Pindroid! (Thank you, all. Entry submitted.)

[CrayFlail]

(Click the banner, it leads to the demo!) (DEMO IS ONLY TESTED WITH CHROME)

Pindroid - Think pinball with Arkanoid (break-the-bricks) goals for some good old-fashioned arcade action, featuring very specific physics and special pinball events/upgrades. And, of course, missiles. And lasers. Thanks for the inspiration and opportunity!

((Gameplay))
It is all about breaking those bricks without losing a life. This is accomplished using your left and right paddles/flippers, controlled by (Z, Y, or Left Arrow) and (M or Right Arrow) respectively. As you blast your silver ball across the screen there will be several things happening - and this section will cover all of them. Every time a silver ball touches a paddle, your paddle meter (lower right!) will increase slightly. Every time any ball touches a bouncer, your bouncer counter gauge will increase by one (in the lower left!). And every time your pinball hits a brick, it does damage....two hits will destroy it. Destroy a brick with a silver ball? Great! There's a 10% chance ANOTHER silver ball will spawn for you. What a great game!

If your paddle meter gets 2/3 full, a notification appears letting you know that you can lock in lasers, if you choose. Press (CTRL or Up Arrow) to lock in lasers. This resets your paddle meter to zero, but the next key (any key) you press will fire powerful lasers from each paddle that cuts through all the bricks in their path. Very useful! On some levels! Other levels, it's a little more strategic to NOT lock in the lasers and fill the paddle meter all the way. When this happens a Magic Orange Ball will spawn. What's this? Another ball? Oh, indeed. When the orange ball touches a brick, it will damage the brick, but it will also spawn...another orange ball. You can get up to 5 of these things going around the screen at one time....earning you points faster, hitting bouncers easier, etc. If you lose an orange ball....it's ok! No life lost. Just keep that silver ball going! Because if you lose a silver ball, you lose a life...but you also lose half your paddle meter that you've been working so hard to fill.

Bouncers. They....well, bounce pinballs that strike them. Can't really call them anything else. Hit any of the bouncers a total of five times with any pinball (check that bouncer counter!) and a notification appears telling you (very importantly) that your bouncer rockets are ready to fire. Press (any key) to fire the rockets, which fly directly to bricks and destroy any they touch on contact. Don't lose that silver ball though...your bouncer counter will reset. Oh no!

Points? Points. Points are important, not just for bragging rights. Paddle hits, brick hits, ball spawns, bouncer hits, missiles launched, lasers fired.....all get you points. Every 300 points, a Red Bomb Ball will spawn. This ball, when it strikes a brick, sticks to it and explodes. This destroys the brick it's touching and will spawn you another silver ball in it's place. To earn more points with. Lose a brick, get another pinball....yes.

Pay attention to the starting brick formations for each level as some are kind of cool and took some complex maths to formula in. Haha! Just kidding! Nobody cares about that! Pay attention because you want to be using the correct strategy for each level....some levels scream out for the lasers, others almost demand the Magic Orange Ball be spawned. But whatever you do....keep at least one silver ball on the screen at all times.

((Notes))
Pindroid was developed entirely by me using the Free Version of Construct2. This game was tested using the latest version of Google Chrome...other browsers/platforms will load with varying results in game play speed and sound. Credits given to artists in the game who provided free material on other websites for sprites and sounds. This is my first major project with Construct2 and the overall experience of learning and participating in this contest has been amazing...thanks to all that played and to all that posted.

Due to the sheer number of hours spent on this I would appreciate a heads-up to anything you may want to include this game in, blog/forums/arcade/example wise. I will almost certainly miss it due to my haphazard style of browsing these forums by randomly clicking on things that look cool. Thanks!

((Demo Updates))
Final Final Entry and this is why you double check...fixed Instructions Page so all text shows. Ok. That's it.
Final Entry (03/31) - Levels 1-15, with a bonus ending screen. Thanks all, it's been a blast. :heart:
Demo (03/29) - Levels 1-10!
-ADDED Lasers Activated Via CTRL or UP arrow, still ANY key after that to fire. (@BlueScope, @decanos78)
-ADDED Bouncer Rockets fired via ANY key (moved from JUST space bar) (@BlueScope, @decanos78)
-Changed bricks from dull gray to black with neon blue outline, they stick out a little more...less blurry (@Venetia)
-Moved "Level : " Indicator to just a single flashing/floating/disappearing number that appears at the start of each new level (@Venetia)
-Got level rebuilding down to one event....uhm. This could get hilariously long. (@rosareven)
-Fixed possible "Bouncer Rockets" indicator message bug at the end of level
-Fixed possible "Lasers" indicator message bug at the end of level
-Fixed definite Bouncer Rocket Indicators not resetting at the end of level (the graphics still showed....the variable reset)
-Fixed possible crash scenario when Bouncer Rockets that were fired collided with single brick at the same time as the Paddle Lasers with one brick left (I figure if that's even a sentence,


(Hey, it's my minibanner! It links to this thread!)

