Games Multi Arcade Game (WIP)

[melonZgz]

Hello everyone
I'd like to swow you a project I've been working on for the last months. It started as a side project, but now it's grown enough, so I'd like to show it to you so you can give me some feedback.
The concept is simple: MINI GAMES, and it will be about all the games you could find in the arcades. There will be a pinball machine, an air hockey game, a basketball game and of course... lots of classic arcade games.
As I have tons of games started, this project became as a way to release them, but in the concept of mini games.
Having said that, with you the first game... the pinball machine:

And here a youtube video so you can see how it plays


I allready started a pinball game, so here I continued it.
I can say it's almost finished. Let me introduce you some cool features it has:

• ball trail effect and a blur effect when it moves fast (faster means more blurred)
• lights with fading effect (as if they where light bulbs)
• particle effects here and there
• animated targets and droptargets
• wire ramps
• points and jackpot animations
• a max score system

The table has its own rules: if you complete the upper lanes you multiply everything, first completion it's x2, then x3 and so on
once you hit the red targets at the right you enable the jackpot (lights start to flash), wich is in the middle, so you hit the droptarget and then score the jackpot
to enter the ramp and get the ramp bonus you have to hit the droptarget and then enter the ramp
first seconds of each ball you have a shoot again light, so if the ball drains you have another ball.
I wanted it to have an arcade feeling, so it plays really fast and the rules are very simple.
Of course there is a lot to do, but at this point I wanted to show it to you so you can tell me your thoughts

About the rest of the games, I have almost finished the basket game too, and about the arcade games, i'm working on some of them (a flappy bird clone, a racing game, a shoot em up, an arkanoid clone, an infinite runner...)

 

[LucaMs]

VERY nice.

A couple of awkward ? questions:

1 - Will it be one big app or will you use a way to download each game?

2 - Did you use pure B4X (or B4A) code or special libraries, like OpenGL for example?

 

[melonZgz]

VERY nice.

A couple of awkward ? questions:

1 - Will it be one big app or will you use a way to download each game?

2 - Did you use pure B4X (or B4A) code or special libraries, like OpenGL for example?

it will be only one game, and I hope not too big (it's still soon but I estimate it can be between 50MB and 100MB, maybe less)
I still don't know the way you unlock new games... maybe achievments, gems, coins or whatever... first things first: first make the games, solid games, addictive gameplay, etc
About the second question, I'm using b4a + libgdx and box2d for the physics. I'm used to do working this way, I go relatively fast...

 

[andymc]

It depends on your target with this. If you want to make the most money, then put a level or two in for free, then make further levels available with micro transactions, or with ingame currency, however the in game currency should take a long time to save up to buy levels, you could also offer in game currency rewards for watching rewarded ads.

A good example would have been your hill racing game, I don't recall seeing in-app purchases in it, but that would have been a good way to increase revenue and fund new game projects.

 

[melonZgz]

It depends on your target with this. If you want to make the most money, then put a level or two in for free, then make further levels available with micro transactions, or with ingame currency, however the in game currency should take a long time to save up to buy levels, you could also offer in game currency rewards for watching rewarded ads.

A good example would have been your hill racing game, I don't recall seeing in-app purchases in it, but that would have been a good way to increase revenue and fund new game projects.

Thats a good point.
To be honest I've been making games simply for fun. If there's a profit in it, fine, but I've always seen it as something secondary. That's why I've always focused on aspects like gameplay or graphics (which is the most entertaining part of the development), and leaving aside later updates, possible user loyalty, etc. At least until now. I would like to take this more seriously, as I would like to explore the possibility of making a living from it in the future. As I see it right now, I have to release 2 very powerful games (bubble and this one) and keep updating Hill Racing. Focusing a bit more on making a profit

 

[melonZgz]

Here the first version of the icon (AI designed at first, with some post processing from my side):

And here the second game that will be included in the game: the basket game.
It's an old project I had in my abandoned projects folder, so I decided to do something with it, as it's funny and addictive.


The concept is simple, just swipe the ball to the basket. As you progress you collect stars and unlock new balls

 

[melonZgz]

While these 2 games (pinball and basket) are almost finished, now I'm working in the arcade mini games.
The concept will be simple: a lot of mini games. I made a mockup of what I'm working on:

I've added scanlines and some CRT monitor effect to make it feel more like an arcade machine.
I think those are the games I'll add, at least for the first release. All of them will be "infinite" games. From left to right:
A flappy bird game: should be easy to make. And a very addictive game.
Racing game: just avoid the cars. Everytime harder, as velocity increases
A shoot'em up: Still thinking how should I make this one...
Scooter boy: a game where obstacles appear, and you just have to jump over them. (Like the dino game from Chrome when you don't have internet access...)
1D pacman: a VERY addictive game (check this link and see it by yourself). Should be easy to port.

At least that's my first idea, everything may change as progress is made.

