01-26-2015, 02:23 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-26-2015, 02:37 PM by Kelvin.
Edit Reason: Played the game.
)
It'd be nice if you'd put links in your last post or keep the updated version in the first post so people don't have to keep scrolling back and forth each time.
[EDIT]
OK, seems pretty solid so far. It still feels a little stiff when attacking on the ground. Maybe it's because the melee attack stops you dead, but it takes several frames too long, especially for how short the sword is. I don't think it would hurt to let the blade stretch out during the swing so it has some real reach to it.
The partner AI needs some work, but I know how hard that can be. What I think you should do is if the way to the player is blocked vertically, have it run either left or right until it finds an empty space to jump up or hits a wall, then change direction. Having it check ahead for empty spaces is a good way to make it jump when it reaches a ledge, and just have it not jump if the player is lower than it, so that it knows to go down. Since leaving him behind tends to get him killed, it might be a good idea to have him warp to you the way partners do in Kirby games. Just have him teleport when he goes off screen, maybe have him turn into a dummy object that flies towards you, then turns back into the partner object when it reaches you. It might be neat if the fairy served a purpose by going down and carrying the partner to you, which could simply be done by having it fly rapidly towards the dummy object, then when it reaches the dummy, the dummy starts flying towards you as a result of the collision event.
I think it's really cool that you're attempting partner AI in a platformer game; pathfinding with gravity involved can be really tough. ShyGuy did a really great AI engine for another game he was working on, so he'd probably be able to help more than me.
[EDIT]
OK, seems pretty solid so far. It still feels a little stiff when attacking on the ground. Maybe it's because the melee attack stops you dead, but it takes several frames too long, especially for how short the sword is. I don't think it would hurt to let the blade stretch out during the swing so it has some real reach to it.
The partner AI needs some work, but I know how hard that can be. What I think you should do is if the way to the player is blocked vertically, have it run either left or right until it finds an empty space to jump up or hits a wall, then change direction. Having it check ahead for empty spaces is a good way to make it jump when it reaches a ledge, and just have it not jump if the player is lower than it, so that it knows to go down. Since leaving him behind tends to get him killed, it might be a good idea to have him warp to you the way partners do in Kirby games. Just have him teleport when he goes off screen, maybe have him turn into a dummy object that flies towards you, then turns back into the partner object when it reaches you. It might be neat if the fairy served a purpose by going down and carrying the partner to you, which could simply be done by having it fly rapidly towards the dummy object, then when it reaches the dummy, the dummy starts flying towards you as a result of the collision event.
I think it's really cool that you're attempting partner AI in a platformer game; pathfinding with gravity involved can be really tough. ShyGuy did a really great AI engine for another game he was working on, so he'd probably be able to help more than me.