Re: [pygame] Trolls Outta Luckland - new release

[B W <stabbingfinger@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 9:33 AM, Michael George <mdgeorge@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I, for one, liked the mouse interface after playing a couple of games.  I'm
> of two minds about showing the cursor.  On the one hand it makes it clear
> what's going on in terms of the limited speed movement.  On the other, it's
> kinda distracting.  Have you tried hiding the cursor during play?

I agree, the visible mouse cursor really distracted me at first. But I
got used to it. This was after trying with an invisible cursor. I
found myself in a constant state of over-correction. You can easily
try it and see what it's like: find the Pointer class in lib/ui.py,
fill the image with Color(1,1,1) after it's loaded.

> Another thought I had (and this probably needs experimenting to work out
> well) is to try to use the mouse as a directional control rather than a
> positional control.  In other words, currently when I move the mouse to the
> left, the desired position of the ship moves left; perhaps instead the ship
> itself should move left.  The problem with this is how to specify how much,
> and also how to retain the speed limit.  Mice are designed to be positional
> controls, so that might be weird.

I rassled with that for some time before I came up with a method. The
ship moves to the mouse cursor by pathing along the points of a
Bresenham line. I put a throttle on the pathing increment to keep the
speed constant, simulating joystick motion. It definitely looks
contrived, and distracting, and likely reduces the sense of immersion.

Nevertheless, because there's a lot of hand-eye involved in wielding
an invisible mouse there probably needs to be a visual cue. But I
think I get what you're saying. Correct me if I'm wrong. Picturing it
this way... I nudge the mouse left, thrusters on the opposite side
fire to move the ship in the direction of mouse motion. The farther I
drag the mouse to the left, the brighter the thrusters burn. They die
down over time, unless I give them another nudge with the mouse. Oh
no, I flunked fizzix. :)

That would definitely require more thought to control. I'd have to
nerf the baddies quite a bit. But hey, if it gets the adrenaline
pumping--yeah, baby.

> While I understand your concerns (I'm a perfectionist too on my games) I
> think having a fullscreen option is the way to go.  I modded the source and
> changed it to use your fullscreen options in game_globals.py, and enjoyed it
> that way.  I think a menu entry to toggle fullscreen would be fine.  Also, I
> would probably lock the cursor inside the window in windowed mode.

I took Bryce's suggestion to heart. I am looking into offering
fullscreen as an option. I need to revamp my speed timings, though, to
accommodate varying frame rates, something I realized in retrospect
needed to be done anyway. This will exact a delay, but it's important.

> A few other constructive comments:  I like the way the high scores work
> better than other games, where I quickly end up with Mike Mike Mike Mike
> Mike.  However, having to input a player name every time is kind of a pain.
>  Moreover, having to type with the mouse is a double pain.  It would be
> better IMO if you saved the player name (and maybe offered a "change player"
> button in the menu).

I agree. I will save you from that tedium. :)

> There seems to be a glitch when the invaders return to their home -
> sometimes they "teleport" from the end of their arcs to their stationary
> positions.  Perhaps a roundoff error getting multiplied out or something?

I fixed that once. I think it was a symptom of pathing outside the
playfield. Must have come back when I adjusted the paths' control
points after widening the playfield. Must kill bug...

> The stage counter increments immediately when you destroy the last guy, it
> seems it would be better to increment it when the next stage starts.

That bugs me too. I would not have tolerated it forever. Now I have
greater purpose. :)

> I got 27k and stage 8!

Damn, you beat me. That puts you on top of the rock. The installed
scores are fictitious, so COLGUMM, et al, don't count. (Some poor soul
who doesn't read this will surely waste years trying to get 100,000
exactly. =)

> Keep up the good work!  I think this is a nice game (despite being refried
> beans :))
>
> --Mike
>

Great feedback, Mike. You gave me a lot to think about. Thanks so much
for taking the time.

Gumm