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TIGSource ForumsCommunityDevLogsBlitz Breaker - [OUT NOW ON iOS]
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Author Topic: Blitz Breaker - [OUT NOW ON iOS]  (Read 28919 times)
blekdar
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« on: September 27, 2014, 10:12:22 AM »

Blitz Breaker is out now on Steam and Itch.io!

   

You can sign up for updates here: http://eepurl.com/bs20_P
Buy it on itch.io / check out the website here: http://bonchogames.com/blitzbreaker




Newest update:

Steam and Itch.io launch date (click for bigger image):



From the begining:

This is a concept I whipped up over the last week for a platformer(-ish) game for mobile (pc is a maybe).

I started with a simple vine and the idea of a one touch platformer style game. The basic premise is that your only move is a quick dash that keeps going until you hit something, then you can dash again. You keep doing that until you get to the end of the level. This is that result in the form of a vine:

https://vine.co/v/OW0ZU6WQ65u/embed/simple?related=0

I fleshed it over the next week, and liked the concept quite a bit. So, here is a video of that concept. The basic premise is that your only move is a quick dash that keeps going until you hit something, then you can dash again. You keep doing that until you get to the end of the level.

Feeback is always appreciated.


I'm going to work on this more and more over the next while, and will hopefully put some regular updates here with gifs and screenshots to go with it. I want to turn this into a full sized game and launch on Android first, followed by iOS and PC.

Thanks for have a look and lemme know what you think!
« Last Edit: August 01, 2016, 08:06:41 PM by blekdar » Logged

blekdar
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« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2014, 08:45:41 PM »

Working on the base level and a few of the menus.

Current pause menu:


Finish a stage under the time goal:


And the current sprite for the player character:


I am very undecided about the art style I want to pursue. I love this limited colour palette, but I want to achieve a similarly minimal art style, while still showing some detail to compliment it. Kind of a step above the detail of what the guys doing Planetoid are doing: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=43401.0 but not by much.

I'm also sketching many ideas for levels, so I'll probably work on them while figuring out the art.

Cheers
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blekdar
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« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2014, 09:01:48 PM »

So, some updates as I'll be going on off days soon (I work on a rotation and don't do much work on games while I'm home) and want to show off some stuff before hand.

The current state of the art direction, simple and hopefully effective. The background is a maybe.


A run-through of an in-progress stage (would be about in the 1/3 of said game. It is also a little faster than it should be. Does anyone have a good solution for making gameplay gifs?

Keep in mind this is all played with 1 thumb / mouse, that was half of my inspiration for making this.

Cheers.
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blekdar
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« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2014, 09:26:42 PM »

Got back from days off, started working on a little rainbow trail. Progress is slow (working 12 hour days at the moment), but I keep making little bits of progress so I'm happy.



Also, not sure if it's my computer but gifcam is very laggy. Anyone know of a good piece of software for taking in-game gifs?
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« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2014, 10:16:42 PM »

This is neat idea for a game and it seems like it makes good use of touchscreen controls.

The current state of the art direction, simple and hopefully effective. The background is a maybe.


I really like the art direction in that screenshot. I would like to see a whole level with that art. I also think you should keep that background. Nice work so far!
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blekdar
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« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2014, 06:20:30 PM »

This is neat idea for a game and it seems like it makes good use of touchscreen controls.

I really like the art direction in that screenshot. I would like to see a whole level with that art. I also think you should keep that background. Nice work so far!

Thanks, I've been working with the art work on and off. I have a general feel for the environments, still working on the trap designs. I may have made a few too many...

Here is a current shot of what I'm working with.

(deleted, was way to big for a forum)

My biggest issue right now is working with that colours I want to use (and trying to design recognizable traps with small sprites, kind of my own doing though). None of the palette is final, but what I want to do is have the pieces very easily recognizable by colour and design. Something like, red bad, blue good. I may go back to that purple-ish colour for the BG, but I need to find some colours that work well with it.

Cheers,
« Last Edit: December 04, 2014, 03:32:27 PM by blekdar » Logged

blekdar
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« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2014, 09:38:40 PM »

Update!

Surprisingly solid progress this week. Made a few more levels, started working on the main menu ui. Reverted back to the old colour scheme but started to add splashes of colour to help the player differentiate objects. Check this shit out:



So the idea is the background is more flatly coloured and shaded, but objects that matter get colour. Something along the lines of orange and blue are for you, red makes you dead. This should help due to the fast paced nature of the game. So yeah, that's that.

Gonna keep working at it, once I have the first world/area done (I would like 5 worlds around 10 levels each) I may crunch down on the ui to make a playable demo for android and pc. Feedback is always nice too.

Cheers,
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Voltz.Supreme
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« Reply #7 on: November 02, 2014, 02:31:50 AM »

Sounds like it would work well for a casual-ish mobile game. Looks pretty nice as well. Good luck!
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blekdar
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« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2014, 06:54:45 PM »

Just had to post this.
Background glitches the hell out and makes everything all existential. Crazy ideas follow.



