BUGGLY-WUGGLY-WOO! [img]http://i.imgur.com/u5l0qH4.png[/img] WE'RE BACK! In Magikoopa Security Force, one does not play the hackneyed role of a so-called 'hero' stampeding through the property of others, stealing whatever they don't smash. Instead, we don the noble robes of a Magikoopa rightfully defending our world from intruders. Summon Minions to deal with a rising tide of hostile Shy Guys attempting to plunder your resources and weave magical spells to turn the tide of battle. When working in tandem with your troops, strategy is just as important as action, and your quick-thinking and decision-making determine whether you defend an area with aplomb or barely make it out with a few coins. 18+ unique minions all have special roles to fill, and resources and time must be managed to ensure that your defenses can push back your attackers. [b]Version 0.81 Download[/b]: http://www.mfgg.net/index.php?act=resdb&param=02&c=2&id=29243 Read the readme file for controls. Magikoopa Security Force is best controlled with the mouse and keyboard, but can also be played with the mouse alone. If you've managed to retain an old MSF save file, I am afraid that it is somewhat incompatible with this version. The game will attempt to convert your save file, but it will result in a broken save. This update fixes a few bugs, rehauls the Level Description window on the world map, balances an assortment of minions, increases the MP regeneration rate by 20%, and adds three new Super Spells, bringing the total to 12. [spoiler]SPELL CHANGES - FP generation rate increased by 20% - Shell Shot: Now lasts 5 seconds (up from 4.17) and does 2 damage per hit. The point bonus now only applies to Shy Guys it defeats. Falls faster. Now costs 200 coins to unlock. - Power Points: Now costs 300 coins to unlock. NEW MINIONS - Lakitu: 120 points / 500 coins to unlock / Purchaseable after Seize the Gate!. Specializes in summoning ground troops and bombing ground enemies from the air. - Charging Chuck: 100 points / 400 coins to unlock / Purchaseable after Tribal Traffic. Specializes in defeating lines of grounded Shy Guys. NEW SPELLS - Nimbus Nullifier: 33 points / 200 coins to unlock MINION CHANGES - Minions that do not take up space can now be placed on top of minions that take up space. This change does not affect Piranha Plants. - Koopa Troopas: Can no longer be spawned on one-tile-wide pillars. - Piranha Plants/Fire Piranhas: Cooldown reduced to 15 seconds. - Buzzy Beetle: Attack rate increased by 4%. Coin cost to unlock reduced to 200 (from 300). Removed stray pixel from foot. - Pokey: Regeneration rate improved when few segments are lost. - Chain Chomp: AI improved significantly, now actively targets lines of Shy Guys. Attack rate reduced slightly. Goes to sleep when idle. - Bullet Bill: Cooldown reduced to 5 seconds. Now displays as MAX when no cannons are present. Speed increased by 33%. - Cheep-Cheep: Attack rate increased by 20%. - Blooper: No longer targets dangerous enemies (can still die by direct contact). - Hammer Bro: Cooldown reduced to 15 seconds. - Paratroopa: No longer targets dangerous enemies (can still die by direct contact). Coin cost to unlock reduced to 300 (from 500) - Thwomp: Cooldown reduced to 30 seconds. Maximum hits-per-strike reduced to 30 (from 50). - Dry Bones: Can no longer be spawned on one-tile-wide pillars. ENEMY CHANGES - Toadine now has 25 health (down from 30). Toadine's Super Mushroom grass is present from the start of the fight (but is only used when she hits critical HP). - Boo Guys are now more likely to stop and phase through the block to collect a coin rather than fly into it. - Ghoul Guy now has a cap of 10-30 Dry Guys onscreen at once (based on his current health). Ghoul Guy pauses for one second between reviving the Dry Guys and beginning to shoot. LEVEL CHANGES - Make Goombas, Lose Goombas title changed to Stomping Grounds (original title too long) - Chain Chomp Challenge starting points decreased to 50, from 60. Final Ghost Guy wave increased by 66%. - Airborne Assault has been rehauled. No longer has Green Guys. - Underwater Excursion rehauled, now lasts three minutes. - Invisible walls removed from Submarine Sam's Depths. - Coastal Clash starting points increased to 120, from 100. Early Bandit/Red Guy wave has 50% reduced Bandits. - Seize the Gate! now has a 25% weaker Boo Guy wave. - Lavalava Jungle no longer has Balloon Guys. - Minions can no longer be placed on the edges of the giant mushrooms in Bonus Battlefield, The Problem With Pits, and Three Road Rally. INTERFACE CHANGES - Level titles are no longer displayed on the level information window on the left side of the screen (but are still displayed at the bottom of the screen). - Levels now display previews on the world map. - Level tag system rehauled. Now shows icons for pipes/cannons/water and displays every Shy Guy present in the level. Boss levels and levels with a very large variety of Shy Guy types do not display which Shy Guys are present. BUGFIXES - Piranha Plants and Fire Piranha Plants now max out at the correct numbers when used together. - Boo Guys in Ghoul Guy's Crypt are now always spawned in (vertical) range of the block. - Boo Guys will no longer get 'stuck' on a block if they hit it at the same time as another Shy Guy. - Shy Guys of all types will not get stuck if above the the block on a different path. - Buttons with invalid Minion IDs are now reverted to empty in the Minion Select screen. - Map Castles now properly transition to their new color when ranking up. - Level title text no longer moves when restarting a level.[/spoiler] Features incoming in the next update: - A proper shop system. - New minions to purchase.

Wow! Has it really been 3 years? Nice to see this has been worked on again!

*squee!* I absolutely loved this game. Can't try it out now due to my other priorities, but I will try it during NCFC!

