This is a quick update to the state of “more than four xbox controllers in cobalt”.

Due to the comments on the last post, I realized the fix was rather trivial.

In v125 all xbox controllers after the forth will instead be added as direct input devices. This means they will be slightly less featured, lacking force feedback and worse analog trigger support. But it will work:

I tried this with 4 wired xbox 360 controllers, and 1 wireless xbox 360 controllers using a usb-dongle receiver.

/thewreck

How’s visiting family (or whatever else you do!) going? In my case, it’s keeping me quite busy!
However, I had enough spare time to check the Oxeye blog during the 25th!
What’s so important about that, you ask? Well, our dear community member Librus wrote a very interesting blogpost to celebrate such day and holidays!
Go read if you haven’t already! The link is here.

“Spartans”?

Cobalt says he has no idea what you’re talking about.

Cobalt might not be an ancient fighter about whom legends are written (yet), but every metalface who thinks of himself or herself as a decent fighter must be skilled in the use of sharp objects!
That’s where spears -and other stuff!- come in.

Pointy! Sharp!

In the new update a bunch of new melee weapons and equipment is going to be included. Isn’t that awesome? I feel like dueling someone every time I see the new swords. Wait, did someone say dueling?

Check that out! I won! Now who wants to duel with me?
Aw, seems like we’ll have to wait a little longer.

That’s all for this year!

And again the year comes to an end. Happy new year everyone!
I hope you enjoyed these small blog posts I’ve been doing until now. Hopefully now you want the next version even more!

Next week there won’t be a blog post, probably. The week after that… we’ll see!

-Janeator

Hello again!

Time flies, doesn’t it?
Today we take a look at a new feature to be released with the next udpate: Taming!

Don’t be a coward, jump into that beast!

And then try not to fall and get bitten!

Yes, that’s right! In the next update you will be able to tame wild, fearsome beasts like the Sabretooth Hamster and mount them to battle!
After a little while of standing in the beast’s back, however, they will stop looking fearsome to you. Maybe they’ll even look cute. But not to your foes!

The following video displays the ways in which an honorable rider tames beasts -this time a strange case of a non-aggresive Hamster, for which not as many practice is required- and rides them to battle:

Looks like our hero found a worthy opponent! Fair fight.

Sorry! That’s all for today!

Yes, this post is a bit short. But shorter means better, right? Right?
Oh well, guess I heard it wrong. Hope you enjoyed the post though! More next weekend!

Welcome back!

As many of you might know, guess or assume, in the next version there will be some new weapons for you to shoot, throw or slash into the baddies’ faces…

This week, I present to you two new curious throwables that can be quite useful in some situations.

Need help?

Beep boop, incoming!

Got trouble with too many enemies? Now you can call for allies that will teleport in faster than a rail bullet (note: not really) to aid you in your fights!

All this technology magic is done using a Robot Beacon, a small gadget with antenna that, once deployed, will emit a signal calling for help.

Spiky red glowing destiny caught mid-flight.

Is the room too full of robots? Did you run out of beacons?

Worry not, because here is the latest weapon designed by and for true hacking geniuses: the hack grenade!

This useful tool will allow you to hack whichever mechanical foe it collides with first, or the nearest unit within a certain range if thrown to the floor. See that predator? It used to mean trouble. Used to.

The hack grenade it’s also quite a better weapon than the hack device; it doesn’t force you to stand still waiting for enemies to kill you while using it. What does that mean? It means you can ride predators to battle! Those baddies will know what it feels like to face such a machine now.

In this video you can see how to use both of the above weapons for practical purposes, plus some stealth suit sneakyness!

That’s all for today!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s blog post. While shorter, I’m sure it delivers some of what most of you like the most: action!

Be sure to come back next week to check out what else Cobalt has in store for you!

/janeator

Hello!

Janeator here!

Trif has been quite busy trying to exfiltrate the Oxeye Headquarters and whatnot, so for now I’m in charge of posting on this blog! For those who don’t know me, I’ve been making maps for Cobalt for quite a long time now, and I also hang around a lot in the Cobalt IRC channel.