Seriously though, this gives me ideas for the future.
Also, how's everyone doing this week?
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blekdar
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« Reply #9 on: November 09, 2014, 10:47:27 PM »

Ok, bigger than usual update, as we are going to talk about some stuff.

First off, the easy things to talk about.

#1: I'm working on a new font, so far I am liking it. Still WIP though:

#2: I made saws. They make you dead (and animate weird in gif form):

#3: Now the fun stuff.

I've always found a good UI can make a perfect seal on a game, or sully the experience for many. So, from the start I've been thinking of how to make the interface as simple and effective as I can. Now, since this is mobile that presents both limitations and advantages. The pause is pretty simple, where if you tap the time icon on the top it pauses the game, and presents you with a simple menu (see above). One bit I want to get right though is the intro, right from when you boot the game up.

This is the current state of the title menu:


Now, this is still rough and very WIP, but the system is in place and hopefully very effective. The main character drops on the screen, in which you are presented with the flashing text "Swipe left or right". Upon doing this you get immediate feedback and watch the character jump and shoot off screen which then leads you to your default menu.

Since this is a simple platformer, the very first swipe teaches you the main mechanic right then and there! Hopefully you can fill in the details as you go. I do this because I STRONGLY dislike tutorials, and if believe if you can pull it off, use the game to teach people how to play.

This also brings me to my next important point that I think all games should employ. The top button in the menu is "Resume" (might change to continue) which starts the game right where you left off. It greatly annoys me when I have to dig through menus to continue or game, or accidentally click on New Game and have to cycle through all the menus. This way you have two touches and you are right back in the action.

Moving on.

The world select is a bit more WIP, but as it stands this may be the route I take. Have a look:


So, this may be as simple as I can get it for now. A simple swipe takes you through the different worlds, tapping on the select button takes you down. Then you either select a level or click on the back button up in the top left, which is persistent through both stages of the menu (this is important).

Also, upon exiting the menu (with the back button) you will see the title menu resumes where you left it. You don't need to see the little bot do his thing again do you?

Okay. So that's that. As I said this is all very WIP and lacking some (or all) of the art to fill in the blanks, but I actually feel I am making some decent progress with this. As always thought, comments and critique are always welcome.

Cheers guys, happy Monday I guess (everyday is Monday where I work).

One last thing,
Sounds like it would work well for a casual-ish mobile game. Looks pretty nice as well. Good luck!

Thanks! That's actually exactly what I'm going for!
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alvarop
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« Reply #10 on: November 10, 2014, 05:25:08 AM »

Looking really cool and I'm digging the style. The only thing that bothers me is the spritefont you're using and how inconsistent it looks. I feel changing it would really make the game look better. It can still be pixelated and everything, but just... look less messy?
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blekdar
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« Reply #11 on: November 10, 2014, 11:42:15 AM »

Looking really cool and I'm digging the style. The only thing that bothers me is the spritefont you're using and how inconsistent it looks. I feel changing it would really make the game look better. It can still be pixelated and everything, but just... look less messy?

Yeah it does look a bit messy doesn't it? It's currently a first draft so I'm going to refine it further, hopefully clean it up a bit. I was using C2's default sprite font before and want something more blocky, which led me to bang this off real quick. I'll work on it over this week.

Thanks for the comments!
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blekdar
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« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2014, 09:58:28 PM »

About to go on days off so one last WIP to throw out for now. Tightened up the text a bit and got a rough draft of the logo, I decided I'm gonna stick with Blitz Breaker. It just rolls off my tongue better.


It's a good thing I'm gonna get the time off, I'm kind of at the point where I'm not sure what to focus on and I don't want to burn out. I think I'm gonna focus on getting the base art done so I can throw together an alpha on Google Play come January / February.

Does anyone here have any experience with that?

Anyways, I'm out for now. Cheers everyone! Thanks for looking + commenting!  Beer!
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blekdar
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« Reply #13 on: December 05, 2014, 10:28:56 PM »

Wall of text warning, theories and pics discussed. Much talk, wow.

I'm back after some silence.

Having a lot of fun actually too, learning lots, experimenting lots. Got a couple pages of level ideas written down. I am enjoying this project quite a bit.

So, what's new. Well most of what I've been working on isn't really visual. A lot of menu stuff, some minor art additions (with even more placement art).

Here's a good comparison of the difference in speed I am trying to achieve. I got two levels, one requires more patience while the other is 'oh god move as fast as you can why aren't you moving faster!?' type levels.

Slow:


Fast:


Like I said, lot's of little things added. I have slightly changed the screen transition from a sudden shift to a very quick scroll. I found the original was kind of jarring, but a slow transition would mess with your reaction time. Also, screen shake has been added. There is a very slight one when you hit a regular wall, but a more noticeable one upon breaking something or getting a speed star at the end of the level. I found just this little bit of shake removes some of the static feeling the levels can give, plus I do enjoy a good screen shake.

