Just a Button

Discussion in 'Upcoming iOS Games' started by Mathieu, Aug 7, 2009.

  1. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    #1 Mathieu, Aug 7, 2009
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2009
    Edit (28-08-2009) - The game is available for free, get it on the App Store!

    Hi guys!
    This week I'm participating to the Experimental Gameplay Project.
    The theme of this month is Bare Minimum.

    The rules of Experimental Gameplay Project are pretty simple:
    1. Each game must be made in less than seven days,
    2. Each game must be made by exactly one person,

    3. Each game must be based around a common theme i.e. “gravity”, “vegetation”, “swarms”, etc.

    I already work on it a little, it'll be a little iPhone game that I will try to release before september.

    I'm a developer so having bare minimum visuals will be easy ;)
    But as you can guess this isn't enough so I'll try to find the bare minimum gameplay to have fun with a game.

    The idea behind Just a Button is that pushing a button is the minimal action needed to do something in 95% of video games, so why not trying to make a game where this action is the only one available?
    This game explore gameplay variations around this thought. Quickly the multiplayer aspect was added to the project because hell yeah, playing games is even better with friends around!

    I will try to keep more information coming in the next few days.


    Who am I?
    I'm Mathieu, I work at Frogames.
    It'll be my second iPhone game (I don't count prototypes), at Frogames we already released Penguins Invasion 2 months ago. For those interested you can check out our two MAC/PC games : Penguins Arena (available on Steam) and MiniOne Racing.


    --------------------------------------------
    Edit (14-08-2009) - Last video of the game:
     
  2. Brazilian Rider

    Brazilian Rider Well-Known Member

    Mar 6, 2009
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    Sounds interesting... I'll keep my eye on here for awhile.
     
  3. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    #3 Mathieu, Aug 7, 2009
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2009
    Here's a quick mockup of the game.
    [​IMG]

    All game modes are variations of this simple idea.
    If possible I'll try to make it playable with more than 4 players, that would be fun to try.:D
     
  4. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    I'm using Unity3d. I'm pretty sure many of you already know this game engine.

    [​IMG]

    I already have 2 simple game modes.

    Classic
    There is only 1 button on the screen at the same time. When a player push his button another one appears for the other player.

    Mirror
    Buttons appear for every players simultaneously. The buttons pop at random times.
     
  5. 99c_gamer

    99c_gamer Well-Known Member

    Mar 23, 2009
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    i might do this but it'll probably take me 7 days just to come up with an idea :p
     
  6. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    Here the first prototype in video.



    Yeah, developer art... ;)
     
  7. Brazilian Rider

    Brazilian Rider Well-Known Member

    Mar 6, 2009
    3,276
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    Probably the uglies game using Unity :p

    Haha, JK. I hope you win :D
     
  8. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    Hehe, you're right it's one of the ugliest game made with Unity! :D
     
  9. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    Another night of work, another video.

    New menu, new visual style, new animations, less bugs, more love.
     
  10. Coral

    Coral Well-Known Member

    Sep 29, 2008
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    Haha. The buttons look like hats. Any chances of this showing up for free on the app store?
     
  11. Brazilian Rider

    Brazilian Rider Well-Known Member

    Mar 6, 2009
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    Any way that there is a button "clicked" animation when the button is clicked?

    For example, when you press the button, instead of just disappearing, a new graphic comes up which shows the button pushed down halfway?

    Just wondering because that would seem simple and add a bit more polish to this game.

    For just seven days, this game is looking very polished...
     
  12. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    Hehe yeah they look like hats :)

    Free on the App Store? Probably.
     
  13. travisdunn

    travisdunn Well-Known Member

    Aug 10, 2009
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    Developer
    Amsterdam, NL
    Heh, I like it. Reminds me of Egyptian Ratscrew.

    I can think of a lot of game modes, too. I'd like a mode where you and your opponent's buttons may be randomly transposed after every button reset.

    Ignoring the deliberately simplistic design and prototype gfx, I think Brazilian Rider is right and that a well-animated button would make a BIG difference in how polished the game felt.
     
  14. QQQ

    QQQ Member

    Jul 26, 2008
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    Hi (salut mathieu)

    As i suggest you via twitter a simple design of an arcade button like this could be nice:
    [​IMG]

    The perspective is less exaggerated. Yeah its more like a button than an hat but maybe you can use your hat in a future project.

    Talking about game mod your project talk to me a lot, i.e (but maybe this add too much complexity and it is out of subject):

    - red (or different) button that the player have to NOT touch, adding to him time penalty for example.
    - simple maths resolutions displayed on the button, i.e. 3+4 then the player should tap the 7 times on the button
    - Symbols like arrows on the button, meaning the direction that the player have to slide their finger (like the saber game in wii sport resort, link)

    Good luck
     
  15. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    Yeah sure, wouldn't be complicated at all... if I had a good button design :D
    I'll make a pushed version of the button tonight.


    Thanks! Still got 4 days of work :)
     
  16. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    In fact the button I had in mind was an arcade style button.
    [​IMG]
    It's something every gamer know and it's related to game idea (bare minimum interface to play a game -> a button)


    :D

    This are good ideas!
    I don't want to go too far, in fact I would like to find gameplay ideas where you only have to "push a button" and nothing more. It must be very dumb... you see a button? Press it!

    I have 2 more gameplay ideas to add to the game for the moment:
    - a small and moving button
    - multiple small buttons to press quickly before you stop your timer
     
  17. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    No movie tonight, I forgot to charge the batteries of my camera...

    Here a screenshot of the new buttons
    [​IMG]
    I'm not sure it's better :D
     
  18. QQQ

    QQQ Member

    Jul 26, 2008
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    I think you got the idea. If you want i have just do one example inspired by a real button. You can use it if you need and if you need the illustrator file (for colors change i.e.) just ask me.

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    Hey, that's exactly what I wanted! ;)
    Not sure it'll work withy my game system (the button need to be in white for technical reasons) but I would love to test it.
     
  20. Mathieu

    Mathieu Well-Known Member

    New video tonight!

    What's new?
    - new button graphic (courtesy of QQQ :cool: )
    - 1 new game mode : "moving"
    - lot of polishing



    Next I'll work on another game mode, some optimisation and the 3/4 players game mode.

    Any game mode ideas are welcome!
     

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