 

[BlueScope]

Sounds like a quite valid idea definately... I love to play breakout games like Arkanoid, and I'm really curious on how well it plays when combined with pinball paddles

 

[CrayFlail]

So far, I'm keeping the pinball side of gravity instead of the ball constantly in motion....it does kind of take away from the great moment when the ball is at the top and just bouncing between the bricks and the top of the screen though.

We make up for that with missiles and explosions.

 

[CrayFlail]

DEMO link posted in the original post, at the end. Please, if you play it, your general thoughts and impressions would be appreciated. I can take good bad and ugly - but man do I ever recommend playing it using Chrome as your browser.

Private messages or forum posts with your thoughts are appreciated. My thanks!

(Z and M work the paddles, for those that skip the instructions. Have fun!)

 

[Ugotsta]

Very cool! I like the merger of the 2 game ideas and oddly, I don't ever remember seeing anything like it. Though the 2 concepts seem to go so perfectly together.

One thing I'd say, I think you should have the flippers controlled with a keydown event rather than keypress events and thus have it so that the flippers stay up while the keys are held, like standard pinball flippers. Just seems to add a bit to being able to control the game.

Slightly off-topic, but Future Pinball, which is just one of the most amazing free game softwares of all time, has a Puzzle Bobble table for it that reminds me a bit of this. There's a videogame section in the middle of the table that has dropping bubbles and you catch them with a paddle that moves step-by-step based on flipper keypresses. Perhaps something like that might work in one of your levels for this one?

Great job thus far.

 

[BlueScope]

For the sake of all that suffer from using a German keyboard like me, you might consider not using Z or Y as the main operational keys, as they are exchanged here. In fact, I figured I'd skip the instructions and just go for it, as I assumed it's gonna be either the arrow keys or left/right shift, or anything like that. Z and M don't seem to be the best choice here all in all, and as a spacebar replacement, the up arrow would perfectly suffice, I think.

Otherwise, I think it's fun so far. Can't really tell how long it's gonna take, as I was breaking my hands while trying to press Z, M and Space at the same time, but it seems as if it'd take a bit too long to destroy multi-hit blocks of that amount to be casually fun. As I said, though... that might be wrong.

 

[CrayFlail]

This is excellent feedback from you both, unfortunately I need to go work my real job now.

-I had not even tested the KeyDown event or considered it. Consider it added, if I can, that sounds awesome. I'll have to see what effects it has on the physics of the situation, as an impulse force is being directed at the paddles and I'm not sure what holding the key down will do to that, but I know exactly what you're talking about.

-I have never seen a German keyboard and will consider it my top priority to let the user rebind the keys as they see fit.

-Once you get into the magic multi ball, the bomb ball, and especially the multiple ball effects on the Bouncer Rockets, it goes faster. There is certainly a build-up of just a single ball before that, however. We'll see how it goes when you can rebind.

Thanks so much! Lots to think about!

 

[BlueScope]

I think assigning different keys will work... a key binding feature would be nice, however a bit oversized imo...

Which reminds me... there used to be that Windows XP pinball game everyone played but me... using that game's controls might be a smart choice, as people probably will figure those first. Even though I have no idea what those were

 

[CrayFlail]

I could do everything as far as key binding goes except for actually getting the keyboard condition to accept a variable as input, so that kind of ended it real quick right there. As a nod to BlueScope for asking, I did go ahead and add a couple of other keys that can be used as well. After Googling "German keyboard layout". I remember well the pinball game you were referencing on XP, I just can't designate between left/right Shift Ctrl or Alt....and don't want to use those due to browser shortcuts coming into play.

Ugotsta has me thinking about a bonus round. So that's dangerous.

Demo Round Two is up, and by that I mean Levels One, Two, and Three are fully playable with the new keys for paddles (and the old ones!)....don't worry about looking up the keys, they're in the instructions.

Things I'm considering:
Bonus Level Triggers
*TILT*
Easter Eggs For People Posting In This Thread (Oh....I'm sorry....you don't want to be on the high score list?)

CF

 

[RadethDart]

I have bad news..I was playing and found a bug.

it just froze right here..

 

[CrayFlail]

1) You were playing
2) You found a bug
3) You told me

All of this is good news! I am working on cutting down events right now and am feeling frustrated by it because I think I need families for similar objects. I'll be trying to group them using instance variables and we'll see what the result is.

Thanks for posting!

 

[decanos78]

this games WAY too hard from lvl 1... i love games like this but not being able to keep flippers up
is annoying.. someone suggested you should change that.. I agree.. the keys also are a bit
mis-placed, they need to be changed.

My idea -

1. Remove those red bouncy objects frm lvl 1 and ave them from say lvl 2, but only one,
then add 1 more every few lvls.

2. mayb incorparate something else into the game, like the blocks you destroy drops an
item every min or so, that you need to collect, but can only collect by hitting it with
the ball, all the better for trying to keep as many balls running about as possible.

something else needs to be added in cos this games gonna get old and repetative very fast
from early stages otherwise.. maybe you should try taking a look at arkanoid.. and see what
they done with power upgrades.. ect.. just got another idea for you..

