Games What about a frogger/crossy road game?

melonZgz

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Hello there! It's been a long time, but I'd like to get back to game programing.
I remember myself playing frogger at the arcade machines when I was a kid, and I also have recently played during the last years to the infinite clone Crossy Road. I think its a very very fun concept for a game, so, last weekend, as goolge doesn't let me update my games I decided to start my own version of the classic

The concept is more like crossy road, as it will be an infinite game, harder as you progress.
I'm still testing the art, at the moment the main character is just for testing purposes. the idea is having multiple characters that you have to unlock... What I still don't know is waht would fit better, running characters or cute animals bouncing like the crossy road...

Edited at April 21 of 2022:

First beta version released:

funciones4.jpg
 
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andymc

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I think the Google Play store ratings system would prefer animals to humans getting hit by cars.

Otherwise, good idea. I'll cross Frogger off my future game project list as I'm sure you'll do an amazing job on it like you have with your other games.
 

ilan

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What I still don't know is waht would fit better, running characters or cute animals bouncing like the crossy road...

good to see you back @melonZgz. i missed your GIP threads. there are too many frogger games in the store so you will need to think about a new concept of this game.
maybe you are in the supermarket with your shopping cart trying to reach to the vegetable section. i would would put 3-4 modes where the user can play that each mode will be infinite. so 1 mode could be in the supermarket, 1 in school, 1 in the mall ...

so try to make it funny...

pixel graphics: https://cdna.artstation.com/p/asset...-zuliani-new-stuff-18-7-export.gif?1612951610


I'll cross Frogger off my future game project list

:oops: why?

i have frogger also on my list but i will not remove it because someone else will make it. every game can be unique and i prefer to have a big list of frogger games in the store so i can pick what looks nice to me than having only 1 or 2 frogger games.
 

melonZgz

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Hello guys! Nice to see you again!

I think the Google Play store ratings system would prefer animals to humans getting hit by cars.
To be honest, it's been years developing games and I really don't understand a thing about google rating system. In one of my last failed tries to update my racing game (BTW, I haven't still been able to upload it, rejected 5 times), the update was rejected because I included a link to my own games, where you can download the catapult game. It looks like google thinks it's a violent game (IT'S RATED PEGI7!!!!) so I can't add link to it in a game that includes the 9-13 age range as one of the target audiences.:mad:
So maybe you can make a game where a human gets hit by a train (crossy road has humans also), but if you're not a company the reviewer can think that your game is +18 and you can do nothing

there are too many frogger games in the store so you will need to think about a new concept of this game.

Yep, I'd like to make something a little different, but... you have more posibilities to have success if you clone something that if you innovate! sad but true. You get the formula of something that is proved to work, and it may work. Int the other hand, you can think you have the best idea in the world, and the rest of the world may think different!
 

sorex

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I really don't understand a thing about google rating system.

join the club. I'm also getting reject after reject.

these days you can only use certain ad SDKs and they have to be approved by them.
I know from 1 ad company who supplied their SDK and info but they never heard back from Google.
talking about dominant behaviour.

if I disable ages so that it is 13+ only they reject the app because the icon might still attract kids.
It's like your frogger game icon should be just flat green. So I don't know what to do next.
I bet they don't have problems with it if they see that the app generates a lot of revenue for them (admob)
as I still see games that should be rejected aswell if you follow the same rules.


about your game...

frogger was cool because it had a bit of variation (cars, logs and turtles moving/dissapearing, crocodiles in the grass holes) even when it was a single screen game.
I'm missing that with endless versions of it as it seems like you're stuck at the first half of the original game.

there was also a frogger 2 multiscreen version which was under water and in the sky.

your progress is good (as usual) and so are the graphics. so keep on going I'd say :)
 

cklester

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You could do a space-themed version, where you're in a spaceship and the various obstacles could be other spaceships, satellites or other space-junk, asteroids, etc. Maybe you could make that work... :D
 

sorex

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a decade ago I had a game like that on my blackberry 7100v (vodaphone).

it started with, if I recall right, 2 x 2 lanes and it became longer each level. after a few levels the theme changed and it had this metal looking space stuff aswell.

I couldn't find it on youtube but here's a screeshot

7100t-game-Rooster-02.png
7100t-game-Rooster-03.png
 

melonZgz

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if I disable ages so that it is 13+ only they reject the app because the icon might still attract kids.
It's like your frogger game icon should be just flat green. So I don't know what to do next.

If you want to keep the icon and screenshots you have to advertise that your game is not designed for kids. So near your game will be a label that says that, wich can be very harmfull for downloads. It's a lose-lose situation for us...

frogger was cool because it had a bit of variation (cars, logs and turtles moving/dissapearing, crocodiles in the grass holes) even when it was a single screen game.
I'm missing that with endless versions of it as it seems like you're stuck at the first half of the original game.

Well, I think the idea behind those infinite games is a bit different. From my own point of view, there is a personal record to beat, the levels are generated randomly, so it's not allways the same level, it pushes you to play again and again. Then there should be an online scoreboard, to see how people is doing, and there should be a lot of unlockable characters and items, so the player is encouraged to play more and more just to unlock the viking character, or the wizard, or whatever...