But that’s probably not what you are here for!
So hit that “read more” button for some…

Adventure footage!

Starting this week, for 4 weekends I’ll post something new -that you probably haven’t seen- on the blog.

Today, I present to you… The Seed! A fine Interestellar ship that Agent Cobalt will use to travel around space, or Planet Trunkopia in this case, and which will be your headquarters during this mission!
The seed is equipped with various rooms, each one with a different (perhaps sinister?) purpose.

Look at that impressive 3D display!

In the bridge you will find the ship’s computer, who also appears to be Cobalt’s only companion in this remote region of space. After 45 hard years for Cobalt, it appears the destination has finally been reached. Action, at last!
The computer doesn’t understand rolling and shooting, but you will be able to use it to check notes, write reports and consult the Galactipedia encycolpedia, for checking what that odd looking gadget you just found is!

So empty… for now.

In the armoury room (which also doubles as teleport room) you’ll be able to select the weapons and shield that you feel like using in your next landing. At first it will be empty, with only a Matter Prototype in it, but as you progress in your adventure you’ll find other weapons that will then be added to the armoury.
The ominous green screen in the middle of the room will allow you to teleport to different parts of the planet where your adventure will continue.

Change your looks! Also your stats.

The hulls room, located under the armoury room, will allow you to change your hull parts so that you can decide which stats to increase or decrease. This will allow you, in example, to run faster or be more resistant to certain effects.
The room also includes an upgrade station, which is useful for upgrading your weapons and equipment.

Having a good time.

Cobalt’s room isn’t exactly the most exciting room in The Seed, but it seems to fullfill its purpose. And I must say that Cobalt really looks to be having a good time being surrounded by plants and some good radio tunes. Is that Cobalt’s old house in the painting on the wall?

The corridor, useful for… walking?

The corridor… well saying it connects rooms pretty much sums it up. Apparently Cobalt also likes to have some plants in it as well. Nature! Neat stuff.
Also let’s not talk about the locked door.

Time’s up!

Sorry but that means this is the end of the end of this post. I hope you enjoyed reading/watching!

Be sure to tune back in during the weekends for more blog posts!

For the last 4 weeks we have been doing pre-testing of the next version including adventure mode with selected community members, and so far they have reported 353 bugs/feedbacks/opinions. We have equipped the bug-spray and are now in the process of going through this. We still don’t know when this process will be done, but so far we have tested chapters 1,2,3 and 4 with 5,6 and 7 remaining.

If you didn’t watch the dev-streams, here is screenshot!

If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to comment!

THEME WAS: “EVIL”

The games have been made

Hair has been torn

The games must be played

Good times are born

sub-themes: Cat, Slime, Arcade, RTS, Shooter, Fast

Party Popper

by Snade

An evil eye is out to destroy every balloon it can find! You play the eye and obviously your goal is to destroy balloons

Download .jar (crossplatform) :

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bhfptv5cp0m1xea/Party%20Popper.jar?dl=0

Download linux (.tar) :

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jtmtii5udp47z9h/linux.tar?dl=0

Download mac OSX(.app) :

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fx259o8uanmzana/party%20popper.zip?dl=0

Download windows(.exe) :

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e690ew92ojfv2ki/Party%20Popper.exe?dl=0

Just download it and play

Download .jar (crossplatform)

Download linux (.tar)

Download mac OSX (.app)

Download windows (.exe)

Just download it and play

Evil dice simulator 2014 : GOTY edition

by Kilmano

Evil dice simulator 2014 : GOTY edition is an evil game that is about rolling a dice and getting a high score. The game contains multiple easter eggs and will save your progress so you can always come back and enjoy your game.

(progress is saved when the ending line is on screen)

Download windows(.exe)

Screens: 1, 2

Kitty Clickiller

by TP

Here we go I got up early and here`s the result of ~4h of Coding Fun:

You wanted an evil game you got yourself an evil game. Click to feel like a monster. Click more to feel even worse. Right click to hire minions to do the dirty work for you.

NyahaBOOM!

by RayKatz

Catshooting cat tanks of the Catocalypse! Or atleast it was supposed to be that way…

Download windows (.exe)

This game is broke to hell. Read the readme.