[img]http://i.imgur.com/v2fzwtG.png[/img] Finished work on Chargin' Chucks. They sit still and look around when placed, then do a running charge to the left upon sighting an enemy. The charge ends when they've attacked ten times or hit a wall-whichever comes first. They jump back to their initial summoning position after the charge. After looking at some testing, I've decided to up the FP rate by 20%. It now takes about 84 seconds to fill the bar. I've also made Ghoul Guy a tad easier. There is now a cap on how many Dry Guys can be present onscreen, and the cap increases as Ghoul Guy's health lowers. I've spent hours upon hours trying to balance Ghoul Guy and I'm hoping that this could be the end of things. I need feedback to do these balances, fellows. Strategy games cannot be balanced properly with my present testbase of three people. EDIT: [img]http://i.imgur.com/bC0SJCy.png[/img] [size=150][font=Impact]Carrier has arrived.[/font][/size]

Doing a quick play through right now, and I wanted to mention two things: Bug in level [ispoiler]"Release the Blooper!"[/ispoiler] [spoiler]The Ghoul Guy is stuck on the coin block in this level. Only time I've seen it. [img]http://i.imgur.com/xOz4pm5.png[/img][/spoiler] A request: Can there please be a way to place moving minions on non-moving? Currently (and I believe the last version too), the player cannot place moving units (Goombas, Koopas, etc) on areas where there are already non-moving units in place (Piranha Plants, Monty Moles, that green dude I forgot the name of, etc). This is only a hindrance from the way I see it. I'm not asking to place non-moving in the same spot, just moving units on already placed non-moving units. EDIT: Some feedback on the [b]FP Meter[/b]: I'm enjoying the new FP meter. It seems like a separate meter that recharges was a good change. It's fun and it works. While I enjoy the idea and it's mostly good, I do have one thing I dislike. In my opinion, for the meter not to recharge while attacking seems to "punish" the player too hard. I think this "punish" should be lifted, even a little, by adding some amount of recharge over time even while attacking. The reason I see this as a "punish" is because I find the spells fun to use, and to have the wait for the reward (the spells) is not fun. Sorry if it sounds like I'm complaining, I just want you to see the flaw I see. Suggestion... - Seeing the levels before entering might be beneficial for the final release. A tiny level preview under all the level descriptors would be really helpful, but since the player can just enter the level and exit this might not be necessary. [b]EDIT2[/b]: Oh no, my game broke... (big image warning) [spoiler][img]http://i.imgur.com/s13Jtgl.png[/img][/spoiler] It turns out that I wasn't using three minions for some reason reason. I had gotten up to level [ispoiler]"Betty Blargg's Furnace"[/ispoiler]. Upon entering that level with this glitch, I got this error: [spoiler]___________________________________________ ERROR in action number 1 of Draw Event for object Control: In script checkMax: In script mCount: Error in code at line 13: count = instance_number(mClass[argument0]); ^ at position 33: Negative array index[/spoiler] Then, upon re-entering the same level after exiting the game and reloading my save file... [spoiler]ERROR in action number 1 of Draw Event for object Control: In script checkMax: In script mCount: Error in code at line 13: count = instance_number(mClass[argument0]); ^ at position 26: Unknown variable mClass or array index out of bounds[/spoiler] I had fixed the glitch by holding enter to select Ignore and selecting the minions via mouse.

Hurrah! Feedback! Let's see... [quote]Can there please be a way to place moving minions on non-moving? Currently (and I believe the last version too), the player cannot place moving units (Goombas, Koopas, etc) on areas where there are already non-moving units in place (Piranha Plants, Monty Moles, that green dude I forgot the name of, etc). This is only a hindrance from the way I see it. I'm not asking to place non-moving in the same spot, just moving units on already placed non-moving units.[/quote] I've considered this, but I'm worried that it could detract from the simplicity of the current system (outside of pipes, the universal nature of places-you-can-put-down-minions helps simplify things. Pipes are a special case because it doesn't look right to put down Koopas on top of a pipe). I'll try implementing it and see if it feels intuitive. [quote]I'm enjoying the new FP meter. It seems like a separate meter that recharges was a good change. It's fun and it works. While I enjoy the idea and it's mostly good, I do have one thing I dislike. In my opinion, for the meter not to recharge while attacking seems to "punish" the player too hard. I think this "punish" should be lifted, even a little, by adding some amount of recharge over time even while attacking. The reason I see this as a "punish" is because I find the spells fun to use, and to have the wait for the reward (the spells) is not fun. Sorry if it sounds like I'm complaining, I just want you to see the flaw I see.[/quote] It is intended to be a punishment; the purpose of the spell system is to get players in the habit of sitting back and letting their minions do work whenever possible. The 20% increase in FP generation next update should make that a bit more clear, as it increases the opportunity cost of attacking while also making it possible for players to rely a bit more on spells. I've also noticed from your screenshots that you've been using Power Points. When designing Power Points, I deliberately kept it a bit undertuned, as I was worried that a spell that permanently increases your power (by letting you place down more minions) would almost always be chosen over the temporary attacks. As of now I am looking for ways to make Power Points a bit better; my current considerations are reducing the FP cost and point increase to 25% (which may not feel very rewarding on each cast, but will allow you to get more points than before if cast consecutively) or maintaining the 50% FP cost and increasing the point increase to 100% (which might make it a little bit too powerful). Some balance testing may be necessary. [quote]- Seeing the levels before entering might be beneficial for the final release. A tiny level preview under all the level descriptors would be really helpful, but since the player can just enter the level and exit this might not be necessary.[/quote] I've been thinking about this for a while, so I'll try to get it into the next release. I do agree that it seems a bit inconvenient to 'scout out' a level prior to actually picking units for it. The current plan is to display a simplified map of the level that shows the general shape/pipes/cannons/block location. A level descriptor overhaul is also in the works; the tags are planned to be replaced by icons that simply show which Shy Guys are in the level and whether pipes/cannons/water are present. Thank you for the bug reports, they have been added to the list and should be cleared up by the next release.

