Two, count them, two games from Dazman

BiNMaN

Hi everybody!!! (try reading that without Dr Nick Riviera's voice).

We've got two new AGD games by Dazman...



Monty's Last Strike and Dark Tricks...Enjoy!!

MatGubbins

Great graphics for Dark Tricks,
I'm gonna be harsh....
bloody difficult with the need for pixel perfect jumping, iffy AGD collision detection and the vast amount of random pumpkinhead nasties.
Got to the bottom of the shaft (oo-er!) and the nasty fire skulls wiped out the rest of my lives..
--There is a great game in there--, just needs a few more tweaks and a lot less randomness, especially when player dies and is dumped on the screen on a pumpkin head.

hikoki

I'll try to play Monty's Last Strike more later. Graphics look cool and there seem to be new patterns to resolve on every screen.

I like Dark Tricks concept though there are too many evil pumpkins!!
It'd be nice that pumpkins followed you only when their y or x are nearly the same as yours (you can't be seen under a platform), and perhaps an energy bar instead of instakill contacts.
Suggestion for the sequel :
- A few pumpkins fall and don't explode instantly but they are bombs with a lit fuse,
- You can push them (rotating face animation) so that when blasting you can break platforms which block the way towards items and exit.
- On every screen there is a limit time for picking up all items and clearing your way on the way down.
- Bones explosion when dying and they get together again like the terminator's liquid metal :p

R-Tape

Dark Tricks is simple but great! Cool sprites.

The game froze up me after several screens right from the bottom. Though could that have been because I cheated and used a poke?

Dazman can you complete it using only the 9 lives?

Spoiler:

32028,x x=lives

R-Tape

Cool ending to Monty's Last Strike! Well designed screens that are pitched right for me.

In fact you should develop the last truck jumping bit into a game in its own right, would make a good chrimbo game ;)

I've found these games quite inspiring, thanks.

hikoki

Thanks for the poke, Mister R-Tape. This way (70 lives) it's playable and fun!
I got skeletor stuck too, see this snapshot:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3152568/stuckDT.szx
One more suggestion : it'd be fun to run into fuel items to recharge your jetpac so that you could fly back to prior levels and pick up lost items. Risky and amusing flights to get more points! :p

Dazman

R-Tape wrote: »

Cool ending to Monty's Last Strike! Well designed screens that are pitched right for me.

In fact you should develop the last truck jumping bit into a game in its own right, would make a good chrimbo game ;)

I've found these games quite inspiring, thanks.

If it helps you can still use the up, down, forward and backwards to speed up and slow the mine cart down. I used to love the mine cart in Donkey Kong Country SNES.

Dazman

MatGubbins wrote: »

Great graphics for Dark Tricks,
I'm gonna be harsh....
bloody difficult with the need for pixel perfect jumping, iffy AGD collision detection and the vast amount of random pumpkinhead nasties.
Got to the bottom of the shaft (oo-er!) and the nasty fire skulls wiped out the rest of my lives..
--There is a great game in there--, just needs a few more tweaks and a lot less randomness, especially when player dies and is dumped on the screen on a pumpkin head.

I think I took evil Halloween to far.

Dazman

hikoki wrote: »

Thanks for the poke, Mister R-Tape. This way (70 lives) it's playable and fun!
I got skeletor stuck too, see this snapshot:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3152568/stuckDT.szx
One more suggestion : it'd be fun to run into fuel items to recharge your jetpac so that you could fly back to prior levels and pick up lost items. Risky and amusing flights to get more points! :p

I will make some changes to the difficulty of the game.

joefish

Monty's Last Strike looks good but is far too unfair on the player in the early stages. The collision detection, particularly against the roof spikes, is just far too broad. And the minecart hurtling towards you as soon as you enter a level is tricky once; to do it again is just taking it too far. At least if there was a slight pause for the player to take it in and react, especially after losing a life, it might be a little fairer. I've also played it a couple of times and there seems to be a variation in timing with the first screen on which it happens. I played the game a couple of times and made it past the first screen where this happens. About the third time I played it, even ready and holding right on the control, the cart hit earlier and it was just impossible to reach the point where it can be jumped. I also seem to have hit a bug at the bottom of the pit where the upper green rope simply can't be climbed.

Also the title screen doesn't indicate your control choice and forgets it from one game to the next; you have to press 2 again before 0 will start the game.

Dazman

joefish wrote: »

Monty's Last Strike looks good but is far too unfair on the player. The collision detection, particularly against the roof spikes, is just far too broad. And the minecart hurtling towards you as soon as you enter a level is tricky once; to do it again is just taking it too far. At least if there was a slight pause for the player to take it in and react, especially after losing a life, it might be a little fairer. I've also played it a couple of times and there seems to be a variation in timing with the first screen on which it happens. I played the game a couple of times and made it past the first screen where this happens. About the third time I played it, even ready and holding right on the control, the cart hit earlier and it was just impossible to reach the point where it can be jumped.

That would be an easy change to make, what if the gap in the roof was bigger where mont'y jumps over the cart, I have played it so many time when testing that I think I could play it with the screen off. Next game, games I will get some testers on board.

It is worth getting to the later levels, the last half of the levels will look familiar but going the wrong direction and the cart levels and ending I was very pleased with.

hikoki

I find minecarts quite fair since you see them coming and can always go back until figuring out the right places and timing.
Dunno if platforms with ropes should be passable from above.

MatGubbins

Dazman wrote: »

I think I took evil Halloween to far.

Nah, Palace Software done that with The Evil Dead.... (b-side to Cauldron)

Dazman

I will be making some changes when there is a few thing to change.

It could also do with a loading screen and an inlay, I do have drawing of what I want but I do not have the best drawing skills or now how to use zx paint yet.

Would someone like to take a look at my pic and make a looking screen and a cover art.

hikoki

Dazman wrote: »

I will be making some changes when there is a few thing to change.

mmm..very enigmatic of you

Dazman wrote: »

It could also do with a loading screen and an inlay, I do have drawing of what I want but I do not have the best drawing skills or now how to use zx paint yet.

Would someone like to take a look at my pic and make a looking screen and a cover art.

That'd be nice along with a few dreadful chords for Dark Tricks.

What if the little pumpkins gave you temporary immunity changing the sprite colour to purple ? it could help balance difficulty, add some strategy and serve as an incentive to pick up items that allow you to continue exploring.

f-a

Monty's Last Strike is pretty awesome, a real little jewel, funny, challenging, with a nice ending and lots of cute graphic.

Well done sir.

Now, if you had a blog or something where I could stalk your productions, that would be appreciated!

saddestmoon

Wow! Monty's Last Strike looks awesome!!! :D Thanks for doing this Dazman!

As a huge fan of all things Monty Mole, this is just the game I've been waiting for!

Look forward to seeing (any further?) Monty Mole games you might produce

:)

Dazman

Both Games updated and new separate threads for both.

Dark Tricks

Monty's Last Strike

Enjoy