There is also minor improvements to the menu, but it is largely unfinished. The level select system is made, but that's about it. Also, I have added a sort of special item (think of the bandages a la Super Meat Boy), where you can unlock secrets if enough of them are collected (downloadable stuff, maybe a secret character, more game modes, who knows)

Now, for some theory talk. Since this is primarily aimed as a mobile game, one of the things I keep trying to focus on is simplicity. While I don't want this game to feel overly complicated, I do want it to stay fresh feeling and intuitive. For the title menu, I have been throwing around the idea of having a 'Quick Resume' button which starts the game at the level where you left off. I like the idea, but I am not sure where to go to when the game is completed? It'd be great for the first playthrough, but after that it gets kind of hazey.

As I mentioned earlier, there are lots of little ideas I have been playing with. I prefer to introduce a few concepts and types of gameplay in each world (Worlds are broken into 9 short levels), and like to expand upon them in the subsequent worlds. Most of these things so far involve stuff that kills you. Recently I have also been tossing the ideas of methods to temporarily change how the movement is handled. The ideas I have been shooting are:

Mini-portals: Takes you a short distance through a wall or through hazards
Stick pads: Instead of bouncing off the wall, the player treats that wall as though it were the floor. The next jump fixes this.
Gravity switch: Switches gravity until another button is pressed. I am less sure about this one.
Launchers: Deflects the player in a specific direction, normally to somewhere the player cannot reach. Or to death, that can happen to.
Light switches: Makes the world go dark. This would more likely happen at the start of a level. There would also be lamps to guide the player. Less sure of this one too.

So, trying to keep it simple and fresh seem to be quite the task. I know lot's of games have pulled it off. Find out what works and what doesn't is half the fun  Gentleman

Well on that note, I will also announce some good news! Since I suck at making music and sounds, I have partnered with a duo who will do it for me! It's the lovely gentlemen over at http://www.fatbardmusic.com/ So, as a result you guys may get to her some sweet jams in the near future. Huzzah!

So, as always feel free to comment / critique / tell me about your week (I'm serious, everyone needs to vent) / or just say whatever. I'm open.

Cheers, thanks for stopping by!  Beer!
« Last Edit: December 16, 2014, 11:02:58 AM by blekdar » Logged

Fat Bard
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« Reply #14 on: December 16, 2014, 10:41:18 AM »

Hey folks Fat Bard here. We're having a great time doing some retro sound for Blitz Breaker, and we want to show you a sneak peek at what we're up to. Here's two tunes we've done thus far. Feel free to give us some feedback, we're always happy to hear what you guys like or don't like about our work.

https://fatbard.bandcamp.com/album/blitz-breaker-sneak-preview

Hope you guys enjoy it, and we'll post more as development progresses! BTW as one of the few folks play testing the current builds, we've gotta say it's pretty damn fun, though play testing the later levels is gonna be super frustrating. This game is hard, but in a good way.
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Voltz.Supreme
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« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2015, 07:54:42 PM »

Hey folks Fat Bard here. We're having a great time doing some retro sound for Blitz Breaker, and we want to show you a sneak peek at what we're up to. Here's two tunes we've done thus far. Feel free to give us some feedback, we're always happy to hear what you guys like or don't like about our work.

https://fatbard.bandcamp.com/album/blitz-breaker-sneak-preview

Hope you guys enjoy it, and we'll post more as development progresses! BTW as one of the few folks play testing the current builds, we've gotta say it's pretty damn fun, though play testing the later levels is gonna be super frustrating. This game is hard, but in a good way.

Sounds great! Typical chip tunes sounds but nicely done.
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blekdar
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« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2015, 10:10:42 PM »

Long time no post. I suppose a happy new year is order!

I've been mainly tightening things up, almost have the first of four worlds completed! (much rejoice). I was considering launching a small alpha for the first world, but I am unsure due to some issues I'm having with the audio in the android version.   Hand Shake Left Screamy Hand Shake Right Does anyone have any experience with doing alpha testing through iOS?

Anyways, as for progress. Most of the base systems are now in place including: Score, stars, deaths, pixels (collectables for secrets), as well as the basic menu options.

Now here's a gif:



It's the results screen at the end of a world / section. I'm going to add a subtle BG soon, to break up the solid colour in the background, but nothing too fancy. Let me know what you think!

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Connor
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« Reply #17 on: January 30, 2015, 09:25:25 AM »

looking good ^^ i would definitely play this on pc, but mobile would probably work too. ill definitely watch your progress ^^
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blitzkampfer:
https://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=52009.msg1280646#msg1280646

too bad eggybooms ents are actually men in paper mache suits and they NEED to be agile
blekdar
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« Reply #18 on: January 30, 2015, 03:53:50 PM »

Thanks, there will be a PC version. That's for sure. If I'll try to get it on steam is a different question. I may try to offer it via Humble Widget and bundle it with the Android version or something like that, we'll see how that goes. I am working keyboard controls in, just have to work out how to distribute it.

For now though the focus is on mobile, iOS being first. I will plan the other platforms as I get closer to finishing it.
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blekdar
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« Reply #19 on: February 01, 2015, 11:14:29 AM »

Little art update. Working on the cinematic type sections, which are more like little playable intermissions. This is at the start of the game.

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