FreeGameDev

Open Surge

Open Surge is a fun 2D retro platformer inspired by old-school Sonic games. It is also a game creation system that lets you unleash your creativity! Play, create & share!

Download: http://opensurge2d.org

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/nCH7xeZp2hQ


Licenses:

• Game engine: GPL-3.0+
• Assets: a mix of CC-BY 3.0 and CC-0 (artwork, music...) plus MIT (scripts)

How stable/playable is this game?
Are any important features missing?

Wuzzy {l Wrote}:How stable/playable is this game?
Are any important features missing?

It's a stable version. I invite you to see it by yourself

We'll continue the development of the project. If anybody would like to get involved, just contact me.

OK, I just took a look. So, there are 6 playable levels. The rest are demo levels to introduce the editor and stuff.

Nice! So the game is clearly playable, but it's very short atm. So this game is of demo quality at this stage. For a “full” game, a lot of more content is required. But everything seems to work just fine so far. Very interesting.

The gameplay is very very closely to classic Sonic the Hedgehog. TBH, I rarely ever played Sonic games as I wan't a huge fan of the gameplay. STH levels tend to be huge but you keep missing like most of the content all the time, exploration is not really fun. And Open Surge seems to follow that. But, oh well, it's still fine as a game.

The intro cards should be removed or at least be reduced to a single intro card that goes away instantly (no fade) after a keypress. It's just annoying.

Besides, the name “Open Surge” should be changed to something more “gamey”. Surge is a new character, so the “Open” doesn't make sense. We have FAR too many FOSS games with either “Open” or “Free” in their name.

The graphics are great.

There needs to be a help or controls screen to explain/config all the controls.
The very first level should also be very easy but also includes all of the core obstacles, to force the player to at least do every possible move (jump, walk, run, etc.) at least one, so the player is prepared for the later levels. That's a tried-and-tested method for many old scool Jump'n'Runs. Especially the “speedup” move (hold down "down" key) is not obvious. But it seems in the 6 levels, it was never needed. I have not found an use for the “Up” key.
The drowning mechanic is mean. There is suddenly a 5 second countdown, but when you see it, it's often already too late. There's also no change in the player sprite when underwater, it just doesn't look like Surge needs to catch breath, etc.

I have no real idea what all these computer screens do. Some are more obvious bonuses, some others aren't. I notice the complete lack of a game manual here (except a README, but only gameplay-relevant info are controls). I assume this is all on the TODO list already.

So there is still obvious work ahead for the project, but it sure looks VERY promising!

EDIT: OK, the game also has a score but what's the point of the score? There is not even a highscore list, so the score seems completely pointless. Are there plans to add some meaning to the score?

Open Surge name comes from the fact that it was Open Sonic. They decided to get rid of the Sonic content. I keep meaning to try it out and try to package it for Fedora because my kids like Sonic.

Ah, I remember Open Sonic from a long long time ago. I'm glad to see that all the original characters were replaced.

@Wuzzy: thank you for your opinion. The information you asked can be found at the project wiki.

We're looking for people who can translate the game in the next few days, before it goes into mainstream Linux distributions.

Translating the game is simple to do. You just need to translate a single text file according to the guidelines of our Translation Guide.

Currently, the game is translated into English, Portuguese and German (German translation by Wuzzy). New translations are welcome! Are you able to contribute? Please get in touch! Your help is greatly appreciated!

Translators will appear in the credits screen.

You can announce your call for translations here:
https://forum.freegamedev.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11388

PS: I cannot find a “project wiki” anywhere (links are very well hidden), and the only link I *do* find is broken.

@Wuzzy: thank you! Here's the project wiki.

I think you're missing the point here. It's not about me. It's about the wiki not existing at all.
There is no link on opensurge2d.org nor the readme. And when I click on “wiki” on the GitHub repo, it doesn't work. Therefore, the wiki does not exist. :P

Also, none of the content in the “Game” section of the non-existing wiki actually answers my questions like the one about computer screens. The non-existing wiki atm is almost entirely dev-centered, not player-centered. So it's not a true manual. But I know it's still an early version of the game, so I shouldn't complain.

I hear your feedback about a game manual. The computer screens (item boxes) are powerup items, as described in our game design document at the wiki.

The wiki is linked on our website a few times, and also on our forums, but I see your point. There's no problem in including an extra link that reads "project wiki", making it even more visible.

Weird. I could have sworn that Ctrl+F wiki yielded nothing on opensurge2d.org before. Maybe it was just me.

But the link on GitHub still appears to be broken.

Hi again!

There have been many improvements to the game, including: new special moves for Surge, new translations (9 and counting!), improvements to the physics engine, updates to the SurgeScript API and more! And if you want to create a game, it's a very cool engine.

Linux users can get it from the Snap Store or from Flathub. Windows users can get it at opensurge2d.org

You guys need an artist. The legs on the main character look so stiff and give the appearance of leaning backwards.

Maybe reach out to OpenGameArt and see if you can get somebody to improve on that. Lots of quality pixel artists on there.

Thank you for your opinion!

We're looking to update the style of the characters, giving them lighting, shading and smoother animations (Mania/Chaotix style).

If you're reading this and would like to get involved, drop me a message.

I see you have posted on OpenGameArt already.

I would suggest though, you've done it somewhat incorrectly.

https://opengameart.org/forumtopic/requ ... libre-game

Translations? Erm. Weird title. Make a new topic with a better title.

Also... you are using only text and absent detail. Already in 1 sentence above you have specified more than you did in this OGA post.

Include the correct character. Include example inspiration. Include the above animation showing off the game. Give artists something to see before they have to download and play the game.

I created it for you.

https://opengameart.org/forumtopic/conc ... characters

- a complete open source game

That's a lie, Open Surge is hardly complete, many levels are still missing.

charlie {l Wrote}:I created it for you.

https://opengameart.org/forumtopic/conc ... characters

Hi! To speak on behalf of the project, you would need to be part of the team, but I appreciate the intent