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[ElVaquero]

It's like the Ludum Dare October Challenge was conceived just for you, haha. Love the general look and feel of a lot of these games, just pick one and ship it!!

Also, anything come of that ninja-fied Gunpoint type game? Love that idea...

[caiys]

@Untrustedlife / ElVaquero Cheers guys. Heh didn't know anything about that Ludum Dare challenge, but it always seemed like a lot of hassle pimping commercial games so probably won't enter. And no I haven't thought much more about the ninja game but it's something I'd like to do someday, even if it's just a scaled-down lo-fi version made for a game jam.


@Udderdude I don't see the problems your having for most of the stuff you listed. Can you elaborate on your points?

In regard to the screen shaking it's like that for a few reasons. Firstly thematically you're just a bloke in a spacesuit flying through space and for most of the dev there wasn't any sound so I felt a screen shake effect when hit was appropriate. I designed it so it's not actually a true screenshake, it's two transparent surfaces shown over the original so you will always see the 'true' surface which never moves, once you get an eye for it it only stops you accurately seeing the smaller bullets but you can usually guess their firing pattern and they don't cause much damage anyway (plus the shake is dependent on the damage so getting hit by smaller objects won't add to the shake). You can also buy an upgrade that halves the screenshake.

[oyog]

None of the things udderdude mentioned about Fumikumo bothered me except maybe "overuse of inertia". It has been an interesting thing to adapt to since I'm so used to being able to zip around with precision in shmups. I kind of wish I didn't take damage from hitting the walls but that's only because I'm still getting used to the feel of the controls.

[caiys]

I dunno, I guess I'm just very much used to it now, the only time I've ever felt the inertia led to damage as opposed to it being my own fault was sometimes when you reach the wall sections during a very fast portion of the level. Incidentally the same powerup that halves the screenshake also removes all inertia.

[oyog]

I dunno, I guess I'm just very much used to it now, the only time I've ever felt the inertia led to damage as opposed to it being my own fault was sometimes when you reach the wall sections during a very fast portion of the level. Incidentally the same powerup that halves the screenshake also removes all inertia.

Oh don't get me wrong, it was my own fault in every instance. I've not played enough to be very good at the game yet. Heck, I haven't actually gotten a powerup yet. I'm mostly noting it as an interesting design decision since it's so different from the (admittedly few) shmups I've played. I think it adds to the game, rather than detracting from it.

[caiys]

Well I'm a pauper right now so thought I'd enter Unlamentia into the YoYo Steam comp. I managed to get in 19 new levels making 32 in total and I'd really appreciate it if you guys could give it a few upvotes on Steam here.

Note the Steam version has issues inpart because GM:Studio is rather awful right now but also there doesn't seem to be an audio dll that works with Workshop. Performance is quite a lot slower and there's a few graphical oddities too. I'm sticking with the GM8 version for my site and in future which you can download here (r3). And here's a few screenies from the new levels.

[caiys]

Unlamentia didn't win the October comp hopefully Straima will nab November's. List of stuff added to release 9.

new powers: kendo
new objects: refluxa, mimic, grabba, spikeball, drip, switch block
new dudes: pinky roamer, giant pinky flyer, sloopa, radon, radiom, foo, faislasoom, radiako
new levels: flowallma, mausofooleum, meaty grinder, shellswitcheroo, switch maze, parkour pits, spikelaceballs, electrogrid, sloophunta, seashock, radial interference, radantenna, randimoniom, slimy cavy, rain machine, tightropa lova, retention, fais alter, shyoken, ionfields, house of mime, mime trail, thru da motions, fluxblooma, right up the rad, hydra, [d] boxy galore, [d] fantacave, [d] syjudge, [d] jittery bridge, [d] shodon show down, [d] shodon showdown

You can download the GM8 version here and the Steam version here.







if i win one of these comps was thinkin of takin time off work to go full pelt on an unlamentia/straima commercial release. maybe even continue makin gams full time if that goes well :O

[Udderdude]

@Udderdude I don't see the problems your having for most of the stuff you listed. Can you elaborate on your points?

Play any modern shmup (including mine) and you'll see what I mean.

Unlamentia didn't win the October comp hopefully Straima will nab November's. List of stuff added to release 9.

I think what Straima really needs is some more structured levels, with specific sets of abilities set for each level that are integral to solving the level's puzzles.

I did try it before, and I think it has a lot of potential, but right now it just kind of feels like a random mish-mash of platformer abilities/game elements and symmetrical levels with no real focus or structure.

[caiys]

I'll actually be working on Famikumo for the December comp so I'll go watch some youtube playthroughs of recent shmups. But generally I have no interest in appeasing genre traditions at the expense of gameplay.

My main aim for the update will be to work on adding more gametypes, such as just surviving against ever-increasing waves of enemy from all sides, then a Campaign gametype that brings them all together. I'll try and add a bit of narrative as well.

The whole idea behind Straima really, was as you said a random madhouse. One of my favourite games was Unreal Tournament, the story mode was superfluous, the real meat of the game was in just loading up a bunch of random maps and slogging through them. That's the idea here, hopefully in the next update I'll get in 3-4 players, custom playlists and just lots more stuff and levels to play around with.

[Udderdude]

The whole idea behind Straima really, was as you said a random madhouse. One of my favourite games was Unreal Tournament, the story mode was superfluous, the real meat of the game was in just loading up a bunch of random maps and slogging through them. That's the idea here, hopefully in the next update I'll get in 3-4 players, custom playlists and just lots more stuff and levels to play around with.

Right now, with just single player, it doesn't work that well.  It sounds like the concept would work better with multiple players there fooling around.  I guess you're trying to do something like Super Mario Bros. Wii where everyone is supposed to work together (But inevitably ends up backstabbing eachother over and over)?

[caiys]

Yeah I was going for a Bubble Bobble co-op feel. I hadn't seen that Mario Wii but I rather like the interaction between players, standing on heads, picking each other up, etc. I didn't really want to go down that route as it can mess around with the best times when you have easier access to certain areas, but it looks a lot of fun and I guess I could add a little icon that displays how many players where used to get the best scores. I think the single player would improve significantly if I added an online best table, currently it's only the "don't die" mode that gets the heart pumping for me.

Btw for those interested in Famikumo I think I might try a more RPG type of game. My current thinking is you start with a basic ship then complete short-ish missions for credits to upgrade your ship and open harder missions. Not sure how fun this will be to play but it interests me from a design perspective and I just don't have the graphical skills nor interest to make a Hydorah.

[kitheif]

Gosh Caiys... All of your work is so cool, stahp being so cool.