Ah, I love that you're responding. Let's keep this going steady, shall we? (I'm saying I want to be a steady tester for this game. :D) [quote="Magnemania"]I've considered this, but I'm worried that it could detract from the simplicity of the current system (outside of pipes, the universal nature of places-you-can-put-down-minions helps simplify things. Pipes are a special case because it doesn't look right to put down Koopas on top of a pipe). I'll try implementing it and see if it feels intuitive.[/quote] Please, I would be interested in seeing this implemented. I can understand not being able to place non-piranha plant units on pipes, that's an interesting point. I'm thinking that due to the nature of how the game already works with how minions and Shy Guys can overlap each other, I was thinking being able to place units on top of each other in the fashion I suggested would make sense, no? Unless the nature changed, where minions bumped into eachother and switched direction like classic Mario games, then I could see why units could not be placed on top of each other. [quote="Magnemania"]It is intended to be a punishment; the purpose of the spell system is to get players in the habit of sitting back and letting their minions do work whenever possible. The 20% increase in FP generation next update should make that a bit more clear, as it increases the opportunity cost of attacking while also making it possible for players to rely a bit more on spells.[/quote] Ah, I look forward to this increased FP generation. I agree with your points here, and I believe this will work. [quote="Magnemania"]I've also noticed from your screenshots that you've been using Power Points. When designing Power Points, I deliberately kept it a bit undertuned, as I was worried that a spell that permanently increases your power (by letting you place down more minions) would almost always be chosen over the temporary attacks. As of now I am looking for ways to make Power Points a bit better; my current considerations are reducing the FP cost and point increase to 25% (which may not feel very rewarding on each cast, but will allow you to get more points than before if cast consecutively) or maintaining the 50% FP cost and increasing the point increase to 100% (which might make it a little bit too powerful). Some balance testing may be necessary.[/quote] I use Power Points because it's overpowered! :agree: Yup yup. Seriously, anything that increases resource points for free by doing nothing, in my eyes, is really really overpowered. To be frank though, I don't find it to be that fun either, nor rewarding. I mean you wait to get points; you don't defeat Guys, you thin out your army to a minimum as to best maximize the amount you get, and... I dunno, it's just not fun to me. I would much rather use a shell and time it just right to get a ton of points. With the Power Points, it's like the whole concept of being rewarded points is stripped down to the bare bones; You get points for the sake of having points. I don't get it, it just doesn't sound like it works for me. Oh and by the way, teleport is really fun. I haven't quite figured out how to use it yet, but it's really fun. [quote="Magnemania"]I've been thinking about this for a while, so I'll try to get it into the next release. I do agree that it seems a bit inconvenient to 'scout out' a level prior to actually picking units for it. The current plan is to display a simplified map of the level that shows the general shape/pipes/cannons/block location. A level descriptor overhaul is also in the works; the tags are planned to be replaced by icons that simply show which Shy Guys are in the level and whether pipes/cannons/water are present.[/quote] Oh I would love that. Anything but the current system, it's kind of bland, hah. [quote="Magnemania"]Thank you for the bug reports, they have been added to the list and should be cleared up by the next release.[/quote] Hooray!! :D EDIT1: Oh yeah, I was thinking of a new unit that might be cool: Rocky Wrench? I mean, it's just a Monty Mole that shoots in a straight line. Wouldn't that be cool? I dunno maybe it's just a bad idea... It sounds like a cool variation though. EDIT2: OH what about a fake Bowser, or turning regular minions into a Bowser temporarily?! Sorry I just got really excited and wanted to share.

