next »

[Skyrise]

-TOPIC UPDATE FOR THE FINAL RELEASE-

Futuridium EP is done!
Release on: june 20 2013 - PC/Mac


Official website: http://www.futuridium.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MixedBagGames
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MixedBagGames

Ok guys, after some months the game is finally FINISHED!

It's really exciting since this is the first release from out indie studio MixedBag: we are also working on forma.8 but since Futuridium was a smaller project we've decided to finish and release it first.
The game started as a small game for the gameprog.it Unity3d contest in december, then we decided to polish it a bit and release it as a free game. And well, we started adding new stuff, polishing, adding more levels, polishing a bit more, change some core gameplay mechanics and... here we are now, the game is a LOT bigger than we anticipated.

Just a quick recap:

- 13 levels
- 13 original music tracks, for a 50 minutes original soundtrack. You can skip them in games like a jukebox.
- A new energy based gameplay mechanic
- 4 different gameplay speed, unlockable finishing the game. The game can get crazy fast...
- 4 different graphic skins
- a total graphic makeover, with revised colours, new models, more particles and special effects
- online leaderboards (with full GameCenter and achievement support on Mac OSX)
- totally revised difficulty curve, the game is still super hard but more enjoyable
- a credit system: destroy cubes to get in game credits to continue and other goodies
- some cool easter eggs..

The game will be FREE, and will be out on june 20 for PC/Mac.

Here is our new launch trailer:



And some new screenshots!

[Trystin]

Those screenshots look amazing, i'm interested

[Skyrise]

Thanks!

We have two more video, with two WIP audio tracks from the original soundtrack of the game. Enjoy!

Soundtrack WIP # 1




Soundtrack WIP # 2




O.s.t. by:
Le Dégout: https://www.facebook.com/ledegout
Funi: http://www.facebook.com/funazza

[Chris Pavia]

Looks cool, but the chromatic aberration is pushed a bit too far for my taste. Judging from the video it can make it take a little bit longer to discern the numbers in the corner at a quick glance.

[mauz]

Thanks for the appreciation, Chris.

Yes, probably the effect is too invasive, and maybe we will decide to exclude the score/multiplier numbers for readability sake. :D

[K1lo]

The video is awesome! It's almost as if the prospective effects you're using are for setreoscopic 3D - I really like it! 

[Skyrise]

The video is awesome! It's almost as if the prospective effects you're using are for setreoscopic 3D - I really like it! 

Thank you!

As mauz (the graphic designer on the project) said, we're still tweaking it, sometimes it's way too invasive.

[devMidgard]

Looks really interesting. Keepin' an eye here.

[Skyrise]

Ok, the GPI contest is over, and we finally have the first beta version of Futuridium ready for you to play!
First, a link to the new website of the game:

http://www.futuridium.com

Then, check out the new OFFICIAL trailer on YouTube:




And last but not least, download the beta version of the game!







Futuridium is a fast paced, action packed, classic shoot'em up with a modern twist. We developed the game for a contest promoted by the italian website Gameprog.it, and then decided to do do a full fledged product. We wanted to do a flat shaded, bright coloured 3d shoot'em up, with an heavy focus on scoring and some advanced special effects to enhance the visual impact, so we started with a couple of ideas:

- No special powers, no bonuses: only the player reflexes count. Your ship, your lasers, your ability!
- You can stop and turn your ship 180° at any time, just pressing a button
- All the levels are HUGE alien capital ships. You fly over them, under them, trying to destroy all the energy cubes (blue cubes), to reveal the main cube (golden cube) that keeps the ship flying.
- No speed control: you fly as fast as possible...

One of our main inspiration is the classic shooter Uridium by Andrew Braybrook. But in full 3D.

HOW TO PLAY?
First: you need a joypad or an analog joystick. Seriously: you can play with the keyboard but it's not the same thing. Just configure the buttons in the first option screen, any standard joystick/joypad is supported.

In every level you must destroy all the blue cubes to reveal the yellow cube. Destroy the yellow cube to advance to the next level.
Remember: using the U-turn button you can turn back at any time! Use it!

HOW DOES THE SCORE SYSTEM WORKS?
1) Destroy the blue cubes to up your multiplier: it's on the right, just under your score. When you die, your multiplier resets.
2) Destroy blue cubes in fast sequences to get a chain: the longer the chain, the better your bonus score when the chain stops!
3) Mix enemies to cubes in chains for even higher score!

Hope you enjoy the game and... give us feedback!

[Skyrise]

Some screenshots from the beta:















We hope to have the definitive Futuridium EP out soon, with new levels, new game modes and new options!

[SolarLune]

Wow, that looks pretty cool. Very 'electronic' and tech-y. I'll see about trying it out. Nice work!

[Skyrise]

Thanks!

Meanwhile, got a good article about the game on Indie Statik!

http://indiestatik.com/2013/01/14/futuridium-blast-technicolor-alien-ships-to-a-beat/

[Skyrise]

A little update: we are working hard on the EP version, the full, free version of the game. Hope to have it ready for the end of the week!

In the full version we'll have a more robust and complete online leaderboard system. We are trying out Scoreoid:
http://www.scoreoid.com

Seems plenty powerful and pretty easy to implement in Unity!

[mauz]

Hi guys,

a little update about Futuridium with a link to the last beta. It's like beta 0.9.9, next release will be the final one called Futuridium EP, and it'll be free.