What I learned over the duration of the jam:

• use version control
• don’t learn and use a new plugin while developing under time pressure

Goolord Rex: Destroyer, Annihilator, Cat?

by Rian

I only had a couple of hours to make it so it’s unfinished at best, and there are no sounds. It’s written in Scala (so it runs on the JVM and should work on mac, linux and windows) as functional and pure as I can handle. The graphics are done with Swing. The game is a shooter with a twist. You catch enemies with slimeballs and collect them to get points. The more points you have the more difficult it gets. You have a limited amount of ammo, but you can retrieve every slimeball, so don’t let them fall. I think the theme Evil is currently only present in its difficulty, but the themes Cat, Slime, Arcade, Shooter and Fast are definitely included.

CatDefence

by Peter Goode (mrexcessive)

HTML5 game, so should work on most things.

So… only discovered your compo yesterday evening… Spent about 6 hours I think total. Construct2 great for prototyping.

Hopefully while provide 90 seconds of fun!

Quest for Evil

by Jan Sedivy, Janeator and NameIsNotName

Incarnate the divine hero of truth in his quest to destroy the source of all evil in the world

Play in browser (html5)

Authors:

• Jan Sedivy – Programming – @jan_sedivy
• Janeator – Art – @janeator
• NameIsNotName – Music – @nameisnotname

EVILEST GAME EVER

by DolanCZ “the most not programing guy on Cobalt IRC”.

It’s a basic console game I created just for fun, since I am not able to do advanced stuff, just because I don’t know how. I am really noob in this, but since any game counts, I joined this community event!

Download windows (.exe)

(There is a bonus file there too)

When you discover the main theme of this game, it’s really easy to finish it. Plus it is kinda only for people that know Oxeye with some inside stuff around this community.

You can finish this game in less than 2 minutes if you are fast.

“This game is just some fool’y things put together in 2 days” – Have fun!

Evil Sheep Game

Samuel “MrOverkill” Meyers

I was a little over-ambitious with this one, but i’ll apply fixes to it and make it work better as time goes by.

This is a game where you gather crap from the good sheep and throw it at the evil sheep so they don’t turn your good sheep evil.

The game is written in Java, with python scripting making up the gameplay. It’s also public domain, so modify it all you like.

Git Hub page (source code)

Download Game Link

Bricks

by Ivan Becker Druckman

No highscores system yet, D:. You’re a brick throwing robot, the main objective is to kill as many people as you can with bricks. Try to get a bunch of points!

Download windows (.exe)

Super Insane Robot Demolition TV

By Isogash

It’s a TV show about destroying innocent robots with vast arrays of missiles. You are that robot, good luck! Can you beat your peers in the missile dodgey game of the century?

Download windows (.exe)

Closing Words:

I would like to thank everyone that participated in this Jam! It was really fun to see so many people never having made games before finding the courage to try! I would also like to thank everyone that streamed during the event, it really created a feeling of cohesion, it was as if we were all sitting in the same room working on things… Finally, I would like to thank everyone that helped others out during this event. Thank you all!

Janeator:

Had a really good time during the game jam!

It’s been a long time since I had done anything artistic (other than mapping ) and I feel proud of the results, really enjoyed the time I spent making it.

Thanks again to JanSedivy for pulling me into teaming up with him, and for all the code he’s done!

Also thanks to NameIsNotName for the track

Hopefully we will soon release a “full” version of the game!

Judging

We will not judge any games, but if you feel like nominating games for one of the event categories (see below) or if you want to write a lovely review, please feel free to do so in the comments section.

Categories:

• Most surprising dialogue
• Most interesting lag
• Least graphics
• Most use of words starting with E
• Highest jump
• Longest health bar
• Most disturbing mouse cursor
• Worst interpretation of theme
• Broadest diversity
• Highest button presses per minute
• Best use of 3,141592653589793.
• Smallest sprites
• Most convoluted use of theme.
• Best optimization of f,u and n.

DISCLAIMER

We do not take responsibility for any damage that could occur to your computers by playing any games!

Deadline has now been reached and that means we are closing the submission bag! (LIBRUS: just slide your game in under the door, noone will know!)