3. in arkanoid u got bat upgrades.. hows about getting flipper upgrades.. make them turn
different colors.. like gold flippers will speed up the balls resulting in them zipping through
the blocks in 1 hit clearing them quicker.. or maybe a green flipper will teleport the ball
somewhere on the screen when the ball hits the flippers, making it a judgement game too,
(just an idea).

All in all though a very good game.. i'd play it definatly as i said.. i like games like this. thumbs
up from me.. but needs a little more work and design.

 

[Jason]

I definitely agree with the paddle movement, you really need to let us hold them up, because it makes the game quite difficult at times. I thought it was pretty cool though to be quite honest with you, and I'd love to see the finished product.

 

[Jason]

I definitely agree with the paddle movement, you really need to let us hold them up, because it makes the game quite difficult at times. I thought it was pretty cool though to be quite honest with you, and I'd love to see the finished product.

 

[CrayFlail]

this games WAY too hard from lvl 1... i love games like this but not being able to keep flippers up
is annoying.. someone suggested you should change that.. I agree.. the keys also are a bit
mis-placed, they need to be changed.

First, thanks for responding, it will really be helpful if you could tell me which keys you would rather use for the flippers. Please bear in mind I am constrained by which ones I can and can not use as I'd rather not bring "Control" "Alt" or "Shift" into it...it leads to issues on the Windows side (stickykeys), the browser side (triggering shortcuts), and the game side (as I don't think I can differentiate between left and right for these keys.)

Second, as there have been more than a few people asking for the ability to hold the paddles up in the air, I just buckled down and got it in. Added into the latest demo, although there is definitely more testing to do. (All current paddle keys Z/Y/LeftArrow and M/RightArrow included.)

CF

(Post updated : Deleted my whining about not being able to do something and just....did it. Feels pretty good.)

 

[CrayFlail]

Next major update is in:

-Levels 1-5 are available, with level one kind of rigged for you right now. Enjoy.
-Paddle Upgrades Lasers are in, there is a warning when lasers are available (it's based on your paddle meter on the right....you can activate the lasers by pressing CTRL, or you can ignore it and fill the paddle meter all the way for a Magic Orange Ball spawn....nothing forces you to trigger the lasers)
-Only Silver Balls making contact with the paddles fill the paddle meter
-After activating lasers (with either CTRL key), any key pressed after that will automatically fire them
-Lasers auto-aim, destroy any blocks in their path, and are quite powerful on some levels. Other levels, it's probably better to save the Paddle Meter for Magic Orange Balls, the choice is yours.
-For testing purposes, you now have 50 pinballs on start, and remember, level one is basically done for you.

Lasers are not fully tested and I would appreciate ANY feedback anyone has, but particularly if you see a Laser (CTRL) Warning when lasers are not actually available (i.e. End of Stage, Paddle Meter is empty). I think I got the kinks, but I normally play for longer before updating. This will not be the last update, but probably the last update with a major feature implemented....we're getting CLOSE!

CF

 

[BlueScope]

I just took another attempt at this, and I gotta say I find it immensely more fun than when I first played it! The controls definately make a huge difference, and the rockets and lasers - while confusing when trying to handle your balls at the same time - are definately a great time-saver.
I think you did most things right with this here... it's fun to play, it's alright graphic-wise, and it's in general a nice concept to go with. The only thing I maybe would want you to change is to make the controls a bit less confusing again... maybe left/right arrow keys for paddles, up for lasers, down for rockets? might be missing the pinball table feeling, but it would surely increase the fun a bit... I think? ^^"

Good luck with this on the last mile!

 

[CrayFlail]

maybe left/right arrow keys for paddles, up for lasers, down for rockets? might be missing the pinball table feeling, but it would surely increase the fun a bit... I think? ^^"

I've got events left. I can do that. Thanks!

 

[rosareven]

If I mark this game, this already has 4/4 on the fun factor and "won't be seeing the sun any time soon". So addictive.

 

[Venetia]

Somehow, I haven't played a demo of this game up until now.

Gotta say: Wow. Really fun. Always liked pinball games. But, a few random entries aside, they always feel like the same thing. With this one, you've managed to add in a bunch of fresh ideas and even additional games, like BreakOut.

All I can really recommend at this point is that you work on the presentation of it ... The visuals need work (they look fuzzy, and just need more polish), and I'd like for there to be some sort of music going on.

The lasers freaked me out, haha. I pressed Ctrl, and nothing happened for a few seconds, then BZZT!!. I jumped IRL and my paddle missed the ball :x :x :x haha

(Also, this is a nitpick from an OCD graphic designer: If you could alter your userbar to not be so horizontally stretched out, my eye could stop twitching when I look at it! lol.)

It's been said before that you don't need pretty graphics to have a fun game though, and this holds true to that.