding which road to take, make it more puzzle oriented or go with a dynamic arcade style similar to Dr.Mario, Columns, Tetris, etc, etc. In the end, my twitch roots won. :) Besides, being a Holiday themed game I thought it would be better to go with something very simple, easy to play, with lots of diveristy to keep the players interested. With 20 backgrounds, 20 music tracks, several mini games, new pieces and events in later levels, I'm hoping there's enough content there to warrant some interest. ;) Luckily, I was able to keep the overall initial development costs very low, so it doesn't even have to come anywhere close to "cleaning up" to make it worth while financially. :) I'm happy with it, especially since it's my first "real" game. :) |
| ||
| Yeah absolutely, don't let my comments make you feel anything other than fantastic - it's an awesome achievement to get this far. It's way better than my first game! |
| ||
| No prob Jake, I respect your comments! :) Upsell screen finally done...jeesh what a chore that was. ugh... |
| ||
| Very good work. Congratulations! |
| ||
| Looks very slick - well done. If I had to be picky, I notice Santa's intructions are displayed in a thought bubble, not a speech bubble. |
| ||
| Not posted in a while but. well done m8, this is really nice. love all the mini games as well adds depth to the click and play style. |
| ||
| Awesome work for a first game. Very good! I think the issue may be with the effects chosen... @GA I liked the effects. What do you think is wrong with it. Maybe because of the target audience? |
| ||
| Thanks for the continued comments. Demo file should be up on the website sometime today. ;) "I notice Santa's intructions are displayed in a thought bubble, not a speech bubble. " DOH!!!! Too late now... LOL!! |
| ||
| It's no big deal. Like I said, I was being picky. :) |
| ||
| I liked the effects. What do you think is wrong with it. Maybe because of the target audience? I just felt that for any audience they were too in your face. Matching games need the effects very carefully balanced because you will hear them over and over again, thousands of times. They need to be fun but subtle and not at all grating. I didn't think that was the case but I'll reserve further judgement until I play the demo :-) |
| ||
| Matching games need the effects very carefully balanced because you will hear them over and over again, thousands of times. Yep, valid point. Could be quite annoying if it's too much, but for an arcade style game I would expect some ... so, will looking forward to the demo. |
| ||
| Thanks again for the comments. Yah, I can see some peeps getting annoyed with the sound effects, but in our play testing no one mentioned anything. It's not a relaxing puzzle match 3 game, so I understand where that kind of game would need something more laid back, etc. Website is up. Could use some feedback, thanks. The demo is going through final Vista install testing. After that it will be available. http://christmasclix.com (Note: for some reason, videos don't play in Firefox. hmm..) |
| ||
| (Note: for some reason, videos don't play in Firefox. hmm..) Firefox 3.0.5 here - I can see and play the video perfectly... Nice the HD advice... |
| ||
| Thanks for checking it out degac. I guess I need to upgrade my copy of Firefox! :) |
| ||
| Looks very nice and polished. By the way, does Christmas Clix uses PlayMGEFX? |
| ||
| Thanks Htbaa! Yes, Christmas Clix does use PlayMGEFX, but in a very limited way. It's nice that you can attach the fx onto any existing x,y variables, or hook into them as well to add custom code to the particle. But...more on that later! :) lol.. |
| ||
| I'm actually looking forward to its release and pricing. |
| ||
| Great! After today, the immediate focus is getting PlayFX out the door. ;) |
| ||
| Hehehe, I'll wait for the announcement then. |
| ||
| Most match-3a are actually pretty manic and arcade like, not relaxed at all (after all they have timers and crazy bonuses etc), and I'm saying that some of them are let down by bad sounds that grate - I've had this discussion with a few designers...(I'm not saying this game has bad sounds, gotta try the demo out, but I'm just raising this point as it occurred to me) |
| ||
| Video looks awesome!!! Because of the grammar stickler that I am, I have to point out that in the video, "lighthearted" should be one word. But when that's the only negative I can find, you know that's great news! Good luck! |
| ||
| Checked out the demo, there's a bug with the options screen. When you click Exit it Exits the whole game! Given a load of feedback on my forum for you. It's really neat btw. |
| ||
