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  • Hop! 2D : a simple yet not-all-that-easy 2D platformer with 2 control keys !

Asthalis One thing I won't change, though, is the way Hop moves because all levels were built right from his jumping and rushing capacities

yes, i also think that Hop!2D wouldn't be Hop!2D if Hop didn't move like this

GNU
Hello again,

Thanks for your detailed feedback and helpful screenshots. To be fair, I am still not completely satisfied with the 5th world and wondered if the difficulty level was not too high compared to previous and next worlds. Among hazards that may be a bit "too much", I did think of the mine under which Hop must rush in level 48. I think I will keep this trick for later levels and replace it by something easier.

About the enemy you show in level 46, I think I won't get rid of it but think about a way to avoid it more easily when using the air flow to reach its platform. I think a good solution would be to reduce the height of the air column, so that Hop can not directly collide with it when going up in the first place. Here again, I'll experiment different things. One more item in the "to do list" of beta 21 !

  • GNU replied to this.

    Asthalis
    There clearly is a difficulty spike in world 5. From 45 and on, levels are long and offer many tricky jumps, with a tight timer on top of that. Lots of trial and error. I finally reached 49 and figured out most of it, but it's another tough nut to crack. And I haven't even met the boss, so yeah, quite a punishing world early on, probably some adjustments needed.

      GNU
      OK, I will take care of it, I first needed at least one player to reach world 5 to confirm me this. Changes will be effective in upcoming beta 21 version, I have several areas in mind where difficulty could be brought down a little in this world. And as I answered Sosasees earlier, smaller enemy hitboxes will ease the player's task as well. The video link he gave me was really instructive.

      I asked myself another question : would a training level (no enemies, no hazards, no time limit, just platforms) be useful for beginner players to get used to Hop's controls ? A description of Hop's basic actions is already available in HELP menu but would a dynamic training area be an interesting bonus ?
      I'm interested in your point of vue.

        Asthalis A description of Hop's basic actions is already available in HELP menu but would a dynamic training area be an interesting bonus ?

        yes. if done really good, it could possibly be so good that it replaces the help menu.

          Sosasees
          Thanks for your tip ! I was a bit reluctant first because I thought help menu and training mode would be redundant. Switching to single dynamic training may be the right way for the player to learn while controlling Hop and not just reading static indications. Do you think it's redundant or it may be a way to gather more players keeping both possibilities ?

          Whatever my final choice, I'll keep it for future versions because I'm bit busy right now with the very last part of the game (what you will see if you succeed in your quest !).

          A training room to toy around with Hop could be a nice feature, even though that's more or less what world 1 is already.
          I don't think there is an issue with the hitboxes either, on the contrary I think the game is very precise and responsive (nothing like the original game which had collision issues).
          The overall difficulty of the game is good, up to world 5 where you went overboard imo. Some people may also have a hard time with boss 4.
          In the end I think what will repel most new players, and where the real difficulty of the game lies, is the fact that you have a limited number of lives and that you lose your progress when you game-over. This old school aspect is very unusual nowadays, where hard games tend to give you infinite lives and raise the difficulty to the ceiling, on short segments and close together save points.
          There is nothing wrong with the solution you went for, but it requires fine tuning (i.e. a lot of test play) to make it an enjoyable experience. Honestly, you did a great job balancing the game on your own so far.
          Keep on the great work, can't wait to see what's next!

          Thank you, GNU, you have already brought much to the game, and I know you know what an original arcade game is ! You're right when you say nowaday's video games are mainly about short games with lots of lives and restart from any level already unlocked. Seems likes people have absolutely no time for anything today ! Hop!2D would be really easy to adapt to cell phones (low resolution, very few controls) but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if people would be patient enough to play a whole world. One more reflexion to have, I guess...

