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[Lurk]

Jajitsu: Would you mind trying this version out? It doesn't use surfaces, so it might make it work for you. Let me know how it goes, so I can update the link for others who might experience the same problem. Thanks
http://www.box.net/shared/vgxu5gdcs6

Moonmagic:I've been very interested in experiments where you strike a balance between luck/randomness and player input recently; my guess is it in some ways lead to pinball. God I miss classic pinball in an old arcade...

[guillermo]

Good arcade feel, I like the graphics and the effects. I think it would be better it the arm didn't move the whole time, it feels kind of random. But it surely got good elements from pinball and Puzzle Bubble. 

[moonmagic]

What I like about random / luck elements in score-based games is that it gives them the iceberg quality; you never know if you've seen everything, or if there's some weird combination of events that will still produce something unexpected. My second game of Burp'n'Shoot presented me with an alien, which I gleefully shot, and it left me with the feeling that there was quite a lot to discover. It is a nice quality for such a compact game.

[JaJitsu]

Jajitsu: Would you mind trying this version out? It doesn't use surfaces, so it might make it work for you. Let me know how it goes, so I can update the link for others who might experience the same problem. Thanks
http://www.box.net/shared/vgxu5gdcs6

Moonmagic:I've been very interested in experiments where you strike a balance between luck/randomness and player input recently; my guess is it in some ways lead to pinball. God I miss classic pinball in an old arcade...

Geh. Still not working for me.

[Melly]

Works fine for me. It was pretty enjoyable. I love all the little artistic details and the whole hillbilly theme.

Sounds and music felt VERY muted, though. I had to turn my speakers way up.

Gameplay was enjoyable in a pinball kinda way, yeah. I feel I'd get pretty infuriated if I tried to go for serious scoring, but as an amusing pass-time it was pretty nice.

Nice to see you finally finishing a compo game Lurk. Guess the trick was the scale your ambitions down eh?

[belbeeno]

This game is an accurate depiction of weekends in the Podunks of Manitoba.

I'm blown away by the game's pixel art.  Everything, from the sprites to the background, looks spectacular.  You clearly put a lot of effort into the detail work.

...like a pachinko machine. Still trying to walk the balance between skill and sheer luck (player won't be able to just shoot rapidly and score dumb points anymore).

You were able to capture Pachinko's randomness, but I feel like the pacing is off.  I'd like to see what the game looked like with the speed and spawn designed towards sheer luck, making it feel more like Pachinko.  Gaining points probably wouldn't have meant much at the end of the day, but it probably would have been a lot of fun to play in the same way Pachinko and (shudder shudder) Peggle are fun.

[Lurk]

Belbeeno: I have never played pachinko, so I wouldn't know where to start. How would I change the controls? Currently, the player can change the direction of the arm slump using the arrows, so he can achieve a kind of primitive shaky drunk aim if he wished to. Z shoots bullets at the same pace. I initially wanted a pachinko/pinball feel, but I didn't know if it was more about aim or strength of shot. If you could describe the experience for me, I'm still working on it right now, post-compo, so I could try a few things. I have currently added levels, and am working on a few features that didn't make it in time for the deadline.

Melly: I was shocked, but not really surprised, at how much time it still took to do a small thing like this. The problem I face usually, is the amount of graphics that creep in when I try to expand a game. Also, sometimes, an idea starts out really good, but the gameplay doesn't end up making sense; I have control elements and graphics, but they don't work well together to be enjoyable- I'm blaming the fact I'm not a real programmer, and can't do everything I want with mad skills

[Pirate Hearts]

There's a very authentic, distinctly 90s arcade aesthetic to this.  I dig it.

[belbeeno]

I have never played pachinko, so I wouldn't know where to start. How would I change the controls?

The controls for the game are fine and are actually like some pachinko cabinets.  The thing about pachinko is that it gives a false sense of control when in reality the game is mostly random and entirely hectic.  What keep people playing for are the huge payoffs from rare events that are near impossible to get (like the alien), as well as the usual loud noises and flashing lights. 

If it's easy to tweak and you want to try it, try jacking up the number of points you get for hitting event bumpers, keeping the slot bumpers on the screen but have them reset on a successful combo, and add more event bumpers like the revolver that require multiple hits but upon completion pay out a large amount of points.  I was going to say increase the speed of everything to make the game feel hectic, but playing it again now it actually feels pretty good.

I probably should have mentioned in my reply that I think this game is a hoot the way it is right now, but if you want it to feel like pachinko these changes and the usual formula of particle clusterfuck and sounds (which sounds great now but there needs to be more; especially as an indicator to how many points you're accumulating) are what you need.

[Oddball]

It looks scrumptious, but I suppose that's to be expected from Lurk. It was quite fun too, if a little short. A few suggestions, I'd like to be able to select which layout I play each game, and an online scoreboard would be awesome too. Still it's a really nice game as it is. Good work

[Dustin Smith]

Nice arcade-ish action. As always I love your graphics. 

[Farmergnome]

FANTASTIC ART DUDE    ahhh caps haha.  Great game dude, as always a fan of your comp games 

[Melly]

Also, sometimes, an idea starts out really good, but the gameplay doesn't end up making sense; I have control elements and graphics, but they don't work well together to be enjoyable- I'm blaming the fact I'm not a real programmer, and can't do everything I want with mad skills

I don't think it's the fact that you're not a programmer. Creating a good game is more than just a good idea. What seems awesome in your head may not make sense or simply not 'click' when you put it into practice.

The solution for that is to do the opposite of what in my experience badass artists like you do. You guys seem to have an instinct of making a ton of assets for a game that's barely formed (probably because you see them visually before you see them as a set of mechanics), using up a lot of time before you make a prototype and see if the game you're making actually achieves what you want (whether that is being fun or anything else).

So, the solution is to make small, dirty, ugly prototypes as fast as possible. They don't need to even work right and can have a lot of bugs, but as long as you can experiment with the gameplay and see if you find it has the potential to be what you envisioned, it's a very good way to test the feasability of an idea before you roll up your sleeves and get cranking. It's also great to let you discover complications with your concept that you had no idea you'd have to deal with, before you put too much commitment into it.