Absolute chaos at the house of Jay, this week.

First up, good news, that new PC I ordered MONTHS AGO (October 19th) has finally turned up.. *sigh*

Annoyingly Windows 7 - 64bit refuses to work with either of the two USB->Ethernet connectors that I own, which basically means my entire network is now in a total mess.
The new PC is lovely, and will do many things nicely, except that I can't access ANY of my stuff from the other PC.
No coding templates, no music, no sound, not even a Platdude anywhere!!
Sure, I'll draw one, only takes 16 pixels, but that's not the point.
The point is, for the next few days, I'm stuck in a little bit of network chaos until the new router turns up.

..
I probably should've done the whole router thing from the start.. Aw well, never mind..

Sure, I could do the whole Thumbstick thing, but then I'd have 2 seperate copies of things, and.. that usually leads to me messing up my file system, and ending up with buggy older versions of games.
eeeuwww..


So, starting from scratch, I'm going to be making something a little crazy over the next few days.
I'll try to make it fun, but I have no idea what I'll be attempting.

I might do an LCD game, since that's this week's Wednesday Workshop challenge. Haven't really done one of those for a while, have I!

...Don't be surprised if no game appears at all!!

Every Tuesday morning, 10:30 GMT (or thereabouts, later if I sleep in!) I post a brand new game, right here on the site.

Each game is 100% coded by me, Jayenkai.
95% of the graphics are done by me (with rare dips into the Google Image archive when I'm absolutely dry) and 95% of the audio is also done by me (with rare dips into the Aminet archive, or Kevin MacLeod's collection for the odd bit of music when I'm not in a composing mood!)

If you'd like to read more about what tools I use, click here.
Over the many years that I've been doing this, there's been an extremely varied selection of games, from absolute gems, to complete stinkers, but each and every week there's something new, and if you're happy to try new things, then you might stumble upon a few games that you'll grow to love.

As well as a lot of games, I also create Music and am currently attempting to draw a Platdude based Pixelart every single day.
There's even daily blog posts to keep you informed about background inanities that happen in my life.

So much stuff!
Stick around, and enjoy the ride.
-=-=-

Contact Jayenkai

Email Jayenkai
Be aware that if you email me, you'll generally get a long rambling reply.
I tend to waffle in my emails.
If you'd prefer I keep things short, use Twitter instead!
-=-=-

Donate to AGameAWeek

If you'd like to contribute to the lifestyle of someone who makes a great number of freeware games, there are a variety of methods to do so.
Feel free to donate anything you feel comfortable with. Every little helps
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Hurray! Neonplat!! T-Shirt!!! HAPPY!!

More amazing buying opportunities inside!!Read More

Nothing magical, this week, more a game that was started but didn't really go anywhere.
If I had enough time this week, I'd have scrapped it and started something else, but it's been a bit of a tight week, time wise.. So.. Well, here it is!


Race around the 12 beautifully detailed (in traffic cones) race tracks, without hitting any cones.

Green blobs line the tracks, which must all be collected before you hit the chequered area. Complete 3 laps in time, to move onto the next level.

The 4th level is a bonus round! Hit all the cones you can, to bump up your score.


Race across 3 obscure test tracks, and 9 authentically recreated racetracks!!!
Can you name them all? No bonus points, just there for the fun of it!

Oh, yeah, and you can hold X to do a handbreak turn!!

You can Download Traffic Cones here, and then head over to the archive for all of that stuff..
woot!

---

Bug : There's some weird-ass bug that appears at the end of a track set.. If it starts to irritate, quit and restart.. Tried to fix it, but time's too limited!!

AGAW Scoring : 17 games, 17 weeks, but only 3 weeks until Xmas!!
I really need to start building up a little collection, or we'll have to skip a bit over the holidays!!

Something involving Traffic Cones.


