I've finally got something to show - its a fully fledged demo version of my soon to be released Blocks Away game. Some screenshots are further below.
The game (which is a 4.5Mb Microsoft Installer file) can be downloaded using the download link from my web page on http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/Blocks-Away.htm (http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/Blocks-Away.htm)
However, I do need some help to finish it off - I need the game text translating into the following languages: French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
There is not much text and in fact I am attaching the English text file as a reference so you can see how much there is (there will also be some level titles once these have been finalised). All I can offer in return is a free full copy of the game plus you'll get your name in the credits page (you'll see I've already got credits in with question marks for these languages).
Please contact me via email before you translate any text as I wouldn't want anyone to waste their time if someone else is already translating it.
If there are other languages that you feel the text cold be translated into this is something that can only be supported if my bitmap font already supports the charaters that are unique to a particular language (it is, I think, the Windows 1252 codepage font - which is also known as ISO-8859-1 and Latin1 - if you install the demo you'll find the font somewhere like c:\program files\hiscore warrior\blocks away\fonts).
The only other thing I need to do now is to finish off the levels (I've already got more than appear in the demo) that will appear in the final game which I hope to get out in the next two to four weeks.
Please give me some feedback on the game - constructive comments are always appreciated.
Here is some game blurb and screenshots (which is pretty much a copy of what appears on the web site)...
Try and remove all of the blocks from the screen. Sounds easy doesn't it! But you can only remove blocks of the same type if there are two or more next to each other and the more blocks of the same type that you remove the higher they score. With skillful play you can really crank up your score.
There are three great game modes with lots of themed levels (including outer space which has space related blocks, backgrounds and layouts) which also feature blocks with special powers.
Pit your wits against the Standard game and see if you can progress to the higher levels of play. If you don't remove all of the blocks you can still continue to the next level if you reach the target score for that level. Remove all the blocks of one type for a +50 point bonus.
(http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/blocks-away/standard1.jpg) Pyramid level (standard mode) - starting out
(http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/blocks-away/standard2.jpg) Pyramid level (standard mode) - clicked the add blocks and then removed some
(http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/blocks-away/standard3.jpg) Pyramid level (standard mode) - managed to clear the level, it's not always that easy!
Raise your game and play in Countdown mode where you have limited time to make every move. If you take too long to move it's game over - but on the plus side the target score is lower per level to give you a fighting chance!
(http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/blocks-away/countdown1.jpg) Classic level (countdown mode) - starting out
(http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/blocks-away/countdown2.jpg) Classic level (countdown mode) - made it so far without running out of time
(http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/blocks-away/countdown3.jpg) Classic level (countdown mode) - so close and yet so far, at least I reached the target score!
When you're ready try Survival mode which gets fast and furious as you try and stop the blocks building up to the top of the screen.
(http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/blocks-away/survival1.jpg) Short Wall level (survival mode) - as the game progresses it gets harder with more block types being added - eventually you'll just be overwhelmed and those blocks will reach the top of the screen when it'll be game over!
(http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/blocks-away/survival2.jpg) Bomb Target level (survival mode) - this level starts with a bit of a puzzle which you don't have long to solve. As the game progresses it speeds up and you'll soon be clicking the mouse faster than you ever thought possible!
(http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/blocks-away/survival3.jpg) Castle Wall level (survival mode) - have you got what it takes to keep the castle wall razed to the ground?
If you are going to download and try it out many thanks in advance and enjoy the game,
Adrian
Very good work!!!
Some constructive comments:
- The game uses ~99% of my CPU and it's very slow on my fast pc. I didn't try it on my slow pc yet...
- The top quarter of the window is vibrating, it's because of some sync problems.
- Please include an Uninstall icon in the start menu group.
Regards,
Hi, thanks for the comments, always useful to see how it runs on other peoples kit...
> The game uses ~99% of my CPU and it's very slow on my fast pc. I didn't try it on my slow pc yet...
I only get about 50% and that is when I let the Survival mode Castle Wall level build up so it is mostly full of blocks - other levels - such as standard mode Classic level only take around 35% on the first level. I have not got a super fast machine (HP laptop, Core Duo T2400 @ 1.83 GHz, 1Gb RAM, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400, XP SP2)
> The top quarter of the window is vibrating, it's because of some sync problems.
