Space Pool Alpha

Kweepa · Fri 30/04/2010 21:43:27

SPACE POOL ALPHA

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1309 (1.1MB)

An intergalactic arcade sports simulation.

Featuring:
* tutorial mode
* time attack mode with replay (let's see those times!)
* tournament (player vs computer) mode
* two player mode

Tournament mode features 7 progressively more challenging computer opponents from a roster of 21. Gotta collect (and identify) 'em all!

Game features:
* motion blur
* antialiasing
* physics
* particle effects

With character portraits by AngelicCharon and music by m0ds!
Additional game design and early playtesting by bicilotti.

Made for MAGS, April 2010.

Enjoy!
Steve

bicilotti · Fri 30/04/2010 21:56:16

Quote from: SteveMcCrea on Fri 30/04/2010 21:43:27
Additional game design and early playtesting by bicilotti.

I've had the pleasure to beta test this, and it's really a slick production, with lots of skillful scripting! Be sure to download and enjoy!

m0ds · Fri 30/04/2010 23:55:33

Same, just amazing stuff...I can't believe AGS can do it!!!

Alry Values or WHAT!

Nice one McCrea!1

PS. Sorry I couldn't do much music in time

mintymint · Sat 01/05/2010 16:14:13

Wow.. this is great!!

the tournament is the most fun part, the physics works really well, and the AI is amazing..
must be a very advance scripting..

However,

Spoiler

when the computer shot the final shoot in one round, and both balls (target and cue ball) went in (scratch), the computer still won, thus, i lost.. it's not suppose to be like that right? but i believe it's very rare to happen.. sorry if my understanding is wrong..

[close]

anyway, nice game!! well done Steve.. it's very fun to play..

ThreeOhFour · Sat 01/05/2010 16:29:57

Hooray I just finished a tournament without losing in the semi final and saw the final screen.

Rawr 8)

Kweepa · Sat 01/05/2010 18:02:33

Quote from: mintymint on Sat 01/05/2010 16:14:13
when the computer shot the final shoot in one round, and both balls (target and cue ball) went in (scratch), the computer still won, thus, i lost..

Actually there's no penalty for potting the cue ball!
Glad you're enjoying the game, and thanks for your comments!

Quote from: Ben304 on Sat 01/05/2010 16:29:57
Hooray I just finished a tournament without losing in the semi final and saw the final screen.

Which opponent did you face? There are three, with different... difficulties

Quote
Rawr 8)

Indeed! AngelicCharon at his finest (and most rushed!).

ThreeOhFour · Sat 01/05/2010 18:10:39

Quote from: SteveMcCrea on Sat 01/05/2010 18:02:33
Which opponent did you face? There are three, with different... difficulties

Awww, I can't remember now, but I must say that I am super impressed with the way the difficulty increases, and that the way they all have backstories, portraits and unique ships makes them way more interesting and really adds to the game!

LimpingFish · Sat 01/05/2010 22:14:01

Oh man, this is forking brilliant! It's like a smokey arcade, circa 1983!

The ghosting on the sprites is a fantastic addition. If it also had that authentic flickering vector-style "glow" to the graphics I'd explode!

Plays great, too. Though, I'm currently terrible at it.

Well done, Steve!

It would be a crime not to expand on this. I see different table types, a single player mode like Lunar Pool (weirdly constructed tables have to be navigated in a set number of shots), and a high-score table where I can write "COK, "BUM", "TIT", and "FUK"!.

Kweepa · Sat 01/05/2010 22:56:08

Here are a couple of ideas that I didn't have time for:
* scoring (with high score table)
* achievements (eg billiard shot, plant, whitewash... I have a list of 28)

I briefly thought about the different table types but it would have made the AI crazily difficult to code. I suppose they could be for single player only?

Quote from: LimpingFish on Sat 01/05/2010 22:14:01
It would be a crime not to expand on this.

Oh great. Now I'm a criminal.

[EDIT] Wait, what is this lunar pool you speak of? Rushes off to google it... cool!

LimpingFish · Sat 01/05/2010 23:21:26

Lunar Pool was an old NES game. It was pretty much just regular pool, played on a succession of weirder tables. Multi-bumpers, ramps, what have you. It was largely a single player game (ie. there wasn't an AI player during these stages), and, in this sense, it was something like crazy golf; you had to bounce balls off of corners and such, while trying to reach a designated pocket.

With SPA, and the addition of the Thrust-esque mechanic, it stuck me that combining the two might be interesting.

But, yeah, it would probably work best as a single player game.

Ryan Timothy B · Sat 01/05/2010 23:38:05

Oh my bad, I hadn't noticed that you had created a completed games thread. Otherwise I wouldn't have been flooding up the MAGS thread with all that ramble of mine.

Anyway, anyone who respects programming, or Non-Adventure games in AGS, or even just anyone who wants to play a fun little game... play this!
Indy games with scripting like this always make me smile.

AngelicCharon · Sun 02/05/2010 00:13:16

Quote from: Ben304 on Sat 01/05/2010 16:29:57
Hooray I just finished a tournament without losing in the semi final and saw the final screen.

Rawr 8)

You truly are, a Space Pool Ace!

CaptainD · Sun 02/05/2010 13:18:29

Looks very cool Is it just me, or are there more non-adventure AGS games being made these days? 8)

nihilyst · Sun 02/05/2010 18:46:00

Excellentely made! It was fun playing, although terribly easy once you figure out how to do it.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Sun 02/05/2010 21:37:58

It's space pool-riffic.

Pixelton · Sun 02/05/2010 21:45:40

I just finished the Tournament! Superb guys and Mods's music is awesome too. Cool end screen

tzachs · Sun 02/05/2010 22:17:24

This is a really cool game!

I had real fun with it, until I discovered a trick which made the game really easy, maybe you should find some way to ensure that this trick won't work.
The trick is:

Spoiler

Put your ship really close to the ball and tap very light on the shoot ball. This way you will never be in danger of losing the ball...

[close]

Also, I have a suggestion:
How about adding a "Royal Rumble" mode. I'm talking total chaos here, 6 players/cpus and 3 cue balls on the field (you will probably need to allow movement at all times but ignore collision of ships when one is holding the ball), action everywhere, should be a lot of fun!

Ryan Timothy B · Sun 02/05/2010 23:39:15

Quote from: tzachs on Sun 02/05/2010 22:17:24
I had real fun with it, until I discovered a trick which made the game really easy,

Yeah I took advantage of that when I was playing the other day too! lol I didn't know how he could possibly change it, so I never mentioned it.

I totally agree with having some kind of Royal Rumble mode or timed mode. So that you literally have to fly through it to sink all the balls under a time limit, with or without the computer players.

Kweepa · Mon 03/05/2010 20:25:31

I added something to prevent tzach's cheat - a minimum cue ball launch speed.
I also replaced the Practice mode with a Time Attack mode, with a high score table. Let's have your best times!

http://www.kweepa.com/step/ags/games/SpacePoolAlpha14.zip

Thanks for your kind words, all...

Steve

DrWhite · Mon 03/05/2010 20:44:50

Thanks Steve for this fantastillarious game. IÂ´m already addicted and would also welcome if youÂ´d decide to continue working on that game.

I also found a beautiful "cheat":

Spoiler

You can push your enemy if youÂ´re in possesion of the ball and he cannot do anything against that. So you can push him into a ball and use him to score. Very time-consuming, but effective.

[close]

Again, great game.
Edit: well, it seems like your new version already made my cheat impossible. :'(