Slick Forums

for the testers: there is an updated version available on the same link i've send you

i'll use this thread so you can see if there are some new versions
or if you have the same remarks or things that already have been fixed (or not)

all these fixes are in a new build, if you uninstall the current version and reinstall the download you should be good
new build timestamp based on the forum time: It is currently Mon Apr 09, 2012 10:13 pm
for others, feel free to post your availability and i'll send you the download link for testing

tx for these that already tested and send me some remarks

changeset:

+ there was a bug in the execution of the specials, now all effects are executed when specials are chained or matched
+ if you open the tutorial state and you go back, it goes back from where you came, so ingame or back to the map
+ the puzzle ending state was stuck
+ minor block speed calculation adjustments
+ if you get an achievement you don't see the blocks of the level anymore (sometimes one popped up)
+ the sound and music should be fixed (some didn't hear anything) updated openal
+ fixed a nullpointerexception on the ingame Hud

- there is no Mac OSX build available atm

test configs:

+ Windows 7 pro 64 bits (OK)
+ Windows 7 x64, 4GB RAM DDR3, 3.3ghz AMD Athlon II X3 455, AMD Radeon HD 6800 series. (OK)
+ Windows 7 Enterprise SP1 x64, 4GB RAM, AMD Athlon Dual Core 5400B 2.80 Ghz (OK)
+ Windows Vista Ultimate sp2 Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T9300 2 2.50 GHZ / 32 Bit (OK)
- Windows XP sp3 / java 1.6.0.27 (NOK)

I'm still getting the OpenAL error on 64 bit windows. No sound or music .

_________________
Current Testing Machine:
Windows 7 x64, 4GB RAM DDR3, 3.3ghz AMD Athlon II X3 455, AMD Radeon HD 6800 series.

i'll open some error tickets to the jet engine which i use to package my game
because there is also another problem reported:

-------------
Exception 0xC0000005 (EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION) at 0x130331CC (F:\Giochi\Heaven&hell\rt\jetrt\XKRN76027.dll+0x4331cc)
Failed to write memory at 0x0

"We have investigated this issue and found that it is a bug in Excelsior JET.
You can expect a hotfix in several days."


-------------

for your issue :
it seems that it would be solved by putting the
\Heaven & Hell\rt\bin\OpenAL32.dll file to the installation root directory where you find the .exe file (or take a copy)
\Heaven & Hell\OpenAL32.dll

if jet can't solve this i'll make a build where it is already there

maybe you could test if this solves this issue?

tx

Hey there!
I tried for the moment the puzzle mode.
I have a nice first feeling about the game.

~ my remarks ~
- when I want to change an option (fullscreen, sound etc) I have to *leave* the current game. I think it would be better to have an option via the esc key that bring us to a menu where we can chose to go to options screen, main menu etc ... without leaving the game. Because if I am in a puzzle game and I want to change resolution I just go back ... and every thing is init again.

- Another point, in puzzle mode again, when I am blocked or I see that I want to restart again the puzzle , I have no way to speed up/cancel the title 'level 01'. I mean for example clicking or space bar could be nice to just skip the little transition of the begining, and to go directly to the init of the puzzle again (quicker).

- Do you planify to put any tips (puzzle mode)? I think that for some people it could be hard/frustrating to not have any help on a specific level. I do not say it is easy to implement but at least a way to have a static solution to how solve the level to be able to go to the next one or have a SKIP functionality to reach the next puzzle.

but great job any way !!!

tx for testing Eric,
indeed the tutorial, sounds, storyline and the configurations of the levels and some little design issues are under development

to reply on your remarks;
- when I want to change an option (fullscreen, sound etc) I have to *leave* the current game.
i see but the escape button is reserved to do a go back action so i can't implement something else on that key
what i could do is to link it to a "settings" key like F1 or something if you find it usefull, most people will setup their settings at the beginning of the game

- Another point, in puzzle mode again, when I am blocked or I see that I want to restart again the puzzle , I have no way to speed up/cancel the title 'level 01'. I mean for example clicking or space bar could be nice to just skip the little transition of the begining, and to go directly to the init of the puzzle again (quicker).
i'll see what i can do but the loader goes via the transition, maybe if there is a reload action i can skip it

- Do you planify to put any tips (puzzle mode)? I think that for some people it could be hard/frustrating to not have any help on a specific level. I do not say it is easy to implement but at least a way to have a static solution to how solve the level to be able to go to the next one or have a SKIP functionality to reach the next puzzle.
atm there are no skips available, the puzzles will be very simple to solve at the beginning and will become harder when going further in the game so the user
should learn different mechanisms of solving, also the tutorial should be self explained..

Everything seems to be fine now,
a little recap of solving the errors with the EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION, building and the OpenAl32.dll
build via the Jet Engine:

0/ not be able to add my jar file to the project to find the main method
It seems that if i create a jar file with an extraction of the dependencies JETI is not able to
find the main method, probably because of an untrusted security violation, however i don't think it
is related to jet itself

(actually i had the same error when porting it to the web via lwgjl, with my clean .jar file
who only contained the project classes which is also resolved now)

1/ Ticket JET1320 EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION
probably solved by your hotfix 33 (i need to resend it to a certain tester who had the issue)

2/ Ticket JET1321 lookup of dll's

solved by adding the $(Root)\rt\bin @ jetII

issue: when adding parameters in jetI using ${x}
it compiles but isn't translated on runtime
issue: when adding parameters in jetI using $(x)
it compiles but and is translated on runtime but corrupts the prj file

at the end my lookup is fine:

C:\Program Files (x86)\MITC\Heaven & Hell>HHSlick.exe
Initial mode: 1680 x 1050 x 32 @60Hz
...
Found 3 OpenAL paths
Testing 'C:\Program Files (x86)\MITC\Heaven & Hell\rt\bin\OpenAL32.dll'
Found OpenAL at 'C:\Program Files (x86)\MITC\Heaven & Hell\rt\bin\OpenAL32.dll'

let me know if you have news!

