Roller Coaster - A Project for windows phone

[rover2341]

​

Introduction
The game is written in C#, and is using XNA as a front end. I spent nearly a year (a while back) working on one for warcraft 3, with triggers. Recently I build and am still working on updating one for windows Phone. This is my first release.


Versions

• Windows 8 "Metro" Store (Awaiting Approval) , (Basically The same as XNA Windows)
• XNA Windows (At some point will add gyroscope, and multi touch), (Will add to Intel Up App Store)
• XNA Windows Phone 7 (Awaiting Approval)
• Warcraft 3 Mod

Key Features

• Touch to play.
• Building coasters, with a large amount of flex-ability yet designed to take only seconds to learn.
• Ride coasters, from in the cart or from a third person perspective.

Screenshots

Main Menu

Building

Riding (Cart View), Riding (Third Person View)

Stats, Halloween Theme

Videos

An Older Version (Running on windows phone 7)

What's Next?

• Achievements
• Unlock-able content
• Ability to get place coins, and when riding to get them by leaning left and right in your cart, by swiping.

Download

Want to try Roller Coaster?



I Dont have a windows phone
Windows Phone Emulator Required - Windows Phone Emulator Download
Instructions on How To Use Emulator

Download Here (Emulator Version)

 

[Accname]

Looks like it was alot of work so far.
But i have to admit, it doesnt look like too much fun because there isnt much you can actually do.
You have to think about something which keeps you occupied. Maybe make it possible to fail, for example if the track just doesnt work. Or maybe make it possible to leave openings in the track and the car needs to jump over them. You have to press some button or something.
Or that you need to lean over to one side in a very sharp curve or otherwise you are going to derail.
Just some action.

Besides that, it definitely needs sound, especially when accelerating, it will add soo much to the atmosphere.

 

[rover2341]

Coin Idea
The builder adds, coins in one of 3 spots, maybe 4 if there is a jump. left, straight, right, above.
and the riders have can try and get the most coins for a ride. If they fail to jump at a whole, i dont know if i want them to crash. At some point in a few months i hope to make a way to ride others coasters, and rate them, as well.

Possible To fall
I thought about this, I may still had a track that has a jump, and then lands back on flat on the next track, with a gap. But i am not sure most people would want to have to lean and jump just to ride there coaster.

But i am sure it could be blast, and if you lean the right way you go faster, and if you lean the wrong way with enough gforce you would fly off. but for now ill stick with the coin idea, as i think it will be easier for people on the phone. But this could be done as another game mode or something.


Sound
I strongly agree with that, and i tried really hard to get some sound in war3. But i could never get anything that was decent. You give me a way i can do this my self or where i can find someone who can do this ill give it a shot for a shot for a few days. I dont mind learning.
I made a post on thehive's sound section. but I dont expect it to go anywhere.

As for background music i cant use war3s music and the horde music lol. But i don't know what to put. I think that could add as well.


Last thoughts
I Agree the game at the moment is a bit boring. the reason war3 one was so much better was you played with 7 players and you could all ride each others coaster. it made the game much more fun. at least to me. But the next big push before the coin idea will be achivments. As you get them, you can use the points you get to get new track types, and new carts, and tracks with jumps and things like that is the idea. But i have tons of ideas. likely only so much more will get done.

 

[Accname]

Good luck with that, sounds like alot of work.

 

[FireCat]

Nice! Keep up the good work!

 

[rover2341]

Added Video Showing Game, Run On Phone, And UI Progress. (First Post)
Ill add a windows and phone version, to first post in a few days, if anyone wants to try it.

 

[tom_mai78101]

To rover2341, as a newbie Android dev, do you think it's possible to create localized multiplayer via Bluetooth? It's probably a bigger challenge than your current project, but if you conquered it, it will become a major milestone.

Half a year ago, when I first started learning about Android, I always pictured myself playing my a game on my own HTC phone with another HTC phone locally, and had a good time with my younger brother.

 

[rover2341]

I have not dabbed into that all. But i am sure its possible. But i dont know how much that would help a game like roller coaster. But i could see it be pretty cool for some projects.

 

[tom_mai78101]

You could try having the basic gameplay of a group of players in a LAN game riding the roller coaster, for example.

 

[iPeez]

The game looks great and clean! I love clean.

Maybe having some sort of a campaign? "Story-mode"-ish, would be nice, as a lot of players enjoy playing a set of pre-made levels. With the whole coin-collecting idea, it won't be boring either. Personally I LOVE creation games, like bridge-building and others, but having a few levels to play, gives me more ideas, to what I can create myself!

 

[rover2341]

OK. No Version Posted, but i have been workin on the project. So here is a update.

Front and Back End
I decided i wanted to rip out my back end from my front end. I have been using XNA as my front end, and my code as very integrated with it. It did make roller coaster easier to make, but its really not flexible.

So I ripped the two apart. and started building different front ends to make sure i had no more ties to XNA.

I have finished the new back end, but it currently only has the builder.

My first new front end was the console. A Text based thingy. Ya roller coaster is no fun with it but it was a very good step.

My next step was to make a new front end for xna that would work with my back end. In the process of this, i messed around with sliverlight 3D. And now have a version of it running in sliverlight . I hope to post very soon.


