Trapped

[VectorX]

Aug 18, 2015 11:27:51 GMT -5 gliptitude said:

I too had trouble fitting through the doors at times. The fish was not a problem for me though. (Still haven't tried it on real Vectrex)

It might be a problem on a Vectrex; it definitely is on mine.

Aug 18, 2015 11:27:51 GMT -5 gliptitude said:

I would prefer first a written explanation or maybe some hints, rather than a walkthrough or speedrun.

Garry has been giving out clues with his last few posts, as I was running around and around the game the first time through and was wondering where on Earth the key was that pucpuc found. I hadn't seen anything at all. Garry then said something about brightness, so I turned mine up almost all the way. With the start of a new game a dim door appeared that I couldn't see before, along with the fish and the key. That was a help there, along with (I assume?) him saying later if you drop an object that'll also lead to something else. That gives me a few ideas that I'm going to try out later, which I assume will lead to other things.

Aug 18, 2015 11:27:51 GMT -5 gliptitude said:

I have only encountered the fish and the flies so far. Are there other items and enemies?

There's two more items to the game.

Aug 18, 2015 11:27:51 GMT -5 gliptitude said:

What is the basic goal of the game?

To get out.

Aug 18, 2015 11:27:51 GMT -5 gliptitude said:

I am trying to figure out if the room layout is confined or if it kind of "loops". I kept getting to a part where there were two doors on the left and right, one after another until finally it seemed like i got back to the beginning or somewhere else that i had been before but that could not logically be at the end of the path i just traversed.

Yeah, those doors running horizontally loop, taking you through 10 doors before you go back to a starting point. There aren't any like that that run vertically, or at least not through that many doors.

[50tbrd]

I finally found the key.

Tried it on a real Vectrex today. Some of the images are not the most stable and the open door appear as double images.

A pause feature/map/menu would be nice.

I like what you've done. You have a great concept and simple but effect graphics. Like Gliptitude said, I don't think any attack mechanic is necessary, how every I can't help but wonder what the same engine with a Zelda type game play would be like as well. Definitely two paths which you could try - Timed/no attack and Attack/strategy. This is worth fleshing out completely into a highly involved physical release.

[cNp]

I think it's an excellent proof of the engine and that it could definitely work to create an enjoyable game.

I think an overlay could show walls to save you drawing any, or otherwise the way the doors are drawn allow for the brain to fill in the blanks so i wouldn't use up valuable cycles drawing them in.

Was it you who wrote an Attic Attac clone way back as one of your early experiments? Vague memory it was. Has that feel but you could hang all sorts of ideas off this engine.

Very nicely done.

cNp

[garryg]

Ok, blurb first:



You are defenceless and lost, trapped in a large empty house, with no windows and no obvious way out.
All you know is that you came into this place from the door to your North.

The house is old, dark and infested with swarms of vicious flying, biting insects.
The layout of the house doesn't always seem to make sense.
Some doors appear to be one way only, disappearing once you step through, while others lead to seemingly impossible locations.
There are also many locked doors that appear to take different types of keys.



Maybe you should try to retrace your steps...







\/ HINTS \/ Highlight the text below to see...

Some doors loop, Drop objects to map your progress.

You can't shoot, but an object found near the start location can be dropped to lure away the swarm.

The end room is to the immediate north of the room you started in, but you will need to find two keys to get in.

Once in the end room you will need to use two further objects to escape the trap.

[garryg]

Aug 18, 2015 13:26:58 GMT -5 cNp said:

Was it you who wrote an Attic Attac clone way back as one of your early experiments? Vague memory it was. Has that feel but you could hang all sorts of ideas off this engine.

Very nicely done.

cNp

Hello cNp,

Yes that was probably me.
I did start looking at as Attic Attac clone way back, but it didn't pan out so well (too much drawing especially for the cave rooms) that was completely re-done to get the basic framework for this.

[garryg]

The latest version shouldn't have the door flicker now.

Did anyone finish it?


