2011-10-22 04:10:27 (edited by Aprone 2012-12-02 00:53:32)

Swamp began as a 1-week project to create a game for Halloween.  Since that day the game has grown into a very large online multiplayer beast.  I am happy that it has brought enjoyment to so many people.  big_smile  The old Swamp thread grew to be 511 pages long, with 12,753 posts (at the time I created this one), so I felt it was finally time to retire the old one and start us out fresh! 

Be advised... This is the old thread.

www.kaldobsky.com/audiogames/Swamp.zip
Version 3.4 (664 MB) Last updated 12-22-14 at 7:26pm EST.
Alternate download link: Here

For anyone interested, here is the version 2.9 language file that will allow Swamp to be translated in to any other ANSI languages.  I've also seen people use this file to create screen reader dictionary files thus allowing Swamp to be translated in to Unicode languages as well.

www.kaldobsky.com/audiogames/Swamplanguagefile.zip

Thanks to several requests over the past few years, you can now order Swamp T-shirts.
http://aprone.spreadshirt.com/

- Aprone
Please try out my games and programs:
Aprone's software

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2011-10-22 05:35:39 (edited by CAE_Jones 2011-10-22 06:11:11)

So, I started it up, everything ran fine (though, I still don't quite know what I'm doing...). I eventually get killed by zombies, and return to the main menu and try again.
As soon as I hit enter on begin the game, I get Error 52: bad filename or number. (At least, that's what it was if my short-term memory hasn't failed me...).

[edit] Playing around with it some more, I'm finding that I have a very hard time determining how far away zombies are from me. Even then, I can't aim to save my life (literally, it would seem!). I can't tell if I'm just terrible at aiming (FPS is not my strongest genre by any stretch of the imagination), or if a little more idea of what is where would help.

It didn't take me too long to figure out the radar. Well, the short range, anyway. I haven't tried the long range quite so much.

I've died with 0 kills most of the time. I think once I managed 5 kills by simply drawing the attention of so many zombies I couldn't help but hit a few in my final moments of shooting like crazy. And another time I got 2 by actually trying to avoid death (though it took nearly 70 shots!).

[/edit]

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"If you want utopia but reality gives you Lovecraft, you don't give up, you carve your utopia out of the corpses of dead gods."
MaxAngor wrote:
    George... Don't do that.

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2011-10-22 06:19:14

Can't get the game start to start.. Not too clear on  what to do either. I think the instructions are a little fuzzy.. Especially with all the radars.

"I've learned that this life's not just a game, just a line, between the pleasures and the pain." - Aaron Lewis

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2011-10-22 06:32:22

The radars are fairly simple. They just use W / A / S / D (as though they are directions), and E if you want to use the one that circles you. Try walking around with the short-range forward radar on (w), and you'll pick up the meaning of the sound pretty quickly. It's pretty difficult to get out of the shack without using the radars.

If you can't get the game to start, is it simply not loading? Are there error messages?

看過來!
"If you want utopia but reality gives you Lovecraft, you don't give up, you carve your utopia out of the corpses of dead gods."
MaxAngor wrote:
    George... Don't do that.

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2011-10-22 06:51:15

I don't get the area radar? Does it scan behind you I don't think it does, so it's like a cane moving. And I tried to line up with the zombie, but the arrow keys left and right the direction changes were too big and i kept missing

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2011-10-22 09:52:31

Someone on Klango let me know about that Error 52 also.  I will fix that in the morning along with an automation error that is affecting a few people.  My guess is that staindaddict is getting the automation error if the game isn't even starting up.  The debuglog.txt file will list the error on the last line.

I'm thinking the zombies are a little too hard to hit currently.  Basically I don't have it set up to give you any help whatsoever with aiming, because I figured I could always make it easier if need be.  I'll give the zombies a larger bounding profile so they become larger targets.

When you're using the short range radar modes, I believe it is focusing at a distance of about 4 arm lengths away.  This means that if there is a wall in front of you that is 5 arm lengths away, the radar will still show open area.  For most navigation the short range radar works fine, but to estimate the size of a large room you would still be forced to follow along the walls in order to map out the dimensions.  There aren't any large rooms in the game, just 2 pretty small shacks, but I may end up adding stuff to the game.  When using the long range radar you don't get 5 beeps like a cane moving back and forth.  Instead you get a single beep that travels much farther than 4 arm lengths away.  Based on the volume of the beeping you can determine if there is a wall in that direction which is too far to be detected using the short range radar.  If the long range radar doesn't spot a wall within its maximum range, it will produce the normal been associated with open space.  If you stood in a large room and spun around with the long range radar, you can usually tell the shape and approximate size of the room.  I've even been able to spot doorways with it, and since I suck at audiogames, it shows that a little practice with the radars really helps.  smile

KeyIsFull, for the short range forward radar you would press W.  Imagine you're holding a cane that is 4 arm lengths long.  You tap 5 times out in front of you moving from left to right, so the 3rd tap is exactly in front of you.  If the cane hit open ground it makes a certain sound, and if the cane hit a wall instead it makes a different sound.  The radar continues to repeat itself as you walk around and even if you use the aiming feature to adjust your angle more accurately.

