Joe Danger Touch (Hello Games)

Discussion in 'Upcoming iOS Games' started by HelloSean, Jul 5, 2012.

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  1. popjam5

    popjam5 Well-Known Member

    Jun 15, 2012
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    Great news :)
     
  2. Your right next to Valve....so that means when people walk out in disgust over the lack of Half-life 3, then can go straight to playing your game?
     
  3. Eoghann

    Eoghann Well-Known Member

    May 29, 2012
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    New York
    Yes!! Loved the PSN one! Been playing great titles like Dynastunts and Bike Baron a lot in the meantime but it's great to finally be able to play an on the go version of J-J-J-JOEEEE DANGERRRRRR!.
     
  4. trialbyfun

    trialbyfun Member

    Mar 22, 2011
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    #24 trialbyfun, Aug 14, 2012
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2012
    Thank you all for being so lovely!

    @Hoggy110 We can dream right... maybe they'll be like "Half life 3.... Wait..Whoa! look over there dude on that super brightly coloured stand, there's a crazy little man on a motorcycle! Did he just transform into a bear on a unicycle! Oh my days I think he just trick flipped over that shark tank. My hero." - something like that I hope.

    @Eoghann Big fans of both DynaStunts ( especially the train tour! ) and Bike Barron ( you cruel beast you! ). I think ( hope ) we're doing something that feels completely new , and we cant wait either to let everyone play some super swish arcade crazy JD action!!

    which reminds me.....

    More news, I'm not quite sure how we did it, but we're on the flipping cover of iGamer magazine. This is AMAZING.

    [​IMG]

    Like the rascally scamps they are, they've also bagged a sneaky 30 seconds of early footage, including one determined blue monkey.

    The magazine is on the iPad Newsstand / App store right this second, it would be great if you let us know what you think.


    Speak soon everyone!
     
  5. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    I know you prefer the new swipe controls but if you had an alternative control system that would be great for some of us ! Trailer looks great just would love on screen buttons or the option for them
     
  6. trialbyfun

    trialbyfun Member

    Mar 22, 2011
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    @psj3809 helllooooo, I wouldn't say that I just prefer gestures, it's that in this case we've designed JD with them at its heart so they are ( I strongly believe ) the best input choice.

    The image below is what i would call my worst nightmare. It's what happens when you don't make a game for the platform its intended to live on. Its clunky, ugly and does a disservice to the platform. ( and franchise... poor old crash bandicoot )

    [​IMG]


    However keeping everything fair, you have got me doing a bit of "what if" thinking out loud so please reply if i'm going crazy off base, or you have any suggestions / alternatives.

    ( Thoughts )
    My biggest reservation with an alternative buttons based control system is ( aside from point above and the fact the game is designed for gestures ),is i'm not really sure what this alternative control scheme would actually be?? More importantly how it would improve the player's experience.

    So, Just for a bit of background on what we are doing.

    (Basics)
    Touching and holding anywhere on screen makes Joe duck, release and he jumps. In an alternative system we 'could' dedicate a button to this but what would be the benefits??
    Allowing the player to touch anywhere on screen to perform the action means they are in control of the screen space, they can play with either hand, finger or toe.

    I say touch wherever you want wins on this one?

    (Tricks)
    Tricks and other actions are for the most part swipe based, with the direction of the action making some sense for the output. Swipe right to left anywhere on screen when Joe is on the ground and he pulls a wheelie, do the same in the air and he performs an anti clock wise spin. When in a lane switcher Swipe up to change UP a lane, swipe down to change DOWN.

    What would the alternative to this be? Perhaps we could just have a single "ACTION" button and it will pick a trick at random based on the context, this could apply to lane switchers where pressing the Action button toggles the direction of the lane your in. In this case it could be argued that the controls are simpler in input, but what we've taken away is a lot of the player's skill, and ability to experiment.

    Close call. A Draw on context action button versus gestures here?

    ( Interactive elements )
    So the game also has loads of other things are in world ( stars, stopsigns, UFOS! ) that you directly touch to activate / deactivate / collect / destroy. In these cases there really is no direct button alternative.