I do not see any problem on my machine with the top quarter of the screen vibrating - does this happen all of the time or just at certain points? When blocks fall I do deliberately "shake the window" for a fraction of a second - is it this you are seeing? You can tell because this can be turned off via the Settings menu or in game by pressing the F2 key
Kevin: Any comments?
Another thought - I wonder if this is because I am using MP3 files for all music and sound effects - this may be having a bigger hit on some systems than others.
To tell if this is the reason you can go to the "Settings" page and turn off the music (select None as the track) or use the F5/F6 keys in game to change the music until you get to None.
Then you can also reduce the sound volume to "off" either via the "Settings" page or by using the F3/F4 keys in game to change the volume until you get Off.
Kevin: Do you know how the different sound types that can be used affect the performance - is MP3 the most processor intensive? I am using MP3 sounds in order to keep the download size of the installer to a minimum.
nice game!!!good work!!
Adrian...
here is a german translation...
Quote
; Deutsch
[Main]
Demo1=Demo
Demo2=Demo Version
PleaseWait1=Bitte warten
PleaseWait2=Bitte warten... Lade gerade
Copyright=Copyright
Play=Spiel starten
Help=Anleitung
Web=Web
Credits=Credits
Settings=Einstellungen
Quit=Beenden
Back=Zurück
[Settings]
Title=Einstellungen
WindowShake=Fenster Animation <--- ok, I've thought about your explanation and would translate it so... See also translation Help -> F2
Sound=Sound
Music=Musik
Volume=Lautstärke
On=An
Off=Aus
Soft=Leise
Medium=Normal
Loud=Laut
[Credits]
Title=Credits
Font=Zeichensatz
Coding=Programmierung
Graphics=Grafiken
Images=Bilder
Translations=Übersetzungen:
Trans1=Englisch
Trans1Who=Adrian Nelson
Trans2=Französisch
Trans2Who=?????
Trans3=Deutsch
Trans3Who=?????
Trans4=Italienisch
Trans4Who=?????
Trans5=Portugiesisch
Trans5Who=?????
Trans6=Spanisch
Trans6Who=?????
[GameSelect]
Title=Spielmodus
Standard=Standard-Modus
Countdown=Countdown-Modus
Survival=Überlebens-Modus
[Play]
Title=Levels
Level=Level
QuitGame=Spiel beenden
AreYouSure=Bist Du sicher?
Yes=Ja
No=Nein
Bomb=Bombe
RowBomb=Zeilen-Bombe
ColumnBomb=Spalten-Bombe
AddBlocks=Blocks hinzufügen
ChangeRow=Zeile wechseln
ChangeColumn=Spalte wechseln
FlipRow=Zeile tauschen
FlipColumn=Spalte tauschen
Indestructible=unzerstörbar
Fixed=Fest
Target=Ziel
Score=Score
Level=Level
TargetReached=Ziel erreicht!
LevelCleared=Level geschafft!
NoMoreMoves=Keine Züge mehr möglich!
NoMoreTime=Die Zeit ist abgelaufen!
NoMoreSpace=Kein freier Platz mehr!
Cleared=Alle Blöcke geschafft!
Progress=Fortschritt
SpeedIncrease=Geschwindigkeit wird erhöht!
BlockIncrease=Anzahl Blöcke wird erhöht! <--- changed
Help=F2-Fenster Animation (Schütteleffekt) An/Aus~F3-Lautstärke Sound -~F4-Lautstärke Sound +~F5-Musiktitel -~F6-Musiktitel +~F7-Lautstärke Musik -~F8-Lautstärke MusiK +
[Hiscore]
Title=Hiscore
Name=Name
WellDone=Gut gemacht!
Hiscore=Du hast einen Hiscore erreicht!
OK=OK
Demo=Hiscore kann nicht eingetragen werden.
