next »

[Melly]

Here's the latest version of Non Human

Things are looking quite a bit more interesting this time around. I like the minibosses, though some of their attacks are a bit tough to dodge. The final boss got a lot tougher. It's more interesting to fight him now, but I still honestly hate that it's so hard and annoying to hit him, and that issue is just worsened now that his attacks are more deadly. I'd really advise making him easier to hit overall.

Also, got a bug after dying on the final boss:

Code:

___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 1
of Draw Event
for object Obj_Display:

Error in code at line 86:
                       Obj_Hero.x = vObj_RespawnPoint.x;

at position 53: Unknown variable x

[FrankieSmileShow]

I keep forgetting to correct that one, it was even reported here before I think! It should be gone now, updated the download link.

Is it too easy? Other than the enemies it doesn't have, at easy level all enemy damage is halved, your bullets hit twice as hard, shoot twice as fast and has longer range, and subweapons cost less to use. You're not even meant to need to use subweapons to get through the game. Its meant to be easier, but I don't think its quite easy enough to breeze through, except maybe for the first few areas?

[Mkoi]

(exluding timewarp tickers)

 

Sorry, I just played every game in one night then that was the last one left to play but I was super tired. I'll play it along with non human and give my review/playtest then.

[Mikademus]

So many new posts! O.o

Tried TimeWarpTickers. Great concept! Good production values!

I got stuck close to the beginning and had no idea how to kick an eye into that yellow button, tried for five minutes and turned it off. So initial very good impressions, but which were annulled by annoyance with the game not teaching you how to solve problems.

Thanks for the compliments.

Didn't you try to hold up while flicking? I'm trying to see if I can teach the player the game's mechanics through the level design, without holding their hand and saying "Hey retard, this is how you do this shit!".

You do mean the first yellow button, right, and not the second?

Also, did you really try for five minutes or is that hyperbole?

I'll be reworking the first level entirely eventually, but until then I welcome suggestions to make learning the game's concepts easier without me putting a huge sign saying "Press UP and FLICK".

No, really five minutes! I really tried to get the eye into the yellow button. As for which button, well, it was in the ceiling, and there was a door (?) to the right of it on the ground. And yeah, I held the clock face arrow up when flicking, but the eye still goes off at 45 degrees, so it was impossible for me at least to get it into the passage above.

[L]

Another Silver Sword build.

Yellow enemies are weak to silver. Cyan enemies are weak to fire. Also, ice can be used to make ice bridges across creeks. No life meter just yet.

[moi]

I'm back working on the last levels of Operation full moon, in case anybody's wondering.
Should be finished in less than a week.

[hamburger]

Still working on Bits and Pieces, still planning on finishing this weekend. Basically I just need to do some art, and some more music...

and some more levels....   

[Melly]

Another Silver Sword build.

Yellow enemies are weak to silver. Cyan enemies are weak to fire. Also, ice can be used to make ice bridges across creeks. No life meter just yet.

Alright, played the latest build. Some feedback:

• I hope you implement something like Beeps and Blips's aim-lock system, because having to run away and then turn around to fire a projectile gets dull very fast, especially when you actually need to make some distance between you and the enemies.
• Make it 8-directional. You can pull yourself away from the original's design in that respect and I think it would benefit the game greatly as you have it designed so far. 4-directional movement with shooting mechanics feels very restrictive, in my opinion, unless your levels and enemy movement use only 4 directions as well (which they don't right now).
• Maybe you could experiment with some more isometric graphics? Most things look dull when you can only see the top of them, which is why top-down graphics are rarily used. But what you have here is still pretty decent so it's not too important, I feel.
• You should either increase the player's movement speed a bit, or decrease the range the sword needs to travel to change elements. Though that would also decrease range, so maybe the first option is preferrable.

I like the gameplay ideas you have, and I think they can work out with tweaking.

No, really five minutes! I really tried to get the eye into the yellow button. As for which button, well, it was in the ceiling, and there was a door (?) to the right of it on the ground. And yeah, I held the clock face arrow up when flicking, but the eye still goes off at 45 degrees, so it was impossible for me at least to get it into the passage above.

Huh. That's very odd. Constant testing shows me the aiming is working as intended, and I've had no one else here or elsewhere complain that they couldn't aim the flicks properly.

I'm not sure what to say. Next build should come with temporary instruction screen to make the game easier to grasp, so maybe you'll have a better shot then.

Did you REALLY hold the UP key on the keyboard while flicking? O.o Sorry if it seems I'm calling you stupid, it's just that I really don't understand how this wouldn't be working for you.

