23: Onslaught of the Electric Zombies

[Nandrew]

Long story short: you've helped me catch a bug with the score files. I have no idea whether or not this will affect you, but at least it'll fix up some confusion for other players who get their lower scores wiped occasionally.

Updated download in the first post after a good three hours of fighting with Box.net. <_<

[Nandrew]

Righto, so, work on version 1.02 is progressing quietly. Mainly because I've been rather ill and cut off this weekend, so I've not been as verbal about progress as I usually am. :P

I do have one question, though. I've been looking at a few of the current items for adjustment (stuff like the looping code and such) but there's one question I'd like to pose to you guys:

One of the current items (ie. exists in v1.01 already) is predictive text. For those not yet aware, it allows you to figure out what the next "level feeling" is before actually going there.

Unfortunately, the structure of the game means that it may have limited use, because you always spend your skill point for the current level before you get to do your scrying. It doesn't seem to promote enough long-term planning, which I imagine would be its natural strength.

What if I got predictive text to list the room effects for the rest of the remaining levels in the game? Or, if that seems too powerful, how about letting it predict the next three or four levels instead of just one? I think it would actually give players more meaningful information.

Does this sound gewd, basically?

[herman.tulleken]

Does this sound gewd, basically

I think so. (Perhaps you could even randomise the number of levels ahead a bit).

ht

[Brackard]

I'll admit that the predictive text is a throwaway/safety item for me. I'll use it to protect one of my more 'important' items. I never use it.

The only way I could see that being of use would be say found on levels 3-5 where it predicts the next 3-5 levels. After level 8, you've pretty much established your development for the game so knowledge, while great, is not worth giving up a slot for unless you have an extra, which bring us back to the throwaway/safety item....

[Nandrew]

Cool, I'll buff it up so that it'll have use in at least a few scenarios.

I'm still trying to figure out when I'll push v 1.02 out. I wanna market 1.01 a bit more first and draw in some potential feedback from extra players, so I'll probably have to get that sorted out first.

[monkey66]

http://i48.tinypic.com/v76nm1.jpg

I made a bunch of mistakes, but got really lucky with the GoogleBot and the early items.

[Nandrew]

Awesome! And thanks for the stat list!

Now that some of the other noise in my life has quietened down a bit, I'll be paying proper attention to that all-important 1.02 update (none of these occasional, crappy mini work sessions that seem to define it lately). A largely distraction-free time over the end of year may end up being quite helpful. <_<

[BlackShipsFillt]

Ooh ooh! Cybergod! (My score didn't seem to submit, but I just passed the 125K mark)

Very nice game... Though I would market it as minesweeper-like... it's more like a rogue-like stealth-math zombie survival game... I'm very impressed with all the gameplay variations this little game achieves, it's one of those endlessly-replayable-perfect-little-games, like Strange Adventures in Infinite Space or Spelunky.