Sheeplings v0.3 - please test

Hi all! I've been lurking the boards for quite some time, but I guess it's about time I post something. And why not make something useful of my first post... I've been working on this game called Sheeplings; the current version is 0.3 (iteration 3), and I'd really appreciate some feedback.

Description
Wolves, eagles, bandits - everyone is after your cute little friends! Protect and guide the sheep through 80 (54 in this beta) wool-raising levels, until you finally reach your goal: the sheep-jumping competition in Woolyville.

Screenshots (from iteration 1)
http://www.sheeplings.com/sheeplings1.jpg
http://www.sheeplings.com/sheeplings2.jpg
http://www.sheeplings.com/sheeplings3.jpg
http://www.sheeplings.com/sheeplings4.jpg
http://www.sheeplings.com/sheeplings5.jpg
http://www.sheeplings.com/sheeplings6.jpg

Demo download (iteration 3)
http://www.sheeplings.com/get_file.php

System requirements
It's worked on all Windows comps so far (with graphical glitches in a case or two.)

Known issues
* Just the default profile
* The keys can't be remapped (control is by mouse, cursor keys + space, or gamepad (standard axis + button))
* Collision detection is still a bit iffy
* There's some irritation when the sheep get stuck in a corner. I'm working on improving this
* The bandit on the second quest behaves like a moron at times; this will be improved
* Graphics leave a lot to be desired
* Better baah and bark sounds ought to be found
* No error management (but there doesn't seem to be that many problems)

Please note
* You start with 80 tokens. This means that the second quest becomes unlocked immediately, and that you can unlock levels of your choice from the beginning. (You will of course start with 0 tokens in the released version.)
* If you happen to experience some graphical glitches, would you please try the alternate renderer option; this indicates whether it prefers to try DirectX or OpenGL first.
* If the 80 tokens aren't enough, you can edit the generated profile file "Karja" to change it to whatever you wish. Likewise if you find that you want to change the dog's range or speed.

Comments are much appreciated!

I like the gfx, have still to try the demo!

It's a cute looking game and a novel idea :-)

Quite well presented, nice graphics, cutesy music, and you've mentioned most of the problems already so no point going over those (my particular bugbear was the collision detection trying to move doggie).

No real sense of urgency, even on timed levels - maybe have a 'ticking' sound when you're running out of time. One level I was dreamily clicking away when suddenly I'd lost.

Also on one of the wolf levels, the wolf stole a sheep and took it off the edge of the screen (I didn't know you could bark at this point) and meant I could never complete the level. Also I barked at a tree and a bonus came out, but due to the position of the fencing I couldn't collect the bonus.

I think perhaps due to the scale of the screen you're limiting yourself with the puzzles and their complexity. The scale at the moment just makes it feel like the flash games I play at work in my lunchbreak. My advice would be to have larger maps (for example, scrollable).

Thanks a lot for the comments, all of you!

The ticking sound was a very good suggestion - it's duly noted.

I completely agree that the puzzles get limited due to a non-scrolling screen, but I made that decision very early in the design process so it'd become painful to unravel it now. Better to do the best with what I have and try to improve my next project. And hope that this game gets decent enough at least...

Ach.. Not being able to complete the level _ought_ to result in a loss of the level, so I just forgot to add that constraint. The bonus thing is probably deliberate, though; the bonus can be collected if you stand above the tree and bark - you'll pick it up before it falls down. But I'll make sure to add a help text for that situation so that it's more apparent!

But it is a Windows exe so it only works on Windows...
I would like to try it but I have a Mac.

Gah, talk about missing the important things. I added a small "Windows" comment in the first post to indicate that it's for Win; if I had a Mac I'd have loved to make a Mac version as well.

If I decide to get a Mini later I'll make sure to ask for feedback on a Mac version!

Same here. Agree that your collision detection could do with an overhaul.

All in all pretty good though. The graphics look quite good and fit the gameplay well I think. The hearding idea reminds me of Herdy Gerdy on the Ps1.

For info, the default render method caused the menu's to cover most of the screen but the alternative worked fine.

Stevie

Great Game, just as before, collisions need some work. The wolves should move a little quicker and there should be some sound to notify that you got a powerup out of the tree.

I tried to run your game but nothing happened to my PC. I mean I clicked the Sheeplings shortcut from the Start->Programs menu after the installation but the program didn't run.
My system specs are: http://www.blitzbasic.com/Community/posts.php?topic=64952

Stevie G: Thanks! Never played that one, but I hope it's a good thing... The collisions are duly noted, and good thing that the renderer cleared things up (even if it's a bummer to have to resort to that). Just a question: do you see any problems with other BMax apps? Apparently your comp didn't like my use of DX7, but OGL worked.

Fuller: Great suggestions! (And another vote for "stop being lazy and fix those collisions")

Moraldi: Damn. Terribly sorry - it's probably to do with the Greek XP version, but I don't have a non-Swedish or non-English version to test on. I'll see if I can find some (other) foreign language versions to debug this on.

@ Karja, No problems with any other Max games/apps but I couldn't be sure if they defaulted to GL rendering. I don't have Max and don't intend to until the 3d engine is available.

Stevie

Fun and cute! I like it! No laser beams or explosions and it's still fun! Runs fine over here!

Stevie: Thanks; this is very good to know. (And, well, I guess I'm just satisfied with 2D myself!)

Mario: Cool! Thanks for testing, and I'm working on improving the collision detection so that it'll be even more fun. :)