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[BadgerManufactureInc]

Thanks for the feedback.  I'm really going all out on this now, so hopefully there will be a demo soon.

The particle effects are shaping up.. I don't need to put every effect under the sun in the game, in fact the idea all along was to make more than one game with the engine so I think now may be the time to stop researching and experimenting with them..

HUD wise things are all go; I'm adding in little guys for the number of lives you have, as well as score, a health bar, and also little stat bars for speed, power, bullet spread and maybe more.  This is my current priority to get things going as qiuck as I can.

Then I will be using Flash's "compute spectrum" instruction to synchronise my little bro's music to the game after I've done that.

 

[Montoli]

Nice!  I love the look of your vector-line-looking explosions!  I bet they look totally sweet in action!

[BadgerManufactureInc]

Thanks, I think they look good in animation; it's been tricky trying to balance everything but I'm getting there.

Here's another explosion shot (these may end up having fewer particles):

[fullspectrum]

I like those blue 'ens!

[BadgerManufactureInc]

 

Thanks!  The blue guys I drew in 3d studio, they are animated (spin round), but we'll see if that works ok or not.

HUD is halfway done now!!  Text has been designed just need to add score and lives.

These meters will have a level for each, it's just a mock up but comments are vitally important to me.

[fullspectrum]

I think they could be a little smaller and maybe the text is unnecessary. A little symbol below each?

It is very cool to have gauges that fill up though, for me in any game.

[BadgerManufactureInc]

Sure.  I will design some symbols tonight, maybe a fast forward symbol for speed, a plus symbol for health and a target for power..

I think we should have a fourth for bullet speed..

Don't forget the meters will go down too.  You wont be able to gain experience without losing a smaller amount of (an)other skill(s).

Level number for each skill will be where? Above each meter?

I think it's too much if your weapon inherits spread/focus considering all the 5/6 different main weapons and 4 maximum extra wing missiles from the shop that I'm planning on.

Here is the new font I made.  As ever I will change it if it's not to anyones taste (please tell me).



I know, it's kinda like Parsec 47's font, I couldn't help it. lol

Symbols draft (just drawn them):

[BadgerManufactureInc]

Today's work so far:

[superflat]

Think the first HUD was much better man...  It's clear and it's big.  I'd try sticking the symbols back on as well, but go back to the original line-art rather than the gradients, it's so much better to be consistent across the board imho.  Then when you get powerups they could have the same symbols on them maybe?  Stick the score at the top maybe?

[BadgerManufactureInc]

I agree about the sprites, I'll save the 3D look for the next port of the engine and roll with vectors throughout.. consistency is very important.  It's good to make a final choice on that, so consider it done.  And the explosions breathe new life (or death) into vectors I think, thanks to Flash.

I agree with what else you say too.  I liked the first HUD but the screen has been reduced from 500x600, to 500x500.  I may reduce down to 400x500 as I really want that recangular shape to the screen that lends itself so well to vertical shooters.. (and 600 is too tall for around 35% of monitors..)

I think I'll go with the first font for the score...?

I'll do away with the game logo (no need to be reminded we're playing any game), and there should be space there on the right to have the gauges running horizontally.  What do you think?

[BadgerManufactureInc]

I like those blue 'ens!

Thanks man, we'll still have a blue level.  You could think of an idea for the theme?  Gots to keep the art all done in vectors though; next game can be 3D vectors like they are.

I think they could be a little smaller and maybe the text is unnecessary. A little symbol below each?

Any ideas for the symbols?  Also any good ideas for the guages themselves?  Perhaps they and the rest of the interface should colour change to match the current level theme?  And for the meters, horizontal/vertical?  I cannae decide lol.  Also colours for the meters?

It is very cool to have gauges that fill up though, for me in any game.

Totally, that way you can see your ability increase progress visually; anything you think I should add to the current list of 4: Health, Speed, Damage, Bullet Speed?

Maybe explosion/explosive power?

The health bar is an exception as it represents how much energy you have left for that life, rather than experience gained towards levelling up like the others.  As such it could perhaps be visually different to the other guages.. need to get this GUI done n dusted.

Also, which font do you think is best to go with?  Or should I design another?

We really need to finalise the screen size then I can get a demo together.  It looks kind of small at 400x500, maybe 500x500 is best?

