AuthorTopic: Victory Bout. 2 player boxing game  (Read 11122 times)

Offline snake

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Victory Bout. 2 player boxing game

on: March 13, 2008, 05:26:53 pm
Ok, let's try this thing. I usually don't put my private game projects out in the open, but in this case, part of the reason I made this specific idea was the feedback other players could give. So here is my little pet project:

Victory Bout
      

The game is a 2-player only boxing game centered around social playing. While the fighing is going on on-screen, the players can slap each other off-screen. While it has no effect on the game, it creates a diversion you can exploit on-screen and creates tension between the players. I was planning on making a game I could play with some friends on my spare time, and this is an experiment on how to get players more engaged in the game. I tried to emulate the feeling you get when you played against friends on the old consoles, so I aimed at a quasi-NES look. The pixel art isn't all that impressive, but it's not intended to be, I suppose. Simple game.

I can predict someone will request a 1-player mode, (maybe online,) but again, this is an experiment on how you interact with others while playing. I can add more to the game if there is demand for it. I'm guessing the most of us don't have people around to play this with at all times, so it's a shot in the dark, but a shot nonetheless. The game supports joypads if you don't feel like huddling over one keyboard.


Download the game
8,24 MB

Controls:
Shift = Punch
Ctrl = Block
Down+Shift = Charge Punch
Up = Slap


Press Ctrl+Y to change controls

I really want to hear your thoughts. Bug reports are always welcome and feel free to share your strategies.

There is also an easter egg in there for those willing to look.

Offline mattness

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Re: Victory Bout. 2 player boxing game

Reply #1 on: March 13, 2008, 06:23:50 pm
So, the idea is very simple and funny. I must say that playin with joypads recreates the atmosphere of a pizza & beer night with friends :crazy:.
The graphics is pleasing, just I should modify arms position and the charged punch animation (why that foot's up ???), and add an elusion (I hope it be well-traslated from italian :D).

Good work!
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Offline Doppleganger

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Re: Victory Bout. 2 player boxing game

Reply #2 on: March 13, 2008, 06:27:05 pm
Well, I didn't play it with another person, as I'm the only one around atm, but I did play it nonetheless.

The experience is pretty nostalgic, probably because the crowd sound effects remind me of those in blades of steel. I think that the game has a lot of potential, but right now it plays very slowly. That might be a throwback to games of old, but it's a little too slow. The countdown for example; takes well over a second to go down 1 second. I wasn't able to figure out what buttons controlled player one's punches and blocks. I assumed it'd be the shift and control keys on the left side of the keyboard, but those controlled player two. The last problem I noticed was the difficulty in doing a charge punch. It seemed that I'd have to hold down, press punch, and then release down in order to get it to work.

So, my final verdict is that the graphics are nice and reminiscent and the gameplay is a little too slow and unresponsive. The slapping was pretty fun though. Not as slow and very responsive.

Offline snake

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Re: Victory Bout. 2 player boxing game

Reply #3 on: March 15, 2008, 03:19:20 pm
@ Mattness:

Ah. Finally someone with a Joypad. The usual complaint I get is that most people don't have them.

I'm not sure I understand what you're suggesting. There's something wrong with the arm? His foot is up only if you miss. Afterwards there's a cooldown where you loose your balance and you're open to attack. The point of the charge punch is to make players move so you don't just huddle in the middle of the screen punching and blocking.

By elusion (illusion?) you mean making a fake attack? I might see that working with the charge punch, but the charge punch makes you invulnerable to hits, and adding a fake one wouldn't stop the other guy from punching you. (unless they're too far away for you to hit them anyway)

@ Doppleganger:

Heh, the croud is actually ripped from BOS (it's one of my favorite games), so are the punching and voice effects. They were ment to be temporary, but they worked so well I kept them. Not to mention, my tracker isn't all that good for creating voices. The music is mine though, along with most of the sound effects.

Do you mean the gameplay is slow, or that you're having slowdown? The timer is set so you can just barely get up during your second KO. (Third is a TKO and automatic an win.) I haven't had any complaints about the gameplay speed from my testers, maybe it's just a feel I'm move comfortable with. I did find one slowdown problem where the music loops and it all turns to syrup, but I think that's a MMF problem. I'll have to look into that.

I really don't see how not finding the controlls is an issue. You have two sets of shift and ctrl keys. If you didn't try the right keys, those didn't work or can't find the ones for player two, I pointed out you can change the controlls by pressing ctrl + Y. (I've also noticed during a second testing, that MMF has another key command: Ctrl + S that trurns off samples. The standard 2-player layout is WASD, so it might get trurned off from time to time. If I can't change the default controls, I can at least remove this feature.)