BTW, still changing graphics until I find I'm confortable with what I see:
Screenshot_20210711-205418.png
 

andymc

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Looks great! Maybe have the trees sway in the breeze a little, and the odd squirrel run across the grass. What about having some bonus pick ups on the roads?

It looks like you've built a nice framework for games over the years, making your games look very professional. Great work!
 

melonZgz

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Hello there guys!
After thinking about it a lot and following @ilan suggestions... I think this game has certain potential so I've decided to continue working on it.
My time is very limited, but I've done some updates to it:

First, I've changed the main character. Now it's a cute animal. Still no animation as I'm still learning the Blender basis... hope to have something for this weekend.
Also testing new levels (snowy level here in the video)
 

ilan

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looks really great. can you make the character also go right and left? it would make the game much funner and you can also see the character from the side because now i only see the back.
 

melonZgz

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Hi, I've been working a little here:
First, it's still soon but what about this for an icon?

icono.png

As the game will be a Crossy Road clone, it makes sense the icon has to be similar... As I said it's still soon and I have to think about it a little
Now the updates:

There is some kind of jumping animation (still working on it... and have to change perspective and illumination), snow level updated with it's own objects and finally I've introduced coins. The idea is you get coins and with that coins you can buy different characters...
I'm still thinking if I should randomize the type of level (as I'm doing right now) or maybe make it start allways in grass, and as you progress you get new levels (let's say when you make 50 points you get to level 2, wich is snow, when you get 100 you get into a new level and so on...)

looks really great. can you make the character also go right and left? it would make the game much funner and you can also see the character from the side because now i only see the back.
Still thinking about it...
 

melonZgz

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And I have another update to show, so tell me what you think :):


There are some animations (when you get coins or items, when you get smashed...) and there are more scenarios as you progress: First you start allways in the grass level, when you get some points, there is a bag with a lot of coins and you get into level 2 (the desert), after you cross the desert you get into the snow, and so on...
I have also been wornking on some very basuc UI for the character selection, still not functional, just to see how it feels
 

JohnC

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Suggestion...

Add some hazards if the player stays on the side of the road too long.

For example, if the player stays on the grass too long, have a barking dog start approaching him and if the dog reaches the player, they will die.

And when waiting in the snow too long, have a guy with a snow blower approach the player...

And when waiting in the desert too long, have a snake slither towards the player.
 
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melonZgz

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Hi there!
As allways the progress is slower than what I'd like, but here is what I have, so tell me what you think about it:


The main advance is that there are multiple playable characters now.
At the start the character is looking backwards so the player can see his face.
Also done a lot of bugfixing and added a lot of sounds.
Suggestion...

Add some hazards if the player stays on the side of the road too long.

For example, if the player stays on the grass too long, have a barking dog start approaching him and if the dog reaches the player, they will die.

And when waiting in the snow too long, have a guy with a snow blower approach the player...

And when waiting in the desert too long, have a snake slither towards the player.

Still thinking about it, as I don't want to stress the player, that is one of the things I hate about Crossy Road.

About the game and it's progress. First finishing the sounds and then I'd like to pack all the textures and use an assetManager as I always do with my games and release an early alpha here, maybe in 1 or 2 weeks...
 

melonZgz

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Hello there!
I think the game is almost ready (at least the game mechanics...) so I've released a public beta so you guys can try it and tell me what you think about it.

funciones4.jpg

Known issues:
  • Found some performance problems in some devices (moto G6 with some lag sometimes... moto G4 OK, all Xiaomi devices tested ok...)
  • Missing some sounds here and there
  • Only jumping forward at the moment. Jumping to the sides discarted, but still thinking about jumping backwards (maybe swipe gesture)
  • Still have to study about integrating GPGS to get an online scoreboard or something

Please tell me what you think. Too difficult... too easy... addicting or not. Things you'd change, things you like... please be honest, don't hesitate to be sincere. Even if you think it's a crappy game just tell me.
 

andymc

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I've played it for about 15 minutes now, so here's some first thoughts feedback.

Graphics are great, don't change those.
Sound effects are nice, but could do with some music
Maybe vary the scenery at random so you don't always start at the grass area.
Add an option to watch a rewarded ad to start at the last checkered line instead of going right back to the start each time you die.

Being able to jump backwards is a big deal in the original frogger games, otherwise you end up stuck on a road, knowing you're going to die and you can't jump backwards out the way. So adding a backwards jump for me is more important than left or right. Left or right were only really needed in Frogger to let the player get to the different end places on each level.

Sometimes the coins show ontop of the cars instead of being infront or behind them, making it very difficult to collect them.

Hitting the side of vehicles is funny, but what if you had a one in three chance of bouncing off? That might add to the gameplay.

Add the current highscore to the Title screen, and maybe have the highscore on the game screen while playing rather than just showing it on the gameover screen.

It wasn't clear to me how to select a character once I unlocked one, maybe the character you unlock should automatically be set as the player when it's unlocked?
 
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