Update:

Due to popular demand in the #cobalt channel, the deadline has been extended by 2 hours!

Livestreams:

• http://www.hitbox.tv/jansedivy
• http://www.twitch.tv/taschenschieber
• http://www.twitch.tv/TheOfficialStinger
• http://www.twitch.tv/gonarr
• http://www.hitbox.tv/DolanCZ
• http://www.twitch.tv/RedstoneShadow
• http://www.twitch.tv/frall_
• http://www.twitch.tv/raykatzon
• http://www.hitbox.tv/Janeator
• http://www.twitch.tv/isogash

Hello! Since I know many people need an excuse to make a game, we’re going to give you one! We’re hosting a mini game jam in the #cobalt channel on Espernet today! We guarantee

• No particular amount of exposure!
• No pressure!
• No spectacular prices!
• Lots of fun!
• A learning experience!

Event

#Cobalt Game Jam 1

Start Date:

Thursday 2014 – 09 – 18, 18:00 CET

End Date:

Sunday 2014 – 09 – 21, 12:00 14:00 CET

Theme:

“EVIL”

Optional Sub-themes:

Cat, Slime, Arcade, RTS, Shooter, Fast

This is for anyone who wants to make a game. If you don’t know how to make a game, maybe today is the day you learn how! Rules:

1. Game cannot be started before announcement of theme.
2. Game must be submitted before jam ends. Submit by posting a comment to this post
3. We have final say as to which games get posted in the final post
4. Judging will be done by the world at large. We will not rate any submissions.

Categories: While we will not be judging any games, here are some suggested categories to aim for:

• Most surprising dialogue
• Most interesting lag
• Least graphics
• Most use of words starting with E
• Highest jump
• Longest health bar
• Most disturbing mouse cursor
• Worst interpretation of theme
• Broadest diversity
• Highest button presses per minute
• Best use of 3,141592653589793.
• Smallest sprites
• Most convoluted use of theme.
• Best optimization of f,u and n.

Submission must contain:

• Name of the game.
• Link to game (all kinds of platforms/tech allowed)
• Special instructions if needed. (how to get it working)
• Description
• Author(s)
• Link to screenshot
• OPTIONAL: Your best learning points from the jam! What do you now know, that you wish you had known before?

Jam schedule:

• Thursday – Suggest themes in the comment field below.
• Thursday 15:00 CET – Theme is selected by us. This post is updated to contain the theme.
• Thursday 18:00 CET - Jam Start.
• Submit your finished game by posting the above requirements as a comment to this post.
• Sunday 12:00 14:00 CET – Jam End. (Submit your game before Jam Ends!)
• All finished and submitted games are posted in a new announcement post on this blog along with attributions to the author(s), including the screenshots, descriptions and instructions.
• The games are played!
• Comments and nominations for categories are then made by everyone in the new post.
• Done!

Have fun! Use the #cobalt channel on espernet to chat about your progress!

Bring out your tools!

I realized today that I have applied approach 1 too much in game design. I must apply approach 2 more!

Hit read more to see a lovely graph that hopefully explains what I mean…

Changes are happening, fast. What’s up with the changes to the Arcade? What is the Arcade? Why am I wearing socks?

After a few good days of digging, it’s time to bring the first payload of gold to the surface. The next iteration of project Cobalt is going through the final phase of development, and I’ve found a few changes I want to share before the Kraken is released.

The Arcade

In my first writing, I hinted that there may be something unauthorized going on behind the scenes at Oxeye. While I still lack direct evidence of that, I’ve discovered something in the research file system that only serves to empower my suspicion: All of the arena sports we currently indulge in are being rebranded as Custom Modes, found in a section known as User Maps. A good part of the laboratory–produced fighting arenas are undergoing maintenance. Where do they go?

According to the system’s data sorting program, the answer is the Arcade.

Here, we’ll find Challenge, Capture the Plug,  the revamped Deathmatch and Survival—and even the upcoming Team–Strike.

