Navigation
User login
Upcoming events
Search
Who's online
Some other junk
I've been sick with the flu. I was in bed for a few days, but as soon as I could sit up comfortably, I was back in front of my computer. I'm addicted to MMF2. :)
Wave Catcher is my entry to this months KOTMK. It is an experimental game that utilizes stereo sound. The player hears a note and must find and catch it. Cursor arrows to control.
http://games4noah.sitesled.com/Wave%20Catcher.zip
//update//
I changed the sounds a bit and fixed a couple of bugs. I believe it plays better now. I need to dig out some headphones to be sure. The idea is that a player should be able to play the game with his eyes closed just as well as with them open. Try it out and let me know what you think. New link:
http://games4noah.sitesled.com/trainwrecks/Wave%20Catcher%202.zip
...
Yesterday, I had an idea for a quiz game. I quickly threw together a demo called PIXEL ID, and aimed it at the Atariage crowd, hoping that it would catch on and I might get some feedback. It isn't a VCS binary, however, and no one has bothered to download it - LOL. The game is controlled using only one button - the spacebar.
http://games4noah.sitesled.com/trainwrecks/PIXEL%20ID.zip
...
On Saturday, before the KOTMK, I began a one button Super Mario Brothers engine. It's more of a proof of concept demo, but it's kind of working.
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odLepQRZoAU
...
If all goes as planned, in the next month or so I plan on holding on a contest to get people to create their own games that only require one button. Right now, I'm thinking the prize might be a copy of Multimedia Fusion 2 Developer... or 100 bucks. I don't know if that would be enough to get people to enter though. :/ I spent a lot of of my sick week finding games that can be played with only one button and I took videos of many of these and posted them up on Youtube so that they can be shown as examples to those who might be interested in entering the contest:
- mojofltr's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Comments
Hey So you know I dig one
Hey
So you know I dig one button concepts!
I guess I'm less crazy about the ones that put a lot of movement complexity (movement, jumping etc) behind the one button.
I forget everything you've told us about your target audience, but it seems to be simplicity should be a goal as well, just to try and reduce frustration. There might be other constraints too... it seems like you might want less dying and that kind of challenge/frustration and more rewarding A/V experiences... (which is often harder to get in these kind of super-Indy productions...)
I'd like the games to appeal
I'd like the games to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Just because a game uses only button shouldn't mean that it be less appealing to able-bodied gamers. That's where innovation comes into play. What can the game developer do differently to make the game stand out? Also, a game doesn't have to stick to one gameplay mechanic throughout, ie just because the button jumps on the first frame of a game, doesn't mean it shouldn't be used to cast a spell on the next. I'd love to see an exploration game with depth and atmosphere like Knytt Stories...
I need to write up a list of "things to keep in mind" for the contest. Those that come to mind immediately are:
one button / innovation / intuitive controls
adjustable difficulty and speed
for more difficult and timing precise games, perhaps it would be best for the game to automatically save progress and there shouldn't be a limit on lives.
I'd love for people to come up with their own utilities, like 4Noah, that open up accessibility to commercial games or programs. Also, it would be great to have tools that enable a person to access media types or the internet. Maybe someone could come up with a one button media player, html encoder, or internet browser.
The question I'll probably ask is, "If you had limited mobility, what things would you miss the most? If you knew that in a year your mobility would be limited... how would you plan today so you wouldn't have to miss those things?" Maybe that will spark some ideas?
Yeah. I'd say in your stuff
Yeah. I'd say in your stuff sometimes I see a struggle, where simplicity is lost in getting down to the 1 button limit, and the end result is only moderately appealing to anyone. But I really do admire the effort and creativity, and recognize it's a tough problem and your answers are getting better every month.
I know "one button" might be an attempt at "lowest common denominator" of limited mobilty, but it seems to me like there are other avenues too... I could imagine someone with a condition who couldn't really use a mouse, but COULD use a keyboard, but slowly... that would really encourage a different paradigm.
So, keep up the good work :-) I've been thinking that a variations of Saboteur and/or that crossed with Scorched Earth might be an interesting one player game (there was a saboteur variant in WarioWare Twisted that reminded me of what a fun game that can be... but now that I know there might be a contest I almost want to hold back and not KotMK it ;-)