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Saturday, May 7, 2011

Making of Level Editor - Part 2

Latest news:

Tim is working on a smart system which selects correct pieces for the terrain. The user doesn't have to place each corner piece by hand and it saves a ton of time. It takes half a minute to create the following scene:

You can drag those cliffs with a few strokes
Placeholder tile artwork by Heikki Repo


Doing the level geometry is just one thing, but levels also need enemies. Kimmo has been working on a wave system which allows us to define various attack formations for enemies and spawn them anywhere on the level. If you have played Super Stardust HD on Playstation 3 you know exactly what I'm talking about.

This screenshot demonstrates the circle spawning pattern



Line spawning pattern and the new faster joker zombies



Box spawning pattern and a chest full of souls

That's just a simple example what can done with it. There's controls for size, enemy count, location, offset, victory conditions and everything can be combined to create a very complex chain of events.

What's unique about regular and fast zombies is that they can spawn in two different ways:

1. They can crawl out from the ground. (Slower method)
2. They can be dropped from above by the Master of Puppets (Faster method)

All other enemies are dropped from above by the Puppet Master.

Jussi or I'll do part 3 when something interesting happens... Stay tuned!

43 comments:

  1. Looks good....

    Is it going to be released anytime soon?

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  2. What Anonymous said. I would recommend every other person repeats the question to show MS what we want answered most.

    When will this be released?

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  3. Q: Is it going to be released anytime soon?
    A: No.

    Q: When will this be released?
    A: Once everything works properly and it's fun to play. I would be lying if I tried to guess a release date.

    In terms of complexity it's more like working on Minigore 2 than a regular update.

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  4. hope it will be released as soon possible :D ever tough about a story mode with a dungeon or something? would be great! and can we also download levels?

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  5. Wow, looks awesome. Do we get to see the Master of Puppets in game? He looks amazing in the app splash screen!

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  6. Are the zombies anywhere near release yet?

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  7. Zombies anytime soon or not???????

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  8. This looks incredible! Can't wait to see the next blog, you guys are making something truly amazing :)
    Keep up the good work and don't listen to the people demanding an early release, it's done when it's done!

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  9. hey this is looking awesome. looking forward to future updates, whether this or some zombies.

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  10. I'm fucking proud of you MS, finally you take care and do some blog posts :DDD
    Just do the work and update the blog, and I can wait a half year for the update :D

    THANKS a LOT :)

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  11. So glad you're updating blog :) level editor is also a good Idea for someone like me

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  12. Looks great! I just got an iPad 2, so can you make it free once again? I already supported you guys by buying all the IAP in the iPod/iPhone....
    It should be Universal....so I dont have to buy it twice.

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  13. PLEASE MOUNTAIN SHEEP, STOP SHOWING US STUFF THAT IS A LONG TIME AWAY FROM RELEASE!!! AND PLEASE JUST GIVE US THE ZOMBIES ALREADY!!! YOUR KILLING US HERE!!!

    the level editor is nice and all, but if your not going to release it for a while, don't even show us. U people have a bad habit of taunting your consumers (especially with zombie pics in this post). I would rather have not seen the level editor stuff if it's not gonna be released soon...

    And with zombies, when r they gonna be released!? We've been waiting ages! It looks like your all finished with the map and enemies, and someone posted something on the forums that the map and items were already in game, but u couldn't see it (something along those lines, I'm not really sure). So please, tell us when we will get them.

    Multiplayer over Gamecenter, we didn't forget about this. Please give this to us soon alwell. I'm tired of u guys saying "there is multiplayer" when it requires u to have another iPod handy AND another copy of minigore on it -_-

    And hey, what's with all the new characters in that "minigore in 2011" YouTube video? Are we gonna see any of them soon? Because it's almost the middle of the year and we haven't seen ANY of them in the game (seriously, WTF). It looks like all the characters are good and finished, so just implement them already.

    Well, there's my rant. I do hope that u reply MS, because I'm sure a large number of your hardcore fans (like myself) want the answers to these questions.

    -Eric

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  14. ^ above dude is kinda right. I really am exited about the level editer, but then they said it wasn't coming out soon. So y did u tell us then? I don't know but know I'm upset :( and he said about the zombies too, when are they coming? I wanted then when u told us about them like a year ago! And u haven't given them to us yet :( why not? Please give us the zombies soon :(

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  15. This looks sweet, can't wait till it all comes out.

