Hard to say! Hope to have it finished by 1st of july, but I can't promise anything. Why don't you join the alpha-program? There is still room... Send an email to [email protected] with your UDID. Only A7 & A8 devices for now....
If I only removed the explosions, would that help? Yes, that would be nice. Haven't quite figured how go about it, but it should be possible. What about using Scenic VR mode in the meantime? It's just like that, only it's much cooler, like a window into another world. I think it's kind of funny/cool that you are asking about a perching mode, rather than some gameplay, haha. Maybe game-modes are pretty secondary after all.
Wow, this is thorough, I love it! This might be because you’re playing on a 5S. If it takes too long starting an app, the OS will force quit it. It might also be a memory fragmentation error. Could you try to re-install (delete first) after a reboot and see if the problem persists? Ant ideas on how to easy people into it? Is the sensitivity to high? Should the air resistance be higher in the start? What are your thoughts on this? I’m hoping to make a bird customization screen like the color screen. Appearance will control speed/weight/turning speed, etc. Thanks a lot! That’s what I spend most of my time on. (too much maybe?!) Yes, I agree, but people are different, so I’m just trying to cater to different needs. Yes, some of the biomes are more work in progress than others, especially the polar one. It was just super easy to do, but I will refine it more. And add superman in a cave somewhere, haha. Ok, good to hear, it’s pretty rudimentary, hope to make it even better with thermals and downwashes, etc. Yes, that was always the plan. The wind will steer you in the right direction. Same her, the wind will push you back/down so you can’t go really high. That’s a good suggestion. Now it loads the last saved scheme. You can already, at least one. But I might have misunderstood you? Yes, I agree, should focus on that soon. Sound is coming soon, or at least the start of it. I’ll check out your reference. Music is not prioritised at the moment. In my experience (with filmmaking) it’s always good to make a great product first that works without sound/music. Then when you add the sound it gets really great! Yes, it’s because of the raised water, I will need to rework that, but it’s no problem… There are hot corners for taking screenshots, but they might be a bit big. I will add an option to disable them in the next build. Cool! The feeling of flight is most important, I’m always trying to improve it! That’s what Fugl is about… Sure, the free roam will always be most important to me, even though I plan to add at least one game mode. I’ll check out your reference, sounds interesting… Good to hear! I was a bit worried about that but I haven’t profiled it yet. No need to be sorry, this is great! Thanks a lot! Please stay tuned…
I just wanted to remind people 0.6.3 is out since I just spammed the thead with a whole page of text, haha...
Stuttering on iOS 8.3 I just upgraded to iOS 8.3 and the game has started dropping frames! Anyone else experiencing this also? EDIT: I think I fixed it, it was a CPU issue actually... Please re-download 0.6.3!
You're welcome! Much deserved. Deleted the app, rebooted and downloaded the new update. Game loaded for ~17 seconds, then successfully got to the menu. No crashes this time Lowering sensitivity definitely (especially for the rolling) makes it easier to learn, but you can't do as advanced maneuvers with low sensitivity, so it should be turned up later, or there should at least be some encouragement to turning it up later on. A big thing that makes it harder to learn is how difficult it is to fly upwards. I crashed a lot of times trying to fly upwards, without having enough momentum. Not sure how you'd fix that, or if you would even want to, since when you learn to fly correctly it feels so right. Being confused about where to go also contributed to the feeling of difficulty, but it sounds like you intend to fix that confusion Sounds amazing No misunderstanding, I just want to save more than one I agree! However, I saw someone, I think it was Terry Cavanagh, who stated that he always put in placeholder sounds early in the game-making process, to have an idea of how it would feel. Just food for thought, I def don't know the best way to do it Now for the update! The cave biome is a lot of fun. It's a lot more challenging and forced me into some maneuvers that I hadn't done before. It's hard to find your way though, and dead ends are frustrating. I think more branching would make the caves even more fun. Starting above the cave after crashing is hard, but I think that was mostly because I was using the experimental extra gravity mode in the beginning (not smart)... I personally don't really like the abundant green crystals. They remind me of Lego Rock Raiders and is generally too Lego-like, which the rest of the game nicely avoids. I know these are early versions of the biomes, but I just want to let you know I don't know if it's too much to ask of your engine, but parts of the stalactites breaking off when brushing by them would be awesome No framedrops on my end! They can be awful.
The cave is very nicely designed. It gives the feeling of cramped spaces and an oppresive ceiling,, with you unable to see the sky and fly high (which is constant in the rest of the game. It definitely needs care, as i think it's the hardest biome yet. One suggestion i would make would be to maybe make it even darker to see, with green glowing crystals and the light from outside making spaces brighter around them. Make the green crystals less, but able to glow and act as a small light source.. and create the feeling of "light at the end of the tunnel". I don't know if it would work, but i think it'd be interesting
Ok, good! Yeah, I think lowering sensitivity is a good start, as I can see people struggling with it when they test it for the first time and I'm there to watch. As for flying upwards, what is the problem? Gravity? Yes, well, it's not so easy really because of the level layout. It would be easier with a set level, but the wind might help here. I don't really want to tell the player that they are going in the wrong direction, so I'll have to find some gameplay mechanics to cover that... Yes, that's coming! Sound is less than a week away, just need to get some sounds from the designer first! The 3D audio system is in place and waiting for files... Yes, I agree, I want more branching, but there is a problem regarding the amount of polygons generated when it branches too much. But I can probably tweek it some more, I just spend a lot of time on it, and it's working now, so I'll come back and revisit on a later time. I like to iterate on it, so it's nice to get a sketch up first and then refine it. Yes, that's a problem, it's not meant to be this way, I will have to fix that somewhat... How did you find the new experimental flight model? I personally like the added acceleration... Less abundant, other colors, or not at all? They help to define the space very nicely, so it would be hard to let them go completely. I could have light-emitting water, but I didn't think it looked so good. Of course there can be less crystals and maybe larger ones or at least more variation... I don't think they all could, but there could be a few that is rigged to fall when you approach them, that's a good idea... Ok good, I got real worried there for a moment, but I think it's ok now...
