Asteroid Invasion: A Space Game
December 19, 2008 8:33 PM Subscribe
Asteroid Invasion: A Space Game
Asteroid Invasion is a Java Space Game created with Processing .Save the human race from certain extinction caused by a swarm of asteroids. Use nuclear thrusters, laser space stations and nuclear warheads to deflect or destroy incoming asteroids. Although this is an arcade game, Newtonian physics and the laws of motion are represented. Asteroids incur Earth's gravitational pull, but if they are fast enough they can end up orbiting forever or escape from Earth's gravity well. Using nuclear thrusters that ground and spit the asteroid's mass away from its body, you can 'help' these interplanetary interlopers depart Earth without causing any harm. Or you can destroy them ... if you build weapons!
Asteroid Invasion is a Java Space Game created with Processing .Save the human race from certain extinction caused by a swarm of asteroids. Use nuclear thrusters, laser space stations and nuclear warheads to deflect or destroy incoming asteroids. Although this is an arcade game, Newtonian physics and the laws of motion are represented. Asteroids incur Earth's gravitational pull, but if they are fast enough they can end up orbiting forever or escape from Earth's gravity well. Using nuclear thrusters that ground and spit the asteroid's mass away from its body, you can 'help' these interplanetary interlopers depart Earth without causing any harm. Or you can destroy them ... if you build weapons!
Maybe because I'm a bit tipsy, but I can't manage to actually click on an asteroid to use a warhead. And I put my thrusters on pointing the wrong way half the time. It's kind of imprecise, is what I'm saying. A fun concept, though.
posted by Caduceus at 11:07 PM on December 19, 2008
posted by Caduceus at 11:07 PM on December 19, 2008
122.
At this point satellites & nukes seem to just be worthless distractions. The satellites barely mark a few asteroids and then they get blowed up. Or maybe they start on top of an asteroid and die immediately. And nukes are so hard to use and just split the asteroid into two bits both of which hit earth just the same.
And I echo Caduceus's complaint; even after I've gotten the hang of it I still occasionally would accidentally use a thruster to fling an asteroid straight into earth. I think it might help a little if you could show some indication of when you're close enough to click on it, and maybe let me click from a little further away, so the angle relative to the moving target can be a little more precise.
posted by aubilenon at 11:38 PM on December 21, 2008
At this point satellites & nukes seem to just be worthless distractions. The satellites barely mark a few asteroids and then they get blowed up. Or maybe they start on top of an asteroid and die immediately. And nukes are so hard to use and just split the asteroid into two bits both of which hit earth just the same.
And I echo Caduceus's complaint; even after I've gotten the hang of it I still occasionally would accidentally use a thruster to fling an asteroid straight into earth. I think it might help a little if you could show some indication of when you're close enough to click on it, and maybe let me click from a little further away, so the angle relative to the moving target can be a little more precise.
posted by aubilenon at 11:38 PM on December 21, 2008
Shift-clicking to plant a warhead might be a lot easier than click-hold.
posted by aubilenon at 11:39 PM on December 21, 2008
posted by aubilenon at 11:39 PM on December 21, 2008
thanks for the comments. I agree that the 'long' click is not the best solution, unfortunately due to the limitations of the developing environment (processing.org), I couldn't implement right clicking. Clicking while holding a key down might work though, I will try to see if I can code it like that. This is my first game, and I am still learning :)
posted by spacefire at 11:20 AM on December 22, 2008
posted by spacefire at 11:20 AM on December 22, 2008
You can use right click in processing. Take a look at the mouseButton example.
posted by SirNovember at 12:18 PM on December 22, 2008
posted by SirNovember at 12:18 PM on December 22, 2008
thanks SirNovember...but I could have sworn I didn't see this 'mouseButton' variable ...is this reference post 4.0, or only available online?
when I get back from vacation I promise to update this game based on the inputs I got so far!
posted by spacefire at 2:27 PM on December 22, 2008
when I get back from vacation I promise to update this game based on the inputs I got so far!
posted by spacefire at 2:27 PM on December 22, 2008
actually this does seem to be a newly released version, looks like processing finally came out of beta!
I don't feel so stupid now :)
posted by spacefire at 2:28 PM on December 22, 2008
I don't feel so stupid now :)
posted by spacefire at 2:28 PM on December 22, 2008
Based on the users' suggestions so far, I have updated the game. Feel free to try it out again, same address.
posted by spacefire at 6:46 PM on December 22, 2008
posted by spacefire at 6:46 PM on December 22, 2008
http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html
the warheads are now activated with the right mouse button.
posted by spacefire at 6:50 PM on December 22, 2008
the warheads are now activated with the right mouse button.
posted by spacefire at 6:50 PM on December 22, 2008
Not sure when they added it, but Processing did just hit 1.0.
The right clicking for warheads and the rings showing how a click will push the asteroid are great interface improvements. Can I suggest slowing everything down a bit, though? It seems to start off with a bang (har har) and gets wild and woolly real quick. Give it slow, spacey grace.
posted by SirNovember at 9:44 AM on December 23, 2008
The right clicking for warheads and the rings showing how a click will push the asteroid are great interface improvements. Can I suggest slowing everything down a bit, though? It seems to start off with a bang (har har) and gets wild and woolly real quick. Give it slow, spacey grace.
posted by SirNovember at 9:44 AM on December 23, 2008
yet another update, making the targeting circle and arrow not appear when the asteroid is off-screen or in the process of blowing up.
posted by spacefire at 7:06 PM on December 30, 2008
posted by spacefire at 7:06 PM on December 30, 2008
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