 

[melonZgz]

And I have more updates....
I've started the arcade side of this project, so with you, my flappy bird version:


I've added some scanlines, I don't know if they show ok in the video, but I like the way it shows in my test devices...
There is also a parallax effect for the background, a cool transition effect, an animation when you beat your record, accurate physics (yes, you can fall into the pipe)...

 

[Alessandro71]

Just my 2 cents: simulated scanlines are cool and appropriate for old school games, but flappy bird was born when scanlines were already a thing of the past.
they look somewhat out of place in that context.

 

[Sandman]

1D pacman: a VERY addictive game (check this link and see it by yourself). Should be easy to port.

I don't know if the link I posted was the inspiration for including this, but I'm looking forward to trying your version.

And the whole project looks amazing!

 

[melonZgz]

Just my 2 cents: simulated scanlines are cool and appropriate for old school games, but flappy bird was born when scanlines were already a thing of the past.
they look somewhat out of place in that context.

Yep, I know... The idea I have in mind is a collection of arcade mini games that use 1 or 2 buttons... and then flappy bird came into my mind as a one button game. I'll keep it, but maybe don't use it as the first visible arcade game...

I don't know if the link I posted was the inspiration for including this, but I'm looking forward to trying your version.

And the whole project looks amazing!

Yeah, I think it was your post where I saw the game... and almost lost my morning playing

 

[andymc]

this is looking really good! Can I ask a favour? Please don't add a breakout game, tetris or classic pacman styles games. No reason....

 

[melonZgz]

this is looking really good! Can I ask a favour? Please don't add a breakout game, tetris or classic pacman styles games. No reason....

May I ask you why? I mean, I'd like to add the 1D pacman game (not the classic one), but I was really thinking about making an Arkanoid/Breakout one, I think it could fit there...

 

[Sandman]

May I ask you why?

He's making a joke. Check out the games he published for a clue to his request.

 

[melonZgz]

He's making a joke. Check out the games he published for a clue to his request.

(didn't get it and feel a little dumb now)

I think I can make mini games really fast if I have time... so there may be plenty of them
Maybe too soon (needs more test), but I've made my first approach to the run'n jump game: first called "scooter boy"


It's a very basic game with only one button, you just have to jump over the obstacles.
I've made it because it's very similar to the flappy bird one and I can reuse a lot of code and I've made it really fast. There are also 5 parallax layers and the same GUI
There is also a test of the arcade GUI game selection, still testing images...

 

[andymc]

May I ask you why? I mean, I'd like to add the 1D pacman game (not the classic one), but I was really thinking about making an Arkanoid/Breakout one, I think it could fit there...

I'm half joking really. I've got a bunch of work in progress games I've not released yet. I'm sure there's no conflict if you put a breakout game in. There's plenty of breakout games on the play store already. I only thinking of doing one as I've not seen any that really hit the spot for me, or that support 120hz phones. It's a simple game that I think I could make a good version of.

 

[andymc]

I love the look of your games, do you draw the graphics yourself or buy them? And are you still using libgdx? I get the odd crash report related to libgdx so am considering other libraries.

 

[melonZgz]

About the graphics: some of them I buy them, some others come from free pages like opengameart or itch.io. What I allways do is adjust everything, I mean, I modify them all until I feel everything matches. From adjusting the pallette to modify the graphics in gimp/inkscape
And yes, I'm still using libgdx. And I must admit that I'm very worried about it. I mean, all my games rely on one library that depends on @Informatix.
Who knows if the day will come when, unsurprisingly, Google will update anything and it will no longer be usable? It all depends on one person and he doesn't seem to be very active lately. Besides, how many people are using libgdx to program games here? very few, so we can hardly even help each other...
I don't know if this is the best place to say this, but I'm very very tempted to start using Unity or Godot, especially if I intend to make some profit from games, or even make that my main income. I just can't afford the risk that one day it will stop working.... (sorry for going offtopic)

 

[Sandman]

Thank you for openly sharing your thoughts and worries.

 

[andymc]

And yes, I'm still using libgdx. And I must admit that I'm very worried about it. I mean, all my games rely on one library that depends on @Informatix.
Who knows if the day will come when, unsurprisingly, Google will update anything and it will no longer be usable? It all depends on one person and he doesn't seem to be very active lately. Besides, how many people are using libgdx to program games here? very few, so we can hardly even help each other...
I don't know if this is the best place to say this, but I'm very very tempted to start using Unity or Godot, especially if I intend to make some profit from games, or even make that my main income. I just can't afford the risk that one day it will stop working.... (sorry for going offtopic)

Totally understand. I've been thinking about this myself lately. It's great to have something simple available like libgdx b4a library to use for free. But it's not officially supported and could stop working any moment like you say. I've been tempted to look elsewhere but haven't looked much so am not sure what else I could use that would be as simple.