I made a nice little traffic cone physics engine (.. gamey physics!) and it's quite a bit of fun to play with, but the tricky part will be to try and come up with a playable game that's based around it.
Best Lap Times + Bonus Rounds seems to be a fairly fair way to go.

Now, how to make levels.. hmm....

It seems my decision has now been made.
I'm going to reacquaint myself with BlitzMax, and give things another try.

But first I need to build up a nice new Jayenkai Framework.

There's a fair number of things that I want to put into place before we begin, so let's get cracking on the list.

1. Multiplayer : Not online...!
Authentic Kaizen suggested I add multiplayer co-op to NeonPlat, and I kind of agreed, but the way the old framework is set up just didn't support that.
All the controls were available all over, and you couldn't take one to work for another player.
(Cursors + ZXCV, WASD + JKIL, Joypad, all work equally, assuming you turn on Joypad support in Blockman Gets More!!)
It does, however, require the use of redefinable controls.. So that should probably come before this..


2. Redefinable Controls
This is a bit of a biggy, but I have already created a great big list of keynames, so it shouldn't be too bad.
It does, however, require the use of a great big overall menu system.. So that should probably come before this...


3. Big-ass Option Screen!
For the past 20-or-so games, I've been using the same set of values in all the games. Turn Fullscreen on in one game, blammo the others do, too!
Additionally, music on/off works, as does Joystick on/off.
It'd be nice to have an option screen in all the games, though, wouldn't it!!
I'd better do that right at the start, this time.


4. Multi-Game Support : Out
Bit of a dodgy one, here.
It'd be nice if I could do it, but when all the virus checkers start complaining about your games, it's probably a better idea not to.
In 4 weeks time it's 2010, and yet I still can't save something in one game, and have another game access it.
f'ing typical!
Aren't we supposed to have, at least, general game settings by now!?! I mean, seriously, come on!!

I might come up with a nice bonus feature for folk who gather their Jayenkai games together.. We'll have to see about that.


5. Resolutions!
Gotta have a nice big openy option that asks the player how they want to play a game.
*pop* How do you want to play? *save*


6. Mac/Linux
Yikes...!


If you've anything else, nice and general, that you think my games should be doing..
Let me know about it.

Aw, what the heck, EARLY RELEASE!!

Mostly because it's 2am, I can't stop playing it, and I probably won't wake up in time to post this if I don't do it now!!!


View on YouTube

A game that took AGES to get going, but definitely got going soon after!
The approximate diary was..
Tuesday : A few lines on the screen.
Wednesday : A silly frog character.
Thursday : Frog switched for Platdude
Friday : OOoooh, It's a good Game!!!!


And, boy, is it a good game.

Three (or four, or five) cheers to Authentic Kaizen for the fantastic game idea.

What a great game!

You can Download NeonPlat here, and then head to the Archive to add your votes and comments.

---

AGAW Scoring : 16 weeks, 16 games!! woot!!

This week a suggestion from Authentic Kaizen, who suggests having a neon styled platform game, with bubble bobble style components.

The game has taken a few turns during the week, changing from spike induced terror, a game with a frog like creature, and a whole lot more besides!

It now appears to be settling down quite nicely into some kind of obscure chaos.

Hurray for chaos!!


Coming Tuesday : NeonPlat!

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     "Bonus Round"
          #031 - 27th November 2009
          
          

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     ; Hello all
          #31, and we're starting to add extra juicy bits.
          It might be taking me longer to pad it all out each
          week, but it's certainly gotten a little bit bulkier
          with this week's additions.
          
          I've now started to add a list of games from two of
          my favourite indie game collections.
          
          And they're not just my favourites because they've
          featured my games...
          Oh no..
          That would be very biased!


          This week..
     
          Nobody entered Wednesday Workshop #228, which was
          all about making a Beach based game!
     socoder.net/?topic=1785

          Nobody wants to enter Wednesday Workshop #229, which
          is about making a game using only lines and rects!
     socoder.net/?topic=1795
     
          Afr0 continued to post his C++ class, but everyone
          was apparently too busy to answer anything.
     socoder.net/?topic=1793
     
          And the mudchat got a chatlog!
     socoder.net/chatlog.php
     
          New theme.. /look, but don't chat!
Read More

I get to this point once every few months, and .. well.. here we are again!