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  16. man, sometimes people take perfectly awesome blog updates and turn them in to an evil act of "taunting" HEY! first you complain because the MS staf dont post stuff and now you complain because they do! I agree that they should release onething at a time but at least they aint designing skins with no diferent gameplay *cough* doodle jump *cough* please dont turn this into a hate full blog like 6 months ago.
    sincerely a really old minigore fan.

    ps sorry for my typos english aint my first language.

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  17. Successful.... *cough* Doodle Jump...

    Can't even sniff the Top 500... *cough* Minigore...

    By the way, Doodle Jump HAS online multiplayer, gamecenter, and regular updates. It's May of 2011, and we still haven't even seen the things that were promised in episode 4 yet. Alot of that stuff was posted on Touch Arcade by Timo in freaking 2009! Mountain Sheep is all talk and NO ACTION. Anyone who thinks the level editor will make it into the game this year is a moron. I still don't think that we'll see zombies any time before Halloween. Then there's the Jenny Map, the Snow Map, the knight, online multiplayer, and the countless other things we've been teased with, but that have never delivered. They're already starting with the excuses for the level editor... "it's as complex as programming Minigore 2". At least Doodle Jump can deliver what they promise... AND in a timely manner. Im not necessarily a fan of that game, but there are reasons why it has had tons of success. MS conducts themselves in the exact opposite manner, and their level of success reflects that. I don't believe a single thing MS ever says... Nobody does... and we're the fans. Glad you guys are excited over a blog post about functionality we'll never see. Im not. How much you guys wanna bet that if this level editor is actually ever released, it's DLC? I guarantee it...

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  18. Sigh...
    The angry trolls are back.
    If you arent happy with minigore DON'T PLAY IT and stop trolling the website.
    As simple as that. You'll get it when it's done. They are trying hard maybe that's the reason from the lack of updates.

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  19. Lmao... another fanboy embarrassing himself... Sigh... Those people who didn't buy the penguins haven't gotten an update since last summer. Encyclopedia pages for an update are pathetic. What is it that they've been working so hard on for the last year?

    Nothing... TA-DA!

    On top of it, the game lags tremendously, and many people lost all of their kills when they updated to the penguin update. Some people can't even get past the menu screen anymore. So guess what... people AREN'T PLAYING IT.

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  20. I too would like to add my voice to those who think that showing screenshots of the level creator are pointless. I really don't care to know about something that's not coming out for another 10 -12 months.
    Personally, I think this level creator does not add much to the depth of the game or to its re-playability.

    What Minigore needs in 2011 is a storymode (thousands of people have suggested this since the beginning, but is MS listening??).

    A new map or 2, don't really need to create my own maps, I highly doubt that the big majority of the people will, but MS goes and invests a chunk of their precious time on this novelty feature; go figure.

    I guess it's no secret that Minigore has gone really stale for quite some time now. I still remember the first posting MS had on this same blog at the time of release. They were an excited bunch, eager to listen and implement new features based on a voting system.

    I wonder if they still have that same mindset in 2011, and if they opened a voting for people to choose between a storymode and a level creator, which one would have come on top.

    Two years on, and things have changes radically. I really don't get the idea behind previewing things that are bound to come a year later. If I remember right, we saw a preview of the zombies at least a year ago, and just like everyone else, I'm left not only wondering about their status, but also why MS choses not to discuss them in their latest postings.

    But after all I do get that MS is trying to make some revenues (ie. their involvement in the rather modestly successful Death Race). Or the release of many character packs that albeit nice, don't add any depth to the game.

    I'm still a huge fan of Minigore, and still admire the game as is (but with a pinch of regret), but I wonder for how long.

    As my time spent with Minigore dwindles by each passing month, I wonder how long till MS puts minigore to rest, and moves on unto something new ( mainly for financial reasons), and this chapter is closed forever.

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  21. Mountain Sheep, you make a really good work, Level Editor and Graveyard level look great. I want more ;)

    Please, look at my fan blog, it deals exclusively with Minigore: http://fanblogminigore.blogspot.com/

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  22. WOW!!!! Zombies are looking amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i pray that it's almost done!!!! :D can you release some new fottage pertaining to Zokmbie mode please? :D

    -Leandro

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  23. Whoa Leandro, calm down...