[fullspectrum]

Hmm. Well Jasper is right about using line art for the symbols and therefore it being consistant.

If you don't want the text then then this could work: a nice 8 bit sample of 'ssthpeed', 'power' etc when you pick up the corressponding power up, then the player knows what the symbol means without the text.

Man for a bit of inspiration, I suggest you take a lok at some Ikaruga videos on youtube, it has a nice hud and handles these aspects nicely.

[BadgerManufactureInc]

I have played Ikaruga recently and I like it's interface.  What good advice to model it on that, I think your idea is once again the way ahead.. thanks man.

 

And again speech for the power ups is again a very cool idea.  I will do that with a 'computer speech' program that I have in mind.

Nice ideas, keep 'em coming.

 

There should be space for a single guage up top like Ikaruga, for health..

Oh, off subject I got a lava lamp type effect working last night, this will probably be in the background, perhaps in the shop or title screen; due to the command used I don't think it will work as a background for the main part of the game):



I was messing around with this, and compute spectrum last night, trying to get all of it integrated, but couldn't.  Need to read up on compute spectrum if I'm gonna sync the music during play (I can already do it for the title screen hopefully).

Oh and I'm thinking 500 wide x 550 high screen atm.  I've figured it's not that hard to change these things so need not to be taken off track by worrying about them.

Thanks for your help bro.

I take it you prefer the first font, for the score?  Rather than the one I drew yesterday?

 

[BadgerManufactureInc]

Ok after a chat with fullspectrum we have decided:

-You will no longer have 'bullet speed' it will stay the same.
-Player speed will stay the same.
-Level selection will not happen any more, we're going for a more linear approach.
-A form of game currency will exist, and shops a-la Xenon II/Frantic will exist at the end of levels with health boosts, more powerful wing weapons, and damage mulitipliers unlocked as the game progresses, and the option to part exchange.

Possible other features:

-Weapon 'mutators' will feature as bonus items in the shop.
-A jigsaw puzzle showing your 'contribution to the scientific community' where you unlock each piece of the puzzle if you score high enough during each landmark section of the game (bosses/minibosses).  The puzzle would be unlocked as per Sabre Wulf or Heroes of Might & Magic (to name a couple of other games that feature similar unlockable puzzles).

[BadgerManufactureInc]

Finally got Andre Michelle's particle explosion class into the game, it is generously provided on his website as source and of course full credits will be on the game.

I also made the screen wider:







2 particle systems running together.  The other particle effects should fit in very soon but for now I'm working on bullets and weapon switching (which will be on the "[" and "]" keys I think (or wheel on mouse). 

Also working on making enemies flash white if you shoot them.  Each enemy type will typically take more than one hit, though some of the minions will be destroyed with one shot. 

Different weapons gained from artefacts (after level bosses) will have different effectiveness against each type of enemy (easy enough to implement too).

 

[Loren Schmidt]

I'm not having any luck with the last demo link- I get an .swf file, but it just looks like a white canvas.

Personally, and this is pretty subjective, I'm a bit put off by the mix of different visual styles that's happening. The use of gradients, bitmaps, vectors, and soft particle effects all at once is a bit jarring to me. I'd like something more cohesive, like all vectors, or vectors + filled regions. I can't really see the (awesome) lava lamp effect beeing a good fit for the look of the rest of the game, unfortunately, but it looks pretty amazing. I'd love to see that in motion.

I like the blue enemies, by the way. Keep up the good work, I look forward to playing a more recent build.

[Joseph]

I tried to play the latest build but it crashed my interwebz haha

[BadgerManufactureInc]

Sparky, I agree with you about the clash of styles and have chosen to go with the vectors.  The current demo is on 'spamtheweb' now..

http://spamtheweb.com/ul/upload/300709/23529_The_Excavator_090730.php

Thanks Joseph for taking a while to check it.

 

Killgore is looking lush by the way...

[Montoli]

I like your music!  I spent far too much time though before I realized that I couldn't shoot things, and the explosions were being auto-spawned in the background. 

[BadgerManufactureInc]

I know, I'm taking deep breaths, inhaling all the stress of developing, and embracing that (not so small) final hurdle.

Once it's sorted it should be playable!  I've been stuck on this for a few days, thus the silence from me, but I'm almost there - for instance I'm coding right now.

Thanks for passing through my friend.