jellytanks are for lovers

[newblack]

this is an uber pre-alpha that i'd like to get plenty of user feedback on as i'm at a crux in its development. instructions are purposefully minimal so as to find out where they are actually imperative.

so i'm particularly interested in feedback regarding ease of use for both saving and loading tanks and tool use in the editor. and of course whether it's fun or not.

jellytanks
[edit]left and right arrow keys to propel the wheels counter and clockwise respectively[/edit]

worth noting:
obviously very inspired by sodaplay and i based my implementation of physics on alec cove's dynamics engine flade and an article on verlet integration by thomas jakobsen.

thanks in advance!

[MD004]

Awsome, I've always thought sodaplay was interesting but too complex and not very fun. I think your's is fun and simple.

Just a suggestion: It would be cool if it was more of a game rather than a toy, such as levels with a goal at the end and you have to try to make a tank that will be able to navigate to the end. A level editor would be nice too

I look forward to seeing it develop,
~MD

[mentuat]

good stuff!

editing, saving etc. was very intuitive, I didn't need to read any instructions

look forward to seeing more bits to attach to it!

[Orkahm52]

The interface looks very nice!
I second the thought of a level editor.
Maybe you could add a showcase of all the other jelly tanks that have been made.
Good job!

[Sietjp]

I had to stop playing as it's terrily addictive. Much more than soda play. I didn't manage to make a tank to pas the first obstacle (pseudo sietjp)
I've found some bugs :
- When using "save as" in the editor, if you have checked something like "mass" before "saving as" the click with the mouse on the menu create new masses in the background.
- When in "Run mode" in the editor, you can move the nodes but if you have checked something like "Erase" the node are deleted.

This is an awsome toy. How long did it take to make it? Correct me if I'm wrong but the tanks are saved in your databse, that means I can recover then each time I log in?

[newblack]

thanks so much for the thoughts and suggestions and sorry to the mods for omitting its [ALPHA] prefix- i edited the title to include such, but it doesn't seem to resolve except inside the thread.

@MD004 -->
Alongside the playgrounds there will be a 'racecourse of the month' with a top 10 list, etc. the default tank for the course will be the previous month's winning tank. a playground level editor is planned for the next iteration.

@Orkahm52 -->
Definitely on the showcase, as this was a project for school I was on tight deadline and didn't have time to implement a 'public garage' of tanks as I very much intend to. You'll also be able to mate your tank with another to produce a (hopefully) enhanced offspring.

@Sietjp -->
Thanks for the bug finds- I wasn't aware of the Save As bug before! The erase while it's running is purposeful as I think it's terrifically fun (and hopefully a little sad) to erase crucial structural elements and watch a tank topple.

As far as timeframe- about 4 months. I spent the better part of this semester working on the physics and the last 6 weeks obsessing over the usability/accessibility of the editor and the 'system'-esque menus.

And yes, the tanks are saved in my database, so they'll be there...

Thanks again for the replies!

[Sietjp]

Will it be possible one day to see the best performing tanks as I don't have a clue how to pass the first hill...

[newblack]

double click on your wheels in the editor and set their torsion all the way up- that should do the trick- a little extra mass doesn't hurt in the wheels either...

[Joobs]

very nice!

There are quite a few bugs, like placing Masses and stuff when selecting menus. The "home, edit, playground" menu wouldnt go away for me. And if i load a new playground it loads in the tank in the current position (sometimes they get mangled up) so i have to go back to editor and load the tank and load the playground in order to get a reset tank.

Very fun played for about an hour, and i managed to get a tank all the way to the end of the hardest playground!

The only idea for improvement i currently have would be to make "pistons" or something, that allow for parts to raise/lower/get bigger so it can tackle different parts of terrain.

[691175002]

Very fun. I made a tank that can pass the playground just by holding right.
The trick is to make wormish tanks with lots of wheels and can keep going even if it flips over.