UA 2009: Choma --- Made it to the finals!

[jackshiels]

Hey all

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EDIT: Choma made it to the finals, thanks to all beta testers! Below is an updated OS X final build with the working tutorial level.

download here:

Mac OS X final entry : http://www.filehosting.org/file/details/70689/Choma_5.zip
Windows (please note, this is a bit buggy): http://www.mediafire.com/?nt9dhwzbwyh

Thanks!

22/09/09 Updated Choma to spawn correctly in Tropiala.

02/10/09 Added Windows Beta.

06/10/09 Added Mac final submission.

04/11/09 Added updated final build.
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My name is Jack Shiels. My brother, Sam, and I are entering this years UA with our game, "Choma". We are 16 and 15 years old and have been making games for a few years now, so the fruit of our work is getting better as we progress. This is by far our best attempt at a full game yet.

I know people here aren't too keen on having a game "sold" to them, but the best description of this game can be seen in our entry form:

""Choma" is a brand new 3D platformer from Knife Media. Combining puzzle and action into one, it provides a unique visual and gameplay experience that aims to appeal to the casual and hardcore markets equally, without loss of quality for either side.

Choma is centered around your very own customizable "Choma", a small blob-like creature with an insatiable craving for berries. Once your Choma eats enough he gains the ability to change shape and acquire new skills for puzzle solving fun. Users will be able to clothe their Choma in unlockable items found throughout the game, donning hilarious accessories and even facial hair.

Choma uses a friendly art style, filled to the brim with crazy creatures and beautiful landscapes. Every background is littered with layers of artwork made entirely by Knife Media. This isn't to say that 3D is nonexistent, however. Choma manages to include interactive 3D objects into the scene, further enhancing the unique art style.

Choma is a one of a kind game, perfect for kids or adults looking for some affordable fun action!"

Put simply, Choma is a fun puzzle platformer. We really want to appeal to the eyes as much to the brain in this game, as looks are very important in an industry built upon the quality of graphics.

The "selling point" of this game is that the player changes shape to navigate puzzles. We hope to use this in a way that makes it challenging to the player, rather than a gimmick.

Here are a few screenshots of what we have accomplished so far. Bear in mind we are constantly improving it as we go along. We hope to have three full levels available for the final entry, but expect two for the beta on the 21st.





As ever, please do leave feedback so we can work at making this better. I'll be updating this post as we progress, so look out for the beta later this month!

Thanks,

Jack

[towcar]

Really cool man, I'm kinda confused of whats going on really or the objectives. And I'm curious to see more of your "selling point"

[jackshiels]

Thanks for that.

The main objective is to get to the end of the level, but various puzzles will come between you and the finish. For example, the sphere shape can speed up very quickly. In one of the puzzles you have to get past a large slamming enemy, but cannot simply roll under him. The only alternative is to speed up and shoot underneath.

This is what we hope will make the game unique, the "selling point".

[psychicparrot]

Congrats, guys, it looks fantastic! Keep up the awesome work because I want to play it

[Sam Shiels]

Thank you very much!

[fallingbrickwork]

I really like the overall gfx style. Great stuff. I'm interested to see how this develops.

Cheers from Ireland also,
Matt.

[jackshiels]

Hey there,

Just to let you all know, the beta should be out by tomorrow. We have been working very hard on getting it out and await your feedback eagerly

[jackshiels]

The beta is up!

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?jylyewj4mxy

Enjoy and please give some feedback!

[jackshiels]

The windows beta is now available, so give it a go! Please note, it has a few bugs that we are working on due to the translation between Mac OS X and Windows.

http://www.mediafire.com/?nt9dhwzbwyh

[psychicparrot]

I am LOVING the game, but I downloaded the Mac version and I'm not getting an audio at all ... is that right??

Thanks! I'll keep playing - I just finished the tutorial, now it's time for the real deal

Jeff.

[Sam Shiels]

Thanks a lot. The audio seems to be off at first, just go to the options in game or in the menu. There you can turn on sounds and music!

Jack here: just to say the first level is not the best by any means. We plan to release a really cool one for the final copy, which we will have up here soon. Enjoy the game!

[psychicparrot]

OK, so you have a fan. I love your game! It's got a REALLY cool vibe to it

I have a few suggestions / notes:

The game *needs* checkpoints (though I'm sure you know this) ... after the 6th time of trying to get under those big nasties (that laughed at me every time lol) I was getting a little frustrated. Once I got through, then died jumping over the triangle thing ... I was a little grumpy

The loading screen doesn't scale based on resolution. If you run the game at 800x600, the loading screen crops.

I don't know if you track whether or not the dude is on the ground or in the air, but it may be a good idea to speed up how fast you move him across the ground but make the air movement slower so that both movements balance out. Right now, he moves slower on the ground than in the air and that has the effect of making you want to jump more to get places quicker. Since you jump to get there quicker, you die more because you're less in control and it becomes a more frustrating experience. I think that if you could make the ground movement feel as fast as the air movement and keep the air movement either slightly slower than ground movement or the same, it should balance out the movement more. I hope this makes sense! lol

I couldn't get the options menu to work from the main menu. It worked in-game, but for some reason I couldn't select the button - it just stayed 'down'.

And that's all I have - I LOVE the music, the graphics are amazing and all together it makes a really cool game. I can't wait to play the next level

Keep up the fantastic work and good luck in the competition!

Jeff.

[jackshiels]

Hey thanks for the awesome feedback! We will definitely be looking to use that for the final release.

Out of interest, did the tips in the background of the tutorial show up for you? We aren't too sure wether this is working or not.

Oh, and the menu is navigated using the arrow keys and [enter]. If you want to up the volume, you have to use the left and right keys.

Thanks again

[jackshiels]

The final entry is out! http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2ymgn2ygv13

Included is the ability to customize your choma and an entirely new level. We will have a Windows version out soon.

[jackshiels]

Hey, we are really happy to have made it to the finals of Unity Awards 2009. Thanks to all the Unity guys!

Just updating the final build-people were unable to use the tutorial level.

Enjoy!

http://www.filehosting.org/file/details/70689/Choma_5.zip