Owl Camp - (jam entry)

No install required for download version. (Controls & HUD info below...)

*In-browser version runs fast in Chrome (Firefox not recommended).
Quickplay and *Desktop versions should also be very smooth.

- - Changes in v10a - -

• Add: 4 new levels: There are 3 new levels serving as a gentler introduction to the flight mechanics, and 1 new final level.

• Add: Significantly extended music track, length 4:12, where original was 1:13.

• Add: Multiple control layouts, Arrows and WASD.

• Add: End game screen shows your total time score. (Sum of time scores on each level, counting only the last run on a level.)

• Add: In-game control and HUD overviews.

• Add: "End" key will skip the title screen before the "Any key to start" prompt appears.

• Change: You can now use the wide-view key without starting the level timer.

• Change: Some controls moved to different keys to make room for WASD controls. (e.g. Level advance moved from "A" to "Z".)

• Change: Original final level is now a little visually nicer.

• Fix: Some levels have had minor graphical issues fixed.

• Fix: Low FPS detector is now less likely to give a false "low FPS" notice in Chrome.

- - Overview - -

Owl Camp is a thrust and gravity arcade game, created for the 2014 GameBoy Jam.

(Owl Camp is presently in the alpha stage.)

You take the role of Wrenwen, an owl who reluctantly agrees to join her friend on a camping trip. Your camping buddy departs early, leaving you with a rocket-pack, and a quest to un-shatter the physically manifested projections of your subconscious mind. Camping is hard.

- - Controls - -

Arrows:

• X = Wide view (Slows time to 20% while held.)

• Z = Confirm (Level advance).

• Arrow keys = Thrust & rotate.

WASD:

• O = Wide view (Slows time to 20% while held.)

• P = Confirm (Level advance).

• WASD = Thrust & rotate.

General Keys:

• R/F2 = Restart current level.

• Esc = Return to main menu.

• M = Music volume. (Cycles through Mute, Low, Moderate, Normal.)

• Number Row = (1 to 0) Set pixel scaling (1x to 10x). Desktop only

- - Heads up display - -

g-force shock meter:
(Striped bar at top)
Shows the shock and acceleration forces currently acting on you. If it goes beyond the white hash marks, your rocket-pack will suffer damage.

Rocket-pack HP:
(Dots just below shock meter)
This shows your rocket-pack's remaining hit points. You can lose more than one hit point at a time when impacts are severe.

Timer:
Shows the time you've taken since starting the level.

Figment counter:
(White number, visible only in "wide view", hold "F" key)
Shows number of remaining figments to reclaim.

- - Features - -

• Watch Wrenwen's eyes. She will look at subjects of interest as you approach them. She'll glance around nervously at walls if she starts getting dangerously close to them. Figments hold her gaze especially strongly.

• The predictive camera system will smoothly swing out in front of you, an amount proportional to your velocity, to give you a better view of where you're headed.

• Thrust particles, Collision particles, "Figment get" particles, Everything particles! Oh, and if you take damage, a cloud of ghostly owls skulls will float away from the sight of your misfortune.

• Physics, on Wrenwen, on the giant ornate block, on all the walls. Not on the little bushes ... yet.

• An original, albeit simple, little tune. With a mix of modern synths as well as hardware accurate emulated GameBoy instruments.

• Collision sounds that scale in intensity based on physics information.

• Parallax background. Because I love them. :)- - Known Issues - -

• 60Hz refresh rate: If your monitor is set to a refresh rate other than 60Hz, the game will not run the correct speed (e.g. 120Hz will run it at 2x speed). This game is not yet frame rate independent, though I hope to fix that.

• No WebGL on XP/Vista?: Launch Owl Camp from the file named "owlcamp XP,Vista launcher.exe". If you can't find it, you likely have an older version of Owl Camp, so all you need to do is download the newer version, and you're set. :)

• Slow/Choppy in-browser: For the in-browser version I recommend Chrome, or a browser that uses the Chromium engine, which should run the game flawlessly at full speed. Most other browsers (e.g. Firefox) will be too slow to run the game at a playable speed. It is essential that the game run at full speed for it to be playable. There's also a "Quick Play" option available, which should run lightning fast. :)

(#GBJam3)
& #foreverjam, and I can't believe all my games were made during Forever Jam. That's spooky.
#arcade