[System]
Click=Klicken, um fortzufahren
ImageNotExist=Image existiert nicht
ImageTransInvalid=Image Transparenzfarbe ist ungültig
AudioNotExist=Audio existiert nicht
Invalid=ungültig
NotWidth=Breite stimmt nicht mit Block 1 überein
NotHeight=Höhe stimmt nicht mit Block 1 überein
MustBe=Muss sein
Section=Bereich
NotExist=existiert nicht
Incorrect=falsch
IncorrectRows=Gesamtanzahl Zeilen ist ungültig
NotSpecified=Nicht definiert
InvalidCh=ungültiger Charakter
IncSpecified=falsch festgelegt
LTF=Level Text Datei
LLF=Lade Level Datei
LF=Level Datei
FC=Datei nicht lesbar
; Note: the ~ forces the text after to appear on the next line
BAFC=Blocks Away hat festgestellt~das eine oder mehrere Dateien~unlesbar sind
Reinstall=Bitte das Spiel neu installieren
[Help]
Title=Anleitung
Pages=6
; Note: Help text can have underscores in which are treated as spaces as leading spaces are ignored
; #block image filename#
; #block image filename:motif number#
Page1-Line1=Probiere, alle Blöcke zu beseitigen.
Page1-Line2=_#basic1.jpg# #basic2.jpg# #basic3.jpg# #basic4.jpg# #basic5.jpg# #basic6.jpg#
Page1-Line3=Klingt leicht, ist es aber nicht!
Page1-Line4=
Page1-Line5=Du kannst nur Blöcke der
Page1-Line6=gleichen Farbe beseitigen,
Page1-Line7=wenn es zwei oder mehr
Page1-Line8=nebeneinander gibt.
Page2-Line1=Je mehr Blöcke des gleichen
Page2-Line2=Typs Du beseitigst, desto
Page2-Line3=höher ist deine Punktzahl.
Page2-Line4=
Page2-Line5=Standard Modus:
Page2-Line6=Wenn Du nicht alle Blöcke beseitigen
Page2-Line7=kannst, kannst du dennoch in den nächsten
Page2-Line8=Level gelangen, wenn du die Zielpunktzahl
Page2-Line9=erreichst.
Page3-Line1=Beseitige alle Blöcke eines Typs,
Page3-Line2=um einen +50 Bonus zu erhalten.
Page3-Line3=
Page3-Line4=Countdown Modus:
Page3-Line5=Das Gleiche wie Standard Modus aber
Page3-Line6=zusätzlich mit einer zeitlichen
Page3-Line7=Beschränkung, um einen Zug zu machen.
Page3-Line8=
Page3-Line9=Mit jedem weiteren Level, den Du erreichst,
Page3-Line10=wird Deine Zeit Dich zu bewegen, kürzer.
Page4-Line1=Survival Modus:
Page4-Line2=Es beginnt mit Blöcken am unteren Bildschirm-
Page4-Line3=rand. Im Laufe des Spiels erscheinen
Page4-Line4=weitere Blöcke am unteren Bildschirmrand,
Page4-Line5=die den Rest nach oben schieben.
Page4-Line6=
Page4-Line7=Wenn die Blöcke den oberen Bildschirmrand
Page4-Line8=erreichen, ist das Spiel zu Ende. Beseitige
Page4-Line9=alle Blöcke für einen +50 Bonus.
Page5-Line1=Es gibt einige besondere Blöcke:
Page5-Line2=
Page5-Line3=#basicbomb.jpg# Zerstört nahe gelegene Blöcke
Page5-Line4=#basicbomb.jpg:1# Zerstört Blöcke in einer Zeile
Page5-Line5=#basicbomb.jpg:2# Zerstört Blöcke in einer Spalte
Page5-Line6=#basicextra.jpg# Fügt zufällig Blöcke hinzu
Page5-Line7=#basicfixed.jpg# Fester Block <--- changed
Page6-Line1=#basicindestructible.jpg# Unzerstörbar
Page6-Line2=#basic1.jpg:3# Ändert Blöcke in der Zeile
Page6-Line3=#basic2.jpg:4# Ändert Blöcke in der Spalte
Page6-Line4=#basic3.jpg:5# Tauscht Blöcke in der Zeile
Page6-Line5=#basic4.jpg:6# Tauscht Blöcke in der Spalte
Page6-Line6=
Page6-Line7=Viel Spass beim Spielen & Viel Erfolg!