Why Would i bother with this?
Well It made sense to do this, as I want to try unity after i get roller coaster on windows phone. Unity is a studio that allows you to port to pretty much everything. but its pretty pricey. Lucky i garbed a promo of it for free a few months ago, that was going on for a week. So i have its full version, and 2 ports, 1 for anriod, 1 for iPhone/iPad. (The other ones would cost me).

So I hope after i get this out on the windows phone with xna, and a sliverlight version out, to plug my new back end into it. I think i should be able to get it up and running pretty quick.


Sliverlight
the sliverlight controls are a bit ruff right now and the ui, isnt really there and the camera control on it needs some work. but its playable. I just need to get it hosted. and ill post it here really soon. then ill update it after i clean it up a bit more, and readd the rider to the back end.

 

[rover2341]

Added Download link, Added Screen shots, and updated Main Post.

 

[tom_mai78101]

Just read your article, I couldn't play due to the resolution. Looks fun though.

 

[rover2341]

I updated it, but on there forum it takes a admin to ok it. So go here, to grab it (all res work on This Version http://www.thehelper.net/threads/roller-coaster-for-windows-download-attached.157199/)

 

[tom_mai78101]

Took a ride, found a few things:

• Mouse controls are a bit wonky. If you keep moving moving, the cameras will always flip the camera around. It's probably because I use a high sensitivity mouse settings.
• If you continuously hold left mouse button and move down, you can clip through the ground, return above ground, clip through ground, and repeat.
• Tracks don't align. Especially the Start-Finish connection and when your track is about to connect to the finish lane. It jerks off a bit to the left before continuing to move in a straight line. Did multiple tests and confirmed my results.
• Up and Down for tracks isn't responsive. Sometimes, the tracks don't go up or down, even when there is quite a lot of spaces. I had to click 4 or 5 times at most, and do a bit trial and error before realizing what's going on.
• I don't know where Roller Coaster was installed in after running the setup.exe from the zip file. Took me a while before realizing that I can just run it from the zip file.
• Just curious, but what do the mouse coordinates do in the game?
• You can't control the direction of the loop (helix). It always build to the starboard side of the track when facing towards the end of the newly built track from the last track built.

I think that's all for it.

 

[rover2341]

Great, thanks for checking it out and doing some testing.
Ill get on it to fix those up. Overall (aside from the bugs you found) what did you think?

Note: This is about the windows Version, In the future lets post in the windows version section. (http://www.thehelper.net/threads/roller-coaster-for-windows-download-attached.157199/). And ill reserve this thread for post about the phone version. The same code base though, different UI.


tom_mai78101:
"Just curious, but what do the mouse coordinates do in the game?"

Response:
I was making it work for more then one screen res, so i forgot to remove it. that was for debugging. There used for the UI. as i built it by what pixel the mouse is at.

tom_mai78101:
"You can't control the direction of the loop (helix). It always build to the starboard side of the track when facing towards the end of the newly built track from the last track built."

Response:
Thats true. I think , you mean it does the loop, the way you were going, and ends up just to the right of it going the same way.

tom_mai78101:
"I don't know where Roller Coaster was installed in after running the setup.exe from the zip file. Took me a while before realizing that I can just run it from the zip file."

Response:
True, but only if you have xna already installed. Other wise you have to install it. It makes sure you have xna. and is suppose to add a icon to start menu or desktop.

tom_mai78101:
"Up and Down for tracks isn't responsive. Sometimes, the tracks don't go up or down, even when there is quite a lot of spaces. I had to click 4 or 5 times at most, and do a bit trial and error before realizing what's going on."

Response:
I am pretty sure this is mostly due to the UI, and not the fuctionality. Its likey that your clicking on the button, but its not triggering the function. Ill look into that.

tom_mai78101:
"Tracks don't align. Especially the Start-Finish connection and when your track is about to connect to the finish lane. It jerks off a bit to the left before continuing to move in a straight line. Did multiple tests and confirmed my results."

Response:
I know how to fix this, and am aware of it happening. I do plan to fix at some point.

tom_mai78101:
"Mouse controls are a bit wonky. If you keep moving moving, the cameras will always flip the camera around. It's probably because I use a high sensitivity mouse settings."

Response:
This is more likey due to me trying to make it so the camera cant go under ground. And It flips you to the other side.

tom_mai78101:
"If you continuously hold left mouse button and move down, you can clip through the ground, return above ground, clip through ground, and repeat."

Response:
Ill look into this.

 

[thewrongvine]

So... pretty awesome news.

My friend's playing this game on his Windows phone. I take a peek at what it is - it's some roller coaster game. I wonder, the design looks oddly familiar. I ask him where he got that from, and he says he just found it. So I go on this thread and guess what? It's the same game!

Anyway, just thought you'd appreciate seeing random people play your game. He says he loves it.

 

[rover2341]

haha that's great .

Hope he made a super fun coaster.

 

[rover2341]

Question: A-B-C. What one looks best. The shade will likey not be applied. (i may do a shadow map) but for now lets not worrie about that.

What one looks best and why?

A - 2k Polys, 2k verts
B - 8k polys, 10k verts.
C - 6k polys, 7k verts

 

[FireCat]

B. It Just looks more natural.