I've just got a new job and need to study, so no more Vectrex/vector stuff for a while

[Rapetou33]

Good luck for your new job Garry ! looking forward to your vectrex coding come back ... (trapped seems to be very attactive)

[VectorX]

Thought I'd give this a bump, due to it being a very intriguing, different game for the Vectrex. I also finally went back and spent some time on it today.

Sept 2, 2015 15:08:25 GMT -5 garryg said:

Did anyone finish it?

I'm getting there, I think! It looked like the furthest anyone got (or at least when this topic started) was finding a key. From there you need (highlight if you want to see what's next):

*A coffin (? It looks like one)
*Another key

It makes you feel like you're accomplishing something once you pick up another object. Also:

(highlight again)

Wow, the configuration changes. Unlike those two horizontal doors that keep going on for 10 screens that was discussed earlier, you get sets of FOUR identical doors (one in each direction) several screens in a row. I'm unsure which ones (for now) are getting me closer or if I'm just running through more (*#! doors in a loop (again!) or what. I'll spend some more time on this possibly tomorrow.

[cNp]

Yep, I agree, it's a great engine and has a lot of scope... some additional feedback based on mine and other coder's experience... the games you code are usually much harder than you realise because you've played them from the start and in your head you know all the logic. Get regular playtesting and don't be worried about making them 'easier'... there's always later levels to ramp up the difficulty after all!

cNp

[50tbrd]

I keep intending to try it on ParaJVE utilizing the save/load feature.

[gliptitude]

<<Bump>>

Aug 18, 2015 7:51:52 GMT -5 garryg said:

If the reaction to this remains positive I would definitely be interested in making a proper sized game out of it.

I'd love to see it happen. It's a great concept and it seems like the basic framework already exists, and that it would simultaneously be one of your more practical projects to develop as well as one of the most exciting.

[garryg]

I might look into expanding this soon.
I've got a few ideas for extra features and it is written to be fairly easily expandable, making it much larger and multi level e.g. underground, and upwards.


Has anyone finished the concept game yet?

If you want to finish:
Go left at first, then go up to find the fish. (you can now drop the fish to lure away the flies)
Next go left again, then keep going down as far as you can.
Go right and get the first key.
Go up until you can get back to the room you started in.
Now go right, then go up and right until l you find the coffin.
Go down as far as you can, then left and down as far as you can, and get the second key.
Go up until you get back to the room you started in.
Make sure you have all the objects.
Go up.
The rest is up to you...


Remember you can always drop objects to help you map your way, just make sure you don't drop the wrong key and get stuck!

If you are still stuck I can post the map, with item locations.

[garryg]

Dec 1, 2015 14:28:19 GMT -5 50tbrd said:

    I keep intending to try it on ParaJVE utilizing the save/load feature.


I was thinking this could become a problem in a larger game.
As the Vectrex has no game-save option (as standard) the game would have to be played to completion in one sitting to win.

Do you think it would still work if a multi-level map around the same basic size of 'Attic Attack' was used?
Or is this too big because the game is more puzzle and less arcade based?

Also do you think different shaped doors would work better than different 'colored' doors?
    e.g. Square top, Arched top, and triangle top.

    The full version will have:
        A non-static inventory - holding 4 objects at any one time (meaning you will have to drop objects)
        A rudimentary map system, showing current position - think 'Radar Rat Race' 
        One time usable objects that replenish the timer.


I'm looking at basing the full game around much larger areas, but not necessarily using as much of the map grid as Trapped used. 
E.g. more spread out over the world-grid so rooms have more blank space between them.

(The map of Trapped is very condensed within a relatively small grid)

[gliptitude]

I'm not sure if i understand what you mean by "grid" if you say that Trapped was "condensed in a relatively small" one but that the full game could have "much larger areas" without "using as much of the grid as trapped".

.. Also i'm not sure if i noticed in the past the comment you just quoted about different shaped doors rather than different colored doors. I definitely think that is a good idea, at least if it doesn't cause you to lose the look of the game. .. Maybe instead of altogether different shapes they could just have different borders. Like one has no border but then another has double lines and another has a dashed double line.

[Mayhem]

Maybe it could be like a vector version of Atic Atac.