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Download TheRedSwitch.zip, 4.03MB

Notes:
Spinning the front wheel powers the helicopter rotor.
You may require the Microsoft Visual Studio C++ 2008 redistributables, or the SP1 distributables.
Thanks to Daniel for hosting, a couple of Andrews for testing, 2DBoy for the framework and Erin Catto for the Box2D physics engine.

EDIT: I forgot that you need the d3dx9_38.dll, if you have an error mentioning this DLL, you can either update your directX version here or download the DLL directly and stick it in the game folder, I reccomend the former option although I really should've included the DLL in the zip >.<

Zoom

Well, the game is finished. While I find some hosting for it, here's a brief set of instructions:

Click: Fires rocket
Spacebar: Fires rocket
A: Fires rocket
B:Fires rocket
...

You get the idea.
Also, Escape accesses the menu, Enter and the F keys (F1, F2 etc.) are used in the hacky little menu.

Current list of achievements (Not programmed in, be honest).
Free flying: Hit the goal in the slide level without firing the rocket after hitting the slide
Rocket-car-helicopter-submarine-hovercraft: hover for at least 60 seconds without touching a wall.
Shattered!: Destroy the Red-switch-mobile with a single collision (Not against an exploding wall! [I don't even know if this is possible without editing the levels :P])
Do not disturb: Get to the goal in the maze without knocking down the boulders
Lame, no mushroom: Hit the goal in the slide from the bottom.
Crash landing: Smash the Red-switch-mobile on the goal in any level.

More progress... kinda?

No screenshots today, but then you can probably wait a day for the game anyway.

I added things like a menu and a timer which are quite useful, only real thing left to do is make some levels.

Anyway, it occurs to me (after someone pointed it out...) that this game is quite similar in many respects to moon lander games: You have quite unwieldy controls and have to make precise movements. In this games case it's because you're in a maze rather than a major danger of dying, but it's true nonetheless.

Another update!

I think only 3 people have seen this blog, so the comment about more updates than readers is coming along nicely.

As is the game, funnily enough! You can now die, and more importantly, restart after you die. Even better, there's actually a goal, giving you a reason to restart. Well, kinda. Here's a couple of screenshots:An achievement is to get to this point without knocking down the 3 boulders. I probably won't program it in, but it's about the achievement, not the popup message that tells you, right?

Progress!

Having based this on the 2D Boy rapid prototyping framework and the Box2d physics engine which I had begun combining already for another project, it's not too bad really. Here's a look at the rocket-batmobile-heliglider-whatever itself.

A little more explanation.

Haha, real funny. Pressing enter on the title bar publishes the post, even when it's empty. Great feature there.

The experimental gameplay project in question is this: http://experimentalgameplay.com/blog/2009/08/and-the-theme-of-august-is/
For those too busy to check the link, I'll be making a game in 7 days with the theme of "Bare Minimum". In this case, bare minimum controls and most likely sound.

Any button you press will activate the red switch on the rocket-car-helicopter-submarine dashboard and with it the rocket. When you let go of the button, the rocket turns off again. Unless you press Escape, or Alt-F4, which I don't recommend. As your front wheel turns, it powers the helicopter mechanism and you begin to fly.

Past that point, it's a physics based puzzle game.

This blog was set up entirely so I could post about a game with a rocket-car-helicopter-submarine.

And that says it all, bye!

Well, I'm making a game for the experimental gameplay project, started on Tuesday at 6pm, got 5 more days. Expect more updates than readers to appear ;)