Yes. To do the charge punch, the easiest way to do it is hold down and press button one. I've found this is easyer because you will continue to puch if you hold down the buttons, forcing the other player away. (If the other player is close and starts moving as you start, you could get two hits in. On your third one, you're most likely to miss and get caught in the cooldown.) How would you suggest you trigger it?

In regards to it being unresponsive, I reckon you mean you can't punch at the exact moment you press the button? This is common in most fighting games (streetfighter 2 for exaple,) where you loose controll for a couple of milliseconds while the attack is executed. The difference here is that the attacks are slower. I'm not going to excuse it if you feel it's a drag on gameplay, but it's a design choice. Part of the reason I could make this game is in the timing of controll loss. I could speed it up so you won't notice it, but it would speed up the entire game of course. The hole game is very systematically set up in terms of movement. Having fluent interaction requires a hole diferent engine, something I don't think I can do.

Too bad not that many people are playing this thing. Was hoping to come across something I can build on for my next project. Guess we're a 1-player bunch here   :-\

Offline mattness

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Re: Victory Bout. 2 player boxing game

Reply #4 on: March 15, 2008, 11:18:49 pm
Try to draw arms a bit more raised, and hands not turned to the body (of the character). After missing the charged punch, the character may stumble ahead.
With elusion I want to say: when opponent punch is coming, you flex your body on a side (or down) to avoid it; just an ulterior way to avoid a punch, instead of blocking.

I haven't time enough to draw an edit, so sorry for this explaination :ouch:.
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Offline ilkke

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Re: Victory Bout. 2 player boxing game

Reply #5 on: April 30, 2008, 08:02:15 pm
I just DL-ed and tested the game. It looks and sounds dandy. What program did you make the music in?
I had trouble finding all the keys for the left player. I figured WSAD (and later read it here, doh!) but couldn't find punch and block for that player. Both shifts and both crtls seemed to work for the right player.
I just love the opportunity to slap the players :) I have yet to test it with someone but maybe this move should have some in-game effect, like, stunning your own boxer for a fraction of a second or something, seeing how it really is kinda humiliating and ppl might tend to slap the other player and not concentrate on the boxers at all. Maybe when one boxer wins, his player should slap the other one off the screen or something, to make winning the match really worthwile :D Probably not

Really, this is simple and pretty fun, but I'd experiment more with this off-screen battle. The opportunity is too good to miss! Maybe add some twists like:
-Slapping other player has a random result (their boxer dropping guard/hitting you/guarding/whatever, your own boxer being stunned for the duration of the slap etc)
-Slapping a lot tires your player (your boxer reacts slightly slower)
-Dodging/grabbing/biting the slapping hand (by performing some secret manouver at the right split-second)

Just ideas. Have to test it with friends, tho.
i

Offline snake

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Re: Victory Bout. 2 player boxing game

Reply #6 on: April 30, 2008, 09:51:40 pm
Seems like the 2-player controlls might be a reacurring issue on some computers. I haven't been able to find it though. In the meantime, there's the Ctrl+Y option to set your own keys.

The music was made in a NES tracker called Famitracker, (I highly recconmend fiddling with that thing,) and then painstakingly recorded from the desktop to .wav files since that's the only non-midi soundformat the gameprogram takes.

As for more offscreen interaction, that was the plan all along. It's just not done yet  :D

Offline Souly

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Re: Victory Bout. 2 player boxing game

Reply #7 on: May 01, 2008, 02:04:20 pm
Diggin' the game you've got here snake.
An idea would be to add a block for the kids.
And if you successfully block the slap the player could not be able to move for like 2 seconds allowing you to punch him in the face.
Also I'm not sure if you should get damaged if you punch when the player is blocking.

Offline snake

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Re: Victory Bout. 2 player boxing game

Reply #8 on: May 01, 2008, 06:02:06 pm
A block is a good idea. I'm considering most of what has been mentioned so far, but by all means suggest whatever you think of.

Regarding damage, it was mostly an attempt to break up huddling in the middle, randomly punching and blocking. The same reason I added the charge punch. If you recieve damage from getting blocked, you are more likely to back off and attack when the other player is caught off guard. That's what I concluded plying against others at least. If I were to add stuntime or blocking to slaps, that cloud replace it though. It would make it have a more serious impact than just as a distraction.

I'm still working on things for this game. I'm not sure I dare post anything new since I have no idea wether I'll finish it or not. I really hate making false promises.

Offline ilkke

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Re: Victory Bout. 2 player boxing game

Reply #9 on: May 01, 2008, 11:40:11 pm
I think it's more fun to have fun while working on it than actually finishing the darn thing.
If it was fun, it doesn't matter that whether you finished it or not.
Also, if it wasn't fun then what's the use of it being finished?
i