Ropes gameplay - prototype test (video)

Hello
I'm working on this rope based game. The idea is to come up with a fun puzzle/action gameplay with ropes. The player fire some sort of projectile that stick to surfaces and becomes a rope (or something like that).

So far you can't even see the rope, only a dummy object for the projectile. And the rope physics is being redesigned right now, because it can go through walls the way it is.. ;P

Another thing, the player is itself a physical object (a sphere) I may change this in the future but, for now, I didn't encounter any problems with this (and it feels ok!)

In this video, you can see what I have so far: Swinging and moving up and down (wich is quite fast)

Any comments would be appreciated

For a puzzle it's original, but it's quiet in an eraly stage to speak about it.
I think you should place a limit to through you're rope, and some funny models... then show it.
The last thing, hope you find also original objectives to pass the levels.

Best Luck

Mythran

The idea is really cool.
The rope needs to be visualized later of course.

You should add the feature, that the player can pull up on the rope for a limited time, until it "burts" if he takes to long to
shoot the next rope.

This way you can make an interesting timing/swing game.

Also include special objects wich are pulled by the rope, and some which move (platforms)

There should be sections where the player can rest, and where he has to make quick consecutive "swings".

Also some powerups for the ropes should be included
in the levels.

Thank you for your comments!

Good suggestions are always welcome (and bad ones too!)

I know I'm showing it a little too soon, but I like the 'work in progress thread' thing. Is there a more appropriated forum for this?

Anyway, when I have something new/cool to show i update this thread.

cool looks like a spiderman-Egoshooter^^
I really like the smooth way of movement its really cool

Can't wait to see this with a visible rope!

Hi

I'm a little upset.. because I worked for two days straight in a new new rope system. But, since I can't make it work smoothly, like this one, I had to discard it and start over. I went for a more 'brute force \ realistic' approach, with lots of segments (with PH_BALL constraint).

The reason I wanted to redesign the rope is to make the rope react more with the environment. Especially being blocked by walls or any general scenario. (This is important for gameplay reasons)

So, now I'm back with the old version (from the video). I have a few options. I could fake this effect, but I don't think that's a trivial task (or that it would be convincent enough, anyway). For now I'm assuming it's a 'special' kind of rope that disintegrates when in contact with anything else. :P

Any suggestions are very welcome! I shall keep this thread updated.

If you cant make a rope, wich interacts with the environment, change it to a "tractor beam" energy kind of
thing.

When there is a block between you and the attachment point, it
cuts the connection.

This beam is easier to visualize.

You are most probably tracing for fixing the rope at a wall, then you decide that the rope has the length between that position at the wall and the player.
When swinging with the rope against an edge you can get by this trace the distance between the player and this edge and reset the ropes length between this two points, you have to somehow store this situation for when the player later swings back, because the rope has to 'leave' the edge and get back to the former position at the wall and the former length...

Those are indeed the best two options! lol

Since I have so many things to deal with first, for now I'm making it disintegrate (because it's so much easier!)

I have some improvements to show

First, now is possible to pull objects with the arrow, or be pulled by moving objects. Also, there are two ropes! (left and right mouse click) wich gives some new possibilities.

The video doesn't show much.. because i'm having problems with the level editor ( thread ) wich makes it hard to come up with interesting configurations.. I'm only playing around with a cube, then.

Wow! Nice improvements!
Although I miss to see the rope!

Thanks!



Riiiight! I totally forgot about that :P (the problem was the transition from the "new" rope to the old one)

Okey dokey! Here goes another tiny update.

Fixed a lot of tiny little details. Some bugs, etc..

Rope is now visible! Try not to look directly at it, though (it's temporary!) Also, it has a limited range too.

I tried to make a mini level, just to explore some gameplay possibilities in 'small space' (corridors and such). But level design is just sooo not for me! I have some interesting ideas, but it's just so horrible to drag those blocks into place.. :P

Anyway, here's a video:

Nice work!

Really interesting concept youve got there, I like it alot. I can see this making a fun game if you develop it further.
Good work.

Indead, very interesting concept!
Do you still use with one fix point, too?


You should use World snap with values of 32, 64 or 128.
Not sure, if World snap is the right word, I mean the restrictions that snap your blocks and vertices to the grid.

Really cool gameplay.

Try out to use the particles to visualize the rope.
Or make a simple model (a box) , and move the vertecies
dynamically to the attachment point and the player cooardinates.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions


What do you mean by 'one fix point'? You mean the rope parts? There are actually 3 sections in the rope (two with ph_ball and one with ph_slider) So I need 4 objects..

I'll try the snap thing! Anything to make that less painful

Oxy:
In the last video I'm using particles already, but in future I would like to change to an animated model

More updates.

Color mechanics:
Special surfaces will change your rope color temporarily (around 20 seconds, for now). There are red, green and blue of these special surfaces and you can mix the colors.
The purpose of this is that there are special kinds of walls the rope can stick, determined by the color. Sometimes you have to mix the colors to stick to a yellow wall, for example.

Right now I'm having a little difficulty differentiating the white arrow from the regular arrow (there is..) Also, some kind of 'color compass' is in the way.

Description of the video: I'm trying to show how this works. first, I show the regular arrow. Then I step into the red 'color changer' and show how it sticks to regular walls and red walls. Then I step into the green color changer and show how the rope turns yellow, allowing the player to stick to regular, red and green walls (if there was any, yellow walls too). then I quickly try to step over all the colored changers to show the white arrow and how it can stick to any surface. And last.. I show how the white arrow slowly looses it's color and stops sticking to the red surface.

Level designer needed
Yes, indeed!

The only prerequisites are patience and will to make testing levels for this work in progress game. No payment, only pure and liquid moving blocks fun!

(I felt the "jobs offered" forum to be too professional for this casual project)

Well, your project seems interesting! Maybe I could do some work for you! Dunno about how your code works exactly, but I could do some leveldesign, just because the gameplay could be so awesome! Email me if you are interested (and I am willing to do it for free!)

That's great, Dazz! I'm sending you an email with details.

This idea is great Diego as it opens completely new ways to realise puzzles!
Though I don't know if you implemented that but it as well would be a nice idea to extend the color concept onto movable objects.
Furthermore movable obstacles which are tied to a rope themself would allow interisting puzzle situations

greetings
KDuke

KDuke
Thanks This is possible already. But it's a little different, since I can't retrieve the texture information of the model, only the name of the model, they can't be partially red and partially blue, for example. There are workarounds, I intend to check this closer after I move some more important things out of the way.

its great!!
i love your rope puzzle system solution.
I thought around some time ago, but i did'nt found a good gameplay as you. I wrote many pendular physic system lines for a rigid rope.
you can see it here.
pendular movement
if you want to take an eye on this old and furred code pm me.

Thanks Txesmi! :]

I haven't got the time to work on this project for some time now. This was predicted, though! It's a slow but constant pace

Dazz, over there, is playing around with levels. Soon (I hope) I'll start working on the visuals of the game (so far was only code) like models and textures.

pasito a pasito, gacho!