These two sections seem innocent enough, but the system lists a third option: Story. If the contents of this dark corner of the database weren’t heavily encrypted, I might have thought one the scientists at Oxeye Laboratories simply had a thing for writing. Unfortunately, the Story section is protected on a whole different level from the data I’ve encountered up to now. Until we have further intel, let’s take a closer look at some of the new Arcade modes!

“Focus the Sniper!”

In Oxeye’s latest official statement, we learned a little about Team–Strike and saw a picture of the equipment buying interface that appears in between rounds. I found another one! In the hunt for a secret message or some sort of robot cookie recipe, I analyzed every single pixel of the new image and discovered quite a few things. Spoiler: There was no recipe.

Dots. Beautiful dots. You may feel like connecting them, but in the case of Team–Strike, you’ll be picking just one. These dots represent gear packages with three levels each, and your chosen dot will decide what you bring to the battlefield. In the rare situation that you survive a full round, you’ll be given the option to either continue as you are, sell your package to buy another glorious dot, or repair your current one for a fee to remove those ugly scratches and replenish your mobile arsenal of doom.

What’s this “free” thing? Well, my investigations show that even arena robots suffer from economical issues sometimes, and as a result there’s the option to enter the fray with a pea gun and a distinctive lack of armor. Some people will inevitably use excuses like claiming it to be the new black or that it’s for pure pros willing to show off their skills with some handicap. I think you’ll be picking this option because you’re poor. That, or perhaps you’re aiming for the very best; That red dot in the upper right corner looks like the others, but trust me, it isn’t. In your valiant efforts to acquire this ultimate bundle of destruction, even your reputation as a gladiator of the new era is absolutely worthless to you.

I’ll admit, I don’t actually know what the upper right package contains. Not yet. What I can explain, however, is those colored bars to the right of thewreck’s Metalface. Surprise: They’re stats! Can you guess ‘em all?

1. Deflected damage. This is exactly what it sounds like: When you deflect a bullet, this percentage governs how much damage you actually prevent—unless you reflect the bullet with a perfectly timed roll. More on that below.
2. Attack power. Deal more damage!
3. Defense. This is a combination of actual defense and health. Some packages will feature shields so you can eat even more bullets for breakfast!
4. Speed. If you’re a hedgehog, you’ll fill this bar to the max.
5. Stealth! Some packages contain items that allow you to turn invisible by crouching! The higher this stat is, the faster you’ll be able to vanish, and the faster you’ll recover your invisibility after shooting or getting hit.

Now, while the base class in the picture above has rather low stats, it has a surprisingly big amount of stealth despite having no stealth equipment. It seems that the current iteration in development also fills up the stealth bar based on how silent your gear is, as noise breaks your sneaky tricks. Fresh research notes indicate that this is being tweaked so that the bar only behaves like this if you actually have stealth equipment.

Also notice the difference between deflecting and reflecting a bullet. If you roll the exact moment that you’re hit by a projectile, the new battle droids will reflect it back in the very same direction it came from, being even faster than before. A perfect roll will even allow you to reflect all other bullets hitting you in that same roll, essentially letting you roll your way through an entire Slugger barrage without taking damage! There are a few catches though: The new robots may seem to sparkle with magic, but they can’t reflect penetrating projectiles like those of a Railgun. As an added cost of this ability upgrade, there’s also a longer delay between successive rolls now depending on the hull you’re equipped with.

While investigating Team–Strike, I also stumbled upon this image straight from the heat of battle:

When you’re done admiring the amazing fireworks show here, look at the top of the screen. Numbers! I’ve always liked those. Maybe you don’t right now, but you will the day you watch that score ascend beyond the skies! There’s a little red number beneath the round counter—it’s a timer. While planting a Thermal Bomb won’t secure you the win while striking the team, letting this number be your color when it reaches zero will! Since Team–Strike is always 4-on-4 (with AI filling in when a gladiator is celebrating a sick day in bed), the timer is initially gray. When you eliminate an opponent to give your team the advantage of outnumbering the enemy, the timer changes color to your team’s like a pirate hat at a wedding! Kill robots, get the color, get the win.

Modern Jazz of Death

Carp, the virtual guard dogs of Oxeye are on to me! Quick, take this!

See you next Friday!