a few questions before I purchase
by Aleksandar Sandic · in TGB Platformer Kit · 11/03/2010 (9:43 pm) · 7 replies
Hi there
After spending an eternity on making the controls for my platformer work in a static environment, I started to doubt that this might be an efficient use of ressources. So the purchase of the PSK kooed like an option. However, i have a few questions, before I decide
-I like the smooth Super Mario controls, where Mario would not just stop but slow down before coming to a halt, when I release the button. As far as I have seen in the demo the dragon just stopped. Is there a way to make this Mario kind walking using the PSK?
-Jumping off enemies is cool as well. When I jumped on en enemy in the demo and pressed the jump button nothing special happened. if I was able to jump off enemies, I could use it to make a cool hidden place which sould only be entered performing precise jumps.
-Talking about jumping, the dragon jumps always the same height. Could he be made to jump higher if the button was held?
-How about additional moves? Like ducking, sliding or crawling? I do know how to make a collision poly smaller (did that already in my controls script), the question is if it can be incorporated into the existing behaviours without much trouble?
-The dragon defeats enemies by jumping on them. But what about other attacks, like a knight hitting with a sword or a ninja punching? Or even a Castlevania style attack with a whip? In eight directions like in Super Castlevania?
-What types of enemies are included? The demo only has simple patrolling enemies. How about bouncing ones? Or ones that keep tripping back and forth in an irregular patter, like Super Mario's Hammer Bros.? Flying enemies like bats?
-Picking up stuff and throwing it is cool. Would that be possible?
-How customizeable is the PSK without the source code? Could the things I mentioned above be done without the source code?
Well, that's all I can think of for now. Looking forward to an answer.
Thanks
EDIT: Oh, i remembered one more thing: Dashing, while holding a button.
After spending an eternity on making the controls for my platformer work in a static environment, I started to doubt that this might be an efficient use of ressources. So the purchase of the PSK kooed like an option. However, i have a few questions, before I decide
-I like the smooth Super Mario controls, where Mario would not just stop but slow down before coming to a halt, when I release the button. As far as I have seen in the demo the dragon just stopped. Is there a way to make this Mario kind walking using the PSK?
-Jumping off enemies is cool as well. When I jumped on en enemy in the demo and pressed the jump button nothing special happened. if I was able to jump off enemies, I could use it to make a cool hidden place which sould only be entered performing precise jumps.
-Talking about jumping, the dragon jumps always the same height. Could he be made to jump higher if the button was held?
-How about additional moves? Like ducking, sliding or crawling? I do know how to make a collision poly smaller (did that already in my controls script), the question is if it can be incorporated into the existing behaviours without much trouble?
-The dragon defeats enemies by jumping on them. But what about other attacks, like a knight hitting with a sword or a ninja punching? Or even a Castlevania style attack with a whip? In eight directions like in Super Castlevania?
-What types of enemies are included? The demo only has simple patrolling enemies. How about bouncing ones? Or ones that keep tripping back and forth in an irregular patter, like Super Mario's Hammer Bros.? Flying enemies like bats?
-Picking up stuff and throwing it is cool. Would that be possible?
-How customizeable is the PSK without the source code? Could the things I mentioned above be done without the source code?
Well, that's all I can think of for now. Looking forward to an answer.
Thanks
EDIT: Oh, i remembered one more thing: Dashing, while holding a button.
#2
I hope that helps!
11/07/2010 (10:15 pm)
Sorry for the delay. I seldom lurk in the public Platformer Kit forum.Quote:I like the smooth Super Mario controls, where Mario would not just stop but slow down before coming to a halt, when I release the button. As far as I have seen in the demo the dragon just stopped. Is there a way to make this Mario kind walking using the PSK?Yup, this feature is there. A pskActor has a deceleration property which allows it to come to a rest instead of just stop abruptly.
Quote:Jumping off enemies is cool as well. When I jumped on en enemy in the demo and pressed the jump button nothing special happened. if I was able to jump off enemies, I could use it to make a cool hidden place which sould only be entered performing precise jumps.This isn't in there at the moment, but there is a similar ability with the bouncing mushrooms. It wouldn't take a whole lot of effort to duplicate the functionality.
Quote:-Talking about jumping, the dragon jumps always the same height. Could he be made to jump higher if the button was held?This feature was recently added. I don't think I've updated the demo in a while which is probably why you wouldn't have seen the effect.
Quote:-How about additional moves? Like ducking, sliding or crawling? I do know how to make a collision poly smaller (did that already in my controls script), the question is if it can be incorporated into the existing behaviours without much trouble?This feature is not present. The trouble with this kind of change is that TGB doesn't handle changes to the collision poly too well when it is colliding with objects. It would be a pretty complicated change, but definitely possible.
Quote:-The dragon defeats enemies by jumping on them. But what about other attacks, like a knight hitting with a sword or a ninja punching? Or even a Castlevania style attack with a whip? In eight directions like in Super Castlevania?A weapon system is in place (another feature recently added). The Dragon shoots fireballs forwards.
Quote:-What types of enemies are included? The demo only has simple patrolling enemies. How about bouncing ones? Or ones that keep tripping back and forth in an irregular patter, like Super Mario's Hammer Bros.? Flying enemies like bats?There is only the simple Drill which moves between patrol points.
Quote:-Picking up stuff and throwing it is cool. Would that be possible?This would work just like a new weapon type. This feature specifically isn't supported, but with modifications you could add it pretty easily.