    Interactive elements here are a touch only piece of design, so touch HAS to be better for interactive elements right?

    So thats my thoughts out loud on the basic interactions. What was you thinking as an alternative control scheme?
     
  7. Eoghann

    Eoghann Well-Known Member

    May 29, 2012
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    IT Guy/Graphic Designer/Gamer
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    #27 Eoghann, Aug 15, 2012
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2012
    That sounds like the very best and innovative option and shows a lot of thought has been put into the controls. I would personally prefer to try out that one! :) But if virtual controls are something you're considering to make sure you have all users satisfied...

    Dynastunts, Bike Baron and many other motorbike games share a very similar button control scheme (lean back, lean forward, brake and accelerate which work extremely well for the type of game). But seeing as JD has lane switching and duck/jumping; the standard scheme is not enough, and adding more buttons to cover every individual option just saturates the screen.

    Maybe a duck/jump button combined with D-Pad or a joystick to handle lane switching, leaning forward and backward, and a stop/reverse button on the other side (maybe not even a button, and just tapping on the opposite end of the screen makes Joe stop/reverse)? Pressing stop, holding the joystick left and releasing stop would pop wheelies, etc.

    Not sure how well that translates into the actual game, just throwing ideas into the pot. xD

    Here's a shoddy mockup I made.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. The4thMan

    The4thMan Member

    Aug 15, 2012
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    Had fun with this on PS3, and now I can play this any time I want! :D

    Glad to see you're making the game a new experience.
     
  9. trialbyfun

    trialbyfun Member

    Mar 22, 2011
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    @Eoghann I really do think our touch gesture system is the best choice because, (like you noted too) we've definitely put a LOT of thought and iteration into making the controls work really well. ( something that's annoyingly hard to show in a video or screenshots ).

    It is true that a lot of other bike games share similar layouts, but I think when you play JD you'll see how different it is both in the feeling of the game, play-style and the types of interactions you have at your disposal.

    I guess it's similar to the classic Trials HD vs Joe Danger comparison that often gets made. When someone actually plays both games however they quickly realise how vastly different they really are, and the clever subtleties in the controls themselves.

    P.s Thanks for putting in time to do the mockup too by the way, the literal "DUCK" button is pure class! funny :)


    @The4thMan Thats right, now you can play any time!! ( when its finally out )
    Honestly though, making this a new experience rather than simply a "port" been a massive focus, and i hope you like it (at least) as much as its other console big brothers. :D
     
  10. sicksilvo

    sicksilvo Well-Known Member

    Jul 4, 2012
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    Here is a little article about Joe Danger Touch from 148apps.com (September 4th)
    No video or new pics thou

    http://www.148apps.com/news/joe-danger-touch-handson-preview/

    Some key quotes from author:
    - "game is in a near-finished state"
    - "the controls were very responsive and accurate on iPad. There were no hiccups and I quickly felt like a natural after only minutes of play"

    And another article from TheGamersHub (August 22nd) It's a nice read

    http://thegamershub.net/2012/08/joe-danger-touch/

    "Joe Danger Touch feels like you’re carrying the epic console title in your pocket. Even the visuals found look practically identical to the console iterations; it’s a true testament to the games colourful art style and the programming abilities of the team as its been developed in parallel to Joe Danger: The Movie."

    No release date was confirmed except it's coming this year

    Joe Danger: The Movie launches on September 14th for Xbox Live Arcade, with Joe Danger Touch being in "near-finished state" I cant help but wonder will it be released for iOS in the same time frame rate :)
     
  11. OutSpoken

    OutSpoken Well-Known Member

    Jul 30, 2011
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    anyone have any updates on this game?
     
  12. trialbyfun

    trialbyfun Member

    Mar 22, 2011
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    Helllooo @outspoken and everyone else out there

    Sorry to have been so quiet, a lot has been happening since I last posted!

    As you may have seen, over in hello HQ, JD2 has now been released on Xbox and the fine folks have also been prepping the PS3 version which has just been announced!