[Music]
1=Keine
2=Laid Back
3=Relaxing
4=Frantic
5=Oompah
6=Wacky
7=Dance
8=Ballad
9=Funk
10=Latin
11=Atmos
12=Jazz
[DefaultHiscoreNames]
1=Beherrscher
2=Meister
3=Experte
4=Anfänger
5=blutiger Anfänger
I left some words so because they are used also in Germany so or are also known
Big C.
Hey BigC - outstanding - many thanks!
I'll get your translation into the next demo version which I am planning on updating at the weekend as I have made a few tweaks in the last few days.
Window Shake is the effect that when blocks fall a long way and they land I "shake" the game window briefly.
Once I have designed the full set of levels there will also be some level titles to translate - but there won't be too many to do.
What is your name so I add your name against the German translation on the credits screen?
Adrian,
I've just updating the translation...
QuoteOnce I have designed the full set of levels there will also be some level titles to translate
<--- If I can help, I will do it ;D
QuoteWhat is your name so I add your name against the German translation on the credits screen?
<-- thx but not really nessessary... Im very impressed from your screens and your work/skillz so if I can support you thats credits enough to me :)
Big C.
That's very kind of you and much appreciated - I'll just put your screen name of "Big C" in the credits it that is alright.
Best regards, Adrian
Adrian,
I wish a uninstalling function and the possibility to change the installation Path ;D
and btw a free copy without limitations... hehehehe
Thanks for the screenshot - I'll correct it - I've already produced an updated demo version (v1.0.1) which can be downloaded from the web site (http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/Blocks-Away.htm (http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/Blocks-Away.htm))which has your German translated text in - I ended up having to re-work a few screens in order so that the text fits (ie Credits, Help and Select Game)
To uninstall you just go to Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs then highlight Blocks Away and click on the Change / Remove button
You can certainly have a free copy of the full game when it is released - I'll contact you when it is ready.
I'm not sure how to give the option of the installation path - I am uisng the open source WiX (Windows Installer XML) toolset http://wix.sourceforge.net/ (http://wix.sourceforge.net/)- this uses an easily editable XML file to describe the installation which then compiles into an MSI file - I have not used it much and so I'll see how to configure it to offer the change of installation path.
Many thanks, Adrian
Adrian,
QuoteTo uninstall you just go to Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs then highlight Blocks Away and click on the Change / Remove button
you are right... I've found it myself... sorry
QuoteYou can certainly have a free copy of the full game when it is released - I'll contact you when it is ready.
thx for the offer, but its your hard work... and I think its a very good work.... I had many fun with your game... so, its not really needfully... What do you think about a tutorial for the community or newbies like me?
What sort of tutorial did you have in mind?
Hi AdeN, I can help you for the french translation. Are you working on it ?
Hi Reno - that would be great if you could do a French translation - much appreciated.
I have attached a slightly updated version of the English.txt file.
Thank you. I'll work on it. More infos in 2-3 days...
excellent
nice gameplay and well presented
:)
Hi AdeN, I sent you a private message with the french translation.
Sorry monkeybot, I sent you the same message !
Hi Reno, many thanks for the translation - I will get it into the game and send you a link for an updated installer so that you can test the French translation out and see how the text in the help pages is shown.
It's taken me a couple of hours to get the French text in as some screens needed adjusting in order to auto-fit the text in.
Anyway, the latest demo (which includes various improvements) is v1.0.4 and now includes the French text (although this still currently has English in the Help page).
This demo can be downloaded using the download link from http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/Blocks-Away.htm (http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/Blocks-Away.htm)
PS I'm interested to know what people think of the speed of the page display (and download speed of the installer file) as the web site hosting is done entirely using Amazon's Simple Storage Service (which is also very cheap)
Many thanks, Adrian
Hi Adrian,
Here is the Hungarian translation.
(Hungarian flag is red white green)
That's fantastic - many thanks - I'll get this added in tonight and get an update available for you to check.
downloading...
The page displayes quikly and the download has an average of 90 ko/sec ; it's good :)
Nice presentation of the game !
Italian language coming soon... 8)
@AdeN is possible to have a full screen mode ?
thanks.