          Talking about training system, I'm not sure of anything right now. I'm quite happy with HELP menu (I tried to get the right balance between completeness and concision) but I understand some players need something more dynamic. I often said world 1 was already designed as a training world and I still believe it. I may add some indications to help the player but the main thing is about handling Hop's movements and jumps. Some complains I had were about depleting energy. It seems some players are not comfortable with it even in the first levels, they don't feel they're actually training with the threat of losing a life.

          If I happen to design a "real" training level, I'd like to make it more interactive : for example, a door to next section of the level opens only if the player has completed the current goal (move left and right, accelerate, reach a platform, jump over an obstacle, etc.). And of course, nothing about energy, enemy or more advanced mechanisms, just the basics. I admit I had Portal in mind while building the game, I liked the idea of a tutorial included into the game itself.

          One last thing about hitboxes : I have already modified most of them in the incoming BETA 21 version but the main goal was not to make the game much easier than it is. Just to make it less "touchy" in some tight situations where pixel-precision was not really needed. From what I have tested, changes are not huge but the feeling of a close call instead of a "game over" may be the one reason for some players to stick to the game. Nothing is changed for Hop, modifications are about everything else.

          Sosasees the last level i could complete so far was the vertical level after 'easy money' i believe it was called.

          this level is Central Well. i was stuck there before.
          i played again (Beta 20) — now the Spike collision feels fair, so i got up to Starcross's Lair and i feel like i can go further just playing again.

            Sosasees
            Obviously, you got used to Hop!2D's gameplay because hitbox sizes are still the same and will be reduced only in BETA 21 ! Anyway, glad to know you made your way to the 2nd boss. I suppose you beat it if world 3 now appears among your unlocked worlds. Teleporters and unlockable laser gates await you there, good luck !
            I will add your name to next beta's testers list.

            Another reflexion about making Hop!2D easier...

            So far, when you meet a boss, you try to bring its energy down to zero to complete a world and unlock the next one. But if you lose a life against him, the boss has recovered all his energy when you restart the level.

            I was wondering if I should keep only his remaining energy when restarting the level. That way, if you lose several lives in the battle but manage to hit him, the boss gets weeker and weeker and it gives the player a better chance to succeed and unlock another world.

            Some players think it is too punishing to restart a whole world (10 levels) if they have a hard time with a boss.

            What do you think about it ?

            Asthalis changed the title to Hop!2D : a simple yet not-all-that-easy 2D platformer with 2 control keys ! .

            It would obviously make things easier. I would need to have encountered every boss in the game to have on opinion on that though.
            I'm currently waiting for the next beta and possible nerfs to get back to it. Meanwhile I thought of uploading this old playthrough of HOP!, brought back memories:

            5 days later

            Wow, I didn't know you recorded a whole game avec the first version of Hop, well done !

            Latest news of Hop! 2D, beta 21 version should be available next week and I can confirm several new features of the game 😛

            • the most recent trajectory points of Hop will be visible on screen to add some juice to the game without beeing too overwhelming for the player

            • an new training mode will allow to play the first levels of the game without losing any energy

            • the energy loss of all bosses will be saved if you need to restart the level

            • a whole new boss will await you !

            More surprises to come !

            7 days later

            Hello everyone !

            Here is Hop!2D's new beta 21 version ! (links and details updated in the 1st post)

            Hop!2D beta 21 (french/english latest WIP version, 82% done)
            - download Hop!2D beta 21 (Windows/Linux/macOS)
            - play Hop!2D beta 21 online (itch.io, not from mobile phone)

            BETA 21 is another big update with a new training mode (unlimited energy for the first levels of the game), a new boss, new levels, boss damage saving, many visible improvements and much work on enemy codes. If progress goes on as I expect, the complete version of the game will be ready by the end of the year and future releases will only deal with possible remaining bugs.