I went with 45 degree turns because that is what I saw audio quake using.  That is a pretty large direction change, so I'd be happy to change it if someone has a different number that would work out better.

- Aprone
Please try out my games and programs:
Aprone's software

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2011-10-22 12:03:35

OK I try this game.

Ja volim samo kafu sa Rakijom.

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2011-10-22 12:40:00

yeah, think the ombies need to be a bit larger targets lol, its pretty hard to tell if I hit one right now
how menny shots do I need to kill one anyway?

"You know nothing of death... allow me to teach you!" Dreadlich Tamsin
Download the latest version of my Bokura no Daibouken 3 guide here.

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2011-10-22 12:59:48

Well I've tried the game, and am finding similar difficulties to other people, namely that however centered the zombies seem to be in my headphones, I don't hit any at all, in fact the only time I hit some was when I just went mad shooting.

For movement I'd suggest 12.5 degree turns, but insert a snap to nearest compas direction key, that would also help in the difficulties people are having getting out of the shack, ---- which I must confess is proving a litle more tricky than it should currently.

I'd also personally like a way to shoot with the mouse, say right or middle mouse button, sinse currently I need one hand just for pressing Z meaning I can't walk around with the arrow keys while I'm attempting to targit zombies, which is imho one of the nicest ideas for mouse control in this sort of game.

Actually sinse fine directional aiming is to be with the mouse, you might even considder leaving the large 45 degree angle turns as they are, sinse obviously you won't be using them to get around obstacles and the mouse will be the main instrument for fine tuned aiming.

Great job on the atmosphere though, the zombies, soundtrack and few sounds there were were all pretty cool, ---- though I can't speak for any zombi death sounds sinse I didn't really hit many with my gun :d.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2011-10-22 13:12:20

well, here's my thoughts.
love the sounds, and the idea!
i'm not a fan of navigation currently, i'd prefer, press up arrow, you move one step, type thing!
it reminds me of tank commander tongue
using the mouse is pretty hard, as i have a mouse which is clicked simply by pressing the pad anywhere!
so aiming is just not an option,
however if i manage to finally get out of the shack, i'll hook up bmy wireless mouse, and see if i get more luck with that!
main difficulty is getting out of the shack, at the moment!
ive never done  it

2011-10-22 13:28:19

Hi Robla.

The navigation method is part of the first person perspective, so you can run around and turn fluidly towards enemies, which is why Gma tank commander, Shades of doom, audio quake, monkey business and terraformers all use it.

There does need to be a bit of fine tuning though in how the controls work as I said.

Hope plugging the new mouse in works better than your trackpad (that auto click thing sounds very weerd and quite annoying in fact).

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2011-10-22 19:11:12

For starters I have doubled the impact size for the zombies, and caused the bullets to do a bit more damage.  How the damage works is still the same though, which is based on how close to the center of the zombie you hit.  It is entirely possible to kill a zombie with a single shot if you hit it in the very center, but of course that would be very difficult to do at any kind of range.  I think it will be easier to kill them now.

I've changed how a few things work with the aiming and walking.  Instead of using the mouse button to turn on aiming, the F key is used to toggle it on or off.  This way you can turn it on and just leave it on if you're comfortable with it.  Keep in mind that aiming is only moving your gun and does not affect your traveling direction.  I think some people may have been trying to use the aiming feature to turn through doorways.  To solve that problem I've added the steering option that can be toggled using the G key.  When steering is turned on, moving the mouse actually smoothly rotates your entire body and not just your gun.  You also aren't limited to 30 degrees in either direction, so you literally wouldn't need to use the left or right arrows for turning anymore.  If you get used to using the steering mode, you will have a huge navigation and shooting advantage over traditional keyboard users.  The radar modes, especially the long range ones, are super useful while steering is turned on.

Robla I may end up switching to that kind of walking mode, but I'm wanting to give this one a shot first.  I think it is nice to be able to set your speed and then have your hands free to do other tasks as you continue to move.

I've also been working on solving the different errors that have been reported.  The latest reported error restarts the game if a zombie attacks you, lol.

ADDED:
Oops, I forgot to include the download link, and tell people to download the new update.
www.kaldobsky.com/audiogames/Swamp.zip

- Aprone
Please try out my games and programs:
Aprone's software

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2011-10-22 19:23:48

Hi! Why this game isn't in Your site?

Ja volim samo kafu sa Rakijom.

