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[SolarLune]

Slick graphics. I saw the gameplay footage too - looks pretty tight. I think that the mouse-magnet radius could be increased, but it's pretty good as it is. So what engine are you using? Is it a Flash-based game, or...?

[Windybeard]

Thanks for the kind words! 

The magnet radius can be altered in game by buying upgrades, however the larger it is the more power it uses so its a balancing act. The cursor graphics are only place holders for now, i intend to jazz them up a bit seen as they are so important to the game.

Im developing this in MMF2 if your familiar with it.

[SolarLune]

Thanks for the kind words!  

The magnet radius can be altered in game by buying upgrades, however the larger it is the more power it uses so its a balancing act. The cursor graphics are only place holders for now, i intend to jazz them up a bit seen as they are so important to the game.

Im developing this in MMF2 if your familiar with it.

Wow, MMF2, heh. Pretty far back, I thought that it was a 'lesser' engine, pretty much just because I was familiar with Game Maker, really (I was a young kid). Now I see a lot of good games that are made with it (The Underside comes to mind... When is that going to be finished? )

[Windybeard]

MMF2 is very powerful now, the updates click team have made are amazing. I found Game Maker to be slightly less pliable if you know what i mean, however it is still very good.

I love MMF2, i find it can do everything i want it to but im still (Very slowly) learning JAVA but thats natural progression rather than a need to stop using MMF2

[Windybeard]

Hi

I have been working non stop getting this new feature up and running, it is almost fully implemented and all works correctly. It is a Monster compendium. Every monster killed is logged and shown within this compendium and plays a vital part in unlocking the high end powerups and bonus levels.
Every kill is 1 monster xp which counts towards that monsters lvl, when it levels up the loot which it drops increases and the possibilities of getting rare stuff becomes greater.

I hope you like the idea, im really happy with it and i will be reworking and adding to it for my next project which i have swirling in my head.

heres what it looks like, The loot percentages are not visible in the screen shot sadly but you can get a taste of what it offers.

[Windybeard]

Hi all

I have been working away on the save load (again). Its actually starting to get somewhere now. I have designed only 2 levels for this game so far but i have designed an extensive level editor so i can knock up new levels fairly quickly.

I have also added a new feature, every level has a "clear zone" target, Basicly if you kill everything and get to the exit faster than the target time you are awarded a prize! what that prize is is a a suprise.

I have also started working on the shop system. I have also removed the "elemental orbs" that could be collected and used to buy stuff, i figure having this along side cash loot is pointless and time consuming and without it the game is easier to understand and as it is a bullet hell it makes sense to have as little distractions as possible.

Anyways, i will be dropping a demo very soon, just need to get the save load working properly and then its good to go.

Thanks again for all the interest and hope to please your eyes soon with a sweezy demo!

[Windybeard]

I have decided to change the looting system around ALOT! Risky considering im 50% through development however i started to think that collecting cash to buy upgrades is a tad unoriginal.
Now each mob drops different bits and bobs like screws, bolts etc that have scattered around the world from your crashed ship which you are trying to rebuild. Each mob has a list of what they drop and the chances of getting it and when you kill a target amount of a certain enemy it will upgrade its loot which means that there is more point to the bullet hell grind than just high score.

Due to this rather drastic change in gameplay dynamic i have added an inventory system to keep track of what you have. The new parts collected will be used to build new ships and guns however upgrades are now only earnt through several different means like fully lvling a bad guy or killing a boss.

Also the main aim of the game is being layed out, its a simple idea in which every level has a "Power Core" that you need to rebuild your space ship in order to leave the planet. After you have enough small power cores you can fight the bosses which give a bigger power core and these are the ones you really need. After killing the main boss on the world the next area opens and so on.
Once all the major power orbs are collected....game be finished.

Thanks for reading

[Windybeard]

New loot system in place and working nicely. I am currently designing the actual loot itself, ive done 10 out of 24 items so nearly there. I have also decided against having a "level complete" screen, it just felt redundant so now you hit the finish pad and it shoots you up in the air and then back to world map, its faster, smoother and im making a concious effort not to put too much stuff in this game (esp stuff thats not really doing anything) but keep it more than just a run and gun.

I have also nailed the actual flow of the game and the reason for doing everything, Ill let you know what the hell im talking about soon. And again i will def drop a demo soon, im not one to release even a very early demo if its not going to be solid enough.

Thanks for reading

[08--n7.r6-79.84]

awesome style! and thank god it's not pixel-art again :D

[Windybeard]

Thanks. I find not doing pixel at gives a huge amount of freedom to do what I want.

[jamesprimate]

Just want to say that this looks fantastic! I read through the thread but couldnt find a release platform... is this going to come out on iOS at all? if so i jealously await

[Windybeard]

Just want to say that this looks fantastic! I read through the thread but couldnt find a release platform... is this going to come out on iOS at all? if so i jealously await

Thanks 

At the moment im only going for PC to start, then if possible ill go for Xbox. Sadly i doubt iOS due to control constaints but you never know.

[Udderdude]

From watching the preview video, the controls seem very ill suited for dealing with the 'bullet hell' type enemy attacks.  Also it seems you have a shield and a very large hitbox, which is pretty much the exact opposite of bullet hell shmups which have no shield and a hitbox that's 2 by 2 pixels.  Also, the white enemy bullets blurred into the background quite often.  Consider changing them to stand out more.

[Windybeard]

From watching the preview video, the controls seem very ill suited for dealing with the 'bullet hell' type enemy attacks.  Also it seems you have a shield and a very large hitbox, which is pretty much the exact opposite of bullet hell shmups which have no shield and a hitbox that's 2 by 2 pixels.  Also, the white enemy bullets blurred into the background quite often.  Consider changing them to stand out more.

Thanks for the feedback, Its not a traditional bullet hell, its heavily toned down. Its a manic shmup run and gun. Im a big fan of Bullet hells and wanted to try and merge the genre with something a little deeper.
There is no shield for the ship but bullets can be destroyed with the magnet (right mouse) which will be heavily used during huge waves of bullets.
What im really aiming to make is a action shmup that punishes those who blink without the insane difficulty of a bullet hell, if you can see what i mean.

Noted about the enemy bullets, i have been trying to come up with a decent colour for them but at present im unsure whats a good one. Red and orange seem to be the norm for enemy bullets.

The Vid is fairly old now and i should really put a new one up.

As for the hitbox, i have been mixed in whether or not im going to change it, a smaller hitbox would allow for easier escape but then you can destroy bullets which you cant in any bullet hell i know of so i think its a fair trade. Also on this point you can change the ship asthetics when you unlock them to smaller ships, faster ships etc.

Thanks again for the feedback  

Ahh just noticed the old vid doesnt show the bullet defence system, ill have to do a new one. lots and lots has changed!

[Dakota.s]

Looking good so far, keep up the good work.