I've started uploading unstable (not fully playtested) releases in the first post. This version contains bugfixes, Charging Chucks, Lakitus, and several balance changes. To unlock Charging Chucks and Lakitus for purchase, the associated levels ([ispoiler]Tribal Traffic[/ispoiler] and [ispoiler]Seize the Gate[/ispoiler], respectively) must be completed once on the new version, regardless of whether or not they have already been completed. Changelog thus far: [spoiler]SPELL CHANGES - FP generation rate increased by 20% - Shell Shot: Now lasts 5 seconds (up from 4.17) and does 2 damage per hit. The point bonus now only applies to Shy Guys it defeats. Falls faster. Now costs 200 coins to unlock. - Power Points: Now costs 300 coins to unlock. NEW MINIONS - Lakitu: 120 points / 500 coins to unlock / Purchaseable after Seize the Gate!. Specializes in summoning ground troops and bombing ground enemies from the air. - Charging Chuck: 100 points / 400 coins to unlock / Purchaseable after Tribal Traffic. Specializes in defeating lines of grounded Shy Guys. MINION CHANGES - Minions that do not take up space can now be placed on top of minions that take up space. This change does not affect Piranha Plants. - Koopa Troopas: Can no longer be spawned on one-tile-wide pillars. - Piranha Plants/Fire Piranhas: Cooldown reduced to 15 seconds. - Buzzy Beetle: Attack rate increased by 4%. Coin cost to unlock reduced to 200 (from 300) - Pokey: Regeneration rate improved when few segments are lost. - Bullet Bill: Cooldown reduced to 5 seconds. Now displays as MAX when no cannons are present. - Blooper: No longer targets dangerous enemies (can still die by direct contact). - Hammer Bro: Cooldown reduced to 15 seconds. - Paratroopa: No longer targets dangerous enemies (can still die by direct contact). Coin cost to unlock reduced to 300 (from 500) - Thwomp: Cooldown reduced to 30 seconds. Maximum hits-per-strike reduced to 30 (from 50). - Dry Bones: Can no longer be spawned on one-tile-wide pillars. ENEMY CHANGES - Toadine now has 25 health (down from 30). Toadine's Super Mushroom grass is present from the start of the fight (but is only used when she hits critical HP). - Boo Guys now stop and fade into the block from a greater distance. - Ghoul Guy now has a cap of 10-30 Dry Guys onscreen at once (based on his current health). Ghoul Guy pauses for one second between reviving the Dry Guys and beginning to shoot. LEVEL CHANGES - Seize the Gate! now has a 25% weaker Boo Guy wave. - Coastal Clash starting points increased to 120, from 100. Early Bandit/Red Guy wave has 50% reduced Bandits. BUGFIXES - Piranha Plants and Fire Piranha Plants now max out at the correct numbers when used together. - Boo Guys in Ghoul Guy's Crypt are now always spawned in (vertical) range of the block. - Boo Guys will no longer get 'stuck' on a block if they hit it at the same time as another Shy Guy. - Buttons with invalid Minion IDs are now reverted to empty in the Minion Select screen.[/spoiler] [quote]To be frank though, I don't find it to be that fun either, nor rewarding. I mean you wait to get points; you don't defeat Guys, you thin out your army to a minimum as to best maximize the amount you get, and... I dunno, it's just not fun to me. I would much rather use a shell and time it just right to get a ton of points. With the Power Points, it's like the whole concept of being rewarded points is stripped down to the bare bones; You get points for the sake of having points. I don't get it, it just doesn't sound like it works for me.[/quote] The main idea behind Power Points is removing your ability to store up attacks for emergencies and replacing it with a slightly increased minion count. The average level lasts 200 seconds and it takes about 87 seconds to charge the bar to full. Assuming that the player spends 1/3rd of the level's duration attacking/summoning, Power Points can be cast three times. Without the aid of an offensive spell, players should have difficulty storing up more than 120 points without falling behind the waves, so the average return on Power Points is going to be 60 (the max is 100). That totals a player's total point return to 180 per level, equivalent to 4.5 Koopas. That's a significant amount of repeating firepower, but it's also important to keep in mind that: - Saving 120 points requires using one's attacks to make up for the minion deficiency - Saving 50 FP requires lowering one's attack rate - The last cast of the spell (for 60 points) is only going to give you minions for the final wave, whereas a pair of Burning Barrages, a Shell Shot, or some of the more expensive spells can be used much more effectively to counter the final wave than 1.5 Koopas. - The psychological effect of trying to reduce attack rate and point consumption is fairly damaging and frequently results in coin loss. This is also the 'enjoyment' of the spell: the stress of dealing with low power, followed by the payoff of reaching a higher strength than a normal spell. - Furthermore, the player isn't getting any points for Shy Guys that slip past; if the player lets 5 Stilt Guys escape while saving up for Power Points and casts the spell at 100 points, the player is directly worse off than a player using no spell because they've lost 5*10 points in escaped Shy Guys. The current attempted solution to this is to increase the unlock cost of Power Points. The unlock costs for a minion/spell aren't intended to be proportional to the strength of the minion/spell (since in theory the minions are all designed to be balanced with all the other minions and the spells are designed to be balanced with all the other spells) but to discourage players from replacing their existing kit with one that 'seems' better before getting a proper understanding of the pros/cons of their existing kit. [quote]Oh yeah, I was thinking of a new unit that might be cool: Rocky Wrench? I mean, it's just a Monty Mole that shoots in a straight line. Wouldn't that be cool? I dunno maybe it's just a bad idea... It sounds like a cool variation though.[/quote] I've been planning a skin system for a while now that would provide the option of replacing Monty Moles with Rocky Wrenches (since Monty Moles behave similarly to Rocky Wrenches and are introduced in place of Rocky Wrenches). Other potential skins include Gloombas, Green Koopas, Red Chain-Chomps, Green Cheep-Cheeps, Ice Bros...etc. The gameplay of the Minions will be unchanged. [quote]OH what about a fake Bowser, or turning regular minions into a Bowser temporarily?! Sorry I just got really excited and wanted to share.[/quote] Bowser may or may not appear in the game.

[code] enemies=0003 pipe=0 cannon=0 water=0 ################################ ################################ -------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- ------------------------------?- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- ##########=================##### ##########LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL##### ##########LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL##### ##########LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL#####[/code] Working on a scanner that saves level layouts in text files to be used for level previews. This is the first level. The previews won't actually be displayed in ASCII like this, but it's a great way to check to see if the scanner is working properly. EDIT: Level previews are complete. [spoiler][img]http://i.imgur.com/tBLdUiO.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/xcO3aYX.png[/img][/spoiler] Shows a little picture of the level that clearly displays exactly where minions can be placed. [spoiler][img]http://i.imgur.com/ZtQM5B5.png[/img][/spoiler] The Shy Guys thrown at you during boss levels are kept a mystery. Levels with lots of different types of Shy Guys will display the same symbol. EDIT: I have updated the unstable download. It includes the new level preview system along with a minor buff to Cheep-Cheeps and a rehaul for Underwater Excursion.

Wow. This certainly looks like it'll be fun once it finally releases. The graphics are certainly eye-pleasing. I'll download the beta and be sure to provide feedback.

A bit late to the party, but WOW IT'S BEEN THREE YEARS! I remember being in the topic of the last version and commenting about how I did enjoy it, and I'm glad you managed to bring it back. I'll test it whenever I can! Game Design oblidges, anyway, I do need experiences to understand ;)

Nice to see you back, Tortwag! In other news... [img]http://i.imgur.com/wWwnGLI.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/THyCjHc.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/0ck5AD2.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/HvqEvyT.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/IwoB6Wx.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/oPOtgHv.png[/img] Chain-Chomps are smarter! They now explicitly look for chains of nearby Shy Guys to attack, rather than attacking the closest one. They also spend a bit more time chomping at the end of their chain. They go to sleep when no enemies are close-by. This has also resulted in a slight reduction in how frequently they can attack, but overall they are significantly more reliable. The unstable release has been updated.