    U of all people (someone who has fallowed minigore for so long) should know that zombies won't come soon, probly not even within the month! And u should know, mountain sheep is like Japanese school girl, just trying to tease you :P

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  24. Minigore was awesome back in the day, now its kinda old. The devolopers are full of empty promises and they screen the comments like communists. To be honest this is the same gameplay that came out in the first episode, just with new skins, like doodle jump. I once was a fanboy and was full of enthusiam, but now i can find no reason to support this team anymore. They will say anything you want to hear, but they wont deliver. Think of Zombies, Evil Knights, the list goes on. I am not a troll just a gamer who as decided that this game is old outdated it can go on the shelf with the Super Nintendo. There both super fun but they have just been pasted by, by newer technology and more driven devolopers, Perhaps you can prove me wrong, but minigore will never reach top 25 or top of anylist. So go one promising that you will pay back the fans, taking out loans and loans of trust. Minigore you have defaulted on your payment. You have racked up so much intrest that this next update will have to be legendary. But it wont and minigore will go bankrupt...

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  25. completely agree with above anon. be honest, this dev team has taken the longest in bringing update in the history of iphone gaming. out of all the billions of apple apps YOU GUYS TAKE THE LONGEST. yeah it's a grueling process. but really? are you guys trying to shoot for the record cuz if so, you win by light years in having updates be released. "frequent updates" should never be paired with minigore as they won't ever happen even when i have great grandchildren. no exaggeration. give the zombies and all the other crap you promised now and then fine tune it later. i hate to whine but you make it so easy for us to do.

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  26. I can't disagree with any of the above posts. This dev team has failed to deliver over and over and over again. This level editor tease is bad enough, but to use the zombie screenshots as examples in the blog is just plain rude. These losers are taunting us now. I deleted Minigore today. Thank god I didn't waste my money on Death Rally. They've already started the false hope train with that game too. I wouldnt even download it if it was free. I'm done with this dev team, their false hype, their false promises, and their pathetic way of doing business. See ya...

    ReplyDelete
  27. -To Mountain Sheep: you are doing an awesome work with Minigore, not many apps gets updated with such huge improvements even after two years from the release!

    -To this blog angry readers: please, shut up and go play Angry Birds.

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  28. ^above is just a sad fanboy clinging to a long-time dead game, face it loser, this game will never have a comeback...

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  29. I should'nt of switched to Android. Unless you guys plan to port it?


    -Waffle

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  30. to crcr, are you fuggin retarded, "..not that many apps get updated with such huge improvements...blah blah." MILLIONS OF APPS have gotten 3 times more updates in a year than Minigore has in 3 months. stop accepting money from mountain sheep to kiss their ass.

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  31. MS, like many of your fans i have lost all hope on what is now a lazy and greedy company. When will this update be released? a month? a year? i doubt it. i used to have high expectations of this company and hoped constant updates. but all we have been given were empty promises and lacluster updates that we have to PAY for. (penguins, ai, etc) APP DELETED

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  32. @Anon above:
    Damn! Deleting a $0.99 app? You're such a badass! :D

    Seriously guys, there are MILLIONS OF APPS you can play so why spend time complaining over one that is $0.99?

    Also, MS is busy with Death Rally at the moment, because if you didn't know, they were hired by Remedy to do most of the code.

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  33. everyone is complaining because minigore could of been a great game but:
    1. the iap is pointless
    2. they create excitement with new screenshots only to let us down

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  34. "Timo (Mountain Sheep)said...

    Q: Is it going to be released any time soon?
    A: No"

    um... then why are u even showing this stuff? didnt you learn anything from showing us zombies? ugh... the stupidest dev team in the world...

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  35. hey guys, you know Metal Bear? well i just stumbled upon his blog, it has some cool stuff. its called octorabbit.com

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  36. when can we expect an update?

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  37. Anonymous said...
    never
    May 15, 2011 7:17 PM

    Anonymous said...
    ^true dat :\

    your both sad poofs

    ReplyDelete
  38. The only reason why I even hol on to the app is because of the update. Other games are crawling all over minigore right now.

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  39. can you give me some cheat of this game ?

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  40. this looks incredible. waiting for these zombies to be tested..

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  41. I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I'll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later. Many thanks Effects Of Smoking.

    ReplyDelete