
Z-Type: Typing Game + Shoot'Em Up (Entry for Mozilla Game On) - franck
http://www.phoboslab.org/ztype/

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ique
Very nice game! As some others have said the progression speed was too slow, I
got to level 25 before I got to see any ships basically...

There was one thing that bothered me multiple times though, I couldn't
distinguish between t and f fast enough on some occasions, I would suggest
switching to a different font.

Also, a High-score list would make things complete.

~~~
phoboslab
I decided for the Tungsten font over Helvetica/Arial because I felt it fits
the game esthetically. I know that's a, from a user experience perspective,
pretty stupid reason, but making this game look good was one of my priorities.
Maybe I can shift a few pixel on the t/f to make it more clear.

I thought long about how to implement a highscore list, but with a JavaScript
game there's really nothing stopping you from submitting fake scores. Even if
I verify each word on the server side, a bot that plays the game would be
trivial to implement. I have no idea how to make it at least a tiny bit
"secure" :/

~~~
ique
You could have one global list that essentially is a bot-competition (which I
think is interesting in itself) and then allows users to create named lists,
allowing friends to compete internally.

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JoshTriplett
I like that this game avoids the usual trap of typing challenges, namely
treating a typo as a fatal problem with serious penalties. Perhaps in the
typewriter days this made sense, but nowadays a quick typo and backspace
simply causes a minor slowdown.

Z-Type's use of typo-free typing as a simple bonus multiplier provides a
penalty for typos without treating them as fatal problems. I can type far more
quickly with occasional corrected typos than I can if I slow down enough to
make zero typos in the first place. Thanks for handling that case!

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tzm
Fantastic. Looking forward to seeing more games built using Impact. Is Z-Type
going to be open sourced, or available on ImpactJS.com?

~~~
phoboslab
The source is pretty dirty right now, but I'll try to clean it up and release
it publicly.

~~~
catch23
Would be nice to have to source -- I could tweak it for people like myself who
are trying to learn the colemak layout. The initial word set would just come
from the home-row and slowly branch out to other letter positions.

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ck2
I am not a gamer but that was really fun and had to force myself to close the
tab to get back to work.

ps. maybe make an option for the font to be slightly larger for those with
high-res monitors and/or bad eyesight

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simplify
Very fun. The game has just enough aesthetics to make every letter typed
satisfying. I could even feel my typing improving over time.

I like the concept of the different ships, but the game doesn't get hard
enough fast enough. I played through 30 levels before I got bored and stopped
playing. Great potential, I can't wait to see what comes next.

~~~
phoboslab
I guess I'm just a slow typist. I will implement a hard mode soon.

Thanks for the feedback!

~~~
JoshTriplett
Rather than implementing a hard mode, why not just adapt to the user's typing
rate? If the user types quickly and accurately, throw in a few more of the
larger ships/words, or advance them to later levels more quickly.

You could also skip to the user's baseline level fairly easily. For instance,
if the user types really well in an early level, throw in a quick "wormhole"
with a sentence attached, and if they type all the words before it passes,
they warp ahead a few levels.

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planckscnst
The game never seems to get more difficult - it's just an endurance thing.

~~~
itistoday
Right around level 27 or so these baddies come in that shoot probably 20 or so
individual letters at once at you, and that's when things start getting a bit
more interesting...

~~~
jvdh
they actually come in earlier, but if you're a fast typist and not too slow on
the uptake, you can manage to shoot those before they shoot at you.

I agree, the game is a tad too simple if you're a reasonable typist. Perhaps
stressing the accuracy multiplier a bit more would make things more
interesting.

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trafficlight
Love it. Reminds me of Typing of the Dead.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Typing_of_the_Dead>

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jgalecki
It's a good game and an interesting way to work on my typing. I only noticed
that accurate typing gave a score multiplier around level 30. As a player, it
would help to have more feedback on accuracy. As a quick suggestion, maybe
some text could appear by the player's ship that says something like "50
keys!" or "100 key combo!".

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sambeau
It would be really poignant if it made you type the words to "Anthem for
Doomed Youth" by Wilfred Owen:

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? \---Only the monstrous anger
of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle Can patter out their
hasty orisons. No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells; Nor any voice
of mourning save the choirs,--- The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

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EGreg
Very nice!

I think I got to level 35 or so I just didn't let the baddies get close ...
but once you let them in an little they start shooting letters at you

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swolchok
It crashed Chrome on Linux after a while; I'm using the beta channel.

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willemv
Deducting health on typos might be a nice addition, now there is almost no
penalty

EDIT : oh never mind, there's a multiplier that resets on typos ...

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DennisP
Fun! A game I'm good at for a change. It'd be great if you could add an
estimate of typing speed at the end.

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wwz
Played it until my browser crashed at 61. Is it finite and does it ever get
harder?