| i like it, it's very fun and to quote myself from an earlier post in this thread looks good, and i love the graphical style. |
| ||
| Thanks for the comments! "Checked out the demo, there's a bug with the options screen. When you click Exit it Exits the whole game!" That "should" only happen at the title screen, because if you click on "exit" and not resume, you exit the game. hmmm ... ok, will check out the forum, thanks!! |
| ||
| Yes on the title screen. Works fine in-game. So that's the expected behaviour is it? I would say that options screen needs a single OK button that returns control to the title scren. |
| ||
| Hey MGE, Just given it a quick try, excellent work! Really like the graphics (are they 3d sprites?) Also what is the native res of the game? Few of the things Ive noticed so far: * On the Rocket Mini-game, I ran out of rockets and had to wait till the time was over... * You cant un-select a present * Might have found a bug with your matching/bonus logic: RRR RGR If I hit the top left red present, then the bottom right red present I get bonus score, but no present disappear... (also different combos similar to this) |
| ||
| Mini games! Yeah I didn't see one in all the time I played so recommend making one appear sooner. |
| ||
| I think you have to collect enough coins to get one... Just completed the demo 15 levels in total... 2 mini-games (balloons and the rocket ones) Again very good MGE... |
| ||
| Excellent effort, well presented, I like it! Only one area I think it could have developed further and that is some form of storyline or plot, just comparing your game to others out there and feedback I have had regarding Qbix... In effect a plot or storyline hooks the players into a deeper experience, that will hopefully make the transition from demo to purchase easier! Good luck! |
| ||
| Good feedback, thanks! :) @Revils - All 2d sprites. The game's res is 960x600. You can unlock up to 3 minigames in the demo version. (10 in the full game.) The logic is correct, what you're seeing is a "streak bonus" that gets shown once you click on an object and it doesn't trigger a match, so it gives you a bonue for how many you matched before. :) Unselecting a present would be too easy. :) Will consider this if enough peeps way in on it. Thanks for the comments!! @Jake - Collect those coins and the toy soldier will eventually appear. The more coins you collect, that's what triggers it. :) So far peeps that play it for about 10 min or so, seem to collect enough coins to trigger at least 1 minigame. @Merx - Yah.. I thought of that. But I really didn't have time to develop a story line. Plus, I'm not so sure it would have made that much impact? So far the response has been very, very good. So I'm happy! :) New version uploaded. I took some good comments form Jake and added as much as I could for now. The next update will happen in a few days. Lots of marketing to do. I've had 2 emails from some very well known portals, we'll see if anything develops. :) I'll put a discount coupon in this thread sometime today or tomorrow for those who want it. Thanks again! |
| ||
| So how are sales doing? |
| ||
| The download<>sales ratio so far is good, which is my main concern. So now it's just a matter of getting exposure. I'm getting some good comments via email (which surprises me so many actually take the time), so I feel good at this point. :) |
| ||
| Unselecting a present would be too easy. :) I had a number of times when I had one selected then, Santa would throw more and I could have made a better match if I could have unselected the selected present... With your gfxs again, how were they created? They look really cool! Did you read my comment about your rocket minigame? When I had fired all the rockets and had to wait for the time to run out (over 20 seconds...) |
| ||
| @TheRevills - Thanks for taking the time to comment. :) From the start the no reset that was in the design mechanic. You're kind of stuck, until you click again. ;) But will def keep your comment in mind. Graphics are 2d sprites, but created in a 3D environment. Yah, all of the minigames are based on "1 min" in time regardless. Will look into what to do if the player has nothing to do during that time period. Thanks! |
| ||
| I made a mini-game recently that has an escape button to close it early. Keeping the player around doing nothing feels like punishment. |
| ||
| With the rocket game, wouldn't the logical thing to do is check to see if any rockets are left and if not end the mini-game early...? MGE - What did you use to create the graphics? Played it some more... it is really good... on the early levels Ive found a strategy is just to let the presents build up a bit - then you can get some really good bonuses ;-) Only 2 more days to Christmas! I really think this would have sold really well if you have got it out earlier... never mind, there is always next year (as GA's Holiday Bonus shows ;-)) |