_________________
Blog | Last game Gravity Duck tribute | In progress Gravity Duck tribute

for the testers: there is an updated version available on the same link i've send you !

changeset:

+ bugfix to be able to run the OpenAL32.dll so the sound and music should be playing (Heaven & Hell\rt\bin\OpenAL32.dll)
Sat Apr 07 15:56:47 CEST 2012 ERROR:Sound initialisation failure.
Sat Apr 07 15:56:47 CEST 2012 ERROR:Could not locate OpenAL library.
org.lwjgl.LWJGLException: Could not locate OpenAL library.

+ bugfix on build with exe/ jar build without extracted dependencies causing
java.lang.SecurityException: Invalid signature file digest for Manifest main attributes

+ Jet Engine configuration build fix java.library.path=$(Root)\rt\bin

+ bugfix on the Jet Engine dll's
Exception 0xC0000005 (EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION) at 0x130331CC (F:\Giochi\Heaven&hell\rt\jetrt\XKRN76027.dll+0x4331cc)

+ added a un-reviewed tutorial
+ added the reload to all game states (untested feature)
+ other minor stuff & graphical updates for background animations

------------

all these fixes are in a new build, if you uninstall the current version and reinstall the download you should be good
new build timestamp based on the forum time: It is currently Wed Apr 11, 2012 9:51 pm
for others, feel free to post your availability and i'll send you the download link for testing

So at the end all main changes are focussed to be able for everybody to launch the game and hear the sound !
For the testers that had this issue please reinstall the new build and report back please so i know it is fixed
if not please send me a bug report or something usefull like you did before !

thanks !

Yes, that fixed the sound issue on my Windows x64 system. It's almost as if it's a brand new game with the sound enabled.

I might as well share my impressions with the game with that fixed. It has excellent visuals and effects. The story gameplay really needs a timer to add urgency. I enjoy match-3 games because it usually pairs puzzle solving with action. Take the iphone app Snabbo. The game gets really exciting as the bubbles fill the screen faster and faster as you desperately try to keep them from reaching the top. Heaven and Hell is more similar to Rise of Atlantis. That game just has a bar that runs across the bottom. You have a number of lives and lose a life if the bar runs out.

I believe you mentioned that you are already working on being able to switch tiles while you are waiting for other tiles to be captured. I think this is really important because one match usually unleashes a really long chain of events. I get bored or even frustrated some times because I can't match a tile that I need because some action is happening in other parts of the grid.

Some visual nitpicking: the transition where the top and bottom meet in the middle has a very visible line where the parts overlap. I feel that it should be completely black. When you finish a level, the particle effects should disappear immediately so it doesn't cover the level-clear screen.

_________________
Current Testing Machine:
Windows 7 x64, 4GB RAM DDR3, 3.3ghz AMD Athlon II X3 455, AMD Radeon HD 6800 series.

>Yes, that fixed the sound issue on my Windows x64 system. It's almost as if it's a brand new game with the sound enabled.
perfect! that's the idea of this release, that it is able to run ! on all windows based systems, can you imagine if i put it on bigfish and
forums are full with "this game sucks because it doesn't run"...

>The story gameplay really needs a timer to add urgency."
i know, i know but i'm still "puzzled" if i will do this or not, i've started a poll on the help forum
i'm also in favorite of a timer but the target public are women,
if you ask your wife, she will say no, and you don't want to start a discussion even if you know she"s "maybe" right..

>I believe you mentioned that you are already working on being able to switch tiles while you are waiting for other tiles to be captured.
true, however i'm an indie developer and i want to finnish the game, also changing the complete mechanism will be a time consuming effort..
i tried bud didn't succeed so i'll leave it for now, what i did change is the mechanism how new blocks are randomized, if i see that the previous ones are the same
it will randomize until it has anoter type, because i've seen in your screenshot and also at another test pc that in endurance mode you get these lines of the same blocks
which will then result in a smaller chain effect ..

>Some visual nitpicking: the transition where the top and bottom meet in the middle has a very visible line where the parts overlap.
ok, fixed

>When you finish a level, the particle effects should disappear immediately so it doesn't cover the level-clear screen.
well, there is a lot to say about particle systems, i've tweaked it a lot for performance reasons, and to be able to show my "texts" like "unstoppable"
it is also a particle system with one particle (default it is also scaled which you don't want if you have a fixed ratio)
i don't think i can stop a particle system but i probably can stop rendering the effects .. but the stars in that "panel " aren't comming from the background
it is a feature

tx for your remarks !!

Thanks for the fast reply!

_________________
Current Testing Machine:
Windows 7 x64, 4GB RAM DDR3, 3.3ghz AMD Athlon II X3 455, AMD Radeon HD 6800 series.

hey there!

in the puzzle mode, when I restart a puzzle (it is fast now - thanks for the change) the puzzle is not the same ... I think u should propose all the time a sequence of fix puzzles (when I ask to restart puzzle one, I should have the same configuration and colors of the blocks) otherwise people will jump from bridges !!

you mean the shape of the puzzle is the same but not the colored types of blocks?
only the first level is a valid puzzle all others are set on random blocks, i still need to configure them..

oh, ok thanks !
I saw that in this release (0.3) I was able to go everywhere ... that s why

sure no problem 0.4 is no "officially released yet", this is for the end of test phase 3