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

Asthalis Don't apologize to be so "wordy" 🙂 that's was nice to read, still there are many things that we could talk about in private, so check your email, I'll send you something soon.

I just get a bit frustrated enough on level 8, those tunnels just kill me ! Jump themselves + limited time is a terrible combo 🙂.

Regarding menus, I first thought icons are where we can change settings, silly me. Perhaps keys icons hints can comes with key names, not all keys have the same shape maybe on all keyboard on all system supported by Godot ! Without mentioning Android devices with touchscreen. Just some idea.

Thank you very much for adding my name, very kind of you.

    6 days later

    Work goes on in the final level. There is a lot to take into account there but now that all works fine, I can focus on the behavior of the very last boss of the game.

    Here's the final cage where your girlfriend is imprisoned...

    Hello,

    I'm super-excited because today's new beta (the 27th) is the very last one before the official version 1.0 of Hop! 2D. Much has been done since beta 26 and all worlds, bosses and options are now functional so you can eventually complete the game (no more boring "to be continued" screen !). By the way, first winners will be added in the credits so feel free to contact me if you succeed in your quest (don't forget to join screenshots saved by using F12 key). A quiz awaits you if you get to the very last level of the game so I will be waiting for your answers too !

    Hop!2D beta 27 (french/english latest WIP version, 100% done)
    - download Hop!2D beta 27 (Windows/Linux/macOS)
    - play Hop!2D beta 27 online (itch.io, not from mobile phone)

    I intend to release the 1.0 version at the beginning of March but, before it, I need your help to track down any possible remaining bug, during a final "MEGA-TEST" : all players are invited to look at crannies and nooks of the game and report anything that seems not to work the way it should. The end of a more-than-2-year-journey is getting near (crazy how time flies but raising a child while developing a game is pretty time-consuming too !) and I won't change anything fundamental in the game from now on but I would like to make sure it runs smooth as a first non-beta release. There will still be updates in the future but they will be more spaced out and mainly bug-fixing focused.


    new character animations in welcome screens


    Hop gets (to much) company...


    My best times added to all level stats


    Extra credits (books)

    changelog

    • 2 new playable levels (all levels playable)
    • 3 new boss types
    • code modified and details added on some bosses
    • slower energy decrease for Hop (10 more seconds per level)
    • a few levels modified
    • INTRODUCTION renamed (PROLOG)
    • unlocked world managed separately in WORLDS and saved games files
    • content of settings file modified (incompatibility with previous versions)
    • content of saved game files modified (incompatibility with previous versions)
    • final animations (victory, epilog, detailed credits) added
    • secret level number display modified in LOAD/SAVE/DELETE GAME menus
    • camera framing adjustments
    • ASTHALIS's times complete at the end of each world
    • ASTHALIS's times added at the end of each level
    • confirmation needed to delete a saved game
    • a few new and updated sprites
    • new sounds, musics and sound adjustments (type, volume, range)
    • experience calculus updated
    • MAIN and OPTIONS menu updated
    • WORLDS menu extended with EPILOG and DETAILED CREDITS
    • ABOUT menu updated and extended
    • new functionalities in developer mode
    • some useless files removed

    bugs fixed

    • boss 5 weird behavior corrected !
    • validation with mouse functional in PROLOG
    • all musics correctly cut off before transitions
    • some camera shakings fixed
    • SAVE GAME menu : incomplete level numbers corrected
    • OPTIONS menu : instant language change on active button
    • PAUSE menu : display corrected during screen capture
    • some interchanged sprites put back into place
    • fire sound restored (boss 4)
    • spoiled fruit : displayed malus corrected for cherries (code)
    • filenames corrected for some screenshots

    coming up

    • hunt for last bugs !
    23 days later

    This is polishing time !
    The official 1.0 version of Hop! 2D will be released on March 6th 🙂
    I will start a big contest from that day.

    9 days later

    I DID IT !

    I still can't believe it but today's the day : after almost 2 years and a half of development, here's the official version 1.0 of my game ! Lot of polishing was done (some from precious feedback from players, thanks to all of them, their help is always much appreciated until the very last modification) and I'm glad to have lead this project to its goal. This will not be the final step as I plan to work on a mobile version and there will still be future bug-fixing updates for laptops versions.

