Topic: Crater, a Sokoban clone for MS-DOS

[FlyingArmor]

For the last year and a half or so, I've been working on and off on my own clone of the puzzle game Sokoban aimed at MS-DOS machines. My ultimate goal is to create a JRPG for MS-DOS, but since that would be far too ambitious for an initial hobby game programming project, Sokoban seemed like the perfect type of game to start out with due to its sheer simplicity.

Anyhow, I thought I'd bring it to people's attention here to see if anyone would like to participate in the second beta testing phase for it. I'm mainly interested in what people think about the difficulty (or lack thereof) of the puzzles, but if anyone manages to find some game-breaking or cosmetic bugs while playing through it, I'd definitely like to know about those as well.

Here's the download link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/whjvatds2b68id60dr42t/Crater_Beta2.zip?rlkey=q55ss7kvsfrlpi47dmw95euvx&st=ih1jp3xn&dl=0
(Sorry for Dropbox's shenanigans; you should be able to download the file without having to sign up for a Dropbox account.)

All the details about what I'm expecting from play testers are contained within the README.TXT file in the zip file, so please be sure to read that before playing.

Looking forward to what you all think of it!

[mechaskrom]

I thought it was a solid sokoban game with nice graphics and good puzzle and interface design. It having a story with a short intro and ending was a nice touch as well. The difficulty felt fair with a nice mix of easy, medium and hard levels. There were only three levels I got totally stuck at (I gave those a 10 rating) and had to use a sokoban solver (Sokoban Automatic Solver by takaken) on.

Overall I liked your game very much and didn't find anything particular to complain about. Good work!

[FlyingArmor]

Thanks so much, mechaskrom, for your feedback!

I had to resort to a Sokoban solver as well for a few puzzles just so could continue playtesting the rest of the stages in a timely manner, haha.

Although they're not present in this beta version, I do plan on adding more story elements throughout the stages, in the form of inscriptions, just so my game can stand out a little bit from the more blatant clones.

Also, thanks for actually taking the time to rate every puzzle! I have a feeling most playtesters haven't bothered even to read the readme file (which is why I stressed it here in the initial post), so your contribution is most invaluable in that regard.

[FlyingArmor]

At long last, Crater is finally finished!

Download link: Crater VGA Version 1.0

After over two years of working on and off on this thing, I'm so happy it's done and I can move on to my next game project.

I hope anyone who's interested in my humble rendition of a classic puzzle game enjoys their time with it. 

[Cyartog959]

At long last, Crater is finally finished!

Download link: Crater VGA Version 1.0

After over two years of working on and off on this thing, I'm so happy it's done and I can move on to my next game project.

I hope anyone who's interested in my humble rendition of a classic puzzle game enjoys their time with it. 

Well, good for you, and congratulations on finishing your project! I'm sure it'll be a nice game anyone can enjoy!

What I'd think of actually enjoying is a good spiritual continuation of one of my favorite longtime past games, "Treasure Cove!", but with more original, longer and larger stages, far less repetitive grinding, bosses to face, maybe a good bonus stage or two, additional side content, and great replay value.

I mean, the gameplay formula was really good, even though its mostly about learning oceanography for young children, yes, but getting to search for gems and acquire treasure to explore the ship farther and farther by one room, despite the long grind to get a lot, that's more of what I enjoy in that game's formula. Hope it gets picked up again and made into its own better spin.

I'm not sure if you remember that game, but, I'm just saying. Maybe that could be jotted down as potential ideas drafted for your later projects.

I mean, I do love good classics and 2D platformers, but there's certain bits in my heart that have left voids time to time, craving for some more.

Anyway, good luck with your later projects!