            More detail below...


            main menu with TRAINING (ENTRAINEMENT in french) choice added


            new TRAINING MODE (infinite energy, limited to the first 9 levels)


            INITIAL WORLD (MONDE INITIAL in french) menu with 1 more world... if you go far enough !


            new functional boss !


            same boss with its shield closed

            changelog

            • 4 new playable levels
            • new training mode with unlimited energy
            • detection boxes modified (slightly smaller for enemies/hazards, bigger for bonuses)
            • 1 new boss
            • 1 new type of enemy
            • 1 new mechanism
            • secret codes review
            • boss code rewritten with damage saved if restarting the level
            • 1 boss modified
            • 1 enemy behavior modified
            • visible Hop's trajectory
            • CODE choice added in CONTINUE menu
            • HELP menu extended
            • post-victory level on progress !
            • many levels modified (lower difficulty, scenery, issues)
            • visual effects added (menus, enemies)
            • sounds adjustments (volume, range)
            • some sprites redrawn
            • better english translation
            • new thanks
            • new functionalities in developer mode
            • minor interface modifications

            bugs fixed

            • always restart in world 1 if "introduction" selected after "other world" in continue menu
            • 2D sounds for boss 3
            • boss 5 projectile grow speed no more linked to FPS
            • some sounds stopped in mute mode (presentation, godotron, reptis)
            • lighter blue color for teleporters/switches/lasers
            • small visual fixes
            • forgotten thanks added

            coming up

            • new regular, secret and boss levels !
            • new types of enemies
            11 days later

            Big test today for Hop!2D !

            I recorded a whole game of the work-in-progress BETA 22 version (from level 1 to the current last working level) to look for remaining bugs and it took me almost an hour and a half to finally see the "thanks for playing" screen ! I guess most players won't be patient enough to play Hop! 2D this way (they can restart from any already explored world anyway) but I have now a more accurate clue about its world : it's big enough ! (I did not explore secret worlds in this game).

            85% of the work is done, the rest is just a question a time and testing (by the way, all new beta testers are welcome !).

            1h30? That sounds like 100 stages!
            I'll come back with more feedback when I have more time, can't wait to see the new content.

              GNU
              Great !
              I won't tell you the right number, you will have to find out by yourself !
              Anyway, this video recording was really useful in many ways (a few minor bugs spotted, some needed energy bonuses added, new reference world times, ideas for the remaining levels to build). It also showed me XBox Bar is not the best solution to record replays, I always get sound issues with long videos. I completely forgot I had OBS Studio, which seems to work much better in comparison, I'll switch to it for future videos.

              18 days later

              Hello everyone !

              beta 22 version of Hop! 2D is out ! (links and details updated in the 1st post)

              Hop!2D beta 22 (french/english latest WIP version, 85% done)
              - download Hop!2D beta 22 (Windows/Linux/macOS)
              - play Hop!2D beta 22 online (itch.io, not from mobile phone)

              For this new beta, I switched to Godot 3.5 and will use some of its features in future versions. Some (quite unexpected) bugs were spotted thanks to feedback I had about beta 21 version, obvious changes were made (Hop's ship is visible at the end of each world, tip arrows now move) and, of course, new levels were added. By the way, you can now reach a new secret world if you look in crannies and nooks...

              More detail below...


              Hop's spaceship


              moving tip arrows


              dead boss

              changelog

              • switch to Godot 3.5
              • 3 new playable levels (84 in total)
              • many levels reworked
              • access to a new secret world functional
              • Hop's spaceship visible at the beginning of each world
              • new visual effects (moving arrows)
              • "boss key" assignment changed (shift key)
              • code modified and longer hurt state for bosses
              • hazard collision masks reduced (lasers)
              • complete bonus review
              • many sprites reworked and new ones (reinforcements, scenery)
              • additional sound effects (fire, moving platforms, idol)
              • minor display modifications
              • sound adjustments
              • new thanks
              • new functionalities in developer mode

              bugs fixed

              • no crash if Hop dies after boss 7 dies
              • boss 5 attack now functional
              • death of boss 2 corrected (frame, shock)
              • Hop's mood modified in CONTINUE menu
              • Hop's high ranks corrected
              • signal translated into english in level 5
              • minor scenery fixes

              coming up

              • new regular, secret and boss levels !
              • new types of enemies