Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

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xavimat
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Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

#1 Post by xavimat »

Intro
Do you want to be a cop and chase the most famous—and infamous—bank robber? Here is your opportunity: Intel says that there will be a robbery in the Golden Bank, where the Big Diamond is stored. Go and get to the diamond before the robber and set a trap.

Do you want to be the most famous bank robber? Here is your opportunity! Break into the Golden Bank and stole the Big Diamond. The police Captain is after you. Would you be able to reach the diamond before the cops?

Welcome to Cops&Robbers, a one-player/two-player dungeon-crawl game about a robber, a cop, and a Big Diamond.

TWO-PLAYER Mode
The two-player system uploads and downloads data from a web server.
To start playing there are two possibilities:
PRIVATE GAME: One player creates a game, chooses to be a cop or a robber, and shares the generated game-code with the second player. The second player uses that code to access the created game and will be the opponent (cannot chose the job).
PUBLIC GAME: One player creates the game, chooses to be a cop or a robber, and the game is public on the server. Another player searches the public-game lists and joins in.
Once the system detects the two players are on-line, the game starts. Obviously, every player needs a computer connected to Internet.

Information is constantly being updated, but it’s not immediate; some minor (and not so minor) lags are usual.
Due to the nature of the game, there is no save/load option in the two-player mode.

ONE-PLAYER Mode
One-player mode works as usual, with the save/load option.

Gameplay
There is no actual story or narrative in the game. The player explores the bank basement (dungeon crawl style), defeats enemies, finds objects (weapons, first-aid kits, grenades, dynamite…), blows up doors, opens the vault and gets to the diamond before the other player does. Every step is guided by missions.
When defeated, the player runs and hides to the starting point.
Whether the two players are near, the program launches a duel between them in the form of an automatic combat (the system used is not fast enough to create a real-time battle). This can (will) have odd (and fun) results (two winners or two losers, sometimes). Anyway, the game goes on until one of them gets to the diamond in the vault.

Instructions
  • Movement with usual WASD keys, also strafing with QE. First-person Point of View.
  • Actions with imagebuttons or keys, all of them with tooltips.
  • Four stats: Speed, Strength, Aim and HP. Every Level-Up gives bonus that can be applied to one of them.
  • Combat is minimalist. There are only three weapons (fists, baton, gun), and three options (hit, shoot, escape). Number keys (above the qwerty letters, not the side keys) are used.
Tips
  • Connect with the other player using some audio service (skype, etc.; or better, play in the same room :) ) This is meant to be the actual fun of the game: racing against the opponent, dueling, reaching first.
  • Be careful with the doors. They are heavily guarded.
  • Some group-enemies disappear when defeated, but other are fixed. Throw a hand-grenade to clear your path when you locate them.
  • The game is pretty hard at the beginning, but also leveling up is easier then. Once you get the baton, the gun, and the vest, low enemies are more an annoyance than a danger. Last enemies are tough, though.
  • Follow the missions in order; they activate the Win ending.
Credits
  • Cops&Robbers by xavimat.
  • Original walls and doors images by SusanTheCat (thanks again Susan!).
  • Dungeon Crawl base code by nyaatrap (public domain).
  • Music by Celestial Aeon project (creative commons, by-nc-sa)
  • Other images and sound effects, from public domain and creative commons sites.
  • Made with Ren’Py 8.1.1
Dowload
Download from itch.io.

What do you think?
The game is meant to be simple and fast. Exploring an odd possibility (web connection) that Ren’Py is not actually designed for. It has been more an «experimental project» than a big idea.
If you give a try to the game, I’d like to know how to improve it:
  • Do you prefer one-player or two-player mode? Is the two-game system fun? This is the first purpose of the game.
  • Is the gameplay Ok? Are the enemies too hard?, too soft? The leveling is too steep/quick?
  • Have you found a bug?
  • Please, help me with my English. Spot errors and typos, or, if you have time and will, I can send you a file with the text to be proofread.
Details
  • One-player and Two-player modes.
  • Two player mode with private or public games and a "waiting room".
  • Version 2.00
  • Resolution: 1280x720.
  • Sound effects. Some voices.
  • Music.
  • Language: English
  • Engine: Renpy 8.1.1
Last edited by xavimat on Sun Jun 25, 2023 10:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

#2 Post by Eri »

this looks interesting! I will play it later..