    Hop!2D 1.0 (french/english latest complete version)
    - download Hop!2D 1.0 (Windows/Linux/macOS)
    - play Hop!2D 1.0 online (itch.io, not from mobile phone)

    For those who don't know Hop! 2D, it is a 2D (obviously) retro-looking precision platformer in which Hop, a blue one-legged jumping creature, must rescue his girlfriend through many levels and worlds. Hop can only go left or right (only 2 keys to play !) but his constant jumping allows him to reach higher platforms, activate different mechanism types (trampolines, switches and more) and even face enemies and bosses. You can download Hop! 2D for Windows/Linux/macOS or play it online on itch.io. The game includes a fullscreen/windowed mode, a training mode, several spots to save games and an integrated screenshot function (activated at any time or automatically triggered at the end of a game).

    Hop! 2D is now complete and officially available as a freeware as I planned it from the very beginning. It made me discover Godot and learn a lot about it but I'm definitely far from knowing it inside and out ! So if you're an absolute beginner, keep faith if what you're creating, you will be widely rewarded afterwards !




    Now, here's a CONTEST for you ! Using a downloadable version of Hop! 2D and starting from level 1, try to go as far as you can and post here the (automatic) final screenshot the game has saved in its root directory. You may add a screenshot of the final stats as well to show all the details of your progress (example below).

    "OK but What do I win ?", you may ask. First, your name in the ABOUT menu and game CREDITS as the best performer on the game. Of course, game saving is allowed and you can restart as many times as you want. You feel like ending the game ? Then go on ! I'm currently working on a big game book dedicated to Hop! 2D, this could be your present.

    Good luck !


    As an end to this post, here's the detailed changelog of this official version.

    changelog (since beta 27 version) :

    • "created with Godot" screen added
    • welcome screen modified
    • hazard signals added
    • look of lineos retouched
    • some animations modified
    • beginning/end-of-world levels : access door added for Hop's spaceship
    • sprites and font modified for keyboard/mouse shortcuts
    • ABOUT menu updated (info/thanks)
    • RESET WORLDS menu updated (dynamic title icon)
    • ASTHALIS's times updated (9 levels/1 world)
    • UI details reworked
    • world musics looped by default
    • extra functions in developer mode

    bugs fixed (since beta 27 version) :

    • weird behavior of a boss corrected
    • scenery elements forgotten (added) or doubled (removed)
    • some invisible enemies re-displayed !
    • some world musics lengthened
    • inverted yes and no choices (DELETE GAMES menu)
    • text untranslated into english corrected

    coming up

    • updates depending on bug reports
    • a bit more !

    Congratulations on the release of the project! It really is a tremendous job, done at a high quality level. 🍰

      Tomcat
      Thanks for your support 🙂
      Interested in the contest I was talking about ?

          Asthalis Interested in the contest I was talking about ?

          The contest looks interesting. But, unfortunately, I now have a difficult life situation and I will not be able to participate. Just will not be able to concentrate on the game (now with the concentration problems in general), what would achieve something. 🙁

              I join Tomcat with congratulations, good work and it's great to have kept the faith for such a long time as well as, and mostly I guess, the focus on a single game.
              Congratulations also to make a game like these old tough super frustrating and usually not so much rewarding games we have decades ago with no saves at all.

              I'm not sure I'll take time for the contest but I'll try to kick some A...pple with this bouncing foot which drive me crazy 🙂.

                JusTiCe8
                You're right when you say some old arcade games were quite frustrating and not so much rewarding but don't forget their main goal was... to make money ! That's clearly no the point here and Hop! 2D did need a save option given the possible duration of a game (more than 2 hours for a medium player if he wants to explore every world), so I added one.

                And you were right too about keeping focus on a single game, that is exactly how it turned out (and probably the most difficult thing over time when new ideas come to your mind !). Anyway, it was a very instructive lesson.

                Thanks for your support, have a try and let me see your screenshots, you will be the first participant, no matter how far you go !

                  Tomcat
                  Sorry for this, I hope you'll find a way to get through it over time.

                    I have found a "bugture": in level 10, if Hop die after hitting cube boss a bit, the health of the boss is no reset on next life.
                    That's definitely not oldies-arcade-game-like style, I want a refund NOW !! 😛

                    I guess it works that way for all bosses in the game. You're too good to die while testing I guess.

