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Title: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: Ian Price on 2014-May-19
Retro Remakes are holding regular monthly mini-comps and this month's is based on zombies.

So here's what I came up with in a just a couple of hours -

(http://socoder.net/uploads/214/zomb__d03.png)

Zomb'd (http://socoder.net/index.php?download=3560)

It's completely mouse controlled. Very retro. Very simple. Similar to the old Doctor Who Daleks game, but with guns!
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: erico on 2014-May-19
pretty fun! reminds me of that zombie game on that ancient basic book, but with guns!
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: matchy on 2014-May-20
That's cool. I would be inclined to make something but I can't seem to find details about the comp, even though I did a RR game or two probably a decade ago.
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: Ian Price on 2014-May-20
It's not a proper competition - there are no prizes or anything. Just the knowledge that you created something specially within an allocated timeframe.

More details HERE (http://www.retroremakes.com/remakelounge/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=206)
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: matchy on 2014-May-20
Thanks and I just feel like entering a simple comp so who cares about prizes?.  :O I've been playing the recent ludumdare games but never really entered so I hope to for the next one. ;)

BTW, I'll play Zomb'd later.


Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: mentalthink on 2014-May-20
2 hours it's very very good, you have very good hand for make pixel art Ian...
I never participate in this challenges, the final idea it's will be more popular, can help to sell after games in another places... Sorry for this absurds question, but perhaps can be interesting participate sometimes in this events...

I love the player Ian, remenber me a bit to Freddy Hardest (80's games )
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: Ian Price on 2014-May-20
I remember Freddy Hardest. I had one of the games on the CPC.

The main character is based on a character I created years ago for a scrolling run & gun game. Sadly it was in Div Games Studio and I lost everything due to Div Arena (Div coding forum) going tits up without warning and several computer issues (my machine at the time became very unreliable and was at the workshop more often than in my home). :(

The basic game is pretty much all about array checking rather than collision testing, so all quick and easy stuff. The graphics took the most time and that wasn't too long.

The title (Zomb'd graphic and blood drip effect) I actually created a couple of years ago for a Pandora game I was working on with someone else but they left the scene completely. So I recycled it.

The control method in the final game is different to how I originally envisaged it as it was too clunky in practice (you had to click on the running man icon to set to "move mode" or the gun for "fire mode"). I streamlined that with the left and right buttons and it works much more fluidly. Balancing went through a few iterations too.

I've been a member of RR for over 15 years now and regularly pump out stuff purely for the site. The last mini-comp I entered a couple of months ago was a crap game competition - I created 12 or 13 games for that one.

The good thing about mini-comps is that the quality doesn't have to be great and the game doesn't have to last forever. Nobody expects masterpieces, but sometimes simple ideas can be expanded into something much bigger and better. I don't plan to do any more in Zomb'd as I achieved my aims. A lot more could be done, but I've done exactly what I set out to do. :)
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: matchy on 2014-May-20
It's such an addictive game, lots of fun and frustratingly difficullt. Give thumbs up from the gang here, who had probably 100 goes with a score of 44/23. Machine gun rocks!
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: Ian Price on 2014-May-20
:)

The machine gun is great for clearing the way, but it's short lived fun - you run out of ammo too quickly and then hope that some turns up!
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: erico on 2014-May-20
gaah, I was at 65/49 and a zombie spawned over me!! :rant:

it took me a while to figure I could shoot without having a zombie right by my side ;/

edit: 84/61...another zombie spawned on my feet! :D
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: Ian Price on 2014-May-20
:D
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: erico on 2014-May-20
287/187  :whistle:
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: Ian Price on 2014-May-20
You've spent more time playing it than it took to develop it! Well done :D
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: erico on 2014-May-20
It is fun, I could go on forever.

It interests me, similar to that old basic book game.
Feels like a base for a rogue like, something I plan to scratch someday.

It is also quite inspiring. Hard to play your game without thinking of things to add.
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: Ian Price on 2014-May-20
There were soooo many things I thought about adding but I felt the core game was spot on as it was.