A few things are getting me here, this time around.
Let's list the reasons, then think of some solutions..
Read More

*phew* Just about!!!


Munky Blocks DS, a complete remake of the original that can even make use of the level files from the PC edition, but also adds in a little mix of "Munky's Block" levels, too.

In the end, it's turned out as a lovely little game, but BOY was that a rushed ending!
Missing a day didn't help things, and the entire editor (top to bottom) had to be coded yesterday!!
Surprised I even managed to finish things off, at all!

As such, there's only actually 6 "advanced" levels in there, but it's plenty enough to get folk started.


I'll now sit and wait for everyone to make me more levels.

..
...
yup.

You can Download Munky Blocks DS here, and then head on over to the Archive to give it some nice voteyness.

If you're interested, an approximate Dev Diary (what went in, and when) is available at GBATemp. Woot!

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AGAW Scoring : 15 weeks, 15 games, 2 DS! A nice ratio, I think.
Next week, probably some sort of platformer, with magical colourful platforms..
..
Maybe.

This week, I've decided to try something a wee bit different.

If you're a fan of previous AGameAWeek games, you'll notice that I'm more than a little crap at designing levels.
It's a slight issue, but one that I've never bothered to care about.
Usually, any games that NEED levels will include a built in level editor. And folk who like the games will spend minutes trying to make one, and that'll be half the fun.

The trouble with this theory, of course, is that half the time, nobody will ever send those levels back to me.
I've got LOADS of games in the archive that have editors, and have had a whole 20-or-so levels submitted in total, all apart from JNKPlatDS08, which seemed fairly popular in the level making area and even managed to get about 50-or-so levels all on it's own!!

So.. About 70, then, total, which given that I've made 4x more games than that, is a rubbish total.

Which brings us to this week.
Read More

Last week was Bonfire Night in the UK, and as such RetroRemakes.com had a little challenge. (They've started to do a monthly challenge..) Create a game/story/etc with Fireworks in it.

Here's my game.


Read More

Download JNKx15 Right Here
A nice neat 36Mb download, with 15 lovely little games included.

Download, Unzip, Play away!


View on YouTube

Read More

In a world where Ninjas roam, there are many things to be aware of.

Ducks are deadly, be sure to have your sword!!



Z to swish, Left and right to run, Up to jump and Down to duck/slide.

You can Download Ninja, Duck! here, and get a super highscore!

The game's also in The Jayenkai Archive, here.

Short and sweet..!

AGAW Scoring : 13 weeks, 13 games, although this week was nearly unlucky, since no game seemed to work right. If I'd have realised, earlier, that it was the 13th week, I may very well have been suspicious as to why the games weren't working out!

So, after having attempted to create a racing game and a word game, I've finally settled on a game that appears to be coming together nicely.

Ninja Duck (temporary name, but they usually tend to stick) is about a Ninja who has a sword, and an oncoming swarm of ducks, frogs and birds.
Simple stuff, on a nice small arena.

Not really too much gameplay, but just enough to allow for Online Highscores.

Game should be done in the next few hours, but I'll be bug hunting until the early hours of the morning, just to be on the safe side.

I'm currently deciding what else to add, but.. It's one of those "too much breaks it" kinda things.

*shrugs*

Ninja Duck, Tuesday!

Then probably something with Fireworks, 'cos RetroRemakes are having a firework month.

Sometimes you can start a game and it grows and grows and is wonderful.
Other times, you get about 10% through, and realise it's just not working out.

Game Idea 1
This week started with a word game. A decent enough idea, place the tiles in a scrabble-esque crossword style, and make words.
Each tile would have two points, Point A, the letter, and Point B, the link.
The link is either to the left or below the letter.