Thanks, as for a fullscreen option this is something that I'll consider adding if I have time - I still have some level designing and some optimisation to do which I have been delayed with due to other projects demanding my attention.
Here is the Italian Translation. 8)
Thanks.
Excellent - many thanks. I'll get it all integrated at the weekend and get an updated demo with all the languages so far.
Anyone else able to help out with Spanish or Portuguese?
Nice game with a good gameplay !
For me, it should be better with some arts and a story ! But I know that's hard to make good arts.
The french translation seems to be good, but some have to be improved :
Quote
*Point
> Points
*Cible
> Objectif
*Help
> Aide
Thanks - the "help" text still needs to be translated into Francais.
Target is the minimum required score that you need to get if you fail to clear all the blocks from the screen in order to reach the next level.
Look, I've updated my last post ;)
Another thing : you can draw only
"(c) 2008 Hiscore Warrior"
instead of
"(c) Droits d'auteur 2008 Hiscore Warrior"
Thanks for the changes - I've updated the translated text.
All that is left for Francais is the help text, which I've listed below as in the translated text file it has images and line breaks added in which are difficult to understand easily - I hope this makes it easy for you:
Quote
Try and remove all the blocks.
Sounds easy doesn't it!
But you can only remove blocks of the same color if there are two or more next to each other.
The more blocks of the same type that you remove the higher they score.
Standard Game:
If you don't remove all of the blocks you can still continue to the next level if you reach the target score.
Remove all the blocks of one type to receive a +50 bonus.
Countdown Game:
Same as the Standard game but with a limited time to make each move.
As the levels progress your time to move gets shorter.
Survival Game:
It starts with blocks at the bottom of the screen. Over time more blocks appear from below pushing the rest up.
If the blocks reach the top then the game ends, clear all the blocks for a +50 bonus.
There are some special blocks:
Destroys nearby blocks.
Destroys blocks in row.
Destroys blocks in column.
Adds random blocks.
Fixed in place.
Indestructible.
Change blocks in row.
Change blocks in column.
Flip blocks in row.
Flip blocks in column.
Enjoy the game & best of luck!
Many thanks in advance!
PS I had a quick look at your web site and games - you and your brother have done some nice work!
The web site has been updated with Demo v1.0.5 (see http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/Blocks-Away.htm (http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/Blocks-Away.htm)) which contains all the languages so far:
English
French/Francais (mostly done now)
German/Deutsch
Hungarian/Magyar
Italian/Italiano
I'm still hoping that there are some Spanish and Portuguese speakers who would consider doing some translations ;-)
Hi,
I did what I can. I don't know if it is perfect, but it should work.
Quote
Try and remove all the blocks.
> Essayez de supprimer tous les blocs.
Sounds easy doesn't it!
> Ca semble facile, n'est-ce-pas !
But you can only remove blocks of the same color if there are two or more next to each other.
> Mais vous pouvez détruire les blocs de même couleur lorsqu'ils sont plus de deux côte-à-côte.
The more blocks of the same type that you remove the higher they score.
> Plus vous détruisez des blocs de même couleur, plus vous marquez des points.
Standard Game:
> Normal :
If you don't remove all of the blocks you can still continue to the next level if you reach the target score.
> Si vous ne détruisez pas tous les blocs, vous pouvez quand même aller au prochain niveau si vous avez atteint l'objectif des points.
Remove all the blocks of one type to receive a +50 bonus.
> Si vous détruisez tous les blocs de même couleur, vous gagnez 50 points de bonus.
Countdown Game:
> Contre la montre :
Same as the Standard game but with a limited time to make each move.
> Pareil que le mode normal, mais avec un temps limité pour chaque action.
As the levels progress your time to move gets shorter.
> Plus vous avancez, plus le temps d'action se réduit.
Survival Game:
> Mort à l'arrivée :
It starts with blocks at the bottom of the screen. Over time more blocks appear from below pushing the rest up.
> Vous commencez avec des blocs en bas de l'écran. A la fin du temps d'action, d'autres blocs apparaissent poussant ceux qui restent vers le haut.
If the blocks reach the top then the game ends, clear all the blocks for a +50 bonus.
