Just a quick update before I run off to work...
by Jon Frisby · 02/21/2007 (10:21 am) · 5 comments
The game is almost done. A couple minor art assets need to get finished, and the menus need art that doesn't suck, plus I'm sure there's lots of QA work to be done, but it's just about there!
Get the latest at Mac, or Windows.
Please include console.log with any bug reports (if you're on Mac, and you don't know how to find the console.log, let me know and I'll help you out). At this point, everything SHOULD be working. If things are a bit sluggish on your system, see the Options screen for a slider to help tune performance.
I still need to make an installer on the Windows side. Looking at NSIS for that... Also working on getting the new web site set up. My piano teacher's daughter has a design business that has produced some very sharp looking stuff, so here's hoping that goes well!
I'm also in the process of setting up an LLC. Held up only by the fact that I am wooing an individual to join me in this venture -- having a co-founder is a Good Thing(tm).
On the "back-end" side, I've got a DreamHost account set up, with a Subversion repository to replace the SVN repository I've been using with CVSDude.com. CVSDude.com is great and has lots of nifty features, but their low storage limits are bad mojo when you're checking in and replacing lots of binary files all the time. With only a couple hundred commits, my game's repo has become 1/6th the size of my day job's SVN repo -- and it has some 62,000 commits. (Yes, sixty two thousand)
-JF
Get the latest at Mac, or Windows.
Please include console.log with any bug reports (if you're on Mac, and you don't know how to find the console.log, let me know and I'll help you out). At this point, everything SHOULD be working. If things are a bit sluggish on your system, see the Options screen for a slider to help tune performance.
I still need to make an installer on the Windows side. Looking at NSIS for that... Also working on getting the new web site set up. My piano teacher's daughter has a design business that has produced some very sharp looking stuff, so here's hoping that goes well!
I'm also in the process of setting up an LLC. Held up only by the fact that I am wooing an individual to join me in this venture -- having a co-founder is a Good Thing(tm).
On the "back-end" side, I've got a DreamHost account set up, with a Subversion repository to replace the SVN repository I've been using with CVSDude.com. CVSDude.com is great and has lots of nifty features, but their low storage limits are bad mojo when you're checking in and replacing lots of binary files all the time. With only a couple hundred commits, my game's repo has become 1/6th the size of my day job's SVN repo -- and it has some 62,000 commits. (Yes, sixty two thousand)
-JF
#2
02/21/2007 (11:03 am)
installjammer is another nice free one.
#3
Sounds like just the job for my [Mac] Where's my console.log? resource! :-)
I've used NSIS on the Windows side and have been quite happy with it. It's extremely flexible, though probably not quite as simple as others.
Edit: Oops - just noticed you don't have a license [and it's TGB] so you can't access that resource. Sorry!
02/21/2007 (11:11 am)
"(if you're on Mac, and you don't know how to find the console.log, let me know and I'll help you out)"Sounds like just the job for my [Mac] Where's my console.log? resource! :-)
I've used NSIS on the Windows side and have been quite happy with it. It's extremely flexible, though probably not quite as simple as others.
Edit: Oops - just noticed you don't have a license [and it's TGB] so you can't access that resource. Sorry!
#4
I really enjoyed playing it, and now that I've gotten to play the xbox 360 version of lumines, I now "get it" more than I did before. Unfortunately there were a couple things that stuck out at me:
1. the order of the "next blocks" seemed counter intuitive as I expected the block furthest to the right to be next. this may just be personal preference. One thing to do is people who've never played it to point out which block is next and see what their "gut" tells them :)
2. without the "special block", cleaning up and creating big combo's was really difficult and not as much "fun" as combo's are really where it's at. I know you explained why you didn't include the special block, but compensating it with something that's more "casual friendly" or something would be great.
3. It was actually rather hard. I'm not very good at the 360 version by any means, but it seemed to take ages to get from one skin to the next in challenge mode and once things went wrong, it was much harder to clean up messes due to the issue in #2. I don't know of a way to "dumb it down" easily except to make it easier to wipe the board - in fact, maybe just wipe the board between skins :)
Best of luck!
-Andrew Douglas
http://theoreticalgames.com
02/21/2007 (2:42 pm)
The game has definitely progressed nicely. There were some stutters in the transition between levels and the looping on the Egypt sound track had a bit of a seam. Obviously it would be nice to have the GUI's done, but "there's always something" :)I really enjoyed playing it, and now that I've gotten to play the xbox 360 version of lumines, I now "get it" more than I did before. Unfortunately there were a couple things that stuck out at me:
1. the order of the "next blocks" seemed counter intuitive as I expected the block furthest to the right to be next. this may just be personal preference. One thing to do is people who've never played it to point out which block is next and see what their "gut" tells them :)
2. without the "special block", cleaning up and creating big combo's was really difficult and not as much "fun" as combo's are really where it's at. I know you explained why you didn't include the special block, but compensating it with something that's more "casual friendly" or something would be great.
3. It was actually rather hard. I'm not very good at the 360 version by any means, but it seemed to take ages to get from one skin to the next in challenge mode and once things went wrong, it was much harder to clean up messes due to the issue in #2. I don't know of a way to "dumb it down" easily except to make it easier to wipe the board - in fact, maybe just wipe the board between skins :)
Best of luck!
-Andrew Douglas
http://theoreticalgames.com
#5
@asmaloney: Actually, I was able to download it just fine... Thanks!
@Andrew: Actually, you've managed to prompt an idea in my head about how to deal with this! It probably won't make it in for the initial release, but maybe a point release or the inevitable sequel. :)
02/21/2007 (7:44 pm)
@Gary, @Benoit: Thanks, I'll take a look at those.@asmaloney: Actually, I was able to download it just fine... Thanks!
@Andrew: Actually, you've managed to prompt an idea in my head about how to deal with this! It probably won't make it in for the initial release, but maybe a point release or the inevitable sequel. :)
Torque Owner Gary Preston