[quote="Magnemania"] [img]http://i.imgur.com/wWwnGLI.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/THyCjHc.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/0ck5AD2.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/HvqEvyT.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/IwoB6Wx.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/oPOtgHv.png[/img] [/quote] I really hope it will be an unlockable upgrade for the Chain Chomp, and you unlock it through this convo. It would be way too much of a waste to not include this convo in the actual game.

Nice undertale funney

Well, here's some feedback. Magnemania recommended that I post my overworld redesign mock-up, to get feedback from everyone. [u]Map Mock-up[/u] [spoiler]- Note: Buttons are placeholders. I used the new level display in the mock-up as well. All icons are spaced in 8x8 tiles. [img]http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/124/fifth%2Bversion%2528variant%2529.png[/img] - In the redesign, the prototype shop window would be eliminated. Instead, there would be a new official "Shop". - Also in the redesign, the game HUD would be displayed on the overworld. I took the idea from SMB3, which I think adds elegance and consistency to the design. The units would be selected on the overworld menu, the same way it can be done in the shop menu. It leaves room for four more units, if desired. - On the left, we have the coins the Shy Guys want to get, followed by level time, and lastly the amount of points at the start of the level. Next to it would show the "New Minion" available when the level is completed. (Magikoopa also makes a point of a tiny speech bubble to say "There is an event here! Look at this!" - In the top-right-hand corner, the average rank would be shown, as well as the current coins in the wallet. - "Units" would be selected by default. Perhaps the other icons could be disabled at the beginning of the game. - Each group of units are divided up by world (top row World 1, second row World 2, up until World 4, where it combines with the bought units). - By selecting "Magic", it would lead to this screen: [img]http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/124/fifth%2Bversion%2Bmagic%2B%2528variant%2529.png[/img] - With 10 spells divided up by 5, the top portion would be the purchased spells, while the ones below are special unlocks. - A highlighted spell would be colored in, while the unhighlighted would be greyed out. Clicking any spell would change the top-left spell on the HUD, where the spell is seen in during the main game. - There is a small box for descriptions. Anything can go there, but since this is an example I made up a name for the vegetable attack. - Clicking "Shop" would lead to a shop screen, which I haven't even begun to think of. I think it deserves its own screen.[/spoiler] Do give criticism, if any, as well as any comments on it, please! Now let's go over some other feedback. First, two bugs, to get that out of the way first. [u]Bugs[/u] [spoiler]1) By using the Torpedo spell, I think if the enemy is defeated that had a crosshair on them gives this error. I am not certain though. ___________________________________________ ERROR in action number 1 of Collision Event with object SpearGuy for object HomingBill: Error in code at line 1: if (other.id == crosshair.target) ^ at position 27: Unknown variable target 2) If the last survival mode match was a new record set, by going into another level without a record, then leaving the level after will place that new record from the other level onto the one without the record.[/spoiler] Onto the rest: [u]Units[/u] [spoiler]All Stompable Minions: Why do they not try to avoid the wall like Goombas do? Water Minions: Should display "MAX" if none can be placed in the level Monty Mole vs Spike: Spike doesn't compare to Monty Mole, like at all still. Monty Moles are way better due to a variety of reasons we've gone over in the prior thread. To fix this, maybe a simple price increase (50+10, up to 60) could do the trick, and/or reducing the cost of Spike (50-10, down to 40). I should also add I never used Spike outside the introduction level of it, simply because of the size, fire+stomp vulnerability, and price are not worth it in my opinion. Dry Bones: These are amazing. Half the Koopa cooldown, a bone toss that [i]actually hits stuff[/i] and fire immunity for 80 pts is quite a steal. I have no complaints. Bullet Bills: This should only shoot at close range. I will add that, if there is a second Bill loaded in the cannon and the one before is stomped, the second should fire immediately. Bob-omb: I dislike these being destroyed by fire. Chargin' Charles: These guys are great! I was not expecting them to jump back into position, it was a happy surprise. Definitely worth the price. I did notice they are able to move over two tile gaps (seen in Coastal Clash, far right near the block). Lakitu: These are useful, but I do need to do more testing. If placed too far to screen edge it moves off screen, sometimes throwing outside the boundary.[/spoiler] [u]Levels[/u] [spoiler]- Lower Ranked Minions (Goombas, Koopas, etc): I still that lower ranked minions should see more use, and the level design is the perfect opportunity to show their strengths. Still working on coming up with a level to do this (maybe in one of the castle levels). I will get back to you on this. Even lowering the starting points would do wonders to see their use. - Survival Mode: This gives an excessive amount of coins, to the point where increasing waves do not feel rewarding. My suggestion is to gain the amount of coins equivalent to the wave you on (ex. wave 5 rewards 5 coins, wave 6 rewards 6 coins, etc.) - Underwater Excursion: Haven't tried this yet![/spoiler] [u]Spells[/u] (Balance) [spoiler]- 87 second recharge Thank you for implementing this! It's definitely a whole lot better with the recharge being this fast, seeing as the overall wave times have been shortened. I say this is a :thumbsup: change. - Burning Barrage vs Vegetables In my opinion, I would take the vegetables over the Burning Barrage in any scenario, because of two things: Fire enemies are immune to the Burning Barrage (vegetables aren't), and the arc the vegetables proves to be very handy. The arc allows an upward shot to rain vegetables (thinning out a large wave of enemies) and the arc almost always assures all vegetables will hit something. - Frosty Flurry Is this meant to freeze enemies in place like Kamilda's? I would suggest reducing the overall speed as well, due to (my opinion) the spread making too little a difference to warrant its own spell (compared to the Burning Barrage). - Power Points I would also add something else to this, to make it more strategic. Maybe like it could clear unit placement cooldowns or there could an attack speed bonus for the Magikoopa for a short amount of time? - Star Rain This is a very useful spell, but very situational due to the huge charge needed to activate. - Torpedoes I reckon this shouldn't be consumed if no Shy Guys are nearby. The range is a little too short--I suggest either increasing the range in the facing direction, or allowing target to be selected all around the Magikoopa. (I noticed that there is a crosshair on the enemies! Is this new?)[/spoiler] [u]Overworld[/u] [spoiler]- All level grades could sparkle - Unlock the survival stage by having all levels be S grade in respective world[/spoiler] [u]Other[/u] [spoiler]- Exiting the level using Esc will not play the exit sound completely - World 4 music isn't looped cleanly[/spoiler] Now for random suggestions! [spoiler]- In a desert world, maybe the Angry Sun could appear to defeat all minions/enemies in one swoop to spice things up? Hah, just no, right?[/spoiler]