Tiles could only link to each other, so rather than having a grid, you play with just the tiles, and try to match up words.

The lack of tiles became annoying, and without an ample supply, the game became very limited, especially since the links never really seemed to fit in where you really needed them.

Not sure how to proceed with this, but it's probably worth another look.


Game Idea 2
The good!
I made a very neat looking strip-based racing tilemap. The track would be made of 64x16 pixel strips of land, and with added rotation could generate lovely smooth little tracks.
Looks GREAT!

The bad?
I've had this happen before, and I'm not sure why I forgot!
Trying to get "Nice Smooth" tracks to meet up end-to-end is a complete and total git to achieve!
I tried adding a nice "Then smooth the track" algorithm, but it usually resulted in the entire damn track being smoothed back into a circle again!
Bah...

No cars added, no grass, just a line that may or may not meet up.

I might end up having to resort to a plain simple tile based map. Boo


.. Nothing's working out, this week!

Blimey, Blockman got big!

5Mb!!
FIVE!!
That's not like me!

But with over 350 great big (for me!) 64x64 pixel sprites, the game was bound to get a little bit bigger than usual.
Oh, and a bitmap font, too!
I've really gone all out, this week!


To be fair, it's taken about 2 weeks to get this all done, but I did have Swine flu halfway, and even created a completely different game, too!
So, you know, it all evens out!

How to play
Roam around, eat the dots, don't miss a dot, same as before.
Dodge the ghosts, avoid the spikes, watch out for ice,
Oh, and SUPER BONUS ROUNDS!!!


Controls : Cursors + C (for Camera Button, which you'll probably never use!)
alternatively...
WASD and L for Camera Button
or even...
Joystick/pad if you've got one plugged into port 1, and you've enabled it in the options screen.

Wowie!


Anything else to add?
Hmm.
Nope, I think that's everything.
Anything else, you'll have to sort out yourself.

You can Download Blockman Gets More here

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AGAW Scoring : 12 weeks (already), 12 games, 1 repeat.. In fact, this is the third Blockman Gets game I've done this year. Whoops! Going to have to come up with something else, next week, aren't I!

Bonus Rant!
I started Blockman Gets as a way of saying "F-You" to the people at the 2Bees compo. I really dislike people moving deadlines in competitions. It tends to completely screw up everyone's entries, and it's not a nice thing to do. Some people worked very hard to finish their games in time, only for the organisers to move the deadline and let other people take their time with their games, and screw over the folk who rushed in the first place.
Bah, humbug..

To somewhat prove that point, I started Blockman Gets AFTER they moved their deadline, and then finished and ENTERED it into the compo before the new deadline was reached. Ha! shows them!!
As a further case of irony, I've now successfully created the entire sequel before they've even bothered to name the original entries to the compo.
Sometimes compo's take FAR too long!

Blimey, that got complex!


Starting with "World 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 5-1" I built a set of sideways Arcade menu start points.
Then I added the old "J/K" gameplay options in the style of World 10-1 and World 25-1.. Although from 6-1 and after, the theme isn't predetermined, and it's just picking random themes each time!
Each world contains 3 levels, so 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, etc..

Lots of levels to pick.
Read More

Or rather, he needs one, but doesn't quite have one.
That's on tomorrow morning/tonight's list of things to do.
Otherwise we've got sounds, graphics, music, levels, level progression, bonus level sets and more.
Everything's nice and happy!

Blockman is happy, too!


(Finally added scores to the bottom of the screen!!)

One thing I'm slightly worried about, though, is online highscores.
At the moment, I could have One highscore table, or none-at all.
I'd like to have a whole bunch of tables, though.
Will I have the time to implement a multitude of tables before Tuesday? Probably not.
Which will be a shame.

No matter, the game's running, the spikes are skewering and the ghosts are roaming.

Blockman Gets More, Tuesday!!!