| ||
| @TheRevills - Thanks for the comments! Yah... I agree, I'm doing another update tomorrow, I will throw that scenario in if there is nothing left to do. Graphics: I told the designer what I needed, using my limited graphics skills, I did some 2d prototypes, he modeled everything 3d and we took it from there. Yep, letting things build up is fun, especially past level 15. Shoot me an email at playmge @ yahoo.com and I'll give you a free full version for all of your comments. (You too Jake!). Thanks again! Sales wise, I'm not too worried how it does to be honest. Even though I know it's going to be worth while financially for the time/money invested. And yep, I have a full year to fine tune it for the next season. :) |
| ||
| Plus release a Mac version! Just noticed that the mouse pointer does not slide smoothly out the window btw. |
| ||
| Just played all 15 level, very good! But I am with Grey that a minigame should appear sooner. I got only the balloons (at the end), while I collected around 200.000 points, was that not enough? One thing I noticed, was that all effects are more or less 'white', but at the end of the 15 level the fireworks are colored which looks a bit better. So, nothing special. Again, excellent work. |
| ||
| I expect the particle effects are drawn with LightBlend mode and on bright backgrounds they pretty much alway look white. Without lightblend on they normally look a bit dull or oldschool. I'm actually finding it hard to get decent particle effects on a light screen, maybe it can't be done and the game has to be dark... |
| ||
| Hmm... first grats for having it done ;D Tested it some minutes on a non-widescreen screen. While the presents in the bag on the left have a kind of global illumination-shadows, the presents in the playable field and the christmas tree don't have it. Without shadows or slight darker borders the sprites miss really much contrast. I quit the game after some minutes because the background of the field and the sprites seemed to melt together. From my point of view you should really think about adding some soft shadow to the sprites or some kind of contrast-creating border. Same for the background: bring in some more contrast else it looks toooo soft. The general style of the sprites (models) is really nifty the right grade of cartoon-ism I like. The sound is - like GA already mentioned - a bit loud ;D. I don't know if a younger audience wants more noise coming from the speakers. Also think about adding some more SFX which can randomly replace others to avoid driving your customers ears crazy. bye MB |
| ||
| I had a very interesting reply from one of the big portals. So I've removed the game until next season and I'm going to fine tune it, and release it next season. :) Thank for all the feedback. ;) |
| ||
| That game is awesome. Very nice job!! |
| ||
| Hey MGE, hope you've got a contract or something, as you said you were getting a good sales ratio... I was playing it last night and noticed that I had got a toy soldier dropping down, but just below I sent a rocket up and it destroyed the solider :( - Maybe don't destroy the players bonuses... All the best with this next year... and maybe in 3 months or so, with Easter Clix ;-) |
| ||
| Yeah good luck with the portal, sounds like an exclusive deal otherwise you'd be able to sell it on your own site right now right? Maybe don't destroy the players bonuses... Yeah recently I made this decision too. It may have been logical to blow up the player bonuses but I thought it was basically less fun for the players, even "annoying" and it's the sort of thing reviews harp on about - so best to avoid. |
| ||
| Just a small thing I noticed... when you have got the snowball special item, you cant click on the finishing Star at the end of the level... maybe if the snowball hits it then move it to the tree. Oh and Ive tried to hit Santa a few times with a snowball too... would be great if he did something when he gets hit - since you are fine tuning it ;-) |
| ||
| Awwww, I would've loved to see the videos... ah well. I'm sure it was a clever choice! |
| ||
| Sorry to bump this old post, but I felt its needed, as Christmas Clix has been released again, well done MGE!!! Looks like MGE has been pretty busy over the year (WiiWare, IPhone etc): http://christmasclix.com/ This is a great match game, if anyone missed it last year (for the short time it was available), have a go now :) |
| ||
| Thanks for the plug and the nice comments Revills! ;) |
| ||
| Yep congrats on finally releasing it. |
| ||
| Very nice! |
   |