OmniLudiCon

By: Derek Yu

On: August 20th, 2008

Okay, this is way too much fun – OmniLudiCon is a free browser-based game development tool that lets you make and share one-screen games (or collections of games) with other players. It comes with a 5-game tutorial that shows off some of the possibilities of the engine. There’s a platform game as well as games that emulate Zelda, Pong, and Asteroids.

The editor itself is extremely simple, and basically just lets you mash together various standard game entities. But if ROM CHECK FAIL (TIGdb) taught us anything, it’s that game mash-ups can be frickin’ amazing! Plus, the limitations of the program make it perfect to screw around in – I whipped up the above game in a few minutes and had a great time (it is possible to beat, by the way).

Unfortunately, the collision detection is a little sloppy, so it’s easy to get caught on objects and “teleport” around them. But, as with all games, you can use these glitches to your advantage. In a way, it gives you, as the developer, more possibilities for creating challenges.

Cool idea! I’d love to see more stuff like this.

(Sources: Tim_ and _Auntie)

Posted in Browser Games, Developers, Highly Recommended | Tags: ZaratustraProductions

JaJ

THIS IS FUN!!!

I can’t believe how fun this is.

My first attempt: http://zarat.us/olc/6j
Beat

game maker ripoff
raigan

LOL!
DDams

Very nice game maker / level editor.

I especially like the 8bit aspect of this one.

For those liking the GameMakers in Flash, you may also enjoy :
http://www.playcrafter.com/

http://www.whosegame.com/

http://www.simscarnival.com/view/create
(although this one is “published” by EA, it’s the most powerful available IMHO)
Ambergris

Why has no one mentioned that this is by Zaratustra? Are you too young to know Zeux World (now apparently sold as “Zeta’s World”)? I had thought Zara was gone for good. Zeux World, for the unitiated, was one of the seminal freeware games of the 90s. I would say its stature was on par with Cave Story’s, though it’s an inferior production and is a Mario World clone, rather than a Metroidvania.
shockedfrog

Zeux’s World was/is fantastic and perhaps a bit before its time in freeware terms. It’s a shame it became Zeta’s World, I’d have liked to see it as a kind of spinoff/sequel but as a replacement there’s not much incentive to buy it.

He’s also responsible for some other great games including Alphabox, which is kinda like sokoban meets scrabble, and Fugue, a simple tunnel flying game that had a brilliant balance between chilled out and frustrating. Fugue isn’t on the new site, for some reason.
Bad Sector

Meh, at some point i need to actually finish what i’m starting. I was making a similar game/editor in Java (applet) some moons ago, but work and other projects took priority and much like basically hundreds of other stuff was left behind.

Thats a nice tool anyway. Here’s my try:

http://zarat.us/olc/76
Paul Eres

It’s good, but the levels all feel the same after a while. Would be nice with more game elements.
Paul Eres

Another thing is, isn’t it annoying how wall jumps work oppositely than they do in most games with wall jumps? In most, you press the opposite direction and jump, not toward the wall and jump…
Constantine

Finally, Zara is getting some respect. Also, he’s not dead just nobody pays attention to him. This is a great project by him, and I’m glad it’s getting some recognition.
Ambergris

That’s in large part because between Zeux’s World and this, he’s really done nothing of note (and query whether this is really something of note, as opposed to a flash in the pan). His other games were small, scarce, and not much fun. I’ve checked his site religiously for years, even since Zeux’s World first came out. Never found anything worth looking at. :)
cherryprice

I als0 made one

http://zarat.us/olc/7Z
discipuli

Ambergris: That’s really subjective. “of note”? Of the games he has over at http://zarat.us/tra/ Bisection Dominion and Castle Awesome are both pretty awesome.

And, hell, half of his old games aren’t even up there. (Which is a bit silly, as he’s got a bit of a back catalog from his verge days.)
Ambergris

I guess “Time Toilet” never struck me as in the same league as Zeux’s World.
discipuli

Time Toilet was the platonic ideal of a game, of which all other games are mere unflattering shadows!

…I did like Fugue though.
Zaratustra

Exactly how much do you like Fugue? Measuring in dollars, that is.
http://www.bananattack.com Overkill

<3'd Fugue. I could easily see that making for an interesting track shooter setting of some sort. Wireframe vector art is AWESOME.