Quote:-How customizeable is the PSK without the source code? Could the things I mentioned above be done without the source code?It should be fairly customizable. I expose a lot of properties for the objects created in source so that you have good control over how they work. The difficulty in determining "how customizable" the kit is, is that I don't know what you need to modify. All of your questions above should be fairly easy to handle in script. If you get much more complicated, getting source code would be to your benefit.
I hope that helps!
#3
I don't intend to buy TGB's source code, so the PSK's source code would be useless to me.
11/08/2010 (11:33 am)
Thanks for the answers. My problem is, that I didn't really see, what exactly the PSK does, and would hate to be sucked into buying some sort of "insert images here, and you are done; hooray" kit that only lets me make the same games as everyone else.I don't intend to buy TGB's source code, so the PSK's source code would be useless to me.
Quote:Maybe I should have mentioned that I intend to only work with rectangular collision polys, that should make things easier.
This feature is not present. The trouble with this kind of change is that TGB doesn't handle changes to the collision poly too well when it is colliding with objects. It would be a pretty complicated change, but definitely possible.
#4
Of course, alot of what you are able to do with the PlatformerKit will stem from your knowledge of TGB itself. The PlatformerKit is friendly enough for TGB beginners to get a platformer up and running in TGB quite easily, but you'll need to know your way around TGB for the more complicated modifications. As with any TGB project really.
Let me know if you have further questions!
11/10/2010 (9:39 am)
Quote:...would hate to be sucked into buying some sort of "insert images here, and you are done; hooray" kit that only lets me make the same games as everyone else.The PlatformerKit implements the basic requirements for a Platformer game. It sets up actors correctly so that they play well with TGB's physics system, but also provides you with flexibility to modify most other functionality.
Of course, alot of what you are able to do with the PlatformerKit will stem from your knowledge of TGB itself. The PlatformerKit is friendly enough for TGB beginners to get a platformer up and running in TGB quite easily, but you'll need to know your way around TGB for the more complicated modifications. As with any TGB project really.
Quote:Maybe I should have mentioned that I intend to only work with rectangular collision polys, that should make things easier.Any change the collision poly will require that you don't end up being "inside" a wall or anything you can collide with. If you don't account for this then you will obviously encounter significant physics related hiccups. The actual work to change a collision poly isn't that difficult and is supported by the kit.
Let me know if you have further questions!
#5
I also intend to buy the Platformer Kit. (Need to upgrade Mac OS first to meet TGB Pro requirements.)
A lot of my questions were answered here, except for one: I want a protagonist who can charge through walls, and alter the stage as a result.
Think Super Metroid speed-booster. Combine that with Tetris blocks. That's a basic version of what I want. Guy crashes through blocks. Blocks break. Blocks no longer supported by blocks drop. Guy can access whatever's on those formerly-impossible-to-reach blocks.
At the moment, I don't care whether those blocks fall straight down like in Tetris, or weaken/tumble/cause more destruction like in Angry Birds. Either way, does this sound like something that would be relatively painless to implement with the PSK?
-John
06/22/2011 (6:09 pm)
Phillip (or any PSK expert),I also intend to buy the Platformer Kit. (Need to upgrade Mac OS first to meet TGB Pro requirements.)
A lot of my questions were answered here, except for one: I want a protagonist who can charge through walls, and alter the stage as a result.
Think Super Metroid speed-booster. Combine that with Tetris blocks. That's a basic version of what I want. Guy crashes through blocks. Blocks break. Blocks no longer supported by blocks drop. Guy can access whatever's on those formerly-impossible-to-reach blocks.
At the moment, I don't care whether those blocks fall straight down like in Tetris, or weaken/tumble/cause more destruction like in Angry Birds. Either way, does this sound like something that would be relatively painless to implement with the PSK?
-John
#6
06/23/2011 (1:51 am)
John, the PSK has something similar already which is a "falling" platform. Similar kind of concept and could easily be adapted to the idea you propose. The falling platform should be in the demo available on the website to give you a better idea of what the PSK has in place.
#7
Your demo has a "falling platform" that is triggered by the player, falls offscreen, then respawns. So what you're saying is, I can lose the trigger/respawn and add collision, and now I have a falling platform that lands on stuff... right?
Two follow-up questions:
(1) Are we talking about altering platforms to the Tetris-type, Angry-Birds-type, or both?
(2) GUI, or some coding required? Do I need PSK Pro to modify the falling platform?
EDIT- Fine with either^... just curious, since life changes (wife, kids, moved >10,000 mi.) took me away from TGB for the past three years.
I'm looking forward trying this out!
EDIT 2- Rephrased follow-up question #2
06/23/2011 (6:44 am)
Thanks, Phillip. I played the demo game last night.Your demo has a "falling platform" that is triggered by the player, falls offscreen, then respawns. So what you're saying is, I can lose the trigger/respawn and add collision, and now I have a falling platform that lands on stuff... right?
Two follow-up questions:
(1) Are we talking about altering platforms to the Tetris-type, Angry-Birds-type, or both?
(2) GUI, or some coding required? Do I need PSK Pro to modify the falling platform?
EDIT- Fine with either^... just curious, since life changes (wife, kids, moved >10,000 mi.) took me away from TGB for the past three years.
I'm looking forward trying this out!
EDIT 2- Rephrased follow-up question #2
Aleksandar Sandic