There are a ton of updates in this beta:

- Four new levels, for a total of eight full in game levels!
- Four unlockable speeds
- New practice mode to play all the levels unlocked
- An adjusted difficult curve
- A new, crazy bonus level
- New online leaderboard system, based on Scoreoid
- A ton of new graphical effects
- New sound effects
- A new intro
- Various bugfixes

Links to the playable beta:

- Futuridium 0.9.9 Windows
- Futuridium 0.9.9 Mac

Thanks for trying the game, next release'll be the final one.
And please, give us a ton of feecbacks!

[seancruz]

Looks fun, though I'm not too sure about that yellow color in the levels. I think if the alien ship colors were a little more analogous, it would look more harmonious (color-wise). But perhaps the distinct colors signify something or make it more confusing, therefore more difficult. Looks cool though, will definitely try it out when I get on my PC at home.

[Skyrise]

Looks fun, though I'm not too sure about that yellow color in the levels. I think if the alien ship colors were a little more analogous, it would look more harmonious (color-wise). But perhaps the distinct colors signify something or make it more confusing, therefore more difficult. Looks cool though, will definitely try it out when I get on my PC at home.

Thank you.
We are considering a complete color (and maybe design too) revision for the final release of the game.

The original idea was to pay an homage (visually) to the classic arcade production of the '90, especially the first real-3d coin ops (I can still remember the sound of my jaw dropping the first time I've seen Virtua Racing).

At the same the games wants to be a tribute to  the classic home computer shooters from the eighties, in first istance Andrew Braybrook's Uridium, but also the psychedelic works of Jeff Minter.

Maybe the combination of the two things is too much :D and surely some color combination is not working so well... so, we are thinking to tone down a bit the colors, but at the same time, we are not sure that we like to get rid of the peculiar look of the game.

If you have tried the game, and have some feedback gameplay-side, it could be really helpful to us. 

PS
sorry for bad english.

[letsap]

Your english is fine, yo.

Keep the colors! I love the visual style, and the camera is so fantastic I find myself leaning with the turns of my ship. As far as visuals go, it's very distinct and you already have options (which I neglected to check out at first). My only complaint would be that it can be very hard to tell where you're aiming - I'm not sure if that's intentional or not. I know you can kind of gauge it by following that cool light trail you leave behind, but it brings you dangerously close to enemies. Those little turrets, for instance, are super tough to aim at, hit, and evade all at once.

If that's intentional then wow, that's a tough enemy. To better ease players into that, it might be fruitful to have some kind of visual means of telling what you're aiming at during practice only.

There's a very nice balance right now, though one feature that might be kind of cool is leaving a different colored trail each time you start a life? Lives are also a bit unforgiving, but that could just be design choices.

All in all, despite some nitpicky things I'm enjoying this a whole lot. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.  

[Skyrise]

Your english is fine, yo.

Keep the colors! I love the visual style, and the camera is so fantastic I find myself leaning with the turns of my ship. As far as visuals go, it's very distinct and you already have options (which I neglected to check out at first).

+1 for full colors then.

We have a little internal debate about the game colors, but personally I really dig the current visual style of the game.

BTW, the previous post was from mauz, the graphic designer on the project, he forgot to lot out before posting.

My only complaint would be that it can be very hard to tell where you're aiming - I'm not sure if that's intentional or not. I know you can kind of gauge it by following that cool light trail you leave behind, but it brings you dangerously close to enemies. Those little turrets, for instance, are super tough to aim at, hit, and evade all at once.

Yeah, we're thinkink of adding a crosshair or something alike to aid the player aim. We can always have an option to turn the crosshair off.
You actually fire always in a straight line, the basic idea is you need to perfectly align with the cubes and the enemies, taking risks doing so.

If that's intentional then wow, that's a tough enemy. To better ease players into that, it might be fruitful to have some kind of visual means of telling what you're aiming at during practice only.

Yeah, you can easily avoid their fire if you stay at a distance, but they're tough to kill since you need to align and then avoid the shot(s) at the last second.

The idea is that the enemies are pretty difficult to kill, but they reward you with a lot of points, especially if you put them in the middle of a blue cube chain. You can easily have a single chain with two millions points if you manage to chain some enemies in a 50+ blue cube chain in the fourth level... (hint hint!).

There's a very nice balance right now, though one feature that might be kind of cool is leaving a different colored trail each time you start a life? Lives are also a bit unforgiving, but that could just be design choices.

Yeah, cool idea. And easy to implement and test.

All in all, despite some nitpicky things I'm enjoying this a whole lot. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.  

Thanks for all the feedbacks, they're a gold mine.

We hope to have the final version ready soon...

[Netsu]

I couldn't control the ship in the Linux version. All the menus worked fine but when the game starts I can't do anything, I tried using the keyboard, the mouse, an xbox controller and I can't even trigger a pause menu or something :C The only thing working is alt+f4.
Pity, because the visuals and the music had me really pumped up to blow something up, the game is very pretty.

Edit: Now I read that there was supposed to be an initial setup screen or something. I didn't get any, the game goes to a Unity splash, then a message about drugs and then the main screen where I can enter my name.

[Skyrise]

I couldn't control the ship in the Linux version. All the menus worked fine but when the game starts I can't do anything, I tried using the keyboard, the mouse, an xbox controller and I can't even trigger a pause menu or something :C The only thing working is alt+f4.
Pity, because the visuals and the music had me really pumped up to blow something up, the game is very pretty.

Edit: Now I read that there was supposed to be an initial setup screen or something. I didn't get any, the game goes to a Unity splash, then a message about drugs and then the main screen where I can enter my name.

Yeah we know, there's a bug in Unity with the Linux version, the setup menu doesn't show up.

We'll try to have everything working fine on Linux for the final version.
Sorry for the inconvenient.