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AppGameKit/AppGameKit Studio Showcase / Cogalot - a retro inspired platformer

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Zappo
Valued Member
20
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Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 4th Jan 2024 12:54 Edited at: 5th Jan 2024 11:00
Finally, my game "Cogalot" is now available to the public! The retro inspired platformer is on Google Play for Android & Chromebook devices.
Google Play link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.worldbydesign.cogalot

UPDATE: Now available for Windows PC too via Itch.io: https://worldbydesign.itch.io/cogalot



Features include:
26 levels (5 for FREE).
Multiple environments.
Parallax scrolling levels.
Simple controls but challenging game.
Supports touch screen, keyboard & joypad controls.
High contrast mode to help visually impaired players.
No adverts!



Collect all of the cogs in each level to access the exit. Find batteries to activate lifts/elevators. Complete all levels to unlock them all and play any level you want at any time. I'm particularly pleased with the "high contrast" mode to make playing the game easier for people with visual impairments.

Three difficulty levels:
EASY - 3 lives. Return to your current level if you die. Health is restored after each level.
NORMAL - 2 lives and you return to the start of the current section if you die.
HARD - 1 life. For hardcore gamers. You know who you are

Created in AppGameKit Studio (tier 1). I am planning on making the game available for Windows too shortly (AVAILABLE NOW!). Sadly the touch-screen problem in the iOS version of AppGameKit prevents it from being released for Apple devices for now.

More information available about the game is here: https://www.worldbydesign.com/app/cogalot/
Virtual Nomad
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18
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Joined: 14th Dec 2005
Location: SF Bay Area, USA
Posted: 9th Jan 2024 05:41
that's awesome, Zappo!

congratulations and thanks for making the WIN version available so relatively quick.

i'll be playing this soon!
Zappo
Valued Member
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Joined: 27th Oct 2004
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Posted: 12th Jan 2024 01:30
Thanks Virtual Nomad. I've already had a suggestion for adding a timer to the "Hard" difficulty mode so people can try to speed-run it. If anyone else has any feature suggestions, just let me know
GemGames
6
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Joined: 31st May 2018
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Posted: 27th Jan 2024 02:06
That looks great! I like the swirl vortex graphical effect in the transporters, and the fadeout effect when the robot's battery runs dry! That's one I plan to buy on itch.io
tboy
11
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Joined: 1st Jan 2013
Location: UK
Posted: 28th Jan 2024 13:59 Edited at: 28th Jan 2024 14:05
Hi Zappo, Brilliant game you've created! Lots of fun!

Would you be willing to create a feature to adjust the spacing for the controls?

I seem to tap one direction but catch a button for another direction, not a big problem just
my clumsy gaming!

-Forgot to mention, played on Android.
Zappo
Valued Member
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Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 30th Jan 2024 00:14
Thanks Gem Games. I appreciate that. I spent quite a lot of time on the effects and polish in this game.

Thank you tboy. Glad you like it. I hadn't thought about adjusting the on-screen controls for mobile devices but it's a good idea. Anything that makes it more accessible would be great. I will add it to the "wish list" of features and hopefully implement some customisation in the next update.
PSY
Developer
8
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Joined: 3rd Jul 2016
Location: Laniakea Supercluster
Posted: 11th Feb 2024 14:57
That looks awesome. Well done Zappo!


PSY LABS Games
Coders don't die, they just gosub without return
Virtual Nomad
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Joined: 14th Dec 2005
Location: SF Bay Area, USA
Posted: 17th Feb 2024 18:55
i've given the demo a twice (now thrice) over and offered a little feedback on the AGK Server but since i don't know how often you frequent it, i'll mention a request for additional keyboard options where Upkey for jump is awkward to me (space or something on the LH side of the keyboard ideal) - edit: i just found that AWD works and Controller is in there tho i'd prefer d-pad vs stick. it's hard to make everyone happy there, right? ).

