Zig-Zag - A Vertical 2D Endless Runner

KanataEXE

Hello world. My name is Kanata, Kanata.EXE. I'm here to announce my next game.

It's titled "Zig-Zag" for now. The title will be different on the release.

It's a vertical 2d endless runner for android where you try to avoid obstacles. The twist is that you can only move zig-zag. So each tap will change the direction of the player.

I have worked on several obstacles and some UIs. I'm thinking to focus on the shader because all objects are white. Need to color it.

KanataEXE

I'm thinking to focus on the shader because all objects are white. Need to color it.

Okay, so turn out I can use modulate on the CanvasItem property to change color. Never mind the shader, then.

Anyway, I'm still thinking about the obstacles. There are still some designs I want to implement. See what might be fun.

KanataEXE

Adding some color and new obstacles into the game.

Honestly? This looks good now.

! ! ! ! ! ! !

Yes, I know the obstacles have no color. I'm thinking about how to randomize the color on the obstacles.

KanataEXE

Okay, I finally make it possible to randomize color.

!

From what I've read, there was no function to randomize color. So I have to make an array of fixed colors.

Anyway... I have a question for all of you. You see, I'm using fixed obstacles instead of randoms. If I spawn randomly, I'm afraid there might be no way out of the obstacle. But at the same time, there will be patterns to it.

You guys don't mind patterns in obstacle games? (Or maybe it's just me overthinking again).

TwistedTwigleg

Patterns are probably fine. I think that is how most endless obstacle games do it, they just put the predefined patterns in a random order. The only big issue with predefined patterns is that it's a bit more predictable, especially when you have gone through all the patterns before. On the other hand, if your game gets increasingly fast or has some other factor that increases difficulty with game time, then the repetition likely will not be a big issue.

You could also do it completely random if you want and add some conditions/checks to make sure it's possible, but depending on how your patterns are randomly generated it could be tricky. Also, the end results may or may not look/function well if randomly generated, even if it is possible. I have found that often a random result isn't necessarily always a fun result. Using predefined patterns can help with this, as you can control the quality of the individual patterns.

KanataEXE

Um. Noted. I was thinking to increase the speed of the game to make it harder and throw off the players.

Anyway, in the meantime, I also worked on the menus and use one of Kenney's fonts (pixel square).

! ! !

KanataEXE

Hm... I'm currently thinking about the transition to the game over screen.

As you can see, the game over happens when the player (triangle) hits any block. Then there will be an animation that will change the screen.

It's the animation I'm not sure what I want. Should I make it implode (block grow bigger than fade away)? Should I make the game stopped then show the game over screen? There are many ways.

I want to hear your suggestions.

!

KanataEXE

Actually, I think I should just stop the game. When the player hit an object, the game will be paused and the game over screen will appear. I think it's better that way.

Hm... I think I should add a white flash animation to show the player hit something.

KanataEXE

In the end, I decide to use the implode animation where objects become smaller and invisible before they went away.

Moving on, I'm working on the menus before connecting using script. After that, showing the high score and leaderboard. Then polish and publish it.

! ! ! ! !

KanataEXE

I have created the menu system. I was trying to make one myself, but in the end, I use KidsCanCode's model again.

To be honest? I wanted to make an original one, but it seems I can't as of yet. Guess I should add both licenses of Godot and KidsCanCode.

Anyway, the game is now in the beta state. Need to polish some stuff before finally publishing it.

Sorry for the low-quality gif. First time making GIFs.

Actually, what's the best way to make a GIF? Something I need to learn for future projects.

TwistedTwigleg

For making GIFs on Linux, I use a tool called Peek, which seems to work okay for most of my uses. On Windows I used a different tool that was similar, but I cannot remember the name right off and no longer have it installed.

KanataEXE

Yesterday, I just finished my game and created the release for it. I originally wanted this to be the last post, but considering the reviewing takes a long time, I think I should update this. Besides, there's a chance that the title will be rejected, so might as well make an update for it.

This is my leaderboard. I use Silent Wolf as my back-end service to store and retrieve player name and data. Once you know how to use it, it's pretty simple to use.

The next post will be the store page and the last post.

KanataEXE

Ladies and Gentlemen, after almost five days, my second android game is finally out.

Feel free to play!