One thing about the map mock-ups; I'm actually going with Yakibomb's original version of the spell list (which has two more slots and a bit more room towards the bottom) for reasons one will see at the end of this post. To respond part-by-part... [u]Bugs[/u] [spoiler][quote]1) By using the Torpedo spell, I think if the enemy is defeated that had a crosshair on them gives this error. I am not certain though.[/quote] I believe I've fixed this one very recently. This would happen in a fairly specific situation wherein an enemy with a crosshair is defeated while the torpedo is contacting a different Shy Guy. [quote] 2) If the last survival mode match was a new record set, by going into another level without a record, then leaving the level after will place that new record from the other level onto the one without the record.[/quote] Ouch. That's a big one. Working on this now.[/spoiler] [u]Units[/u] [spoiler][quote]All Stompable Minions: Why do they not try to avoid the wall like Goombas do?[/quote] It's a special property unique to Goombas. Goombas were a bit too situational in the past, as they were only particularly useful in levels with a pit all the way in the left side; this change was meant to make them significantly more feasible in all levels and a bit easier to use. Every other Minion can be placed in an area where Shy Guys cannot fall onto them (Koopas, Spikes, Dry Bones) or cannot be defeated by stomps (Buzzy Beetles, Pokeys). [quote]Water Minions: Should display "MAX" if none can be placed in the level[/quote] That's a good idea. Implemented it. [quote]Monty Mole vs Spike: Spike doesn't compare to Monty Mole, like at all still. Monty Moles are way better due to a variety of reasons we've gone over in the prior thread. To fix this, maybe a simple price increase (50+10, up to 60) could do the trick, and/or reducing the cost of Spike (50-10, down to 40). I should also add I never used Spike outside the introduction level of it, simply because of the size, fire+stomp vulnerability, and price are not worth it in my opinion.[/quote] The original price difference between Monty Moles and Spikes [i]was[/i] 60/50. Back then, Monty Moles just never felt worth the cost compared to Spikes. The advantages of Spikes are - Does not hide when enemies are nearby, so a single Blue Guy slipping past your defenses doesn't shut down an entire Monty Mole battery - Attacks at a theoretically infinite range, if the level allows for it. Dividing Dune, Gritzy Grotto, Airborne Battery, Bombardment Bay, Cavernous Cove and Seize the Gate are all fantastic levels for Spikes because their spikeballs can cover almost the entire screen. Monty Moles have limited range against ground targets (only about half the screen, though it can be increased by placing them on high ground) and prioritize air targets over all else. - More reliable at hitting enemies. If a a Monty Mole's original target is destroyed, the rock will frequently fall and miss. Monty Moles also don't prioritize targets that are nearer to the block, whereas Spikes (by the nature of their projectile's movement) will almost always hit the closest enemy. I've seen plenty of people use Spikes over Monty Moles, so I really don't think this needs to be changed. [quote]Dry Bones: These are amazing. Half the Koopa cooldown, a bone toss that actually hits stuff and fire immunity for 80 pts is quite a steal. I have no complaints.[/quote] I've actually tweaked their numbers down a smidge after the last unstable release. They outclassed Koopas a bit too much. They now toss bones about 17% less frequently, putting them at the same rate as the other ranged minions (aside from Hammer Bros. which attack at double rate), and do melee attacks 11% slower. They're intended to be a 'jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none' minion and and their strength should reflect that. Also, Dry Bones are extremely vulnerable to stomping. It takes them twice as long as a Koopa to recover from being stomped. It's a weakness. [quote]Bullet Bills: This should only shoot at close range. I will add that, if there is a second Bill loaded in the cannon and the one before is stomped, the second should fire immediately.[/quote] Hrm. I've been fiddling with the numbers a bit and ended up rehauling the way they work. More details at the end of the post. [quote]Bob-omb: I dislike these being destroyed by fire.[/quote] It's a weakness! [quote]Chargin' Charles: These guys are great! I was not expecting them to jump back into position, it was a happy surprise. Definitely worth the price. I did notice they are able to move over two tile gaps (seen in Coastal Clash, far right near the block).[/quote] Are you a French speaker? I was curious as to which language that name was from, and I see that [i]Charlie le Chargeur[/i] is their French localization. Hmm...their gap-crossing ability in Coastal Clash appears to be a result of some bad behavior with floating platforms. This is a general physics problem across all characters. I've gone ahead and fixed it, but it may have broken behavior in other places, so I'll have to do some testing. [quote] Lakitu: These are useful, but I do need to do more testing. If placed too far to screen edge it moves off screen, sometimes throwing outside the boundary.[/quote] Got it. Fixed the screen edge problem.[/spoiler] Bill Blaster Rework: Bill Blasters will not detect an enemy until it is within 18 tiles (a little over half the screen). Bill Blasters now take a full second to fire, and will stop firing if an enemy leaves their line of sight. Bullet Bills now move 33% faster. This makes Bullet Bills a bit easier to stockpile. [u]Levels[/u] [spoiler][quote]- Lower Ranked Minions (Goombas, Koopas, etc): I still that lower ranked minions should see more use, and the level design is the perfect opportunity to show their strengths. Still working on coming up with a level to do this (maybe in one of the castle levels). I will get back to you on this. Even lowering the starting points would do wonders to see their use.[/quote] As a a general rule, the cheaper a minion is, the more cost-effective it is. Goombas and Koopas have some of the highest damage/cost ratios in the game, and will usually be the best damage-dealers in an environment that doesn't explicitly have one of their counters. The castle world is intended to be themed around using expensive minions. [quote]- Survival Mode: This gives an excessive amount of coins, to the point where increasing waves do not feel rewarding. My suggestion is to gain the amount of coins equivalent to the wave you on (ex. wave 5 rewards 5 coins, wave 6 rewards 6 coins, etc.)[/quote] Hm...Now that I've decreased the coin counts in general throughout the game, I have been looking for a way to decrease the coin rate in Survival. This does seem like a better way to do things. Implemented it.[/spoiler] [u]Spells[/u] [spoiler][quote]- Burning Barrage vs Vegetables In my opinion, I would take the vegetables over the Burning Barrage in any scenario, because of two things: Fire enemies are immune to the Burning Barrage (vegetables aren't), and the arc the vegetables proves to be very handy. The arc allows an upward shot to rain vegetables (thinning out a large wave of enemies) and the arc almost always assures all vegetables will hit something.[/quote] Hrm...you're the second person to say this. I have increased Veggie Volley's spread to be equivalent to Frosty Flurry's. This should keep upward shots effective and make downward shots weaker. [quote]- Frosty Flurry Is this meant to freeze enemies in place like Kamilda's? I would suggest reducing the overall speed as well, due to (my opinion) the spread making too little a difference to warrant its own spell (compared to the Burning Barrage).[/quote] Freezing enemies in place would take a lot of work (as I'd have to program every enemy to react to it individually) but I do like the idea of reducing the speed. Ice shots now move half as fast as fireballs. [quote] - Power Points I would also add something else to this, to make it more strategic. Maybe like it could clear unit placement cooldowns or there could an attack speed bonus for the Magikoopa for a short amount of time?[/quote] I would rather keep Power Points simplified. I believe that its effect is unique enough on its own. [quote]- Torpedoes I reckon this shouldn't be consumed if no Shy Guys are nearby. The range is a little too short--I suggest either increasing the range in the facing direction, or allowing target to be selected all around the Magikoopa. (I noticed that there is a crosshair on the enemies! Is this new?)[/quote] I believe the crosshair has been around as long as the spell has? I'm not sure. It wasn't a recent change. I've increased the radius slightly and had it cost 0 FP on failure. Targeting at least one enemy will still use the full cost.[/spoiler] [u]Overworld[/u] [spoiler][quote]- All level grades could sparkle[/quote] Hm. I'm not sure about all level grades, but I do like the idea of S-ranks sparkling. Added a minor sparkling effect to S-ranks. [quote]- Unlock the survival stage by having all levels be S grade in respective world[/quote] I've been toying with the idea of unlocking a special stage in each world by S-ranking all the levels within it. That'll be a bit later, though, and I want everyone to have access to the survival levels for coin grinding purposes. (There may be a reward for getting all S-ranks in the next update)[/spoiler] [u]Other[/u] [spoiler][quote]- Exiting the level using Esc will not play the exit sound completely[/quote] Got it. Fixed it. [quote]- World 4 music isn't looped cleanly[/quote] Hrm. It's not quite how the song is designed to loop, but the overworld music code is currently designed to loop the music from the start and I don't think it sounds incorrect enough to warrant changing the code. [quote]- In a desert world, maybe the Angry Sun could appear to defeat all minions/enemies in one swoop to spice things up? Hah, just no, right?[/quote] Err...that would probably be a bit too random.[/spoiler] ...And I've been working on three new spells to balance out the game's final spell list to 12! [img]http://i.imgur.com/n4KTBn8.png[/img] [b]Rainbow Round[/b] fires a magical bullet that OHKOs the first enemy it hits (only 3 damage to bosses). The bullet is infinitely-fast and incredibly tiny, so it must be aimed with perfect accuracy. After hitting an enemy, it returns 2 FP for every point the enemy is worth, up to 10 FP (half of Rainbow Round's cost). [img]http://i.imgur.com/nrTDnG9.png[/img] [b]Nimbus Nullifier[/b] covers the player in a concealing cloud, rendering them invulnerable to all attacks for 7 seconds. During the duration of this ability, the player can do collision damage up to 5 times. [img]http://i.imgur.com/UNXb3Cf.png[/img] [b]Magnet Missiles[/b] summons 7 magnets that rotate around the player. While magnets are still in reserve, the player launches them in place of the regular attack. Fired Magnet Missiles will home in on nearby enemies, attacking up to 5 times per missile. Rainbow Round and Nimbus Nullifier become available for purchase for 200 coins each after defeating Kamilda. Magnet Missiles are unlocked for free after fulfilling a certain condition... I'm now going to focus on fixing up the last few bugs and doing a final test of the game in order to get a new release out in time for NCFC. The overworld interface redesign is going to take a while to implement, so I'm leaving that for the next release.