Ok cool, glad you liked it! Do you think it's too linear? I tried more branching in the start, but it was really confusing, kept going the wrong way, haha... They are emitting light now, but I think maybe fewer and bigger crystals are a good idea. I'm also working to let the occasional sun in and I'm going to put particles there so you can see the light shaft. It's going to be epic! That might work as "light at the end of the tunnel", don't you think?
Wow - that's different! It took me a minute or two to realize that I need to be pretty slow when there's not a clear path in front of me, but after getting that, flying was lovely. A few observations, suggestions: The light colored fog makes the cave experience less dark, and it seems darker would be better. I wonder if a darker fog could be used - not much lighter than the cave walls? Unless I'm missing something, there's no way to tell where the sun is, unless you surface. What if the fog in the direction of the sun had a slight color caste to it - green or red or something - that told you when you are heading towards the sun? I say jack up the brightness of the mushrooms that glow. Is there a possibility of having a local light bloom sphere surrounding them, slightly opaque? I think I like then new flight model better. I have not tried it outside the cave yet, and need to before I have a real feel for the new model. It's a great feeling, weaving in and out of the stalactites and stalagmites. Off to do some more cave flying. bp
hm, the cave IS too linear, but if you make small branching paths it will get confusing.. so maybe add big spaces that branch? also, it seems BP and me agree that the cave needs to be darker, with brighter glowing mushrooms as a light source. And daylight shafts coming in will indeed make it epic Can't wait for the next update as always, and please think of the perching mode
Such a fun game, first time I've enjoyed a mobile game in some time, soaring low in the canyons is so much fun.
Yes, every biome will have it's own fog, I always planned to have a darker fog and put off doing the cave because of it, but I'm suprised how well it works now. I will however do a darker fog asap, as different fog colors will add a lot of atmosphere to each biome. I don't know about that, even though it's a good idea, it kind of complicates things. I plan on having more skylights in the cave, and the resulting lightshafts will have particles so you will easily see what way the sun are. I'm going to try extending the reach of the light from 16 voxels to 32, as I agree that the light doesn't really reach that far. Regarding bloom, I'm not quite sure what you are asking here. Light bloom in general is out of the question (even though I might try it on A8 devices), as it's too costly because of the steps required. But maybe you meant something else, like fake particle based-bloom? I might settle on some middle ground here, midway between the old and the new model. Also the new model has little less power, so that complicates the comparison somewhat... Good, that's what I'm aiming for, it's all about the flying!
I will definitively work more on the cave, but what do you mean by "big spaces that branch"? Like rooms with multiple exits? Ok, I'll try it! I've been contemplating it actually, it might not be as impossible as previously thought. Would be fun to be able to land, but what would be the controls for landing? Pulling thumbs together maybe?
I've been thinking more about this, and even though I feel the mission structure is a bit to structured, I've been thinking a lot about achievements. How do the testers feel about it? I'm thinking achievements in the format of: 1) Crevicemaster - go though a super small hole 2) Waterskimmer - skim the water for 100 meters 3) Globetrotter - fly through all the biomes without crashing 4) Eagleflyer - fly with an eagle for 10 seconds 5) Groundshaker - fly close the ground for 100 meters 6) Crypto-zoologist - find bigfoot I'm thinking 100 of those (the maximum in GameCenter), each having a point score to them depending on difficulty, which in turn can be used for ranking. Wouldn't this add a lot of value to the game without changing the open ended structure of it? I would love to have some input on this...
I'm all for achievements! A structured game play (missions) would probably be more restricting and could get grindy, tedious and repetitive where as having achievements maintain the freedom with the choice of challenges as desired. Achievements could offer a much larger variety of things to do and one could challenge himself as they get harder that in turn get you ready for the harder biomes to come, more like training a true skill perhaps? What do you guys think about this concept for a new biome? I know it's rough looking but it basically gives a very vertical sort of feel to it. On a side note, would you would guys like to see the Tropical Island biome? Would it have enough obstacles?
1) i agree with the achievements, it keeps it open ended with the player deciding what to go after - but i would add some incentive on doing them, like unlocking different birds/ colors / shapes or even biomes 2) About perching, i think the control to land could be something like "pull thumbs apart" or "both thumbs down" like the very first version. and taking off would be the opposite command 3) About the biome sketch - Marco, you know i'm a fan of your work, but let me speak my mind here and say that i don't find this biome exciting. If you want verticality, why not try something like an ancient super tall evergreen forest with its own animals, branches, and 100 meter tall trunks?
