Topic: Gameboy-style platformer - it's free and it's here :)

Hola all!

Try it out here! http://www.swerdmurd.com/bc_gb_113.exe - current version is 1.13

PATCH / UPDATE NOTES :
*removed installer - game runs as self-contained .exe now
*added high score support / display screen; fixed data saving
*various other bug fixes
*retooled options menu

WHAT'S NEXT?
*bonus levels 1-9
*color mode support
*increased difficulty on loop-through (after killing boss, you restart on a more difficult stage 1) - 2 additional difficulty loops

TIMES TO BEAT:

Stage.....Time Attack.....My Best
1..............110..................83
2..............85....................59
3.............100...................76
4..............80....................56
5.............190..................171
6.............150..................100
7.............225..................163
8.............210..................167
9.............100...................73
10...........200..................132
11...........150..................107
Boss......420..................364

Looks like something I wouldn't mind paying for a budget title and I definitely dig the soundtrack so far. Overall, this seems like a decent throwback indie title if the controls are as tight and responsible as they look, but can you clarify some tidbits: Is there going to be variety in the level design ie the background or tile sets by chance? I don't mind the minimalistic art direction just want to know if there is more to the game than those blocks suspended in front of a blank screen. Judging from the vid, it's the kind of game I'd want to play in quick bursts, it just begs to be released on a handheld device. Any chance this may hit PSN or eshop? The Vita and 3DS seem like the perfect contenders to play this game in. Also, how many levels will this game boast and how much are you planning to sell for it?

Anyway, I appreciate what you're going for and I will keep an eye on this. But, Color mode? That seems like it could ruin the point of the game imo.

current plan is - base game (12 levels - they get rather nasty, but it's supposed to be short) is free, and if you pay a dollar, you get 3 remixed soundtrack options (cause I'm a musician at my core - that's the most fun part for me ), the option to put it into Gameboy Color-spec mode, and 9 insanely nasty bonus levels.

It's gonna be really short - this is more of a test project. It'll be easy to export to various mediums given the simplicity, and will hopefully get my name out there.

The three different 99 cent purchase options have been done away with in favor of one, one-dollar "you like it? Cool - gimme a buck" unlock for all 3 bonus options... Just haven't retooled the Options screen yet.

And nah...Visually, what you see is what you get... I tried to put in backgrounds / a bit more variety, but it actually hurt your ability to see what was what... Working with 4 colors is brutal

Thanks for the kind words! OUYA's the first plan, since it's a really clean / easy export... Haven't looked into PSN or eshop from a tech standpoint, but that'd be my dream.

EDIT - level 12 is actually a boss fight...who's AI I'm scripting now on no sleep...

Those are some righteous tunes. Gameplay is appealing to my retro sensibilities. Nice stuff!

^ thanks man! I like "righteous tunes." You will be quoted from this day forward.

Nice, like to look of the jumping arc and controllability. (is that a word?)
Also the music is quite nice, especially like the drums.

You looked into getting this on Steam?

The Music really feels like it was the best of quality from the gb era. Good show old boy, good show. :3

I will post what I said on Youtube.

Looks great, Swerd! I would definitely buy this, however I don't have a PC at home. Also, excellent chip-tunes! This game is such a throwback to Gameboy - I'm very impressed with what you have done here.

Oh man, that music. It looks really great, sdaly I don't have the money for an Ouya, but if it ever comes to eShop I'll make sure to get it! Good luck!

I'm touched! I'd love to get it on steam but greenlight is pretty congested and official channels are pretty insane. I'll try submitting all of them as a pack once i get the whole trilogy done.

Thanks a lot guys - ill have a pc-friendly build you guys can play for free as soon as I get the final boss and bonus features done.

QA TEAM ASSEMBLE!!!!

What tools did you use to make this. I really want to do something like this.

The program I'm using to "code" is called multimedia fusion 2 - it's dated but incredibly quick. All told I've only spent about 11 total days on this project and I should be done inside of 2 more.

In terms of music / sound, I'm using modplug with NES samples I recreated at rate using a 4 cycle synth. As for sound effects, I'm using the nes waves with effects / slides / various effects... I'm cheating a bit here, as the gameboy can't band pass filter or flange (well... Depending on how skilled the chip tuner is...) but I've stayed pretty close to spec sound wise.

I'm in leagues with a indie game dev website that's launching soon and I'm going to do a write up on this game for them shortly. Ill link ya when it's done.

Twelve levels, that would mean what you've shown off is about half the game?

I'm concerned about the value factor, as others have said you've got something good here. And I like how you've tied all three bonus options into one monetary unit, that should be an easy sale and doesn't feel greedy. But 12 one-screen levels would hardly be passable in a competitive marketplace. The GameBoy aesthetics go a long way but what's stopping you from doubling or tripling the levels on offer if you've got all the core mechanics programmed?

Constructive criticism!

A fair point. It's really the fact that its supposed to resemble the super budget first entry of a three game series. It also ramps up quickly - every element has its purpose and I tried to make every part of every level completely unique.

That said, I'm having a blast with this set of mechanics. The original game was the first thing I ever made in multimedia fusion - it was 3 levels and a boss fight, all of which was glitchy as hell . I figured it would be cool to publish a retooled version of that concept as my first solo venture, and once the gameboy aesthetic landed, everything gelled really quickly.

I might add content... Still, once these levels are done I will have reached what I consider to be the finish line, and I want to keep it where it is for now. Really looking forward to the satisfaction of hitting that

Swerd, your music is beeeeyooooond fantastic. Wow.

Also welcome back maaaan! Been forever.

You should add blood, lotsa lotsa of blood, when he gets killed!
Or better yet, add a top hat, a eye glass,a bar handle mustache, and call him Gentlemen Ballz. Who jumps around, getting diamonds and coins, to buy a Mansion, or Fancy Car every 5 levels. to impress Lady Ballz.

Is there something like this I could download for free. I'm kind of on a tight buget.

I'll take my beta now swerd, kitty awake~
_{virus free y/y?}

Awesome, Swerd!

I totally want to play this right now. Make it so!