After many long and late hours of development, the Level Generator option has finally been finished. The current version is fully functional and ready for the community.
I originally planned on adding this feature in a timely manner. In fact, my goal was to have this finished up in about 2-3 weeks. Unfortunately, I dragged this project to exactly 1 month as of today...I blame Valve and their incredible Steam sales!
If you are still unsure about purchasing Flack, take a look at this video featuring the new Level Generator and hopefully you'll have a change of heart. Enjoy!
Why did I create the Level Generator?
There are many reasons to why I did this. First of all, I wanted to see if it was possible. It seems like everyone wants to create randomly generated games now that Minecraft has become such a huge hit (If you browse any programming forum, you'll probably come across something related to the subject). In fact, Flack started off as a randomly generated game until I decided to create a level maker tool. My direction towards randomly created levels dissipated as my interest in level design took hold prior to release.
Secondly, the game felt like it was missing something. Flack v1.0 had everything a game needed to feel fresh and new, yet it wasn't until weeks later that I decided to continue it's development. I simply am having too much fun working with this game!
Last but not least, having a Lever Generator allows players to enjoy a couple of new levels without having to replay the campaign or create chapters. In essence, the Level Generator allows a more renewing experience if the campaigns have grown boring to the player.
Other updates:
Flack finally smiles! In contrast, he frowns if he is hurt badly:
I'm not sure why it took me this long to make him have emotions...D:
Future plans:
This is still a radical idea, but I might begin working on an in-game shop. The idea is to have a way for players to spend the coins earned throughout the campaign. Items that can be purchased will include things like:
- Extra health
- An offensive shield (destroys enemies)
- A defensive shield (protects from enemies)
- Slow-mo activated item (enemies are slowed down)
- Hover boots
The shop would be accessible by pausing, and selecting 'Shop'. To avoid exploiting, items would have to be pretty pricey.
The only thing holding me back from including this feature is game aesthetics. If I add the shop, it might feel more like a cheap arcade game rather than a fast-moving platformer. I'll play with it a bit, and let you guys know in future posts if I like it.
Changelog:
- Added an option to play a randomly generated level
- Added random land-mass
- Added random metal paths
- Added random booster pads
- Added random platforms
- Added random enemies
- Added random collectables
- Fixed the level complete screen skipping if the player held a button down
- Fixed a rare loading issue for the level editor
- Improved loading times
- Tweaked enemy spawn values
- Tweaked Flack's skin to appear more happy when health is full, and sad when health is depleted
- Tweaked Chapter 4: level 6's finish line
Thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed reading about Flack!
.
Can you upload the demo to another site that is not Desura?
I don't like Desura at all..
Ya, in fact I have no problem just adding a download link to this indiedb page. I'll upload it right now