[Game][2.3+] 2d running platformer Crisp Bacon: Run Pig Run - huge update!

Hello again, everyone!

It's time to bump this over 2 year old thread, because Run Pig Run finally got an update it deserved and needed right now. There has been many reasons, why it took so long, but lets not get in to that now. I can't even start describing, what was changed... Almost everything, actually.

Gameplay gif:


Gameplay trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bgaK7NcOxw

Download link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.snottyapps.pigrun

A couple of happy bees holding a QR code:



Still only using Canvas. Still doing my own art and code. Finally getting decently motivated and looking forward to improving this and making new gamedev projects!

31st January 2012, 03:08 PM post. Saved for history!

Hello, xda-devs!

A while ago I've uploaded my first game ever to Android market and currently I'm furiously searching for any feedback, so I could fix and improve it as much as I can before starting to create new levels, power ups and other "secondary" features.

It's a simple 2d platformer+running game, but it is the biggest my Android project so far and I'm very happy that it is actually.. em.. works!

Edit: adding old gameplay gif for comparison

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In-game screenshot:

I'd love to hear what you think and what's wrong with this little game - every bug report is priceless!

Is there anything else I must/should add? I'm pretty new here.

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mwebi said:

Hey, I tryed your game and I really like the cute graphics.

Be careful with the menu structure, It can get unintuitive very fast. Less is more in that case.

What I was wondering is how you coded the game. Are you coding in Java, or native C++? Do you use a engine or do you to everything yourself?

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Thanks, I'll try to keep my menus as simple as possible. I don't think that main menu will have more buttons anyway, so I'll just have to tidy them up a bit.

I'm coding in Java and using only basic SurfaceView. I was thinking about engines before I've started to develop this game, but I decided to see how everything works in the "basic" (if that's the right word) level.

mwebi said:

So you're not even using OpenGL ES?
I'm impressed by the performance of the game.
How did you code the sprite animations if I may ask?

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Nop, just a basic SurfaceView. I don't really know if I'm doing something right in drawing, except avoiding using images with transparency as much as possible (which sucks, because I'd love to add one more movable layer of background). It, actually, runs pretty slow in low-end devices, but I'm planing to optimize background images for them.

My animation code is absolutely basic, because I just used code from some video tutorial, so I just have use one image with all sprites and, depending on which state pig is in, set sprite offset and animation frame count of that sate.

1.5 update

* added sprites (a bit ugly, for now) for extra high DPI devices
* added "vibration" for better "being hurt" feedback (needs new permission for that)
* lowered music volume, so it wouldn't overwhelm the sound effects
* fixed a "force close" while loading level (thanks, whoever did hit that report button!)
* balanced climbing speed

1.6

* improved background drawing performance (saved up to 5 milliseconds per frame while playing around with different PixelFormats). Hopefully it won't ruin performance in non-samsung devices.
* added power up: pepper
* added collectable: empty bottle
* added new map allowing to test new "pepper" and new game mode (collect as many bottles as possible)
* updated "boring map" and made it less boring
* changes in level stats to fit new modes
* fixed several force-close bugs
* fixed "exit" button in settings page
* minor bugfixes and updates

Also, people are reporting that Galaxy Nexus control issues are fixed now.

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.snottyapps.pigrun

1.6.1 update:
* fixed issues with low-dpi screens

1.6.2 update:
* added new level to test new gameplay mechanics: level is repeatable, with unlimited time, but after you run trough it second/third lap there are no valuables or bombs you've collected/exploded in previous level rotations.

1.6.3 update

I've added new test level, where I experiment with boss fights. Player is able to throw bottles at huge evil bomb which spawns smaller, but still evil, bobs. So far, it's very simple, but I have big plans for such kind of levels.

Increased character acceleration to reward players running "fluently" for longer periods of time.

UAL4588 said:

I going to try this on the X8,which with a 600MHZ CPU is very low-end. Will give feedback asap. Does this game have anything in common with line-runner? That's what it looks like to me.

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I'm curious, how did it run? I've seen it run on couple of low-endish devices, I've also tried it on my Galaxy Mini (unfortunately, I can only see a portion of the screen, which is almost completely broken) and, I'm not sure if it really does okay, but for some it helps to turn off some widgets/internet connection.

It is obviously highly influenced by running/jumping games and I've tried a ton of them to compare/look for ideas or things I dont like. I did not have any ideas on how it will be played after I complete it and, to be honest, I'm not sure yet - as you can see in the levels which are already made I'm experimenting with a different modes/styles of play and I've more of them in mind. Maybe it will be a mix of everything combined with a crazy story line. Hopefully that will be fun for some

nenobr2 said:

Loved this game, However, if you make the 1st stage(infinite one) bigger it would be nice. And please add more bosses.

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There will be more levels, that's for sure - these are kind of for testing purposes and, to be frank, not very well made. If you like large levels, you may like my future idea of "mega levels" combined from smaller ones

I'm also not very happy with boss fight mechanics right now and before I'll start adding more of them (also tying to the story line) I'd like to polish that part to make it more fun/challenging than it currently is.

Dnst said:

Okay, I tested the game. The pig gimmick is very nice, but you should extend it. In some sort of Intro the player should be show why he is playing a pig. For Example, you could make a farmer that is chasing the pig, the pig should also look more panicked.

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Actually, I can't wait to start adding story line to this game. I started thinking about it (or even them) at the very beginning, but, unfortunately, I'll have to polish the gameplay first!

theeedy said:

The game is great!
Could you maybe post the source code of the game here?
Or a little tutorial, how to make a game like this?
I would really appreciate it.

Thank you for that awesome game.

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Uh, that's my painful spot - since I'm VERY amateurish programmer, my code is terrible and I would be completely ashamed if anyone would see it. Same goes for the tutorials - I'd actually love to write something to help others, but I've lack of knowledge both in the field and in English language :/

ba_hamilton said:

Great little game. I love how the pig climbs over walls. This game works very well on my Dinc2. I haven't made it past the first level yet lol.

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I have to disappoint you there - first level is infinite! Try out levels #5 and #6 there's more fun with flying there

BobbyBest said:

Very cool game, I especially like the menu style.
Runs flawlessly on my EVO 3D.

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Thanks! It's nice to hear that about menu, because I was kind of worrying that they're not very good and I'll have to change a lot (I'm going to polish them anyway, people are mentioning lack of in-app back buttons).

v1.6.5

* changed dpi-based stuff to avoid crashes in devices with not-so-ordinary dpi screens
* updated sound loading to avoid crashes at the start of game
* updated in-game menus (remember - you can press "back" to pause)
* players can now restart level mid-game
* added on-screen back buttons for easier menu navigation
* "exit" button icon
* record table in level stats should now be scrollable in smaller screens