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[jph wacheski]

If you where getting that odd bug try this new version.  If I was right deducing what was causing it this will fix it., otherwise I will need more info..,  Please report back!

http://iterationgames.com/vectorLocust_030.zip

also added some new stuff;

Now there are three Drop Ships., however you are no longer un-armed against them!  The RMB or the Missle Button under controler,. er, control,. will launch a self guided Missle that zooms up into the sky and attempt to take down a Drop Ship. You may want to find a good launch vector for these as the Drop Ships have some sort of jamming technology that confuses our tracking systems,. (scientist are again working on this issue!)  Also, you will need to collect enouph of the Red as well as the Orange vector debris by blasting a bunch of the locusts. When the meters are mostly full you will be able to fire another drop ship killing Missle!  I will add a sound and/or some better cockpit feedback for when this is 'ready', for now just keep watching the meters.  well atually loads of stuff still to add and to do, but I did get a bit more done today,. . peace.

Mikademus- not much missing actualy, I did quite a good job of implementing the keyboard input,. the main thing, and I suppose it was more in my mind than in actual useage, but the movement input from the controler is variable by the amount you move the sticks., so intead of 0 or 1 you can add 0 to 1 giving more adjustable, and I would think finer controls,. in practice though, because I add a small amount on a keypress and limit it by applying friction, you can get similar results,. so the basic bonus you gain by using a controler is the ability to do small or constant slower moves than you can with the on/off keyboard inputs. also the aiming moves are much smoother with the controler as mouse input is a tad erratic/shakier.

[bluej774]

NOW WE'RE TALKIN'!  Whatever you did smashed the bug for me.  The game is tons of fun and looks amazing.  Just one question.  What are those blue squiggly things near the center of the map that you can go right through?

[jph wacheski]

Excellent! glad I figured that out from your posts, thanks for reporting that people,. it is always tough to figure bugs when you don't have them reproducing on your own machine,. but you guys where clear in your descriptions!   

blueJ- those are your backup ships,. they just dont work yet. Eventually you should be able to jump around between them and place them like auto turrets or some sht,. as well as build a few other structures to help defend,. or that is my current intention and could all change. basicly I enjoy playing Enginer in TF2 and want to build a game where you get to place, build, and maintane some defensive structures in a longish running battle,.    but maintining the action and first person movements,. still not sure I will get all this into this particular game or in some future one,. . time will tell. 

[bluej774]

Can anyone else kill that last dropship?  I can get the first two, but never the last one.

[jph wacheski]

ha!  I wouldn't play the development ver. too hard,. as it is largly unbalanced and will all change anyhow,. I just tryed and was able to take down all three, so it is possible, though nothing else happens,. the Guided Missles are just roughed in quickly,. they have a random element to their movement as they approch the DropShips,. (the jamming signal) and a limited life time so some will fail.  I think if you launch them from a bit of a distance, aiming well, you have a better chance of getting through it.

[astrofra]

I kinda like it very much ! There is something of Starglider in it, or even the original StarWars vector arcade game.

I love the sound atmosphere too !
Maybe, visually, it would deserve thicker wireframes, or maybe you should disable the shading, for shaded wireframes are more confusing than unlit ones, imho.

[0rel]

now it works here too! (i also got these strange glitches...)

really cool game.
i like the wireframe looks, and the organic forms, and sounds of course!
honestly, it's my favorite entry in this compo so far
...i just have to play it for a little longer to be able to give better feedback... nothing to complain, really, it's just a bit too hard for me to beat right now

[jph wacheski]

0rel- yeah is quite different already,. but I need to balance the new stuff I am adding,. it is somewhat easier now,. as the shots coming at you slow with some friciton and they shoot only when you are in range,. and less,. however there are new bad things too,. as they destroy your nodes (blue tower/tanker thingies) they spawn orange nodes!  not sure what they do yet,. more to come.

astrofra- yeah starglider was a fav. of mine back in the ST/Amiga years,. just took a look at a video and am considering doing a pixal art cockpit for this and leave the wires for the rest,. hummmm,. not sure.  I had totaly not remembered that, thought it was all wire.
 Personally I like the shaded wires,. and in fact may add some 'crome' wires, and other effects too,. on some rare objects at least,. but perhaps I can also add some settings for shadeing and wire thicknes as it depends on the res. you look at as well,. I am interested in you 'trees' game (thats Tower Toppler to me, amiga i think?) and that engine as well,. nice shadows! (links??)

 

[jph wacheski]

ok here is the new demo;

 http://iterationgames.com/vectorLocust_034.zip

added/tweeked a bunch of things,. probably broke some stuff as well,. but it is just a WIP demo. for those interested, and so I may get some feedback. the cockpit layout is nicer now. anyone having framerate issues yet? the FPS is in uper left screen,. should stay around 60.  I hope not, this machine is lower middle of the road.

