[urner]

Hi Guys,

Check out this remake of Lode Runner.



Hope you like it - have fun...

[Cymon]

Well, it's a lode runner clone alright.

The controls take a bit of getting used to, and the fact that the dude don't stay in the holes very long and don't give you but a moment before they pop out and kill you. I guess I could sum it up and say the pacing is off. Not the best lode runner clone I've played, but not the worst either.

[KungPhoo]

On a German keyboard Y and Z are swapped. Totally unplayable.
Looks nice, though.

[Marioman]

I used to play Lode Runner alot but I don't remember being able to take your finger of the direction button and have your charactor still move without you having to do anything.

Nice looking game but the controls need fixing I think.

[tim]

 

[urner]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

KungPhoo - hm, very interesting - I just added the same function to the "y" key and the game has to be totally playable now...

Marioman - yep, the controls are slightly different - I'll consider changing this as you are not the first one complaining...

[KungPhoo]

Doesn't work for me
Also, the enemies are a bit... dull.
In the original lode runner I was unable to get 10 gold pieces, in your version I have to try hard to get caught. (might be an early stage, I know)

[urner]

Doesn't work for me

Try refreshing the website with Ctrl+F5 - you have to load the updated flash.

And yep, the first levels are easy...

[crozza]

Cool it's a good Game I like the color and basic graphics.

[caffeinekid]

I like the graphics but the gameplay feels rather flawed at the moment.

The game feels too slow and the baddy on the first level made no attempt to come and find me at all.

The controls could use some work I think - the keeping moving left and right without pressing a key felt like I was out of control of the player. You should be able to dig and keep running but he just stops dead and you have to take your finger off the move key and jab it again to try and get him moving.

I'm sorry to say I felt like I was fighting against the controls more than anything else.

The game could be vastly improved with a new control scheme, better AI (look up A* pathfinding), and a bit more speed - it feels like Lode Walker rather than Lode Runner at the moment.

I hope that is all constructive mate, don't want to be a bearer of bad news but it could really be lovely with some more work and some tweaks here and there I'm sure.

[urner]

The controls could use some work I think...

Thanks for the critics caffeinekid - I appreciate. About the speed - did I get it right - you think the "fast" speed option is too slow?


OK Guys, I did update the controls. Waiting for any feedback.

Please reload the page (Ctrl+F5) to play the updated one.

Regards!

[spacefractal]

controls ok for me, AI mightbeen more work. Speed is ok for me., but you can allways do a fast options for fast gameplay if you witch.

howover on C64, the version I played most, he just digged on that way he points, which could been used as a alternative controls by using spacebar, by of course still keep zy and x as well.

[Dean_Demon]

Wasnt Lode Runner a poor mans Manic Miner Or Jet Set Willy or even Blagger? Either way it was still enjoyable if you like platform like entertainment,looks very pleasant and possibly one to add to my collection of 8 bit classic platformers.

I dont know about anyone else but these type of games rely on good controls to get timing issues down to a art form,PJ got it spot on with his magical Miner effort. Hope this improves but its still a good start.

[Maupin]

Actually I always thought Lode Runner was quite original.  No jumping, for example.  Puzzles relying on digging blocks in precise sequence.  The story of its creation is kind of interesting, too, with the author mistakenly telling Broderbund the final game would have 150 levels and then having to hustle (with help from friends) to create that many levels in time for release.

And the AI is quite simple, at least on the C64, Apple II, and Nintendo versions.  (The latter which I was coincidentally playing just this Saturday at a friend's house.)  Enemies move toward the player along the horizontal X axis, climbing ladders they pass if the player is on a higher Y position, and descending ladders/dropping from bars if the player is on a lower Y position.  

[Dean_Demon]

Actually I always thought Lode Runner was quite original.  No jumping, for example.  Puzzles relying on digging in precise orders.  The story of its creation is kind of interesting, too, with the author mistakenly telling Broderbund the final game would have 150 levels and then having to hustle (with help from friends) to create that many levels in time for release.

And the AI is quite simple, at least on the C64, Apple II, and Nintendo versions.  (The latter which I was coincidentally playing just this Saturday at a friend's house.)  Enemies move toward the player along the horizontal X axis, climbing ladders they pass if the player is on a higher Y position, and descending ladders/dropping from bars if the player is on a lower Y position.  

Yes i couldnt agree more,Lode Runner was in essence quite a simple game and aimed at a certain age group,including me at that time being a young lad in the 80s still it was entertaining enough and didnt provoke much thinking,was quite simple really but somehow wanted just a little more action so hence why i enjoyed Manic Miner type games,this still deserves lots of play though and maybe ill enjoy it a little more some 20 years later,isnt retro just grand?

[KungPhoo]

Lode Runner is totally different from Manic Miner. It's more a strategy game.
Keeping the enemy AI the way the original is is important, because sometimes you have to do moves where you had to predict where the enemies will run.

[Dean_Demon]

Yes different but similar if that makes any sense,yes please keep the AI pretty much as it was,its what made it stand out from the other platform type games of the time,wouldnt be a remake if you changed the gameplay too much,i still enjoyed this.

[caffeinekid]

The controls are much better now but it still feels slow for some reason.

I think perhaps it might be because the levels are bigger than the original, so the time taken to get from one side of the screen to the other is longer - I don't think the movement is slower than the original (some versions anyway) but because of the difference in resolution and level size it feels a lot slower? {shrugs}

If you can make the player move a lot faster, maybe twice as fast just as a test to see how it feels? Maybe add a "hyper speed" option as well as "fast"?

[Dean_Demon]

If you can make the player move a lot faster, maybe twice as fast just as a test to see how it feels? Maybe add a "hyper speed" option as well as "fast"?

Sounds like you want a psychotic version caff,pace of the player seems quite normal to me but sure liven it up and see what happens.

[urner]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Personally I think that the "hyper speed" option is too much. I'm afraid that if you try to dig let's say 5 holes in a row there will be a high probability to miss one. And there are levels that you cannot afford that.

About the AI - my idea was not to copy the original's AI, but to create a new different one. AI that is not too hard to play, neither too easy. I think the AI is good and I like it.

UPDATE: Today I updated the speed and now both the "normal" and "fast" options are faster. Feedback on the new speeds appreciated.

Shortcut to lode runner.