    I've been working on the last remaining BIG features for JD:Touch as well as an alternative gameplay mode, which is a totally different take on the main game mechanics . Now we have that we're deciding how best to use it. * mysterious *

    Me and Sean also took a step back from the game, looked at it under the microscope then blew up or changed things that weren't fitting with the vision. This obviously took quite a bit of effort, but the result is a much better game and a much more cohesive and exciting experience.

    Also! I've also been working on getting as many of the playable characters ( from JD1 and 2 ) as playable in JD:Touch. I count 15 so far including favourites like the Monkey, Santa, Elvis, some new ones, as well as a couple of characters that only appear in Touch.

    Another thing ( and quite a biggie ) is we've been waiting to see how much of a change iOS6 and the new iPhone5 would make to the game.
    Luckily there was nothing majorly unexpected, but we wanted to make sure we we're prepared as up until that point it was just rumours.

    This weekend, ( if i pull my finger out and get a build ready! ) JD:Touch should be on show on the HelloGames stand at the Eurogamer expo, alongside its bigger brothers. So if you're going, then look out for it and please mail me any feedback! If it's not there, then stay to play JD2 to get a flavour of what's in store.


    It's really starting to all come together now, I feel like the final stretch is in sight!

    I hope!
     
  13. Axonometri

    Axonometri Member

    Sep 6, 2012
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    Awesome! Looks like I will be getting 2 from you guys this Christmas! I'm happy I waited out PS3 JD 2 and now my kids and I will have JD touch on the road... And hiding from me when they run off under the bed to sneak in some touch gaming.

    Take my money. ( actually ill give some to you I need the rest to feed my kids )
     
  14. Eoghann

    Eoghann Well-Known Member

    May 29, 2012
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    IT Guy/Graphic Designer/Gamer
    New York
    Wow! Awesome and exciting news! Thanks for the update! On the edge of my seat waiting for this bad boy! :D
     
  15. The4thMan

    The4thMan Member

    Aug 15, 2012
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    Late to the "new news" party, but definitely awesome news! :D
     
  16. HelloSean

    HelloSean Member

    Jul 5, 2012
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    Hello again TouchAracade!
    Stevie and I have been deep down in developing Joe Danger for iOS for the last few months. We’re finally coming up to take a quick breath, and wanted to take the chance to shout about what we’re up to.

    Wow, where to begin?!

    As you can imagine is been quite a crazy few months since we last spoke, what with the brand new iPad, iPhone5, iPod5, iPadMini, iOS6. We’ve tried to optimize and enhance the game specifically for each device ( as well as continuing to improve the older devices too ). As you can imagine, just keeping up and doing each device justice is pretty time consuming… and Apple keeps brining out such lovely, tempting new machines!

    What that means is adding loads of things like Widescreen support and enhanced graphics for iPhone 5 and new iPad and normal mapping and gorgeous lighting newer devices like the iPad Mini.

    For all you iOS 6.0 people out there we've also taken the time integrate challenges directly into the game. Whenever you get 3 gold medals on any level in the game (similar to Angry Birds’ 3 gold stars) or a new Highscore, you can challenge any of your friends to do the same. If a friend sends you a challenge, the game will detect it and take you straight to the right event, even if you haven’t unlocked it yet. This is great, because friends can help each other to preview and unlock later levels.

    Score Challenges are what it’s all about though. I think we lost a day of development just to playing those. Sorry :)

    Things are going really well though, and to all that people who keep asking us when it will be finished, the answer is *real soon*! It's all falling into place...

    Thanks so much for your patience. We promise it’ll be worth the wait.
     
  17. killercow

    killercow Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the update! Looking forward to it : )
     
  18. DannyTheElite

    DannyTheElite Well-Known Member

    Oct 13, 2012
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    Area 51
    January 2013?
    Real soon means as soon as App Store opens after lockdown so could be 31st but more likely early January .
     
  19. Eoghann

    Eoghann Well-Known Member

    May 29, 2012
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    IT Guy/Graphic Designer/Gamer
    New York
    Suh-weeeeet!
     
  20. killercow

    killercow Well-Known Member

    Can't be the 31st they still have to submit it! My guess would be end of January/Early February if his comment is anything to go by.
     

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