I considered things like zombie bait ( to attract them to something else other than you) and exploding mines. Obstacles and people to rescue briefly popped into my head, but were just as quickly dismissed. Likewise a graphical background. I seriously considered multiple zombie types too.

About the only thing I didn't add that I wanted to was the zombies "dying" (I considered them exploding in gore or just fading - in the end I did neither).
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: MrPlow on 2014-May-20
Gonna give it a go now shortly!!
Wish me luck! HIGH SCORE TIME!

Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: Moru on 2014-May-21
Zombies are too smart, they don't collide together and form piles of zombies like that other game. :-)
Also, the zombies when surrounding you left, up and right, still don't grab you if you take a step down so you get a slow walk down until the inevitable end of the screen.
I would love some keyboard controls, wrists try to stay away from mouse as much as possible. Also, to walk around you have to look at the player all the time. If you can walk with keyboard you can instead keep your attention on the zombies.
Any chance of a teleporter? :-)

Very nice game for such a short devtime!
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: erico on 2014-May-21
Quote from: Moru on 2014-May-21
...
Any chance of a teleporter? :-)
...

uat!? stick to the classics...any chance of digging a hole they can´t pass by? ;)
If I teleport into a spawning zombie I just as well jump of a bridge! :D
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: spacefractal on 2014-May-21
if you could change it to only uses left button. etc touch on a zombie to shoot (need to been in line of course) and one tile from you to move to that point, then the game would been quite touchscreen friendly.

A possible to set the player start of the game would been nice, and a zombie might should not spawn right on a feet, which can been unfair. alternative some zombies could been slow, other faster to move.
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: matchy on 2014-May-21
Quote from: erico on 2014-May-21
Quote from: Moru on 2014-May-21
...
Any chance of a teleporter? :-)
...

uat!? stick to the classics...any chance of digging a hole they can´t pass by? ;)
If I teleport into a spawning zombie I just as well jump of a bridge! :D
::)
Teleporting allows the selection of the destination unlike hyperspace (ie. asteroids) to a random "safe" area. So perhaps the later would be more interesting and is a cool idea but the issue, based on entry but not restricted, is that is would add futuristic science fiction to the zombie theme.
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: spacefractal on 2014-May-21
Or just a "super bomb" weapon til kill all nearby where clicked as a new weapon to pick up.
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: matchy on 2014-May-21
I think Worms inventory has a nice collection of ideas. Can you do better than a sheep bomb?  :D
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: Ian Price on 2014-May-21
I love the Sheep bomb in Worms, however the zombies ate all the sheep (then the normal people) ;) :P

As you say matchy, a teleporter just wouldn't fit in properly to this game.
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: kanonet on 2014-May-21
136/95 but I dont like unfair games, I mean I accept when Im not good enough, to dumb, to slow or anything, but when I do everything right and suddenly a zombi spawns directly on my - thats simply not fair (since I cant do anything to avoid it) and it destroys the fun.
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: Ian Price on 2014-May-21
Yeah, there are issues. And the spawning on the player was something I tried to avoid (It does have a player position check in zombie spawning, but obviously something's amiss), but it does happen occasionally. :(
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: erico on 2014-May-21
Quote from: kanonet on 2014-May-21
... thats simply not fair (since I cant do anything to avoid it)...

I tried to figure if there was a location they don´t tend to spawn to camp around (ye be surrounded by ammos).
But ultimately, keep you mind and spirit as one and they don´t spawn over you. ;/
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: MrPlow on 2014-May-21
V addictive...my top score was 157 zombies (see screen below)

:)

Some items... occasionally the zombie will generate right over your player (instant death) ... not good if you've got a high score going...

Hover over items to tell what they are..initially i though some were power ups and some items were ammo...

Still GREAT for 2hrs work (or even 2 days work!)

[Damn, Erico has the high score  :'( ]
Title: Re: Zomb'd - simple survival horror game.
Post by: erico on 2014-May-21
Forgot to mention, the music is really great and fits perfectly.