                      JusTiCe8
                      So I guess you beat the 1st boss, congratulations ! Any screenshot to show about this ?

                      You're absolutely right, saving the health state of a boss after losing a life is not very "arcade-game-standard" but I finally chose to do it (it was not the case in earlier versions of Hop! 2D) as I understood (and finally realized it myself, especially for harder bosses !) it was quite frustrating to restart a level from scratch after losing a life when the boss was about to die.

                      But you're definitely wrong when you say I'm too good to die ! That's mainly why I included a developer mode in the game to quickly test every aspect of it (totally unfair indeed : just a key to get extra lives, immortality, direct access to next level, all worlds unlocked and so on). But don't get me wrong, I did test the game in "real conditions" as well and sometimes lost lives when not careful enough !

                          Asthalis not a screenshot showing it but something which would allow me to earn a special title I let you choose, see for yourself.


                          I could call it "never give up !" or "there'll always hope".

                          By the way, there is no way I could find to replay a level right away, even after beat it ! Like to get missed code or to switch on a monitor.

                              JusTiCe8
                              Nice beginning 🙂

                              It seems you used EVERY second you had (0.6s later would have been too late) to pick up all 3 coins in level 12 and complete it (it seems you lost a life in a previous level but gained an extra one with the 20th coin collected). Hopefully you will get further soon !

                              If you want to replay a level, you can save your game at the end of the previous level (SAVE GAME choice in your screenshot, you may use different slots if you want to save several ones) and reload it from the CAMPAIGN menu (LOAD GAME choice).

                              About secret codes, only one word to say : explore, explore, explore ! If you manage to find the secrets #1 and #3, for example, it means that the code of secret #2 is somewhere to be found between the levels where you found the codes of the 2 other secrets.

                              To switch on a monitor, just touch it (maybe I should add this in the HELP menu), it often takes a bit of dexterity to reach it.

                              One last thing : if you use the F12 key in a downloaded version of the game (by the way, what's your OS ?), you will directly save a PNG screenshot in its root directory (I used it a lot during tests and to grow my game gallery). At the end of any game (when you lose your last life), an automatic screenshot is saved (also in the game root directory).

                              Hope that helps !

                                Now that the game is made, I play it a bit every day in order to seek possible remaining bugs and improving my best times without paying too much attention to coins. One of my best time improvements was this one in level 39 (sorry, it's in french).

                                As I said in a previous post, there will be future updates of Hop! 2D and the next one (probably in 2 months) will include my new best level times (I improved 9 of them since the release of version 1.0, in worlds 3 & 4). I was also thinking about a reward for beating my own times. What do think of it and what do you suggest ? (extra life, etc.).

                                I will soon make new videos about Hop! 2D. I thought about an updated walkthrough of the first 3 worlds and a collection of my best speedruns.

                                Fell free to post your own screenshots (F12 in the game), the contest is going on !

                                  Quite a perfectionist 🙂 poor bugs, they didn't stand a chance.

                                  Asthalis Fell free to post your own screenshots (F12 in the game), the contest is going on !

                                  But what are the prizes ?

                                      JusTiCe8
                                      Prizes ? A new RECORDS sub-menu in the main menu of the game will sum up current records of the best players in future updates (top level reached, best level times, etc.), same thing in DETAILED CREDITS if you reach the end of the game and a big PDF game book I'm currently working on as a present.

                                      By the way, I started a list of what next update could bring to the game (to be discussed) :

                                      • more detailed look for some bosses (already started)
                                      • new RECORDS button in main menu to sum up best players' current records
                                      • new RESTART button at the end of each level (if the player feels he could have done it better)
                                      • 2 extra lives if the player's level time is better than mine

                                          WWaaooo perfection nevers stop ! 🙂

                                          Asthalis 2 extra lives if the player's level time is better than mine

                                          Quite hard to achieve !
                                          Why not some typical ranking: gold (you), silver and bronze ?
                                          And maybe extra life awarded after collecting a give number of "medals" (or maybe this should be called "foot" or "toe" in the game), for instance 2 golds, 5 silvers or 10 bronzes = +1 life.

                                            Good to see you're still going strong, I remember following the development about a year ago :^D