In other news, been doing work on Sharks, mostly research and testing work into seeing how exactly I'll structure it. I was thinking of implementing procedural generation of levels, but that ideas seems best left for if I still have extra time when I'm done with the rest of the game itself. I should have a prototype tonight and then people can let me know if they like the gameplay I'm going after.

[Mikademus]

Huh. That's very odd. Constant testing shows me the aiming is working as intended, and I've had no one else here or elsewhere complain that they couldn't aim the flicks properly.

I'm not sure what to say. Next build should come with temporary instruction screen to make the game easier to grasp, so maybe you'll have a better shot then.

Did you REALLY hold the UP key on the keyboard while flicking? O.o Sorry if it seems I'm calling you stupid, it's just that I really don't understand how this wouldn't be working for you.

Np, if someone told me a key mechanics that worked for everyone else apparently didn't work for him, then I too would be sceptical. Anyway, yeah I did hold the up key, but I'll try next release too, and if I still have problems we can look into it then.

[offal]

boss is coming along



it's a combo based run n gun that does some dynamic camera stuff.

basic enemies, obstacles, and level gen are in. i started a few days ago, and there are probably a few more worth of work left.

away for the weekend so i probably won't be on irc.

[deathtotheweird]

Oh, cool. You aren't letting payleaf/payleft/PF/Quentin/whatever's sprites going to waste are ya? Looks good so far.

[Scattle]

SOULEYE GET!

Expect a sweet new track from Souleye (did the music for VVVVVV) in the finished version of Lollipops!

[Danrul]

I grabbed Slashers, its going to be a bit like Too Many Ninjas.  Will report in later with some sexy sexy screenshots.

[Triplefox]

Newest Ninja Assault:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/254701/blog/action52/6_11/index.html

It's been slow going mainly because I started on another project with a vastly more interesting implementation-time-to-results ratio. That in turn means that I'm going to have to keep my interest on this one up by making this game's design cooler than the average beat-em-up.

I'm thinking of something where bashing the enemies flings them into targets and you try to min/max the supply of enemies against the available targets to get a high score on each "course," rather than just do a boring progression through the levels. I'll have to work out how to make the enemies behave interestingly enough so that this is challenging and fun though...I think that can be done.

[L]

I hope you implement something like Beeps and Blips's aim-lock system, because having to run away and then turn around to fire a projectile gets dull very fast, especially when you actually need to make some distance between you and the enemies.

Well, there's already something like that already - holding down X locks your facing direction.

Thanks for the ideas!

[BK-TN]

I'm a bit over halfway done with Thrusters now.
Work In Progress-version:
http://www.tntgames.dk/games/thrusters.exe

[L]

Quite lively! Definitely a full-blooded game.

Suggestions:
* Yellow bullets only take off one twentieth of your life? This seems to make the game a bit unpleasantly complicated. One of the strengths of the shooter formula is that every visible moving projectile and obstacle is, for the most part, roughly equal in lethality. Having to think about numbers and evaluate the cost/benefit of different kinds of bullets whilst playing is a bit much to ask.
...So, let me propose something else: one yellow bullet takes off one fifth of your life (-20%) but you get 2 seconds of mercy invincibility flashing whenever you get hit.
* Also, it's kind of hard to spy the health meter amidst the other three meters. I suggest giving the bar not just a different colour but a different style - make it consist of several 'blocks' of health instead of being just a continuous rectangle.
* The reload meter is also kind of hard to see, and it's hard to instantly apprehend its connection to the charge shot. Instead replace it with a 'heat meter' which swells to full when you fire a shot and then slowly dissipates. (...Personally, I find it kind of inexplicable why you even have to prevent the player from using the Charge Shot for 2 seconds after firing. The mere act of charging it leaves you weaponless as it is, and there aren't really any threats that require the Charge Shot instead of just applying 2 seconds' worth of bullets.)
* Suggestion: take a leaf from the Famicom game Recca and make the Charge Shot ball block all contacting bullets while it is being charged. It thus acts as a defensive ability.
* Also, more audio feedback. Some kind of buzzer when you try to engage an overheated Charge Shot would be very nice.
* Also, it wouldn't hurt in the slightest if the ship was surrounded by a Darius-style shield aura that reflected the current health points - wide and green for 100%, narrow and red for 10%, for instance. More visual feedback about this most important aspect of the player's state is good.

[BK-TN]

Quite lively! Definitely a full-blooded game.

Suggestions:
[...]

Thanks, feedback was just what I needed!
I'll see if i can find head and tail of your suggestions, and redo the parts that needs to be redone.

[RaustBD]

so I take it there are no takers for music help?

[GZ]

I am still working on Chill Out. I am hoping to get a demo out within a few days.

http://gzstorm.com/screen/progress_1.png

The colouring is probably going to be fixed up and some of the graphics edited, but this is fairly representative of how it will look.