Ah, yes, this is the mock-up we had agreed on. [spoiler][img]http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/124/third%2Bversion%2Bmagic.png[/img] - This is version three. Notice the changes on the left side (added more info in version 4) and the lack of speech bubble (added in version 5).[/spoiler] My apologies for going ahead and changing it without your input first. [quote="Magnemania"]Are you a French speaker? I was curious as to which language that name was from, and I see that Charlie le Chargeur is their French localization.[/quote] No, I actually have very little knowledge of French. All I knew was Chuck was a nickname for Charles. I had no idea it was French! [quote]I've seen plenty of people use Spikes over Monty Moles, so I really don't think this needs to be changed.[/quote] I appreciate your thorough explanation. While I do think they can be used in the levels you mentioned, I've managed without them for the most part (outside their intro level). Because of their price I still don't believe they are on-par with Monty, instead more on par with the Red Koopas. Maybe I need to use the Spikes more to appreciate them... [quote]I've actually tweaked their numbers down a smidge after the last unstable release. They outclassed Koopas a bit too much.[/quote] I do agree with your opinion, they did outclass Koopas a bit too much. In some survival levels ([ispoiler]Three Road Rally, Heated Heights[/ispoiler]) they are able to take individual waves by themselves. In the [ispoiler]Three Road Rally[/ispoiler], one Dry Bones can take a whole group of Blue Shy Guys from one of the first four waves by themselves. In [ispoiler]Heated Heights[/ispoiler], placing several Dry Bones near the pipe will be your best defense here, usually taking a whole wave (from waves 1-4) by themselves. [quote][On the Angry Sun suggestion] Err...that would probably be a bit too random.[/quote] Yeah, it was just a thought. Environments with different neutral species in them would be kind of cool (but maybe a bit too wishful). I'd imagine this might stray from the core design of the game, maybe. One more bug: [spoiler]- Placing 5 or more Bullet Bills in a survival level, then having one be launched will not change the cost back to the original. (This does work for other minions that are defeated, however).[/spoiler]