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Re: Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

#3 Post by xavimat »

Thanks Eri. Please leave your comments when you have played it. :)
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Re: Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

#4 Post by Godline »

You continue to astound me with your programming skills. <3

Not my type of game particularly, because I prefer more reading games, where you don't have to think or strategise (I'm the laziest game player ever) but I do like the look of dungeon crawls. :)

Nice job!

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Re: Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

#5 Post by Karl_C »

Although I don't like this type of game too much, I very much like the idea behind it (players connected over the internet).

As it doesn't seem to need too much bandwidth (which is good, if the player is connected to the internet via a mobile network) and apparently this kind of game is popular among android users: Do you think it's possible to build an android version for mobiles?

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Re: Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

#6 Post by xavimat »

Thanks, @godline! This was totally a programming experiment, and now I've learnt how to have different computers dialoging over the web with a database. And everything is free.
My initial idea was a detective-investigation game, were two players had to go to different places and ask to different characters to solve the mistery, but it would involve a lot more time (writting the actual case) and has the problem of different reading speeds. I was inspired by black closet, where you send minions to do the investigation, and thought that different players could be the.minions. But that was too much to write in a short time.
Then I did an experiment with a chat system (it worked!) And thought of this simple dungeon game (using pretty smart code from nyaatrap).
In the meanwhile I discovered that MMOVN (massive mutiplayer online visual novel) is a thing (there was some discussion in the forums, years ago), but with little success (different reading speeds was one of the problems).
Anyway, I (maybe) can use this knowledge to create a program to do tests for my students, or a learning program for New Testament Greek, similar to duolingo.com
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Re: Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

#7 Post by xavimat »

Karl_C wrote:Although I don't like this type of game too much, I very much like the idea behind it (players connected over the internet).

As it doesn't seem to need too much bandwidth (which is good, if the player is connected to the internet via a mobile network) and apparently this kind of game is popular among android users: Do you think it's possible to build an android version for mobiles?
Thanks, @Karl_C. It's true that it uses little bandwith. The code has urllib2.urlopen to upload info to a php file. (The url called has a string with the info: player's position, hp, stats and weapon), and it returns the info uploaded by the other player also as a string. With a better planning it need even less bandwith: the database could have only the latest info.
The game is not continuosly connecting to the web, for example, during a combat, there is not upload/download. So a real-time combat is not possible (it wouldn't be fast enough).

The two-player idea could be interesting for a VN. Two players helpibg each other with diferent objectives (sort of a wingman friend). Or two players trying with the same objective, and a NPC with affection points for every player...
But it's difficult to make it work because of different reasons. For example, the different reading speed.
Imagine two players trying to talk or give a present to the same NPC, they would race, instead of enjoy reading the dialogue. There is some dicussion here in the forums and it seems it won't work to make a game with fun for every player...

I don't know if android accepts urllib2.urlopen (I think ot does, but have to try). I want to build later an android version. It perhaps won't work in medium devices, and the lack of keyboard will make the gameplay slower (keyboard playerd will have a great advantage).
Antway, it's another thing to try and experiment.
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Re: Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

#8 Post by Eri »

I just got the time to play this game yesterday.

Okay,here goes:

I love the idea of this game.
Besides that, how in the world did you manage to program this thing?
It's awesome! I got to play as a cop or robber whenever I want.
It's a great game
*cough* I like to shoot people *cough*
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Re: Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

#9 Post by xavimat »

Thanks Eri.
I've used the code from the Dungeon Crawl by nyaatrap, that includes a simple combat system. I've added the option for more than one enemy (two or three), and a third level depth in the dungeon.
See the thread in the cookbook:
viewtopic.php?f=51&t=19245

Have you played with the Two-player mode? Did it work?
That's the complex part of the coding. (I've explained a little above in the thread).
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Re: Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

#10 Post by Nero »

Hi xavimat,

Do you still have the copy of this code maybe? I'm unable to find it anywhere else on the internet. I know it's been a while but no one has ever done something like this in Ren'Py I would like to see the example for this code is there a way you could reupload this again? Also I want to store it on my PC to be safe.

Thank you.

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Re: Cops&Robbers [one/two-player][dungeon][Free]

#11 Post by xavimat »

Seven years later, Cops&Robbers is up (and kicking) again.
See the 2.0 version on itch.io:
https://pilgrimcreations.itch.io/copsrobbers
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