ZOMG! [WIP]



Hey Everyone!

Almost 10 years ago I had a game idea but it never really came together. Then I met my dev partner and we started working together. He attempted to build it in other engines but it never felt right. We abandoned it and my partner moved on to learning Unreal for 3D games and I decided to go with Game Maker for 2D. I redesigned this game over and over and ran through multiple design iterations with my partner. We finally settled on something and now I'm working hard to make it real. I couldn't have learned this engine so quickly if not for this community helping me with my first GM game (Impossibox) and this one as well. We are very excited to see this idea finally come to life!

The goal is to have a playable demo ready by years end but there is still much to be done.

Latest Devlog:
 
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swonqi

Guest
Not sure how it feels, but based on the videos the game seems painfully slow to play since you have to move the slow characters multiple times over the same route.

Could there be anyway to spawn them closer once you have made it over some of the obstacles? : o
 
Not sure how it feels, but based on the videos the game seems painfully slow to play since you have to move the slow characters multiple times over the same route.

Could there be anyway to spawn them closer once you have made it over some of the obstacles? : o
I see your point.

We'll do some tweaking with variables but once all the characters are added it should feel less tedious as they all have different move speeds, environment interactions, and play styles.

Moving the spawn closer would defeat the purpose of the game's central mechanic but there is certainly room for exploration in that respect. Checkpoints? Maybe activating(waking up) other headstones that sit dormant further ahead in the level? It's an interesting idea.

Thanks for the feed back! Sometimes it's tough to step back from your own work and find areas needing additional improvements! :)
 
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swonqi

Guest
Checkpoints sound like an interesting idea to explore. Especially in larger levels those could come in handy.

Just remember that my comment was solely based on what I saw in the videos. So I don't know how the game actually feels. It being slow could actually be a good thing, depending on what kind of feeling you're going for. :)
 

Bentley

Member
Hey Everyone!

My dev partner and I have been working on and off for a few years on a game in different engines but it never worked out. We started to build it out again in GameMaker (as our second GM game) with new graphics and it's coming together great, thanks in part to the wonderful help we've received from GM users!


Right now we have finished the first zombie controls and most of the animation. We did the body, eyes, and mouth as separate parts so they could function independent of each other. Really happy with the result and wanted to share and get some feedback/pointers from the GM community!

Thanks!
Love the razor and the moon. Looks great! The gameplay looks kind of fun to. Don't get chopped in half as you stack zombies to get uphill.
 
Alright! It's been a while and a lot of work has been completed!

List of changes:
-Sped up green zombie so gameplay feels faster and smoother.
-Added fuses that can be lit on fire
-Added stones that can be broken with explosions
-Added exploding boxes that can be detonated with a fuse or a burning zombie
-Added wooden planks that can be built out in any formation one plank at a time.
-Wooden planks can be set on fire and the fire spreads from plank to plank. If two planks are touching the fire will continue to spread.

Here's a video:

You may notice, when the screen shakes, some lines appear briefly. These are parts of the tilemap for elements that don't fill up an entire tilespace. They will be removed once I think the tilemap is complete. We still want to add more decorative elements to it though. You know, to really give levels full graveyard feel.

Once again, feedback appreciated!
 

LunaticEdit

Member
Looks great man! You gotta add blood though, with the over the top squish sounds. Like at 0:09, I imagined there was a run button, and when you ran into the wall, you went squish, his eyes go X.X and blood splatters the wall. Good times XD. Also, for the burning stuff, maybe fall into a pile of ash instead of just falling off the map? And for the one that dies on the spikes, i'd expect him to just kinda go straight x.x with blood slowly growing under him. I know you're still in development, just giving some thoughts/suggestions. Seems absolutely full of some hillarious deaths.

Also, this seems like it's well suited for the F2P type model -- as much as I hate F2P, it can net you some pretty good income for more games if you nail mobile controls.
 
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teamrocketboyz

Guest
what a fantastic looking game. cant wait to give this one a go.
 
Update!

  • Purple zombie added
    • Manually dropping him causes him to charge until hitting a solid surface
    • Runs slowest
    • While charging he can break through wooden barriers
    • Can catch on fire and burn stuff with it.
    • Can charge while on fire.
  • Yellow zombie added
    • Cannot catch fire
    • Can double jump
    • Runs the fastest
  • Added ledge forgiveness
    • While testing the jumps off ledges felt like they should have took but even a pixel off caused the jump to not trigger. Added a step when leaving the ground where jumping was still allowed
  • Added blood
    • It isn't a lot of blood because we want this to be all ages friendly but the little cartoon droplets add a bit of life to it for sure.

Thank you all for the feedback! As always more is welcome and we will definitely use it to improve the game where we think it's needed! This community has really helped drive some positive changes to this game that we would have otherwise never known were needed!

 
So, I know it's been awhile but we've been doing bug fixes and fine tuning. Still plenty left but I wanted to share an update video of an actual level.


Still plenty to do but it's moving along. We couldn't have built this without all your help, feedback, and criticisms. It's all been insightful and has helped us step back from the idea and see the forest for the trees. It's hard to do when it's just two people on a project. :)
 
Looks great man! Really would like to try it :)
Thanks! Hopefully we'll be well enough along by Sept/Oct that we will be ready for a first pass demo of some kind. Obviously the demo would be posted on this thread. ;)

I really like the art on this. Did you use vector graphics?
Thank you very much. It was put together in Adobe Animate (started when it was still called Flash). The in game assets though are built from exported .png files.
 
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