[quote="Yakibomb"]My apologies for going ahead and changing it without your input first.[/quote] Nono, I'm quite happy with everything in the latest mockups aside from the spell screen (I just want the first mockup's room for descriptions and the three final spells). I do want to emphasize that I'm going to start implementing them [b]after the 0.81 release[/b], as this is going to take a bit of time. [quote][ispoiler]Heated Heights[/ispoiler], placing several Dry Bones near the pipe will be your best defense here, usually taking a whole wave (from waves 1-4) by themselves.[/quote] Heh heh heh...To be quite honest, I felt it rather fitting for Dry Bones to be useful [ispoiler]in the desert survival level, since their introductory level is desert-themed.[/ispoiler] [quote]One more bug: [spoiler]- Placing 5 or more Bullet Bills in a survival level, then having one be launched will not change the cost back to the original. (This does work for other minions that are defeated, however).[/spoiler][/quote] Hrm. I was a bit worried that would be the case. I'm going to delay fixing this bug for now (since bugfixes tend to cause bugs) and try to keep the code as-is until I've declared it release-ready, and I'll get on that after the release.

Hrm. [img]http://i.imgur.com/Y29POPj.png?1[/img] ...I began working on the interface rehaul after compiling the release candidate, then started testing the release candidate and found a bug, so...the level window will be as shown in the image for the update.

Haven't played any fangames (or games period) in a while so I gave this a shot. Finished the first world. [b]The Good:[/b] [list][*]The ranking system is really nice. It's a good way to add replay value without making levels massively difficult. It encourages the player to find optimal strategies to squeeze out those S ranks! [*]Thank you for not giving the super spell explanation again if you retry the miniboss. And giving acknowledgement for a Perfect Victory. Even if there's no reward, it's that you recognized what the player did! [*]Another nice touch: The 1up noise when killing an enemy an instant before they hit the coin block. :D [*]Your choice of music is very good. Everything fit with the stage and it was nice hearing some remixes I've never heard before. Make sure you credit those musicians in the readme! :D [*]Turbulent Travels: WHOA EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT NOW AND THERE'S WIND AND MONTY MOLES AND FLY GUYS AHHHHH [*]Overall, this is a really fun and well-executed concept. I'm a sucker for existing genres (RTS) being turned into platformers and this game does a really good job of that. :D[/list] [b]The Bad:[/b] [list][*]Magikoopa's acceleration when he's moving around doesn't feel very natural. He accelerates from a standstill but comes to a jerky stop once he hits his destination. I think it would look better if he quickly slowed to a stop once he nears his destination. Also, maybe he could bob up and down a bit? [*]There's audio cutout when too many enemies are onscreen. As a solution, don't just let enemies emit sounds from their own code with something like playSound(SHY_GUY_VOICE). Instead, have them send a request to a central SoundSystem. If SoundSystem has too many sound effects playing at once, it should ignore the newly-requested ones. [*]Wait, what? A miniboss? Suddenly I have a health bar? It felt very jarring when you suddenly changed the rules of the game like that. I'd give the player a heads-up that they suddenly have a health bar they need to manage. Maybe a Mega Man-esque sequence where your life fills up while the boss is introducing itself. [*]You can't selecting an enemy unless you're hit. A big problem in boss battles if you change your mind and want to cast instead of summoning an enemy.[/list] [b]The Ugly:[/b] [list][*]Enemies need to patrol their summoned area more closely. Getting an S-rank on Carnivorous Caverns was very trial-and-error because goombas kept wandering in front of my front pirahna plant. If they patrolled the 5-tile radius where they were summoned, things would be less luck-based. I know I could return from later stages to get that S-rank, but it's frustrating to be unable to do it with what you have at that point. [*]Getting an S-rank on Subterranean Swarms is very frustrating. I tried a dozen times with many different strategies but the pirahna plants were always a problem. Frequently, a single enemy will slip through and a pirahna plant will waste an entire cycle of biting. As a solution, make pirahna plants have a kill-based cooldown instead of a time-based one. Pirahna plants will pop out when there's an enemy to kill and won't pop back down until they've killed X number of enemies. If they bite for a while without killing anything, they pop back down with partial cooldown and refill. If they use up all their bites, they have to completely refill in the pipe before they pop back up.[/list]