Boxmen

Simply.. beautiful.. and hard :D
Your man (green one) can copy itself.. and try to hit the box and go to next level.. but not everything is so easy.


I like idea, and style: music, graphics, collisions detection, gravity, and copy system: when player copy itself, copy mantain movement.. so if player copy when its moving, copy will continue to move :D
Difficulty is hard on level 7.. but its a puzzle game, right?
I'm thinking how is possibile to improve the concept, in particular:

- multiplayer? I think that multiplayer can destroy boxmen equilibrium: i'm a player, alone in my room, with my boxmen. Stop. But if.. if another player can control copy of a "central player"? What type of game is possibile?
- achievements! this can be really fun.. secret levels (!!), gold, silver, bronze medal, statistics and maybe record of other player games.. like a ghost-race? and if i can vote another innovative way to solve a level?
- more big levels? Scrolling feature, multiple possible endings?
- more movement for player and boxmen --> this can be really fun
- collecting something? Like diamonds for a score? I don't know.. but it can be really fun, no?

Finding time

Having something moving on screen is always a good point in game development.. but is not all!
Most important thing (as always!) is to keep you organized: what i have to do next? Animation? Pathfinding?
No! Find time to develop your idea: it's summer here (in Italy) and time to do programming is equal to zero.
Next post, maybe, something intersting to read

First user: me

One of the most important thing when i'm programming is something on screen. It's obvious, i know, but i think that is really important.
How many times, while i'm writing code, i closed everything and said "i'm bored"?

So, i think that seeing something moving on screen with ActionScript 3, in my browser is a good point.

Another hint is to keep a small design document. Just a list of feature for current version, and think about one, maybe two version ahead. I think requirements must be small: better to have many versions (from developer point of view) than one big version, where everything will never go into something usable.

So, after this? On one, maybe two versions, i'm ready to put something on the web.. it will be crap.. but i need to get feedback on my work as soon is possibile.

From Java to Flash

Left for now gameplay discussions, i'm ready to put something together.
I choose Flash and in particular ActionScript3, because let me easy to share my example, work and so on.
I've used Java for my first two works: i really like java, but when i say to someone "hey, watch here my work", and see a webstart or worse, a download say "download.. noo, i don't have time".
And they have right!
We are on internet and you must have something that everyone can see and play: so why not flash?
So here i start from Java to Flash, because:
- everyone have Flash (sorry linux, but .. linux is not everyone for now..),
- flash is easy: click, play, forget,
- million of example on the net!

Why actionscript 3? Because i can programming it with Flex Builder a simple enviroment build on Eclipse: are you programming in java using Eclipse? Then flex builder is for you!

Soon i hope i will put here something :D