Universal Eyez - Spatial Puzzle Platformer

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by greyp, Feb 11, 2015.

  1. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    I just submitted a new build with some tweaks to the jump button. In this new version the jump control will be triggered on the frame when your finger touch point enters the detection area of the jump button (previously it was triggered when your finger leaves the button, i.e. a "tap" gesture). The rest remains the same, so you can still drag the button around.

    This update will become available within the next few days. Let me know what you think after you try it out! :)
     
  2. lena

    lena Well-Known Member

    Mar 26, 2011
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    That's great, thanks for being so responsive! I just unlocked the full game. Let's see how far I'll get.
     
  3. artsyomni

    artsyomni New Member

    Feb 12, 2015
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    Man, this gameplay mechanic is really neat. It's like it pays homage to a simpler time when games didn't scroll. I need to give this game a shot.
     
  4. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    Thanks for your support! Let me know if you have any other feedback or suggestion! :)
     
  5. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    Haha that was actually part of the inspiration for creating the game! Hope you enjoy it! :)
     
  6. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    Hope more people can discover and enjoy this game! :)
     
  7. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    This thread is sinking...:p
     
  8. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    The new update I submitted a few days ago is still waiting for review... On the contrary, the WP version usually takes less than a day to pass review :/
     
  9. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    So many great mobile games here... Have to bump this thread again... :p
     
  10. lena

    lena Well-Known Member

    Mar 26, 2011
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    I wonder why this doesn't work. I expected to fall through the bottom and then from the top of the screen, but my character seems to stay on some invisible ground. It is as if the black bars cover part of the screen.
    [​IMG]

    Also, I would really love if the game supported orientation switching (so that both landscape ways work).
     
  11. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    The screen-wrapping mechanic gets triggered when the center of a moving object (in this case, the protagonist) goes beyond the borders of the screen. In this screenshot the character's center point was still above the bottom edge of the screen, so she did not fall through... There is a camera-shaking feedback when the character is not able to wrap, but apparently it is not clear enough...

    The game was originally developed for Windows Phone 7 which has a 5:3 aspect ratio. As you may have noticed, with the game's unique mechanics it is impossible to simply change the aspect ratio of the screen without changing the level design, so on devices with different aspect ratios there are always horizontal/vertical black bars. Not much I can do about this issue... :/

    I have put the orientation-switching feature on my to-do list. Thanks again for your feedback lena! =)
     
  12. lena

    lena Well-Known Member

    Mar 26, 2011
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    Thanks again greyp! Your prompt replies are very much appreciated.
    The camera/sound feedback is clear enough in indicating that wrapping doesn't work here, but I still don't understand WHY. Normally, I can wrap around if there is empty space at the bottom and at the top. Here there was clearly no floor, but the wrapping did not work. I hear you that it only works if the characters center point is above the bottom edge, but then I guess my question is: what is she standing on here? I don't see a floor (nor her feet). You can see that in this screenshot too. The character is standing on something outside the screen, I can walk around here, but to me it looks like I should be able to wrap around here. I hope my question is clear!

    I'm still really loving the game. I finished the first world. Looking forward to playing the second.
    [​IMG]
     
  13. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    Hi lena, the short version of my answer to your question is that she is standing on the floor (though it is outside the screen).

    The long version: my previous post might be a bit unclear about how the wrapping works. A moving object can only wrap when its center point go outside the screen in the blue eye mode. Take your screenshot for example: the character's center point is still above the bottom edge of the screen, so there is no way for her to fall through the bottom edge of the screen and re-enter the screen from the top edge.

    Actually I have received questions like yours during playtesting. The most efficient solution I came up with to fix this ambiguity is to "cut" an object into two parts during wrapping -- imagine the left half of the character is around the right edge of the screen and the right half of the character is around the left edge of the screen. But there is one design problem I cannot solve here: what would happen if the player cancels the blue eye mode during a middle state like that? (I.e. when the character is cut into two halves) Should the character move to a certain side of the screen? What if there are walls outside the screen that would trigger collision detection? (having an object traverse into walls will result in some really horrible collision errors)...

    So in the end I just added in the camera shaking feedback in hope that players could figure out the wrapping rules. I know it is not the perfect workaround, but until here is a better solution to that design problem, I have to keep it as it is...

    Really glad to know that you beat the first chapter. Chapter 2 is where things get a bit serious, as the red eye mechanic is introduced in that chapter. Hope you enjoy it! And feel free to let me know if you have any further feedback! :)
     
  14. lena

    lena Well-Known Member

    Mar 26, 2011
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    Thanks! I guess that's what's tripping me up, that she can stand on something outside the screen.

    I'm in chapter 2.5 now and completely stuck at the beginning! I have been stuck before though so I hope I'll figure this one out too. I really like the Red Eye addition.
     
  15. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    If you get stuck there for a few minutes a hint should become available. Tip: try confronting the white-cloaked enemy and utilize what you have learned so far! :)
     
  16. lena

    lena Well-Known Member

    Mar 26, 2011
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    Thanks, I figured it out :) I assumed I had to do something with the enemy, but I still missed the obvious. I really like the level design.
     
  17. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    Haha,I'm really glad to hear that! :D
     
  18. lena

    lena Well-Known Member

    Mar 26, 2011
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    Well, I said that right after finishing a few levels. Don't ask me when I'm stuck again :) Usually when I'm stuck in a game, I'm stuck. I'm surprised that here I still find ways to solve a level even after looking at it for a long time. I also like a lot that the levels aren't too same-y. That's something I often see in iOS platformers, even well regarded ones, that they just become boring after the first levels.

    Speaking of looking at levels for a long time: I would love it if there was a way to turn off music. Preferably music and sound effects separately. I know that that's a common request here on TA, so I think it's something quite a few people appreciate. I don't know how hard that is to implement, but if it's an option it would be great.
     
  19. greyp

    greyp Well-Known Member

    Feb 11, 2015
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    Actually you can turn off the music on the music options screen (options - music options). Though I haven't tested on iOS if the game works properly with the iOS music app running on the background. (It is working on Windows Phone)
     
  20. lena

    lena Well-Known Member

    Mar 26, 2011
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    Oh thanks, I had not found that option! Eyez usually stays in memory for me so I never notice the first screen with the options, and I guess I was looking for them in the pause menu. But I'm glad I can turn off the music and not the sound effects. Playing my own music did not work for me.

    I'm in chapter 3 now. Feels like a whole new game! Not just puzzles now, I suddenly need skills :)

    I don't know why it is mostly me and the dev talking in this thread.
     

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