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2011-10-22 19:26:53

damn it I'm suck with a touch pad. I hate those when I have to use mouse games. That is why I haven't tried daytona yet

I like to sleep, Sleep is good,
This is how I do it: Lie on a nice warm cozy bed, and dream dreams about how to rule the world!
Follow @TheGreatAthlon5 on twitter for humorous facts and game updates!
If you like my posts, thumb me up!

2011-10-22 19:44:35 (edited by CAE_Jones 2011-10-22 19:47:56)

With Daytona I like to keep my movements small so I can control the direction better.
(I still haven't really mastered loop and luck, even though I was able to do them well enough to beat the game once or twice...)

Now we're dealing with terrifying buff zombies! *Pretends that whatever caused the zombie-ness happened at a professional wrestling match*.

... Hmm. So... I started it up, and the instant I pressed f, the game just closed without an error message or anything. The way it was timed, I'm not sure if it had anything to do with me pushing f or not. I was in the swamp trying to aim at the closest zombie.

[edit] Trying again, it seems I just happened to press f at the instant that a zombie tried to attack me. The second time, I was able to use f just fine, but when a zombie got close enough to attack me it closed.[/edit]

看過來!
"If you want utopia but reality gives you Lovecraft, you don't give up, you carve your utopia out of the corpses of dead gods."
MaxAngor wrote:
    George... Don't do that.

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2011-10-22 19:53:22

Hi Aprone. I don't understand, why stearing doesn't working?

Ja volim samo kafu sa Rakijom.

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2011-10-22 20:25:45

There is a problem with the sound buffers that I still need to fix.  I'm actually thinking now that it is the true reason behind almost all of the errors.  I'm going to fix it as soon as I can.

- Aprone
Please try out my games and programs:
Aprone's software

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2011-10-22 20:39:38

Hi Aprone.

Hmmm, this is odd. everytime I start the game and begin shooting at a zombi, it just cuts out for some reason, which is quite irritating. I'm not sure if I hit the zombi or not or how close it was, I just know I hshoot at it, with steering mode on and for some reason the game just instantly shuts down and returns me to windows, so I'm afraid I haven't tested the new targiting for zombies yet.

Also, getting out of the shack seems needlessly difficult. Perhaps your character could actually begin facing the door (I walk forward but don't encounter it), or perhaps a sound for the door could be added like some wind or a creaking wooden door noise, sinse with no snap to nearest 90 command or sidestep, finding the door is more difficult than it should be really at the moment.

it'd also be nice to know when I actually hit a zombi, sinse at the moment I'm not really sure when I do or not, there is a sort of splintering sound on my bullits sometimes, but whether this indicates zombi damage I'm not certain.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2011-10-22 20:56:18

Dark, the game suddenly crashing is a problem with the sound buffers that I'm still fixing.

The splintering sound from the bullets means you're hitting a wall of some kind with them.  My guess is that you're inside the shack and firing into the walls, or you're outside but shooting at the building.  When bullets collide with zombies they make their own noise.  I think starting you out by pointing you toward the door is a good idea.  I'll have to make that change after I fix this stupid buffer error.

- Aprone
Please try out my games and programs:
Aprone's software

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2011-10-22 22:09:49

Hey Aprone, If you ever need anything, sounds, storyline, etc, I can help. I've got a lot more sounds now, and I'm willing to get my hands dirty. Also, I can help a bit with voice acting.

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2011-10-22 23:20:42

Thanks Omar, I'll keep you in mind in case I need a hand with anything.

I've posted another update that should fix several of the reported bugs.  Please let me know if this helps.
http://www.kaldobsky.com/audiogames/
http://www.kaldobsky.com/audiogames/Swamp.zip

- Aprone
Please try out my games and programs:
Aprone's software

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2011-10-22 23:37:28

I've pretty much got the hang of finding the door (southeast a bit, then south).
It seems that you can't hear zombies sneaking up behind you, which certainly helps minimize confusion, but leaves absolutely no warning.

... And then I download the new version. smile

看過來!
"If you want utopia but reality gives you Lovecraft, you don't give up, you carve your utopia out of the corpses of dead gods."
MaxAngor wrote:
    George... Don't do that.

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2011-10-22 23:52:26

Huh, it wound up closing again. I'm not sure what caused it. I had already died once, then started over, and I think I still wound up getting hit by a zombie before I made it out of the shack. It closed after I had fired a shot (the shot sound was cut off a fraction of a second in).

And I still have terrible aim. lol

看過來!
"If you want utopia but reality gives you Lovecraft, you don't give up, you carve your utopia out of the corpses of dead gods."
MaxAngor wrote:
    George... Don't do that.

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2011-10-23 02:50:34

Round about how many shots does it take to kill one of them?

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2011-10-23 03:22:34

It depends on how centered your shot is. A precise hit might kill them in one shot, but more likely it will take a few.

看過來!
"If you want utopia but reality gives you Lovecraft, you don't give up, you carve your utopia out of the corpses of dead gods."
MaxAngor wrote:
    George... Don't do that.

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