> Si les blocs touchent le haut de l'écran, la partie se termine. Si vous détruisez tous les blocs, vous gagnez 50 points de bonus.
There are some special blocks:
> Il y a des blocs spéciaux :
Destroys nearby blocks.
> Détruit tous les blocs à proximité.
Destroys blocks in row.
> Détruit tous les blocs de la ligne
Destroys blocks in column.
> Détruit tous les blocs de la colonne.
Adds random blocks.
> Rajoute des blocs au hasard.
Fixed in place.
> Reste au même endroit
Indestructible.
> Indestructible.
Change blocks in row.
> Modifie les blocs de la ligne.
Change blocks in column.
> Modifie les blocs de la colonne.
Flip blocks in row.
> Bascule les blocs de la ligne.
Flip blocks in column.
> Modifie les blocs de la colonne.
Enjoy the game & best of luck!
> Bon jeu et bonne chance !
Many thanks for taking the time to finish off the French text - much appreciated. I'm going to make a slight tweak to the demo and will get your text integrated as well.
Hopefully the final demo will be finished over the weekend - I'll post back to this thread when it is done.
Hi,
Sorry for no news about Blocks Away in the last 6 weeks - I've had quite a bit of work to do so haven't had much time to finish it off.
But it's almost finished now, I'm just waiting on the final level name translations and then I can package it all up - the web site and payment systems are all set and I'll then unleash the game via PAD enabled web sites and also through the RegNow affiliate system and Microsoft's Digital Locker marketplace. Fingers crossed that it will generate some sales.
On the subject of sales, I was thinking of running a special offer for all PlayBasic users by offering 50% off - the game is going to retail at $14.99 - so this means you could get the full game for $7.49 - how does that sound?
Anyway, it's certainly been a labour of love getting it finished - that last 10% of the game just seems to take as much effort as the previous 90%!
Best regards,
Adrian
"how does that sound?"
> I don't know the casual market, but good luck with it !
Hi Adrian...
what shall I do with the information on the picture.... Any solution....
Big C.
Hi Big C,
My apologies - the installer was slightly wrong (a copy and paste issue in the installer XML file!) - I have corrected this so please re-download and re-install.
Thanks,
Adrian
Sounds good, let us know when we can host a version. It's still on the to-do list :)
Hi Kevin,
I haven't forgotten!
I'm just putting together the final full test updates to my volunteer translators - when that is done I will update the demo and let you know how to get it so that you can host it as well (in fact I really should update the web site to show off some of the additional levels from the full game).
Things have been complicated by the fact that my main development laptop died on me - my fault ;-( So I resurrected my older laptop (grabbed it back from my kids!) and am finishing things off on that one - tomorrow my new replacement laptop arrives and its a beauty (every cloud has a silver lining) - but it'll take me a weekend to get it all setup with all the various dev environments and apps that I use together with all the various configs that are likely!
Best regards,
Adrian
Hello again,
Sorry, I've been away from the forums for far too long. I've had a lot of work to do and have only now got around to finishing off Blocks Away - that last few percent of effort takes absolutely ages!
Kevin: If you want to host the latest demo that's absolutely fine - you can download it (it's an Microsoft Installer MSI file) from http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/Blocks-Away.htm (http://games.hiscorewarrior.com/Blocks-Away.htm) by using the download link of course.
I'm also trying a bit of an experiment with the demo by potentially offering it for free - but I still get paid!
Huh you say - that doesn't make sense! Basically I've found a service called TrialPay - see http://merchant.trialpay.com/ref?tp=xoW9xdp (http://merchant.trialpay.com/ref?tp=xoW9xdp) - and it is legit.
Basically you get paid for your software out of advertising revenue - I'll update you on this in a few months time to let you know if it's working. In the demo is a button which says "Get it for free" which links to the TrialPay web site.
Has anyone had any experience with this service?
Best regards and if anyone wants to please try the demo and see what you think now it's finished, Adrian
AdeN,
Thanks, i'd love to host Blocks Away. Will set up a page in the near future. The more the merrier as they say.
QuoteHas anyone had any experience with this service?
Nope, sounds like a interesting model though. Will have to check it myself.