[Android] Lemmings-like game (WIP)

[LJLPM]

I've just finished adding the "Set Level's Background Color" compatibility between jLevelBuilder and the Android game
By default, full black is used as BG color (editor & game), but any other color can be freely set using the level-editor (BG color set on a per-level basis).

[Ben H]

Soon?

[LJLPM]

Unfortunately, I don't have time to work on the game on a regular basis.

Here's the main TODO list:

• - game: make new graphics for the Lemmings (animations) + for skill icons
• - game: create new tilesets + improve already existing tilesets (all tilesets: I haven't tackled the Objects yet)
• - game: design levels
• - game: add some cool/entertaining audio tunes (royalty-free music)
• - online service/database: handle the ratings (fun rating & level-difficulty rating)
• - online service/database: add criteria to filter the levels displayed (author, date, fun, difficulty, level-packs, etc ...)
• - online service/database: create a database for the tilesets (upload/download tilesets)

about the tilesets:
(current state: Terrain pieces=+/-50% of the work is done. Objects=0% done)

• the following tilesets are usable and good-looking (pretty much no more work required): 1)sci-fi, 2)colors, 3)brick, and 4)marble.


• quite good-looking tileset, but it can be better! I'll work on it to improve it: 5)pillar


• re-work needed. These tilesets are not as good-looking as the game's best tilesets: 6)dirt, 7)rock, 8)tech


• cool but far from being finished...: 9)ice

conclusion: the game won't be ready in 2016. Instead, expect the game during summer(autumn?) 2017.

[Ben H]

Oh, ok. So still quite a bit then.

[LJLPM]

Yes. The roadmap for 2016 is mainly a matter of making the game's graphics (it's the biggest task still to be achieved). When these will be done, the path to the final game will be clearer

[Ben H]

Ok, thanks. Looking forward to it.

[RubiX]

Keep it up man, i'll always be looking forward to its release.

[LJLPM]

Thanks!

I've just added a new -handy- feature: a browser for listing the levels one designed or retrieved from the net.
(until now, only the game's internal levels could be visually browsed. The custom levels were only available through a text list: now it's fixed )

Currently, the browser displays a level-index within the current folder (green text), the level's filename, and the level's image.
I'll quickly see to add the player's stats for each level, too...

[LJLPM]

Ok, now, the player's best stats (% saved, used skills, time, score) are displayed next to the relevant level thumbnail (level completed or not completed)

This is the very 1st result!, so, as you can see, the display obviously needs to be tweaked a little bit, in order to show a bigger level thumbnail when displaying the player's stats: I'll shortly address this issue!
And for texts, there will be some color-code (green/red?) to immediately distinguish completed levels and not-completed levels.

Atm, the important thing is:
there's a working visual browser to display and launch the custom levels you made or you retrieved from the net (it's no longer a text-based browser).
And your game-stats for these levels are now displayed next to the relevant filenames + thumbnails.

(...you can also notice the yellowish background color used in the "Turn Around Young Lemmings" level...)


(small 3.5 inch screen.)


edit:
layout updated (full text + bigger level thumbnails)

(small 3.5 inch screen.)

[LJLPM]

I worked on the [game + level-editor] combo today, and I've just added a new feature to the game: "non-rectangular Steel areas"
Until now, this was only achievable using erasers, but now, it's also possible using solid Terrain tiles.
(and, as you can see on the screenshots below, it works well with rotated and/or shrunk Terrain tiles)


note: the level is quite a mess. It's just for test purpose, and it's based on a randomly-generated level.

Soon, I'll also add NeoLemmix's "Down-facing one-way-walls". It would be nice to have these ones, and it's an easy feature to add!
(...and I'm also thinking about adding more NeoLemmix's things like "One-Way-Fields", "(Anti-)Splat Pads", etc... I really don't promess anything, but they are cool features, so maybe...?)

ps:
- pre-located Lemmings are available in the game, but I'm not sure if this feature will be included in the final game, because I would like to keep the game's mechanics simple.
- locked "exit" doors are available in the game, but I'm pretty sure to drop this feature to keep the game's mechanics simple.
- "down->top" + "left<->right" warps on levels' edges are available in the game, but I'm pretty sure to drop this feature to keep the game's mechanics simple.

[LJLPM]

just added:
- splat field and anti-splat field
- one-way pass-thru fields (left->right moves and right->left moves)
- radiation field
- updraft

[LJLPM]

experimenting with the new "Rotate Level" feature...

[Minim]

Interesting! This sort of reminds me of a Sonic Adventure stage where the landscape and the centre of gravity changes. It would be interesting if we could put that idea into concept, although I probably wouldn't recommend using it on existing levels, apart from Pea Soup, where the stairs on the soup would create a perfect bridge. One example would be Crazy 1. It is either going to be easy (if tilted to the right) or impossible (if tilted to the left) depending on the level's tilt. You may also need to change the level's vertical size to enable the lemmings to navigate the whole landscape.

[LJLPM]

Unfortunately, the landscape can not be dynamically tilted during the game

By the way, we are not forced to rotate the whole level: we rotate only the parts we want.
For example, in the screenshot below, you see a single level (2 entrances + 2 exits): the level's left part is rotated, while the right part is kept normal.

I like this new feature

[LJLPM]

- 1) just a short progress report to tell you that I work on the [game + level_editor] package whenever I can, and I've just finished adding the "Platformer" skill to the game.
[11 skills currently available: Lemmings' 8 classic skills + Walker + Glider + Platformer]


- 2) NeoLemmix's "Skill Shadows/Skill Guides" were also introduced early in the game development, so you'll find them, too. (it was an early feature I didn't reveal)
- 3) now, the next feature I want to add is NeoLemmix's "One-Way Enabled Terrain" : it's a very good feature, and I hope to add it next week-end.