otherwise, a small tweak would be to stop the run animation immediately/go directly to idle when i stop running. then, there's a question of fall distance vs landing on a moving platform. at higher heights, i pass thru (sometimes?) and unsure if that's intentional (it wasn't expected)?

i can also see potential for scoring in the game based on time and/or health remaining (or even by adding some collectables?) and would love to see (continued) usage of phaelax' purpletoken.com high score service (perhaps as an alt playing mode? dunno how much more work you're up for on this title but there's a lot of potential for "more", in general).

meanwhile, i dig the variety included; different baddies and traps are always nice, as are different ways to navigate or beat a given level. the health recovery feature was a nice find, and cogalot plays solid overall while there's a slight learning curve thus far where, for example, the order that moving platforms are activated can matter quite a bit (i think it was level 4 that took awhile to sort out). while i would appreciate a Restart Level option, i'm not afraid of a challenge, so... feel free to ignore

finally, the boss level rocks (pun intended ) and was a welcome surprise so early in the game.

btw, weighing in at < 25MB (where you could probably trim it down by removing some music?), the demo would be make a nice HTML offering for some quick fun.

the more i play, the more i find the work you've put into this so again, congrats and thanks for sharing!

ps: again, i dunno how often you frequent the discord server but i've DM'd you there.
Zappo
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Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 21st Feb 2024 01:28
Thanks Virtual Nomad. I don't visit Discord very often but I've just checked in and saw your message. I will read it properly as soon as I can.

I'm glad you found WASD keys work too. I forgot to mention that anywhere and I know it is something a lot of people prefer. I've tried to make it work with as many control methods as possible.

Some of my other games have a global highscore system built in that I wrote a while ago. I could include a timing element or collectables to score the player on but I wanted to keep it more casual. Timers tend to put pressure on players (especially young ones) even if they are playing for fun. Saying that, it has been mentioned about people speed-running levels so it might be an interesting addition that could be turned on for hardcore players. I've been considering adding a "Settings" screen for things like this and maybe redefining keys too.

I have exported it to HTML and it works, but the framerate is a bit of an issue. It maxes out at 30 frames per second in browsers and this isn't quite fast enough for the collision detection to work well enough, along with some other features. It would involve a lot of rewriting to fix that and time is an issue at the moment.

I'm really glad you like the game. It took a long time to make and polish it to where I was happy. To hear everyone's great feedback makes it all worthwhile
Zappo
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Posted: 19th Sep 2024 23:27
I'm very proud to announce that this game has been shortlisted as a finalist in the TIGA GAMES INDUSTRY AWARDS 2024! For anyone unaware, TIGA are a big gaming industry body in the UK supporting game developers and education.
Keep your fingers crossed for me

You can see the full list of finalists here: https://tiga.org/awards/2024-shortlist

Virtual Nomad
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Location: SF Bay Area, USA
Posted: 21st Sep 2024 00:01 Edited at: 21st Sep 2024 00:03
there are some heavy hitters in that short list (i wish there were links to save me the searches) and your pride in being amongst them is well-founded.

best of luck while you've already accomplished quite a bit with Cogalot!
PSY
Developer
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Joined: 3rd Jul 2016
Location: Laniakea Supercluster
Posted: 5th Oct 2024 02:57
Wow, that's epic.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you


PSY LABS Games
Coders don't die, they just gosub without return
GemGames
6
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Joined: 31st May 2018
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Posted: 5th Oct 2024 04:48
Zappo wrote: "I'm very proud to announce that this game has been shortlisted as a finalist in the TIGA GAMES INDUSTRY AWARDS 2024!"


That's great Zappo! Congratulations!
Virtual Nomad
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Zappo
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Joined: 27th Oct 2004
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Posted: 9th Oct 2024 00:30
Thanks Virtual Nomad, PSY and GemGames. It's a great honour to be one of the finalists listed alongside those amazing games.

Virtual Nomad - Yes, the event is a little way off. It's a very big ceremony with lots of the world's biggest game companies there.

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