The game is turning into a real battle now,. and the invaders seem to have the upperhand! I will hopefully come up with some of those structures to aid the player soon,. .
currently when you 'bump' the Blue Power Nodes they recharge your shield,. additionaly, if you have some Material (Red or Orange) you will spend it to rebuild that node (if it is damaged)
If you are not quick at getting rid of the drop ships they can destroy all your nodes,. . not good.  more to come,. .

[bluej774]

It still works over here.  However, frame rate starts at 2fps on the title screen and continues for the first five seconds of the game or so until settling back at around 50~60 fps.

It is a LOT tougher.  I wasn't able to get my shield replenished.  Perhaps you can elaborate on how to do that.

[trabitboy]

really looks astonishing 

[bluej774]

That frame rate dip only happened first play.  Every subsequent run of the game has started in the 50~60 fps and stayed there.

[0rel]

some general ideas/impressions (while i'm still trying to find a good concept for my game):
* the enemy system with the drop ships is interesting. i like the idea of hierarchial enemies, and the fact that you need one type of enemy to destroy others...
* great looking splatter physics effect, combined with strategic risk-taking while collecting energy. effects <-> function. did't understand it first, but now all elements seem to make sense. some info graphics on the menu could explain it better.
* clearer hud display for energy/shield, and especially for the rockets: it could really add some hooking tension to the gameplay, while struggling for a new rocket. a blinking rocket symbol/bar, some beeping with increasing pitch inside the cockpit, or something similar. increasing tension till you fire it finally up. spectacular explosion of all enemies, transition... (didn't see the end yet)
* long term pressure. it can be tedious to play for more than, say 7 minutes the same thing, without too much variation. faster win-cycles, maybe via pseudo-stages inside the same arena could make it more fun may be. some tighter "macro rhythm", like with clear, linear enemy waves -> boss ship -> then several, harder enemy waves, with new enemy types maybe, larger area -> fight the several bigger/stronger dropships, and so on. clear end/high score?
* jumping? but probably too complicated to integrate...
* a bit a stronger/faster main weapon to make things a easier (i'm too weak ). the rockets seem not to be dependant on skill. might be an option to change... but i liked the tension while the rocket was orbiting around the ship. on my last try though i got almost to the end, but i wasn't able to destroy the last ship, although i tried with 4 rockets.
* more rewards. i thought, it's better to make the player win fast after first startup. just felt a bit overwhelmed by the evil alien invasion first. that can be okay, but i would be nice if the player could levelup somehow, get stronger weapon power via powerup maybe or faster fuel...
* like already said: the graphics look nice. minimalistic, but they feel modern and original.
* sounds are similarly good and fit the mood (detail: for the loud "wobble" sound it wasn't clear what it indicates...). stronger/clearer hit/get-hit sounds could make the battle more intense. maybe some (simple, repeditive) background music could make the battle more immersive too.
* esc-key not to quit, but to go to the main menu (personal choice).

[jph wacheski]

Cool, thanks for the thoughfull feedback,. I have indeed thought of many of those same things,. I am just going at the stuff that suits me best first. I had an instructor once, in a 3d amin. course that would harp on getting the end point 'in' first and then going back in waves of improvments,. and I find this to be very sound advice, more games would get to playable states if more people followed it,. in this case the end point is just the basic gameplay,. and then I am going through and fixing and augmenting stuff,. each time I playtest it i notice/think of 10 things to do,. I forget half, and only have time to do two or three of them,. so EVENTUALY it MAY approach what I have in mind.     But i think most of what has been said will be adressed.  The sound for instance was hacked in once many iterations ago and needs major works,. but it is not highe enouph priorety yet! but I still dont have much of the 'game' I intend working but it is getting there,. .

here is the latest; 

http://iterationgames.com/vectorLocust_038.zip

Fixes the controler setup bug with negative values,. and hopefully makes the cockpit readouts a tad cleared,. as well many tweeks and changes,. and I have some more major new ideas to come next,. . peace
 

[jph wacheski]

a bit more done,.

http://iterationgames.com/vectorLocust_041.zip

I was messing about with my rendering of the wires and hit on something that remindes me even more of the vector machines of the 80s,. . still don't have the points on the corners but much sweeter looking IMHO.  I also changed the aspect ratio to 1:6 and the FOV as well, now you see almost a full 90 degrees which makes up for the still lacking radar device,. and almost gives a bit of a curvature look to the view,. as well as exposing more of the cockpit (that i realize now, is quite nice!)  I have an idea for a new opponet type, that will drop down when you destroy a drop ship,. nasty red menacing buzz slashers,. .  and perhaps a new melee attack, thrusting those pointy hands forward., more to come..,


 -screen shot,. taken shst before the rendering changes!-

also, when I was thinking of the mountains for the background, I found a neet BattleZone video;  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIPGXs3LAo&feature=related
Perhaps I should also add a planet in the sky,. their moon is sweet!  maybe I will do a space station..,