Super Hamster Ball RIP

Yep, Super Hamster Ball is dead, aged just two weeks. Sad, I know, but these things happen...

Actually, the game lives on in the form of Super Gerball. I decided to rename the game after receiving a fair bit of flak on the IndieGamer forums for releasing my game with a similar name to Hamster Ball.

Thanks to Adam Gore for suggesting the new name many moons ago - should have changed it there are then, rather than leaving it until now.

To coincide with the name change a new demo has been released that features a number of changes and improvements based on your feedback. Amongst the changes are new levels, a new mouse mode that should hopefully be easier to use, a new replays mode, game saving and more.

You can download the new demo from here.

Screenshots are here.

I'm still looking for feedback if you have any, you can either leave a comment here or fill in the feedback form.

Sorry, but what a load of old cock!

How the bloody hell can you copyright anything to do with hamsters?? Some people really do kick up a fuss over the silliest of things.

Well, that's my feedback thus far. I'll try the demo. :)

To be honest "simonh", I noted previously that it didn't look like a hamster anyway. To me it is more of a kitten. Maybe you could have more than one central character to select? Then you could bring the hamster back in. The game can then have a more open title like 'Super Cute Animal Ball' (SCAB), etc.

Unless the ball is really a 'magic bubble' that protects the animal. When they fall off the 'track' they don't die - they fall for a bit and then float back up again to try again - you don't lose a life, you lose a 'try'.

Quite a nice game - one thing that annoys me a bit is the amount of lifting up and putting down of mouse thats required to stop it going off the edge of the mousemat.

For instance, move the mouse to the right, then move it back to the left. As you begin to move left, the whole level realigns itself so its flat. I'm not sure I explained that too well but I found it didn't make for very precise control.

Whats a 'Gerball' anyway? does it have a meaning in Germany?

A gerbil is like a hamster - because it was Super hamster ball it is now Super gerball (ger-ball).

"How the bloody hell can you copyright anything to do with hamsters??"

It's not copyrighted. In fact, it's not even trademarked. Simon is fully within his rights to use that name. You can't copyright the name of a movie or a book or a video game.

You can trademark one, but these guys clearly have not. He's just changing the name because he doesn't want people mad at him. :-)

Gfk:
The game is much easier if you just use the keyboard. :-)

The name change is less to do with copyright, more to do with confusion. There's already a game called Hamster Ball, and one called Habitrail Hamster Ballz on the way, so I decided to go for a gerbil name instead.


Mouse mode 2 (Options -> Control) solves this by requiring you to hold down the mouse button. People complained that was too difficult though, so I added mouse mode 1.

Like sswift says, the game isn't entirely suited to the mouse. An analogue joypad is the best method, although I realise very few people have a joypad.

>'Like sswift says, the game isn't entirely suited to the mouse'

Don't call it Super Mouse Ball then - they might get offended.

Haha...

my kids liked it they found it a bit weird to control at first but soon got the hang of it:)

the character looks like a syrian golden hamster, gerbils always look grey/brown to me, with longer tails

Syrian Sphere (hamster ball)

> But.... putting kittens in hamsterballs
> could be construed as animal cruelty.

So why is it not cruel to put hamsters inside balls?

Because years ago when hamsters had their own planet they all lived in balls, they were happy, but then a darkness came to their planet making them flee to Earth and live as pets.

... thats a true story i saw it on TV... so it must be true.

I think this version is much better, has a smoother feel, I was able to play with the mouse fairly well without resorting to keys. More interesting levels, more forgiving level-complete etc. Just all round better. Shame you changed the name but hope it still does well anyway.