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[richy486]

Hello,

I'm working on a new game called Planet Eater for iOS devices. The gameplay is based around gravity and the slingshot effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_assist). Your goal is to eat planets but first you have to weaken their force field. To weaken it you must use your gravity to swing the missiles fired at you back to the enemy planet. After a few hits the forcefield goes down and you can eat the enemy planet.

In this version there are four enemies they shoot increasingly faster and have increasingly stronger force fields, then the game repeats. If you get hit by a missile or run into the enemy planet you will lose health. Eating the escaping yellow space ships will give you more health. You can drag your finger on anywhere on the screen to move the player.

The game can be quite challenging but once you the hang of swinging the missiles it should feel natural. (I find it fun to swing the missile around a few times).

Right now all the graphics are done by me and are a bit of a mess because I haven't decided on an art style, I'm talking to some talented designers to produce some nicer graphics. I'm planning to add more character to the enemy planets, having the player defeat the moon, then the earth, then the sun, then the galaxy etc. Also more animations and effects.

I am using sparrow-framework.org for the graphics and pebblecube.com to track stats and to help with balancing (which I also develop for).

I'm going to post updates here and I am also after testers on iPhone or iPad. I'm using testflightapp.com to distribute the app.

I'm planning to sell this app in the app store but I haven't decided on pricing, free version or upgrade version etc.

I would really like feed back for this app, if you can please open up this link on your device: http://bit.ly/mpVMdl (if your on your computer that link has an option to email yourself the link) then register you device.

Screens (the player is the pacman looking character and the blue health bar is yours):

[ParaboL]

I can vouch for this. Had a hands on a few weeks ago. Bit difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's great fun. I can't actually test it myself, since I don't have an iPhone/iPad, but I played it on Richymines phone.

[richy486]

Added a video so you can get an idea of the game play.

[richy486]

v 1.0.4

I've added the ability to move the UI around the screen depending on which orientation you hold the device. I've added this because being a game where you can move anywhere around the screen fairly fast it will be easier for you to play it in landscape mode rather than portrait.

Check it out! send me a message if you want to be a tester.

[pen]

Looks like a great start there.
It looks like this could be really fun gameplay-wise once there are a few planets and other things on-screen.


I once had something sort of similar (eating planets) in mind, I hope you don't mind me posting a mockup:

[richy486]

Cheers Pen,
I have some ideas to put other objects in the play field for the missiles to travel around. Moons, black holes etc.

Your mockup looks great. Looks like there was more to it than eating planets in space as well. Are you currently working on it?

[pen]

Cheers Pen,
I have some ideas to put other objects in the play field for the missiles to travel around. Moons, black holes etc.

Your mockup looks great. Looks like there was more to it than eating planets in space as well. Are you currently working on it?

nah, it was just an old mockup, nothing came from it. The basic idea is to eat everything in the universe, watch out for things that are bigger than your mouth. Some simple flash-thinggie.

[richy486]

Added some new features:

- Touching with a second finger reverses the gravity (and increases the magnitude) to push objects away.
- Added moving background
- Planets will spin before shooting, this animating will probably change in the future but I just want to give an indication for now

Also
- Added some text to the status bars, this might be confusing
- Updated the launch/menu screen to include more instructions and (hopefully) be more clear

Bug fixes:
- health ship moves faster
- health is destroyed on finishing a level
- added speed limit to projectiles

And here is a new screenshot:

[richy486]

I have added a trajectory to the projectiles, not sure if this will stay in the game. I want to try this out to see if it helps people to manipulate the corse of the projectiles.
pics:

[richy486]

Added gravity manipulator rings, these change the direction of projectiles passing through them

[Mikademus]

The gameplay is based around gravity and the slingshot effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_assist).

Why don't you just be upfront about it and say you're making a Gravity Wars clone with your own touches? Nothing wrong with that, you know.

[richy486]

The gameplay is based around gravity and the slingshot effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_assist).

Why don't you just be upfront about it and say you're making a Gravity Wars clone with your own touches? Nothing wrong with that, you know.

Sorry but I've never played gravity wars, is this what you are referring to?
http://www.flashanywhere.net/en/puzzlegames/10917-gravity-wars.html

[Belimoth]

The game can be quite challenging but once you the hang of swinging the missiles it should feel natural. (I find it fun to swing the missile around a few times).

If it's fun, why not make it a gameplay feature? Give bonus damage to missiles that have orbited the player a few times.

[richy486]

The game can be quite challenging but once you the hang of swinging the missiles it should feel natural. (I find it fun to swing the missile around a few times).

If it's fun, why not make it a gameplay feature? Give bonus damage to missiles that have orbited the player a few times.

I've actually been thinking about doing that for a while, havent implemented it yet.

[Mikademus]

Sorry but I've never played gravity wars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_Wars
Gravity Wars is the original game of your genre, so your game is a Gravity Wars-like (no, that is not a real word ), just as Roguelikes are games in the image of Rogue.

[richy486]

cool