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[KissMaj7]

Aureolin is a challenging and colorful action game where you have to defeat 29 mechanical enemies. Shoot the enemies with your gun while dodging bullets.

Download Version 1.0 (for Windows)





(from slightly older version)

--- OLD POST ---

Aureolin is a game I've been working for quite while just fo fun. It's a fast-paced side-view shooter game where every level contains only one enemy and nothing else.

I think I already have the programming pretty much done but now I should concentrate on graphics and small details. As a programmer that's not my favorite part of game making so I hope to keep motivated by updating this devlog occationally

I'm planning to upload the beta version of the game in the near future.

[KissMaj7]

Yay! Beta version (for Windows) is now available. I also uploaded

to YouTube.

Some pretty cool enemies were left out from the beta version because I want to keep the level order same as it'll be on the compelete version. I only need to draw a several enemies and then I have all the enemies ready.

The graphics could be better but this is the best a programmer like me can do in decent time frame Rather than making awesome graphics, I try to make personal graphics.

[jb]

Cool concept! The whole idea of only one enemy at a time was quite neat. I really enjoyed playing, it took a while to get into the groove but I completed the beta. I liked the diversity in enemy patterns (especially in the second area), the jumping rabbit was fun.

Not sure if you'd be willing to rework this but it would be cool if there were different upgrades to choose at each check point, perhaps different bullet types, ones to upgrade reload rate etc. Would add a lot of replayability as well as strategy to the gameplay.

I didn't think it was obvious how to activate the checkpoints, most of the time I was playing I was starting again each time. You should make it automatic as you walk over them. Also, it would be better if you recovered all your health at checkpoints since by dying and restarting from there you end up having full health anyway.

The graphics serve their purpose, would be cool if they were improved though. A more retro/pixelated style might work better and wouldn't be too difficult to pull off. Other effects like particles and debris when you kill enemies would be nice. Oh and a scaled fullscreen mode would make my day!

Needless to say sound and music would add a lot to the game as well!

Looking forward to the final release and to find out what the later enemies are like! Please send me a message when it comes out in case I don't see

[KissMaj7]

Thanks for the feedback

Not sure if you'd be willing to rework this but it would be cool if there were different upgrades to choose at each check point, perhaps different bullet types, ones to upgrade reload rate etc. Would add a lot of replayability as well as strategy to the gameplay.

Funny because I originally had something like this in mind I planned that player would choose from five different choices: increase character speed, increase jump height, increase bullet speed, decrease reload time and increase ammo capacity. But I decided to keep things simple and now the player receives all these five bonuses at the same time

I didn't think it was obvious how to activate the checkpoints, most of the time I was playing I was starting again each time. You should make it automatic as you walk over them. Also, it would be better if you recovered all your health at checkpoints since by dying and restarting from there you end up having full health anyway.

Checkpoint system is a bit special. I didn't want to add normal checkpoints but forcing player to start from the beginning everytime is just too cruel. In order to activate a checkpoint you have to get there six times. If you look the checkpoint platform you see it keeps count of the visits. This isn't clear to new player when he/she first couple times sees it but I hope player will eventually figure it out. Although might be that the upgrade is taking all the attention away from it.

Just figured out there is a little bug in the checkpoint system since the teleport activates one visit too early. I'll be fixing that shortly. For now the checkpoints activations are not saved when the game is closed but I intend to change this.

Other effects like particles and debris when you kill enemies would be nice.

Yes, I'll do that.

Oh and a scaled fullscreen mode would make my day!

I'll probably implement this too. I have quite wide screen myself so when I tested a simple fullscreen it looked quite flat. But I'll try to figure out a smart way to do the scaling.

Needless to say sound and music would add a lot to the game as well!

Yes, I will definitely add some retro sounds later. I've thinking about background music but I can't figure out what sort of music would fit with the game. Also eventhough I'm a decent musician, making music for an action game isn't my strength.

[KissMaj7]

I've making some progress although a stress injury in my wrist has been slowing me down.

Here's what I've done lately:
- Sound effects (made with Bfxr)
- Rest of the enemies except the boss
- Enemy explosion
- Full-screen mode
- Small polishing

Next on the TODO-list:
- The boss (I've already made the sketches. It will be awesome.)
- Save game
- Options
- Music?

[KissMaj7]

The game is now ready! (Download link is in the first post)

Some things that may cause discussion are difficulty and special checkpoint system. Is the game too hard? Should the checkpoints be activated with less visits? Were you able to finish the game?

All feedback is welcome!

[jb]

Finally beat it!

I thought the difficulty curve was just right though I did find the last area quite tricky (spent over hour on it XD). This wasn't so much because of the final boss or that any one enemy was too hard, I was just dumb to the patterns to avoid some of the prior machines meaning I was losing a lot of health.

I really enjoyed the new areas from the beta, they kept with the same basic mechanics but reinterpreted them enough to keep things interesting. I actually wish there was one final area or something, which is definitely a good sign for you as a developer because even after finishing the game I still want to keep playing!

Aesthetically not much has changed from the beta and at this point I didn't really expect a major overhaul or anything. The art could be improved but it wasn't a barrier for my enjoyment of the game (though it might be for some people which is why I mention it). The full screen option is much nicer too btw and now I understand how the checkpoints work I think they are a pretty cool mechanic. I never managed to complete more than one area in a single run because I took too much damage but I liked that the possibility existed.

The sound effects are humble, they fit well and do their job properly. I would have liked there to have been music but I commend you for opting to keep it silent as opposed to including ripped midi files like a lot of people seem to do. At least I could play my own stuff in the background which was nice. You mentioned you do make music though, what kind? I imagine something quite retro and fairly fast paced for this.

I truly think this is a great game you have (and I'm not just saying that) - the whole experience feels really unique; with each death I was pretty much addicted to have 'just one more' try at it. All it's suffering from in my opinion is a lack of overall polish and like I said, it didn't stop me from enjoying the game but I think your work might get a bit more attention if the visuals were a little better - by that I don't necessarily mean you need crazy amazing pixel art, just a bit of stylisation could go a long way. I'd probably go for something like this. The screenshots are kind of too small to get the full effect but notice how simple the art is but the consistent palette and screen effects really make it stand out.

Oh and thanks for the thanks, glad I could help

I played your other games a while ago too and had been meaning to write to you. I thought My Imaginary Girlfriend was a genius concept, as a designer you have a lot of skill making unique and entertaining works within very simple mechanics. I'd love to hear about any ideas you have for future projects?

But anyways, thanks for creating something cool that kept me entertained on a Sunday night - I really do recommend people to give this a go!

[KissMaj7]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it I agree that the visuals are the biggest weakness in Aureolin. Screenshots should wake interest but in this case I think they scare people off.

You mentioned you do make music though, what kind? I imagine something quite retro and fairly fast paced for this.

I play piano/synthesizer well. I like to improvise and compose my own melodies. I haven't done much recording except for the music in My Imaginary Girlfriend (not the kind of music I usually play). I usually play melancholic music with a small jazz wibe. I don't have experience of making fast retro songs so I eventually decided to leave Aureolin mainly musicless. My next game will definitely have music in it. In the future I think I should learn to use FruityLoops or LMMS.

I'd love to hear about any ideas you have for future projects?

I'm full of game ideas. My next project will be something completely different: a very story-oriented game with a workname 'Dark Days'. It will be a strange combination of realism and fantasy. I'm starting a devlog of it within couple days.